Nook matches Kindle by bundling free web access to NYTimes.com with digital edition sub

Adhering to strict alphabetical order, where Amazon leads, Barnes & Noble follows. The Kindle was last week announced to include access beyond the New York Times‘ freshly erected online paywall as part of its device subscription to the NYT and now, lo and behold, the Nook family (including the Nook Color) is following suit in identical fashion. If you’re happy to obtain your sub to New York’s finest paper from the Nook Newsstand — which costs $20 per month, same as Amazon’s levy — you’ll get the bonus, complimentary, free-of-charge privilege of being able to access NYTimes.com without any constraints as well. So what if the online edition used to be free for the past eleventy years? The new Times dictates some fealty be paid and we’re happy to see these e-reader purveyors helping to alleviate (mask?) that cost for some of us. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nook matches Kindle by bundling free web access to NYTimes.com with digital edition sub

Nook matches Kindle by bundling free web access to NYTimes.com with digital edition sub originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well

Can’t get enough New York Times over your Whispernet? Worry not, dear Kindle reader, for Amazon’s on a roll with its announcements today, the latest of which is that a subscription to the NYT on its world-conquering e-reader will also grant users access to the paywall-protected NYTimes.com online portal. No complex rules or conditions, you’ll just be one of the insiders who get unfettered access to all the fine old school journalism practiced at Times towers. See Amazon’s press release after the break or hit the source link to learn more about the $28-a-month (for international users) subscription.

Update: The sub price is $20 in the USA, the $28 cost we first saw relates to those signing up from the UK and other international markets. Thanks, russke!

Continue reading Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well

Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video)

Brainiacs from Osaka University have created what they’ve called the Paranga — a device that fulfills the lack of tactile feedback of page turns when using an e-reader. It’s got a built in sensor that detects when the book is being bent and will rotate a roll of paper strips against your thumb. The force exerted against the device will control the speed of the paper roll. Although it’s not accurate enough to turn one page at a time, the researches believe that if foil is used instead of paper, the voltage will be discharged as soon as a page is turned, ensuring single-page accuracy. If you want to see a video of the Paranga imitate page-turning, press play on the embed below the break.

Continue reading Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video)

Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble now selling the Nook Color on eBay for $199

Well, this one strikes us as a little… odd. Barnes & Noble is currently selling its Nook Color on eBay (along with plenty of other things). The truly interesting part, however, is that the price, once a $50 coupon code is applied, is $199, which is of course $50 less than it sells them for in stores or on its own website. We aren’t sure what the motivation behind this move is, but we’d guess that the bookseller is attempting to compete with other, unofficial eBay retailers selling B&N’s goods. Either way, if you’re in the market for a Nook Color, eBay seems to be the place to get one, for now.

Barnes & Noble now selling the Nook Color on eBay for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Netbook News  |  sourceBarnes and Noble’s eBay store  | Email this | Comments

NoteSlate teased with new product shots, moves one step away from vaporware status

Look, you can’t say no to a $99 electronic ink drawing tablet, but to believe that that his here NoteSlate has any chance of retailing at that price you’d also need the naiveté of a child who accepts free candies from strangers. While we remain skeptical, said tablet’s website has just been updated with a new stash of product shots and an in-depth walkthrough, which are kinda convincing if you ignore the price tag. The mono-color models are here to stay as well, though we should point out that there’s a $30 alternative, already available, from Improv Electronics for those who need nothing more than just doodling. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the NoteSlate come June.

[Thanks, Eddie]

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NoteSlate teased with new product shots, moves one step away from vaporware status originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Reader Android app gets updated with unread count widget and more

Lookie here, digital bookworms — Google has just refreshed its Google Reader app for Android, adding a couple of “your most-requested features” along the way. Things like a unread count widget and news ticker widget are coming to those with Android 2.2+, while a ‘Mark Previous As Read’ is making its way back to all users with v1.6 or higher. Oh, and if you’re into reading Russian feeds, there’s now official support for Russian translation. Head on down to the Market below to get the install going, and do your best not to be ashamed when the number in your unread count stretches three home screen panels.

Google Reader Android app gets updated with unread count widget and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nook Color Gets A Honeycomb Makeover

Photo on 2011-01-28 at 14.18.jpg

Not even a lack of an official OS release will stop the folks at XDA-Developers from their Android hacking. The big news lately? Forum member deeper-blue has gotten the version of Honeycomb from the recently-released SDK preview running on a Nook Color. A pretty impressive feat, given that the Android Open Source Project has yet to put out the full source of the new OS. According to a video posted on the site, hardware acceleration and touchscreen input is working, but almost nothing else is. There aren’t any downloads of the custom firmware posted (which is probably a good thing given the state of the port), but the developer has posted a short video of it running with graphics acceleration on YouTube.

Usually, installing this kind of custom firmware is a very iffy (and warranty-voiding) process, but it should give a little bit of hope to those Nook Color owners hoping for a more official version of the OS to eventually end up on their slates. With the price of the Honeycomb-packing Motorola Xoom rumored to be between $700 and $800, the Nook Color, at $250, would be quite an attractive option for those looking for the first tablet-optimized version of Android without the price tag.

[via XDA-Developers, Engadget]

Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings

One of the first things that happens after a new platform emulator breaks loose is that a bunch of hackers far smarter than ourselves get hold of it, tear it apart, and port it to whatever’s convenient. In the case of this week’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb preview, “whatever’s convenient” would be the Nook Color, which reigns as perhaps the cheapest decent-quality Android tablet money can currently buy. Naturally, xda-developers has a thread going on the subject as we speak; the current port is said to be really slow and mostly broken — but then again, that kind of describes the current state of the emulator itself. Good news is that the developer says he plans on working on graphics acceleration to improve performance over the weekend, so with any luck, the Xoom might have some unofficial competition before too long. Follow the break for another shot.

[Thanks, s30zgt]

Continue reading Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings

Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle for Windows Phone 7 goes live

We knew it was coming… and you know what happens to things you know are coming? They eventually come. Case in point: Amazon’s Kindle app for Windows Phone 7, first teased in October and now available to anyone with a WP7 device and a desire to read stuff. Grab it now, if you’re into that sort of thing.

[Thanks, Tiziano]

Kindle for Windows Phone 7 goes live originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm lays down $1 billion for new Mirasol plant in Taiwan, catering small and medium devices

Good news, digital bookworms! After months of rumoring, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has just announced that Qualcomm will really be building a new Mirasol plant over there. Specifically, the $1 billion, seven-hectare factory will reside in the Hsinchu Longtan Science Park to mass-produce small and medium flavors of said transflective display, meaning the Snapdragon maker will, for the first time, be able to churn out something smaller than the current lone 5.7-inch model. Yep, those must be the low-power smartphone screens that Qualcomm talked about previously, which sure sound delicious. Now, what’s up with our little Pixel Qi?

Qualcomm lays down $1 billion for new Mirasol plant in Taiwan, catering small and medium devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BusinessWeek  |  sourceMinistry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C.  | Email this | Comments