Jul 16
They use the same basic screen technology, but not all e-readers are created equal.
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Jul 14
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The recent announcement by Barnes & Noble that it would discontinue its Nook tablets marked the exit of what once promised to be a strong rival to Amazon, at least among bibliophiles. Barnes & Noble’s entry into the tablet market took place amidst an annual game of leapfrog with its internet-based rival. Surviving for three iterations, the color Nook devices were products that had a particular focus on media consumption — especially reading — and eschewed open access to apps.
Filed under: Tablets
Jul 05
Amazon has apparently dropped the price of its Kindle Fire HD ereader-tablet in what appears to be a response to Barnes & Noble’s NOOK HD cuts, dropping the 7-inch Android-based slate by as much as 15-percent in the US and UK. The price adjustment sees the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD come down to £139 in the UK (saving £20) for the 16GB model, and to $169 (saving $30) in the US, compared to the latest 7-inch NOOK HD at £129/$149 for the 16GB model.
In the US, Amazon lists the Kindle Fire HD change as a “limited time” offer, though it’s worth noting that B&N has used the same nomenclature for its own discounting. Our suspicion is that the cuts will last for roughly as long as the other company’s do, given the fierce competition between the two firms.
Despite Amazon’s changes, the NOOK HD is still the cheaper of the two. For a start, B&N offers an 8GB version, which is $129, and has no direct capacity equivalent in the Kindle Fire HD range. However, B&N’s motivations are very different to Amazon’s as well: the company admitted last month that it planned to clear its stock of existing NOOK HD/HD+ models and then in future license the brand to third-party tablet manufacturers, rather than make its own models.
Instead, B&N would focus solely on developing e-paper based ereaders, such as the SimpleTouch. NOOK sales overall in Q2 – including ereader hardware, software, and accessories – dropped 34-percent, with the company blaming a shortage of high-profile titles as well as waning hardware appeal.
It’s not the first time Amazon has shuffled Kindle pricing to ramp up pressure on B&N. Back in 2009 the retailer cut the second-gen Kindle after its rival launched the NOOK, on the assumption that ongoing content sales would offset any narrowing of hardware margins.
VIA Paul O’Brien
Amazon cuts Kindle Fire HD to ramp B&N NOOK HD pressure is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jul 01
Vine was recently released on Android after being available on iOS for what seemed like ages, but now pretty much every Android and iOS device can join in on the fun of making quick 6-second looping videos, except for the Kindle Fire. However, that changes today, thanks to the inauguration of Vine into the Amazon
Jun 07
Amazon’s Kindle comes to China: Paperwhite for $138, Fire HD for $244 (16GB) or $293 (32GB)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Amazon launched its Kindle e-book platform into China last Christmas, but locals looking to get their mitts on the company’s hardware had to look, ahem, elsewhere. Fortunately for everyone but grey market importers, Amazon has released the non-cellular Paperwhite and the two 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets to the nation. Our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese have added that as well as being able to buy the devices from Amazon’s local site, users will be able to pick up the units at Suning and Shi Tesco stores across the mainland. The Paperwhite is marked up at 849 yuan ($138), with the Kindle Fire priced at 1499 yuan ($244) for the 16GB edition and 1799 yuan ($293) for 32GB.
Via: Engadget Chinese (Translated)
Source: Amazon China (Translated)
Jun 05
Well, it seemed like Amazon had finally moved on from its large-format Kindle DX e-reader last fall, but it turns out that was only a brief hiatus. As spotted by The Digital Reader late last month, the circa-2010 device is now available to order once again for $299. Amazon itself isn’t offering much indication as to how long it will remain available this time, though, saying only in a statement that “our website lists the most up to date availability for all products,” and adding that “we’re excited to offer customers this option.”
Filed under: Amazon
Via: The Verge, The Digital Reader
Source: Amazon
Jun 05
Now that the summer book frenzy is in full swing, anything that helps us read a little faster is welcome — so we’re glad that Amazon just pushed out a relevant update to its Kindle app for iOS. The new 3.8 release adds line spacing options, so readers can fit more (or less) on to a page without tweaking the font. Those whose eyes demand an extra-large font can now pick one, too. Amazon is also laying some early groundwork for back-to-school with a focus on notation. It’s at last possible to make highlights that span multiple pages, and Print Replica Textbooks gain filters for bookmarks, highlights and notes. Whether you’re trying to get a jump on classes or just want to cram in one more novel during vacation, you’ll want to swing by the App Store for the upgrade.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Amazon
Via: The Next Web
Source: App Store
Jun 04
Amazon, Viacom deal keeps many TV shows on Prime and Kindle, some exclusively
Posted in: Today's Chili
In May Netflix let a broad content deal with Viacom (parent company of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and more) expire and saw many of the network’s shows disappear from its streaming service, but Amazon will not follow its lead. Today the company announced an extension in its own agreement with Viacom that not only keeps the TV shows (over 250 seasons including more than 3,900 episodes) but includes a provision for a “selection” of exclusives. That means Amazon will stream Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. kids shows like Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, Blues Clues and Victorious, with some available as part of the Kindle FreeTime Unlimited package on its tablets and some heading to Lovefilm in Germany and the UK later this summer. Other shows affected by the deal include current and upcoming ones from MTV and Comedy Central like Workaholics, Key and Peele and Awkward.
For its part, Netflix has also expanded a deal with Disney and is even producing an original kids show of its own to follow up on projects like House of Cards and Arrested Development, but so is Amazon. As competition in the subscription streaming market intensifies expect to see more exclusives as studios play the services against each others to drive prices up — as seen here, if one decides to invest more in original content and deals for specific content there will likely be a cost in other areas.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
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