Apple tablet to change eBooks and small laptops forever

2009 turned out to be a huge year for eBooks and eReaders however many predict that the upcoming Apple iTablet will change the e-book and small laptops business forever.

Currently Amazon’s Kindle is the market leader in the e-book market, however many believe that Steve Jobs and Apple’s tablet device will dethrone the Kindle.

The device, which is due to be officially announced tonight at an event in San Francisco, is based on a version of Apple’s iPhone operating system, with the ability to have multiple applications running at the same time

Other specifications include Wi-Fi and 3G data connections, with both Verizon and AT&T listed as carriers in the US by Calacanis. Also mentioned are two “thumb pads” on either side for “mouse gestures”, plus two cameras, one front facing for video conferencing and one at the rear, presumably for capturing video or stills.

A fifth of Americans have ditched books for ebooks

The Book Industry Study Group released a report January 15 detailing statistics about US e-book readers. Among findings, the group reports that about 20 percent of readers in the US stopped purchasing physical books in the last 12 months, instead switching over to electronic editions.

The Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading survey found that the majority of print book buyers rank “affordability” as the top reason they buy a title in its digital form. Searchability and environmental friendliness were ranked lower.

Other findings:

- Survey respondents prefer the following devices to read their e-books: computers (47%), Kindle (32%), other e-reader devices (about 10% each)

- 28% said they would “definitely” purchase an e-book with Digital Rights Management (DRM), which prohibits readers from sharing e-books across devices.

- 81% of survey respondents say they currently purchase an e-book only “rarely” or “occasionally.”

Microsoft and HP announce touch-screen ‘Slate’ tablet

Microsoft and HP laptops have unveiled a new touch-screen tablet computer they hope will overshadow a similar device that Apple is expected to launch this month.

To add insult to injury Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer referred to the gadget as a ‘slate.’ Technology pundits think Apple will call their gadget ‘iSlate’ after filing for the trademark.

The 10inch HP tablet is a touch screen computer that runs Windows 7.

It doesn’t have a physical keyboard and is geared towards customers who want one device for reading books, browsing the web and playing computer games.

‘It’s a beautiful little product,’ Steve Ballmer told the audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. ‘It is almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC.’

The tablet will transform into an interactive eReader using Blio reader software. This will allow embedded videos and create audio books using text-to-speech technology.

Amazon Kindle for laptops and computers coming soon

Amazon aren’t stopping with their iPhone app for the Kindle after announcing they will soon have a free Kindle app for Windows PCs and laptops.

While the new app won’t be available for download until next month, Microsoft demonstrated it at the Windows 7launch event in New York last week. Like the iPhone app, Kindle for computers turns your machine into another reading device that can be linked to a Kindle account (you don’t have to own a Kindle to set up a Kindle account). You can then choose to send Kindle e-books and periodicals to your PC via a wired or wireless network connection. Also, you can read an e-book on your PC while at home (or elsewhere), then send that same e-book to your iPhone or Kindle and pick up reading where you left off.

“Customers have told us that they want access to a wider variety of content and an increasingly diverse set of form factors,” said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Platform Strategy at Microsoft. “With the announcement of Kindle for PC, Amazon is making its massive selection of Kindle books available on the world’s most widely used platform.”

Amazon keep Kindle cards close to their chest

Amazon are keeping schtum about the launch of their Kindle e-reader in the UK, to the annoyance of British mobile operators.

Vodafone and O2 said they were ‘puzzled’ by the news that the Kindle has set its worldwide launch for October 19.
The operators had hoped to have a role in providing the wireless network necessary for the device that allows newspapers, books, magazines, and personal documents to a high-resolution 6-inch electronic ink display.

“We only heard about the launch this morning. We have no idea whether we’ll have a role,” said one.

Although Amazon’s Kindle reader for ebooks has been a major hit and the best-selling product in creator Amazon’s entire store this year, it has not been available outside of the US thus far.

iPhone eBooks to hit younger target audience

Multimedia concept agency Sleepydog have released a series of eBooks for the iPhone and iPod Touch, specifically pinpointed for a young target market.

The company claims to be the first iPhone developer to do so, debuting a range of seven titles by international children’s authors Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow.

Authors Skidmore and Barlow made the titles available from books which were no longer in print and the rights had reverted back from the publishers. Titles from additional authors are planned in the near future, the company says.

Sleepydog was set up in 1997 licensing IP to the mobile telecoms sector, along with a range of multimedia content for mobile phone operators.

Bookeen Cybook Opus ebook reader soon to hit UK market

The growing ebook reader market will be joined by another new product release – a launch by French company Bookeen with the Cybook Opus, the company’s fourth-gen ebook reader.

Weighing in at a mere 150 grams (roughly half that of the Kindle), Bookeen claims the Cybook Opus is slimmer, lighter and faster than competitors.

It boasts the ‘latest’ 800 x 600 pixel, black and white, E-Ink display, whilst also featuring an accelerometer for landscape/portrait sensing, 1GB memory with up to 4G microSD card, charges via USB and claims 8000 pages turns per charge.

It will be priced at £199 complete with 75 pre-loaded titles.

Asus to unveil the ‘world’s cheapest ebook reader’

Sony and BeBook have both muscled their way into the ebooks market to compete with the Amazon Kindle, but a new challenger in the form of Asus could be set to throw their hat into the ring.

Their device is currently being dubbed the Eee Reader and will undoubtedly look to build on the reputation for value and practicality garnered by Asus’ Eee PC laptop range- and it is pulling no punches early doors by claiming to be the world’s cheapest digital reader.

The Eee Reader (we’ll happily go with that for now) is expected to be unveiled before the turn of the year and will likely be available in both budget and premium versions. The expected retail price is around £100.