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Amazon's Kindle Vella episodic story platform to launch in July
Amazon has announced a new serialized fiction store called Kindle Vella, which lets users buy and interact with episodic stories using in-app credits.
Amazon Kindle review (2019): The Paperwhite gets a run for its money
Like many gadgets, the Kindle line follows the "good, better, best" marketing strategy. A few years ago, this would mean the difference between features like a touchscreen, better contrast on the display or a much-needed front-lit screen. Today, the distinctions between Kindle models are subtler. When Amazon recently announced that the "All-New Kindle" (that's the basic, non-Paperwhite, non-Oasis model) would come with a front-lit screen, the last big deal-breaker for the most basic e-reader was finally dissolved (unless waterproofing is a must have). For less than $90 (with "special offers"), there's finally a Kindle you can read in the dark, that has a touchscreen, and supports Audible over Bluetooth. I'd wager that for a large slice of Kindle readers, the reasons to spend extra on a Paperwhite are getting more specific.
Microsoft closes its e-book store (updated)
Did you build your e-book library through the Microsoft Store? You'll need to make a change in plans. Microsoft has not only removed books from its online portal, but plans to remove access to existing purchases and rentals in early July. It's not a complete loss when Microsoft plans to offer refunds in the form of store credit, including $25 extra if you've made annotations before April 2nd. However, that still leaves you paying to re-stock your library through a third-party service -- and any notes you've made will disappear into the ether.
Kindle Paperwhite review (2018): A classic, updated
Until now, the Kindle Paperwhite had three mortal enemies: water, airplane seatback pockets (just me that keeps leaving them on planes?) and book snobs. While there's no hope for the latter, one of those issues isn't long for this world, as this year's model is now waterproof. For lovers of audiobooks, there's more good news: Amazon added Bluetooth so you can listen on the go. Owners of older Kindles may remember there used to be a headphone jack; this is 2018, though, so forget about that and embrace the future. This at least means the Paperwhite is no longer the odd one out when it comes to an audio option. (The base Kindle and Oasis both already have Bluetooth.)
Your local library’s e-books will now show up in Google searches
Google has made life a little easier for those who like to check out e-books from their local library. Now, when you search for a book through Google, results for libraries near you that carry that e-book will show up along with outlets where you can buy it.
This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands
A Universe Explodes is an unusual e-book in a variety of ways. Best viewed on a mobile device, it's about 20 pages long and has 128 words per page. Only 100 people "own" the original version, though the book itself is free and can be read by anyone at any time. Each copy can be shared with up to 100 others, but first each owner must personalize it by removing two words and adding one to every page. Since each copy is subtly different, they are all considered "limited editions." Owners are required to share the book with a friend once they're done editing it -- and each time the e-book is passed on, more and more words disappear until there's only one left per page.
Amazon offers to change ebook contracts to appease EU
Amazon stands accused of abusing its position as the largest and most influential ebook provider in Europe. Back in June 2015, the European Commission launched an investigation into the company and contract clauses which force publishers to disclose when they have received more favorable terms from rival ebook providers. That, critics argue, is anticompetitive. The intricacies of the case are unclear, but Amazon is now willing to drop the clauses from its ebook deals in Europe. Specifically, it's offered not to enforce "any clause requiring publishers to offer Amazon similar terms and conditions as those offered to Amazon's competitors."
Honest Few turns your social media posts into money for books
With e-book libraries, Amazon Prime Reading and the plethora of online services available putting free publications in your various devices, it's a wonder that people still pay any money for books anymore. But a new website called Honest Few is founded on the belief that you should still give something in return for your digital books: social media shares. Instead of shelling out the $3 to $20 you would normally drop for an Amazon bestseller, Honest Few is offering popular titles for free, as long as you spread word of the service and book on Twitter or Facebook. As a former bookworm who now only borrows books via New York Public Library's app or Prime Reading, I was intrigued by this new way of getting a good novel for free.
Europe rules that libraries can lend e-books like normal ones
Europe has ruled (PDF) that e-books can be lent out just like their physical counterparts. That is, as noticed by Ars Technica, one copy can be "checked out" by one person at a time. After the lending period expires, that user can no longer use the book and it goes to the next person who wants it. This might sound kind of expected, but you have to remember that it took until 2014 for the European Union to approve digitizing library books in the first place. And even then, you could only use them within the library's walls and at dedicated terminals.
'Game of Thrones' e-books make it easier to keep up with the action
To properly celebrate the 20th anniversary of George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Game of Thrones, there's a new iBooks edition of the series that offers features to help you keep up with all of the action. The first installment is officially called A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition and all of the e-books pack in character maps, annotations, house summaries, a glossary of terms and other handy tools. As books two through five are added to the collection, that glossary will expand alongside developing storylines.
Amazon's high-end Kindle Oasis is sleek, sharp and pricey
Jeff Bezos probably wasn't pleased to see his surprise spoiled this week, but e-book fans still have reason to get pumped. Amazon just pulled back the curtain on its new premium reader, the Kindle Oasis, and it's the slimmest and sleekest model the company has put out yet. Of course, with a price starting at $290 (£270), it's also one of the most expensive. As Amazon tells it, all the decisions were made with one goal in mind: to let the hardware itself almost disappear from view so that readers can lose themselves in their stories.
Barnes and Noble to close its Nook ebook store in the UK
Barnes and Noble has decided to lay down its arms and stop competing with Amazon for ebook and e-reader sales in the UK. The bookstore operator has announced it will stop selling digital content, including fiction and non-fiction, magazines and videos, from March 15th, passing customers onto Sainsbury's Entertainment on Demand service instead. Until then, Nook owners can purchase and download any remaining content they wish to keep on their device -- either directly through one of Nook's e-readers, or via the Nook Reading App for iOS and Android.
'Bedtime Stories for Awful Children,' a free ebook from 'Year Walk' devs
The dark, freezing woods of Sweden are the perfect breeding ground for terrifying tales of naughty children who get what they deserve. This week, Simogo -- the developer of beautifully macabre game Year Walk, and mysterious narrative experiences Device 6 and The Sailor's Dream -- released a free, illustrated ebook collecting a handful of five re-tooled, scary Swedish folk tales. It's called Year Walk Bedtime Stories for Awful Children, and it's available in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. "We think obnoxious children all over the world deserve dark nightmares," Simogo writes.
World's first braille smartwatch is an ebook reader and more
On the surface, Dot sounds like a fairly standard smartwatch: It resembles a Fitbit and features a messaging system, navigation functions, Bluetooth 4.0, an alarm and, of course, a timepiece. Dot is remarkable because it's a braille smartwatch -- the world's first braille smartwatch, in fact. Its face features a series of dull pins that rise and fall at customizable speeds, spelling out words in braille as the user places a finger on top. With this system, Dot allows users to read ebooks without throwing down thousands of dollars for a portable braille reader. The watch should hit the market for less than $300, with pre-orders staring this year. Plus, Dot has an active battery life of 10 hours, according to inhabitat, so get ready for some serious reading time.
Kindle Paperwhite review (2015): our favorite e-reader gets even better
When Amazon's Kindle Voyage launched last year, I more or less fell in love with it right out of the gate. Sure, a handful of competitors came out with similar displays before Amazon did, but man -- with that high-resolution screen and its sleek new looks, the Voyage was the first Kindle that ever felt really high-end. I didn't stand a chance. Now, thanks to some trickle-down gadget economics, the new Kindle Paperwhite ($119 with ads, $139 without) just got a huge bump in screen resolution too. It was really only a matter of time, but now we're left with a question to ponder: Is a new screen enough to catapult an already-very-good reader into the realm of greatness? Spoiler alert: I think it is.
Apple to pay $450 million in e-book price-fixing suit
Apple conspired with publishers to artificially raise the price of e-books, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled today, upholding a verdict from 2013. Now that the company has lost its appeal, Apple is expected to pay $450 million, most of it to e-book customers. Apple agreed to a $450 million settlement in 2014 as part of the appeals process: If Apple had won in today's ruling, it would have had to pay just $70 million ($50 million of that to customers) or it could have been off the hook entirely.
UK ISPs ordered to block e-book piracy sites
In a major victory for book publishers, the UK's High Court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block several sites offering pirated e-books. The decision means that BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and EE now have 10 days to comply and ensure their customers can't access the following link depositories: AvaxHome, Ebookee, Freebookspot, Freshwap, Libgen, Bookfi and Bookre. The Publishers Association (PA), which sought the blocks under the UK's Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988, claims the sites collectively hold around 10 million e-books, and that at least 80 percent of them are infringing copyright. It's been described as the "first action of its kind brought by UK book publishers," following similar ISP blocks levied against sites hosting music, movies and TV shows.
Amazon and HarperCollins renew friendship with multi-year contract
Amazon started mending its tattered relationship with the big five publishers last year, signing deals with Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and even Hachette. Now it's HarperCollins' turn to make peace with the e-commerce giant, according to The Wall Street Journal. While the publisher held out on signing the contract, it reportedly agreed to the same terms the other three found acceptable, just in time for Go Set a Watchman's (Harper Lee's controversial second novel) release in July. The multi-year agreement apparently states that HarperCollins retains the right to set prices for its eBooks and to decide when to offer discounts. It also says the publisher will get to keep 70 percent and the retailer 30 percent of the revenue from each eBook sale.
Jeb Bush's email transparency experiment goes horribly wrong (update)
Today Jeb Bush posted archives containing thousands of emails from his time as governor of Florida for public viewing. That's great as a push for transparency from a potential presidential candidate, however as The Daily Dot and The Verge have found, the release leaked private info from thousands of people who never knew their messages would be released in this manner. The information contained includes email address, home address, phone numbers, social security numbers, job information, medical info and more. At least some of the governor's responses mention that messages are a part of the public record and may be released, but it's still troubling to have the information out there.
Telling people how to remove DRM isn't illegal
We all know that it's against the law to sell copyrighted material, but is it also illegal to tell people about software that can strip DRM off e-books without the intention to distribute? New York Judge Denise Cote has recently ruled that it's not. The lawsuit in question, which was never cut and dry to begin with, was filed by Penguin and Simon & Schuster against Abbey House Media, a company that used to sell e-books for them. Abbey House was bound by law to protect those files with DRM, but when it was a month away from shutting down its digital bookstore in 2013, someone in the company felt compelled to help customers gain control of the e-books they already bought.
