Barnes & Noble e-Reader: Kindle Competition

There is a new kid on the e-reading block. Evidently, Barnes & Noble will be releasing its own advances e-reader, which will obviously compete with the Kindle.

There are a few pictures of the new Barnes & Noble e-reader, showing a device with a multi-touch screen that uses e-ink. Another interesting component to the new device is a light that will illuminate the screen and allow for reading in the dark. Read more and see more pics of this new e-book reader here.





pics from Gizmodo

Is the Kindle Just Butt Ugly?

Is the Amazon Kindle Too Ugly? What do you think?

One thing that has dogged Amazon since the release of the Kindle is its design. A lot of people say it's not good-looking enough to really catch on and ingrain itself into the culture the way ipod did.

Do people want to read books the same way they read blogs and news stories, via a computer screen. A lot of the issues that people have had with the Kindle--that's it's ugly, that the black and white screen isn't up to par, that the keyboard and scroll wheel aren't that well designed, and that it's too expensive--may stem from the fact that reading books on the Kindle ebook reader is not the same as reading a paper-bound book. The experience is not the same.

You get the information, but part of the joy is stripped from the experience. Another issue is that we expect a lot out of our hand held devices these days. The iphone has set a new standard--and that's a phone.

Read more about Amazon Kindle Design.

Amazon Kindle 2 Lukewarm Review

The Amazon Kindle, when it was first released to the public, got one of two reactions. You either loved it or you hated it. It's that simple.

The same can be said of the Kindle 2. Read what can only be described as a lukewarm review of the Kindle 2. We're equal opportunity employers here--we like to get all view points!!

The Kindle 2 and the Future of Internet Access

I just read a good article about one writer's experience with the Amazon Kindle 2. Like many people, he passed on the first Kindle because he thought the device was ugly.

But now he's had a change of heart once he's been able to play with the newest Kindle offering. He writes about how the Kindle may be the link between traditional internet and "portable" internet--that works as well at home as in the shopping aisle. He looks to the future of hand held devices that could pair the functionality of a Kindle--built in 3G access, the ability to purchase a book on the go--with that of an iPod touch.

I have always felt that Amazon's ebook reader was special for this same reason--it is unique and always struck me as the device that could bridge the gap and really link the way we use the internet portably today and how we will use it in the next few years.

It's interesting. Check out the Kindle 2 article here.

Kindle 2 Is Available

Message from Amazon regarding the release of the Kindle 2.

Dear Customers,

Today, we are excited to introduce Kindle 2--the next generation of our wireless reading device. Since launching the original Kindle a little over a year ago, the customer response has far surpassed our highest hopes and we're grateful and appreciative for that. More people are reading more books, newspapers, and blogs on Kindle sooner than we ever imagined.

We kept everything readers love about the original Kindle the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting books wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindle's ability to disappear in your hands so you can get lost in the author's words. We chose the same 3G wireless technology used in advanced cell phones, so you never need to locate a Wi-Fi hotspot. But unlike cell phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install and no syncing required.

Improved battery life means you can read up to four days on a single charge. Its new, streamlined design makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperback. We added more storage, allowing you to carry over 1,500 titles. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clear text for an improved book-like reading experience. Our favorite new Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you.

At Amazon, we've always been obsessed with selection, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without the books you want to read. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 230,000 books, including 103 of the 112 New York Times Best Sellers, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. We added over 40,000 new titles in just the last three months.

Our vision is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all in under 60 seconds on Kindle. We hope you enjoy Kindle 2. Jeff Bezos, Founder, Amazon.com

P.S. If you'd like to have Kindle 2 ship to you the day it becomes available, we recommend preordering today to reserve your place in line.

Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

USA Today Newspaper Now Available on Amazon Kindle

Readers of the USA Today, a newspaper known for its accessibility, will now be glad to find that the paper is now available on the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.

As e-ink becomes more and more popular, we should soon see more and more "paper" publications move over to the portable electronic medium. However, as people have pointed out, one of the biggest champions of the Amazon Kindle, Oprah Winfrey, still does not publish her magazine on the Kindle-waves.

Oprah Loves the Kindle

Recently, Oprah Winfrey gave the Amazon Kindle her seal of approval. The people at Amazon have to be pretty excited about this.

Having an Oprah sticker on your product means your product gets sold. Will this work for the Amazon Kindle? It may or may not. On the one hand, the Kindle ties in nicely with the fact that Oprah usually suggests books to her audience--although, the Kindle is an e-book reader.

On the other hand, the Kindle is a lot more expensive than a paperback book or most of the other products Oprah promotes and the ebook reader may not fit in perfectly with her demographic, but you still have to figure this will sell a few kindles.

Read more about Oprah and the Kindle.