Thinking about getting an e-Book Reader this Christmas? Your options may be limited. Apparently, e-Reader pre-orders and daily sales have been so overwhelming that now companies like Barnes & Noble and Sony will be sold out for the holidays. Sony announced earlier this week that many of its pre-ordered Daily Edition Readers will not be making
Tag Archive: barnes & noble
Choosing an E-Book Reader for Christmas
As I travel with my Kindle DX, I’m getting a lot of comments from folks planning to buy a Kindle for Christmas for their spouse or parent. Given that there are actually three competing products from major players in the market and two sizes of Kindle (along with a number of niche products that I’d stay away from as gifts because they are too specialized), I thought it would be good to use some of my experience to suggest a path so that you don’t get a product that sits on the shelf. I say this because the Kindle is my fifth e-book reader and the first four ended up on a shelf unused, with the Sony being my biggest disappointment. You may also want to consider some accessories that can enhance the Kindle experience, if you decide to go that route.
Barnes & Noble Adopts ePub Standard; Aligns With Adobe
In the latest salvo in the escalating eBook wars, Barnes & Noble recently announced it was standardizing on the open ePub and PDF formats, embedded with “social” digital rights management (DRM) content protection.
With this move, B&N is embracing the cross-platform Adobe solution accepted by nearly 100 providers, including Sony (announced in August it plans to convert its eBooks to the ePub format by the end of 2009).
However, that group does not include market-leader Amazon, which debuted its popular Kindle 2 in early 2009. Kindle 2 eBooks are available in Amazon’s proprietary AZW format, as well as support for PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
Barnes & Noble Confirms Que proReader for January
Bookseller Barnes & Noble confirmed today that it will be offering the Plastic Logic Que proReader through its Web site and retail stores this January. Announced by Plastic Logic earlier this month, the Que proReader is aimed at business professionals rather than everyday consolers…although neither Barnes & Noble nor Plastic Logic have been specific about what exactly makes the proReader “mean business.”
“We are very excited to name Barnes & Noble as our first retail distribution partner and to have Que featured prominently in its stores,” said plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta, in a statement. “Que was designed from the ground up as a tool for busy business professionals, expanding the eReader market as its first and only proReader.”
Plastic Logic Announces Que E-Reader Coming in January
Plastic Logic’s upcoming e-readers have been a dark horse in the e-reader world for months now: sure, Sony, Amazon, and others are already on the market, but a lot of the buzz seems to be about future readers from Plastic Logic…which haven’t shipped or even been specced yet. Today Plastic Logic got its readers one step closer to reality, teasing its forthcoming Que proReader and promising to debut the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7, 2010. And unlike other e-reader devices, Plastic Logic says the Que proReader is designed for business professionals.
Barnes & Noble Prepping Plastic Logic E-Readers?
Competition in the nascent e-book market is starting to heat up, and while a lot of the action thusfar has centered on Amazon and Sony, bookseller Barnes & Noble shouldn’t be left out of the equation, snapping up Fictionwise earlier this year and launching its own device-independent bookstore. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Barnes & Noble is getting ready to launch its own Plastic Logic e-reader, perhaps in time for the holiday buying season.
Barnes & Noble Takes On Amazon With Device-Independent eBook Store
Barnes & Noble is striking back at Amazon.com and its popular Kindle electronic reader with the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. The company is touting the bookstore as the world’s largest, offering more than 700,000 titles (including bestsellers and new releases), and—unlike Amazon or Sony—Barnes & Noble is going for a multi-platform approach, announcing support for the iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry devices, and regular Macs and PCs right out of the gate. And, when Plastic Logic’s forthcoming 8.5 by 11-inch eReader ships (currently expected in 2010), Barns & Noble will be the device’s exclusive eBookstore provider.
Barnes & Noble Eyes eBook Market with Fictionwise Buy
Although the Sony Reader for electronic books never seemed to capture consumers imagination, there’s no denying the Amazon Kindle—and the Kindle application now available for the iPhone—has lit a fire under the electronic book business. So, its not surprise bookseller Barnes & Noble is looking to get in on the act: today the company announced it has sealed a deal to acquire ebook publisher Fictionwise for $15.7 million in cash. Barnes & Noble plans to use Fictionwise to jumpstart its own digital bookselling strategy, which includes the launch of its own online electronic bookstore by the end of 2009. Fictionwise may earn some additional money for the acquisition over the next two years if the operation meets performance targets.
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