After the U.S. cleared the deal, the European Commission has officially approved the proposed merger between two of the biggest book publishers in the world, Random House and Penguin. The two owners Pearson and Bertelsmann announced the new venture back in October. As it is seeking “new digital publishing models,” the merger has been widely commented on as a way to counter Amazon’s influence on… → Read More
While ebooks and digital music are becoming the dominant way of consuming books and songs, only a few digital retailers have become important players in this space. reKiosk is trying to bring to the web the buying experience that was lost along the way thanks to a service that promotes independent artist and provides advice in the style of independent booksellers and record store owners.
Aziz… → Read More
It seems it’s a big news day for eBooks and eTextbooks. Google is winding down its eBook service for indie publishers, while Apple and top publishers are the subjects of domestic and European probes into eBook price-fixing.
On top of that, Boston-based educational startup Boundless Learning, which is trying to offer students an open alternative to textbooks (and even eTextbooks), is itself on… → Read More
With the shift from print books to digital books come a few nasty side effects. Sure, it’s much easier much easier to acquire and read books when you don’t even have to get out of your chair, but those digital copies can be cracked and disseminated for free with only a little more effort.
As ebook sales expand, so does ebook piracy, so I have to wonder if Apple’s concerted efforts in creating… → Read More
With this morning’s addition of 16,000 Italian-language ebooks, and 22,000 Spanish-language books, Amazon has updated the total number of digital books it claims to offer through its Kindle Store. The company says the new Kindle Store now offers over 900,000 titles in English and other languages, and indeed, the eBooks section actually turns up 950,000+ search results.
For the record: this is… → Read More
Borders just announced the release of the wireless version of the Kobo ereader. The Kobo Wireless joins the nook and the non-wireless Kobo reader, but has improved hardware and software, and is priced at a quite reasonable $139.99. → Read More
We told you all the rumors, we told you it was available for pre-order, and now we’re here to tell you, it’s finally shipping! The Spring Design Alex eReader is shipping their pre-orders (at least the US ones) tomorrow. The Alex is that dual screen, Android based reader that many consider to be a very feasible alternative to the iPad. → Read More
With all the flaws that e-book readers have, they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. VTech, makers of fine educational electronics, are rolling out the Flip animated e-book reader, so now, your kids can get in on the action too. → Read More
The NYT has a report on ebook pricing for the iPad, saying that Apple may charge $9.99 for popular titles, just like everyone else in the free world.
While most prices will be higher – it’s an iPad! Why go slumming? – popular books can hit the $9.99 if need be. Apple takes 30 percent of the sale while the publishers take 70 percent. → Read More
So Matt and I just got our hands on the Samsung E6, the company’s first electronic book reader. As a device it’s not bad, but compared to what’s out there you just know that Samsung was all, “We need to release something to get a foothold in the market.” The 6-inch e-redaer slides open, quite possibly like a phone you once owned. It’s only black and white, too, so those… → Read More
The e-book seems to be the next big thing as we roll into the end of 2009. What with the Kindle 2, the nook, and others coming on the scene, it’s interesting to watch what’s coming next. For example: the Alex eBook Reader. It’s running Android, and has an absolutely insane frame rate (for an e-book reader). → Read More
Sony — you know, the folks that brought us such wonderfully proprietary technologies as the MiniDisc and the MemoryStick — have an e-book reader. You might have heard of it, it’s called the Reader. In a pretty bold move, Sony announced that by the end of the year they’ll only sell e-books in the ePub format. Further, Sony is abandoning their own digital restrictions management software — that… → Read More
As expected, Sony officially unveiled their latest eBook readers. So, here we have the PRS-600 Reader Touch Edition and the PRS-300 Pocket Edition. The latter rocks a five-inch electronic paper screen display that fits in your pocket and lasts up to two weeks off a single charge. The $199 reader will store up to 350 standard eBooks. → Read More
Ready for more ebook readers? I hope so ’cause Sony has two in the pipe right now. Somehow the service manuals were posted in some random corner of the Internet and of course a forum user downloaded them. The PRS-300 seems to be an entry-level model and the PRS-600 is a slightly larger, better equipped ebook reader. → Read More
E-book readers tend to be the sizes hardcover books – or a lot larger. That might be all well and good if you’re laying in bed, but the Bookeen Opus is about the size of a paperback, which makes it truely portable. The folks folks over at MobileRead got their hands on the small, but impressive, Opus for a sneak peak. → Read More
So eBooks are the Next Big Thing, and soon we’ll all be reading eBooks exclusively. How, though, will we find new eBooks? It’s not like there’s a unified standard for organizing and displaying catalogs of eBooks available for purchase on any device capable of displaying an eBook. If only someone would create such a standard! If I did it, I would call it “Open Publication Distribution System” and I… → Read More
The fellers over at GearDiary purchased an eSlick eBook reader, a small and relatively attractive ebook reader that was announced before the Kindle 2. → Read More
eBook readers are here to stay, and if you’re a CE company you’d better have one if you want to stay in the game. Samsung Electronics will soon be rolling out their Papyrus ebook reader in the US and UK. Will the touchscreen make this a Kindle killer? → Read More
If the Kindle eBook app isn’t your thing, you might be interested in a new eBook app for the iPhone and iPod Touch dedicated to the Grateful Dead. That’s right: a dedicated app for a single eBook about the world’s most successful potheads.
I’m skeptical about the long-term usefulness of a single application for a single eBook. What’s the likelihood someone will re-read the eBook? Isn’t something… → Read More
Follett, a distributor of educational materials, has announced that it has developed an eBook reader for education that is aimed at classrooms and libraries. Now, don’t be mistaken. This isn’t a portable eBook reader. It’s a software reader that is paired with its own online store. They claim that this reader should protect publisher content while introducing new “education-friendly” technology. → Read More
So far eBook devices chief sticking point is the high price. The $300+ range of the Kindle and Sony Reader turns off all but the most avid gadgetphile, book proprietor. Maybe the $259 eSlick by Foxit will find more success even though it opts for a lower price rather than fancy connectivity or e-ink backlighting. It’s still slim at .4-inches thick and ships with 128MB of internal memory… → Read More
Sony’s got a new Reader in the PRS-700 and that Reader, it’s got a touchscreen. Simply slide your dirty, smudge-inducing finger across the six-inch screen and watch as the e-inked pages magically turn, just like a real book. Or use that same finger to enter notes and/or highlight text. There’s also a stylus for people like me who have weird issues with touchscreens. And for those of you who… → Read More
We’re believers in the idea of ebook here at CrunchGear, so any time we can bring you a freebie, we will, especially if it’s one that appeals to our geeky nature. Del Rey is offering a Star Wars book, Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, as a free download in PDF, audiobook, or ebook for Sony or Kindle formats. It’s the first of a seven part series, they’re hoping you’ll… → Read More
That’s a pretty big screen, ladies and gentlemen. The one on the left there, with the dog — it’s almost ten inches! Guess what else? It’s got built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and it uses electronic ink, has 4GB of storage, and lasts 5000 pages on a single charge. I’d actually buy it if I knew how to accomplish such a task (more on that later). Then there’s the dumpy… → Read More
So close. I’ve been eyeing eBook readers for a while now. I really can’t see myself spending $300 on one when I have gadgets like the Nokia 770 and iPod Touch that are capable of handling similar tasks and more. However, the E-Ink technology is pretty cool and the 7,500 page-turn battery life that Sony suggests is intriguing. According to Gordon Meyer over at 43 Folders, the Sony… → Read More
News Corp. continues its quest to dominate the mainstream media. One of the publishers it owns, HarperCollins, is now planning to offer selections from 14 books available for iPhone viewing. The move comes as HarperCollins tries to dive into the digital world and hype surrounding Apple’s successful phone. You’ll be able to use your iPhone, come August and September, to view snippets… → Read More
yesterday is dead in the water. Oh, wait, maybe it does. Or at least so says David Rothman over at TeleRead as he compared it to the Edsel, an automobile failure beyond compare in 1958. His key arguments are certainly not offbase – monochrome screen, general suckiness of DRM, only 10,000 or so titles, no backlight, and a relatively high cost for a very limited product. However, all this… → Read More
At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, wasn’t the eBook something we were supposed to see about six years ago? Really, back when we all started using dial-up modems to connect to the Internet to access the World Wide Web, weren’t the dropping costs and rising resolutions of LCDs supposed to make these disposable, cheap, common-place toys? Whatever. They’re here, now. Earlier, we… → Read More
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