The Blackberry Passport is a very innovative device in terms of overall design. It features a totally square display and a keyboard that doubles as a mouse. Blackberry loyalists see this phone as the resurrection of the brand and within hours has completely sold out.Blackberry CEO John Chen has announced that the first run of Passport smartphones sold out in 6 hours after … [Read more...] about Blackberry Passport Sold Out Everywhere
Archives for September 2014
European Airlines Now Allow e-Readers on Flights
The European Aviation Safety Agency on Friday issued new safety guidance that now allows e-readers such as the Kindle, Kobo and Nook to be used on airplanes, without the need of putting them in airplane mode. This sets the stage for major airlines to offer on-board WIFI internet access to buy books, magazines and newspapers while in the air.The use of e-readers, smartphones … [Read more...] about European Airlines Now Allow e-Readers on Flights
Icarus Excel Features 9.7 inch Screen and Android 4.0
Netherlands based e-reader company Icarus has just revamped their wildly successful 9.7 inch Excel e-reader with Android 4.0. This will allow users to not only have a very large screen display to take notes but also install their own e-reading apps.The big trend of 2014 so far has been the open Android concept with e-readers. In the past, most of them all ran Linux and … [Read more...] about Icarus Excel Features 9.7 inch Screen and Android 4.0
Young People Prefer Print, not eBooks
Young people in the UK think that reading on paper provides a more holistic experience, especially when engaging with images and text which can't be replicated in digital. A new report states that the 16-24 generation is still firmly in favor of print books, with 73% saying they prefer print over eBooks.A new eye opening survey talked to 900 young people and three-quarters … [Read more...] about Young People Prefer Print, not eBooks
Barnes and Noble Wins Marketing Award for Samsung 4 Nook Campaign
Barnes and Noble bet big when they decided to forgo hardware design on their latest tablet and instead sourced it to Samsung. This allowed the bookseller to focus on the reading experience and actually devote money to hyping the hell out of it. Apparently their blitz media has earned them the Internet Marketing Association’s (IMA) ‘Innovative Brand Award’ for 2014.From … [Read more...] about Barnes and Noble Wins Marketing Award for Samsung 4 Nook Campaign
Kobo Promises to Solve eBook Backup Bug
eBook security is quickly becoming a contentious issue, as evident in the Barnes and Noble decision to remove the ability to backup your paid content on your PC. Kobo made headlines this week when they nixed their own proprietary KePub format from also being downloaded to a users PC. The Toronto based company is now assuring readers that this is a bug and they are hoping to … [Read more...] about Kobo Promises to Solve eBook Backup Bug
Rovio Releasing Angry Birds Transformers for iOS Ahead of Android
Even if you aren't familiar with Rovio, you have almost certainly played their games. As the creators of the Angry Bird franchise, Rovio is one of the most successful mobile development stories out there. In addition to the classic title that made them famous, the development house is constantly releasing updates and additional spins on the original physics-based bird-tossing … [Read more...] about Rovio Releasing Angry Birds Transformers for iOS Ahead of Android
Good e-Reader Radio Show – September 25th
The Good e-Reader Radio Show was on a brief one month hiatus and we are back with a vengeance! Lots of new electronic readers have been announced and have either come out or will imminently be released in the next few weeks. On today's show I discuss all of the new Kindles, the Samsung 4 Nook and Kobo H2O. What device is the best of the bunch and which ones should you not … [Read more...] about Good e-Reader Radio Show – September 25th
Mobile Analytics Firm Profiles the Android Gamer
According to Flurry, mobile gaming has become the new global pastime. Self-described as a market leader in mobile analytics, Flurry uses data gathered from over 150 billion app sessions per month to provide countless developers with "the business data they need to understand their audience, usage and performance." With the release of their latest report, a lot has been learned … [Read more...] about Mobile Analytics Firm Profiles the Android Gamer
The Truth About iPhone 6+ Bendgate, Galaxy Note 3 Compared
Before I begin, let me say that there are a lot of idiots on this planet... and with all due respect, a large percentage of them are outraged right now because if they put a smartphone the size of a small tablet in the front pocket of their skinny jeans, it might bend. Shocking to be sure.The real question in my mind, is whether this same smartphone bends when being used in … [Read more...] about The Truth About iPhone 6+ Bendgate, Galaxy Note 3 Compared
Google Play Newsstand Arrives on iOS, Replacing Currents
Android users have been using Google Play Newsstand instead of the older Currents app for quite some time, but thanks to an update this week, iOS users will get the same pleasure. Advertising itself as a way to "discover more of the news you care about," Google Play Newsstand is more like a digital magazine and less like a traditional aggregator.Now featuring the updated … [Read more...] about Google Play Newsstand Arrives on iOS, Replacing Currents
Amazon Updates Goodreads App for iOS
Amazon acquiring Goodreads back in March 2013 wasn't without controversy; weathering accusations of censorship and hindering creativity when user reviews and ratings were deleted without any warning. Since then, Goodreads has held steady as the go-to book recommendation service. This week, Amazon has released a welcome update to their iOS app (with an Android update heading our … [Read more...] about Amazon Updates Goodreads App for iOS
Amazon Video and Music Chief Leaving the Company
The head of Amazon Video and Music will be leaving the company after a 15 year stint. Bill Carr, a 47-year-old vice president, announced his decision internally Tuesday.It is unclear whether or not a competitor has given him a better offer.According to the Wall Street Journal Carr has been instrumental in Amazon’s push to compete with Netflix and Hulu in streaming online … [Read more...] about Amazon Video and Music Chief Leaving the Company
Blackberry Launches New Passport Phone
Blackberry is hoping to appeal towards the corporate and government segments with their new keyboard enabled Passport phone. This new device features the Amazon Android App Store built into it, which has more quality content than Blackberry World.BlackBerry held simultaneous events in Toronto, London and Dubai. The smartphone, which has a large touchscreen and a modified … [Read more...] about Blackberry Launches New Passport Phone
Amazon Starts Hiring More Engineers for Connected Home and Smart Watches
Over the course of 2014, Amazon has been relentless in the number of new hardware offerings they have released to the public. They have a new television box, smartphone, Amazon Dash, and 8 new e-readers and tablets. According to a new report, this is just the beginning, as Amazon is hiring more hardware engineers and intends on entering the connected home segment and a new … [Read more...] about Amazon Starts Hiring More Engineers for Connected Home and Smart Watches
Wattpad and International Festival of Authors Team Up for Online Book Festival
Wattpad, the world’s largest community of readers and writers, has partnered with the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) to launch the event’s first Online Festival. The Online Festival will run from October 1 through October 22, before the official kickoff of the IFOA in Toronto, which runs October 23 to November 2, 2014.As part of the Online Festival, Wattpad will … [Read more...] about Wattpad and International Festival of Authors Team Up for Online Book Festival