web analytics

The Digital Reader

Now With 100% Less Paper!

The Digital Reader header image 1

The Morning Coffee – 7 January 2013

January 7th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · Morning Coffee

XszvC[1]

This morning finds me in Las Vegas for CES 2013. Here are a few stories to read as I scout the trade shows. [Read more →]

→ 1 CommentTags:

I’m in Las Vegas for CES 2013

January 6th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · conferences & trade shows, hardware news

olpc xo-4I’m back in my hotel room from my first partial day in LV, and I thought I’d take a moment to tell everyone I’m in Las Vegas again (it slipped my mind). This is my 4th CES.

I’m back now from the opening night event, CES Unveiled. There was not much to report on in terms of ereader or ebook news, but I did get to spend a few minutes playing with a lot of toys (reason #2 for going to CES). I also spent a few minutes playing with the XO-4 laptop Marvell had on their table. [Read more →]

→ 1 CommentTags:

Saving Barnes & Noble from itself: The DRM angle

January 6th, 2013 by David Rothman · opinion

BNHere’s a heartfelt suggestion for the besieged people at Barnes & Noble, in the spirit of the recommendations that Joanna Cabot and my other friends at TeleRead have offered:

Rid your operation of DRM to the maximum extent your publishers will let you, and if they resist, at least make a case for social DRM, so technical incompatibilities aren’t a factor. By itself, that won’t save your company. But at least I’ll have a reason to buy from you despite prices so often higher than Amazon’s. [Read more →]

→ 4 CommentsTags:

The Man Who Named the Kindle and TiVo Has Died

January 6th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · Obituary

Michael headshotThe NY Times is reporting that San Francisco-based designer Michael Cronan has died of colon cancer. He was 61.

When Amazon prepared to introduce its first electronic reader in 2007, it turned to Mr. Cronan, who envisioned imagery reflecting the reading experience as an embryonic but rising technology. [Read more →]

→ 1 CommentTags:

Graphicly Raises $1 Million in Bridge Funding Round

January 5th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · Uncategorized

GraphiclyLogo[1]The digital publishing startup Graphicly has just revealed that it is in the middle of a bridge round of funding.

This ebook distributor is seeking to raise a million dollars in financing, money which CEO Micah Bowers is planning to use to “get Graphicly to profitability, which the company should reach by the middle of 2013″. Specifically, Graphicly is borrowing money and securing the loan with an equity stake in the company. [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags:

I’ve Updated the Mobile TDR (for Reading On The Go)

January 5th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · blog maintenance

Somewhere around 1 in 6 of my readers visit the mobile website on a regular basis so here’s some news for the rest.

Last night I made a few changes to the mobile version of this blog, which I use to support readers with smaller screens. I modified the freely available blog theme Carrington Mobile and inserted a Google search bar. I also embedded a few Google Adsense ads here and there. [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags:

WSJ Predicts the Death of eBooks: Oh, The (Digital) Humanities!

January 5th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · opinion

book_ebook_phone_book_flickrcc_by_lynn_gardner[1]The Wall Street Journal is one of the best business newspapers out there, but when they try to cover a tech topic they tend to articles verging on the nonsensical.  You might recall the WSJ columnist who in August gave up on his Kindle because he forgot to charge it before a cross-country flight; today I have an article which argues that ebooks are a failed product niche simply because the adoption rate has slowed.

This article was written by Nicholas Carr, and it is based in part on the recent survey results released by Pew Research Center last week. He points to the detail that more readers have read a paper book than read an ebook and uses that as a basis to pretty much proclaim that everyone who is a proponent of ebooks is wrong. [Read more →]

→ 26 CommentsTags:

Google Play Magazines Adds New Print/Digital Subscription Options

January 4th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · ebookstore news, Google

google magazine subscription 2I’m not sure I know anyone who subscribes to magazines via Google Play Magazines, but with this new offer from Conde Nast I’m sure some will consider it.

Android Police reported earlier today that Google is offering a new subscription option. They’ve finally started offering print subscribers free access to certain digital magazines. It looks to only be available for a couple magazine publishers, but it is nonetheless a major step forward. [Read more →]

→ No CommentsTags:

E-Fun to Launch 8″ Dual-Core Android Tablet at CES

January 4th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · Uncategorized

Nextbook_8GP[1]E-Fun is clearly planning to undercut more than just Kindle Fire and Nook tablet sales this coming year; they’ve just released some details on a new 8″ budget tablet that will be revealed at CES next week and sell for $170 this spring. [Read more →]

→ 11 CommentsTags:

Kindle Fire Gained & iPad Lost Siginificant Market Share This Holiday Season

January 4th, 2013 by Nate Hoffelder · Uncategorized

360714-the-best-android-tabletsWe’re probably never going to have real sales figures for the Kindle Fire or most other Android tablets, but all signs point to some moderate gains in market share.

Chitaka has just released new figures based on a survey of a sample of hundreds of millions of impressions from its advertising network between December 1 and December 27, 2012. Their data shows that the Kindle Fire, Samsung, and even the Microsoft Surface have picked up market share at the expense of the iPad. [Read more →]

→ 10 CommentsTags: