Nook Color gets major software update, adds Netflix streaming

Call it an early holiday gift or just making good on a promise, but Barnes & Noble has just released an expected software update for Nook Color owners that adds many of the features now found in the company's step-up model, the $249 Nook Tablet.

What does the update, which Barnes & Noble is calling the "largest ever for the device," add?

Well, beyond some "ongoing performance improvements," here are the highlights:

Access to popular movies and TV shows streamed through Netflix. New Flixster app (allows you to access digital movies and TV shows on … Read more

Sony temporarily chops price of Reader Wi-Fi to $99

With all the major touch-screen e-ink e-readers now priced at $99, we've been wondering when Sony would give a price chop to its $149 Reader Wi-Fi (PRS-T1). Well, now it has--at least temporarily--dropping the price to $99 till December 24.

I've always liked the Sony Readers and the Reader Wi-Fi received generally high marks in our review, but it's hard to recommend with any enthusiasm when competing products form Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo come in at $50 less.

If $99 still doesn't sound good enough, here's another deal sweetener: Sony will also … Read more

Dodocase for Kindle Fire now available

Want to bind your Kindle Fire into a moleskin-style notebook?

Dodocase, the maker of popular bookish cases for tablets and e-readers, has just released its Dodocase for Kindle Fire, and it's a good one.

I parked our Kindle Fire review sample in the case for a few days and it fits really nicely inside the bamboo "tray" (rubberized corners hold the device in place) and the case is thin yet protective.… Read more

Kobo Touch $69.99 at Buy.com today

It was Barnes & Noble's turn on Black Friday. Now it's Kobo's turn on Cyber Monday.

Last week, Barnes & Noble offered up a limited edition of the Nook Simple Touch for $79. Now Kobo's teamed up with Buy.com to sell the new ad-supported Kobo Touch With Offers for $69.99 in a one-day sale.

That's a $30 price cut and a good deal on a solid touch-screen e-reader. (Read our full review here).

Like the Kindle Touch With Special Offers, the Kobo Touch With Offers features an advertisement just at the bottom of … Read more

$99 ad-supported Kobo Touch ships

Not too long ago Kobo announced that it would soon begin selling an ad-supported Kobo Touch with Offers for $99, matching the price of the Kindle Touch With Special Offers and Nook Simple Touch. The company says that product is now available.

As part of the launch, Kobo has also updated the firmware for both the new model and standard Kobo Touch, which costs $30 more ($129). The new firmware offers "several significant new feature improvements, such as new customization options and enhanced speed to deliver a fully optimized e-reading experience." Owners of the standard Kobo Touch can … Read more

Nook Touch 'limited edition' $79 on Black Friday

The picture says it all on this one.

On Black Friday, Barnes & Noble will be selling its highly-rated Nook Simple Touch for $79. That's a $20 price drop and matches the price of Amazon's entry-level non-touch, ad-supported Kindle With Special Offers. The Nook Simple Touch has no ads.

The company is calling it a "Limited Edition," and while it doesn't seem any different from the $99 model that's on sale now, on second glance the border/edging is white instead of black (the new color scheme has been confirmed by Barnes & Noble). … Read more

Case-Mate ships new Kindle Fire cases

A steady stream of Kindle Fire cases have headed to stores and Case-Mate has three new ones: the Venture, Tuxedo, and Hampton.

Here's a quick skinny on all of them, ordered by size, least to most expensive.

The Tuxedo ($40) is a slim folio case that Case-Mate says is equipped with built-in and reusable MagicTape, "a double-sided adhesive that doesn't leave residue and never loses its grip." This one folds up into a stand with multiple viewing angles and also includes smart magnets that "put the Fire to sleep while not in use and awaken … Read more

Kyobo Mirasol color e-reader debuts in Korea

A lot of people thought Mirasol, Qualcomm's once-promising color display technology with e-ink-like properties, was dead in the water. But now we get word that Kyobo Book Centre, Korea's largest bookseller, has announced the retail availability of the first Mirasol e-reader.

Simply called the Kyobo e-reader, it looks a lot like the Mirasol prototypes that have been floating around for the last couple of years. The Kyobo's got a 5.7-inch XGA display (1,024x768-pixel resolution, 223 ppi), runs on a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon S2-class processor, and sports a touch-screen interface. Cost: $310 (KRW349,000) or $265 (KRW 299,000) if you happen to be a Kyobo Platinum Book Club member.

For those who've been following Mirasol, the great thing about the technology is that as with e-ink you can view the screen in direct sunlight and it's also very energy-efficient.… Read more

AT&T to sell Kindle Touch 3G

Looking to buy a Kindle Touch this holiday season? Well, Amazon.com won't be the only place the new device will be available.

Starting next week, AT&T said it will sell the 3G version of the Kindle Touch e-reader, one of three new e-readers recently announced by Amazon. The Kindle Touch offers a new touch screen. AT&T will charge $149 for the device, the same price as Amazon.com.

This is the first time AT&T will be selling the Kindle e-reader in its retail stores. And it will give people an opportunity to … Read more