Hasta La Gadget!

Remember Blio? Yes, our memories of this colorful ebook-reading software are starting to fade too, but now T-Mobile’s about ready to yank it from the shadows of obscurity with a newly announced partnership. Content provider Baker & Taylor will be responsible for installing the Blio Android app on “select future products from T-Mobile USA” and populating it with compelling content. The Blio store has grown to now encompass a healthy three million titles, both free and paid, and should you have the Windows version of its software, you’ll get the sweet automation of having it sync with your mobile device as well. To get your reading started nice and early, jump past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Blio e-reading software still alive, will come preloaded on T-Mobile Android devices

Blio e-reading software still alive, will come preloaded on T-Mobile Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether via public library or personal collection, e-books may be getting harder to borrow and loan out — HarperCollins put the squeeze on government-funded rentals last week, and today Amazon has allegedly disabled e-book sharing startup Lendle with one fell stroke. Lendle allows readers to trade e-book rentals, in a fashion, by tapping Amazon’s API to list books they agree to loan out, and in return, gain access to a Lendle database of books available to borrow from readers like themselves. The service allegedly fell under the auspices of Amazon’s existing 14-day, one-time-only loaning policy, but that didn’t stop Amazon from revoking Lendle’s access to the API, effectively shutting the service down. According to the no-reply email Lendle received, the reason is that the service doesn’t “serve the principal purpose of driving sales of products and services on the Amazon site.” Perhaps there’s some deeper reason behind the move, but that explanation certainly sounds pretty narrow-minded.

Update: Well that was quick — Lendle is now reporting that Amazon has reinstated its API access under the condition that Lendle disables its Book Sync tool, which is a non-essential feature anyway. Great, just in time for bedtime stories on the west coast as well.

Amazon blocks Lendle e-book sharing service (update: it’s back!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We should’ve known this was coming when Microsoft went after Motorola for Moto’s supposedly patent-infringing Android devices, and now Ballmer & Co. have their sights set on Barnes & Noble, Foxconn, and Inventec for making and selling the Nook Color. Once again, Microsoft has filed in both the ITC and the Western District of Washington Federal Court claiming that the Android OS infringes its patents, though the patents at issue have dwindled in number from nine to five this time around. Allegedly, the Nook Color is riddled with infringing bits from its tab-using web browser and web-document viewing capability to its text selection and book annotation features. Microsoft has resorted to litigation as a new means to get paid for its patents after year-long licensing negotiations with B&N bore little fruit (unlike those with HTC, who got with the licensing program). So count this as another clear message to manufacturers — Android’s open-source, but it ain’t free.

Continue reading Same song, second verse: Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble for Android’s patent infringement

Same song, second verse: Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble for Android’s patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Public libraries are en vogue again now that e-readers and e-books are so popular, and publishers are wary of the trend. To the dismay of many and the surprise of few, HarperCollins Publishers has set its e-books to expire after 26 rentals — effectively giving them around a one-year shelf life (assuming 2 weeks per rental x 26 = 52 weeks). So now cash-strapped public libraries have to pony up license fees on an annual basis because the publisher is concerned that “selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book ecosystem.” In other words, HarperCollins thinks lending e-books is costing the company money it could make selling them. The publisher is the first to treat library e-books differently from hard copies, and the policy change has caused some librarians to stop purchasing HarperCollins e-books. Should the new licensing scheme become a trend, we shall see if libraries are forced to stop the electronic lending party.

[Thanks, Scott]

Publisher starts annual e-book licensing for libraries, attempts blood extraction from stone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The smart folks over at ComptonSoft are looking to provide a GPS receiver to your mobile device in a rather unconventional way. TetherGPS links up your Android phone’s GPS to the Nook Color by means of WiFi — either on the same network or via a WiFi tether — because the Nook Color is lacking in the standard usable Bluetooth department. After connecting the two devices, it makes a second link by running a TGPS server on the phone and a TGPS client on the Nook. The two devices are then intertwined in a blissful, all-you-can-GPS buffet of routes and roads. For the most part, the Nook’s location-aware Android applications, such as Google Maps, will draw from this connection for location data and use it as if there were a GPS receiver on board. TetherGPS is up for grabs for $2.99 on the Android Market, and there’s also a free “Lite” version for those who only need GPS for five minutes at a time — we’ll assume you know who you are.

[Thanks, Red]

TetherGPS brings GPS navigation to Nook Color, in a manner of speaking originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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