No More Kindles for Christmas

Company angles for bigger share of fast-growing market

(NEWSER) - Sony plans to fire up competition in the E-reader market with a pair of affordable releases next month, Bloomberg reports. The Sony Reader Pocket Edition, with a 5-inch screen, will be priced at $199. A touch-screen version will sell for $299. Amazon dropped the price of its Kindles to $299 last month in an effort to dominate the market. More»

(NEWSER) - Amazon has lopped $60 off the price of its Kindle 2 ebook reader in a move that looks like an effort to gain iPod-like dominance in an increasingly crowded market, Melissa Perenson writes in PC World. The Kindle is way ahead of the competition, but Sony's ereaders are gaining traction, and rivals are emerging at the lower end of the market. More»

Amazon loses out as savvy buyers trade e-book for big returns

(NEWSER) - Amazon.com has run out of Kindle e-book readers, sending their prices soaring on the second-hand market and on sites like eBay, reports Bloomberg. Ever since an Oprah endorsement in October cleaned out the online retailer’s stock, those with Kindles in hand have sought to secure a return on their investment. The device retails for $359 but it can now fetch anywhere from $500 to $1,500. More»

Sales of digital products pay off tablet investment

(NEWSER) - Selling Kindle Fires turns out to have been a very profitable way for Amazon to lose money. The no-frills tablet computer—which sells for slightly less than it costs to make —has now captured more than half of the Android tablet market, with rival tablets from Samsung and Motorola a long way behind, BusinessWeek reports. The Fire sales have given a huge boost to Amazon's sales of digital products, helping it post first-quarter profits yesterday that were above analysts' highest expectations. More»

Publishers group says it was strong-armed to accept new terms

(NEWSER) - Amazon is playing hardball with a book distributor that refused to give it a bigger share of the pie. The company's Kindle store yanked some 5,000 e-books after Independent Publishers Group, which represents hundreds of independent publishers, refused the online giant's demands. "They decided they didn't like the terms we offered, and we said, 'We're not going to change,' and they removed them," IPG chief Mark Suchomel tells the Chicago Tribune . More»