Kindle Devotees Rip Rising E-Book Prices

But DoJ suit expected to be bad news for readers in long run

(NEWSER) - Just after the Department of Justice launched its antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five major publishers , Amazon announced plans to slash e-book prices. But while the move is expected to cut the prices of major titles from $14.99 to $9.99 or less, analysts believe the benefit to consumers will be short-lived. Amazon, which already controls around 60% of the e-book market, can afford to sell books at a loss to boost Kindle sales and the price-fixing lawsuit is expected to give it an overwhelming advantage, allowing it to drive competitors out of the market and start dictating its own terms to publishers. 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.

Amazon's offering will be significantly cheaper than most tablets

(NEWSER) - Amazon is introducing its new Kindle Fire tablet in New York, but Bloomberg got some details—and Mashable got a picture—early. For one thing, the $199 price tag is lower than rumored. It will feature a 7-inch display and WiFi capability, but no 3G, camera, or microphone. A free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s premium membership service, will be offered along with the device. More»

But tablet not ready to ship until second week of November

(NEWSER) - It’s long been rumored , and tomorrow Amazon.com’s Kindle tablet will finally be announced. The iPad competitor will be called the “Kindle Fire,” TechCrunch reports, and it will resemble BlackBerry’s PlayBook with a 7-inch backlit display. The custom version of Android it will use “looks nothing like Android,” writes MG Siegler, and most of the big apps should be available by the time it launches in November. Amazon also has deals for magazines and streaming movies and TV shows, and Amazon’s MP3 service and Kindle bookstore will also provide available content. More»

In fact, Amazon e-books will soon be more open

(NEWSER) - Google is making quite a big deal about the "openness" of its e-books , but Farhad Manjoo has news for you: "Google's e-books are 'open' in the same way that politicians are 'bipartisan' and oil companies are 'green,'" he writes on Slate . "Open" certainly sounds good, when it comes to marketing, but there's no practical difference in buying from Google over Amazon when it comes to how much control you have over your e-library. Neither store will allow you to share or resell your books, and neither store will allow you to read your books on every device. More»