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What Apple's latest rules change means for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo e-reader apps

Apple giveth and Apple taketh away.

Today, Apple decided to give a little, as it made some significant tweaks to its in-app subscription rules that impact the fate of e-reader apps.

Apple had reportedly set a deadline of June 30 for developers to alter their apps to reflect the new terms for subscriptions in the Apple Store, which required companies to give Apple a 30 percent cut on sales their apps generate.

In the past, e-reading apps Kindle, Nook, and Kobo have avoided paying the cut by sending customers to a Web-based interface outside the app. When Apple issued its … Read more

New Nook Simple Touch Reader review

Is the new Nook better than the Kindle? That's what a lot of people are asking and the short answer--at least at this moment--is arguably yes.

No, it doesn't have an audio jack for MP3 music playback or a built-in basic Web browser, but it does have one thing the Kindle doesn't: a touch-screen interface--and it's a good one.

How does the new Nook perform compared with the Kindle?

Read the full review of the 2011 Nook to find out.

Kindle battery life doubles overnight

When Amazon first launched its latest-generation Kindle e-reader last year, it touted the fact that it could get up to a month's worth of battery life. That same figure is mentioned in a variety of print and television ads.

But after Barnes & Noble launched the new Nook yesterday and played up the Simple Touch Reader's 2 months of battery life (B&N called it the "longest battery life of any eReader"), Amazon countered by magically upping the battery life of the Kindle to two months as the company released a $164 Special Offers version … Read more

Hands-on with new Nook: Better than the Kindle?

Note: CNET's full review of the new Nook is up now.

The day after Kobo served up a new $129.99 touch-screen e-reader, Barnes & Noble, as expected, unveiled its own touch-screen e-ink Nook, which it's branding as "The Simple eReader."

We had a very good idea what the new device would be prior to the launch, but before we get to the initial impressions, here's a quick rundown of the new Nook's key specs:

Touch screen with Neonode "responsive" zForce infrared touch technology 6-inch Pearl e-ink screen (same screen as Kindle'… Read more

Kobo unveils Wi-Fi Touch Edition e-reader for $129.99

The day before Barnes & Noble is expected to announce a new e-ink e-reader, Kobo unveiled its own new e-ink model, the Kobo WiFi Touch Edition, for $129.99.

As its name implies, the new e-reader has a touch screen and uses the same Neonode infrared technology that's found in Sony's touch-screen e-readers. It also has E-Ink's latest generation Pearl e-ink screen.

Here's a look at the key specs:

Touch screen with Neonode "responsive" zForce infrared touch technology (Kobo is calling it "Real Touch") 6-inch Pearl e-ink screen (same screen as Kindle'… Read more

iFlow Reader developer rages at Apple (Q&A)

CNET ran a story yesterday about BeamItDown Software, the start-up behind the iFlow Reader app for iOS, offering harsh words for Apple as it felt forced to shut down. In a note to customers, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said its demise was due to Apple's "mid-game rule changes that make it impossible for anyone but Apple to sell e-books at a profit on iOS."

I was struck by the candidness of the remarks and decided to track down BeamItDown's co-founder Dennis Morin for a follow-up interview. Morin has been an entrepreneur for a number of … Read more

Does Apple's iBooks need to go Android?

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the iPad 2 as an e-reader. Recently, I read through some of the comments and noticed one that caught my attention.

"I refuse to buy books from Apple that can only be read on Apple devices," declared a CNET reader who goes by the handle GSOgymrat.

I pulled that quote out from a longer comment (see full version here), but I thought it was pretty telling. One of the big things that Amazon and Barnes & Noble have been playing up is the fact that their apps--and your digital … Read more

Borders sale: $60 Kobo Wireless e-reader

We weren't terribly impressed with the Kobo Wireless e-reader when we reviewed it, but now that Borders is discounting it in some stores to $59.99, we're actually thinking it might make a decent pick up if you're looking for an e-ink e-reader that supports ePub files.

We don't know exactly which stores might be carrying the discounted Kobo e-readers, but this particular display was spotted at the 2nd Avenue store in Manhattan that's in the process of liquidating its stock (yes, the store is closing).

Let us know if you've seen the Kobo … Read more

M-Edge's new touch-activated e-reader booklight

If you own an e-ink-based e-reader, you've probably considered a book light. And M-Edge, which makes lots of covers for e-readers, now has a more compact and fancier successor to its popular e-Luminator book light. This one's called the e-Luminator Touch because--you guessed it--it has a touch-activated power button.

The $19.99 accessory, which is compatible with all of M-Edge's "jackets" for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo e-readers, has a couple other new features, including a sleep timer (it automatically turns the light off after 60 minutes of inactivity), three light-intensity settings, and a paperclip-style … Read more