iPhones Turn Into Kindles, With Free App

Consumers jilt e-book readers, download titles to smartphones

(NEWSER) - They’ve only been around for a few years, but digital book readers may already be going the way of the Walkman. In increasing numbers, tech savvy bookworms are downloading their favorite titles onto smartphones like the iPhone for a fraction of the cost, BusinessWeek reports. For travelers, “bringing an extra piece of equipment loses some of its value,” said an iPhone convert. More»

Flash lovers, rejoice!

(NEWSER) - Surely you’ve heard by know that Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet isn’t an iPad killer . But it does have a few desirable traits that the iPad doesn’t. The Huffington Post lists six of them:

• It supports Flash: Many iPad and iPhone users wish that Apple would take a page from Amazon’s playbook when it comes to this.
• It’s cheaper: A Kindle Fire (which does not offer 3G) will run you $199. For the cheapest iPad 2 model, which also does not offer 3G, you’ll shell out $499.

Hachette is third major house to push for higher, iPad-style prices

(NEWSER) - Hachette has joined Macmillan—and, seemingly, HarperCollins—in demanding control over the pricing of its e-books sold through Amazon, a move apparently sparked by Apple’s more flexible model for titles that will appear on its iPad. Hachette sent a letter to agents yesterday announcing it would seek an Apple-style agreement with all retailers. The company’s iBooks store will price titles at $12.99 to $14.99; Amazon offers all bestsellers for $9.99. More»

Many believe the era of dedicated gadgets is almost over

(NEWSER) - This year’s Consumer Electronics Show has seen the unveiling of a raft of new e-readers, but the would-be Kindle and Nook competitors could have a hard go of it. First off, some are pretty pricey—that Plastic Logic Que will cost $649 without 3G, or $799 with an AT&T plan. Most don’t have the built-in market of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And then there’s the real problem: Do people want dedicated e-readers at all? More»

Single-purpose devices' days are numbered: Manjoo

(NEWSER) - After yesterday's announcement that the iPod Nano now has a video camera, Apple's future direction is clear, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. Eventually, every iPod will be what Steve Jobs calls a “general-purpose device,” aka a small computer—a music player/phone/camera/web browser/GPS. Sure, Apple still sells dedicated music players. But its runaway hit is the multipurpose iPhone, the App Store is its most popular feature, and "tech is always getting cheaper and smaller," Manjoo observes. More»