Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon is widely assumed to be gearing up for a new Kindle Fire reveal next week, but recent rumors are also telling us that it might launch a new E Ink Kindle as well. If these new images from The Verge are the real deal, then we might be looking at the next E Ink Kindle, which appears to be a refresh of the Kindle Touch. As you can see from the images, Amazon is using the phrase “Paperwhite” to describe this Kindle, but whether or not that’s the name of this new device remains to be seen.

Obviously, the term Paperwhite refers to the new display we can clearly see in the images. This looks to improve on the Pearl E Ink displays we’ve been seeing lately, and in these promotional shots, Amazon is touting “higher contrast, high resolution, integrated lighting, and eight weeks of battery life.” Perhaps most importantly, this new Kindle appears to sport a backlit screen, which you can bet will go over well with consumers.

And why wouldn’t Amazon offer an E Ink Kindle with a backlight? That would align this new Kindle to be the perfect competitor to Barnes and Noble’s Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight, and with that device on the scene, it makes a lot of sense that Amazon would want to offer a backlit eReader of its own. These images all seem legitimate too, which further reinforces the idea that Amazon is ready to pull the veil off a new Kindle Touch, perhaps alongside the next iteration of the Kindle Fire.

Of course, we’re still hesitant to call it a sure thing, but the good news is that we won’t have much longer to wait until these new devices are revealed. Amazon is holding a press conference on September 6, and all of new reveals are rumored to be going down there. Stay tuned, because we might just come away from that event next week with a number of new Kindle devices to talk about.

‘Paperwhite’ Kindle struts its stuff in leaked images is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Been holding out on that Kindle Fire purchase because you just can’t wean yourself off the eye-friendly e-ink? Well, this patent application from the folk at Amazon suggests this is something they’re not unaware of. The patent outlines a device incorporating two or more displays, one being static in nature (a-la e-ink) and the other more suitable for video (that’d be LCD or OLED etc). If you’re thinking this sounds like a fast route to flat-battery town, the patent argues to the contrary. The static display would save power by offloading the workload from the LCD, when its slow moving nature was more suitable to the content. Will we see something like this popping up next week? One can but dream.

Amazon applies for dual-display device patent, where e-ink and LCD play nice together originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Publishing is continuing to broaden its distribution channels, as the New York-based imprint has formed a partnership with Ingram Content Group that will make the company’s e-books available to competitors such as Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. As you may be aware, there’s some uneasy tension between the rivals, as Barnes & Noble has previously removed Amazon’s print editions from its retail shelves in response to the company’s former e-book exclusivity in the Kindle Store. It remains unknown whether any of the competitors will indeed choose to sell Amazon’s content in electronic form. It’s also worth pointing out that because deal applies only to Amazon Publishing’s New York-based imprint, the company’s west coast division is excluded from the distribution deal. Regardless of how things shake out, it’s encouraging to see Amazon extend the olive branch — now let’s hope the competition reciprocates.

Amazon Publishing inks deal with Ingram, opens e-book distribution to rivals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, we caught word that a new Kindle Fire had apparently cleared the FCC. Today The Digital Reader has uncovered another Kindle device that has passed through the FCC, but whereas the device from last week appeared the be the next iteration of the Kindle Fire, this one seems to have more in common with the regular Kindle. Is Amazon planning to launch a new version of the Kindle Fire alongside a new version of the basic Kindle? It sure does seem that way.

This new Kindle device has been dubbed EY21, and it appears to come with both Wi-Fi and 3G functionality. Sadly, it looks like it doesn’t come equipped with a front light like so many Kindle owners have been hoping for, so we may end up missing out on that particular feature this time around. Though a lot of the details are being kept under wraps, it seems pretty safe to assume that this is a new e-ink reader in the vein of the Kindle.

Like the tablet that surfaced last week, this device was submitted to the FCC through a front company. The company this time around is named Hannaford LLC, and The Digital Reader has discovered that the address for this LLC belongs to Corporation Service Company, which is another front company Amazon uses. The same thing happened last week, only then the front company was called Harpers LLC. Like the address for Hannaford, the address for Harpers led back to CSC, so it seems pretty likely that Amazon is behind both of these FCC filings.

Another interesting thing to note is that Amazon now owns the trademark for “Firedock,” which was the name of an upcoming Kindle Fire speaker dock from Grace Digital Audio. It appears that Amazon wants this term for itself, and while it’s unclear what Amazon will stick with the Firedock branding, it’s possible that the company will be revealing a Kindle Fire dock of its own soon, perhaps along with a new Kindle Fire and Kindle. With Barnes and Noble announcing that the Nook will soon be arriving in the UK, it looks like Amazon is gearing up to make the the war of the eReaders a little more interesting. Stay tuned.

Thanks Nate!

New Kindle shows up at FCC, Amazon acquires ‘Firedock’ trademark is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve seen it leak out a couple of times, but Sony’s next eReader is finally upon us. Those looking for something revolutionary won’t find it here, but Sony has made little tweaks here and there that should make your reading experience somewhat more pleasant. You’re still looking at the same 6-inch screen, with the E-Ink Pearl display refining touch support and adding more graceful paper-esque page turns and zooms along with improved continuous page turns.

Just as we learned last week, the dimensions of the eReader have been tweaked slightly, with the PRS-T2 coming in a 0.38-inches thick and weighing 5.9 ounces. The four navigational buttons beneath the screen have also been adjusted, with Sony making them larger and easier to push. The company says that the device should get up to two months of battery life (assuming WiFi is turned off, of course), and there’s 2GB of storage of all your digital books.

Sony is still offering access to its online services too, and a nice little bonus is the ability to borrow around 15,000 ebooks from its public library system if you have a valid library card. Sony’s Reader store is still on tap as well, offering magazines and newspapers via a web-based store. Anyone choosing to read a novel via web browser can do so via Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Finally, Sony is throwing in a free copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from the Pottermore store. The company will bundle a download code that will grant you access to the ebook once you’ve purchased the ereader. The device itself will set you back $129.99, and Sony says it’s shipping right now via its online store.

Sony PRS-T2 eReader finally official for $129.99 is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.