Voices

Barnes & Noble’s Nook Stumbles

Barnes & Noble Inc. reported to a surprise fiscal third-quarter loss, hurt by across-the-board weakness. Most notably, sales in the Nook digital business slumped sharply.

Voices

Pearson to Invest $89.5 Million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook Media

Publishing and education company Pearson PLC agreed to invest $89.5 million for a 5 percent stake in Barnes & Noble Inc.’s digital-business unit, Nook Media LLC.

Google Shopping Now Includes the Amazon Kindle (and Why That’s a Big Deal)

It may not sound significant, but over the past couple of weeks, Amazon’s Kindle devices have started appearing in search results on Google Shopping.
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Amazon Introduces Whispercast to Manage Large Fleets of Kindles

For the hundreds of schools that use Kindles in the classroom, managing the e-readers just got a whole lot easier.
Worldleader provides Amazon Kindles to kids in classrooms in Africa

News Byte

Amazon Drops Price of Entry-Level Kindle

Along with the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire HD, Amazon announced today that it is dropping the price of the entry-level, ad-supported Kindle, from $79 to $69. The new e-reader, which is very much like the previous model but offers new fonts and crisper text, will be available on Sept. 14.

Kobo Expands E-Reader Family

In an exclusive interview with AllThingsD, Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis says he believes the company’s new products will be competitive with “whatever Amazon announces today.”
Kobo's new Arc tablet

News Byte

I’ll Take “PC Disruptors” for $500, Alex. (What Is “a Tablet”?)

More evidence pointing toward tablets disrupting the PC industry: According to a new Forrester Research survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults, 35 percent of tablet owners say they use their laptops less frequently since getting a tablet, while 45 percent have no plans to buy an e-reader now that they own a tablet. The television set is faring better, however, with just 12 percent of those surveyed saying they use their TV less frequently since getting a tablet; likely because 85 percent of tablet owners cop to using their tablets while watching TV.

Amazon’s Key to Beating Groupon in the Daily Deals Space Is Its 164 Million Paying Customers

Amazon’s online catalog offers millions of everyday items for sale, but how many consumers think of visiting Amazon to buy a meal in a restaurant or a haircut at the local salon?
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A Textbook Case of iPad Fun With Studying

Katie looks at the new iBooks 2 app which offers enhanced educational textbooks that are, for now, focused on high-school students.
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Japan’s Rakuten Set to Challenge Amazon With Help From Kobo

Who is Amazon’s biggest competitor? It may be a Japanese-based company you’ve never heard of.
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