Software Update Adds Functionality, New Content to B&N’s NookColor

Barnes & Noble announced plans for a much anticipated software update for the NookColor digital reader, adding functionality for email, enhanced web browsing, video and Flash support as well as apps and new multimedia content for kids and adults.

College Students Use E-Readers More, But Still Like Print

College students continued to up their usage of e-readers, but most still prefer print textbooks, a new research report conducted in March by OnCampus Research, the research division of the National Association of College Stores, found. The survey of 655 students found a 6% increase in e-book purchases in March compared to a study conducted in October, and more students were reading materials on dedicated reading devices while fewer were using laptops or netbooks. While only 15% of students said they owned an e-reader, 39% reported that they use one, up from 19% in the October study. The number of students owning a dedicated reader in October was 8%.

The Tablets Are Coming!

Thanks to Steve Jobs and the iPad, this is the year of the tablet, a device some observers believe will change the way consumers use computers. To be sure, the e-reading market is still dominated by dedicated e-ink reading devices like the Kindle 3 and the Sony Readers. But tablets are ferociously cool, offering multimedia functionality and the ability to hold a vast array of content from, books to movies to games.

Amazon to Offer $114 Kindle 3 Supported by Ads

The price of a Kindle digital reader continues to drop after Amazon.com announced plans to release The Kindle With Special Offers, a Kindle 3 reading device that will be subsidized by on-screen advertising in the form of sponsored screensavers. The new Kindle With Special Offers reader will sell for $114 and will begin shipping May 3.

Microsoft Sues B&N; Claims Nook Android Devices Infringe Its Patents

Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble charging the national bookstore chain and its manufacturing partners with infringing on Microsoft patents in the production of the Nook and NookColor.

B&N Settles Lawsuit Claiming it Stole the Nook’s Design

Barnes & Noble has reached a settlement in a 2009 lawsuit filed by Spring Design, developer of the Alex Reader, a dual-screen digital reading device, charging that B&N stole the design of the Alex Reader and used it for its own Nook e-reading device. Spring Design also announced it is discontinuing sales of the Alex Reader.

Steve Haber Speaks: Apple’s Rejection, Sony Reader Sales, the Future of E-Ink

In a wide ranging conversation, Sony Reader president Steve Haber said the Sony Readers have sold millions of units and that the redesigned Touch and Pocket edition units have sold out completely. He maintained that Apple changed the rules on Sony when it rejected the Sony iPad/iPhone app. Haber also outlined a growing international demand for Sony Readers and the launch of a library device lending program, and emphasized that not only are e-ink devices "not doomed" but "set to replace the traditional book."

McGraw-Hill Launches Cellphone Learning in Developing Markets

The McGraw-Hill Companies has joined with Wipro, an IT and technology services provider, to develop mConnect, an open standard learning platform that can deliver a range of basic educational programs to low-income rural populations in the developing world via cellphones.

Apple Sold 7.3 Million iPads, Good News for Amazon

Apple reported Tuesday afternoon that it sold 7.3 million iPads in the quarter ended December 25, up from 4.2 million in the previous quarter. Since the company released the tablet in April, it has sold approximately 13.7 million devices.

Las Vegas Here We Come! CES Opens This Week with 'PW' In The House

The annual Consumer Electronics Show will open on Thursday and for the second year in row we can expect that digital reading and an array of tablets, dedicated e-readers and other reading-optional mobile devices--including an ever growing list of gadgets running Google's Android OS--will grab a major share of the tech headlines coming out of the Las Vegas convention. CES lists over 120 firms offering e-book devices or services and the tech press predicts as many as 80 tablet devices will be unveiled this year.

B&N Begins Shipping Nookcolor

Barnes & Noble has made good on its promise to begin shipping its Nookcolor by November 19: the device will begin arriving today and through the week to customers who pre-ordered it online and reserved units in B&N stores. Live demonstration units and very limited quantities of devices available for purchase will start arriving in Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Walmart, and Books-A-Million stores this week.

Publishers Give New Nook Good Marks

Barnes & Noble's new Nookcolor Reader Tablet impressed many of the publishers who were gathered at the retailer's New York headquarters to watch the unveiling of the $249 device that will begin shipping around November 19. The addition of color "will put children's publishers into the e-book game," said Jon Anderson, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

B&N Intros Nookcolor Tablet, New Children's Titles

Approximately one year after introducing its first e-reading device Barnes & Noble took a major step forward Tuesday with the introduction of the Nookcolor, a $249 tablet with a seven inch VividView Color Touchscreen. The addition of color to the e-reading device allowed B&N to officially announce Nook Kids.

Walmart to Sell Kobo Reader; Is a Color Nook Coming from B&N?

After announcing plans to start carrying Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader, Walmart is now adding another digital reader and will begin selling the Kobo wireless e-reader next week at 2,500 U.S. Walmart stores.

Walmart Carries Nook

Barnes & Noble will sell its Nook e-book reader in 2,500 Walmart stores and at Walmart.com as early as October 24, in advance of the holiday shopping season. Walmart will prominently feature the Nook as a "premier e-book reader" in stores' consumer electronics areas, and many stores will feature a Nook-branded e-reading area where shoppers can see and touch a demonstration device.

Frankfurt 2010: Making A Difference with E-readers

Best Buy to Sell Kindle In Stores, Enhance E-Reader Displays

Best Buy announced yesterday that it would begin selling Amazon's Kindle in stores. This means that Kindle shoppers have several places to go and handle a Kindle before buying, including Target and Staples in addition to Best Buy.

Sony Releases Redesigned, Upgraded Suite of Digital Readers

The rumors earlier this month were spot on. Sony is indeed releasing a redesigned and upgraded suite of its three digital readers--the 5" screen Pocket Edition; 6" screen Touch Edition and 7" screen Daily Edition--offering full optical touch screen functionality, nonglare black & white e-ink display along with reduced size and weight. The new devices are not only stylish--they come in silver, black and pink aluminum skins--but also offer stepped up power, crisp page-turning and increased storage capacity. Only one model, the top of the line Daily Edition, offers 3G/wireless. The Pocket and Touch Editions will be available beginning today; the Daily Edition in November.

Lots of Little Improvements Make the Kindle 3 The Best E-Ink E-reader

This is the best E-Ink device you can get right now. The changes and updates, while very cool, might not, however, justify scrapping your Kindle 2 in exchange for a Kindle 3--they're still pretty similar. But the much-crisper screen, faster processor, newly laid out controls, and other thoughtful tweaks make the Kindle 3 a pleasure to use.

Random House, Kobo, and Fairmont Hotels Partner to Loan E-Readers to Guests

Random House, Kobo, and Fairmont Hotels are coming to the rescue of travelers who forgot to bring a book on vacation. Ten Fairmont hotels in the U.S. and Canada will have Kobo eReaders available for guests staying on Fairmont Gold, an exclusive "hotel within the hotel" that offers special perks.