Kobo is launching a higher-end e-reader, the $169 Aura HD, aimed at users who read several ebooks a week. While the Aura is more expensive than the competition, Kobo says its market research supports customers' desire for such a device.…
Read MoreResearch
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 MoreKobo starts selling e-readers directly through its website again
Kobo is now selling its e-readers directly through its website in the U.S. and Canada. Previously, customers had to go to third-party retailers to buy the devices.…
Read MoreWhat’s next in digital publishing: New platforms and payment models
What can a book look like in the digital age and how will people pay for it? This is one of the themes we'll be exploring at paidContent Live on April 17 in New York…
Read MoreHey, people who really like Barnes & Noble: Buy a Nook tablet, get a Nook e-reader free
Barnes & Noble is running a weeklong promotion: Customers who buy a Nook HD+ tablet (starting at $269) will get a Nook Simple Touch e-reader ($79) for free.…
Read MoreThree e-reading tools I wish existed
A book club reading app that supports Kindle, and two other e-reading tools I'd love to see.…
Read MoreTo battle Kindle, German booksellers partner with Deutsche Telekom on new e-reader
Leading German bookstore chains have partnered with German telecommunications company Telekom to launch a front-lit e-reader, the "Tolino Shine," for €99.…
Read MoreWhy Apple is the stumbling block in Amazon’s ebook transition
As the ebook transition moves forward, Amazon should worry that Kindle is not going to be the device leading the revolution.…
Read MoreBarnes & Noble will close up to a third of its stores over the next decade
Barnes & Noble plans to close about 20 retail stores a year over the next ten years -- meaning it would have 450 to 500 stores in the next decade, down from 689 stores today.…
Read MoreAmazon’s acquisition of text-to-speech company IVONA could help it battle lawsuits (and Siri)
In a move that could assist vision-impaired users (and potentially aid smartphone development), Amazon has acquired text-to-speech and voice recognition company IVONA Software for an undisclosed sum.…
Read MoreBattling 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 MoreTablets surge past e-readers as ebook reading grows
The Pew Research Center reported that almost a quarter of Americans are reading ebooks. But more of the growth in ebook reading devices is happening on tablets than dedicated e-readers.…
Read MoreEbook prices aren’t dropping faster because they weren’t too high before
A piece in the New York Times says ebook prices aren't falling rapidly because the growth rate of ebooks isn't as rapid as it once was and e-readers are falling in price. But that explanation doesn't tell the whole story.…
Read More87% of U.S. magazine and newspaper publishers have an iPad app, survey says
A new survey from the Alliance for Audited Media (formerly the Audit Bureau of Circulations) finds that newspaper and magazine publishers' digital businesses are gradually becoming profitable, and 63 percent say "tablets are the most important digital channel for their publication’s future."…
Read MoreSorry, but e-readers aren’t dead
A very dramatic new iSuppli report announces that the e-reader market is "on an alarmingly precipitous decline," experiencing a "virtually unheard of" collapse as tablets grow in popularity. But don't count out e-readers just yet.…
Read MoreKajeet, a mobile operator for kids, delves into 4G with Clearwire deal
Kajeet plans to offer some kind of 4G mobile broadband service for kids, though it was a bit stingy with the details. Chances are it will start selling dongles and hotspots directly to families, turning modems into virtual nannies.…
Read MoreBlack Friday digital reading roundup: Tablets, e-readers and ebooks
Here's our roundup of the best Black Friday deals on ebooks, tablets and e-readers. We'll update this post throughout the weekend.…
Read MoreB&N shuts down the pioneering Fictionwise digital bookstores
Barnes & Noble is shutting down Fictionwise, the pioneering 12-year-old digital bookstore that it bought for $15.7 million in 2009. The company cited "a significant decrease in demand for many of the ebook formats that Fictionwise.com sells," like Palm and Mobipocket.…
Read MoreBook publisher earnings roundup: Hachette, Random House
Hachette and Random House's parent companies Lagardère and Bertelsmann reported earnings Tuesday. At Hachette, ebooks made up 20 percent of adult trade book sales in both the U.S. and U.K. divisions.…
Read MorePew surveys young Americans on e-reading, but the data is old
A new Pew report on young Americans' reading habits and library usage finds most of them reading ebooks on cell phones or computers -- but the data is nearly a year old.…
Read MoreAmazon apparently discontinues Kindle Touch in favor of Paperwhite
Amazon has apparently discontinued the Kindle Touch, which started at $99, in favor of the new Kindle Paperwhite, which starts at $119 and is still experiencing 4- to 6-week shipping delays. The company also discontinued the 9.7" Kindle DX this month.…
Read MoreAmazon challenges Apple in education with Whispercast
With the launch of Whispercast, a new service for purchasing and managing content across a fleet of devices, Amazon is ramping up its competition against Apple in the education market.…
Read MoreAround the world, no set rules for ebook pricing or digital reading
Ebook pricing and device trends that hold in North American countries don't necessarily work for less developed market. Executives from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google, France's FNAC and India's Indiaplaza discussed similarities and differences between digital reading cultures Wednesday afternoon at the Frankfurt Book Fair.…
Read MoreBerlin’s Txtr introduces €9.90 e-reader subsidized by mobile carriers
At the Frankfurt Book Fair on Tuesday, Berlin-based Txtr announced a tiny e-reader that will cost under €10 when subsidized by mobile carriers. With the Beagle, the company aims to convert the 80 percent of global mobile phone users who don't already read ebooks.…
Read More