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Preorders are now available for both the 3G + WiFi Kindle 3 and the much anticipated WiFi-only Kindle 3. The improvements on both models(the only difference between the two being the exclusion of 3G coverage from the WiFi model and the lower price that that entails) are quite noticeable, if a bit less drastic than many people were likely expecting.
Here’s what we’re going to be looking at:
- Higher Contrast Display, such as has recently been seen in the Kindle DX Graphite
- Slightly Streamlined Body: 21% smaller, 17% lighter, but with no sacrifices to screen size
- Improved Battery and Main Memory Storage, which with the release of Collections a few months ago finally proves incredibly useful
- Built-in WiFi Connectivity: This is huge. Connect and download books even in areas where reception is horrible? You’d better believe I’ll take it
- 20% Faster Refresh Rate
- Enhanced PDF Navigation, again much like what we’ve seen in the DX
- New Kindle Software will support some international characters – Cyrillic (Russian), Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Now, I’ll freely admit that the only thing I was set to care much about was the improved screen. And, to address that point, it looks like it will be as amazing as could be hoped for. That said, I love the body redesign. It’s smaller, lighter, easier on the eyes, claims to have quieter page turn buttons, a more pleasantly textured backing, and has done away with the annoyingly protruding navigation stick in favor of a directional navigation pad. If there were ever a reason not to Kindle, it’s flown right out the window.
So far all pre-orders are due to be shipped on a release date of August 27th.
As anybody who is interested can clearly see, today finds the Kindle sold out! For some, this may be annoying since it means that you have to wait on your new eReader. For those who’ve been following the news these last few months, however, this is simply a reinforcement of the good news we’ve been expecting for a while now. The new and updated Kindle, with a thinner body and better screen(probably the same eInk Pearl display seen on the new Kindle DX Graphite), was announced as an August release a while back. In the meantime we have seen refurbished Kindles going for close to $100, a major price drop on new Kindles, and a huge push in the Kindle platform across multiple platforms. Definitely encouraging signs.
Now, will this be the much anticipated Kindle 3? No idea. The timing seems right in a lot of ways, but this could just as easily be a minor cosmetic update in the interests of giving Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) a further edge in the eBook market. Either way, August should be a good month for fans of the device as we can be fairly sure to see something new. Personally, all I really care about is the new screen. That Graphite DX model is very nice to read on.
 This week we have seen a new standard set for eSook sales, specifically those for Amazon’s(NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, which we recently mentioned in a review of the Kindle Editions, has now sold over One Million copies for the Kindle alone. This comes just weeks after James Patterson’s amazing announcement that he had hit over a million eBooks in general between all formats. All three of Larsson’s books are among the Top 10 Bestselling Kindle Editions of all time, according to Amazon, have places on the New York Times and international Bestsellers Lists, and have met with rave reviews seemingly everywhere they have been encountered.
This only serves to emphasize for us how the shifts in the way the publishing industry operates are going to effect us as time moves on. First we have Kindle book sales overtaking hardcovers, now we have authors managing to sell in the millions of copies range. It is becoming increasingly clear that while print is far from dead, there is little chance for the traditional model to reassert itself. As time goes on and more authors find themselves members of this exclusive group, we can only hope that the achievement will continued to be noted, both for these authors and for the eBook industry in general. It can’t be seen as anything but truly impressive.
Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has recently released some very interesting news for eBook enthusiasts. Apparently, in recent months, Kindle eBook sales have begun to exceed those of traditional hardcovers by an average of 40% on the Amazon website with recent weeks showing the difference as high as 80%.
As more and more people weigh in on the topic of eBooks and the eventual state of the market, it’s not unusual to find that most fall into one of two camps. First, we have those who believe that paper books are a thing of the past and that the publishing industry as it stands is going to collapse under its own weight in the near future. Then, also, you have those for whom nothing short of a paper book will do and who are convinced that no matter how great the experience with a Kindle or other similar device can get, it will simply not measure up favorably by virtue of being made of plastic and having buttons. The truth, as usual, is fairly certain to fall well in between these extremes. That said, this is certainly a sign that more and more people are willing to draw away somewhat from the traditional model and experience a new way of doing things. The numbers can’t be anything but encouraging.
Recent releases from Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) have indicated that the Kindle, proving it deserves its place as Amazon’s #1 Best Selling item, has tripled in sales this year compared to last, in part due to last month’s price slashing. While many deride that move as the end of the Kindle as a profitable endeavor, there can be no doubt that the greater the availability of the eReader and the platform in general, the healthier the product-line it supports will become.
Being spread, as it is, between the Kindle device, iOS applications, Android applications, various smart phones, and PC applications, there are surprisingly few people left who cannot, should the choose to do so, access the eBook of their choice in a convenient and comfortable setting. As some reports indicate that the eBook market has grown by more than 160% in the past year, this increasingly pervasive presence gives Amazon an impressive advantage and even further encouragement to keep the momentum up. We already know that Kindle Editions are outselling hardcovers by a significant percentage these days, even if you exclude free eBooks from consideration and don’t exclude hardcover sales for books not available on the Kindle. It’s starting to feel like this is only the beginning of a much larger trend, however, that could truly change the way we enjoy books.
Any thoughts?
As pilot programs at seven universities around the country wrap up their evaluations of the Kindle DX as a viable teaching tool and textbook alternative, we see pretty much the expected results. The eReader that has been such a pleasure to use in leisure is perhaps not quite ready for the academic scene.
Humanities classes, especially Literature classes which it would otherwise seem that the Kindle is ideally suited to, tend to involve active reading aids such as highlighting, annotation, page marking, etc. These habits are built up over years as students work their way through their programs. Most of these options are present in the Kindle software in some form, of course, and the ability to access your changes and notes on any platform is a major plus, but the device itself has a coupe minor shortcomings in speed and input design that haven’t quite been fully worked out yet.
As development continues and successive versions make the Kindle more responsive, feature-packed, and convenient to annotate, we’re sure to see things change. For now, those students who are willing to cope with the minor inconveniences are already enjoying savings of sometimes as much as 75% on texts for their classes, a savings which easily pays for the device itself over the course of a college career.
 As many of you will remember, the original Kindle design was a bit heavier, a bit clunkier, and had a small screen next to the main one for utility. Well, in 2006 Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) filed for a patent on the design. A mere four years later, it has been granted. At first glance, given how much the modern Kindle has evolved, this seems like it would be almost worthless. The text of the patent, however, gives rise to some concerns for the competition. The exact text includes this section:
“A handheld electronic device comprising: a first display for presenting visible representations of content, the first display comprising an electronic paper display; and a second display positioned alongside the first display, wherein the second display includes a plurality of graphic elements that correspond to portions of the first display, and wherein the second display is responsive to user input to one of the graphic elements to perform at least one action on content shown in a portion of the first display that corresponds to the one graphic element.”
This alone would seem to bode ill for fans of the Barnes & Noble(NYSE:BKS) nook if taken by itself, as many people reporting on this seem to be emphasizing. I’m admittedly a layman in patent interpretation, but with later sections indicating that “the second display includes a cursor that is positionable alongside the portions of the first display” and “the second display is responsive to tactile commands entered using a scroll wheel.”, it seems to me thatthe functionality is so clearly different that B&N has little to worry about. Still, will Amazon try to bring it to court and see what happens? We’ll have to wait and see.
Check out the Full Text of the Patent
On Wednesday, Discovery Patent Holdings LLC filed a lawsuit against Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) over the use of technology related to the distribution of, and securing of, digital texts that Discovery feels falls under their patents. It is worth pointing out, at this juncture, that this is not, precisely, a new lawsuit. In March of 2009, Discovery Communications filed a similar suit against Amazon (with Amazon suing Discovery back shortly after) with regard to these patents and the more recent one is simply a reflection of Discovery’s choice to move the patents to a separate corporate entity as they continue proceedings. The main question on peoples’ minds, of course, is what this will mean for the future of the Kindle platform.
While I’m not intricately familiar with patent law, it would seem from an intuitive standpoint that the Kindle is safe. As far as I, or seemingly anybody else covering the topic for that matter, recall, there was no effort made previous to these suits(at least that managed to achieve public recognition) by Discovery to defend their rights in the matter. Given that the patents in question were assigned in 1999 and 2007, it would seem rather late in the game to expect results on this front. Again, I’m no expert and don’t claim to have the only, or even the best, interpretation of what the outcome will be. All I can say is that I’m not terribly concerned for my Kindle.
Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has recently announced the Kindle Previewer, a feature that will allow users to sample the texts of interesting eBooks directly through the main Amazon web site without recourse to any sort of special software. Users will simply be able to open the site from within any HTML5-compatible browser and view a bit of the book in question. Should it be what they’re looking for, these same users can click on a conveniently placed “Buy” type of button that will put through the purchase and send your new book to your Kindle, Cell Phone, Computer, iPad, or whatever you happen to be Kindle-ing on these days!
This announcement only emphasizes the often-overlooked fact that the Kindle platform is about a lot more than the Kindle device. Whether the hardware continues to do well or not, and I sincerely believe that it will be even better than ever with the upcoming release and a fairly steady stream of firmware updates adding new features all the time, Amazon isn’t going to be letting go of their grip on the eBook marketplace any time soon. Paper books are here to stay, as many people have said since the eReader concept began to become popular, but never again are they likely to be the exclusive medium for their content.
As things come to a head between publishers and providers, and as Barnes & Noble(NYSE:BKS) and Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) compete over the digital self-publishing market, Amazon is attempting to place themselves firmly in the forefront of publisher attention by offering the potential for doubled royalties to users of their DTP self-publishing platform. The gist of the announcement is simple; If you publish a book through their service and the digital copy is at least 20% cheaper than the print copy, listed between $2.99 and $9.99, and have Text-to-Speech enabled, you will get 70% royalties on all your eBook sales instead of the standard 35%.
Let’s face it, this gives Amazon a huge advantage when it comes to providing content for the Kindle and all related software readers. As much as the traditional publishing industry balks at the concept, independents are coming out of the woodwork these days and some of them are making big names for themselves in the eBook marketplace(J.A. Konrath makes a good example). By keeping them happy and coming back for more, money in this case, Amazon has a chance to gain fairly exclusive rights to loads of great talent. It’ll be interesting to see what the response is both from the industry and the competition!
 Coming out of nowhere, at least for those of us who wouldn’t have thought to be looking for it in the first place, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has run in and bought Woot! This ever-popular discount liquidation site has made a name for itself for its great deals, incredibly random selection, and just generally fun presence on the web over the years. If you’ve never heard of them, you’re missing out.
So, will the Amazon ownership change anything in how the site is run? Comments from the company say no. They will remain a wholly independent entity that just happens to have a really really rich backer providing them with all sorts of fun new opportunities, advice, and options. To demonstrate how completely separate from Amazon they truly are, Woot’s first Deal of the Day following the purchase was a brand new Kindle, of the latest generation, for only $149! As with many of their better deals, it sold out before I could get one. Still, we can hope to see great new selections and deals in the future, especially since you’ve got to assume that Amazon has whole warehouses worth of unsellable merchandise just waiting to find a home after all these years. If you love a good deal, don’t mind the occasional refurbished item, and enjoy a seller with a sense of humor then you should really check them out.
 Let’s be honest, many of us were wondering what the status of the Kindle DX would turn out to be after the recent price cuts on both the Kindle and the nook made it seem more than a little bit overpriced for the times. Thankfully, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has responded and then some with an update to the device. The new Kindle DX has greatly improved screen contrast, a more inviting graphite exterior, and most importantly a greatly lowered $379 price tag.
Now, nobody’s going to claim at this point that the DX is a game changer. It was a great idea that turned out to be impractical for many of its intended audience. The screen refresh is too slow for students used to flipping back and forth before they lose their train of thought, and the size was often found to be prohibitive to easy transportation in crowded areas. That part hasn’t changed. While it may appeal only to a slightly smaller audience than intended, however, this is a great eReader. It’s the only one I have used that has given me perfect, or near perfect, display on every PDF I’ve thrown at it, it’s amazingly easy to read and just simulates the feel of a hardcover better than the usual 6″ screen, and it has all the usual great features you expect from an Amazon eReader. Fortunately they ship on July 7th. I can’t wait to get my upgrade.
Proving once again, in case we’d forgotten, that there’s more to the Kindle as a platform than simply the great eReader hardware, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has upgraded their software for the iPad, iPhone, and iPad Touch to include audio/visual integration in eBooks. The Kindle Store now includes a section labeled as “Kindle Editions With Audio-Visual” that highlights these new products. Right now the pickings are understandably slim, it being a new type of product, but already there are travel books including the popular Rick Steves: Paris, Rose’s Heavenly Cakes for the bakers among you, a copy of Knitting for Dummies that actually shows you on-screen what to do, and more. Also, while it’s not my hobby I would imagine that bird enthusiasts will get far more out of the audio-enabled Bird Songs: 250 Northern American Birds in Song now that there’s an edition that plays back what each of these songs sounds like. You don’t have to be an enthusiast to know a good idea when you see it.
This is an interesting idea that will likely go a long way toward keeping the Kindle software on top in the portion of the eBook customer base that relies on Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL) for all their media consumption needs. The Kindle itself, of course, will not be receiving this functionality on current devices, but it does raise some question about the future of the hardware. Will Amazon be putting a video-capable screen of some sort on a future upgrade? Right now most signs point to a negative response, but long-term options are always a possibility. eInk types of displays are always evolving and who wouldn’t want to be able to integrate some form of A/V experience if it were possible without sacrificing the superior screen and battery life?
 Plenty of people out there have been looking forward to the Kindle eReader app for the Android OS for some time now and the waiting has come to an end. Honestly, it looks really good. Users will find all the usual features they’ve come to expect from the kindle platform, including a great selection, displays in portrait or landscape orientation, multiple text sizes, the ability to bookmark your books, and of course the ever-popular WhisperSync feature for those who move from device to device as their situation demands.
The App can be acquired free of charge by searching for “Kindle” in the Android Market or by scanning the QR Code provided for you on the Kindle for Android page, assuming you have Android OS 1.6 or later on your phone. For situations when you can’t carry your Kindle with you, this seems to be about the best you can get as far as portability goes. Not going to compare this application to the iPhone/iPad parallel, since I don’t have that handy to make any direct comparison, but it seems to be pretty much the same features and experience spread over the less hardware-restrictive landscape of Android. Give it a try and see for yourself!
In light of the recent major price drops on the two most popular devices in the eReader market, there’s every reason to believe that a fresh wave of first time buyers is likely to be hunting for the right fit. New to the eBook situation and wanting some advice on which way to go? Let’s see what we can do for you.
Looking at the major points of interest for these devices, each has its strengths and weaknesses. For the purposes here, we’ll assume that the choices are the $199 nook and the $189 Kindle because 3G coverage is neat and because we don’t know yet what Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) is going to be doing with their WiFi Kindle model(assuming those rumors are true).
Size, Weight, and Feel
- Kindle: 6″ screen, 1/3″ thick, 10.2 ounces
- nook: 6″ screen, 1/2″ thick, 12.1 ounces
Subjective Evaluation: The screen is slightly better on the nook due to a better contrast ratio. On the other hand, the extra thickness and weight of the nook, slight as it is, makes it a very small bit harder to read for long periods of time than the Kindle. It’s pretty much a tie in this category.
A Note On The Screens: You’ll see many people complain about the screen flicker and page turn delay. In general, I advise ignoring these people. In both cases there is a delay in screen refresh that is so slight that turning the page in a paper book at the same speed with any regularity will likely leave you with a ruined book. These aren’t your average computer LCDs. Different technology, different uses.
Input Method
- Kindle: QWERTY keyboard, 5-way controller stick
- nook: LCD touchscreen
Subjective Evaluation: As far as moving through the stores, library, and things in general goes I’ve got to give it hands-down to Amazon. The on-screen navigation is intuitive and has only the rarest of hiccups. The nook’s touchscreen, while flashy, leaves something to be desired in terms of responsiveness on the eInk screen.
Selection and File Support
- Kindle: 600,000+ titles, supports: AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI, PRC, converts: HTML, DOC
- nook: 1,000,000+ titles, supports: EPUB, PDF, PDB
Subjective Evaluation: At first glance, Amazon has the edge in terms of file formats, especially when you take into account that many of the nook’s million titles are simply freely available Google Books downloads. The nook, however, supports EPUB files. EPUB is the industry standard format at the moment and tends to be the easiest to get your hands on, assuming you’re the type who prefers to shop for the best deal rather than simply grabbing everything from one store. The nook comes out well ahead in this comparison for just that reason. You’re not jumping through nearly as many hoops if you want to shop around as the Kindle makes you.
Storage space, in both cases, is generally a non-issue. In several years of using these devices heavily, including during the completion of a degree in English Literature, I have never found a situation where there was any advantage to holding 1,500+ books in my hand at once. If you really need to walk around with your entire library at once, then Amazon’s recent addition of a feature called Collections that makes it possible to organize your books according to your own specifications might make the Kindle your preferred eReader. At present the nook does not have this ability and a list that long might get unwieldy for casual aimless browsing.
Battery Life(Entirely Subjective Evaluation)
- Kindle: 30hr active, 20 days standby
- nook: 24hr active, 7 days standby
Now, these measurements are not in any way when is being advertised by the makers of the devices, nor am I claiming that everybody will see the same performance. I have had both and used both for some time now, however, and this is what I’ve seen. It is, quite literally, impossible to run down the charge on either device in a single day by reading at a normal pace. Simply put, if you want a device that you charge overnight and otherwise don’t have to worry about then either is fine. If you want something you can throw in a briefcase and carry around all week, then charge on the weekends, the Kindle has a slight, and I want to emphasize slight, advantage in battery life. Probably the lack of LCD screen. Neither of these takes into account the power draw of leaving your wireless connectivity going constantly, since this is generally not needed. You connect, download your book, then disconnect. Leaving it open is almost always just a waste.
Major Features
- Kindle: Read to Me, Facebook/Twitter integration, web browser, password protection
- nook: games, web browser, WiFi capability, in-store B&N perks, interchangeable back plates
Subjective Evaluation: I’ll start by saying that the Facebook/Twitter thing is not something I’ll comment on. If these features are valuable to you, there are plenty of places to do the research. I cannot comment. As for the rest, the Kindle’s main selling point here is the password protection. Since you will generally have a credit card linked to the account that is linked to your device, to make store purchasing quicker and easier, this bit of safety is a must-have. The Read to Me feature is nothing to sneeze at either, as it opens the door to use of the Kindle as a learning tool or simply a way to enjoy your favorite books even after the eyes get tired. It’s not perfect, but it does a good job and is not at all unpleasant to listen to.
The nook, on the other hand, comes up with mostly fun and superficial changes. You get a couple of games to play, with the hope of more to come of course, some incentive to visit the B&N store for free access to books and free coffee, and the ability to customize the appearance of your device in a way that goes beyond the usual cover choice. The web browser on the nook is slightly easier to use than the Kindle’s due to the touchscreen, but this also seems to result in faster battery depletion, so it’s something of a double-edged sword.
The Kindle wins for functionality, but don’t rule out the nook in terms of fun. Also make note of the fact that because the nook runs Android and therefore a much wider potential developer base in the long term, should an app store become available.
The Overview
I can’t tell you one device is better than the other because they’re both simply great products. It’s all about what you like and what you want your eReader to do for you. I use my Kindle when I want bestsellers, a device to travel with, independent authors, and the ability to annotate my books. I use my nook when I’m looking for the best price on a book, when there’s some question regarding 3G coverage wherever I’m staying, and when sudoku or browsing the web seem like good uses of my time. The best way to be sure of what you want is to try them out in the store. Check them out, do your research, and know what you want for your money. You would be hard-pressed to be disappointed either way.
It seems that in one day we not only get a drop in price for the Barnes & Noble(NYSE:BKS) nook, one of the front runners in the eReader device marketplace, but an immediate reaction and one-upping from Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN).
As already reported, the nook has undergone a steep drop in price from $259 to $199, as well as welcoming a new member to the product family: A WiFi only model at a mere $149. In response, Amazon has cut the price of their ever-popular Kindle from $259 to $189 in what can only be seen as a direct and hostile response to B&N’s move.
One of the main sources for concern lately among critics has been the pricing of these devices. While always a reasonable investment for the avid reader, some have had trouble justifying the expense of the more popular and full-featured of the eReaders such as the Kindle and nook. This is quickly becoming a non-issue. The Kobo made its splash by setting an amazing new low price for the market and mere months later we have one product with a more robust support list and feature set being offered at the same $149 price, and the most popular and well-supported eBook reading device on the market today for just $40 more. There is simply no excuse anymore not to own one. Amazon and B&N are in a price war and the only one winning is the reader.
Well, the internet is abuzz today with talk of a recent report by a Citi analyst declaring the Kindle effectively dead in the water in the long haul. Now, if you accept the validity of the analysis of where things stand today, and let’s say for the sake of argument that we do for the moment, there’re still some problems to be addressed. Here’s some details in the wording that a lot of people aren’t looking at very clearly.
The analyst observes that the “Kindle currently enjoys a price and selection advantage over the iBook platform” but ominously follows it with “it’s hard to see why the gap won’t narrow over time.” It’s difficult to see where the negativity is coming from here. He states that Kindle is in the lead and then adds some doomsaying to the end of the sentence.
The same basic theory ends up applying to the point by point comparison. The analyst’s argument seems to hinge on the idea that Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN), clearly a front runner in the mainstream ebook market and a fairly innovative company in general, is going to leave what systems it has in place as they are now and hope for the best. I get that Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL) is a great company and that many people feel they’re inevitably going to take over whatever market they approach. If that’s really the case though, we can do without the spins on the facts in the meantime, don’t you think?
 As of today, 6/16/2010, Random House’s Magic Tree House series, a childrens’ staple since 1992 by Mary Pope Osborne has been released for the Kindle. All 43 books in the amazingly popular series are now up for sale in the Kindle Store as I write this, with the 44th already available for preorder, anticipating its September 14th release.
The Magic Tree House series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide, been translated into 28 languages, and distributed in 31 countries over the course of its life cycle so far. It is a widely acknowledged tool in promoting childrens’ literacy and can be(and often is) coupled with Random House-distributed educational material related to the stories for use in classrooms as a teaching aid in any number of subjects.
Much publicity has focused on what the Kindle can do on college and high school campuses, but this brings useful attention to the fact that an eReader with a properly durable case, perhaps even a library’s worth of them, could easily enhance the learning experiences of children at any age. The Text-to-Speech feature is helpful for any struggling reader and the ability to vary the font size can make a text more approachable for easily overwhelmed young readers still unsure of their ability. Clearly a step in the right direction.
 Amazon’s(NASDAQ:AMZN) first publishing imprint, AmazonEncore, has announced plans to bring us ten titles for the fall of this year from a variety of areas. For those who are unaware, AmazonEncore is a program that uses information from the Amazon.com site, in the form of sales trends, review data, etc, to identify new or outstanding works that deserve a wider audience and introduce or re-introduce these books to the public through both digital and print media.
This fall’s lineup will include:
These titles range from self-published works, including what I believe to be the first self-published Kindle edition to get optioned for a movie(A Scattered Life), to complete originals. There’s something there for almost any audience. So check them out. Seriously. Go on, I can wait. Anyway, it’s good stuff. Clichès aside, I’m going to go order some of my own now.
 It appears that we’ll be looking at the new Kindle people have been talking about a little bit sooner than expected. According to rumors and reports, we’re likely to be getting improvements on existing technology as well as the new and interesting. The new version will be slimmer, which is probably the most well reported feature so far, and it will have a sharper and significantly more responsive screen that will more closely emulate the feel of reading directly off of a page. Personally, any improvement to the reading experience is more than welcome, of course.
The unexpected feature that is, at present, merely a well-substantiated rumor, is that the new Kindle will finally be offering up the option of WiFi connectivity either in parallel with or exclusive of the existing 3G connection. This opens up at least the possibility of having multiple pricing options depending on user requirements, since there is some evidence that plans have been made for a 3G-free model. It also adds in a much-needed interface option for those who enjoy the Kindle device but do not have regular 3G access in their homes. Coverage is growing all over the place, but it’s simply not quite everywhere just yet. Even for those among us who do have the coverage, the speed boost offered by such an option will be a more than welcome advantage when it comes to web browsing and downloading. This is to say nothing about the potential effect on price that going without 3G coverage might entail. August is likely to be a fun month.
Tuesday, at the annual Amazon(NASDAQ: AMZN) shareholders meeting, Jeff Bezos made some comments about the state of the Kindle and what we can expect for the future. While it may come as a surprise for some, the goal is consistency and refinement rather than revolution. Many feel that the Kindle should be making every effort to become some sort of eInk iPad in order to survive, but Bezos emphasized the presence of the Kindle as a device for “serious readers” and insisted that this is not meant to be a multipurpose device so much as a specialty tool with a distinct purpose. Future plans for Kindle development may include the color screen that some have been pushing for, but certainly not the next model, to judge from his comments about what a complicated technology it is to get right. While it would, of course, be simple to make a device with a color LCD display, it would run counter to the purpose of the device; namely to create a reading device for those who love reading.
So what can we expect from the new Kindle? It’s pure speculation, but I’d say we can look forward to a more refined UI, faster refresh rates, a lighter form, and a better screen-to-frame ratio. Let’s not dwell on what gimmicks and alternate purposes we might want to add in and focus on what matters. Namely, that the reading experience be as clean, immersive, and enjoyable as possible.
A while back, as some of you may remember, we mentioned the news that Barnes & Noble(NYSE: BKS) and HP(NYSE: HPQ) were teaming up to offer the B&N reader software as a prepackaged tool in many new HP computers. Well, it looks like Amazon(NASDAQ: AMZN) has taken the cue and moved with it. Today we got a press release announcing that, in the near future, Kindle software will come pre-installed on many ASUS models including the 1005PE line of Eee PC Netbooks and their UL Series of notebooks.
This isn’t necessarily quite as pointless as it seems at first glance. While there is no doubt that preloaded software isn’t a new concept, the implied partnership in this area bodes well for upcoming months; rumors that the upcoming Eee Pad tablet device will be unveiled by the end of this month lend some weight to this development. In spite of the shortcomings compared to an e-Ink display, these devices are useful and well-regarded as reading tools. Having an existing partnership for users’ ebook consumption needs addresses a key point in the obviously inevitable comparisons to the iPad that consumers will have to be making. There is some hope, it can be hoped, that a valid competitor is about to enter the market.
With all the recent hype regarding the forthcoming Kobo eReader, the most frequently mentioned perk, even by us, is the amazingly low price. This makes it an attractive option for people who aren’t quite sure of their need for such a device or even for those who want to give a really cool gift without breaking the bank. Some of us, however, are very impatient, and the Kobo won’t be around in the US until next month! Especially for those with students they know graduating, this can be an issue. Fortunately there’s another option.
The Sony PRS series isn’t exactly new, but they seem to have fallen by the wayside in the eyes of a lot of reviewers these days. Sure, they don’t have a lot of the bells and whistles that newer devices do, but they’re an established and proven brand. The reason I bring this up is the recent realization that you can find brand-new PRS-300 models for just $140-150 these days. They’re not quite as nifty as, say, the Kindle, but they’ll display books as well as anything. My only complaints about the design are the 5″ screen and the positioning of the page turn button. If you can put up with those, however, it might be an option for you! They’re cheap, they read ePub formatted books, they’ll carry a charge for weeks, and they’re affordable. Quite possibly the perfect gift for that holdout reader friend, grad, or relative to get them used to the idea of the technology before working them up to something a full featured as the nook or Kindle.
 A day after Amazon’s May 10 announcement regarding plans to offer Kindle for Android, Amazon announced updates for its Kindle for PC application. The article from eWeek suggests that Amazon’s recent actions might be in response to increased competition from the iPad, Nook, Sony E-reader and others.
Kindle for PC’s new features include the ability to edit notes and marks, change background color, adjust screen brightness control and includes a full screen reading mode. Amazon’s Whispersync technology transfers notes, bookmarks and “last pages read” between a PC, smartphone and the Kindle. By adding these adjustments to the application, Amazon has made it much more user friendly.
Jay Marine, Director of Amazon Kindle wrote: “Kindle for PC lets customers enjoy more than 540,000 books in the Kindle Store even if they don’t yet have a Kindle, and it’s the perfect companion application for the millions of Kindle and Kindle DX owners.” Amazon seems to be heading into the predicted direction of gearing their market towards software, despite solid Kindle device sales.
Amazon also recently announced plans for a new update to the Kindle and Kindle DX called Version 2.5. In this version, users will be allowed to share passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter. It will also include Collections, which categorizes books and documents on the Kindle into different sections based on the subject, and Popular Highlights, a passage from a book or document that the Kindle community finds the most interesting. Content sharing is “the big thing” right now. It will be an interesting trend to watch in terms how how the Kindle will work with it.
All over the world there are people doing their best to, and sometimes managing to, publish the next great novel. Not even the most shortsighted reader can truly indulge the thought that all enjoyable literature comes from their native or preferred language. Apparently Amazon.com(NASDAQ:AMZN) has come to the same conclusion and decided that this market will lend some uniqueness to their brand. AmazonCrossing, as it is to be called, will concentrate on bringing international authors to the English speaking audience. Their first publication, The King of Kahel by Tierno Monenembo, is the winner of the 2008 Renaudot Literary Prize and should be available on your Kindle, or even in paperback, on November 2nd.
This is Amazon’s second publishing endeavor, so it is safe to say they know something of the ins and outs of the process by now. According to what information we have regarding this move, titles chosen will be heavily influenced by the standing they have in terms of favorable reviews on the Amazon website, thus allowing readers to directly influence how well distributed their favorite authors become. This new imprint promises to be a positive move for authors, readers, and hopefully investors alike. There aren’t nearly enough international authors represented well in English just yet, much to many of our monolingual dismay.
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