We’ve taken websites, that we used to print out on full-sized paper, and shrunk them down to fit on handheld devices. So shouldn’t we shrink the print down, too? That seems to be the premise behind the Little Printer, a cute little device about the size of an alarm clock whose purpose is to print out information from the web onto a cash-register-receipt-sized paper strip. The device will sync with a smartphone app so that you can decide what services you want to print out, then print paper copies of to-do lists, social network notifications, news stories, and so...

Wired is covering a survey that looks at the effect tablets have on the sales of other electronic devices. One of the major findings of the survey is that tablets are a lot more likely to replace dedicated e-readers (that is, the people surveyed said that after buying a tablet they no longer plan to buy an e-reader) than gaming devices. The survey also identified laptops as a device many new tablet owners no longer felt like buying. The number of people who feel this way for both of these devices increased from 2010 to 2011. However, the number...

Here’s a handy list of storytelling applications for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms. Note-taking and writing apps were covered already, but storytelling is not only about creating stories, but also sharing them. What’s even more important, technology allows to tell stories instantly – you can think of them, create and share on one device and in one go. The greatest thing about such instant stories is that they are catching the mood and emotions you would find extremely difficult to restore afterwards. Every time you reach for your smartphone, think of it as a way to tell engaging stories and...

Dead-tree scanning just got significantly smaller. Gadget Lab and eBookNewser, among others, are carrying reports on the O-King, a new pocket-portable scanning device. It’s only 1.6 megapixels and has to have a USB power source to work, but its small size and $120 price tag might make it a great companion to a laptop for those with a frequent need to scan documents on the road. Nate Hoffelder at eBookNewser points out: Do you know what it would be good for? It’s small enough when collapsed that you can carry it in your luggage without...

Amazon has teamed up with Carphone Warehouse in the UK, PC World, Currys and Comet and Best Buy, according to Martyn Daniels. That is what Amazon has done with the Kindle with the Wi-Fi-only version is priced at £111 and the 3G and Wi-Fi Kindle 3G version priced at £152 Kindle 3G. The twist comes when you select a smartphone contract and effectively get the basic Kindle free or the Kindle 3G for a one off cost of £15.As most book sellers will discover selling ebook readers is not what they do or should expect their...

Name of App: "Treasures" The ‘Treasures’ app, will present a rich selection of the items featured in the Library’s Sir John Ritblat Treasures Gallery, providing the opportunity for interaction with the Library’s collections at home, on the move or within the Gallery itself. Treasures will be available across multiple mobile platforms including iPhone, Android and iPad. It will provide a truly multimedia experience including over 100 of the Library’s greatest collection items, 250 high-definition images, over 40 videos providing expert commentary, textual interpretation for deeper understanding,...

From the Kobo blog. I just downloaded it to my new Samsung Captivate phone and will let you know how it works out. Further, we know that being able to read any eBook is important, and we’ve listened to your request. So what’s new? The ability to search, add and read Internet Archive ePubs – that’s over 1.9 million eBooks! You can now read ebooks in the ePub format, no matter where they are purchased from All of the great reading features available for books from our catalogue are available on books added to the library We’ve made sideloading books easier and more customer friendly In...

I always find the quarterly Wattpad metrics report to be fascinating. It is one of the only regular surveys of ereading habits. Here is an excerpt from the latest report. You can find the full report here. Ivan Yuen, CTO and co-founder of Wattpad provides insight into the results: "We are continuously impressed with the variety of devices readers use to consume ebooks. Six to twelve months ago, people only thought about the major ereader offerings and the iPhone. But in the last quarter we've seen incredible growth in the usage of iPads and Android tablets, as well...

Bill Stiteler at our sister blog Appletell has posted a piece looking at the possibility of Apple adding Facetime to the next generation of iPod Touch (as I did here). He does mention a couple of points that I didn’t consider. One is that turning the iPod Touch into a wifi VoIP phone would allow Apple to offer phone service of a sort without having to put up with the complaints about AT&T’s service or the external cell phone antenna. Another is the possibility that the iPod Touch will only have the front-facing FaceTime camera...

iPad sales are through the roof, Kindle and ereader sales are climbing, but what about reading on phones? My strong suspicion is that this is the place where the majority of ereading will, and maybe does, take place. Look at the continual growth of Wattpad, especially in third world countries. Phones are ubiquitous, even there. What made me think about this is an article in Unwired View about smartphone use in the UK. 73.5% of the UK market was made up of smartphones in June. This is up from 55% in the first quarter of this year...

I reported in February that the BBC’s plans to launch smartphone apps based on its news sites had caused some controversy among British newspaper publishers. The publishers were upset because they already regard the BBC as a publicly-funded competitor to their private businesses, seeing it as unwanted government competition to private industry. They thus protest anything new that the BBC does, fearing it might negatively affect any similar efforts of their own. In response to their concerns, the BBC elected to delay the release of the apps until the BBC Trust had the chance to consider them further....

Last week I was invited into New York to attend the unveiling of the new Galaxy S line of smartphones from Samsung. These Android 2.1 phones will be released by T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, as well as by some regional carriers. Each carrier will have a slightly different version, including one with a keyboard. I found the keyboard very difficult to type on, by the way. The phones have a 4 inch "Super AMOLED" screen developed by Samsung that is simply stunning. Bright, clear and crisp and they are even usable outside in the sunlight. ...