Tag: Amazon kindle
Amazon Kindle coming to the UK
The Amazon Kindle is finally set to land in the UK. Word is out that the online book giant is in advanced negotiations with a mobile operator and is working at full speed to ensure its eBook reader can hit our shores in time for Christmas.
Qualcomm will take care of the manufacture of the Kindle in the UK as well as secure the deal with an unspecified operator (please not O2) which should mean 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi and PC side-loading for access to a wealth of books, newspapers and magazines.
Amazon is said to have held talks with Orange, Vodafone and 3 in the past but all broke down. There also seems to be a belief among some of the operators that they can produce a reader of their own in light of their control of connectivity, relationship with hardware manufacturers and customer base but Amazon argues that it’s their access to the publishers will be key.
The trouble is that theses are just the kinds of problems that will cause talks to break down again and, ultimately, it could be the consumer that ends up with the raw deal. There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of good things about the Kindle and lots of other eBook readers but will it really be worth paying the subscription price as set by an exclusive operator just for the access e-ink newspapers and magazines?
(via Mobile Today)
Google turns to eBook sales but no device in sight
Google is set to free eBooks from proprietary handhelds by selling digital works readable on any device that can access the web.
The move is in direct competition Amazon and their Kindle who’ve upset publishers by selling digital first editions at less than half the price of hardback hard copy versions. Instead, Google will charge the same as in print while reserving the right to alter prices where deemed “exorbitant”.
Google already sells eBooks through the Sony Store for the Reader but this will take their literature retail in-house and bring novels to mobile phones and laptops everywhere.
Personally, I rather like the idea of having a dedicated eBook reading device and I’m not sure I’m going to get a good experience on my mobile. I also don’t feel too good about paying the same for a digital book as I do for a hardback, especially when Amazon is knocking them out so cheap.
On the plus side, it does indicate there’s a lot tablets out their about to hit the market. I’m sure Google would have an inkling of such things and that the likes of Qulacomm and whoever else will be most pleased by the news. Fingers crossed there’ll be no international issues, or am I just dreaming here?
(via NYT)
Plastic Logic e-reader resurfaces at D Conference
E-readers are a funny old bread, the pushmepullyou of the tech world. The Kindle 2 was hailed as the breakthrough – the e-reader to get everyone e-reading.
But after getting to grips with one myself I found it e-lacking: Its electric-ink screen’s resolution is miserable, and its physical buttons seem at best clunky. It wasn’t as nice an experience as reading a paper book or a newspaper, and with no plans to release it in the UK anytime soon, the Kindle doesn’t look to be the saviour it was hailed as.
The Plastic Logic e-reader, which surfaced again at D Conference this week, looks like a big step in the right direction – toward genuine acceptance for the e-reader. Controlled using a touchscreen, the PL Reader is big enough to allow for the reproduction of whole newspaper pages as opposed to the linear appearance of news on the Kindle 2, which to me, still seems like a weird way to read a newspaper.
It’s creators, Plastic Logic, say its aimed at the business market, which has lead some to suggest it’ll have limited appeal and won’t replace the Kindle. May I remind them the Blackberry was aimed at the business market and now every errant 12-year-old cousin I have has one. And sadly, that is the true measure of success.
It’s on-screen keyboard might be harder to use than Amazon’s QWERTY but you can use a stylus to write on it (and apparently do crosswords – which is oddly exciting), and it’s design is certainly more appealing than the Kindle’s button mince. It’s got WiFi and 3G so connectivity isn’t an issue and with support for Office, PDF, Pages and a host of other files, the Plastic Logic e-reader may be a genuine contender.
As long as they can reign in their price-tag which might well be over £400.
Tech Digest Podcast #6
The good news is that Duncan’s feeling better this week. The bad is that he was at home at 9am this morning. So, with the power of Skype, we’ve recorded the show over the airwaves and it’s just as ace as ever.
This week we get a little Windows 7 heavy after a good start about Apple and Twitter, the all new Amazon Kindle and three new games from Activision including the eagerly awaited DJ Hero.
Around half way through we’ve got our regular software vs hardware debate. I totally nail Duncan with my sales technique and get him to part with a whole virtual $38 of his own personal wealth for the teeny, tiny Nubbin while he does so-so on the Windows 7 RC.
As usual we wrap it all up with week’s more amusing items, not least of all the video of the bloke with his home made Wolverine claws. Not to be missed.
You can download the podcast directly here, or subscribe to the RSS feed here. Also, if you use iTunes, we can now be found in Apple’s directory. Search for Tech Digest, and we’ll be there.
Send all your comments, topics that you’d like us to talk about and any requests or words of wisdom to me at d[email protected] or throw us a tweet at @techdigest
Amazon Kindle DX – bigger, thinner and still US only
All of America is laughing at Europe once again as Amazon launches the US-only Kindle DX reader.
The e-ink gadget has shot up to a 9.7-inch screen size while magically slimming down to a hyper-thin 0.38 inches and a weight of just 535g. It’ll now also deal with PDF files natively rather than having to convert them.
The screen is 250% bigger than the old incarnation, the battery lasts 20% longer and the whole device is 100% less ugly. You can download books over 3G and Wi-Fi in under a minute without paying any kind of monthly subscription and there’s already a library of over 275,000 novels as well as a wealth of newspapers after deals were struck with the New York Times and Wall Street Journal as well as magazines including The New Yorker and Time.
The Kindle DX packs 4GB (3.3 usable) of storage, it charges in four hours by micro USB and has a 3.5mm jack for audio playback. It’s available for $489.00 and is largely useless anywhere outside the US.
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…
Esquire magazine thinks that the 21st century begins in September, thanks to E-Ink
Despite what the header may imply, E-Ink is not a mind-altering narcotic (although I’ve personally never tried drinking the contents of a Sony Reader). E-Ink is in fact an amazing new-ish type of electronic paper that could revolutionise the way we think about books and magazines. You can already see its extremely impressive abilities in the aforementioned Sony device, as well as its rival, the Amazon Kindle. This does not explain the appalling time keeping at Esquire though.
