Sep 23

Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Today's Chili, wifi
What’s this mystery e-reader? It’s the Kobo Vox, and it just made its debut on the FCC’s site. Is it a reworked version of the relatively recently released Touch Edition? Is it a brand new reader from the company? The device is listed as being an “eReader Tablet,” so perhaps it’s something more akin to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color or the Kindle tablet reportedly in the works from Amazon. And will Kobo’s recent appearance at f8 play into the equation? It’s hard to say, but there are a few things worth noting here. First, if the above rough image is to be believed, the device is touchscreen, as with the company’s current product. The design, however, looks a lot more like the latest version of the Nook than the new Kobo. A side shot reveals what appears to be a microUSB slot (no shocker there) and a headphone jack, something missing on both the latest Kobo and Nook (though both the latest Kindle and the Nook Color rock one), while a “multimedia headset” was used in the testing. Also listed among the testing materials is a microSD card, so there seems a pretty good chance that this thing has expandable memory — again, not a surprise, nor is the fact that the reader is listed as being WiFi-enabled.

Continue reading Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery

Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,
Sep 22

Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading

Posted in: Apple, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, kindle, nook, sony, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili

If you thought hitting up the local library was far too Web 1.0 for your avant-garde lifestyle, you may want to check out the Eau Claire public library in Wisconsin — it’s not only lending books, but also, iPads. Each one of the 44 available tablets will be stuffed to the digital gills with 1,000 books, ten audiobooks and various apps for your reading (or, not reading) pleasure. Although other houses of learning have launched similar programs, this is the first of note to go with Apple slates for its e-reading experiment. If you’re the proud owner of a library card and have less than $10 in fines, you too can get in line for one of the loaners. We wonder, does the old saying “you break it, you buy it” apply here?

Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW, All Things D  |  sourceECU Public Library (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,
Sep 21

Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home

Posted in: amazon, Books, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, kindle, Today's Chili
Love libraries, but hate having to look at all of those dusty old books? Good news: following the recent Seattle-only launch, it’s now possible to check out Amazon Kindle books from some 11,000 library sites, as long as you have a valid library card and an Amazon account. You can check a library’s inventory (like their physical counterparts, the libraries only have a limited number of Kindle copies for each title) and download copies to your Kindle or Kindle app-enable device via WiFi or USB. Like the libraries’ physical books, Kindle copies will carry an expiration date — but after that time, they can either be renewed or purchase through Amazon, with all of your bookmarks and notations still in place. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home

Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAmazon  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Sep 20

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service rolls in to Seattle, in full beta regalia

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, feature, kindle, Today's Chili
Saddle up, kids, because it looks like Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service is inching its way toward launch. According to the Digital Reader, the retailer’s OverDrive-powered feature has begun rolling out to two Seattle-area libraries, where some users have already succeeded in downloading e-books from their local repositories. Early testers are also reporting that they’ve been able to access a wide collection of digitized works using the beta service, with equipped libraries reportedly boasting “thousands” of e-books. Neither Amazon nor Overdrive have formally announced a rollout, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.

[Thanks, Nathan]

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service rolls in to Seattle, in full beta regalia originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Digital Reader, The eBook Reader Blog  |  sourceAmazon  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Sep 18

Reading Rainbow roaring back with RRKidz iPad app, ‘disruptive’ ebook technology in tow

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, education, ios, ipad, Today's Chili

LeVar Burton may best be known ’round these parts for his role in Star Trek, but he’ll soon be known as the guy who made childhood reading relevant again. It wasn’t that long ago that today’s up-and-coming adults were soaking up all sorts of useful knowledge during their summers, glued to a PBS station and doing their darndest to climb inside of mum’s CRT television. And now, their kids will be doing likewise — but with an iPad. Burton has plans to produce an educational RRKidz iOS app that enables readers to “explore topics of interest in a multimedia-rich environment, with voice-over-enhanced children’s books, familiar videos of Burton at real-life places, and games.” In order to do so, he’s planning a “disruptive” technology that’ll bolster a conventional PDF book with basic animations, voice-overs and games “in a matter of hours.” There’s no specific time table on a release, but we’re guessing Burton’s moving along as usual pace: Mach 5.

Reading Rainbow roaring back with RRKidz iPad app, ‘disruptive’ ebook technology in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW, MobileBurn  |  sourceFast Company  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Sep 15

Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, minipost, Today's Chili

Reading’s all well and good, but wouldn’t you rather be, say, getting a massage or seeing a comedy show? Good news, Amazon is bringing its AmazonLocal service to the ad-supported Kindle With Special Offers and Kindle With Special Offers 3G. The ads are rolling out first to New York City residents, with the remainder of AmazonLocal cities being added before the end of the year. Press release after the break, if you’re still into that whole reading thing.

Continue reading Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading

Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Sep 15

Sharp to discontinue original Galapagos e-readers, 7-inch species survives

Posted in: 7-inch, Android, android tablet, AndroidTablet, business, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, industry, ipad, iPhone, Japan, market, sales, Sharp, slate, tablet, Today's Chili

We’re raising our glasses to the original Galapagos e-reader this morning, because Sharp has decided to discontinue it. Today, the manufacture announced that it will stop taking orders for its 5.5- and 10.8-inch Android tablets on September 30th, just nine months after they first launched. A company spokeswoman, however, confirmed that Sharp isn’t leaving the market altogether, as it plans to continue churning out the 7-inch A01SH that launched last month. The Japan-based firm is confident that “the market for electronic books will continue to expand,” but decided to terminate its older slates because they’ve already “fulfilled the purposes that they were designed for.” Sharp declined to disclose sales figures for the doomed devices, though local media outlets are reporting that they may have been squeezed out of the Japanese market by the iPad — a decidedly Darwinian explanation.

Sharp to discontinue original Galapagos e-readers, 7-inch species survives originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAFP  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Sep 14

Viewsonic ViewPad 7e hands-on

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, gingerbread, hands-on, slate, tablet, tablets, Today's Chili, viewsonic
ViewSonic ViewPad 7e

The ViewSonic ViewPad 7e isn’t exactly what we’d call a barn burner. The 1GHz Samsung chip inside is enough for some basic web browsing and light app duty, but even the ViewSonic reps we spoke to referred to it as an “e-reader on steroids,” positioning it more as a competitor to the Nook Color than the iPad. In our brief hands-on, the little tablet ran Gingerbread capably enough that we weren’t drumming our fingers on the table, but the 7-inch, 800 x 600 screen was not always particularly responsive — it took three swipes to unlock the first time. Despite it’s noticeable bulk (you can see it resting besides a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the gallery below) it was surprisingly light in the hand. Of course, it saves precious ounces by going with an all plastic build, but it hardly feels cheap or shoddy (though, the buttons are a bit stiff). On the left-hand edge you’ll find a microSD slot for adding to the 4GB of integrated storage, while along the top is the AC plug, a mini USB port and mini HMDI for pumping out 1080p video. As we’ve mentioned before this budget slate is available to pre-order now for $200. Don’t miss the bevy of photos below as well as the PR after the break.

Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 7e hands-on

Continue reading Viewsonic ViewPad 7e hands-on

Viewsonic ViewPad 7e hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Sep 12

Plastic Logic 100 unveiled, set to bring e-textbooks to Russian schools

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, education, Today's Chili
Plastic Logic 100

Well, it’s certainly not much in the looks department, but Plastic Logic finally has a product out the door that will at least get some use. The Plastic Logic 100 is the shatterproof descendant of the canceled Que, which will be arriving in Russian classrooms later this month. Underneath is soft-touch plastic exterior is 4GB of storage and an 800MHz processor pushing Windows CE. There’s no wireless connectivity to speak of (loading texts on it is accomplished via microUSB), but it does sport a 10.7-inch, 1280 x 960 capacitive screen with a touch-based UI. There’s even a software keyboard for making notes and highlighting passages. But, at 12,000 Russian Rubles (just shy of $400) we can’t help but think the Kremlin might as well have picked up a bunch of cheaper Kindle DXs. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Plastic Logic 100 unveiled, set to bring e-textbooks to Russian schools

Plastic Logic 100 unveiled, set to bring e-textbooks to Russian schools originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Sep 12

Amazon to launch Netflix-style service for digital books?

Posted in: amazon, business, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, money, netflix, rumor, Today's Chili
Details are still sketchy here, but the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon‘s looking to launch a Netflix-like subscription service for digital books, much to the chagrin of some publishers. According to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Amazon is currently “in talks” with several publishers about the program, which would provide access to an online library in exchange for an unspecified annual fee. The insiders also claim that the service would be available for Amazon Prime subscribers (who currently pay $79 per year for free shipping and access to shows and movies) and that the proposed library would feature primarily older works, with monthly restrictions on the number of books a subscriber could read for free. Publishers would reportedly pocket a “substantial fee” for signing on to the program, though some are reluctant to participate, for fear that doing so would “downgrade the value of the book business,” according to one publishing exec. In fact, it remains unclear whether any publishers have thrown their hats in the ring, but we’ll certainly be on the lookout for any developments.

Amazon to launch Netflix-style service for digital books? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web, Gizmodo  |  sourceWall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,