If you have a Kindle 4 (that's the one with the hardware controller and no keyboard), Amazon just released an software update. I don't have a Kindle 4, so I haven't been able to test it out. There are no release notes, and the folks on Kindleboards are saying it downloads very quickly, leading them to believe that it's just a patch. Have any of you downloaded and tried it out? Notice anything different? * * * I just tried the update myself, and didn't run into any trouble. Couple of things I should probably point out, though, especially for anyone who's not really...

Found via an email from Ed Howdershelt to the Ebook Community Mailing List: the swan song for e-book stores Fictionwise, eReader, and eBookwise. Barnes & Noble has emailed Fictionwise publishers and authors that it is shuttering the long-running e-book stores and will be offering US and UK customers the opportunity to migrate their e-book purchases from said sites to a Barnes & Noble Nook library. (Complete letter pasted below the jump.) It’s really kind of sad: eReader (nee Palm Digital Media, nee Peanut Press) and Fictionwise were two of the first really big e-book stores, feeding the e-book habits...

My Nexus 7 arrived yesterday and I've had plenty of time to play with it.  No point in doing a full review because those have been all over ther net for some time now.  Here are my personal impressions: The Good: 1.  I bought it mainly to use as an ereader since I no longer like reading e-ink and my iPad, while a wonderful ereader, is too heavy and large to  be easily portable.  The 7 inch form factor of the Nexus is just perfect for an ereader.  It's light, easy to hold and can even fit into some of my pockets....

According to Android Central London Drugs are selling the 16GB version at the same price as Google Play....

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From Andrys Basten's A Kindle World Blog: Recently, a family member recently told me he was frustrated by trying to read webpages with tiny fonts, and I saw a Kindle news blog saying not much had been done to improve the Kindle Fire. I replied that the new Kindle Fire feature, Reading View for web-article reading that isolates the article, is done VERY well, and it’s brought me back to Amazon's Silk browser from Dolphin HD (Android) web browers which I had far preferred until Amazon’s Reading View feature was added to its Silk browser.   The new feature makes a huge difference...

New Features When searching, allow use of un-accented characters to match accented characters in all fields and all languages (not just authors and English as before) Content server: Show a best guess for the IP address the content server is currently listening at in the connect/share menu. E-book viewer: Add an option to show a clock in full screen mode. Drivers for Paquito Imaginarium and a few Android phones HTMLZ Output: Add option to use the book title as the filename for the html file inside the archive Make the list of displayed fields in the book details panel a per library setting Have autocomplete on authors/series/tags/etc....

Macworld has an article about this today.  The goal is to turn the iPad into an ereader device that doesn't have all the distractions of a normal tablet - something like an e-ink reader. While most of the stuff in the article will be pretty well known to our readers, there are some tips that I was not aware of.  It's worth perusing the article even if you are a dedicated iPad owner. For example, I didn't know this: Devoted Kindle readers may also want to install the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app; it integrates the Kindle bookstore directly, which the App Store app...

According to The Bookseller, in a short article that is not behind their paywall, Eason is going to bring out its own ereader.  The article says it will work in a similar way to the Nook and customers will be able to download Eason ebooks to the reader. Eason is selling a range of ereaders, but wants to bring out its own branded unit.  More details were not available....

Shop e-readers is offering the wireless PRS-T2 for pre-order at $180.  I can't image how an e-ink reader can succeed at this price point. According to Good e-readers: The main selling feature is the inclusion of Overdrive to let people borrow library books right on the Sony reader. The second major factor is the strong PDF support for reflow and augmenting the viewing experience. Word has it that one of the main new features is the inclusion of EPUB 3 support, which will help Sony compete in the Asian markets. EPUB 3 will allow for complex symbols and strong Japanese language...

New Features Drivers for Samsung SGH-T989 and Sony Ericsson Sola Conversion pipeline: When removing the first image, also remove the html file the image is found in, if that file has no other content. Allows this option to be used to remove covers from EPUB files without leaving behind a blank page. Content server: Add a navigation panel at the bottom of each page. calibredb: Add a backup_metadata command to manually run the backup to opf from the command line User defined driver: Add option to swap main memory and card a. Add new option to the series_index_auto_increment tweak, no_change, that causes calibre not to change...

I read a few articles recently on how ebooks affect learning. On the con side, these articles pointed out that textbooks are often less available in ebook (true), that the e-versions which do exist are clunky and limited (true) and that for some types of learning, people really do absorb information better off paper than off screens (debatable). I had one bad experience myself with a formal e-textbook required for an official course, and I agree with some of the points these commentators made. But on the pro side, reader technology has made my non-formal, personal reading smarter, easier and...