eNews

Samsung officially introduced their forthcoming Galaxy Tablet last night, but did not announce pricing. They do, however, have agreements with all four big US cell carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile). They indicated earlier that Kobo will power their reader app and ebookstore. Motorola co-chief executive Sanjay Jha confirmed speculation that the company is working on an Android tablet of their own, hoping for a release “early next year.” Meanwhile, in reporting earnings recently, Best Buy ceo Brian Dunn “said internal estimates showed that the iPad had cannibalized sales from laptop PCs by as much as 50 percent,” the WSJ […]

Walt Mossberg believes (like many) that the iPad is “a very good ereader.” He reviews reading apps from Apple, Amazon and BN/Nook and finds things to like–and dislike–about each. The hidden “news” is his finding that the iBookstore is up to 130,000 titles. From his modest price tests, he doesn’t seem to understand the books from the five big agency-model publishers will always be the same, but books from other publishers can vary.WSJ

The WSJ looks at Rick Richter’s Ruckus Media and other children’s book app initiatives. Richter estimates the cost of creating each app at between $12,000 and $30,000, and says they have 75 titles under contract, including a deal with Jon Scieszka–who says “I think that what we’ll find in the new app world is that the original stuff will really fly,”WSJ Scribner is the latest publisher to take a crack at selling short works for 99 cents, offering 69 essays by Chuck Klosterman, “almost all” of which have appeared in books already. They are also offering six thematic collections of […]

Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear books will be released for the first time as ebooks on October 6 as Crown prepares for the release of the sixth and final volume, THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, March 29, 2011.USAT Random House Children’s has partnered with Seattle-based digital media agency Smashing Ideas to develop book-based children’s apps “that marry story, design, and technology.” The agency co-created the Alice for iPad app. Google, which was supposed to launch Editions in Japan in mid-2010, has actually announced the service for a 2011 debut there. Strategic partner development manager at Google Japan Yoichi […]

Packing in as much as we can: 1. Kobo released a new desktop computer app, which they point out works with other company’s EPUB devices including nook and Sony Reader, letting readers buy from Kobo and read on other machines.Release 2. Kno has raised another $46 million in financing, and says their giant, dual-screen color tablet will ship “later this year” and start student beta testing shortly. It ratifies them as the leading player for the moment in bringing tablets to the college market.Release 3. Engadget got early photos and marketing materials for HP‘s bizarre new tablet + printer combo, […]