Archive for: ebook

Barnes and Nobles Releases Nook Reader iPad App

Barnes and Nobles, who have been hanging on tightly to their Nook reader has finally decided to release an app on an Apple device, an move that Amazon was smart enough to do years ago with the release of their Amazon Kindle App. Purportedly the Kindle app does very well on Apple devices, and now with the iPad’s iBookstore, what type of reception will the BN app have on the iPad?

The BN eReader will stand up to some stiff competition in an already saturated market, but variety is the spice of life, right?  It’ll be interesting to see how many people are swayed to this app and if habits will change from what they are already using currently.

In an excerpt from their announcement:

BN eReader for iPad is designed to offer an easy, yet sophisticated, customizable reading experience. Users can choose from multiple ways to view their library, including professionally designed themes with elegant and complementary text and page colors, as well as fonts; and instantly switch between portrait and landscape views based on personal preference. BN eReader for iPad users can further personalize their reading experience with unparalleled options: literally millions of colors for text, pages, highlights and links; eight typefaces and five text sizes; and a variety of margins and customizable spacing options.

What I see as a huge win for the app is the support of the Nook’s “LendMe” technology, which allows users to share certain eBooks with their friends. This is made easier with the integration of the iPad’s address book. The book loan is good for 14 days, which is more than enough time to introduce the reader to a new author, series, or genre which BN hopes will be enough to drive sales.

A similar app has been available on the iPhone and iTouch as of last year, but still so late to the game, I’m personally not aware of anyone using the BN app, with the majority opting to use the Amazon Kindle app instead. Do you have a preference and if so, are you a fan of the BN app?

Kobo Ebook Reader Goes Cross Platform

The Kobo ebook reader is just one of many mobile ebook readers on the market. What makes this ebook stand out from the many out there is the cross platform capability. We are familiar with ebook apps on our iPhone/iTouch, or maybe even our mobile phones, but the Kobo allows you read your selections from the mobile device, a smart phone, desktop, or laptop.

The ebook reader is globally known and backed by the likes of Indigo Books & Music, Borders, REDgroup Retail, Cheung Kong Holdings, and other leaders in technology and retail. They firmly state that they believe anyone should have access to their content and be able to read anywhere, anytime, no matter what. Their support of open standards goes directly against some of the bigger competitors who firmly believe in close systems. According to Kobo’s site, closed systems stifle innovation and growth, thus their support of allowing their product to go across multiple platforms.

They are currently boasting approximately 2 million books and over 200,000 PDF’s to browse through. With top hits from the New York Time’s best seller list to the most popular ebooks, readers should find something of interest and enjoy the fact that the open system allows for them to move from device to device without fearing any sort of lock down.

I find it interesting that they state that even if they have not heard of a device or if it’s not out yet, they can find a way to be on there. A true testament to the fact that the Kobo ebook reader is really part of an open system.

Barnes And Noble EBook Reader Hacked

Barnes & Noble, the popular publishing company, released a competitor to the Amazon Kindle in late November called the Nook. It was equipped with 3G capabilities and WiFi as well as other similar features such as an ink screen and matt finish to avoid glare.

However, fans of the device (who run a site called NookDevs) just released a guide which enables users to easily hack the device. And it really is quite simple. Even a novice user could do it.

All that is required of the user is to pop open the device and remove the memory card. There are then some changes to be made via a PC  (namely gaining root access to the operating system) and then the card is re-inserted. You can find the instructions here.