Hasta La Gadget!

As far aw whales go, the Twitter Fail Whale is pretty well known. Now even Google wants some of the whale action of its own. The new Google eBooks‘ error page takes a literary spin on the Fail Whale with its “Whale Fail,” featuring the classic Captain Ahab and infamous Moby Dick.

Given the dominance of Sony’s Walkman over in the Land of the Rising Sun, it’s a little surprising to think that Sony has been all but silent regarding the Japanese e-reader market. We heard back in May that the mega-corp was planning an e-reader launch in Japan by the year’s end, aiming to build out an elaborate e-book distribution platform with local telecom operator KDDI. Fast forward a few months, and it seems as if thing’s are finally falling into place. New reports are suggesting that the 5- and 6-inch Sony Reader devices will be on sale in Japan on December 10th, with pricing set for ¥20,000 ($237) / ¥25,000 ($297), respectively. Additionally, it’s planning to crack the seal on an online e-bookstore with around 20,000 titles, and that one should be ready to roll prior to the “year-end shopping rush.” Perhaps more stunning, however, is Sony’s intentions to “sell 300,000 Readers in the first year and win half the domestic market by 2012” — that’s according to Sony Marketing Japan president Nobuki Kurita. Bold words, Sony, but we love the ambition.

Sony aims for half of Japan’s e-reader market by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble this week began shipping its new Nookcolor
eBook reader ahead of schedule for all those users who pre-ordered the device.
The color touchscreen reader will begin arriving today. Barnes & Noble
stores will also be getting readers for customer demos and “very limited
quantities” for purchase.

The reader, which was announced at an event on Octover 26^th,
features a seven-inch color touchscreen. According to the company, the Nookcolor
“has quickly become the bestselling product at Barnes & Noble with
pre-order volume significantly beyond that of the company’s aggressive
expectations.”

The device runs $249. Its predecessors, the Nook 3G and
Wi-Fi, will be getting firmware upgrades next week. 

It’s hard to believe we’re already writing a review of the Nook Color, considering Barnes & Noble’s first foray into the e-reader world was revealed just over a year ago. In that time, the company has gone from no presence in e-books to owning 20 percent of the marketshare, and now has moved from a somewhat sluggish hybrid E-Ink / LCD device to a full color, tablet-like product. The Nook Color is definitely a major step forward, boasting a completely revamped, Android-based OS, and a big push into the children’s book and periodical market (particularly full color magazines). Both of these spaces have yet to be mined successfully by players like Apple and Amazon — and it’s clear Barnes & Noble is aware of the stakes. Beyond book reading, the Nook Color potentially offers a tablet alternative that can (or will be able to) do much of what is possible on an iPad or Galaxy Tab. In fact, the company plans to launch its own Android tablet app store in the first quarter of 2011, providing a consistent, compatible application experience that could get the jump on other Android tablet-makers’ plans (hello Samsung). Of course, this is a fierce market, and with a $249 price tag, Barnes & Noble has to play to win on every front. So, is the Nook Color the next logical step in e-readers? Is it a healthy alternative to more expensive tablets? And can it cement the prominent bookseller’s place in a hotly contested new space? Read on for all those answers in the full Engadget review!

Continue reading Nook Color review

Nook Color review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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