Kobo Desktop Application Now Available For Windows & Mac

Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced the Kobo Desktop Application, a free, downloadable application now available from www.kobobooks.com that enables users to read, build a digital library, and shop for eBooks directly from their computer or laptop. The new application also allows Kobo customers with 3^rd party eReaders, such as the Sony Reader, to easily connect to the Kobo service to download or purchase content.

Kobo currently offers dedicated applications for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android, Android Tablets, as well as the Kobo eReader. Now with the Kobo Desktop Application users can sync their entire library between their mobile devices and the desktop. Customers with popular eReaders can now manage their digital library in one place, connect to the Kobo store to buy or download free content from over 2.2 million titles, and benefit from Kobo’s range of free applications for mobile devices. The free application also comes preloaded on every Kobo eReader making it easy for users to organize their library right out of the box.

Borders Drops E-Book Readers Prices

Borders has dropped the price of its Kobo and Libre e-readers to $129 and $99.99, respectively.
The Kobo was previously priced at $149.99, while the smaller Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro sold for $119.

The new prices took effect on Sept. 1. The Libre is available on Borders.com and will be in Borders stores this week; the Kobo is currently available online and in stores. "We're committed to making it as easy as possible for all Borders customers to enjoy eReading," Mike Edwards, chief executive of Borders, said in a statement. "As the demand for e-readers grows, we believe it is important to provide accessibility to a variety of devices. By reducing the price of our best-selling digital devices, we're enabling even more Borders customers to purchase eReaders at a great value."

Samsung to officially unveil the Galaxy Pad on Sept 2

The Apple iPad has stiff competition arriving from strong and diverse army of Androids and now faces tough challenge from Samsung with its new offering Galaxy Tab(let), with battle lines drawn in the Tablet PC market .Ultimately who maintains the edge is for the Customer to decide.

With a release date set for this week's IFA expo in Germany, the Tab is expected to run on Android and has a feature list that includes 3G connectivity, wifi, a 16:10 screen ratio, a front-facing camera for video calling, SDHC memory expandability, and a DMB tuner for TV viewing.

However, it has been said that the user interface for the new product is an impressive selling point. According to tech news site Engadget, the user interface "really looks silky smooth and should give the iPad cause for concern." 

While Galaxy Tab is not a ebook reader in the real sense of the word, it can be used as one. And the fact that it is based on Android, makes sure that the useful programs will be available right from the beginning.

B&N Rebrands Its Nook eReader Software For Various Platforms

E-reading software is swiftly making its way from eReaders to mobile handsets. Barnes & Noble had unleashed its highly anticipated Nook sometime back and the company now updates its Nook-branded eReading software for the iPhone.



Less than a month after introducing an Android App, Barnes and Noble has released a completely revamped version of their apps for iPhone and iPad. The iPad app now includes a familiar one- to five-star rating system, and the ability to sort by ranking.

The improved iPhone app ads some of the best functionality from its iPad counterpart, allowing users to completely customize the look of their pages or choose from several professionally-designed themes. Additionally, you can change font styles, size, and spacing for the best reading experience possible. The iPhone app is optimized for viewing on the iPhone 4's retina display screen, but will run with the same functionality on older iPhones.

Kogan's $189 eBook reader

Kogan Technologies has launched a 6-inch eBook reader into the Australian market at a price of just AUD$189 (less than US$170). Around one third of an inch thick and weighing 228.8 g, the eBook Reader boasts good readability in bright sunlight via an 800 x 600 E Ink screen along with simple navigation system and long battery life.

 Included with the reader are 1500 free eBooks, most of which are classics by authors as Arthur Conan Doyle, George Orwell, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.

E Ink Working On Color And Capacitive Touch Displays

According to Digitimes, E Ink Holdings, the company behind the popular E-Ink displays, is busy working on color E-Ink displays, and the device vendors are already sampling the fruits of their labor at the moment. Hanvon has already provided some good news by promising to offer color E-ink readers by the end of the year, one with a capacitive display, and other which will use a digitizer for input. The newer display panels also offer better response times and reflectivity, which has us dreaming about color eBook readers from companies such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

E-ink ebook readers like the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook offer, in the opinion of many, the best digital book-reading experience available. The battery life is astounding (the new Kindle gets up to a month of battery life. An entire month!), they can be used outside without glare, and they quite simply look more like printed, physical ink and paper than any other display ever created. You can lose yourself in e-ink, which is about the best compliment I can give to a digital reader.
On the other hand, LCD devices in a similar package, including tablets like Apple's iPad, offer a passable reading experience on top of a whole host of features e-ink will never, ever be able to handle. Ebook readers are better for books; tablets are better for everything else. So tablets and ebook readers exist in an odd sort of stalemate right now: neither can quite replace the other.

OverDrive Unveils Project Gutenberg Ebook Downloads

LibraryJournal.com reports that the Boston Public Library (BPL), has added some 15,000 public-domain, DRM-free ebooks from Project Gutenberg thru' it's partner, OverDrive.

The new public beta site allows any user to download PG ebooks, but such users are not required to sign in as BPL patrons, and downloads do not count against patron checkout limits or have time limits for use. Indeed, the ebooks aren't really loaned at all—users effectively own the ebooks they download.

The ebooks are not included in the regular library catalog, but on a separate Overdrive-powered site. Selections include popular pre-1923 classics, such as the works of Jane Austen and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as such obscure fare as 1906's Are You a Bromide? by Gelett Burgess.