Barnes & Noble Reveals $139 Touchscreen Colour Nook
Barnes & Noble has unveiled a smaller and lower-cost Nook Simple Touch Reader in an effort to boost its share of the growing e-book market. The new e-reader features touchscreen capabilities, has a 6-inch display and weighs 35 percent less than the original version. The Nook Simple Touch Reader will retail at $139. Pre-order now and the wi-fi reader will ship to you for free on June 10th.
Kobo Launches eReader Touch Edition
Kobo is rolling out their eReader Touch Edition which features a thin and light form factor, touch screen and Reading Life, Kobo’s social experience so that you are able to earn awards simply through reading. The eReader retails at 129.99.
From press release:
The new Kobo eReader is a major advance for readers. We started with a simple, yet powerful idea – to bring eReading to more people in more places, and inspire people around the world to spend more time reading. At a time when technology is disrupting all media, Kobo’s focus on the importance of reading has resulted in a revolutionary new experience for readers. This is the first eReader you can put in your pocket, take with you anywhere and read for hours just like a real book, with ultimate comfort and no distraction. The new Kobo eReader is designed for people who love to read.
Apple Rejected Sony e-Reader App
Apple now requires all in-app purchases would now go through Apple. This would effectively cut off Amazon and Sony from selling their products through the app. The recent Sony app for their e-Reader has been rejected because of this.
Apple wanted to have a cut of the sales from Amazon and any other ebook sellers. Apple wants its 30 percent share of content sales whenever possible.
Virgin Launches Project Magazine For iPad
Virgin CEO Richard Branson unveils Project, a monthly iPad based magazine that he calls “the first truly digital magazine for creative people about creative people.” It sells for $3 per magazine.
Apple iPad Closing In On Amazon Kindle
ChangeWave research found that 32 percent claimed in November to have an iPad as their e-reader while Amazon has 47 percent. 75 percent of iPad owners were very satisfied but only 54 percent of Kindle owners were similarly confident. Looks like the iPad is fast gaining on the Kindle.
Nook Now In Colour
Barnes & Noble Nook is now available in colour and the e-reader will feature a 7″ Android tablet with a color LCD touchscreen. It will retail at $250.
Amazon Kindle Ad Taunts Apple iPad
Amazon is taunting Apple’s iPad in a new ad promoting the Kindle. In the commercial, Amazon shows a geeky iPad owner frustrated with not being able to read his device in daylight, while the bikini-clad Kindle user next to him has no such problem.
Amazon is trying very hard to get users to buy Kindle when the company knows it is a much inferior product to Apple’s iPad. iPad has higher resolution, colour display, backlighting and more compared with the Kindle.
Amazon’s Kindle 3 Release This Friday
Amazon has announced that their new Kindle 3 will be shipped this Friday. Orders placed today will not ship until on or before Sept. 17.
Amazon new and updated graphite coloured Kindle 3 will sell for $139. Not sure how this is going to compete with Apple iPad, Amazon is still using a non colour LCD screen. The price of the new e-reader will be $139 for a Wi-Fi version and $189 for a model with both 3G and Wi-Fi.
Features listed on Amazon website:
- All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
- Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
- New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
- New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
- 17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
- Battery Life of Up to One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
- Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 Books
- Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
- 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
- Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
- New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)
Barnes & Noble Expanding In-Store Nook Displays
Due to the success of Apple Stores, Barnes & Noble is also trying to capture the atmosphere by introducing the in-store Nook displays. This will encourage users to browse through their Nook e-reader while inside the store. B&N has called this Nook Boutique. Will they get ahead of Amazon’s Kindle by doing so? We hope so, as Amazon is purely online and none of the customers have a chance of holding a Kindle before buying it.
Amazon Reveals Kindle 3
Amazon is releasing the latest updated graphite coloured Kindle 3 for $139. Not sure how this is going to compete with Apple iPad, Amazon is still using a non colour LCD screen. The price of the new e-reader will be $139 for a Wi-Fi version and $189 for a model with both 3G and Wi-Fi.
Features listed on Amazon website:
- All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
- Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
- New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
- New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
- 17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
- Battery Life of Up to One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
- Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 Books
- Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
- 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
- Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
- New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)
