Hasta La Gadget!

Admit it, Google Editions wasn’t exactly your highest priority item among the things promised for a 2010 launch, but, according to Mountain View’s Scott Dougall, the e-bookstore from the world’s favorite search company will indeed make its debut before December’s through. It’s premised as a web-centric, buy-anywhere, read-anywhere platform, one that eschews the proprietary hardware and software model currently championed by the likes of Amazon for a more ubiquitous and accessible one (a humble web browser is all you’ll need, which should make Tim Berners-Lee beam with pride). Small websites of all creeds, whether they be independent bookstores or book reviewers, will be encouraged to participate by linking their users to Google Editions of whatever scriptures they’re discussing — with an unannounced revenue sharing model keeping them interested. Retail pricing won’t differ, we’re told, from what Amazon and Barnes & Noble currently charge, which raises the question, what’s the downside to Editions?

Google Editions launching in US before the end of the year, going international in Q1 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woah, it was only last week that we finalized the naming scheme for ASUS’s LCD-equipped note taker, yet today the company’s announcing that it’ll be available to buy this week in its native Taiwan. Even better news is the $230 price tag (NT$6,999), which makes the Eee Note quite the affordable little device. It’s versatile too, thanks to a built-in camera and microphone for recording of notes and a 3.5mm headphone jack for playback. Running on Linux, the 8-inch tablet (1024 x 768 res) is said to be capable of 13.5 hours of uninterrupted use, which doesn’t match the similarly monochromatic e-readers out there but is a decent compromise for the functionality on offer. Hong Kong should be the next market on its global tour, to be followed by Germany, Italy and Russia around the turn of the year and China and the US in Q1 of 2011.

ASUS Eee Note EA-800 priced at $230, launching in Taiwan this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the dominance of Sony’s Walkman over in the Land of the Rising Sun, it’s a little surprising to think that Sony has been all but silent regarding the Japanese e-reader market. We heard back in May that the mega-corp was planning an e-reader launch in Japan by the year’s end, aiming to build out an elaborate e-book distribution platform with local telecom operator KDDI. Fast forward a few months, and it seems as if thing’s are finally falling into place. New reports are suggesting that the 5- and 6-inch Sony Reader devices will be on sale in Japan on December 10th, with pricing set for ¥20,000 ($237) / ¥25,000 ($297), respectively. Additionally, it’s planning to crack the seal on an online e-bookstore with around 20,000 titles, and that one should be ready to roll prior to the “year-end shopping rush.” Perhaps more stunning, however, is Sony’s intentions to “sell 300,000 Readers in the first year and win half the domestic market by 2012” — that’s according to Sony Marketing Japan president Nobuki Kurita. Bold words, Sony, but we love the ambition.

Sony aims for half of Japan’s e-reader market by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Details are about as scant as can be, and The Digital Reader claims the entire announcement was a mistake, but PocketBook USA just outed what could be the very first Mirasol e-reader in a CES 2011 press release. In addition to the newish PocketBook Pro e-readers spotted at IFA 2010, the company will apparently showcase a brand-new model with one of Qualcomm’s transflective color screens, and to commemorate the long-awaited occasion it’s tentatively christening the reader “Mirasol,” too. Early whispers suggest the device cost a bundle and won’t have a fast enough refresh rate (12fps) for video speeds, but we’ll find out the truth of the matter come the first week of January. PR after the break.

Continue reading Pocketbook spills the transflective colored beans, announces Mirasol e-reader for CES this year

Pocketbook spills the transflective colored beans, announces Mirasol e-reader for CES this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playing catchup, are we? Sony’s hot on the trail of Amazon and Barnes and Noble, who already have e-reading apps for the Android and iOS platforms, with its own freshly announced Reader offering set for release next month. The functionality in this upcoming slice of software will be familiar: you get to access books already purchased at the Reader Store or pony up cash for new ones, while making bookmarks, notes and highlights on your mobile device. Throw in adjustable fonts and you’ve got your boilerplate beginning to a decent mobile e-reader. Now you just need to pick your fave ebook purveyor.

Sony Reader app hitting iPhone and Android devices in December originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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