Amazon just announced this morning that come May, the company will be rolling out a virtual currency program known as Amazon Coins. Owners of Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets will be able to use the virtual funds to purchase apps and games within the Amazon Appstore. In-app purchases will also be possible with the new currency, a structure that Amazon hopes will benefit app developers directly. Amazon apparently feels that if its app users have an simple, fun option for buying things in their Appstore, developers will almost inevitably see higher revenues as a result. As it happens, despite the fact that developers...

Now until Feb 8, you can save $50 on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE with the code FIRELOVE at checkout. Here are all the details. A couple of restrictions to note: The deal is only good for one Fire per customer. And because you have to enter the code, it won’t work on One-Click ordering. Also, they say it’s only good while supplies last. Better decide fast. Kindles don’t go on sale very often, so if you’ve been waiting to get one of the larger Fires, now is a good time to act....

E Ink Now Being Sued for Patent Infringement (The Digital Reader) Kindle Fire Nabs 33% of Android Market Share (The Digital Reader) Spending on Digital Content Tablet on Tablets Soars, New Research Says (Digital Book World) How Digital Comics Change the Way Comics are Drawn and Imagined (Gizmodo) Making Money from Kindle Publishing (PC Pro) Kindle Daily Deals: Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers (and 3 others)...

Well, guess which Seattle-based  megaconglomerate has just bought Ivona Software (Web site here, Wikipedia entry here)—perhaps the world’s best provider of text to speech to use with e-books and other texts? That’s right, Amazon. It’s already using an Ivona voice in the Kindle Fire, and Ivona tech is also powering “Voice Guide” and “Explore by Touch.” Too bad those features aren’t available on the Paperwhite so far. Deliberate intra-brand market segmentation? Stinks either way. At any rate, even now, you can see Jeff Bezos’ corporate branding on the Ivona site. It’s too early to know how this will shake out for library users with disabilities and for other...

  By Adrian Diaconescu   Though you can fly, drive, take the bus or even walk from American to Canadian soil whenever you want, Amazon has never been as open to Canada as it has to the States. Case in point, the latest Kindle e-readers, available in the U.S. ever since September 2012, but released up north just now. The delay has been definitely disappointing, not to mention illogical, but if you’re still looking to score one of the new members of the Kindle family you’re in for some pretty nice deals. The cheapest device goes for just CAD $89, which is basically the same price...

By Joanna Cabot and Chris Meadows Our friends over at Good E-Reader have come out with their holiday shopping recommendations for the e-book fan. We here at TeleRead have some holiday shopping suggestions for you as well. What's the best e-book gadget for the reader on your list? Check out our recommendations below.  * * * For the aspiring tablet owner  Kobo Arc This is like a budget version of the Google Nexus---cheaper, but about on par in terms of weight and size, and with access to the Google Play store (unlike the Kindle Fire). Early reviews are favourable, with people nothing smooth operation and a...

Amazon, Target Winning Black Friday Wars, Report Says (Los Angeles Times) Kobo Arc vs Kindle Fire {and} Kobo Arc vs Nook HD (Good E-Reader) Buyer Beware: Nintendo Nukes $400 Worth of Downloaded Content in DRM Migration Fail (BoingBoing) Open Access: Why Academic Publishers Still Add Value (The Guardian) Kindle Daily Deal: Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank {and} four Thanksgiving-themed children's books * * *  ...

The Bookseller is reporting today that the European bookstore chain Waterstones will be offering the Kindle Paperwhite for sale—in-store—before the end of October. This should come as welcome news to anyone based in Western Europe who's been planing on buying a Paperwhite, but hasn't actually placed an order for the device through Amazon. According to The Bookseller post, "Amazon.co.uk has told customers that orders placed today for the Paperwhite model would not be expected to ship until the week of [November 12] 'due to popular demand' [for the device]." According to a Waterstones rep, the standard Paperwhite model will be retailing in its...

Amazon is holding a press conference in Santa Monica today where it's widely expected the company will announce new 7-inch Kindle Fire tablets—possibly with Special Offers—as well as Kindle e-readers. An Amazon smartphone is also a possibility.  * * * [11:56 AM PST] Just to recap, the smaller Kindle Fire will ship September 14, and the larger models will ship on November 20. And ... the press conference is over. No Amazon phone, apparently. Too bad. Many thanks to those of you who followed along, and keep your eyes on TeleRead, where we will certainly be parsing these new devices and announcements in...

New Kindle & Kindle Fire Leaked in Commercial? {See Video Below} (TDR) Kobo Takes Aim at Amazon with Two New eReaders and a Tablet (GigaOM) New Trial Run in College Textbooks (Good E-Reader) Newspaper Publisher Journal Register Files for Bankruptcy (NYT) ¶ KINDLE DAILY DEAL: Flowertown & The Tail of Emily Windsap ...

On the off chance you haven't already read about this elsewhere, we figured it would be prudent to mention the fact that Amazon has just announced a press conference that'll be taking place at 10:30 a.m. PST on Thursday, September 6, at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif. On its website, the 35,000-square-foot Barker Hanger (pictured at right, during Sanrio's 50th anniversary celebration in 2010) markets itself as being "host to some of the most exclusive events in Southern California." And although the invitation sent from Amazon to members of the media was mysteriously vague on what, exactly, will be discussed or unveiled during the event, it...

As the Amazon Kindle brand approaches its fifth birthday, it seems a good time to assess its place as the guiding force in the e-reading movement. Nobody can question the scope of Amazon’s achievement. Kindle was the tip of the spear in a full frontal assault on five centuries of reading tradition. Even more, the company opened the door to millions of frustrated aspiring authors. The gate-keepers were overrun. Eighteen months ago, we could still hear the voices of the old guard whispering about making a stand, putting down the insurrection, protecting their print aristocracy. The peasants were revolting! We hear much...