ereader

Review: Kobo Touch Edition eReader

Touch is all the rage these days in the e-reader market, and just as Barnes & Noble has moved to a touch-screen interface for its latest Nook e-ink model, so, too, has Kobo with its 2011 eReader Touch Edition.

If you've run across any of Kobo's previous e-readers, the Touch Edition doesn't look so different from last year's Kobo Wireless, though it certainly has a more refined design. It's understated yet it looks sleek, with a quilted back, and is overall slightly smaller and lighter than the Nook Touch (and Kindle). It comes in a … Read more

New Nook Simple Touch Reader review

Is the new Nook better than the Kindle? That's what a lot of people are asking and the short answer--at least at this moment--is arguably yes.

No, it doesn't have an audio jack for MP3 music playback or a built-in basic Web browser, but it does have one thing the Kindle doesn't: a touch-screen interface--and it's a good one.

How does the new Nook perform compared with the Kindle?

Read the full review of the 2011 Nook to find out.

Tavoletta gives new meaning to iPad lap dance

From time to time we like to highlight a project spotted on funding platform Kickstarter. This month we bring you the Tavoletta, an iPad/Kindle stand accessory that lets you prop your tablet device on your lap--or other body parts.

The folks behind the project are John Albano, Craig Robertson, and Geoff Strawbridge from Williamstown, Mass. (home of Williams College). They've spent a couple thousand bucks prototyping the Tavoletta, and are now looking for $30,000 in pledges to produce it (our headline's a wee bit snarky, but these guys are very serious, as evidenced by their Kickstarter video).

Here's what they say about the product: … Read more

Kobo unveils Wi-Fi Touch Edition e-reader for $129.99

The day before Barnes & Noble is expected to announce a new e-ink e-reader, Kobo unveiled its own new e-ink model, the Kobo WiFi Touch Edition, for $129.99.

As its name implies, the new e-reader has a touch screen and uses the same Neonode infrared technology that's found in Sony's touch-screen e-readers. It also has E-Ink's latest generation Pearl e-ink screen.

Here's a look at the key specs:

Touch screen with Neonode "responsive" zForce infrared touch technology (Kobo is calling it "Real Touch") 6-inch Pearl e-ink screen (same screen as Kindle'… Read more

As iFlow Reader app closes, harsh words for Apple

Update 5/12: CNET has posted an expanded Q&A with BeamItDown co-founder and iFlow Reader developer Dennis Morin.

Some interesting news from the world of e-reading apps in the land of iOS: BeamItDown is shuttering its iFlow Reader app on May 31, saying "Apple has decided that it wants all of the e-book business in iOS for itself and it has has made mid-game rule changes that make it impossible for anyone but Apple to sell e-books at a profit on iOS."

Just like the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo apps for iOS, the iFlow Reader app for iPhone and iPad has an integrated e-bookstore. Apple has reportedly set a deadline of June 30 for developers to alter their apps to reflect the new terms for subscriptions in the Apple Store, which requires companies to give Apple a 30 percent cut on sales their apps generate.

In the past, e-reading apps like iFlow, Kindle, and Nook have avoided paying the cut by sending customers to a Web-based interface outside the app. Starting in June, however, Apple has said it will require developers to sell content from only within the app.

Fear of reprisals from Apple has kept most companies mum on the looming issue, but the folks at BeamItDown Software who make the iFlow Reader let their anger--excuse the pun--flow freely. It is one of the harsher public condemnations of Apple we've seen. … Read more

Borders sale: $60 Kobo Wireless e-reader

We weren't terribly impressed with the Kobo Wireless e-reader when we reviewed it, but now that Borders is discounting it in some stores to $59.99, we're actually thinking it might make a decent pick up if you're looking for an e-ink e-reader that supports ePub files.

We don't know exactly which stores might be carrying the discounted Kobo e-readers, but this particular display was spotted at the 2nd Avenue store in Manhattan that's in the process of liquidating its stock (yes, the store is closing).

Let us know if you've seen the Kobo … Read more

Get an Aluratek Libre color e-reader for $109.95

Been jonesing for that Nook Color e-reader? Alas, except for a small batch of refurbs that surfaced a couple weeks ago for $199, Barnes & Noble hasn't budged on that $249 list price.

Here's another option: for less than the price of most grayscale readers, B&H Photo has the Aluratek Libre Color eBook Reader for $109.95 shipped. (If it sells out, try the same deal from Dell--but be prepared to pay a bit extra for sales tax.)

Let me be clear: the Libre Color is no Nook Color. It doesn't run Android, can'… Read more

It's not TV. It's Netflix.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Netflix may be bidding to own an original show called "House of Cards."

T-Mobile announces a new Sidekick running Android on T-Mobile's 4G network.

You can now watch live MLB games on Facebook.

Google may be launching a mobile phone payment trial in San Francisco and New York.

Google previews updates for its blogging platform, Blogger.

Kindle and Nook users can now share books using eBook Fling.

Twitter gives you an option to make your account more secure by always using HTTPS.

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9, but not for … Read more

B&N: Nook has 25 percent of U.S. e-book market

In reporting its earnings for the third quarter that ended on January 29, Barnes & Noble has had some good and bad news.

First the bad: the company's profits were down 25 percent from the previous quarter last year as it continued to invest heavily in its Nook e-reader line. It posted a $60.6 million profit ($1 a share) compared with $80.4 million ($1.38 a share) in the year-earlier period. From a marketing and R&D standpoint, competing against the likes of Amazon, Apple, and Google, takes big bucks and Barnes & Noble has now … Read more