e-book reader

Update at 7:25 a.m. PST: Kindle 2 has been officially announced.

Amazon.com unveiled the second generation of its Kindle e-book reader during an event Monday morning at New York's Morgan Library and Museum.

The event started at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST, and we're updating it live below. Below the CoverItLive box, see photos of the new, $359 Kindle 2, which will start shipping February 24. (See also press release and Kindle 2 site.)

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=23013053ec" >Amazon's Kindle 2 Launch</a>

Amazon Kindle 2: Complete CNET coverage

… Read more

At a Monday morning press event at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, Amazon.com is expected to turn the page on its e-book reader business.

The company is widely expected to introduce its next-generation Kindle device (CNET News plans to live-blog from the event later Monday morning). Rumors of its imminent launch have circulated since last summer, and in the fall, a photo of what is purported to be the Kindle 2 leaked on the Boy Genius Report blog. On Friday, a fresh set of purported Kindle 2 pictures hit the Web.

What the final product will look like is unknown, but if a new Kindle is launched Monday it's easy to imagine it will be lighter, slimmer, and have an updated look. The original design was largely panned for being too bulky and having too many sharp edges, as well as an interface that wasn't as user-friendly as some had hoped.

Even beyond that, there are a whole host of tweaks to the device consumers want to see in the next Kindle: wider support of file formats like PDF; a color screen; touch-screen capabilities like swiping to turn a page (as with Sony's Reader); and, more particularly, redesign of the "next page" button, which is located near the spot where many hold the device while reading.

… Read more

Ever since rumors--and some alleged photos--of Amazon's next-generation Kindle digital reader hit the Web late last year, I keep getting e-mails from readers asking me for buying advice. Here's a typical note:

Hi, David:

Around Christmas, I ordered the Amazon Kindle, but as I'm sure you know, it's back-ordered for a couple of months. Then I saw your article on the Kindle 2 coming out soon and I'm not sure what to do. Should I cancel my order? If the new Kindle 2 comes out right after I get mine, will I be able … Read more

Ever since rumors--and some alleged photos--of Amazon's next-generation Kindle digital reader hit the Web late last year, I keep getting e-mails from readers asking me for buying advice. Here's a typical note:

Hi, David:

Around Christmas, I ordered the Amazon Kindle, but as I'm sure you know, it's back-ordered for a couple of months. Then I saw your article on the Kindle 2 coming out soon and I'm not sure what to do. Should I cancel my order? If the new Kindle 2 comes out right after I get mine, will I be able … Read more

In what seems like an eternity ago, Crave posted an item about a dual-LCD concept that was designed as a digital newspaper of sorts, folding at the center like a broadsheet. Now, finally, some universities are reportedly working on a prototype based on similar principles for e-books.

Researchers from Berkeley and Maryland are developing a dual-screen reader with digital pages that can be turned by way of a built-in trackball, according to Engadget. And for flexibility the two displays can be separated and viewed horizontally if needed.

There have been other double-display portable computers on the market, though none made … Read more

This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday to correct the estimated number of Kindles to be sold by 2010.

Q: Is $360 versus $400 that big of a deal?

A: On a slow news day, apparently, yes.

We're not talking an iPhone-level price cut here. Still, blogs here, here, here, here, and here are really excited about the 10 percent discount Amazon.com is offering on the Kindle.

It's not at all clear that a $40 discount is the shove fence-sitters considering buying a $400 device for reading electronic books are going to need. … Read more

With so many e-book readers coming on the market, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to build the technology into another type of media device. And what better way to complement a good book than music?

Iriver's new P10 portable media player does just that, though it's headed only for the Korean market so far. It has 33GB of built-in memory, handwriting recognition, and a 4.3-inch LCD with a 800 x 480 resolution.

If that's a tad small for reading the classics, you can still use it to watch the Simpsons because … Read more

Calling it the iPod of the book business, CitiGroup analyst Mark Mahaney says the Kindle e-book reader will generate three-quarters of a billion dollars for Amazon.com in less than two years.

That should account for up to 3 percent of Amazon's business. See his chart and reasoning here.

His calculations assume that unit sales will grow from 189,000 by the end of this year to 2.2 million units in just two years. By then he assumes the price of the device will be just below $300. Mahaney also points out that Amazon does have the largest … Read more

Another day, another e-book reader. There must be something in the air, because in the last week alone we've seen new releases of Endless Ideas' "Bebook," the Irex "Book Edition," and now Astak's "Mentor."

The latest runs on Windows CE 5.0 and has a 6-inch screen that's similar to the displays on the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, as well as the Bebook. Unlike the competing readers seen in the last few days, however, Astak's offering includes Wi-Fi connectivity, uses e-ink technology, and has a lower price than all … Read more