B&N e-book reader reportedly in the works
Bookseller Barnes & Noble reportedly plans to release its own e-book reader to challenge Amazon.com's Kindle.
The wireless device, which is expected to have a 6-inch touch screen and virtual keyboard, could be offered for sale as early as next month, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday that cited people briefed on the matter. A price range was not revealed.
The device is also expected to run Google's Android operating system, according to a Gizmodo report that cited a source who claimed to be a mobile-application developer for Barnes & Noble.
A representative for Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest brick-and-mortar bookseller, declined to comment on whether such a device was in the works.
"We have made no announcement of an e-book reader device," said Mary Ellen Keating, senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs, pointing out that the company was already supporting a variety of e-book reader devices. However, she declined to comment specifically on whether Barnes & Noble was developing its own device.
Barnes & Noble announced in July that it was returning to the e-book market with the launch of its own digital-book store, which allows customers to read digital books on an array of different platforms, including the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and BlackBerry smartphones. Barnes & Noble is also expected to be the exclusive digital-book supplier for the upcoming Plastic Logic eReader, which is not scheduled to go on sale until next year.
However, if the reports prove accurate, the device should compete directly with Amazon's new Kindle 2, which the online retail giant unveiled earlier this week. The new version also sports a 6-inch screen and wireless downloads, and is expected to be available on October 19.
Amazon also announced that it is cutting the price of the device by $40, to $259, and bringing it more in line with Sony's Reader Pocket Edition, which sells for $199. The retailer also announced an international version that would allow customers to download books in more than 100 countries outside the United States.
Although a bit late to the market, a Barnes & Noble device would join an expected boom in the e-book reader sales. In a report released Wednesday, Forrester Research raised its 2009 forecast for e-reader sales in the United States to 3 million units from its previous prediction of 2 million sales. Forrester also expects Amazon's Kindle to command about 60 percent of the e-reader market in 2009, compared with 35 percent for Sony's Reader.
The revelation that the device may be powered by Android comes as the 2-year-old operating system rides a wave of support from wireless handset makers. In the past couple of months, nine devices using Android have been announced, including the Motorola Cliq, which goes on sale in November, and the new Samsung Moment, which was announced Wednesday at the CTIA Fall 2009 trade show.
I would have bought a Kindle, but with Amazon not removing the kill switch, I rather go to the competition.
No retailer who wants to get and keep a significant market share will have a remote kill switch.
But in any case, with Android, I can prevent a remote kill switch myself if necessary. That's the difference to a closed system like the Kindle.
Amazon better remove their kill switch...
You seem so sure of something that the public or the press hasn't even seen yet.
The point being, the source code can be completely open and the device can still be closed.
...unless you mod the hardware or pop in a software hack to intercept the requirement (see also the Slot 1 Celeron SMB mods, XBox mods, and a huge battery of similar mods that have gone on - ever since the days of turning a single-sided floppy into a double-sided one with a paper hole puncher).
The best anyone can hope for in that direction is to keep the majority from bothering (for fear of invalidating the warranty, etc) - the determined and the hobbyists will just do it anyway. :)
Anyway, the whole tablet/ebook reader device category is going nowhere right now, so I guess it doesn't matter all that much. Give me an Apple tablet that works as a computer and maybe I'll shell out cash, but not for a black and white display with limited functionality and high costs.
Why spend $300 on an e-reader when you can spend the same on a netbook that can read books plus do hundreds of other things?
1. listen to music,
2. browse the web (using Fast Flip would be cool!),
3. read/write email, IMs, SMS, etc.,
4. view/edit docs (with Google Apps, Zoho, Quickoffice, DocumentsToGo, etc.),
5. view maps,
6. ...
And with access to the Android market, who know what will be available for these devices, in the future?
1. Listen to music
2. browse the web (with no monthly 'data' fees)
3. read/write emails (with no monthly 'data' fees)
4. View/Edit docs
5. View maps
6. ... and other things, but mostly I read books :)
And Amazon can delete your books. Have fun with Big Brother.
My father-in-law has the Sony e-reader which is pretty nice. We all took a family trip recently and he forgot to charge up his batteries. Half an hour into the plane ride his e-reader died. So he was forced to just flip through Sky Mall for a few hours. I had my book, a regular paperback scored from the B&N discount table for $3.
1) Adjustable font size. (okay, I am old)
2) Size. A dozen books on the e-reader are easier to carry than a dozen books on paper.
http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/press_releases/2009_july_20_ebookstore.html
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October 10, 2009 9:47 AM PDT
- This is all fine and dandy but it reminds me of the early days of home computers where nothing was standardized, each had their own software, thier own hardare, one was compatible with the other or at best, only somewhat compatible (and that was rare) etc, etc. I love the idea of eBook readers but I can't justify buying one unless it has access to all available eBook stores and can use any wireless service, not just one or two.
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(20 Comments)Or maybe I'm just old fashioned?