Amazon acquires Samsung color display unit Liquavista
Amazon has acquired Samsung’s color screen display technology, Liquavista. The technology could be used to create low-power color screens for Kindles. Read more »
Sector RoadMap: Content personalization in 2013
Content owners, whether they are publishers, retailers, or marketers, are always looking for new ways to deliver a unique experience to their customers. We call this content personalization. Key trends in this area are led by a collection of technologies that we call post-programming curation. These technologies use the best of behavioral tracking, collaborative filtering, audience targeting, and dynamic content presentation. Read more »
Book review: Former Kindle exec on Kindle flaws, Nook strengths and Google’s future in ebooks
In a new book, former Kindle exec Jason Merkoski examines where e-reading platforms are now and how they could change in the future. If you’re looking for secrets about Jeff Bezos, though, you’re in the wrong place. Read more at paidContent »
Wow. Former Windows phone exec to head Amazon’s mystery mobile project
Amazon hired Charles Kindel, who helped drive Windows 7 Phone development at Microsoft, to lead a new super-secret mobility project. Weird, huh? Read more »
The deal Goodreads should’ve struck (hint: it wasn’t with Amazon)
photo: Vitchanan Photography/Shutterstock
Goodreads, the popular social network and review site for book lovers, is now part of Amazon. Imagine if it had instead paired up with Readmill, which offers a superior user reading experience. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon launches “Send to Kindle” button for web publishers and WordPress blogs
Amazon launched a “Send to Kindle” button that publishers can add to their websites. The Washington Post and Time are among the first to sign up. “Send to Kindle” is Amazon’s answer to read-it-later services like Pocket and Instapaper. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon slashes price of 4G Kindle Fire HD by $100, expands tablet to Europe & Japan
Amazon announced Wednesday that it’s dropping the price of the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD in the United States, and is also rolling out the tablet in Europe and Japan. Read more »
Three e-reading tools I wish existed
photo: Shutterstock
A book club reading app that supports Kindle, and two other e-reading tools I’d love to see. Read more at paidContent »
Authors face change as Amazon tightens affiliate policy on free Kindle books
photo: Flickr / Alan O'Rourke
Amazon is cracking down on a policy that allows blogs and websites to earn money when users download free ebooks through their affiliate links. That means big changes in the ways that some self-published ebooks are promoted online. Read more at paidContent »
Four companies that are changing digital reading in Africa
photo: Flickr / worldreader
The digital reading revolution is not going to look the same in developing countries as it has in the developing world, but several companies are working on ways to bring digital reading to the African continent. Read more at paidContent »
Here’s the problem with book publishers’ discovery problem
photo: Shutterstock / Thomas Bethge
When it comes to discoverability and walled gardens, there’s a flip side. Read more at paidContent »
Why Apple is the stumbling block in Amazon’s ebook transition
photo: Shutterstock / Stacie Stauff Smith Photography
As the ebook transition moves forward, Amazon should worry that Kindle is not going to be the device leading the revolution. Read more at paidContent »
Battling Kobo, Amazon launches Kindle e-readers and store in Canada
In an effort to compete against Toronto-based Kobo, Amazon announced Wednesday that it is releasing the Kindle Paperwhite in Canada for the first time and will also sell the basic Kindle there. Amazon launched a Canadian Kindle store in December. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon stock hits an all time high
Amazon stock is up, up and away yet again — here’s the latest news and a chart that shows the company’s gravity-defying growth. Read more »
Subscriber Content
How consumer media will change in 2013
Many of the biggest stories in the connected consumer space occurred mostly offstage in 2012, from Apple’s new media services to policymakers in Washington. Overall, the past 12 months have laid important groundwork for significant advances in the connected consumer space. The year 2013 should be eventful. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Subscriber Content
What the shift to the cloud means for the future EPG
The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Ebook Bestsellers Breakdown: October 26, 2012
This weekly feature (back after a brief hiatus) looks at the books that are selling better in digital format than in print. This week’s picks: Two books from self-published author Michelle Leighton, who’s just signed a deal with traditional publisher Penguin. Read more at paidContent »
A healthy reminder from Amazon: You don’t buy ebooks, you rent them
Although it’s not clear exactly why, an Amazon customer in Norway has lost access to all of the books she bought with her Kindle — a healthy reminder of how with ebooks, we have very little actual control over something we have theoretically purchased and own. Read more »
Why Amazon might buy TI’s mobile chip business
Reports of Amazon considering the purchase of Texas Instruments’ mobile chip business for billions of dollars may not make sense at first glance. But there are several reasons why such a deal could make sense for Amazon in both devices and cloud computing activities. Read more »
MobileTechRoundup podcast 279: Pricing for iPad Mini, Windows RT
This week on the audio podcast, Matt and Kevin share hands impressions of with Apple’s new iPod touch, Jelly Bean on the Galaxy S III and thoughts on prices for the iPad Mini and Windows RT tablets. Plus a recap of other mobile gadget news! Read more »
Kindle Paperwhite is a big step forward for eReaders (Review & video)
photo: Getty Images / Spencer Platt
I spent a week testing Amazon’s new e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, which starts at $119. The verdict: The front-lit screen improves the reading experience all day long, not just at night, making this a big step up from the Kindle Touch. Here are my review and video. Read more »
J.K. Rowling’s new ebook: Literally unreadable
Fans who preordered the ebook edition of J.K. Rowling’s new book, “The Casual Vacancy,” are in for a disappointment today: Due to a file formatting mishap, It’s basically unreadable on e-readers. Read more at paidContent »
How e-readers can be more like animals
A new study led by researchers at the University of Cincinnati looks at the lessons engineers can learn from color-changing animals like squid, octopus and cuttlefish. They find the secrets of a cuttlefish’s skin could be key to helping build a better e-reader. Read more »
Why J.K. Rowling’s new ebook is $17.99
Why is the ebook edition of J.K. Rowling’s new novel, “The Casual Vacancy,” $17.99? Thank the fact that publisher Hachette is in a sweet spot between the ebook settlement’s approval and the time that it actually takes effect at non-Apple retailers. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Publishing shares some sales numbers in email to agents
In a letter to literary agents, Amazon Publishing VP Jeff Belle shares sales numbers for some of the company’s titles and says that authors who previously worked with other publishers — like Barry Eisler — are doing better under Amazon. Read more at paidContent »
Waterstones CEO: Amazon partnership great, except for the “bear traps”
photo: Shutterstock
At an event in the UK on Tuesday, Waterstones CEO James Daunt shared a few more details on how the bookstore’s partnership with Amazon will work, but admitted that working with “a major competitor” is not easy. Read more at paidContent »
Ebook price drops begin — and Apple is discounting, too
photo: Shutterstock / Thomas Bethge
Just a few days after the approval of the DOJ’s ebook settlement, HarperCollins has entered into new contracts with ebook retailers, and they’re already discounting its titles. What kinds of deals will you get? Read more at paidContent »
Ads on Kindle Fire HD tablets: Bad news or just business?
Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD tablets are impressive and aggressively priced, but unlike prior Kindles, you can’t pay extra to turn off the special offer ads. Business models are clearly changing to reflect the new digital economy, but has Amazon gone too far this time? Read more »
Why e-readers evolved a lot today: Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo
With the releases of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo today, we saw an evolution in e-readers. The devices don’t have more tablet-like features, but they should still provide much better reading experiences than older models. Read more »
Amazon’s September harvest: new HD Kindle Fires, Paperwhite ereader
photo: Courtesy: Amazon
Amazon’s big press event announced four new Kindles, an e-reader as well as a a feature called Kindle Serials, which will bring old-school serialized publications to the e-reader age. Read more »
Live blog: Amazon unveils 4 new Kindles, Kindle Serials
We’re here in Los Angeles for Amazon’s press conference. The company is expected to announce a new Kindle Fire and Kindle e-reader today, and we’ll have all the details for you live from Santa Monica. Read more »
Kobo takes aim at Amazon with two new e-readers and a tablet
Though most eyes are on Amazon’s Thursday press conference, Kobo is angling for early attention with its announcement of two new e-readers and a new 7-inch Android tablet called the Arc. How do the devices stack up to the competition? Read more »
What to expect at next week’s Kindle event: A rumor roundup
What should we expect from next week’s Amazon press conference in Los Angeles? The rumor mill suggest a front-lit Kindle e-reader, a new Kindle Fire with a camera and location technology, and more streaming movie offerings for Prime members. Read more »
Want to use your iPad during takeoff? Tell the FAA
Sick of staring at the seat in front of you during your flight’s takeoff and landing because all you have is a book on an e-reader? Well, the FAA is asking whether or not portable electronic devices might be okay to use during the entire flight. Read more »
Amazon shares some factoids on Prime — but still no member numbers
Amazon shared a few facts about Amazon Prime, which offers unlimited two-day shipping and other perks for $79 a year. The company won’t state how many members Prime has, but says it ships more items with Prime than with its basic free shipping option. Read more at paidContent »
Ebook Bestsellers: A newspaper’s longform experiment pays off
Many newspapers have tried ebooks as a new revenue stream, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s “In the Footsteps of Little Crow” stands out. Curt Brown’s extensively researched narrative of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War is #13 on the NYT ebook bestseller list this week. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon launches standalone Kindle Store in India
photo: Amazon
Twenty-four percent of Indian adults with Internet access have bought an ebook. Now that group could get a lot bigger: Amazon has launched a standalone Kindle Store in India and is selling Kindle exclusively through Indian electronics chain Croma. Read more at paidContent »
Why the Nook is failing: One chart, four reasons
photo: Barnes & Noble
Microsoft invested $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook business. As the following chart shows, that probably wasn’t a great idea: Production problems, slowing ebook sales and other factors are contributing to the Nook’s troubles. Read more at paidContent »
B&N’s Nook will finally launch in the UK (but who’s going to sell it?)
photo: Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble will sell its Nook e-readers in the UK starting this October, but at the beginning they will only be available through a website, nook.co.uk. B&N says it will announce partnerships with “leading retailers” soon. Read more at paidContent »
Hunger Games beats Harry Potter to become Amazon’s bestselling U.S. series
Amazon announced that “The Hunger Games” is now its bestselling series in the United States, beating Harry Potter. Publisher Scholastic said last month that the trilogy has sold over 50 million copies in the United States since its publication in 2008. Read more at paidContent »
