Kobo expands Reading LIfe with Facebook integration

A sign that Facebook has a greater impact on the world of publishing than we know.  The publishing world is increasingly molding to the changing times via technology and social media.  It's better to join the game, than crawl up and fold over.
 
From their press release.

"Kobo, a global leader in eReading with 4.9 million users worldwide, today announced Kobo Pulse™, expanding its social platform – Reading Life – and its leadership in social eReading. With Kobo, every page of every book has a pulse – an indicator of social engagement driven by who and how many people are reading, what they are saying, and what they are thinking. Kobo Pulse™ allows readers to learn about the life of a book, connect with friends, share their sentiments, and engage in thought provoking discussions while reading any book. Kobo Pulse and your Reading Life are also integrated with Facebook."

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Women like e-readers, Men like tablets...agree?

Ladies love e-readers; guys prefer tablets. Do you agree?

"According to Nielsen’s second-quarter survey, 61 percent of e-reader owners are women, up from 46 percent in the third quarter of last year. Meanwhile, men make up 57 percent of tablet owners, which is down from 61 percent in the third quarter. Smartphones are used equally by women and men."

Read more at GIGaom

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Amazon Kindle has the worst customer support then other ereaders, according to BI

For those that consider the purchase of an ereader an investment (which I'm sure most of us do), regardless of the price, this review post is very interesting.  Imagine being on the cusp of the climax of the book you're reading and bang! an ugly white screen appears...now there's no way to fix it but to purchase another one.  So one thinks, but low-and-behold, there are exceptional brands that offer exceptional customer service.

Scores included B+ for the Nook, B for the Sony Reader, and an A for iPad.  I'm sure most of you are not surprised about the iPad.  Yesterday, I visited my local Apple store and despite the almost 1/2 hr backup at the genius lab, I was greeted with the giddiest of smiles.

"Amazon’s Kindle: As with other Amazon departments, the customer service aspect of its Kindle department is limited to non-existent. A free, customer-service support forum online offers questions and answers from other customers, but that’s not going to help anyone in need of a specific technical fix that other customers can’t explain. (It does, however, help with more basic questions, such as how to share Kindle books.)"

Read more on BI

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Did Apple conspire with publishers to keep e-book prices high?

"While everyone is consumed with deciphering how Google’s bid to acquire Motorola will affect Apple’s (a aapl) dominance in the smartphone market, Apple has other fights on its hands elsewhere. Among them is a class-action lawsuit filed recently that alleges the company conspired with major book publishers to keep e-book prices high, by implementing the so-called “agency model,” which allowed publishers to set the price instead of Apple. But was this an actual conspiracy, or was it just a way for Apple and the publishers to compete with Amazon’s dominance over the growing market for electronic books?"

So, what do you think? Massive conspiracy or just plain 'ol competitive strategy?

Read more on GIGAom








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Time Inc. announces it will have all 21 magazines on tablets by end of year

Time Magazine August 9th cover

Time Inc. announced that it will be making tablet application versions of all 21 of its US magazine titles available by the end of the year. The company claims this will make it the first major US magazine publisher to have all of its titles on tablets.

As part of the announcement, Time also mentioned that it had come to an agreement with Barnes + Noble to sell subscriptions and single issues of Fortune, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time on the Nook Color, with the rest of its magazines to follow by the end of the year. It already sells them for the iPad, Android Marketplace, HP Touchpad, and Next Issue Media’s store.

Those who wish to read these magazines can subscribe or buy single issues digitally, and print subscribers can update their subscriptions to include access to digital copies at no extra charge

Read more on TeleRead

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Stop! It’s A Really Bad Time To Buy A Kindle

On the other hand! (see yesterday's post)

The Kindle is the hottest ereader on the planet but I wouldn’t buy one right now. Nope, we just crossed that threshold where it’s downright silly to buy one right now. You can wait a few weeks. The next-gen model is right around the corner.

Amazon just slashed the prices of refurbished Kindles. A WiFi-only model can now be had for $99 while the 3G version is just $129. That’s cheap — even for a refurb. Kindle 3 accessories also now have a lower price. SlashGear points out that the last time Kindle refurbs and accessories went on sale, the Kindle 3 launched just a month later. That fits the prior rumors that the new ereaders and slates were possibly launching in September or October. Can’t you wait until then?

Read More on TechCrunch



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Penguin, Simon & Schuster now claim 14-15% of sales are ebooks

all e-readers

Yesterday, Simon & Schuster’s parent company CBS announced that while the publisher made less money last quarter than the one before, ebook sales accounted for a greater percentage:

Publishing revenues for the second quarter of 2011 decreased 3% to $183 million from $189 million for the same prior-year period, as strong growth in the sale of more profitable digital content was offset by lower print book sales. Digital content revenues for the second quarter of 2011 more than doubled last year’s second quarter digital sales and represented 15% of Publishing’s total revenues.

This is in line with what Pearson reported about Penguin’s revenue for the first half of 2011 last week: “eBook sales grew 128% and now represent 14% of Penguin revenues worldwide.”

Read more on TeleRead

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Woot offering 16GB HP Touchpad for $385 shipped

Woot offering 16GB HP Touchpad for $385 shipped

HP’s flagship tablet, the Touchpad, launched just a month ago in 16GB and 32GB models for $500 and $600 respectively, but in an attempt to move more units the company has introduced a $100 discount to both models. The new $400/500 prices are now showing up on sites like Amazon and BestBuy.com, but if you want a slightly better deal you should check out today’s offer from Amazon-owned Woot.com: $380 + $5 shipping. Here’s another review of the device if you want a second opinion.

Read more on TeleRead

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A new ereader by 3M for those who can't afford real books

3M creates a new ereader for libraries

Well, not really.

According to Teleread:

"Next month, 3M’s recent investment in German ebook device company txtr will bear fruit in a pilot program in Minneapolis. The library system there will test 3M’s new cloud-based ebook library lending service using cloud-connected kiosks and custom ereader devices that users who don’t own any hardware will be able to check out.

Allowing library patrons to check out an actual e-reader does come with some security concerns. But the St. Paul libraries are comfortable with the risk."

“Our biggest focus is giving access to people who can’t afford them,” said Sheree Savage, a spokeswoman for the St. Paul libraries. With any library materials, security is always a concern, she said. But the 3M e-reader only can be used to read materials available from the library, so this reduces the chance that someone might walk off with it, she said.

What do you think?

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