Opinion
Don't Buy an eReader Unless it Supports Wide Range of Contents or Big eBookStore
The ebook and ereader markets are still going through some turmoil even after substantial price cuts of major eink-based ereaders like Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Sony Readers – all of which are backed by large scale ebook retailers like Amazon, B&N, and Borders. While it seemed just a couple of months back that all other ereaders those donot have decent market share would disappear soon. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. There is a bunch of ereaders like Pocketebook, Sharper Image Literati, iReiver Cover Story, Cool-er, Pandigital Novel, Pockerbook IQ, BenQ K61, Ectaco Jetbook mini, Aluratek More >
Can We DeDRM eBooks After the Ruling from the Library of Congress?
The ruling from the Library of Congress provides DRM circumvention exemptions for the ebooks this way:
Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book’s read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a specialized format.
Arstechnica nicely elaborate this in plain English:
Remember how Amazon got into trouble with publishers for allowing its Kindle to do automated text-to-speech? More >
Does Amazon Really Need High Profile People to Develop Apps for Kindle?
Recently, with Amazon’s hiring of Andre Vrignaud, Microsoft’s Director of Game Platform Strategy the media and bloggers have jumped on speculating what games are coming up on Kindle. Kindle is a reading device, and Jeff Bezos has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to give up ‘Reading’ as opposed to doing things that compromise reading. That’s why touch screen and color screen – none of them are his priority. There is no way Kindle processor and screen can accomodate any kind of gaming other than simple applications like RSS reader, chat, weather, finance, puzzle, word games, sudocu etc apps. Any More >
Why Amazon is Charging $2 Extra for Books on International Kindle, Even if it’s Wifi-Only?
Those of you who ordered your Kindle 3 from outside USA should know that Amazon is charging $2 extra for each book or magazines or newspaper. Even the book which is free for US Kindle users is not free for international Kindle users as you can see in the picture. Is it the cost of delivery? Yes, that’s what Amazon says – ‘international wireless delivery’. But if you use wifi, not 3G, or if your Kindle 3 is wifi-only how does it cost Amazon for ‘international wireless delivery’? Amazon advertise that it’s 3G is free, if so, what does it mean to pay extra $2 for each book. We don’t have any More >
Why Amazon is Charging $2 Extra for Books on International Kindle, Even if it's Wifi-Only?
Those of you who ordered your Kindle 3 from outside USA should know that Amazon is charging $2 extra for each book or magazines or newspaper. Even the book which is free for US Kindle users is not free for international Kindle users as you can see in the picture. Is it the cost of delivery? Yes, that’s what Amazon says – ‘international wireless delivery’. But if you use wifi, not 3G, or if your Kindle 3 is wifi-only how does it cost Amazon for ‘international wireless delivery’? Amazon advertise that it’s 3G is free, if so, what does it mean to pay extra $2 for each book. We don’t have any More >
What is an interpreter for the Kindle?
I’ve just came across a post on a blog that talks about an interpreter for the Kindle that someone is about to develop:
Rumor has it that someone or other is about to start developing an interpreter for the Kindle. (This is not just a rumor, either. It’s solid. Out of respect for the muzzle placed on this particular individual by Amazon’s corporate lawyers, I will say no more.) Kindle: Bigger screen, good. But the Kindle interpreter, if it gets off the ground, will be a closed system, and the developer is talking about possibly charging authors to make their games available through this More >
Buy or Not to Buy Nook – a Big Push for New Kindle
B&N investors have decided to sell the company. The financial trouble, bad earings, and ‘unvervalued shates’ are to blame for such decision. When Amazon announced the new Kindle, B&N announced the uncertain future of the company. Recently the company cut the price of Nook from $259 to $199 and released Nook wifi at $149. And Amazon, in retaliation, reduced the price of Kindle 2 to $189. At that time it was believed that B&N was committed to Nook platform, and ready to head-to-head with Amazon. In a month, the situation has changed, and now the uncertainty about the future of the company is More >
Should Amazon Buy B&N?
It’s now final that B&N is going to be sold. The share price is ‘significantly undervalues’, and the company had poor earnings last quarter. The WSJ reports:
Barnes & Noble Inc., put itself up for sale Tuesday, succumbing to pressure from shareholder activists as digital books erode the traditional business of the nation’s largest bookstore chain. The New York-based company said a falling stock prompted its board to consider all “strategic alternatives, including a possible sale.”
The daily Finance reports that
there are several compelling reasons why Barnes & Noble would pursue this More >
Should Amazon Buy B&N?
It’s now final that B&N is going to be sold. The share price is ‘significantly undervalues’, and the company had poor earnings last quarter. The WSJ reports:
Barnes & Noble Inc., put itself up for sale Tuesday, succumbing to pressure from shareholder activists as digital books erode the traditional business of the nation’s largest bookstore chain. The New York-based company said a falling stock prompted its board to consider all “strategic alternatives, including a possible sale.”
The daily Finance reports that
there are several compelling reasons why Barnes & Noble would pursue this More >
Some Very Early First-Hand Reviews of New Kindle
ZDnet’s Larry Dignan: Review: My 20 minutes with Amazon’s latest Kindle:
When playing with the new Kindle a few things jump out at you. First, it’s all screen since the frame around the device is much smaller (actually 21 percent) than its predecessor. It’s also light—a critical point for those of us that haven’t found any way to truly consolidate our devices. And the pages turn quickly.
Overall, the new Kindle swung me back on to the side of e-readers in this never-ending debate about multifunction (think iPad) vs. mostly single function devices (e-readers). The latest Kindle (in white More >
Kindle Webkit Browser: a Surprise with Some Purpose?
[asa]B002Y27P3M[/asa] With new Kindle 3 Amazon has introduced webkit-based browser instead of the old basic browser. I’ve already posted a piece titled “Whats so special about new webkit based browser on kindle 3” a few days back. The heavy internet traffic to that post seems to me that people are very much interested to know about the implications of webkit browser on Kindle 3. Amazon didn’t imlement many things with the new browser yet. However, there must be some reasons why Amazon has switched to open source webkit -based browser which has been the foundation of Apple’s Safari, and More >
Charlie Rose Interviews Jeff Bezos
On 28th July Charlie Rose interviewed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. You can watch the interview here. Here is some selection of the interview related to Kindle:
Kindle VS iPadCHARLIE ROSE: In the end when people say the iPad or some other tablet device that allows you to read is a Kindle killer. JEFF BEZOS: Yes. CHARLIE ROSE: Jeff Bezos says what? JEFF BEZOS: I get this all the time. And first of all I can say Kindle is succeeding. It’s a very different product. It’s a little bit — I can give you an example. If I came to you, Charlie, and I said, “Charlie, I love your show. We’ve got to More >
Jeff Bezos in His Words (Lately)
More >The hardware business for us has been so successful that we’re going to continue. I predict there will be a 10th-generation and a 20th-generation Kindle. We’re well-situated to be experts in purpose-built reading devices.
At $139, if you’re going to read by the pool, some people might spend more than that on a swimsuit and sunglassesAt $139, if you’re going to read by the pool, some people might spend more than that on a swimsuit and sunglasses
There will never be a Kindle with a touch screen that inhibits reading. It has to be done in a different way. It can’t be a me-too touch
USA Today Interviews Jeff Bezos
USA Today have just published an interview of Jeff Bezos where he talks about kindle ebook sells, touch capability issues, ebook formats, market competition etc…..Here is a selected sections of the interview:
On multimedia
Q: Why not add multimedia to e-books?
A: You want to enter the author’s world, the great novel or engaging non-fiction narrative. In the case of a physical book, you’re not noticing the stitching and the glue and the paper and the ink. That all disappears. We’re always trying to make Kindle get out of the way.
On touchscreen
Q: Why didn’t you add a touch-screen?
A: It’d More >
Are Dedicated eReaders Going to be Dead Soon?
What does it mean for dedicated ereaders in the face of flood of tablet PCs (specially android-based) after the success of iPad? Some might think it’s a threat to iPad, not ereaders. I think the other way around. There are huge number of MP3/MP4/MP5 devices; but that didn’t announce the demise of iPodTouch. Similar way, a lot of iPad-like devices wouldn’t mean to die out iPad crave. As more and more people adopt 7″-10″ Tablet PCs with Pixel Qi or mirasoul screen in the coming year, the attractiveness of dedicated ereader will decline. I think B&N understand this fact better. That’s why B&N is More >
