Apr 23

Nook gets web browser, free in-store reading, and games in new firmware

Posted in: Android, AndroidApps, apps, barnes and noble, BarnesAndNoble, breaking news, BreakingNews, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, Games, nook, Software, Today's Chili, update, upgrade

It’s not in our nature to get all excited about firmware updates, but B&N sure seems to be bringing the good stuff in release 1.3 of the Nook’s software. The major new features include a Beta release of a “basic” web browser and a Read In Store feature that’s reassuringly true to its name. You’ll basically be allowed to browse and read the full versions of books while inside a Barnes and Noble outlet. That looks like a win-win to us, as it directly addresses the goal of using the Nook to get people in stores while affording consumers the opportunity to get a good idea about a book. The first Android apps on the device are also offered, in the form of games like chess and sudoku, both perfectly suited to the glacially refreshing monochome screen. Speaking of which, B&N claims it’s also improved page turning and loading speeds. The update is available via manual download now or you can wait for the OTA stuff to hit your Nook within the next week.

[Thanks, Davorin]

Nook gets web browser, free in-store reading, and games in new firmware originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 22

Velocity Micro’s Cruz Tablet has Android 2.1 with full Flash support

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, exclusive, flash, leak, leaks, multitouch, Today's Chili

Some alleged spy shots of a brand-new Android tablet materialized in our inbox this afternoon, and after sending a few e-mails and making a quick phone call, we can confirm they’re 100 percent legit: boutique PC retailer Velocity Micro‘s getting in the tablet game something fierce, with a whole new lineup of touchscreen devices it’s dubbed “Cruz.” Designed to compete with both e-readers and tablets, Cruz will appear in both 4 x 3 and 16 x 9 configurations over the coming months, with the high-end devices sporting 7-inch capacitive multitouch screens, 800MHz processors and Android 2.1 (complete with Flash 10.1) right out of the box. Best of all, Velocity Micro tells us they’ll be relatively affordable — all will arrive under the $300 line. A company rep couldn’t tell us whether Android Market would be included or when exactly the tablets are due, but he hazarded a guess of “late summer.” Hit up our gallery to see the first prototype.

[Thanks, Kendall]

Gallery: Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet prototype

Velocity Micro’s Cruz Tablet has Android 2.1 with full Flash support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

LiSeng Vbook cuts the Entourage Edge down to size

Posted in: Android, e reader, e-book, e-book reader, E-bookReader, e-books, e-readers, Today's Chili, video
The Entourage Edge may be many things, but pocketable it is not. LiSeng looks set to address that shortcoming with its own Vbook, however, which packs a pair of 5-inch screens into a foldable form factor that should at least fit in a large coat pocket. That, naturally, includes one E-Ink screen and one LCD touchscreen (800 x 600), the latter of which handles all of the device’s Android duties. While it’s still in the prototype stage, the device will apparently run Android 1.6 when it’s released, and pack a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of Flash storage, and built-in WiFi, along with the usual features on the e-book side of the equation. Still no indication of a price or release date, but you can check out a quick video of the device after the break, and some additional hands-on pictures from our pals at Engadget Chinese at the link below.

Continue reading LiSeng Vbook cuts the Entourage Edge down to size

LiSeng Vbook cuts the Entourage Edge down to size originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

Kindle officially going on sale at Target on April 25

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

Looks like that blurry leak we got was dead-on: Target and Amazon just officially announced that the Kindle will be sold in the Minneapolis Target flagship store and 102 southern Florida stores starting April 25, with the rest of the chain getting units as the year goes on. That’s the first time Jeff Bezo’s e-reader will be sold in a brick-and-mortar store, a big step for Amazon we’re taking as a response to Barnes & Noble’s heavy in-store promotion of the Nook — although Target already carries the Sony Reader line, so it’s not totally crazy. We’ll see how this affects sales in the months to come — and whether or not Target follows this up by selling the iPad as well. Full press release after the break.

Update: A kind, anonymous tipster has sent us in that little photo of what appears to be the Kindle’s Target packaging. Thanks!

Continue reading Kindle officially going on sale at Target on April 25

Kindle officially going on sale at Target on April 25 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 13

Barnes & Noble Nook now up for order at Best Buy’s website

Posted in: BestBuy, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, nook, now shipping, NowShipping, on sale, OnSale, sale, ship, shipping, ships, Today's Chili

Our watches may be off by a few hours or so, but April 18th it ain’t. Evidently that matters not, as Barnes & Noble’s Nook is now up for order on Best Buy’s website, a full five days earlier than we were expecting it. ‘Course, in-store pickup still isn’t available, but those who plunk down the plastic online should see it ship out within a day or so. If you’re still fond of these e-reader things, and you’re kosher with a few quirks, the big yellow sticker would be happy to craft a shipping label with your name on it for $259.99.

[Thanks, Absolution]

Barnes & Noble Nook now up for order at Best Buy’s website originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 13

Spring Design Alex starts shipping tomorrow

Posted in: Android, e ink, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, shipping, Today's Chili

We’d gripe about the wait, but given all the e-book readers we saw at CES that’ve fallen off the radar or been delayed to oblivion, we’re actually pretty proud of Spring Design for shipping the Alex at last. Orders will start going out tomorrow for the $399 dual screen reader. Not sure it’s worth the price? Well, we’re not positive either. Check out our review for a bit of help deciding.

Spring Design Alex starts shipping tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 12

Best Buy confirms Nook for April 18, Greg Packer still hasn’t opened his iPad (update)

Posted in: barnes and noble, barnes noble, BarnesAndNoble, BestBuy, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, nook, Today's Chili
With all of the Nook chatter going down at Best Buy lately, it was bound to become official sooner or later: as of this morning Reuters is reporting that the retailer will start carrying Barnes and Noble’s e-reader beginning, as previously reported, on April 18. We just hope you can contain your excitement until then — we know we’ll be doing our best.

Update: We just got our hands on the PR, and here is a little more detail: Not only will the Nook and B&N eBook giftcards be available at Best Buy locations and in its online store, the Geek Squad is also apparently hard at work installing the Nook eReader software on “select PCs, netbooks, tablets and smartphones” sold in its stores. The device is set to retail for $260. Peep the PR for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Best Buy confirms Nook for April 18, Greg Packer still hasn’t opened his iPad (update)

Best Buy confirms Nook for April 18, Greg Packer still hasn’t opened his iPad (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 09

Elonex announces iDock XL, iDock Aero and £99 710EB e-reader, we go hands-on

Posted in: Apple, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Features, hands-on, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili

We stopped by Elonex‘s booth at The Gadget Show Live for its product launch extravaganza. First is the iDock XL screen dock for the iPhone / iPod touch, which sadly doesn’t serve as an iPhone-to-iPad converter, but will let you do the usual video and photo display on its 10-inch 800×480 screen (the prototype pictured above has a smaller temporary screen). You’ll find a removable battery that lasts for about four hours or almost twice that with a secondary internal battery, or you can leave the iDock XL plugged in via its micro-USB port. Available in May for £149 ($229).

More toys after the break, including a look at the iDock Aero and the 710EB e-reader.

Gallery: Elonex announces iDock XL, iDock Aero and 710 eBook, we go hands-on

Continue reading Elonex announces iDock XL, iDock Aero and £99 710EB e-reader, we go hands-on

Elonex announces iDock XL, iDock Aero and £99 710EB e-reader, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 06

Plastic Logic up for sale even though its QUE proReader isn’t? (Updated: Investor confirms neither are for sale)

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

While you can’t buy a QUE proReader until summer it seems that you can buy the company. Well, maybe not you but someone with a few hundred million in the bank. At least that’s the way the Financial Times is framing a piece focused on UK investor Hermann Hauser, whose venture capital firm has a stake in Plastic Logic. According to Hauser, “We’re in very interesting negotiations with … well, that would be a separate interview, you will hopefully hear [more] about this in the autumn.”

Why would anybody want to buy this offshoot from the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory? After all, dedicated monochrome E-Ink devices are on their last legs, right? Chips made from plastic, not silicon, that’s why — intellectual property that could revolutionize integrated circuits and the entire computing industry. For the moment, however, Plastic Logic is only manufacturing the simple plastic transistors found inside its QUE proReader display that switch each pixel on or off — a far cry from PCBs loaded with plastic integrated circuits. And as the FT acknowledges, any potential buyer might end up with an e-reader company and nothing more. Not exactly where you want to be at the dawn of the second coming of tablet computers.

Updated: We heard from Plastic Logic investor Hermann Hauser who firmly says the company is not for sale. Apparently his comments were taken out of context. That still doesn’t answer our question of when we will be able to get our hands on a QUE proReader.

[Thanks, Charlie]

Plastic Logic up for sale even though its QUE proReader isn’t? (Updated: Investor confirms neither are for sale) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 02

iPad roundup: iDisplay extended desktop, plus Kindle and Time reader apps

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, app, Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, apps, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, kindle, roundup, Today's Chili

Say what you will, the past couple of days have been littered with signs of a rapidly expanding set of functions that the iPad can perform. Latest on the block is the iDisplay desktop extender, which will turn any of your iPhone OS devices into a WiFi-connected second monitor, allowing you to finally unchain your Mac OS (Windows version forthcoming) desktop and take it on the move. Introductory price is $4.99 and you’ll find an early hands-on experience at the TUAW link. Next up we have the Kindle for iPhone app contracting its name to just Kindle and making the expected jump to iPad compatibility with version 2.0, which comes with iBookstore-like page turning and, best of all, won’t cost you a thing. We’ve also got word of Time Magazine pricing what’s free on the iPhone at $4.99 per issue on the iPad, with the excuse being that you can “experience Time in a revolutionary new way.” Good luck with that, we say.

Continue reading iPad roundup: iDisplay extended desktop, plus Kindle and Time reader apps

iPad roundup: iDisplay extended desktop, plus Kindle and Time reader apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW, mocoNews.net  |  sourceShape Services, App Store (Kindle), Time  | Email this | Comments

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