Update: Amazon disputes our report that it’s ending Kindle e-ink app developer program

amazonsignage2

Updated throughout to reflect Amazon comment disputing this story.  Two developers of third-party apps for Kindle readers say they were informed by Amazon.com representatives this week that the company would be winding down its “Active Content” app developer program for Kindle e-ink devices and would no longer accept any new app submissions. Following the initial publication… Read More…

Barnes & Noble drops ‘GlowLight’ Nook to $119, takes a few jabs at Amazon

nook1

Barnes & Noble reduced the price of its Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight e-reader to $119 this morning, matching the entry-level price of the competing Kindle Paperwhite on the eve of the ship date for the new Amazon e-reader. In the news release announcing the move, Barnes & Noble calls out Amazon on multiple points,… Read More…

Here’s why the U.S. State Department picked Amazon’s Kindle over iPad and Nook

kindle79

In a deal valued at $16.5 million, the U.S. Department of State has awarded Amazon.com a 5-year contract to put tens of thousands of Kindle electronic readers in educational centers around the world. Nextgov reports that the e-readers will be used for educational purposes, helping individuals overseas study English at libraries, educational centers, reading rooms… Read More…

Microsoft invests $300M in Barnes & Noble’s Nook unit, settles patent litigation

nook-1

[Follow-up: Microsoft vs. Amazon? Plot thickens with Barnes & Noble pact] Looking to jumpstart its upcoming Windows 8 operating system and bolster its position in tablet computers, Microsoft today announced a $300 million investment in Barnes & Noble’s Nook business unit. As part of the deal, Microsoft will take a 17.6 percent stake in the… Read More…

Kindle Fire software update allows readers to share favorite passages

kindlefire1-small

Amazon has begun pushing out a new update specifically for Kindle Fire owners that adds the ability to share favorite passages and notes from books via Twitter and Facebook as well as with other Kindle users who are reading the same book.  In that regard, book lovers can now more easily discuss the content of… Read More…

Who is buying e-readers? Not me, but paralegals, dietitians and iPod owners sure love ‘em

ereaders22

As I’ve noted in the past, I am not a big fan of electronic reading devices. (In addition to having little time to read books these days, I just can’t stomach the idea of carrying around yet another device). BlueKai, the online advertising company with operations in Seattle and San Francisco, just released an infographic… Read More…

Heads up: Amazon limits 3G web access on Kindle Touch 3G

kindletouch

If you’re thinking about getting one of the new Amazon Kindle Touch e-readers, and trying to decide between the $99 WiFi version and the $149 version with free 3G wireless access, some important news emerged over the weekend that you might want to take into account before forking over the extra $50. Basically, you won’t… Read More…

Amazon’s Kindle making new attempt to fit in at college

kindle-screen1

Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader has struggled to make inroads on college campuses, as an alternative to traditional paper textbooks. Findings released this spring by the University of Washington found that fewer than 40 percent of students involved in a pilot program at the school stuck with the device for reading. Many of them found old-school paper… Read More…

Free Kindle? Don’t count on it

kindle11

For many months there has been speculation that Amazon.com might ultimately give away its Kindle e-reader as a way of cementing its position in the market and selling more digital books. Yesterday’s announcement of an ad-supported Kindle for $114 might have seemed like more evidence supporting that theory. But it turns out that’s not the… Read More…

How Amazon added real page numbers to Kindle books

kindle1

Amazon.com last month announced that it was adding “real” page numbers to Kindle books — corresponding to the page numbers in print copies of the same titles. But how, exactly, did the company pull of this technological feat? An interesting behind-the-scenes writeup today on Amazon’s Kindle Daily Post blog explains how. The underlying tools —… Read More…