Borders enters e-reader game with Kobo
First there was Kindle, then there was Nook and now there is Kobo.
Borders has partnered with Kobo eReader to launch the device just in time for Father’s Day (June 17). It is available for pre-order now. At just $149.99 it comes in $100 less than its competition (Kindle is $259 and Nook is too. )
The Kobo gives you e-ink technology, flexible fonts, custom organization, and easy syncing. The device is 4.7×7.2×0.4 inches and weighs less than 8 oz. It uses a 4-way D-pad with center select to navigate. It comes with 1 GB of memory (enough for 1000 titles) but it has SD memory card ability for additional storage.
For more details, visit Borders or Kobo eReader.
Digital Music continues to rise
Mint.com has an interesting graphic of the rise of digital music. One graph show the gains digital formats have made in just the past few years grown from just 20% of the market in 2007 to 36% in 2009.
The site also breaks down the big players like iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody and others and how they rate against each other as well as how much they are making as people make the switch.
Like vinyl before it, CDs too will fall by the wayside of history as this trend continues. I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD myself. How about you?
Nook for naught
Barnes and Noble’s new e-reader Nook has been more popular than expected. The retailer has announced they have sold out of all the units for 2009, but you can put your name on the waiting list for 2010.
The device became available in mid-October and has already sold out, but new Nooks are expected to ship by Jan. 4. You can get a holiday certificate to stuff and stocking with though.
Of course, if you don’t want to wait, you can always get a Kindle.
Nook
Nook is Barnes and Noble’s new e-reader and Amazon’s big competition.
With a full-color touch screen with e-ink, millions of available titles and a $259 price tag, the Nook is looking to supplant Kindle in the electronic book market.
Nook even lets you lend books to friends for free. You can send the book to your friends phone, computer or e-reader for up to 14 days. Also, there are thousands of free e-books (like all your English teacher’s favorites).
The reader has 2GB memory and measures 7.7 x 4.9 inches. It weighs just 11.2 ounces. You can also use the reader as an mP3 player. Unlike Kindle, the memory is expandable via microSD card.
Another plus for Nook is the ability to share your e-book with your iPod touch, iPhone, Blackberry or PC. Kindle is working on this as well with PC in Beta.
nook arrives Nov. 30, but you can preorder it online now, or beginning Wednesday in any Barnes & Noble store. And come Nov. 30, you’ll be able to test-drive nook in any Barnes & Noble store as well.
Kindle gets a price-cut
Amazon’s popular Kindle digital reader is now even better with its price cut to $259.
This is almost $100 cheaper than the price just earlier this summer at $359. In July it dropped to $299.
The Christian Science Monitor wrote in July that the earlier price drop was about helping the Kindle gain “iPod like traction” in the soon to be crowded electronic reader market. Kind of like a preemptive strike to up-and- coming technology. Perhaps a similar tactic is in play now.
If that is still to rich for your blood, you can check out a refurbished unit for just $219.
Academy trades books for digital versions
Cushing Academy in Massachutsetts has traded in its 20,000 volume library of traditional books for a web-based multimedia library including 18 Amazon Kindles and Sony readers. Is this the future of reading?
The Boston Globe quote headmaster James Tracy : “When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books.”
The school likes to think they are trading in 20,000 books for millions but I don’t know. For me there is still something about holding a book in your hand. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. It is very true that kids are more familiar with technology at younger ages than even my age is, but I just wish books were as timeless as I hope they are.
Another quote from the story was very telling:
Tia Alliy, a 16-year-old junior, said she visits the library nearly every day, but only once looked for a book in the stacks. She’s not alone. School officials said when they checked library records one day last spring only 48 books had been checked out, and 30 of those were children’s books.
Really?
The school is one of the first to go this route, but I suspect they won’t be the last. . .
The Kindle Ate My Homework
Even as a very tech oriented person I still love books. Not just stories, but books. The paper, the pages, the bookmarks, Barnes and Noble, I sincerely love it, so I’ve never fallen in love with the Kindle (I fear it actually).
Well, here’s just another reason why I trust paper. The Kindle ate a kid’s homework. Literally, Kindle gobbled his notes into cyber space never to be seen again. I know you can lose a notebook, but that’s a personal fault, this was a technology problem. I guess the version of George Orwell’s 1984 he was taking electronic notes on was discontinued by the retailer not only did his copy of the book disappear but so did his hard written notes (and 1984 is not a short book). Amazon has since offered a refund for those who lost their copy, but that doesn’t take the sting out of things.
So again I say, lets not step beyond out bounds in gadgetry. Developments in tech and science are supposed to help, not hurt, after all.
Kindle DX in time for hitting the books this fall
Kindle DX is the beefier version of Amazon’s Kindle reader. Compared to the traditional Kindle it is larger (9.7″ vs. 6″ diagonal), holds more books (3,500 vs. 1,500) and is more expensive ($489 vs $359).
Another important difference is that the Kindle DX has an auto-rotating screen that allows you to view full screen maps, graphs, tables, web pages, etc. This is especially important to on of the primary audiences for this device–college students who are using them in place of traditional textbooks.
Technology is changing education in many ways. This is just one more step in the journey. Six universities Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Pace University, Princeton, Reed College and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia will participate in DX pilot studies.
Would you pick Kindle over traditional textbooks?
Twilight Mama
I can’t let the weekend pass without commenting on the cultural phenomenon that is Twilight. I know I’m not the only Twilight Mom out there.
To be honest, it’s been a while since I have purchased a DVD. I typically prefer downloading to my Tivo via Amazon Unbox. However, I just had to have the three-disc set from Target.
Now buyers have so many options–one disc, two disc, blu-ray, HD, download.
Target scored with the three-disc bonus and they let buyers have a free download of the movie from iTunes.
Amazon kept their pre-order customers happy by offering a free digital download so you didn’t have to wait for delivery on Monday since the movie came out on Saturday (12:01 a.m.)
How did you get your Twilight fix?
Sofa Boy–A Cautionary Tale
Video game veteran Scott Langteau, best known for his work with the Medal of Honor game series, has a new children’s book featuring “Sofa Boy,” an overzealous young gamer who takes his obsession to new levels.
The following description sums up the tale:
Sofa Boy invites readers into the living room of an average family. But this family’s son has a bigger than average obsession with videogames. Sitting from daybreak to dark on the family sofa, the boy will not stop his gaming and TV gazing to play outside, have dinner, take a bath, or go to bed. He is – quite literally – consumed with sitting on the couch. Penned with a clever rhyme scheme and accompanied by captivating illustrations, Sofa Boy encourages moderation in gaming habits, by showing the fantastical fate of one boy (and one cat!) who wouldn’t put the controller down.
This would make a great night-time read for the little gamer in your life.
Available from Amazon and other retailers. Sofa Boy ($14.95) ISBN: 978-0-615-25125-7
