Category: E-Books
Amazon's Kindle 2 takes shape, due on Feb 9?
Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader, despite its low specs, has proved a hit with consumers, particularly after Oprah Winfrey featured it on her show in November. Since then, it’s been consistently sold out, and Amazon’s product page, for a long time, has shown a wait of 11-13 weeks for the device.
Well, last night that was changed to show 4-6 weeks, and Amazon has invited journalists to an event in New York on February 9th with the Founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, present. Leaked photos suggest that the old angular look is gone, and the new Kindle will be more rounded. It’ll also feature a much-updated e-ink display with a faster screen refresh time. If it replicates the success of the original, then we might even see it this side of the Atlantic. We can only hope.
Kindle Product Page (via NY Times, image via BGR)
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Foxit eSlick – the cheaper, lighter and not quite so good eBook reader. Have I sold it?
eBook readers tend to divide opinion and divide it in a most disproportionate way. I like them but I think I’m in the minority. Fortunately, so does Foxit which is why they’re bringing out the Foxit eSlick – not the best name and perhaps not the best product either.
The main downfall of the device is that it only supports pdf and txt files…
Squint at a classic book on your Nintendo DS
When you’re not crossing animals or looking after your Nintendog, you might like to brush up on a spot of classic literature with the 100 Classic Books software.
The application does exactly what it says on the box – lets you read a load of classic books on the pocket console.
While the DS’s screen is no match for the likes of the Sony Reader, BeBook, or Amazon Kindle, it might be worth getting if you want to enjoy a sneaky Dickens, Shakespeare or Melville on the Tube…
BeBook eBook rEader- now available in the UK
A new eBook reader has entered the UK market – the BeBook. Despite not being affiliated with the social networking site of the same name, it seems decent enough. There’s 512MB of flash memory (which should hold 1000 books or so) along with an SD card slot, a 6″ e-ink display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a battery life of ‘7,000 page turns’.
The device will display pdf, mobi, lit, epub, html, doc, fb2, txt, ppt, prc, rtf, jpg, and mp3 files. It probably doesn’t need saying, but playing MP3s will eat up your battery life a lot quicker than just reading books and looking at documents.
If you want one, then they’re available direct from the distributor, Widget, for £230. Your BeBook will come with 150 eBooks pre-installed, and you can buy or download more from various places across the net.
BeBook (via SW)
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Google to start archiving 30 glorious years of Page 3 stunnas, with its Newspaper Search
Google will soon start the mammoth task of scanning in decades worth of old newspapers, allowing us to finally search information and news from before the internet period. Everything that happened in the 1980s will start to exist again.
In a similar fashion to Google’s impressive but under-the-radar Book Search, the newspaper service will let us browse through old papers, bringing entire pages up as zoomable, Google Maps-style images. The Times already does…
Amazon with more Kindles in the pipeline – definitely smaller, hopefully cheaper
So, word on the street is that Amazon is preparing a new version of their eBook reader, the Kindle, specially aimed at students and presumably everyone else that doesn’t really fancy paying £200 for the privelege.
The new version will be more portable at 8.5cm x 11cm…
Bookeen CyBook Gen3 – latest epaper reading device
The Bookeen CyBook Gen3 is being described as the thinnet and lightest epaper reading device around. It’s able to store 1000 books, which seems more than enough, but for any exceptionally well-read users, the simple addition of a 2GB memory card allows you to store 10,000, meaning you have a mini-library in your back pocket.
It is able to display PRC, txt, HTML and PDF book formats, and since it copes with JPG, GIF, PNG and MP3 formats as well, it can accurately be described as a rather lightweight multimedia device.
Shiny Video: Quick look at the Sony Reader
I managed to have a little play with the Sony Reader the other day and I must say I was pretty impressed…
eBook Reader from Sony launches for pre-order today
Smaller than a hardback but with more than 160 times the words, the Sony Reader handheld eBook is here.
Weighing in at 260g, the Reader stores and displays PDF, RTF, TXT, JPEGs and MS Word in e-ink with enough battery power for around 6,800 page turns in one charge, which is apparently enough to read War and Peace five times over. Once will do me fine, thanks.
You can order pre-order it today…
