Amazon have announced changes to the types of documents their Kindle ebook reader will support, including a shift in pricing structure that will see users paying more per upload and conversion. The Kindle’s Whispernet wireless connection can be used to load non-Amazon documents onto the device: previously files were charged at $0.10 each, but Amazon have switched this to $0.15 per megabyte, rounded up to the nearest MB.
Hot on the heels of the news that Barnes & Noble may be considering jumping into the eBook reader market, comes word that Foxconn may be developing their own range of digital book devices. According to market sources, Foxconn have hired “several software technicians” to work on an ebook range.
Rupert Murdoch is apparently investing in a potential Amazon Kindle rival which would have a larger, four-color capable display. The News Corp. CEO revealed the plans at a Q&A while at the cable industry’s annual show this week, mentioning no specific companies but leading to speculation that the company is planning to take their print model into the ebook world.
The Kindle 2 may present itself as a straightforward way to read ebooks, but delve under the cover and there’s a tweak-friendly debug mode waiting to be tinkered with. New Kindle 2 owner Jesse has been looking through, and came across a new USB networking facility that wasn’t present on the original Kindle; with that, he’s managed to surf the internet on the ebook reader without using its in-built 3G.
Amazon have announced a new Kindle client for the iPhone and iPod touch, which will allow users of the Apple devices to access ebooks. The app – which is a free download [iTunes link] from the Apple App Store – is called Kindle for iPhone, and uses Amazon’s new WhisperSync technology to keep ebooks bookmarked across multiple devices.
After incurring the wrath of the seemingly ever-furious Authors’ Guild, Amazon have backtracked on the Kindle 2’s text-to-speech functionality by giving publishers, not users, the right to decide whether an ebook is read out loud or not. While still maintaining that the feature is legal, Amazon suggest that rightsholders will “be more comfortable with the text-to-speech feature if they are in the driver’s seat.”
Everyone’s favorite bearded tech pundit, Walt Mossberg, has delivered his opinion of the Kindle 2 in the Wall Street Journal, and much to Amazon’s relief it’s a pretty much glowing review. Mossberg reminds us how “clumsy and annoying to use” he found the first-gen Kindle, before praising the Kindle 2 for its “vast improvement” in controls, design and the detail possible from its epaper display.
Mossberg also highlights Amazon’s plans for ebook content on non-Kindle mobile devices, suggesting that such a move would easily eclipse the Kindle 2. The ebook market “could explode” he says, if Amazon offered iPhone or BlackBerry apps.
Video review after the cut
Kindle 2 units are arriving all over the US, as Amazon not only keeps to their delivery schedule but, in some cases, beats it to the punch. Of course a rite of passage for any new must-have device is not only the unboxing but the break-down, and iFixit have done just that, flagging up a spot that looks surprisingly like a GSM SIM reader might sit there. However it’s not all good news; we’ve also heard of what might be the first broken Kindle 2, which survived its journey but not its user.
The Amazon Kindle 2’s text-to-speech feature – which reads out ebooks on the device – probably isn’t the best way to lull your kids off to sleep, being as it’s a very obviously computer-generated voice. However if the Author’s Guild has its way, it won’t even be around to distract you when your eyes get tired: the Guild is claiming that by including text-to-speech functionality, Amazon are impinging on audio book copyright.
Amazon have confirmed plans to launch the Kindle 2 in international markets, but still refuses to be drawn on any roadmap. The company launched the updated ebook reader at an event in New York yesterday, and immediately began accepting preorders from US buyers; the device, which has a 6-inch display, integrated 3G CDMA wireless connectivity and measures just 0.36-inches thick, is priced at $359 and will begin shipping in the US on February 24th.
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