Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

There are a wide variety of eReader, kindle news items today and most of them are very interesting -

eBooks and eReaders 

1. Detailed pictures of Spring Design’s Alex eReader are available at Maximum PC. They also have details -
   

   * Alex’s capacitive LCD screen runs the full Android OS, including support for UI customization, photo galleries, and full-color video playback.
   * On-screen slider on LCD to move to anywhere in your ebook.
   * Alex is noticeably thicker than the Kindle.

2. The current Communications of the ACM (via MobileRead) has a good article on future epaper technologies. It’s disappointing that they totally ignore eInk (no interviews). Shouldn’t the company that owns screens used in all major eReaders be included when we talk future?
3. Shanzai have an article on the world’s thinnest eReader, the Boeye E510, which is just 7.7 mm.  
   

   7.7 mm - thinnest ereader ever

4. The New Yorker wonders why B&N would have a “rights issue” and not be able to sell ebooks outside of the US, while Amazon has no such problem. They obviously missed the 1.75 year delay in getting the Kindle outside the US.
5. GalleyCat wonders – What Should eBook Royalties Be?
6. TechFlash has University of Washington student reactions to the Kindle DX and it’s more negative than positive. 2 of the 4 students are positive and they mention the lack of proper annotations, lack of folders and slow typing being annoyances. One of the students hasn’t even used his Kindle so not sure why he’s included.
7. Research and Advisory firm mediaIDEAS have predictions for eReaders. Their predictions include -
   

   Figures:
   * 5 million eReaders will be sold in 2010 for a value of $975 million.
   * 115 million eReaders will be sold in 2013.
   * 446 million units by 2016.
   * 280 million color magazine eReaders sold by 2020.

   eReader Advances:
   * Flexible eReaders by 2010.
   * 9 inch rollable and foldable eReaders by 2012.
   * Flexible, color Magazine eReaders by 2013.

John Grisham and Wal-Mart CEO chime in on Amazon Vs Wal-Mart 

1. John Grisham thinks the WalMart-Amazon price war is a disaster for books and the discounts are ‘short-sighted’. He has an interesting take on what ebooks will mean for upcoming authors (via MSNBC) -
   

   Regarding reading books electronically, he told Lauer: “If half of us are going to be doing it, then you’re going to wipe out tons of bookstores and publishers and we’re going to buy it all online.

   “I’m probably going to be all right — but the aspiring writers are going to have a very hard time getting published,” he added.

2. BNet talk with WalMart CEO Raul Vasquez and he’s clear about taking on Amazon and about keeping book prices low -
   

   “Our goal is to make Walmart.com the most visited and valued website that exists.”

   What we did with the 10 pre-orders for $10 … is make it even clearer to customers that if you want to save money in this difficult recession, the place to go and shop is Walmart.com.

The WalMart CEO also revealed that the Site to Store service (order online and pick up free at a WalMart store) now accounts for 40% of WalMart.com’s business.

Google on one side and Wal-Mart on the other – Amazon’s path isn’t easy.

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