As iPad Mini launch looms, Amazon says $199 Kindle Fire HD is the biggest-selling product on its site

Of all of Amazon's tablet and e-reader products, the $199 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is the most popular, the e-commerce giant announced on Monday. The news came the day before Apple is expected to enter the mini-tablet market with the launch of a smaller version of its popular iPad device.

The day before tech titan Apple is expected to unveil a smaller version of its iPad tablet, Amazon has piped up to remind everyone that it also has some mini-sized tablets on the market, with the announcement that its $199 Kindle Fire HD device has become the biggest-selling product on its website worldwide. That’s not bad going for a product which – outside of the US – is only currently available in five countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Even then, in these locations it can only be pre-ordered, with its release date listed as October 25.

Of course, it would be wonderful to know exactly how many of the 7-inch tablets have been snapped up (or pre-ordered) by consumers since its launch in September, but true to form, the company hasn’t released specific sales figures. Instead we’ll have to make do with what a spokeswoman for the e-commerce giant told Reuters – that its best-seller status is based on unit sales, as opposed to revenue or some convoluted percentage-based calculation.

That puts it ahead of the cheaper $159 Fire and pricier 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD devices. It also means it’s selling in greater numbers than its family of Kindle e-readers, including the recently launched Paperwhite device. Incidentally, it was reported earlier on Monday that Amazon has quietly retired its Touch e-reader, with a message on the Touch’s old landing page directing consumers to the Kindle Paperwhite, described on the page as “a newer model” of the Touch.

But how will Amazon’s tablets shape up against Apple’s expected iPad Mini, a device likely to sport more features, but also a heftier price tag? Or are they targeting two entirely different sets of consumers?

Either way, all eyes are now on the California Theater in San Jose where on Tuesday Apple will (almost certainly) pull the covers off a smaller iPad, entering the mini-tablet market for the first time – a space currently dominated by the likes of Google with its Nexus 7 device and Amazon with its Fire tablets.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

How to pick the right e-reader

Are you ready to take your book collection digital and buy your first e-book reader? We're here to help. We break down the best e-readers from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.

If you’re looking for a new e-reader, whether you’re upgrading or buying your first device, you’ll find there are a lot of options. There are four big names in the e-book reader market and they each offer a range of e-readers to suit different budgets and requirements. There’s a reason these companies are dominating the e-reader scene, so if you want quality, great features, and reasonable prices, there’s no need to look beyond them.

We are going to focus on dedicated E Ink devices for reading e-books here, so we won’t delve into full-fledged tablets. We’ll also ignore discontinued lines, although there are bargains to be had out there in the secondhand market. Let’s take a look at the options and then we’ll compare at the end.

Barnes & Noble Nook

The popular Nook from Barnes & Noble comes in two flavors. There’s the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, and the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader.

For the basic Reader you’ll need to shell out $100. It has an E Ink display, which is easy to read, even in direct sunlight. It also has a 6-inch touchscreen and can hold up to 1,000 books, magazines, or newspapers. A single charge will last you up to two months based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

The GlowLight version is $20 more at $120. It is essentially the same, but it has a backlit touchscreen so that you can read in the dark. The GlowLight reduces the battery life to a, still respectable, one month. That’s also based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

Both devices have a microSD card slot so you can expand memory by up to 32GB. That’s a lot of books.

For more details you can read our in-depth review.

Amazon Kindle

A perfect marriage of content and hardware has allowed the Kindle range to really drive the widespread adoption of e-readers. You have quite a few choices if you want to buy an e-reader from Amazon. There’s the basic Kindle, the Kindle Keyboard 3G, the Kindle DX, the Kindle Paperwhite, and the Kindle Paperwhite 3G.

At just $70, the basic Kindle is a steal. It has a 6-inch e-ink display that’s easy to read, even in direct sunlight; it can hold up to 1,000 books, magazines, or newspapers; and a single charge will last you up to one month based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

The Kindle Keyboard 3G costs $140 and it adds a physical keyboard into the mix and 3G connectivity. It also has double the storage of the basic Kindle and it boasts stereo speakers. A single charge will last you up to two months based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day. It is also larger and heavier.

For anyone seeking something even bigger, there’s the Kindle DX. It has a 9.7-inch screen, free 3G, stereo speakers, 4GB of storage, and a physical keyboard. However, it costs a whopping $380 and battery life is just three weeks.

The Paperwhite is Amazon’s answer to the GlowLight Nook. It also allows you to read in the dark, but the screen is not backlit, instead there’s a light at the top. The basic Kindle Paperwhite is $120. It boasts an extremely sharp 6-inch touchscreen, can store over 1,000 books, and can also last up to two months on a single charge, once again, based on a half hour of daily reading.

The top of the range choice is the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3G which costs $180. It simply adds free 3G to the basic Kindle Paperwhite.

You can pay an extra $20 for any of the entries in the Kindle range in order to avoid any advertising. The special offers take the form of adverts on your screensaver and at the bottom of your home screen. There is no intrusion on your actual reading.

Kobo

It doesn’t have as big a name, but Kobo does offer a good e-reader range. There’s the Kobo Mini, the Kobo Glo, and the Kobo Touch.

The Kobo Mini costs $80. It has a 5-inch e-ink touchscreen. It can store 1,000 books and the battery can also last up to one month, but no usage estimates in terms of daily reading are provided. The one month battery claim is also contradicted in the Kobo FAQ which says two weeks.

As you might expect, the Kobo Glo allows you to read in the dark and it costs $130. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen, can also hold around 1,000 books, and the battery will give you 55 hours of continuous use with the light on.

The Kobo Touch also costs $130, although you’ll find it discounted in a lot of places. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen. It has the standard 2GB storage which is room for up to 1,000 books. The battery life is up to one month.

The Kobo Glo and the Kobo Touch also have microSD card slots so you can expand the storage by up to 32GB.

Sony Reader

You current options are the Sony Reader PRST2HBC and the Sony Reader PRST2RC. As far as we can make out both devices are the same except for the color options. The Sony Reader PRST2HBC is standard grey/black while the PRST2RC comes in white or red.

The Sony Reader costs $130. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen. There is just 1.3GB internal memory, but there is a microSD card slot so you can expand storage up to 32GB. It can also last up to two months on a single charge, once again, based on a half hour of daily reading.

What to buy?

If low price is your prime concern then you can’t beat the basic Kindle at $70. We’d give second place to the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader at $100. You could also consider the Kobo Mini at $80 but it has a smaller screen and poorer battery life.

If you want to be able to read in the dark then it’s a straight head-to-head between the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight at $140 and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite at $120. The Nook has expandable memory, but the Kindle has a sharper screen, and coupled with the lower price, it edges this one. The Kobo Glo could be worth a look at $130, but it falls down on battery life again.

The presence of 3G, which will allow you to connect to a mobile network and download books even when you are out and about, is only available on selected Kindles now. Is it worth the premium? We think probably not. Most people will be happy to load up books using Wi-Fi and won’t feel the need to connect all the time.

As with any expensive purchase, we would strongly recommend that you try these out before you buy. The feel of an e-reader is very important. If you want something light then the Kobo Mini and the Sony Reader are actually the lightest, closely followed by the basic Kindle. The sharpest screen on the market is the Kindle Paperwhite at 212 ppi.

Ultimately, the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle range get our strongest recommendation. You are unlikely to be disappointed with either.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Kindle Paperwhite starts shipping today, the first reviews are in

Shopping for an e-book reader this holiday season is certainly an exciting task, from a geek’s point of view at least. There are interesting offers on all price points and manufacturers and bookstores are vying for your attention. Whatever your price range though, you can’t miss on checking out the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, which just launched today. Priced at $119 with Special Offers (which means lockscreen ads), this is probably the most sophisticated e-book reader your money can buy right now.

As the first reviews of the Kindle Paperwhite are now rolling in, we get to learn more about this, still US-only, gadget. Here’s a rundown of what’s hot and what not about this new e-reader.

The HOTs

Design-wise, the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is a lot different than the previous gen and that’s good. Gone is the shiny plastic, and the matte, soft touch black material is more than welcome. The Kindle Paperwhite is faster than the Kindle Touch and now about as responsive as the Nook with Glowlight.

The 6-inch screen is of higher resolution. This has led to a higher pixel density, making fonts more legible even at lower sizes. The new capacitive touch technology certainly makes life easier when you are going through the interface and settings. The screen surface has an added texture to make swiping and touching it feel even more tactile. The display certainly lives up to its name and at full brightness of the frontlight, it really looks as white as paper.

To add to the novelty, this year’s Kindle comes with built-in magnet switch, so when you are using it with the original case, the e-book reader would actually wake up as soon as you flip open the cover case.

And, of course, the pièce de résistance – the new system for front lighting is without a doubt the Paperwhite’s key selling feature. You are free to guess how many times I mistakenly called it Paperlight, while drafting this article. It just rolls off the tongue so much easier.

All reviewers agree that the light looks amazingly even and it feels almost as if the light comes from all sides. The new front light is reportedly useful for much more than late night reading. There are some 24 levels of brightness so you will always be able to fine tune it to match the ambient lighting (or the lack of it thereof). And having it on, has a benefit almost everywhere, except perhaps on a bright-lit beach, I guess.

The Kindle Paperwhite (right) compared to the Nook Glowlight (left)

Software-wise, the Kindle Paperwhite features novel perks such as an estimate of the time needed to finish the current chapter or the whole book. X-Ray, another feature, will show you all the major characters or terms throughout the book, though its usefulness is somewhat questionable.

X-ray shows the most frequently featured characters and terms

Twitter and Facebook integration allow you to share the name and link to the book you are reading directly to the social networks.

The NOTs

Modern day gadgets rarely escape reviewers’ scrutiny without warranting a scorning word or two. In this case, tech reviewers found that the relatively thin bezel on the Kindle Paperwhite makes it harder to hold than say, the Nook Simple Touch.

The Paperwhite also could have used some page turn buttons or at least, a single menu button. The storage is also not expandable, unlike the Nook Simple Touch, but honestly, I’ve never had to use a memory card inside my Nook, e-books take up so little space.

The Kindle case prices still seem like a rip-off and I can’t help the feeling that the maker is actually trying to offset the cheap introductory price of the e-book reader with overpriced accessories.

Making your mind

Summing it all up, all reviewers agree the Kindle Paperwhite is a must buy if you are after a new e-book reader. Perhaps, it may not be enough to make you upgrade if you already own the last year’s Kindle Touch or the Nook Simple Touch, but it’s definitely a top pick this holiday season. You just can’t beat the new front-lighting system and Amazon has some of the best prices on e-books these days.

All Kindle Paperwhite e-readers are already available, starting at $119 for the Wi-Fi only version with Special Offers. Unfortunately, there is still no word on when this thing is coming to our side of the ocean.

So what about you, are you getting one?

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Amazon announced Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, refreshes the basic Kindle

Amazon has just unveiled the Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a new thin e-reader with revolutionary Paperwhite screen where whites are whiter and black are blacker. The new (capacitive) display offers 25% more contrast and 62% more pixels, reaching 212ppi for an even crisper text.

Thanks to the new technology, the new Kindle Paperwhite is just 9.1mm thin and weighs 213 grams.

Some of the new features

There are a bunch of new features too – X-Ray for searching about the density and chapters specific characters occur; Time to Read showing you the time you’d need to finish a chapter or the whole book based on your reading speed; also cloud storage; and all the books are just a 60-second download away.

The Kindle Paperwhite will come in two versions – $119 Wi-Fi only and $179 for a 3G model (no contracts, covers over 100 countries worldwide). They’ll launch on October 1.

The basic Kindle reader (the one without touch) also gets updated with new fonts, crisper text and 15% performance bump with the page turns. And it now costs only $69 (with special offers, we’re guessing). Awesome!

Amazon’s even is still under way so stay tuned for even more news.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Kobo announces new e-readers in an effort to one-up Amazon today

Kobo just went ahead today and announced a lineup of three spanking new readers. The Kobo Mini is a simple e-book reader, the smallest one available, as the company claims. The Kobo Glo is my favorite and it matches what Barnes&Nobles have with their glowing Nook SimpleTouch and what Amazon will soon have with their sidelit e-book Kindle, too. And finally, the Kobo Arc is a reboot of the Kobo Vox, the rather unsuccessful attempt of the company at making an Android tablet for multimedia consumption ala Kindle Fire.

Kobo is the smallest of three major online bookstore/ebook reader providers on the US market. And when you are that small, the best way to cast a shadow on your competitor’s announcement, is to go public with your products right after their announcement, not before it. That’s the way the internet rolls, newer stuff goes on top of older news. But, hey, what do I know, over at Kobo they probably read off their own marketing textbook. But I digress.

The three new readers will actually join the current KoboTouch ebook reader, so Kobo will have a total of 4 devices on sale. All the three new devices will become available this fall through “select retailers”, some of which include Indigo.ca, Futureshop.ca, Bestbuy.ca, and BestBuy.com. Pre-orders should be available very shortly.

Kobo’s current lineup without the new products

Kobo Glo

The Kobo Glo makes use of Kobo’s ComfortLight technology to let you read in the dark. It’s a regular 6-inch E Ink reader with a 1GHz Freescale processor and 2GB of built-in storage, expandable to up to 32GB via the microSD slot. The E Ink display has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and can display up to 16 shades of gray scale. The promised battery life is one month, but without using the ComfortLight and the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. The Kobo Glo will cost $130 and will be available in pink, blue, silver, and black.

Kobo Arc

The Kobo Arc is a 7-inch tablet that utilizes Android Ice Cream Sandwich and has full access to the Google Play store. Under the hood there is a 1.5Ghz dual-core TI OMAP 4470 processor and 1GB of RAM. It also has some sort of a custom interface called Tapestries. A front facing camera promises Skype video chat functionality.

The Kobo Arc will come in black or white (with optional interchangeable back covers) and it would sell for $200 for the 8GB version and $250 for the 16GB version.

Kobo Mini

Finally, the Kobo Mini is dubbed by Kobo as the “smallest e-reader on the market”. It has a 5-inch screen and weighs 134 grams. A 800MHz processor makes it tick, while the 2 gigs worth of storage are all you get for storing books. Battery life is rated at only 2 weeks. The devices has a touchscreen E Ink display and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Kobo Mini will be available in black or white but thanks to interchangeable back, you will be able to personalize it in other colors as well (red, purple, and teal). The retail price for the eReader is equally diminutive at $80.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Amazon rumor: ‘Paperwhite’ Kindle e-reader on the way?

It looks like Amazon will be revealing more than just a refreshed version of its Kindle Fire tablet next week. An updated Kindle Touch – or possibly a completely new e-reader – with a new kind of 'Paperwhite' display may also be on the way.

The rumors surrounding forthcoming Apple products somehow feel a little flat this time around; there’s a strong air of inevitability about what the Cupertino company will be unveiling next month. We kind of know an iPhone is about to be unveiled; we’re kind of certain an iPad Mini will be revealed.

So it actually makes a welcome change to see another company, Amazon in this case, at the center of a few rumors regarding upcoming products.

Pushing in ahead of Apple’s expected September 12 event, Amazon recently announced a press conference for September 6 in Santa Monica.

Besides the likely launch of a new Kindle Fire tablet, a rumor (a rumor!) has emerged relating to the possibility of new line of e-readers from the online retail giant.

The Verge got hold of some promotional images – though it makes no mention of how it came by them – of what it says appear to show a refreshed Kindle Touch e-reader. The button at the bottom of the device has been taken away, and the bezel has been noticeably darkened when compared with the current Touch model.

According to text accompanying the images, the device will come with “higher contrast, high resolution, integrated lighting, and eight weeks of battery life.” The integrated lighting would put the device up against Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, which made its debut in May.

The photos also reveal a new ‘Paperwhite’ feature, which suggest a different kind of display is on the way, replacing or improving upon the Pearl E Ink display used with Amazon’s current e-readers. Whether Paperwhite refers merely to the display, or will be the name of a new e-reader, isn’t altogether clear at this stage.

In other Kindle-related news, Amazon issued a statement on Thursday announcing that its Kindle Fire tablet had sold out. The company thanked “the millions of customers who have made Kindle Fire the most successful product launch in the history of Amazon.” Hang on a minute, there’s another strong air of inevitably wafting around here – that’s right, alongside any new e-readers, we can also expect to see the launch of Amazon’s next-generation Kindle Fire on September 6.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Flipboard rolling out six curated video channels to boost content

Flipboard is rolling out curated video channels for its popular news reader app, covering subjects such as news, science, music, fashion and cooking.

A day after announcing it now has 20 million users, Flipboard is introducing curated video channels to its news reader.

The hugely popular app, which presents news content in an attractive magazine-style format, is rolling out six new TV sections, powered by popular YouTube channels.

Topics include news, science, music, fashion and cooking, among others. The existing video sections, provided by an array of sources, will of course continue to be available to users.

“Whether you enjoy inspirational talks, science experiments or live music, these curated video sections are guaranteed to entertain and inform, wherever your interests lie,” Flipboard said in a post on its blog.

At the time of writing, the channels weren’t showing in its ‘contents’ section and could only be accessed via links on its blog post about the new feature (through ‘Inside Flipboard’). If the new section is being added via an app update, it hasn’t shown up for iOS users yet. Android users should be able to update already, according to the version showing in the Google Play store.

Stats revealed by Flipboard on Tuesday show that three billion pages have been flipped in the two years since the app became available, with users spending an average of 86 minutes a month perusing its content.

Channel info

Here’s a full list of Flipboard’s new curated channels:

Cooking TV: For foodies and aspiring home chefs, these how-to cooking videos can add skills to your culinary repertoire. Learn the basics like Chow.com’s “How to Make the Creamiest, Cheesiest Mac ‘n Cheese” or try quirky recipes like Food Network TV’s “Chicken and Waffles on a Stick.”

Influencer TV: Hear about big ideas from leading innovators and creative thinkers. Influencers TV includes a TED Talks lecture on creating awe by Rob Legato, the Visual Effects Supervisor for “Titanic” and “Hugo.” For shorter fare, check out Big Think videos on “The Search for Life on Mars” and “Seeing Sound, Tasting Color: Synasthesia.”

Music TV: Keep up with what the kids—and hip people of all ages—are listening to these days. Watch the latest indie music videos on Noisey and follow NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series for intimate sessions with emerging artists. Pitchfork TV catches live show moments, including “Bjork Dedicates ‘Declare Independence’ to Pussy Riot.”

Science TV: Feed your curiosity with cool experiments and surprising scientific facts. VSauce will answer “What if the Earth were Hollow?” and “What If Everyone Jumped at Once?” On SciShow, find out “Why Our Brains Love Junk Food” or other scientific explanations for everyday dilemmas.

News TV: With News TV, stay updated on current events via leading news outlets. Get storm and earthquake alerts from Associated Press and ABC News. CBS News follows the 2012 presidential campaigns and Al Jazeera provides international news.

Catwalk TV: Get the latest fashion trends, fresh off the catwalks in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, New York City and more. YouTube channels like Fashion TV and Videofashion cover global runways and rising models. See new campaigns from individual designers, like Alexander McQueen’s “Menswear Autumn/Winter 2012.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-readers to make UK debut

Barnes & Noble will release its popular e-readers and the Nook Store in the UK in October.

Amazon has had a pretty free run at the UK e-reader market with the Kindle establishing a strong lead. Now Barnes & Noble has decided to enter the fray across the pond with the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. According to a B&N press release, the two popular e-readers will go on sale in October, along with the Nook Store, which has more than 2.5 million digital titles.

This marks Barnes & Noble’s first foray into a foreign market and the company has lined up a variety of popular UK books, magazines, newspapers, and comics to help it establish a foothold. Many UK consumers are likely to be attracted by the GlowLight version as it allows for easy reading in the dark. However, with pricing yet to be revealed, it is tough to predict how popular the Nook e-readers will be or how it will stack up with the Kindle..

This follows rumors and claims from PC Advisor that the Kindle Fire will also make an imminent UK appearance and demand is expected to be high. If Barnes & Noble rolled out the Nook Color or Nook Tablet in the United Kingdom, it would create a real buzz and possibly steal a march on its closest competitor, but for the moment it looks like the company is just testing the water with its e-readers.

Barnes & Noble will also make its Nook apps available in the UK so customers can access purchased content in the Nook Cloud and sync and read it on their mobile devices, computers, and laptops. Full details, including the all-important pricing, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com