Find eBook Readers Blog

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Richard — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:25:04 +0000

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Tab today and is unveiling it in Berlin at IFA. Some of the specs:

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
7-inch TFT-LCD; 1024 x 600
Cortex A8 1.0GHz processor
Full HD video playback
Adobe Flash support
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.5 G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE)
Gyroscopic sensor, geo-magnetic sensor, accelerometer, light sensor
16 GB or 32GB internal memory; card slot
Size: 190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm (7.48 x 4.74 x .47 inches); weight 380g (13.4 ounces)

It’s too bad Samsung couldn’t use their Super AMOLED display, as that would have made it more viewable in sunlight. It probably would have made the Tab more expensive as well.

The Tab will have access to the Android Market and Samsung will have some apps of its own design available as well.

The Readers Hub is where you will do your ereading on the Tab, and Kobo announced on their blog today that the Kobo reading app would be powering it. For periodical reading you will have PressDisplay and Zinio. This is a good score for Kobo, and it can’t hurt Borders either when the Tab comes stateside.

Like the Dell Streak, the Galaxy Tab has telephony functions and can be used for video conferencing. Obviously with a device of this size you will want to be using a USB headset. A front facing camera as well as a rear facing video camera are part of the package.

Samsung says that the Galaxy Tab will be launching in Europe in a couple of weeks. The US, Asia and other markets will get the Tab in coming months.

The video below was uploaded to YouTube by PhoneArena.

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Overdrive Most Downloaded eBooks for August 2010

Richard — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:01:29 +0000

Overdrive today listed the most downloaded ebooks from libraries for August. No surprise that Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy novels are still in the top positions.

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. Private by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
6. The 9th Judgment by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
7. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
8. 61 Hours by Lee Child
9. The Search by Nora Roberts
10. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

The most downloaded library audiobooks:

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
3. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
6. The 9th Judgment by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
7. 61 Hours by Lee Child
8. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
9. Private James by Patterson and Maxine Paetro
10. 1st to Die by James Patterson

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More Thoughts on the New Sony eReaders

Richard — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:34:58 +0000

The more I ponder Sony’s newly announced ereaders the more bizarre I think it is that Sony chose not to include a wireless connection in the PRS-350 and PRS-650. The only way I can explain this omission to myself is that Sony persists in looking at the ereader market primarily from the point of view of a hardware manufacturer with little regard for the market from the perspective of a content provider.

The new Sony Touch Edition is priced higher than the primary competition, no doubt in large part to the ~~shiny~~ new touchscreen that Sony has implemented. This in itself may not be such a problem, as in addition to a lot of hardcore Sony fans out there, many users will also value a touchscreen and the freehand note taking feature.

How much would it have cost Sony to include a Wi-Fi connection? $10 more per unit? $20? I’m not sure, but I think it should have been included at the announced price. A wireless connection is now perceived as being a standard ereader feature, and the Sony Touch and Pocket Editions will be seen as being somewhat crippled without it.

With a wireless connection Sony would be able to sell more of its ereaders, and more ereaders in the hands of users would mean more sales from the Sony Reader Store. Also, a wireless connection makes it almost too easy to buy ebooks. If you don’t develop some self control it is very easy to end up with a large backlog of purchased books waiting for your time to get them read. With a Wi-Fi connection in its ereaders Sony would surely sell more content from its Reader Store.

It feels to me (admittedly without actually yet having seen and worked with the new ereaders) as though Sony has taken a couple of steps forward and another step back, and quite possibly tripped over its own feet in the process.

Its sad really. Yes, I am a Kindle fan. That would be because I feel that the Kindle is the best ereader out there for the money at the present time. One reason is that it just works. Kindlers are not waiting around for the next patch to fix broken features or to finally add promised but still missing capabilities. Yes, there is still the occasional problem, and there will always be more features that we want, but Amazon has had the time to get most of the bugs worked out. The Kindle is the most mature platform. The Kindle Store also has more content, and to my thinking the Amazon shopping experience is better than the competition.

That being said, one of the reasons that the Kindle is more advanced is the competition presented by the NOOK, Kobo and all of the other announced ereaders that were waiting to jump into the market. Competition is generally good for consumers, and the ereader market is no different. I would like to see Sony introduce a really good ereader, Barnes & Noble to keep improving the NOOK, Kobo to introduce a better ereader with more advanced features, etc.

The new Sony ereaders do look like a a big improvement and I imagine that they will do quite well internationally, but I think that the absence of wireless connectivity will impair their chance to be a real contender in the US market.

If you want to have a look at the manuals for the PRS-350 and PRS-650 I have posted the links to them on the ereader manuals page.

Below are a couple of videos of the new Sony ereaders from YouTube. The first is a promotional video from SonyLearnTV, while the second is from SSRoss99 who was at the unveiling of the ereaders at NYC today. The other ereader in the second video is the jetBook Mini. The new touchscreen is obviously much better than that on the older models.

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New Sony eReaders

Richard — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:18:23 +0000

The Sony Style website is showing three new ereaders that will possibly get their official unveiling at a Sony event tonight in New York City.

If you were one of the many people put off by the glare of the touchscreens Sony has been using in their ereader, there is good news. The new touchscreen is by Neonode which makes optically clear and very responsive IR based touchscreens. The new ereaders will also be sporting the Pearl display from E Ink with its improved contrast. On the downside – only the new Daily Edition will have a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

More info will probably be available tonight, but so far here are a few details Sony has announced about its new line of ereaders:

Sony PRS-650 Touch Edition

6-inch Pearl e-ink display with 16 grayscales; resolution 800 x 600.
Battery life: 7,500 page turns, 2 weeks; recharge time 3 hours USB or 2 hours AC.
Internal memory 2GB; SD and Memory Stick PRO Duo card slots.
Device size: 6 5/8 x 4 3/4 x .38 inches. Weight is just under eight ounces.
Integrated dictionaries: New Oxford American and Oxford Dictionary of English. Also includes 10 built-in translation dictionaries.
MP3 playback.
Will be available in black or red.
Six font sizes.
Freehand highlighting and note taking. Notes can be exported to your computer. Stylus is included or use virtual keyboard.
Priced at $229. Should be available within a few days.

Sony PRS-350 Pocket Edition

5-inch touchscreen, Pearl e-ink display. 800 x 600 pixels; 16 grayscales.
Includes the dictionaries same same as PRS-650.
Dimensions 5 3/4 x 4 1/8 x .33 inches. Weight 5.64 ounces.
Battery life 10,000 page turns. Charging cycle same as PRS-650.
Available in silver or pink.
Priced at $179. Should be available within a few days.

The previous Pocket Edition was often panned for its lack of features. Sony seems to have listened to the complaints. The new ereader seems to only be missing MP3 support and expandable memory when compared to the PRS-650, but the improved feature set does come with a larger price tag.

Sony PRS-950 Daily Edition

The PRS-950 Daily Edition ereader will add a 7-inch screen and will come with Wi-Fi and a 3G connection that will be good for connecting to Sony’s Reader Store. Priced at $299. Should be available in time for the holidays.

Sony also says that it has improved the PDF handling capabilities of its ereaders. Users will also be able to use their own photos as screensavers.

Sony is also developing ereading apps for the iPhone and Android that you will be able to sync – but since there is no wireless on the PRS-350 and PRS-650 you would have to sync these with the USB.

The new Sony ereader lineup looks much stronger than the last generation, but it is now facing much tougher competition – with the higher prices it remains to be seen how well they can compete in the US. It is encouraging that Sony has apparently been listening to user complaints and reviews and appears to be addressing some of the issues many had with its previous ereaders.

The touchscreen, with its note taking features, will be well received by many users; but the lack of Wi-Fi or 3G in the Touch and Pocket Editions is a major weakness. The Sony Reader Store also does not compare well to the Barnes & Noble ebook store or the Kindle Store, although Sony says that they are working on improving that as well.

I’m thinking that Sony will enjoy more success with its new ereaders in the international arena than it will here in the US, but nevertheless I will be happy to see a strong showing from Sony – the competition is good for all of us who like to read digitally.

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Free Kindle Books – 9/1/2010

Richard — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:43:37 +0000

September is starting off with quite a few freebies at the Kindle Store:

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier (4 1/2 stars/10 reviews) Mystery.

Kaplan Publishing is offering nine of their study guidesfor free. This will probably only last a few days.

Hostile Intent by Michael Walsh (3 stars/55 reviews) Spy thriller.

Demonfire by Kate Douglas (3 1/2 stars/22 reviews) Paranormal romance.

The Pearl at the Gate by Anya Delvay and Anya Richards (5 stars/2 reviews) Romance.

Catwalk by Melody Carlson (5 stars/6 reviews) Faith-based fiction.

Overcoming Perfectionism: The Key to a Balanced Recovery by Ann W. Smith (5 stars/4 reviews) Mental health.

The Dangerous Dimension by L. Ron Hubbard (4 stars/4 reviews) Science Fiction.

Sophie’s World by Nancy Rue (4 1/2 stars/3 reviews) Faith-based children’s fiction.

Sophie’s Secret by Nancy Rue (4 1/2 stars/2 reviews) Faith-based children’s fiction.

Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book by Nancy Rue (4 1/2 stars/11 reviews) Faith-based teen fiction.

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New Kindle 3 Covers & Cases

Richard — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:07:23 +0000

Searching Amazon for Kindle 3 covers, cases and jackets can be rather frustrating as Kindle 2 covers are mixed in with the search results. It just became a little easier as Amazon has set up a section for Kindle 3 coversonly.

Here you will find new Kindle 3 covers from Belkin, Built, Cole Haan, Diane von Furstenberg, LeSportsac and Timbuk2. Many are still pre-order, but at least the pictures are up. There are also, of course, the official covers from Amazon which are available now.

Kindle 3 skins from DecalGirlare also featured here, but if you order direct from DecalGirl you can get a 10 percent discount with the coupon code Decal10 – whether this is better or not for you will depend on if you are ordering other things from Amazon and can get the free shipping.

Besides Amazon’s own there are not many leather covers available as of yet; a lot of the new covers so far are fabric. Within a few weeks I would expect covers from M-Edge, Octovo, Trendy Digital and the other makers to be ready. Oberon Design says that their Kindle 3 sized covers should be ready in September as well.

You might also try Haut Totes. Haut Totes makes custom bags of all sorts to order.

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New Kindle 3 Covers & Cases

Richard — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:58:07 +0000

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Free Books from Kaplan at the iBookstore

Richard — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:10:33 +0000

Kaplan Publishing is letting students try some of its books for free until September 6, 2010. There are 21 free prep guides and study aids offered through the program at the iBookstore:

Kaplan ACT Strategies for Super Busy Students
Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary
Sharp Vocab
Sharp Writing
Kaplan Portable GMAT
Kaplan Portable GRE Exam
Kaplan PMBR: Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)
Kaplan PMBR Finals: Constitutional Law
Kaplan MCAT Organic Chemistry Review
Kaplan MCAT Biology Review
Kaplan NCLEX-RN 2010 -2011 Edition
Kaplan CCRN
Kaplan101 Algebra Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 ASVAB Practice Questions
Kaplan101 GRE Quantitative Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 GRE Verbal Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 MAT Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 PSAT/SAT Critical Reading Practice Questions
Kaplan101 Biology Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 SAT/PSAT Writing Practice Questions
Kaplan 101 GMAT Verbal Practice Question

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Borders News

Richard — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:06:41 +0000

Borders is in the news today, and not all of it is good. Borders will be closing its King Street store in San Francisco. This at the same time as Barnes & Noble is closing its landmark store near Lincoln Center in New York City.

Both bookstore chains are struggling, though Barnes & Noble looks to be much more likely to survive. Just as the bookstore chains put many small independent bookstores out of business in the past, they themselves are now under pressure from online booksellers.

Even as bookselling chains move to digital sales they are faced with another conundrum – what to do with empty floor and shelf space as they carry fewer physical books? Indigo Books has said it would be filling its empty shelves with trinkets. Borders is now said to be planning on replacing some of its children’s book sections with Build-a-Bear kits. These are kits for children to build and personalize their own stuffed animals. I’m not so sure that Borders’ salvation lies in becoming the next dime store chain.

Borders also announced today that it is launching a new paid “Borders Rewards Plus” loyalty program. Borders customers can now choose from a free rewards program or a paid program which costs $20 per year and offers savings on most merchandise as well as free shipping on virtually all online orders.

Members of the free, enhanced program will receive 30 percent off the list price of hardcover bestsellers and free shipping on online orders of $25 or more.
Members of the Borders Rewards Plus program will receive 40 percent off the list price of hardcover bestsellers, 20 percent off the list price of select hardcovers, 10 percent off the purchase price of most everything else — and free shipping on virtually all online orders.

As with Barnes & Noble’s loyalty program, the discounts do not apply to ereaders or other electronics, although it appears that you can take discounts off of some ebooks at Borders, which you cannot do with the Barnes & Noble Membership Program.

To promote the new program, Borders is offering double “Borders Bucks” to members on their purchases through September 6, 2010. Borders is also offering an additional discount to teachers:

As part of its longstanding commitment to supporting educators, Borders has made its Rewards program more teacher-friendly. Upon the program’s launch, teachers who are currently Rewards members will receive a personal shopping day where they will enjoy a 10 percent discount off the purchase price on top of the 25 percent discount they already receive on eligible items. In addition, beginning Oct. 1, parents, friends and families can donate Borders Bucks they’ve accrued to their favorite teacher. The teacher can then use the donation to buy classroom supplies.

Borders has also lowered the prices of some of the ereaders that it carries. The Kobo eReader is still $149.99, but it comes with a $20 gift card, which effectively lowers its price to $129.99. Still not a good deal at this price when compared to the Kindle 3 in my book. Borders is also selling the Aluratek Libre for $119.99, the Sony Touch for $139.99 and the Sony Pocket Edition for $119.99. Borders will also be carrying the Cruz Tablet and Reader from Velocity Micro.

UPDATE: Borders has lowered the price of the Kobo eReader to $129.99 without the gift card. The Aluratek Libre has also been lowered to $99.99.

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Staples to Carry Kindle

Richard — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:48:18 +0000

Beginning this fall Amazon’s Kindle ereaders will be available at Staples. Staples announced today that it will be carrying all three of the new Kindle models, including the Kindle DX.

Having its NOOK ereader in stores where customers can actually try it out before buying has been one of the advantages Barnes & Noble has had. Target also sells the Kindle, but from what I’ve seen doesn’t do a very good job of marketing it.

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Target to Sell Kindle eReader