I just got a few books in the mail. Physical books. Made out of dead tree. They aren’t the most convenient thing to be hauling around, but I think there’s a nice sense of completion when you finish a real book and get to put it up on your bookcase, all the while deluding yourself that visitors will glance in that direction and have several nice thoughts about how smart and well-read you are. More »
It appears that Amazon may be feeling the heat of the Nexus 7 wave – or perhaps even the oncoming Apple iPad mini – as they place essentially their entire Kindle collection on sale for back-to-school. Though many of the sales have halted here on the morning after a super-sale weekend, Amazon did have the Kindle DX up for 29% off (that’s $110!) and cases, speaker docks, sleeves of all kinds, and more. This could mean several things, but what we’re banking on is this: a whole new model – or models – coming on quick.
With several manufacturers hoping to stay on top in the 7-inch and reader categories here in the right-before-school season, Amazon is certainly feeling the strain of sticking with essentially one model for an extended period with the Kindle Fire. Because of this, they’ve prepped bargains for release here (as Gizmodo notes, starting last Friday) that appear to be emptying out their shelves for the very near future where they’ll be filled back up with new equipment. What will Amazon bring to the table?
We must assume that the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Touch 3G, also appearing to be low in stock in several stores across the nation – or completely sold out – will be turned out along with the DX and the Kindle Fire. Rumors thus far have pointed toward a Kindle Fire 10-inch tablet as well as slightly more advanced displays for e-readers of all types and models.
Over a Barnes & Noble you’ll find that the price cuts continue to their own models of tablets, these and Amazon’s also likely partly due to their cut from Target stores across the nation – though that tip now seems less solid as the big red chain continues to sell some models online. The 8GB Nook Tablet is now available for $20 off its normal price while the Nook Color remains its discounted price – since the Tablet was released – at $149.
A new Amazon tablet in the Kindle Fire line would likely continue with the rather-low prices as the Nexus 7 from Google cuts out the bottom of the price environment, while e-reader devices have been tipped as remaining essentially the same prices that they’re at now. We’ll know more soon!
[via CSM]
Amazon clearing tablet inventory is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re flippin’ through the pages on our e-readers — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!
Most of us are still walking around hunchbacked from years of carrying heavy textbooks in our overstuffed backpacks. Thankfully, an e-reader can significantly lighten the loads for students everywhere. Sure, we’ve still got a ways to go before electronic devices can replace textbooks altogether, but in the long run, they could significantly impact the postures of backpack wearers all over. Jump past the break for our recommendations, and another opportunity to enter our back to school giveaway. Simply leave a comment at the bottom to be entered to win, and head over to our giveaway page for more details.
Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: e-readers
Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Diamond Club is an erotic fiction book that reached as high as #4 on the iTunes paid eBooks list just behind the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. It’s an amazing accomplishment as it’s only been on sale for three days. And even more amazing since it’s a fake book. More »
It’s becoming a habit of Amazon’s to report on the rise of the e-book at the expense of physical texts, and their latest announcement is no different. Sales figures show that in the UK, 114 Kindle purchases have been made for every 100 printed copies so far in 2012. A similar statistic was achieved in the US last year, but whether these are true indications of e-book supremacy is up for discussion. Free downloads were excluded from the tally, but those released via Kindle Direct Publishing without a paper twin were counted. The Guardian also notes that these are unaudited figures, so there may be a digit awry here or there. And with a few physical stores still around, there’s no need to panic-buy that Kindle just yet.
Continue reading Hold the presses! Amazon UK selling more e-books than printed ones
Filed under: Tablet PCs
Hold the presses! Amazon UK selling more e-books than printed ones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
App updates are always nice, right? Well, if you’re an avid user of Kobo’s intellectual offerings on Android handsets and slates, you’ll be happy to know the all-things-eReader service has rolled out a fresh update to its eBooks application. Most notably, this new version brings support for an array of new languages within the app, such as French, Italian, Dutch, German and Spanish. That’s not it, however, and in addition to gaining a “multi-language experience,” Kobo’s eBooks application now also offers an in-book progress indicator, a two-page landscape view for folks using tablets and the ability to share current readings with friends on Facebook or Kobo Pulse. As usual, you’ll find the refreshed goods inside Google’s Play store, link for that is down below.
Filed under: Software
Kobo for Android gets updated with support for extra languages, more Facebook integration originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google, as you may already know, is in deep trouble with a number of authors who don’t like that the company has scanned their books into the Google Books database. The long-running lawsuit is turning seven years old this year, and now Google is asking for its dismissal after a judge refused a proposed $125 million settlement last year. The authors suing Google – backed by the Authors Guild – were granted class-action status earlier this year in May.
Google submits that the authors involved in the lawsuit don’t have much a claim here because they haven’t demonstrated how Google Books’ online offerings, which is now comprised of more than 15 million books, have caused them any loss. In fact, Google claims that by scanning excerpts from books and putting them into an online database, the company is actually helping the authors out. The Authors Guild sticks by its claim that the company’s Google Books endeavors amount to nothing more than “massive copyright infringement.”
Reuters reports that the authors have until August 24 to file a response to Google’s move for dismissal. Google could be dealing with more than just angry authors before long, however, as Judge Denny Chin says that graphic artists and photographers may also join the case against the company. If they do, Google could have a pretty big mess on its hands, so it’s no wonder the company is making the move for dismissal. Stay tuned.
Google moves for dismissal of digital books lawsuit is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
When internet mega retailer Amazon kicked off its fiscal year this past spring with $13.8 billion in net sales, the prognosis for the quarter ahead was dour, to say the least. At the time, the company projected its Q2 2012 performance would see an operating loss of $40 million to $260 million versus Q2 2011, as well as a slight down tick in revenue at $11.9 billion to $13.3 billion quarter to quarter. Well, the numbers are in and it looks like the forecast was right on the money. The Seattle-based outfit posted $7 million in net income for the quarter, a year over year loss amounting to a whopping 96 percent decrease. As for net sales, that picture’s a bit rosier given the 29 percent increase over Q2 2011 that saw the Bezos-backed co. pull in $12.83 billion — a figure that would have risen to 32 percent were it not for a $272 million hit due to “changes in foreign exchange rates[.]” Operating cash flow for Q2 2012 was down by nearly half at $107MM compared to the same segment last year.
Unsurprisingly, the company’s budget Kindle Fire tab — which has enjoyed relatively weak competition up to now — is still the number one item across Amazon’s site, with titles in its Lending Library growing to over 170,000. Bezos also made note of Prime’s growth, pegging that subscription offering’s catalog of items at 15 million and highlighting the addition of 18,000 movies and TV shows to its streaming service.
As for the future, the company expects Q3 net sales to grow by at least 19 percent year-over-year, landing somewhere between $12.9 billion and $14.3 billion, with a projected operating loss of $50 million to $350 million. Hit up the PR after the break for the full load of financial highs and lows.
Amazon Q2 2012 earnings: net income down 96 percent to $7 million, net sales up 29 percent to $12.83 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sad news for global freeloaders travellers looking to keep up with Gmail and Twitter on their Amazon e-reader. The online book seller has started closing in on excessive free web browsing, policing a 50MB data limit on its keyboard Kindle iterations. According to users on MobileRead, you’ll still be able to browse Amazon’s Kindle store and Wikipedia, but anything beyond that gets locked down. After some further investigation, it looks like Amazon added a provision outlining the data limits on its site, dated around July 1st. It stipulating that users “may be limited to 50MB of browsing over 3G per month.” The data cap only applies to older Kindle versions, including the Kindle Keyboard and Kindle DX. If you’ve got Amazon’s latest e-reader hardware, then you’re not missing anything — the free web browsing option was sidestepped on the likes of the Kindle Touch.
Filed under: Internet
Amazon puts 50MB limit on 3G Kindle’s ‘free’ experimental browser originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Now that the legal dust has settled and Google’s publishing woes in ‘ol Gaul have been swept under the rug, it’s back to business as usual. Starting today, the land of Jerry Lewis lovers will have access to books on Google Play, making it the fifth European country to participate in Mountain View’s online ebook store. Initially, the available catalog of domestic titles will count in the “hundreds” — a sizable library that will surely grow as publishers grow comfortable with the Play ecosystem and more deals are struck — and is supplemented by existing arrangements with international publishers. So, if you always meant to brush up on your Flaubert or Fifty Shades of Grey, well, now’s your chance La France. Official PR after the break.
Continue reading Google Play Books starts a new chapter in France
Filed under: Internet, Software
Google Play Books starts a new chapter in France originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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