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The Kindle, FlipBoard for the iPad, and the Connected Reader

When Jeff Bezos launched the latest edition of its Kindle eBook reader , he did so with a solemn commitment to maintain the device's dedicated reading experience. Bezos's vision for the Kindle has always been the reader, the book, and almost invisible device between the two. It is a pretty thought, no doubt more comforting than the idea of pitting the mono-function Kindle against the multimedia powerhouse that is the Apple iPad. Still, it is fundamentally wrong. Bezos is quite correct to focus the Kindle on readers, but consider this fair warning, the way we read is changing.

Read more at PCMag.com. 

Hands On with the New Amazon Kindle

The Amazon Kindle launched the e-book market as we know it this week with the Tuesday introduction of a $139 Wi-Fi version of the device. The release shows how the company plans to continue to lead in the segment: focus on reading.

I got some hands-on time with the newest Kindle, which ships August 27, and found a device that was very similar to previous versions, but better in several important ways.

The first thing you notice about the new Kindle is the size. The device is 21 percent smaller than the previous version, making it much easier to slip into a coat pocket. You might think the screen is smaller, but it is the same six-inch screen as the older version. It is only the border that is smaller.

Read more at PCMag.com...

CES 2010: HDTVs, Tablets and Butterfly Wings

• Skiff Demos Its E-Reader, Palm Pre App
• Kurzweil's Blio: A Killer Ebook Reader For Windows
  
• HDMI's Role in The Future of 3D TV
• Sony Takes Aim at 3D TV Domination
• Plastic Logic Unveils a QUE Professional E-Reader
  
• Mirasol Displays Mimic a Butterfly's Wings 
• ViewSonic Launches New PCs at CES 2010 
• LumiSource Releases Slightly More Girlfriend-Friendly Gaming Chairs

Sony Reader Pocket Edition Review: Portable and Cheap

 
Good things come in small packages. Size matters. You can't judge a book by its cover. Pick your literary cliché for Sony's diminutive Digital Reader Pocket Edition($199.99 direct), they all fit. And the device itself will fit nicely in a purse, a jacket pocket, or even a back pocket (although that last one might be a little rough on the screen if you plan on sitting). Despite a somewhat-dated-looking menu system and the absence of wireless connectivity, the Pocket Edition is very readable digital companion

Read the Sony Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-300) full review on PCMag.com

Nook Review: Genuine Kindle Competition

The Barnes and Noble Nook E-Reader ($259 direct) will be difficult, perhaps even impossible, to find this holiday season, and that's a real shame. With a clever second display that acts as a touch-screen interface, a huge library of titles, and instant wireless downloads via At&T's 3G network or Wi-Fi, the Nook might just be the most sophisticated e-Book reader on the market.

Read the Barnes & Noble Nook E-Reader full review at PCMag.com

Amazon's Kindle Secret is in the Software

A year ago I wrote a column titled "E-Book Readers Can Do Better" that outlined what products like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader series would need to add before they truly appealed to mainstream consumers. One year and one tremendous endorsement from Oprah later, Amazon's Kindle 2 incorporates a lot of my suggestions. Still, it isn't the latest Kindle that's cemented Amazon's leadership role in the e-book market. It was today's announcement of a free Kindle reader for the iPhone, because it shows that Amazon really understands what e-books are: software.

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Print Is Dead. Long Live Print.

How publishing-on-demand will transform the publishing industry.
A few weeks ago PC Magazine ceased publishing its print magazine, after 27 years of covering the technology industry. These days it simply doesn't make economic or environmental sense for us to print a magazine, load it on trucks, and send it across the country when the same information can be delivered instantly online via PCMag.com. At about the same time, my girlfriend gave me a love letter: a paperback book she made herself with glossy pages, full-color photos, and a production quality that would make any magazine art director salivate. How can she afford to print a single book when big publishing companies lose money selling hundreds of thousands of copies? Welcome to the world of print on demand. read the full article...