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displays
Busted: Why I Can't Wait for Flexible Displays
When I got up this morning, I threw my Kindle in my bag's padded courdoroy laptop sleeve like I always do. A few hours later, I pulled it out and it looked like this. More » -
kindle
Kindle DX Ships June 10 For $489
The $489, 9.7-inch Amazon Kindle DX is shipping June 10. Amazon's filling pre-orders first, so those people who got really excited early on get them before everyone else. [Amazon] -
ebook
Plastic Logic E Book Reader Video Tour and Hands On
Plastic Logic's device is big, over 10 inches across the screen and 7mm thin. It's touchscreen driven. What's surprising is that they'll have a store, 3G/WiFi and are coming out in Jan 2010. More » -
review
Cool-er eBook Reader Review
The Gadget: The Cool-er, a lower (compared to the Kindle) priced eBook reader that lacks built-in wireless functionality and a hardware keyboard, but adds music, an SD card slot and PDF/MP3 support. But of course, the lower price is the big draw. More » -
future of newspapers
TimesReader 2.0: Best Way to Read Newspapers on a Computer Gets Even Better
Forget Kindle DX: I liked the TimesReader a lot—it echoed the experience of a newspaper in a way that exploited the best parts of reading it on a computer. Version 2.0 is better. More » -
pixel power
Pixel Qi 3Qi Magic E-Paper and High-Res LCD Dual Display Becomes Real Next Month
The display technology Pixel Qi has been promising is revolutionary: A high-res color LCD and low-power, reflective reader mode better than E-ink. For dirt cheap. And it's coming next month. More » -
kindle
Surprise! If Your Amazon Account Dies, It Takes Your Kindle With It
If you've read why you don't own your digital books anymore, you're probably not shocked to learn—unlike one unfortunate Kindle owner—if your Amazon account is suspended, your Kindle loses half its functionality. More » -
ebook
Samsung's Touchscreen Papyrus E-book Reader
In the battle for e-book reader domination, Samsung's Papyrus—a new touchscreen model. More » -
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kindle
Amazon Kindle Now Also an iPhone App
Amazon wasn't just teasing you whiners who blabbed on about how you'd rather just read ebooks on your iPhone: The iPhone and iPod Touch app has arrived. More » -
kindle
The Secret Voice Behind Kindle 2's Automagic Book Reading is...
The NYTimes' David Pogue says the Kindle 2's reading mysterious voice is Tom Glynn, an emo folk singer dude with beautiful hair. Not Tom Cruise, as some have suspected. [Tom Glynn via Pogue's twitter via Jalopnik's Wert] -
kindle 2
Kindle 2 Official Images and Price Leak: $359 on February 24
Mobileread just got a bunch of official-looking Kindle 2 photos, which show it in various states being held and read, plus info that it's being released for $359 on February 24. More » -
scanners
Copyright-Violating Scanner Turns Books into Audio Files
Plustek's updated Book Reader V100 can instantly turn your reading material into MP3s. Simply place the book on the scanner, and with the push of a button, it does the rest for you. More » -
lightning review
iRex Digital Reader 1000S Lightning Review
The Gadget: iRex's ebook reader, a huge 10.2" E-Ink display with Wacom touch surface—in short, the ebook reader that the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader wish they were. -
ereader
Plastic Logic's E-Reader Shown on Video, More Details Emerge
We've been following Plastic Logic's potential Kindle-killing e-reader device this week, and the guys over at TGDaily are adding to the intrigue with video of it. Speaking with a company rep, they found out that the device is less than 7mm thin and charges/connects to PCs with a miniUSB connector. More » -
New Sony Reader
Sony to Drop New Reader Hardware in October?
If this press event invite is any indication, that's the way things are looking. The date is set for October 2, and it all goes down at the Bookmark Lounge of the Library Hotel here in New York. Hmm, there couldn't be any book connotation to all of that, could there? On this day of press events, it seems like Sony's jumping into the fray as well to update their year-old Reader hardware before Xmas. We'll keep you posted. [Sony Reader] -
The Amazon Kindle Killer
Plastic Logic Reader Looks Like Kindle Killer
Here is what the clunky Amazon Kindle should have been since the beginning: a simple, ultra-sleek full-page 8.5-inch by 11-inch electronic book and newspaper reader with a flexible plastic touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and the ability to read regular Office documents without conversion of any kind. As we said yesterday, Plastic Logic showed it at the Demo Fall 08 conference in San Diego. Seeing it up close and on its side makes me want to have one. Badly.
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Kindle Review
Review Addendum: Using Amazon Kindle on Vacation
Although Wilson tested the Kindle in bed, on the toilet, I had the chance to use it on vacation and found myself reading a great deal more than I usually do. Unlike regular books, which cause me to fall asleep pretty readily after less than 50 pages, I'd finish about 300 pages in a stretch, with no eyestrain in dark rooms or in the sun. I suppose it felt a lot more like reading on a computer or handheld. Bezos set out to build something better to read than a book, and by vacationing standards, I think he's easily met that goal on his first try. That's my quirky experience, at least, being the type of person who hates stockpiling physical media of any sort. Of course, I found lots of other things I liked and disliked about specific to using a Kindle on vacation. More » -
kindle
Kindle Rumors Say Next Version Coming Fall Will Be Thinner, Cheaper, Much More Stylish
The $100 discount on the Kindles may be Amazon's way of clearing out the first-gen to make room for the now all-but-certain second-gen this fall. Business Week says that Amazon's hired a guy from frog design for the next version, which will have a better screen, thinner body, fewer UI annoyances and (obviously) be better looking. The price point is supposedly somewhere around the $249-$299 range, which might be right near the sweet spot that mainstreamers will start to pick one up as an impulse buy. That is, if mainstreamers ever really read anything. Students, on the other hand, would be a gigantic market for a Kindle Education Edition. [Business Week] -
sony reader
Sony Opens Up More E-Book Formats For Reader
A firmware update scheduled to drop later this week will allow Sony Readers to use the .epub format, an open standard (with DRM support) that has the backing of several major book publishers. This means you'll be able to get books from sources other than Sony's own Connect store, which currently only has one third the titles of Amazon's Kindle store. The Kindle, however, currently uses the Mobipocket format for its Kindle Store books, and does not yet support .epub. [AP] -
kindle
Kindle's Bright Idea: College Textbooks
Here's one really smart idea that will convert a few Kindle-haters: textbooks. Princeton University Press join Oxford, Yale and the UC in putting some of their titles into e-book form, allowing students to bypass the used book store and directly download their textbooks onto their Kindles. You'll save a few bucks for the digital version, plus shipping costs and shipping time. And if you figure out a way to hack it, that's like, free textbooks dude. Whoa. We see this extended to concerned parents of elementary school kids who've been complaining about how many textbooks they have to lug from home to school and back. Then again, maybe that's why your kids are so fat. [Yahoo Buzz via CSMonitor] -
software
NY Times Reader for Mac Beta: Free for Now
Not so hot on the heels of its Microsoft-built Windows-based counterpart, the Times Reader beta has been made available for all members of NYTimes.com. Although a Silverlight install is required, it's relatively painless and a small price to pay for Reader's efficient news presentation and old-timey typefaces. There are no subscription fees for now, but Mac users can expect to join the $14.95-a-month party when the software goes final. [NY Times via TUAW] -
e-books
ECTACO's jetBook E-Book Reader "Will Change the Way We Read Forever!"
According to ECTACO it won't be the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader that changes the way we read—it will be their new jetBook. Why? Well, first of all it is red and everyone knows that red is the color of learning. Second, it features a 5-inch, high-res TFT display, an MP3 player, bookmarking capability, multi-language support and an SD expansion slot. There is no word on how much memory is built-in, but we do know that the device will set you back $349.95 and there is no e-book store. So, you are on your own when it comes to finding content. [ECTACO via Gearlog] -
legalese
Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Locked Up: Why Your Books Are No Longer Yours
If you buy a regular old book, CD or DVD, you can turn around and loan it to a friend, or sell it again. The right to pass it along is called the "first sale" doctrine. Digital books, music and movies are a different story though. Four students at Columbia Law School's Science and Technology Law Review looked at the particular issue of reselling and copying e-books downloaded to Amazon's Kindle or the Sony Reader, and came up with answers to a fundamental question: Are you buying a crippled license to intellectual property when you download, or are you buying an honest-to-God book?
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software
Hi Ho Silverlight? Microsoft Windows Mobile Gets PDF and Flash Friendly
Microsoft just signed a deal to license Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader PDF formats for Windows Mobile. There's no word yet on when this will appear in the operating system itself, but it's a nice show of openness. It also means two things: More » -
card reader
USB Card Reader Squeezes in a Thermometer and Digital Clock Too
This gadget from Polar is a multifunction card reader that distinguishes itself from all the others with a dust-proof sliding lid and a built-in clock (wow!) and thermometer. It is an analog thermometer, but what the heck: everything else is digital nowadays, so its nice to see some cheapo mashup analogness. The reader supports SD, MMC, T-Flash and MemorySticks of all varieties, is USB 2.0 for speed, and if its triangular goodness appeals to you, you can find it in black, white and orange for $15. [USBGeek] -
love
Sony Reader Goes Total Stereotype for Valentine's Day
Sony is offering both the color pink and absurd romanticism in a special $299 V-Day Sony Reader Bundle. More » -
announcements
Gizmodo Reader of the Year: David Bacio
Our official Gizmodo Reader of the Year for 2007 is David Bacio, also known as Deputy Sheriff David Bacio. He was one of the runners-up in the Inappropriate Gizmodo Browsing contest, submitting a picture of himself in front of a computer reading Gizmodo while at the station. So why is he the reader of the year? Because some douchebag called up his Sheriff, made a complaint, which ended up in a punishment for him just for being a loyal Giz reader. More » -
impressions
My Wife's Take After a Week With an eReader
I gave my wife a Sony Reader for Christmas after she'd talked about them for some time (she deemed the Kindle "ugly" btw, which is important as anything else for a gadget that's designed to be looked at for hours on end, I guess). Her verdict on the experience? Good, but there's one thing she's surprised to miss most from real books: More » -
ebook faceoff
Sony Offers Up 100 Free Books With Reader Purchase
If you have not yet chosen sides in the battle between the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle, the fact that Amazon's product will not be available again until after the holidays may be one reason to pick up the Reader. The fact that the device is $100 cheaper may be yet another. If that still wasn't enough to help you make up your mind, you may want to consider that Sony is now offering up 100 free classic book titles with each purchase. At $2 a pop, that represents quite a value. If you can handle all of that classic prose, you have until January 30th to take advantage of the offer. [Sony via DVICE] -
gadgets
Amazon Kindle Gutted, Splayed, Violated
Readers who enjoy the Amazon Kindle e-Book reader's concept for letting you consume literature in electronic form—but won't purchase one until they see what's inside—will love this post. RapidRepair's taken apart the Kindle bit by bit, showing you exactly what's inside. Unless you're a hardware engineer, seeing the internals probably don't add much to your enjoyment of anything, but it does saves yourself from having to void the warranty on your own. [RapidRepair via TheRawFeed] -
ebook faceoff
Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader: Sizemodo and Interface Comparison (Gallery)
During the past week, many readers have asked us to compare the physical traits of the second-gen Sony Reader and the all-new Amazon Kindle. (If you feel a bit behind, catch up by reading our full Amazon Kindle review and verdict from last Friday.) The Sony Reader is much smaller, and weighs three ounces less than the Kindle, but the screens are exactly the same size, and use the same E-Ink technology. They have more or less the same comfort advantage over LCDs and other glowing screens—and of course, they have no backlight. More » -
amazon
Why Giz Isn't on Kindle's RSS Feeder, and How to Get Around That
Say you bought a Kindle. If you were to search for Gizmodo in Amazon's Kindle RSS store, you'd notice we're not there. That's not because we don't like it (although I'm not saying we do like it, either). The reasons are strictly business related, which Gaby Darbyshire, Gizmodo's business dev smart person, explained to me in brief. More » -
amazon kindle live
Amazon Kindle E-Book Reader Launch (Live)
Jeff Bezos is about to launch the Kindle e-book reader at a hotel in NYC, and we're in there blogging live. Here's a gallery of Bezos plowing through device features. Jump for the play-by-play. More » -
amazon kindle details
Amazon Kindle Details Break: No Backlight, Download Times, Email, Wi-Fi
I've put together a list of new information on the Kindle, and the picture is coming together nicely. Some of these are from my own sources, some are from Caroline at CNet News, who put together a great piece on the Kindle, and if timestamps have it right, scooped the news of Monday's Launch a few hours before we did.
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e-ink
Seiko High-Res Super-Thin EBook Reader
More E-Book News, this one a prototype from Seiko Epson, makers of the cool E-ink watch. The device's form factor is at least as thin as Sony's Reader, but it has a 1200x1600 display. That's a lot of res on that 6.7-inch screen. UPDATE: Res independence, good point brilliant readers. [MobileRead via TechnoBob] More » -
amazon kindle next week
Amazon Kindle E Book Reader Coming Next Week
A source in content creation has informed me that the Reader is coming on Monday or Tuesday, just in time for the holiday season. Information was limited, but apparently "a dozen media partners" were to be involved with launch, which implies non-book providers.
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ebook
Sony Announces Updated Digital Book Reader
Sony pulled the cover off their new PRS-505 Reader today, which features a new body, a few new tricks, and a few dressed up old ones. Instead of black, the Sony Reader now comes in silver or dark blue. In addition to the color change, Sony is touting the redesigned button layout, claiming a more intuitive experience—but it mostly looks like they rearranged the existing buttons of the PRS-500 to make them more accessible. More » -
sony
Sony Reader, New and Improved?
A literary tech site has spotted an alleged update to Sony's not-terribly-popular Reader. The PRS-505 doubles the memory capacity of the original PRS-500—it can now hold 160 books rather than 80. The new Reader also has an improved E-Ink screen, comes in a choice of colors and has a much smarter button layout and interface. But will any of this fussing actually help sell Readers? More »




































