Hasta La Gadget!

If you had your heart set on a Kindle Fire, Fire HD 7 or Reader, you can now plunk down your plastic and receive one as fast as your shipper can wheel it over. The 1,280 x 800 Fire HD 7-inch model, which we recently put through the wringer, is available in a 16GB version for $199, and Amazon says the 32GB version will arrive October 25th. As we noted, it carries a new dual-band WiFi system for greater surfing speed, dual speakers, a front HD camera and a TI-made dual-core ARM Cortex A-9 processor. The updated Kindle Fire can be had as well for $159, with double the RAM of the last version, a new processor and a bigger battery. Finally, the new Kindle Reader is also up for grabs at an ad-supported cost of $69, while the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD should be along in November at $299 ($499 for a 4G version). So, if you’re already looking ahead to a certain holiday, check the sources to see how to get one.

Filed under: Tablets

PSA: Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 7, new Fire and Reader now stocked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week Amazon dumped an avalanche of new Kindles on us. Huzzah for reading! Except, um, who wants to buy a whole library of ebooks? Here’s a list of 375 free books formatted for iPad/iPhone, Kindle, or for your plain old computer screen. More »

It’s a big day in the world of e-books, and not just for the crew at Amazon. Today, Judge Denise Cote approved settlement terms for three of the publishers accused by the Justice Department of price fixing. Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins each agreed to settle with the government, rather than face trial — as Apple, Macmillian and Penguin Group will do in June of 2013. As part of the settlement agreement, each of the publishers will be required to terminate their contracts with Apple within one week. Similarly, they will be required to end contracts with other e-book retailers where clauses exist that would hinder the seller’s ability to set pricing. Further, the settling companies won’t be able to form contracts for the next two years with e-book retailers that would hinder the seller’s discretion to set pricing.

During the settlement approval period, individuals and companies alike were given 60 days to weigh in on the matter, which included objections from the American Booksellers Association, the Authors Guild and Barnes & Noble. Ultimately, Judge Cote determined that arguments against the settlement were “insufficient” to block the approval.

Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in e-book lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Singularity & Co aims to rescue near-extinct 20th century sci-fi titles to ensure they still exist in the next one. Established from a Kickstarter campaign, the small team has already digitized and published A Plunge Into Space and The Torch, both with new cover art, while its third title required a thousand-mile journey to scan its contents from a university archive. While Mr. Stranger’s Sealed Packet is out of copyright, many education establishments weren’t willing to let anyone scan its edition of such rare books. Talking to Ars Technica, Ash Kalb added: “If you’re part of that university or that consortium then you have access to that book. If you don’t then you don’t.” The republishing group, which ensures it doesn’t tread on any existing copyright toes, also offers up a better deal to authors and author estates, in addition to reviving interest in long-gone books. Singularity and Co’s now opened its bricks-and-mortar doors in Brooklyn, or you grab more details and updates on their progress at the source below.

Filed under: Internet, Alt

New York bookshop launches rescue mission to digitize out-of-print sci-fi titles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s Appstore has been doing brisk business stateside, and is now ready to sell its wares to Europeans in Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Spain. If you sign up, you’ll be able to create reviews and make one-click payments, and will have access to a huge library of apps from top-tier brands, as well as localized content. The company said purchases can be used “across a customer’s Android devices,” which will let you buy an app once, and use it on any of your tablets or smartphones that support the OS. If you’d like to check it out, or get one of Amazon’s Free Apps of the Day, check the PR for all the details.

Continue reading Amazon Appstore arrives in Europe, won’t be late for school

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

Amazon Appstore arrives in Europe, won’t be late for school originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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