Amazon's third major iteration of its flagship reading device, the Kindle, comes out of the gate looking strong: the new graphite finish (just like its big brother, the Kindle DX) with a slimmer, lighter form factor, plus a bumped refresh rate for its E Ink screen. Best of all, the WiFi only and 3G readers have newly lowered prices (though they're still not exactly bargain basement level). We've spent the past few days putting the tinier Kindle through the paces to see just how much Amazon's improved it. Though the market is increasingly flooded with cheap readers, the Kindle is arguably still the leading name in the field, and Amazon is already touting the third model as its bestselling ever -- even though there are still no sales figures to be had. So, is this the best Kindle ever? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle review (2010)

Amazon Kindle review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon's exclusive digital distribution deal with star literary agent Andrew Wiley looks like it wasn't all it was cracked up to be; in fact, it seems to have fallen through before the ink dried on the contracts. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Andrew Wiley is "largely abandoning" the agreement it struck with Amazon after 13 of the 20 titles supposedly included in the deal -- published by Random House -- came up for debate. The books, which included works by John Updike, VS Naipaul and Dave Eggers, among others, will now be digitally distributed by Random House itself to Amazon. While neither Wiley nor Amazon commented on the failed deal, we have a feeling that the Kindle maker will still sleep just fine this evening.

Amazon loses exclusive deal with Andrew Wiley originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It certainly feels to some degree that converged functionality is replacing the standalone and dedicated device. Look at the state-of-the-art iPod touch today and the state-of-the-art iPod of just three years ago. Compare the camera on your phone to the point and shoot digital of just four years ago. The argument seems strong for converged rather than dedicated and standalone devices.

I think the reality is a little more complicated.

Continue reading Entelligence: One device to rule them all -- or not

Entelligence: One device to rule them all -- or not originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sales are so disappointing for the BlackBerry Torch 9800 that Research In Motion has decided to halve its price from $199 to $99 only one week after its launch. You can find the deal in many online retailers. More »

Would you like to get an update about all the new and upcoming book releases that are either written by your favorite author or upcoming titles that are around your topics of interest?

Well, there’s a simple feature at Amazon that can help you in your quest.

Track Upcoming Book Releases

Open the book search page at Amazon.com and type the name of your favorite author in the “Author” field. You may also search upcoming books by keywords or by the name of their publisher. Then scroll to the “publication date” option and set it to some date in the future.

Hit Enter and voila! What you now see is a list of all relevant book titles that are in the release queue. For instance, here’s a list of all upcoming O’Reilly books, the Dummies series while this is a list of books around Google Chrome OS – the software is not launched yet but the books are due for release around November this year.

This option to find books by publication date is not only useful for tracking your favorite authors but even for your current purchases. Type the title of a book that you are about to buy, set the publication date to say next month and search – you’ll immediately know if the next edition of that book is near or not and you may defer your purchase accordingly.

Amazon doesn’t offer RSS feeds for their search results but you can add the search results pages to your Google Reader and it will automatically create a feed for you. Alternatively, you may use Google Docs to monitor pages but it’s a bit geeky.

Also see: How to Save Money on Books

Track Upcoming Books by your Favorite Author

     

Originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal.

Citing "potentially anticompetitive ebook deals," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating the relationship between Apple, Amazon and publishers. Blumenthal claims Apple and Amazon have struck exclusive deals with publishers that would block smaller ebook distributors from offering better prices. [Office of the Attorney General via TechFlash] More »

Amazon's new thinner, lighter, grayer, and most importantly cheaper Kindles are all sold out on Amazon.com. This goes for both the $139 Wi-FI-only model and the $189 3G-equipped one. Ebook reader pricing sweet spot: achieved! [Amazon] More »

Gone so soon, Kindle? Due to what we can only assume is unprecedented demand or a terrible shortfall in supply, Amazon's third-generation Kindle (you know, the one with 3G and WiFi) is already sold out. Just days after being pushed into the world, the $189 e-reader is now hoisting a "temporarily sold out" sign, with Bezos and Company urging prospective consumers to place their order now in order to "reserve a place in line." So, what'll it be? Reserve now, or throw a temper tantrum? Tough call, we know.

[Thanks, Philip]

Amazon's third-generation Kindle 'temporarily sold out,' bookworms curse the universe originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your Kindle-on-iPad experience just got a boost: the Kindle 2.2 iOS4 update adds a dictionary and the ability to search inside your books. Just another reason to stick with Kindle's platform even if you skip the hardware. [iTunes] More »

The new $140 Wi-Fi Kindle might have been the latest salvo in the ebook reader wars, but it's definitely not the last. The ball's in Barnes and Noble's court, and they're focused on the home field advantage of 720 storefronts. More »