Amazon publishing unit to make e-books available via rival retailers

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Amazon.com’s New York-based publishing business has entered into a deal with Ingram to distribute its e-book titles, opening up the possibility that competitors such as Barnes & Noble, Kobo or Apple could carry the works, paidContent reports. There’s no guarantee that any of those rivals will actually carry e-books published by Amazon, and paidContent’s Laura… Read More…

U.S. State Department pulls plug on big Kindle contract

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Well, here’s a very peculiar story with an odd twist. Two months ago we reported that the U.S. Department of State had planned to award a 5-year, $16.5 million contract to Amazon.com to put tens of thousands of Kindle electronic readers into educational centers around the world. The goal was to use the e-readers to help… Read More…

Amazon clearing out Kindles in prelude to new devices

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Is Amazon almost ready to unveil this year’s Kindle lineup? Gizmodo believes the answer is yes — pointing to a steep one-day discount on the Kindle DX at the end of the week, plus the lack of availability of the Kindle Touch 3G, among other clues. It’s common practice for Amazon to take steps to clear… Read More…

Report says iPad users are more affluent than Kindle folk

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Hey, Big Spender! Your iPad would probably like to spend some more time with you… According to a new report by comScore, iPad users tend to be younger (44.5 percent under age 35), wealthier (46.3 percent in households with income greater than $100,000) and male (52.9 percent), as opposed to its nearest rival, the Kindle… Read More…

The difference between Kindle Fire and Windows Phone and other comments of the week

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The best comments, quotes, and random zingers we heard this week… “I think it’s interesting the types of adjectives journalists use to “spin” articles. For example in this article, Kindle’s market share of 5% is described as “a relatively modest slice of the overall market.” But in the yesterday’s post on Windows Phone, you decry… Read More…

Report: Amazon plans up to 6 new Kindle Fire variations

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Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet launched last fall with just one option for buyers, a 7-inch model with 8 GB of storage, WiFi and no mobile broadband. That’s about to change, according to a report this morning. The story by Reuters digs into Amazon’s mobile ambitions, quoting a top Staples retail executive saying that Amazon will… Read More…

Analysts turn sour on Amazon, cite Kindle delays and weakness

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Amazon.com has heard this one before. Stock analysts are turning bearish on the Seattle online retailer, the company that once was dubbed “Amazon.toast” during the dot-com bust (but later went on to dominate online retailing and cloud computing). Forbes reports on two analysts this week who point out possible weakness in the company’s business, tied… Read More…

B&N unveils Nook for Web; 7-inch Nook rumored for fall

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Today, Barnes & Noble announced the Nook for Web, giving users access to B&N’s Nook store via any PC or Mac. The free access means users can browse titles and start reading without downloading software or signing up for an account.  The book seller said that additional Nook browsing capabilities will be coming this fall… Read More…

Report: Amazon.com works on a larger Kindle as Apple goes for a smaller iPad

Amazon says that the Kindle Fire is its bestselling product.

Rumors have circulated for weeks that Amazon.com is working on a new tablet computer, a larger Kindle Fire that would compete with Apple’s iPad. Now, here comes more ammunition that the device is actually in the works. In an in-depth story today in The New York Times, reporters Nick Wingfield and Nick Bilton write that… Read More…

Amazon.com to bolster gaming on Kindle Fire with newly-launched GameCircle

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The Kindle Fire isn’t really known as a powerful gaming device. But Amazon.com is looking to change that perception with the launch of GameCircle, a new tool designed for developers to easily add features such as leaderboards and achievements (think trophies, treasures, badges, awards, etc.) Another new addition is a syncing function that allows game… Read More…

Kindle event postponed: Bezos and Clinton’s worlds to now collide at date TBD

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Well, it looks like, we’re going to have to wait a little bit before we get to hear from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Last week, it came to light that the two dignitaries were set to jointly announce the “Kindle Mobile Learning Initiative” on June 20 in Washington, D.C., part of… Read More…

Jeff Bezos & Hillary Clinton, together at last for Kindle announcement next week

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Who would have ever guessed we’d see these two people on stage together? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will announce the global launch of the “Kindle Mobile Learning Initiative” on June 20 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. State Department said today. This initiative “will create a global e-reader program that… Read More…

Amazon updates Kindle apps for children’s books, comics

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Amazon is trying to make the experience of reading children’s books and comic books on a computer or device more like the original, or maybe a little better in some cases. The company this morning updated its Kindle apps for iPad, Android and web browsers to add new features for children’s books, comic books and… Read More…

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

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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…

Amazon updates $79 Kindle, says it’s now more like paper

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Amazon just announced a software update for the $79 Kindle, the least-expensive of its dedicated e-readers, including changes that the company says will improve the experience of reading on the device. The update will be delivered automatically to these Kindles in the coming weeks, according to the company. Here’s the rundown on the update from… Read More…

E-books: Replacement for physical books, or ‘adjunct’?

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Waterstones, the largest UK bookstore chain, announced this morning that it would be partnering with Amazon to sell the Kindle in its stores, rather than competing against the Seattle company with its own digital books platform as Barnes & Noble has done. Based on his comments related to the announcement, I think Waterstones managing director… Read More…

Deal with the ‘devil’? UK’s biggest bookseller partners with Amazon to sell Kindle

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Six months ago, James Daunt, the managing director of big UK bookstore chain Waterstones, had this to say about Amazon: ”They never struck me as being a sort of business in the consumer’s interest. They’re a ruthless, money-making devil.” At the time, the bookseller was in the process of developing its own e-reader. But this morning, Waterstones announced… Read More…

Can Harry Potter reverse Amazon Kindle’s bad spell?

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New clues suggest that Amazon’s Kindle e-reader business have been suffering more than has been letting on — with E Ink Holdings saying that its “major customer” ordered “almost nothing” in the first quarter after overestimating its sales during the holiday season. The theory from investor Paolo Santos is that the Kindle Fire is cannibalizing traditional… Read More…

Report: Target to dump Kindle

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This could get very interesting, especially in light of the new alliance between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. The Verge reports today — citing an unnamed source and an internal Target memo — that the giant retailer will stop selling the Kindle due to “conflict of interest.” There certainly seems to be some legs to this… Read More…