Exactly as previewed by Amazon’s Canadian and Chinese sites, on Wednesday morning the company officially unveiled their new Kindle Oasis ereader — premium priced, starting at $290 with ads. (Removing ads costs another $20; adding 3G is another $70.) Per our report yesterday, the new model is thinner and lighter than ever, as long as you are not counting the charging cover, which almost doubles the weight. That self-charging cover is actually “a new dual-battery system” that charges the reader once it is connected to the cover. “The battery in the cover uses a custom cell architecture that optimizes power and energy […]
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Based on Leaked Images, Kindle Returns to Ugly Roots with New Oasis
The original Kindle reader was one of the odder-looking pieces of consumer electronics, and with the new eighth-generation “top of the line” Kindle reader that Jeff Bezos tipped on Twitter last week, Amazon appears to be returning to its roots. Called the Kindle Oasis according to early posts spotted on Amazon’s Canadian and Chinese stores, the asymmetrical device is thicker on one side, to allow for page-turning buttons. As the WSJ noted, it sports a removable “rechargeable protective case for extended battery life” (even though battery life is hardly a complaint about current devices) — which is supposed to make the […]
Nook to Eliminate Santa Clara and Taiwan Offices, Outsource Some Services
Barnes & Noble announced the last step in cutting costs at the ever-declining Nook unit after the close of the market on Thursday. The company will close its offices in Santa Clara, CA (approximately 80 employees) and Taiwan (approximately 19 employees) by July, eliminating those 100 or so jobs. BN expects severance charges and transition related costs of approximately $6 million related to the announcement. In place of those employees, Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) will perform certain technology services for Nook, including cloud management and development support for Nook software. After the one-time charge, Barnes & Noble expects the shift will save approximately $13 million annually — cutting $8 million […]
New Kindle Reader Due to be Announced Next Week
Recent Tweeter Jeff Bezos leaked himself on Monday afternoon. He wrote: “All-new, top of the line Kindle almost ready. 8th generation. Details next week.” Meanwhile, Amazon Prime members are being offered $30 to $50 off the three existing Kindle devices right now.
HarperCollins Officially Expands in France, and More
It’s book fair time — as the Bologna Book Fair officially opens — so Harper Collins has announced another expanded international unit. This time it is the formation of Harper Collins France. Previously, Harlequin SA was a joint venture in France with Hachette Livre, but Harper Collins bought out their partner. They will continue to work with Hachette in an “ongoing partnership for distribution and sales.” (They bought out Mondadori’s share of Harlequin Mondadori in September 2015, and they ended their joint venture in Brazil with Record Publishing Group — pairing instead with Ediuoro Group, last August. The new business will continue to publish […]
Briefs: More James Patterson Library Grants; DRM-Free Star Trek eBooks; and More
For the second year in a row, James Patterson will award $1.75 million in grants (of $1,000 to $10,000) on a rolling basis throughout the year to school libraries. Once again the initiative is run in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club. Aligned with the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, Pocket Books has announced the release of more than 700 tie-in novels and novelizations in DRM-free ebook editions. Pocket president Louise Burke says in the release, “We’re excited to re-introduce many classic stories and to enable discovery and the ease of purchase that DRM-free provides.” New visitors to the site will be eligible for a […]