News

• Apple Australia opens iBookstore floodgates

  Up until now, the Australian version of Apple's eBook marketplace, the iBookstore, has been fairly sparsely populated compared with rivals. But yesterday it appeared as if the company has added half a dozen major new publishers to its catalogue in a major move.

• Mystery iPhone book apps disappear from store

  A group of iPhone apps that had received top rankings on the iTunes Store have disappeared from the top 50 book applications following complaints from developers.

• E-reader sales expected to hit wall in 2014

  E-readers like the Kindle and Nook are surging in popularity but will hit a wall in 2014 when sales drop off due to competition from a wide range of consumer electronic devices, including the iPad, according to Informa Telecoms & Media of London.

• iPad makes big strides as e-reader

  Apple's iPad, while far more than an e-reader, is having a clear impact on the e-reader market, including the kind of content people are reading on it.

• Just when you thought the iPad couldn't be more popular: survey

  A pair of new surveys finds increased consumer interest in Apple's iPad, and extremely high satisfaction among iPad users. Users are not only surfing the Web and checking e-mail but also using applications from Apple's App Store, watching videos and reading e-books.

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  Borders joins eBook fray with Kobo device and online service

  Borders has joined the e-book war, launching a new device called the Kobo and kicking off cloud-based service.

• Fujitsu improves color e-paper screen

  Fujitsu Laboratories will unveil next week a new version of its color electronic paper display that's easier on the eyes, the company said Friday.

• BenQ chooses e-reader path over iPad

  Taiwanese electronics maker BenQ plans to continue to focus on e-readers instead of developing a tablet device similar to Apple's iPad, and believes a color version of its nReader due out later this year will be one of the keys to winning the market.

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  Govt establishes book industry support group

  The Federal Government has extended a lifeline to the ailing book publishing industry, establishing of a Book Industry Strategy Group to meet the challenges of the up and coming e-book market.

• Amazon will sell its Kindle DX reader outside the U.S.

  Amazon.com is selling its Kindle DX with a 9.7 inch display in over 100 countries outside the U.S. It is available for pre-order starting Wednesday, with actual shipments scheduled for Jan. 19, Amazon said on Wednesday.

• Barnes & Noble Nook demo units arrive, but sales of e-reader delayed

  Barnes & Noble today put its Nook e-readers on display at its retail stores, but acknowledged that it won't be selling any of the $259 device at the stores until after the holidays. The latest plan contradicts earlier in-store signs announcing that the product would go on sale this week.

• Hearst's Skiff plans e-reading service around content

  The Hearst publishing company unveiled its long-awaited e-reader plan on Friday, describing an "e-reading service platform" coming next year that will distribute content from multiple publishers to a variety of wireless mobile devices.

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  How to fix the keyboard crisis

  Everything gets better, right? Cheaper. Faster. Smaller. This is especially true for the smallest devices -- cell phones, netbooks and e-book readers.

• 5 ebooks reviewed

  Thinking of joining the growing number of people using ebooks? Then check out the following reviews before you buy.

• Nook e-reader pushes Barnes & Noble into crowded market

  Barnes & Noble's new e-reader, reportedly dubbed the Nook, propels the bookseller into an increasingly crowded market for similar devices.