When I was in school, at the end of every school day, I'd need to head back to my locker, and decide just how many books I needed to cram into my bag for the night. Sometimes that meant three or four large books strapped to my back as I made my way to the bus. But thanks to the power of technology, New York City students won't have to deal with any of that.
People today use their smartphones for almost everything. Sometimes that even includes reading, at least in as much as can fit inside that relatively small screen. But while it might be convenient, reading from such screens aren't always the best, nor the healthiest, especially come night time. That is why different reading apps, as well as full-colored book readers, are now offering some for of night mode reading. Google's Play Books app is just one of the latest to join that trend to help lessen the strain on your eyes while keeping you hooked on that gripping novel.
Just in time to make the perfect gift for the heavy reader on your shopping list, Amazon has announced a new Reader's Edition of its Fire HD 8 tablet. It's not actually a new version of the device; it's still the latest generation of the 8-inch display Fire HD that was introduced in September, albeit in a special bundle aimed at frequent ebook readers, priced at $250.
Barnes & Noble has just announced a new Nook, that e-reader brand that we sometimes forget still exists. The new model is the Nook GlowLight Plus, a follow-up to the original GlowLight, and while it might seem irrelevant these days, it has a neat feature that just might make it the perfect fit for some readers: it's waterproof. That's right, there's finally an e-reader that users can take into the bathtub without fear.
An appeals court has agreed with a 2013 ruling by Judge Denny Chin that Google's digitization of 20 million books did not violate copyright laws. Google's snippet feature - or snippet view, if you prefer - shows only a tiny portion of any given book at a time. As such, it has been ruled that any reading of an entire book would be far too great an undertaking to consider realistic. "Snippet view," said the appeals court ruling, "at best and after a large commitment of manpower, produces discontinuous, tiny fragments, amounting in the aggregate to no more than 16% of a book."
All seven books in the incredibly popular Harry Potter series have come to iBooks Store, Apple announced today. Available exclusively on Apple's digital marketplace, the books come as enhanced editions featuring artwork and annotations from author J.K. Rowling, along with interactive animations and custom covers. This marks the first time the Harry Potter books have been available digitally outside the Pottermore Shop, a site developed by Rowling with cooperation from Sony.
Hoopla has announced a new deal with Dark Horse Comics, bringing some of the publisher’s titles to its own digital service. This follows similar deals Hoopla has struck with other publisher, first with D.C. Comics earlier this year, and back in August with Image Comics. As part of the newest deal, Hoopla will add Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sin City, and more.
Amazon has released a set of updates for its Kindle devices that adds the company's own font, "Bookerly," following its debut earlier this year on the latest Paperwhite model. The font is more spacious and has been designed specifically for reading on e-ink displays, and replaces the previously used font "Caecilia." Among the other Kindle models getting the font update include the Kindle Voyage, Kindle Touch, Kindle 7th gen, and older versions of the Paperwhite. The updates also add several other enhancements to improve readability.
The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan has decided that Apple's "conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices" verdict will be upheld. The trial began all the way back in June of 2013 as brought about by the US Department of Justice. As a result of this ruling, Apple is expected to have to pay $450 million in damages, most going to consumers who've purchased e-books over the past several years. At this time it would appear that Apple's lawyers are seeking additional means for appeal.
Earlier this month, Marvel and Amazon struck a deal that resulted in more than 12,000 comic books arriving on the Kindle store. Following that, DC Comics has announced a similar deal with Hoopla. Last month Hoopla announced an expansion of its digital comics offerings, and now the company has struck up a partnership with DC Comics that will see the latter company rolling out a couple hundred of its own works on the service. First will come an initial release of 25 graphic novels.
It seems that the world's largest e-book seller-sometimes-publisher might be turning the market on its head. Word has gotten out that Amazon will be changing the rules of the game when it come to books in its Kindle Select library that are self-published and distributed through its Kindle Direct Publishing program. In short, mostly indies. Instead of a fixed amount per book sold, the new program will pay authors by the number of pages that a reader actually reads, a change that will have two-edged effects in this industry.
Amazon has just outed the latest version of its mid-range Kindle model, the Paperwhite, and it now has the single-best feature from the pricier Kindle Voyage model, while keeping its $119 price tag. The new Paperwhite has a 300 pixels-per-inch e-paper display, making text twice as sharp as the previous generation, and offering a reading experience that's much easier on the eyes. The new e-reader is available to order now, but Amazon says shipping will begin on June 30th.