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Child’s 50-year-old classic will launch as an ebook this week

When it comes to media, these days I’m pretty much all digital, all the time. Books, TV, movies, music — nothing sinks into my brain without first running through an iPad or a Kindle. But in one area, I’m as much of a Luddite as my friend Jimmy (who “doesn’t believe in GPS”): cook books.

Why? Paper books are still way easier to browse than electronic. They’re also more resilient to splashes. And I must admit that even thought I’m not a “page sniffer” like Jimmy, I still like the physical nature of a pile of cookbooks. Maybe its because it signals to guests that I take cooking seriously.

But as with everything, cookbooks will end up on Kindles and iPads. This week, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking will launch in electronic form. The publisher — Alfred A. Knopf — has tried to digitize the classic 1961 text once before, but internal politics and layout problems led to the project’s cancellation.

Child’s famous book isn’t the first electronic cookbook, of course. It’s not even the first of Child’s books to make it to the Kindle. But as a loved classic, it signals the final stage in the conversion of books from print to e-ink (or LCD screens).

It also highlights one of the big problems with bringing old manuscripts into the modern age. Despite being in print since the 60s, the publisher has never had the book in electronic form. The entire 762 pages had to be retyped.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking will launch Wednesday, for $20.

Adapting Julia Child for E-Readers [NYT. Thanks, Mr.Abell!]

See Also:

• Japanese Book-Scanning Services Fueled by iPad, E-Readers …
• Amazon Adds Audio and Video to iOS Kindle Apps

France is getting the Kindle! No, seriously, until now the land of baguettes and Nicolas Sarkozy has had to make do without the world’s most popular ebook reader. Starting today though, our French friends can pre-order a Kindle (no touch and no keyboard) for €99 and have access to over 825,000 titles from the newly launched Kindle store. The first French-language readers from Amazon will start shipping out on October 14th and, if you need some more details, you’ll find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Amazon brings Kindle and associated ebook shop to France

Amazon brings Kindle and associated ebook shop to France originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon lets you opt out of ‘Special Offers’ on your Kindle. For a price

So you bought a Kindle with “Special Offers.” Maybe you were a little light on cash. Maybe you thought the ads wouldn’t bother you. Maybe you figured the prospect of saving $30-$40 and never having to see that awful Emily Dickinson screensaver ever again was too good to be true. Whatever. I won’t judge. But I can point you to absolution.

Now Amazon will let you buy yourself out of your foolish mistake. Yes, you can remove the ads from an ad-supported Kindle — as long as you have $30. Nate Hoffelder of The Digital Reader explains how. It is in fact dead easy, with no begging, pleading calls to Amazon customer service required. You just visit the “Manage Your Devices” page at Amazon and de-register the ads. You pay $30 and you’re done.

This is great news, and means there’s little reason to buy anything other than the ad-supported Kindle. After all, if you like the ads, or they don’t bother you, then you just saved $30. And if you can’t stand them, or get a strange hankering to see the spooky Dickinson portrait again, you can fix things in seconds.

Amazon Charged me $30 to get the Adverts Off my K4 [The Digital Reader]

See Also:

• Amazon Brings Ads to Kindle 3G
• Save Just $25 With Ad-Supported Kindle
• How To Strip DRM from Kindle E-Books and Others

The Kindle 3 was like the girl next-door: Maybe not the prettiest, but comfortable, smart, and simple. The new non-touch Kindle’s the bitchy cheerleader; absolutely gorgeous but totally unaccommodating and uninterested in whether you’re enjoying yourself. More »

There’s little question that the Fire stole the show at last week’s Amazon event. After all, the new tablet marks a change for the company’s Kindle line, which until now has been defined by relatively simple E-Ink-based devices. The Kindle Touch, meanwhile, stepped up to bat to take on the likes of new Nook and Kobo touchscreen readers. But while most expected that device to become the heir to the Kindle throne, the company made a something of a surprise move, offering up a new device that will bear the reader’s name. Now in its fourth generation, the Kindle has shed its keyboard and been reborn as a pocket-sized, lighter-weight reader. And a cheap one, at that — $109 for the standard version and $79 for the ad-supported. So, is the new Kindle worthy of the name that has become synonymous with e-readers? Or did the company make too many sacrifices in the name of slashing prices? Find out in our review after the break.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle review (2011)

Amazon Kindle review (2011) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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