Kindle Books-Free.com

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

The question is 2010 going to be the year of Color eReaders is perhaps not the question that should be answered.  Instead one might ask is 2010 the year of the eReaders in general.  The CES show held in January has displayed a number of new eReaders on the market.  Some of them are definitely going to have color screens, and more than that each has its own interesting feature.

However, to answer the original question 2010 does seem the year for color screens.  More and more of the eReaders being released offer color touch screens and color reading screens.  Even Amazon is working on a color screen.  Sony has just released the Daily Edition with color, and of course there is the Apple iPad that has the best color screen.

Each of the eReaders offering color screens has done so for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is that it was a natural step.  Many people are reading magazines, Manga, and newspaper comics on their ePaper devices.  The Sunday edition comics are always in color, as is Manga.  You then add in the option of being able to make notes in the eBook and it is a necessary option to provide a different color to make notes in.

The second main reason for providing color screens comes in the video digital media.  Ereaders are turning from just eBooks to much more.  The Apple iPad is just one example of this.  There are a number of tablet computers hitting stores.  These computers offer internet surfing, music, video, and eBook options.  Instead of taking a DVD player, laptop, phone, music device, and any other portable device on the plane, all one needs is the tablet computer.  It allows you to watch any video online or that you have downloaded to storage, as well as carrying books, and a device that makes calls and sends emails.

The Amazon Kindle is even moving in this direction with their color eReader device they are working on.  The Kindle is one of the only devices that has a QWERTY keyboard attached instead of the touch screen.  So, it is the year for color screens with eReaders. It is also a year for all types of eReaders.  It is not just the tablet computers that are coming out in eReader formats.  One very interesting option is the Skiff eReader.  The Skiff is from LG with a metal foil technology.  It is rollable, bendable, and very flexible.  This means you get color eReaders, and something that is more like a newspaper or magazine to carry around.  If you do not have enough flat space in your carry on, you can roll the Skiff up to take up a little corner.  

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

The “Readius eReader”, the first pocket-size e-reader with a rollable e-paper display larger than the device itself, was invented by Polymer Vision, a spin-off of an electronics company that wanted state-of-the-art technology to be able to reach the marketplace more quickly. A financial mess led the fledgling company to bankruptcy in July 2009, but its knight in shining armor was an Asian technology firm that has since shepherded the project to safety. It will make its debut in 2010.Polymer Vision was hatched in 2003 in an infant-technology incubator developed by Royal Philips Electronics NV and eventually spun off. Four years later, Technology Capital SA of Luxemburg purchased the majority of the stock previously help by Philips and turned Polymer Vision loose to go forward and do great things. As a result, Polymer Vision is the proud papa of the Readius, an e-reader the size of a credit card whose prototype made its debut in late 2006 at the IFA consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin. Polymer Vision’s Dutch executive team had high hopes for the mobile device with a rollable display that was larger than the device itself. But the firm became mired in financial difficulties by July 2009, at which time it declared bankruptcy, putting the brainchild with so much promise in limbo.However, Asian technology firm Wistron – itself a spin-off of Acer – came to the rescue in late 2009 and resuscitated Polymer Vision’s baby. Wistron has confirmed that in 2010 it will release a 5-inch device based on Polymer Vision technology that features a fold-out display similar to the prototype device they took to the IFA exhibition in 2006. With the current contract of sale, PV will be able to keep approximately 80% of its stuff. The Polymer Vision team makes up part of the Wistron’s Mobile Business Group.The Readius uses E Ink Corp.’s Vizplex ink-imaging film called “EPD” – electronic paper display, or, alternately, electrophoretic display – which was originally developed at MIT in the 1990s. EPD has higher resolution than LCD and allows pages to appear very similar to newspaper. It also eliminates the poor visibility and eyestrain caused by glare from the sun, and can be read from almost any angle, just like paper. As it was described in the article “E-Readers: their Past, Present and Future”, e-inc consists of a microencapsulated suspension in a clear medium containing particles which are white one half and black the other, the white being positively charged, and the black with a negative charge (Digital Book Readers). When planning production of the foldable screens, developed by Stanford University, PV had invested $4.9m in manufacturing facilities.Touted by Wistron as the world’s “first pocket eReader,” the new Readius is not only smaller but weighs less than other e-readers, making it a no-brainer to use on the go without a bag or briefcase. Although the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader and some other e-readers also use EPD, known casually as e-paper, the Readius is the only pocket-size version. Rather than having a correspondingly smaller screen, the Readius offers a unique expandable display. Its rolling display technology was 15 years in the making. The challenge to its makers was its extra mechanical requirements: While the device needed to be thin, lightweight and small enough to fit in the back pocket of jeans, the flexible display had to be unbreakable and capable of rolling and unrolling repeatedly for a period of years while offering increased battery life and the readability of the larger e-readers on the market. Polymer Vision is confident it has met its goals with the new 2010 Readius.The Readius applies its mobile device talents mainly to eBooks, eNews, emails (POP3 and IMAP supported) and RSS feeds (text and audio). Here are a few of the device’s most attractive features:- 3.5G data connection- Global wireless connectivity- GSM, GPRS, EDGE – tri-band- UMTS, HSDPA – dual-band- 5-inch diagonal display with 16 grayscales (Kindle’s smallest, 6-inch) – Weight 4 ounces (compare to Kindle’s smallest, 10.2 ounces)- Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity for accessories- Dimensions 4.5” by 2.2” (Kindle’s smallest, 8” by 5.3”)- Battery life up to 30 hours- USB port-rechargeable battery – Up to 8GB storage- Audio player for MP3, AAC, WMAAs of late November 2009, Polymer Vision had not established a price point, so users eager to purchase an e-reader must either wait or make an alternate choice. Because the Sony Reader is being pre-sold since the company cannot promise immediate shipping at this time, the Kindle and other e-readers that are readily available may stand to benefit from strong e-reader demand over the next few months.

The new kid on the eBook reader is the QUE by Plastic Logic. Pronounced like the letter ‘Q’, this has yet to be launched, and appears to be an innovation in eReader technology in the features and capabilities it is claimed to offer: these will be detailed later.For now, however, the QUE appears to be the first of a new generation of eReaders expected to be launched in 2010 by those companies waiting to see the best that Amazon could produce. The Kindle DX is seriously challenged by the QUE, but how do the prices compare? The answer is that we don’t know yet because Digital Plastic has yet to launch and price their product. However, it seems that steps are being taken for us to expect a much higher price that the Kindle or any other consumer oriented ebook reader.The Kindle was always going to be set up ready for attack by any company that had belief that eBooks were the reading experience of the future. The same is true of eReading creations by Sony and any other business that rested on its laurels. Plastic Logic’s QUE is a step beyond anything we have seen to date, and no doubt there will be many steps beyond.Don’t get too worried about the predicted high price: any business that publicly states that its new product will target the business market in eReaders rather than ordinary consumers is either trying to extract a high price for its product or genuinely has something light years ahead of the Kindle or the PRS-700. Hardware predominantly designed for a business market will likely offer no better a book reading experience than any other eReader.There is evidence that the QUE is not a serious competitor to a normal eReader. The fact that Barnes & Noble are selling the QUE in their own stores alongside their own Nook indicates that perhaps there is a significant difference in intended use – and certainly in price for B&N to agree to this agreement with Plastic Logic!There are no doubts that the QUE is ahead of the Amazon and Sony products although how much ahead is for you to decide. It is extremely slim, to begin with, and its 8.5 x 11 inch screen beats the Kindle DX hands down. In fact, the screen is not only shatterproof, but also capacitive without any loss in sensitivity that such layered screens often show. It doesn’t need a stylus, and also offers 3G and wifi. However, a big down is that it uses AT&T 3G!Plastic Logic claim that they are not competing with the Kindle, which can only mean that it is not intended for the consumer market. If it is true that this eReader is targeting the business market only then the likelihood is that it will command a high corporate price, and that it is not intended for reading showbiz mags or popular fiction, but spreadsheets, reports and AGM minutes. It will basically put in easily-read eReader format what would otherwise have been separate printed sheets that would have had to be distributed to each individual. One distributed electronic file against potentially dozens or even hundreds of photocopied or printed paper sheets. As it was noted in the article “New Generation of e-Readers Contributes to Environmental Protection”, so called green reading reduces an individual’s literary carbon footprint intertwining human interaction and the planet’s lifespan together on a favorable level (Digital Book Readers).Let’s take the view that the QUE will have to be launched to consumers in order to profit – and that is a fairly safe assumption to make. Its competition is the current technology: Cool-er and Kindle, for example. These are not technologically demanding standards to beat, mainly because the eBook reader market has not been demanding to date. Now, however, consumers are beginning to sit up and notice the benefits of eReaders, both from a convenience and an environmental point of view. The battle is on. So where does Plastic Logic figure when we assume that Amazon, Sony, Apple and Microsoft are going to take notice and start working on something other than what has been to date a product to meet the relative low demands of a niche market? Actually, surprisingly well! It reads business formats such as PDF, Excel, PowerPoint and Word, and you can even edit the MS Office documents on the screen.Unlike the Kindle, the QUE enables users to jump about between documents, an important business requirement. In fact, it appears that once Plastic Logic launches this product they will have few, if any, competitors in the commercial eReader business market. The company has content partnerships with a number of publishers such as Barnes and Noble (that powers the QUE store), the Financial Times, USA Today, Zinio and Ingram Digital plus others.It should by now be obvious why Digital Plastic claims the QUE not to compete with the Kindle. In fact it should be the other way around: there is no way the Kindle could compete with the QUE in the business market. There is just one problem though: it has yet to be launched, and all we have read to date are no more than promises. However, if the QUE meets up to these promises, then others have a way to go to compete for the commercial eReader business.

The history of personal electronics is marked by new uses. The latest new use is the e-reader, or electronic book reader. These devices occupy the middle ground between bulky, heavy laptop computers and cell phones with miniscule screens. Similar in size and weight to a magazine or paperback book, e-readers promise to give their owners access to great literature or trashy novels – any time, anywhere.

E-readers typically use a liquid-ink technology that makes text on the screen look more like text on the printed page. Displays are usually book-sized, and range from a five-inch diagonal screen to screens the size and shape of printer paper. Controls are usually mounted on the bottom or sides of the reader.

The major players

As of 2009, Amazon and Sony dominate the e-reader market. These companies have very different business strategies, which makes their e-reader offerings equally different.

Amazon’s main focus has always been content. For this reason, the Kindle is the only e-reader compatible with e-books from Amazon. But as the competition has grown, Amazon has embraced the concept of convergence, enabling Kindle owners to send personal documents to the device wirelessly or via USB port from a PC.

At the same time, Amazon’s focus on the needs of the human reader has given the Kindle some nice features that Sony can’t match. The latest version of the Kindle includes 3G wireless, which Amazon claims can download a book in less than a minute. Amazon hopes to be able to offer every book ever printed, in electronic form. In addition, a speech-to-text feature lets the Kindle read to its owner.

Sony’s offerings use a USB connection to deliver content, making it less appealing for the impulse reader. But users of the Sony e-reader can read files from more than one vendor. The Sony website even mentions compatibility with Google Books as a selling point. This points to the difference between Sony as an electronics manufacturer that also publishes books and video, and Amazon, which is primarily a bookseller.

What’s next?

The e-reader story is just beginning. Several new companies are ready to enter the market with new devices in 2010. Look for more connectivity, additional functions, and the addition of colored cases in the near future. Displays will be changing, too, with some models sporting a two-page format to build on the paper book paradigm.

Why an e-Reader?

Palmtop computers are light and compact, and perfectly capable of displaying a screen full of text. Smartphones are even smaller, and have excellent display quality. How is the e-reader better than these devices?

E-readers displays are designed to be compatible with the way humans read. Other devices use LCD screens. The liquid ink technologies used in e-readers produce smoother print, causing less eyestrain. The physical format is also important. People are used to reading pages, not small scraps of pages. E-reader displays are large enough to show at least half a page. This provides a more normal reading experience.

As the technology advances, e-readers will develop new functions. Print is far from dead. It’s just gone electronic!

For more information on E-readers, visit http://top-ereaders-shop.com

Kobo is a global ereading service for smartphones, desktops, ereaders and any other device consumers use for reading. Kobo’s vision is to deliver any book on any device. Kobo features over 2 million ebooks, including classics and bestsellers.
 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

In the last two years, netbooks had made substantial growth in the PC market and begun to take market share away from laptops possibly due to their featherweight designs and low prices. But, the devices lack key features like optical drive, have reduced specification and computing power.In contrast, Tablet PCs offer an edge over netbooks with its touchscreen and use of digital pen or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or mouse. Recently, Apple had ignited the tablet market by announcing its entry in the segment. It is reported that ASUS, Dell, Samsung are also planning to introduce their tablet PC by the next year. Therefore, consumers can soon expect small touch-screen tablets from all major PC vendors.But, the question is will tablets kill netbooks and e-readers in 2010? At present, Tablet PCs have a bad reputation. It is due to Microsoft’s unclear vision for the devices, which resulted in higher cost, slower input speed, unpleasant pen-based tablets, and risk for screen and hinge damage to users. The Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system lacks power.But, after the introduction of several new mobile operating systems and cheaper components, the next generation of tablet PCs can outshine Netbooks in near future. The new Tablet PCs will have following new features that will make the devices to intersect other markets.Now, use finger instead of penAfter the success of iPhone and other touchscreen mobiles, it is understood that actually touching the screen is far more appealing than using stylus, which requires different UI and software up gradation that Microsoft unwilling to do till Windows 7.Due to the introduction of Swype technology and new mobile operating systems, the touch technology will make all the difference in the next generation Tablets.Mobile phone operating systemsThe new Tablet PCs will be powered by various mobile OSs like iPhone OS, Android etc, instead of Microsoft’s Windows. These operating systems will provide adequate software compatibility to the Tablet devices for accepting human touch and will make them cheaper, faster and more ultraportable than before.

Tablets or Big mobile phonesIt is assumed that the next generation Tablets will be touch phones with large screen, therefore cheaper to build. Further, due to lesser-powered processors, small RAM, Free operating system and smaller screens, the cost for manufacturing them will be similar to the netbooks i.e., cheap.Applications and connectivitySimilar to the cell phone apps stores, Apple will certainly pour large number of applications to its touch tablets. Further, various other vendors will also join the race to encash the growing opportunity of apps platform.

Meanwhile, when tablets will be sold like Smartphones, then the connectivity feature will come in-built. Hence, consumers can carry the tablets like their mobile phones.HD video and e-book conceptAt present, people are watching internet TV rather than using the conventional one. Therefore, they require a cheap, high-quality tablet which will provide High Definition video on the move. Further, the Tablet PCs can be used as e-Book reader; hence, it will be a good option against Amazon Kindle or Sony PRS range.DiscussionIn Netbooks, you have to type on its small keyboard, which is somewhat problematic to professionals. Whereas, Tablet PCs can be a fold-up or roll-out and use a Bluetooth keyboard of your choice. It is true that they will provide more refined experience to its users, but besides its functionality, price does matter for its success.

The iPad Killer
The Kindle Fire!

Ask YOURSELF : CAN I.......

1. Surf the internet? YES!
2. Read eBooks & Magazines? YES!
3. Read e-mail? YES!
4. Watch Pics Videos & Movies? YES!
5. Twitter & Facebook? YES!
6. Play Music? YES!
7. Play Games? YES!
8. Install APPs? YES!
9. Afford it? YES!

YES!
THE ANSWER WILL SHOCK YOU!
CLICK HERE NOW


 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

The Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader PRS-700 are two of the hottest ebook readers to hit the market in the past 12 months, bringing reading pleasure to an entirely new level. For those who are new to ebook reading devices and are interested in getting one, here’s a comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader and how they match up against each other.

Price

The price of any gadget is a big factor for many individuals especially for first-time buyers. The Amazon Kindle 2 is currently priced at $359, while the Sony Reader is currently pegged at $399, making the Kindle 2 cheaper by $40.

Size and Weight

The size and weight of these gadgets don’t really give one distinct advantage over the other. The Sony Reader PRS-700 weighs around 10 oz., the Kindle 2 just slightly over that. The Sony Reader is a bit wider and thicker, while the Kindle is a couple inches longer. In any case, both are very convenient to carry around.

Display

The two reading devices both use e-ink technology which creates a display that is very similar to text on paper, eliminating eye strain, and providing an easy read with crisp, clear text and images. The Amazon Kindle 2009 however, is now enhanced with 16 shades of gray, while the Sony Reader has an 8-level gray scale.

Wireless Capabilities

Here is a category where the Sony Reader is clearly bested by the Kindle. The Amazon Kindle 2nd generation makes use of the Whispernet technology, providing Free wireless coverage in the US via Sprint’s 3G high-speed network. Kindle users can gain access to over 240,000 book titles, magazines, newspapers, and even blogs. By just choosing the reading content of choice and paying for it, the book or magazine will be downloaded to the Kindle anytime, anywhere within minutes! The Sony Reader PRS-700 on the other hand, still lacks this wireless capability, and with only less than 100,000 books to choose from, it does not even come close to the breadth of content that the Kindle offers.

Formats Supported

Both electronic book readers support most commonly used formats such as TXT, MP3, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP, plus some formats unique to each device. The Sony Reader however, supports PDF while the Kindle 2 does not – not directly, anyway. PDFs still need to be emailed to Kindle’s support desk to be converted for viewing on the Kindle and Amazon has gives an advance notice that “some complex PDF files may not format correctly” on the Kindle.

Storage Capacity

In this feature, the Sony Reader gains the clear upper hand. True, the Amazon Kindle 2 has 2G of internal memory of which 1.4g is available for content and can hold up to 1,500 books, but it no longer supports external memory cards. While the Sony Reader’s 256mb internal memory may seem like peanuts compared to the Kindle, the main advantage actually lies in the Sony’s ability to support up to 16G of external memory. Now that’s a great benefit not only when it comes to holding thousands of content should one need it, but also for managing files into different memory cards.

Battery Life and Charge Time

The two ebook readers have the same capacity when it comes to battery life. On a fully charged Kindle 2 or Sony Reader, one can read straight for two weeks without needing a recharge. The only difference is that if the Kindle 2 is used with the wireless turned on, the battery capacity is reduced to just four days. Charging time for both readers is four hours via USB, or two hours using an AC wall charger. The Bottom Line 2009 Comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 vs Sony eBook Reader:Although it’s not a total knock out for the Kindle over the Sony Reader, it’s close! The Amazon Kindle 2 remains the better ebook reader hands-down. The price, breadth of content, wireless capabilities, and overall design improvements of the Amazon Kindle 2nd generation makes it a clear winner over the Sony Reader 700.

Get the full Amazon Kindle 2 review here and take the video tour to see just how cool this handheld ebook reader is! Watch the full video comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader here.

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader is now on sale in the UK and Europe, shipped with a US power adaptor supporting voltages of between 100V and 240V so that it can be used anywhere in Europe. Amazon began offering the Kindle to Europe in late October 2009, thus breaking down the one barrier to its potential domination of the e-reader market.

It is not, however, sold from local Amazon sites such as Amazon.co.uk, but only from the American main website Amazon.com. It is sold in American dollars, and shipped from the US, although it is ordered by Europeans using their regular accounts. So what benefits does the Kindle offer over the other e-readers that have been available in Europe for some time and that most people interested in eBook readers now own. Examples include the Sony PRS, Cool-er and iRex, though there are several others against which the Kindle now has to prove itself.

It is being offered globally on the 3G network with no charges for the wireless connectivity that is used to download eBooks directly to the Kindle. However, blogs and the web browser they are experimenting with will not be available.

Is it too late for Amazon to enter the European market? Initial signs are no. Sales have been strong, particularly in the UK and Western Europe, where it appears that intelligent consumers are going for the Kindle’s range of features rather than looks. However, the strength of the iPhone in Europe could be serious competition once this has been modified to a fully featured e-reader. Apple is not known for being left behind in any technology. Furthermore, as it was noted in the article “Is the Future of Books in Mobile EBook Reading?”, the future likely lies in a portable digital reader that downloads and plays music, offers internet access, incorporates a digital camera and can be used as a mobile phone (Digital Book Readers).

The electronic libraries available to Kindle users are vast, with Amazon offering over 200,000 titles in the English language, and publishers such as Penguin, HarperCollins and Faber and Faber signing up to offer Kindle-compatible titles. To date only US newspapers and magazines are available, but it should not be long before the top UK and European newspapers are added to the list.

As stated, prices are in US dollars, and a Kindle currently sells to the UK from Amazon.com for $259 plus local customs, taxes and other charges, although accessories such as a charger, leather case cover and users guide are available from local Amazon sites in local currencies. In the UK that price equates to £157 UK – compared to the Sony PRS-505 at £225, the BeBook at £240 and the Cool-er at £190 (all to the nearest pound), then the Kindle appears to be the best deal.

You can get the Sony e-book Pocket for under £160 if you know where to look, and all of these products can be purchased at lower prices elsewhere using internet price comparison websites, but these are the basic prices on Amazon and a brief survey has indicated that they differentials are generally maintained elsewhere.

However, buying from the US site, it is not possible to find the actual price including duty and delivery until you actually provide your payment details. On doing that the price is £202.63: It still beats the Sony PRS and BeBook price, and given the limitations of the Cool-er and the size of the Sony Pocket that is cheaper still, there appears to be no reason why the Kindle should not be as successful in Europe as it is in the USA.

So what benefits does the Kindle offer over these competitors? Probably the backing of Amazon, the largest eBook distributor on the planet, is sufficient reason in itself. Add to that the amazingly clear screen with its e-ink technology, and everything that anybody could want in an e-reader, and then you have your answer. Add to that the 3G, that means you don’t have to dock your reader to anything, and it doesn’t even have to come within a 100 miles of a computer to work, then its competitors are dead in the water.

The battery has the longest life ever, and everything about it is about ease of use, ease and speed of download and storage capacity for 200 books, this has everything. Add to that the MP3 player that plays through built-in speakers or headphones that it shares with iRex (the Sony needs headphones), then you have a machine that is top of the class, and for which only the price was not right.

Now that the price is right in Europe compared to that of the competition then there should be no holding the Kindle back. At least not until Apple find a competitor to 3G to enable rapid downloading of eBooks, and then the world of e-readers will come alight again with a battle royal that Amazon might not relish – but knowing Apple, they will love!