It’s Kindle Day! Earlier this afternoon Amazon unleashed its Kindle HD: a gorgeous content-chomping Android tablet. Here’s everything you need to know about the new features on the 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions Amazon’s new monster, as well as its new best-in-class Kindle Paperwhite ereader. Get comfy; we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. More »
Despite its relative success, the Nook eReader and tablet from Barnes and Noble have often been viewed as underdog devices trying to go up against the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire. So imagine the position that Kobo is in with its 6-inch Kobo Glo eReader and 7-inch Kobo Arc Android tablet. Yep. More »
Another development in the UK market for e-readers, tablets and e-books as Amazon and Barnes & Noble move closer to launching more of their services and devices in the UK and Europe: the retail giant Tesco has purchased Mobcast, a digital bookseller co-founded by pulp fiction writer Andy McNab. Tesco tells TechCrunch that the price of the acquisition is $7.2 million.
Tesco notes that Mobcast has a catalog of some 130,000 books, but the main idea behind this acquisition for Tesco, already one of the biggest booksellers in the UK, will be to give Tesco its own digital book distribution platform, including cloud-based storage for the books. “They provide excellent end-to-end service, from injecting the material from publishers all the way to retail to customers,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch.
One of the big benefits of Mobcast, which first entered the market in 2007, is that it is available across all major mobile platforms. Tesco also already sells the Kindle from Amazon among its wide range of other consumer electronics.
The deal comes on the heels of Tesco buying movie and TV streaming service blinkbox in 2011 and Internet radio service WE7 in June 2012.
“We want our customers to have the widest choice in digital entertainment. We are already one of the UK’s largest booksellers and Mobcast will help us offer even more choice for the large and growing number of customers who want to buy and enjoy books on their digital devices whenever and wherever they want,” said Michael Comish, CEO Tesco Digital Entertainment, in a statement announcing the deal.
Mobcast co-founder and CEO Tony Lynch (understandably, given how huge Tesco is) points to how this will give Mobcast much wider exposure in the UK market: “We are delighted the products that Mobcast has developed will now be used to introduce the joys of eBook reading to more book lovers in the UK,” he said.
Given that the site was co-founded by bestselling author McNab, it seems like a perfect fit for Tesco, a purveyor of mainstream titles. McNab highlights the cloud-portability element of the deal: “As an author I always thought the ability to carry your library around and read on all your personal devices would be a huge benefit to all. We have developed a product that makes this possible, and being acquired by Tesco ensures that this original vision will be available to as many people as possible.”
What’s not clear is how this deal will affect existing business for Mobcast, which works with operators like Singtel, Everything Everywhere (T-Mobile and Orange in the UK) and Nokia to power e-bookstores.
Nor is it clear yet when Tesco will integrate all of its current catalog on to the Mobcast site, and whether the platform will be used for more than just books. Or whether the acquisition will mean that Tesco will pre-load the app on to devices that it sells, rather than simply using it as a part of its already-extensive e-commerce operation, which includes online ordering and delivery of groceries, electronics, and much more, which it uses to complement a massive, Walmart-style physical operation.
We are asking Tesco and Mobcast about these details and will update as we learn more.
Amazon is widely expected to introduce new Kindles at its event next week and it looks like we might be getting a sneak peek at the goods early. Here’s an image that supposedly shows a new Kindle Touch with Paperwhite. Yep, it looks like the Kindle is finally getting a front-lit display a la the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. More »
Barnes & Noble has continued its quest to stock the shelves of United Kingdom bookstores with Nooks, by adding Argos, Blackwell’s and Foyles to the list of where you can get one. Those retailers will join John Lewis in carrying the Nook Simple Touch and its Glow Light-toting cousin, giving UK’ers nearly a thousand bricks and mortar sites to get one — including bookstores at 55 colleges and universities. Those locations will join Barnes & Nobles recently launched online website in selling the e-readers — but if you like to Touch before buying, the PR is after the break.
Barnes & Noble continues British invasion, forges pacts with Argos, Blackwell’s and Foyles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:21:00 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.
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 »
Sony’s got a new ereader. It’s actually quite nice. It’s just not as nice as all the other ereaders that are either out or about to be out. And sadly, it’s more expensive than its direct competitors, too. Poor Sony. More »
Whether it’s to prepare for a new line, to get ready for impending Kindles, or try and compete with Google’s Nexus 7, Barnes and Noble has cut the prices on its three most expensive, most tablet-y Nooks. More »
If you want to know if Amazon’s new Kindles are coming out—and what they’ll be—don’t listen to analysts or supply chains or, yes, blogs. One trip to Amazon today will tell you nearly everything you need to know about when, and what, Amazon’s about to unleash on the world. More »
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