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Posts Tagged ‘eBook’

Ballmer: Microsoft “are not interested in e-readers”

By Chris Davies on Friday, Oct 9th 2009 No Comments

Amazon are looking to foreign climes with the Kindle, Barnes & Noble are preparing to make a splash with both monochrome and color ebook devices, but Steve Ballmer doesn’t reckon his customers care about standalone ebook readers. Speaking to reporters in the Netherlands this week, the outspoken Microsoft CEO revealed that his company has no plans for creating a dedicated device: “We have a device for reading. It’s the most popular device in the world. It’s the PC.”

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Barnes & Noble ebook reader imminent; Plastic Logic color version due Spring 2010 [Video]

By Chris Davies on Friday, Oct 9th 2009 No Comments

Barnes & Noble look set to enter the ebook reader market in a big way, with rumors and revelations aplenty about not only an imminent device launch but a color model in 2010. According to the Wall Street Journal’s sources, B&N are preparing to launch a greyscale 6-inch E-Ink device potentially as soon as November 2009, complete with a touchscreen and on-screen keyboard. However, according to a B&N spokesperson caught on video (which you can see after the cut), next Spring will bring a Plastic Logic color ebook reader together with clients for mobile devices.

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Video announcement after the cut

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Amazon US & International Kindle debuts (but it’s not perfect)

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Oct 7th 2009 No Comments

Amazon have finally announced an international launch for their Kindle ebook reader. The new version gains both US and international 3G capabilities – though still no WiFi – and will ship both domestically in the US and to 100 different countries worldwide. Priced at $279 and shipping October 19th, the International Wireless Kindle is now $20 more expensive than the original US-only Kindle, which has been discounted to $259; otherwise the two devices are identical.

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Amazon 1984 ebook case settled: new remote-delete policy revealed

By Chris Davies on Friday, Oct 2nd 2009 1 Comment

amazon kindle 2 Amazon’s attempt to placate the braying crowds with a $30 kiss-and-make-up check and a grovelling apology after the deleted 1984 ebook fiasco worked with most Kindle customers, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade suing student Justin Gawronski from his court case. Amazon have now settled with the Michigan teen, to the amount of $150,000 in fact, which he will share with his legal team and a co-plaintiff; meanwhile, the retailer has taken steps to make its deletion policy clearer.

Full policy after the cut

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Amazon to launch UK Kindle next week?

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Sep 30th 2009 No Comments

We wouldn't crack open our piggy-banks quite yet, but theBookseller are claiming that Amazon will launch their Kindle ebook reader in the UK next week, aiming for an October launch. According to their unnamed sources, Amazon have signed non-disclosure agreements with various publishers in advance of the announcement; "The key things they needed to tie up have been tied up," claimed the source, "the rumours I've heard are all saying next week."

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iriver Story ebook reader presales start

By Chris Davies on Thursday, Sep 24th 2009 No Comments

iriver’s Story ebook reader has gone up for preorder, priced at the equivalent of around $281. Set to begin shipping on October 6th, the Story has a 6-inch E-Ink display, QWERTY keyboard and an SD card slot; iriver supply a 2GB card with the device, along with a case and two free ebook downloads.

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IREX DR800SG gets official: 8.1″ touchscreen 3G ebook reader

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Sep 23rd 2009 No Comments

As expected, IREX have just announced their latest ebook reader, the IREX DR800SG, an 8.1-inch e-ink device within integrated Qualcomm Gobi wireless. The DR800SG will use Verizon’s network in the US (and switch to GSM 3G when roaming) to allow access to Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, Newspaper Direct and LibreDigital. Priced at $399.99, the IREX DR800SG will arrive at “select” Best Buy stores come October, followed by a European launch in the first half of 2010.

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iRex DR800SG touchscreen 3G ebook reader coming today

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Sep 23rd 2009 No Comments

irex logo From one ebook reader to another, only this time we’re looking at something with much more grunt to take on Amazon’s Kindle. According to the New York Times, iRex will announce later on today that they’re launching an 8.1-inch touchscreen ebook reader in the US, the iRex DR800SG, priced at $399 and packing a 3G Gobi radio from Qualcomm. The sticker price of the iRex DR800SG will include unlimited wireless access through Verizon’s network, with users able to wirelessly download ebooks from Barnes & Noble.

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Bookeen Cybook Opus compact ebook reader hits shelves

By Chris Davies on Wednesday, Sep 23rd 2009 No Comments

Bookeen’s Cybook Opus 5-inch ebook reader has finally gone on sale, priced at $280 from the company’s official store. The Opus is a compact 4.2 x 6 x 0.4 inches and weighs 5.3oz; however it still packs a microSD card slot, accelerometer to flip between portrait and landscape orientations, and a user-replaceable battery good for 8,000 page turns.

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Onyx Boox WiFi touchscreen ebook reader gets hands-on

By Chris Davies on Tuesday, Sep 22nd 2009 No Comments

We know Onyx better as a BlackBerry smartphone codename or a touchscreen cellphone prototype, but in China it’s also the name of an ebook reader manufacturer. Engadget Chinese had a chance to play with their new product, the Boox, a WiFi-enabled touchscreen device with an internet browser as well as an ebook app.

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