Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Oasis are sold out

Many people are buying a new Kindle e-reader for the summer and in conjunction with COVID, many of their most popular models are sold out. The Kindle Paperwhite 32GB without ads is of stock for 6-8 weeks and ditto with the 8GB model, except the base is in stock, but many of the new colors, such as Plum and Sage also facing the same delays. The Amazon Kindle Oasis 32GB is out of stock until the end of July, the 32GB is facing intermittent shortages, yesterday it said it was sold out until the end of August, but it now shows as available.

Apple Pencil could select colors from the real world

Apple has just filed a new patent for the Apple Pencil that will allow you to select colors from the real world to use as various colors when drawing. According to the patent filed last week, entitled ‘Computer System With Color Sampling Stylus’, that describes a computer stylus with a colour sensor, which has the ability to ‘read’ a colour when pressed against an object. The software would then put the colour into a colour palette in a drawing app, where it could be assigned to a brush and used in the art or design process.

Supernote A5 vs Fujitsu Quaderno A5

If you are looking to purchase a 10.3 inch e-note, Supernote and Fujitsu are two brands that deserve a serious look. The hardware is similar, but the software experience is very different. Supernote has the ability to read ebooks in EPUB, so you can take a break from note taking. Fujitsu has some great note taking templates and their calendar system is second to none.

The Top 5 Best E-Readers for Summer 2020

The Top e-Readers of summer 2020, primarily focus on ones that are affordable and have different ways of doing things. Our top picks are the Kobo Nia, the brand new device from Kobo. You can buy ebooks or borrow them from the library. The Pocketbook Color is the first e-reader with a color screen, aimed at mass market appeal. The Onyx Boox Poke 2 has Google Play, so you can install of your favorite apps. The Kindle Paperwhite sets the gold standard for e-readers, it has multiple colors, optional LTE with no monthly costs and a huge ebook ecosystem.

Supernote A6 is discontinued

Supernote has discontinued the A6 Agile, which came out in 2019. It will be replaced by the SuperNote A6X, which will come out on August 10th. This new device is exiting because it has been upgraded from a single core processor to a quad core and the RAM has also been doubled. Instead of running Linux, it will now have Android.

The Hisense Q5 is discontinued

Hisense has told Good e-Reader that their new RLCD Android 10 tablet is discontinued. This device just came out a couple of weeks ago and there was just a limited production run. Hisense executives were disappointed with the final product and pulled the trigger to pull it from retail shelves. In October, a second generation model will be released, fixing a number of issues, but the company failed to disclose how it will be changed.

Hisense Q5 RLCD Hands on Review

Hisense has been slowly gaining a reputation for making high quality E INK smartphones. They have released six different models in the past two years and have just released their first tablet, the Hisense Q5. This product is using an RLCD display screen, which does not have a front-light or backlight and is totally dependant on an external lighting source. The benefits is that the monochrome display will last you over a month, thanks to the massive battery. There is also no no refresh issues when it comes to page turn animations in Android e-reading apps or dropped frames when watching YouTube videos. Should you buy a Q5? This might he hard, because a few weeks after the release, it’s already discontinued.

Some Amazon Fire Tablets are getting an Android upgrade

Most flagship smartphones and tablets are using Android 10 and Google is gearing up for Android 11, this fall. Amazon tablets employ Android too, but they bill it as Fire OS. At the end of July, Amazon is going to be updating Fire OS 6, which is based on Android 7.1 to OS 7, which is Android 9. The tablets receiving the upgrades are the Fire HD 8 tablet, which was released in 2018, the entry level Fire 7 tablet, also from 2018 and the Fire 7 tablet that came out last year.

Barnes and Noble Nook for Windows 10 is back

The Barnes and Noble Nook app for Windows 10 was unavailable to download since April and people who wanted to read ebooks on their PC or tablet, were out of luck. This all changed, today, the Nook app has been updated to version 1.11.0.4 and can be downloaded once again. It is apparent that Barnes and Noble is getting serious about their various Nook apps for multiple platforms. They have seen a “huge boost” since the pandemic hit, CEO James Daunt said, noting that they have received massive traction. Obviously the Nook app for Android and iOS are the priorities, but at least the bookseller has fixed their Window 10 offering.

Scribd is making a big play for Spanish ebooks

Scribd is an unlimited audiobook and ebook subscription platform. The company has recently been making big inroads with Spanish ebooks and has just signed a deal with Grupo Planeta, Mexico’s largest publisher. This partnership will contribute to Scribd’s ever growing catalog of Spanish-language titles, which will now include over 85,000 titles!

Barnes and Noble is no longer selling tablets

Barnes and Noble had an extensive tablet portfolio. They had their own Nook Tablet 7 and Nook Tablet 10.1, in addition to their deal with Samsung, for a number of Samsung Galaxy Tab for Nook. They also had a number of cases and other accessories.  It looks like the bookseller might be getting out of the tablet business altogether and have removed them from their website. The only devices they are currently marketing are their e-readers, the Nook Glowlight 3 and Nook Glowlight Plus 7.8.

Sony Digital Paper DPT-RP1 is Discontinued in the US

The Sony Digital Paper DPT-RP1 is discontinued in the United States. Official distributors such as Adorama, Amazon and B&H all show the product is either out of stock or discontinued. This 13.3 inch e-note initially came out in 2017 and is getting long in the tooth.

Joan Meeting Room Panels now available from Good e-Reader

Visionect Joan is the simplest meeting room booking system out there. Place it in front of your meeting rooms for showing their current availability status and any upcoming meetings. There are three different products that are available from the Good e-Reader Store, Joan Home, Joan 6 and Joan 13. All have E INK screens and come with magnetic mounts to attach to the wall.

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue is B&N Book Club Pick

The Barnes and Noble Book club is a relatively new program. The bookseller has a dedicated Facebook Page where people talk about the book and at the end of the month, the author posts a Q/A the channel, so people can watch it. The page is private, but anyone who applies can get approved. The August pick is the The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue.

Amazon says the Kindle Paperwhite 3 will get new firmware

The Amazon Paperwhite 3 has not received a firmware update since last year and most of the other Kindles are a full version ahead. This includes the Kindle Paperwhite 4, Kindle Basic, Kindle Voyage and the Oasis. Good e-Reader reported a week ago that the Kindle Paperwhite 3 was on the verge of being discontinued, due to the lack of support. Amazon read our story and confirmed a longstanding bug that was preventing the update system from working properly, which they are working on. The company has told me that “Third generation Kindle Paperwhite devices remain supported and we will continue rolling out updates as soon as possible. When we roll out the update, we will post the most updated software on the Kindle software website.

Amazon lowers price of the Kindle to compete against the Nia

The Kobo Nia is coming out in a few days, and Amazon is doing everything in their power to convince you to buy the entry level Kindle. They have just discounted it by $20 and it is now available for $69.99 USD. The Kobo Nia is going to retail for $99 USD, so it looks like Amazon has fired the first shot. Price is a big draw when it comes to entry level e-readers and Amazon is making a compelling case to go with the Kindle, over the Kobo. Amazon is just running this deal in the United States, the promotion is not active in Canada.

Wattpad logins and passwords have been stolen

Wattpad the self-publishing platform that is read by millions of readers every month, has experienced a data breach. Their database with over 270 million user records have been stolen and is being sold on blackmarket websites for over $100,000 USD. This is a serious blow to the Toronto company, as they are one of the top 150 websites in North America. The Wattpad community collectively spend 15 billion minutes each month using Wattpad. There are over 400 million story uploads on the platform.

Unboxing the Hisense Q5 RLCD Android Tablet

Hisense has released their first tablet with an transflective LCD display. It…

How does Kobo Plus Pay Canadian Publishers?

Each month, Kobo takes the total revenue  earned from Kobo Plus subscriptions. They also take the total minutes that all subscribers spent reading that month. Then, they divide the Monthly Revenue by the Minutes Read, which allows them to assign a monetary value to each minute of reading (let’s call it Value per Minute Consumed). This value will fluctuate month to month based on subscriber number and total reading time.

Kindle Basic vs Kobo Nia – Which one is better?

Does the Nia or Kobo provide better long term value? I feel Amazon does a better job with selling the hardware and frequently discounts the Basic and Paperwhite on a monthly basis. The OS seems more stable and the entire experience is designed for new users. Kobo appeals to new, but also advanced users. You can have more control and deeper customization options. If PDF files are your jam, Kobo Nia does a better job than Amazon.

100 libraries will loan out over 1 million ebooks in 2020

Over 105 libraries in Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia are on pace to loan out over 1 million ebooks in 2020. Digital circulation has consistently grown each year, but thus far in 2020, these top libraries are seeing a staggering 30% growth compared to 2019. And several of them are doubling their online checkouts. Continuing to lead the way with more than 4.4 million digital checkouts already in 2020 is Toronto Public Library, the highest circulating library system of 2019. They’re followed by six other systems with more than 3 million checkouts. Overall these top libraries have amassed nearly 130 million checkouts already for the year.

Amazon is changing their Kindle Special Offers Program

For over a decade, Amazon had subsidized the cost of a Kindle with a program called Special Offers. This put advertisements on the home screen and the lock screen, it costs around $20 to remove it. Amazon is undergoing a rebranding effort of Special Offers and is now calling it Ad-Supported and if you want the adfree model they are calling it Without Ads.

Good e-Reader Summer Sale is here!

The 3rd annual Good e-Reader Summer Sale is upon us and you can save big on brands such as Kobo, Hisense, Pocketbook, Onyx Boox and Fujitsu! If you are looking for an E INK enabled smartphone, e-note or e-reader, now is the time!