e-reader

Nook line to expand to U.K. with mid-October launch

Barnes & Noble will for the first time expand its Nook business internationally.

The company announced today that its e-readers and digital bookstore will be launching in the U.K. in mid-October. At that time, customers will be able to access the company's e-books, as well as purchase either its Nook Simple Touch or Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.

As with its service in the U.S., Barnes & Noble will let U.K.-based customers read titles on their Nook or "mobile and computing devices."

The Nook Simple Touch has earned high marks from CNET, landing … Read more

How to print e-book pages

New e-reading converts might be surprised to find out that despite the fact that e-books can be read on computers, there's no real way to print out a page for reference. In the olden days, you could just put a paperback facedown on a copier, but with e-books, it's a little trickier.

Just in time for school bells and syllabi, here are some go-to ways for printing out pages from an e-book.

Remember, though, that policies for the many book publishers vary, so review those policies and move forward at your own risk. Distributing copyrighted material without authorization … Read more

Getting started with Barnes & Noble's Nook for Web

You no longer need a Nook to read Barnes & Noble e-books. With Nook for Web, you can read e-books right in your browser on both PCs and Macs. To tempt you to try Nook for Web, Barnes & Noble is offering six titles for free until July 26. Here's how to take Barnes & Noble up on its offer and get started:

Head to the Nook for Web page on the Barnes & Noble site and you can immediately sample these six titles:

Click on a cover, and a sample containing the first few pages will open in … Read more

Nook chases after Kindle with browser-based service

After a long wait, Barnes & Noble has finally unveiled a browser-based platform, allowing users to explore and read the company's e-books from a Mac or PC.

Dubbed Nook for Web, the platform requires no sign-in, software download, or Nook account for users to start reading. According to Barnes & Noble, the service allows users to search for books and sample them, as well as read entire titles after purchase. Barnes & Noble says that Nook for Web comes with the same "Nook-like reading environment" found in the company's applications and e-readers.

Barnes & Noble took … Read more

Replace a 'dumb phone' with an iPhone now or wait until later?

It's that time in the iPhone life-cycle when Apple is expected to launch a new version of the popular smartphone in a couple of months, leaving many potential first-time iPhone fans wondering what they should do about getting a new phone.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I lay out the options for a reader considering buying a used or refurbished iPhone now to replace her basic "dumb phone." I also explain to another reader the difference between a tablet and e-reader.

Where can I get a cheap iPhone?

Dear Maggie, I think I'm one of … Read more

iPad still dominates tablet traffic, but Nook surges past Kindle Fire

While the iPad continues to dominate tablet traffic, there is a new leader in the e-reader battle between Barnes & Noble's Nook and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

Apple's tablet accounted for 91 percent of the hundreds of millions of Web traffic impressions sampled by the Chitika Ad network during the week of June 4 -10, a decline of 3.5 percent from 94.6 percent in May. Coming in at a very distant second place was Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which captured only 1.7 percent of tablet Web traffic, followed by Acer Iconia, Toshiba Thrive, and Asus … Read more

State Department offers Amazon up to $16.5M to hand out Kindles

The only e-reader fit enough to meet the U.S. State Department's needs is the Kindle Touch. The iPad and Nook simply won't do. The government has asked Amazon to negotiate a no-bid contract of up to $16.5 million to pass out Kindles to the country's embassies overseas. This was first reported by Nextgov.

If Amazon proposes a contract based on the State Department's needs, it would theoretically provide at least 2,500 Kindle Touches preloaded with 50 titles each to the State Department; but this number could grow because the government is looking to … Read more

The 404 1,068: Where it's a small world (podcast)

The time has come for every Internet denizen to take a stand against the worst atrocity (and probably the biggest problem) on the Web: vertical videos. Big thanks to the puppets in this PSA spreading the word about Vertical Video Syndrome.

You can blame Flip video cameras, the ubiquity of videos shot with an iPhone, or just the tech-ignorance masses, but it has to stop. With the help of Ariel, Richard, and Joseph on today's episode, we all hope to put an end to the vertical video travesty.… Read more

Get a Kindle with Special Offers for $49 shipped

Whoa! Amazon is selling the refurbished Kindle with Special Offers for $69. And if you claim a free voucher from Amazon Local (available today only), you can get it for $49!

Start by heading to Amazon Local (the city doesn't matter) and clicking Get Voucher. Make sure to complete the process of "placing your order" (an Amazon account and credit card are required), keeping in mind that you won't be charged anything for the voucher.

When that's done, click Your Vouchers (top-right corner of the page). It may take a few minutes to finish processing … Read more

Get a Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet for $149

The tablet wars are on.

Just last month, Amazon slashed the refurbished Kindle Fire to $139 (it's now back up to $169). Today, Barnes & Noble (via eBay) is offering the refurbished Nook Tablet for $149 shipped. Just to clarify, that's the Nook Tablet, not the older Nook Color -- which is what you usually see selling at this price.

Update: Yikes! Big goof on my part: this Nook is new, not refurbished!

What's the difference? Physically, they're just about identical, but the Nook Tablet features a faster processor, more RAM, and a microphone. The Nook … Read more