e-book reader

Amazon said that it will be using its ever increasing revenue to expand into areas such as Web content and cloud computing rather than boost its margins.

This week the Internet retailing giant reported a surge in its quarterly revenue gained on sales of Kindle e-book reader and other electronics, forecasting better than expected profits for the third quarter.

While Amazon saw big gains from growth in e-commerce its margins remained narrow as a result of heavy spending on distribution, technology and digital content.

This week Microsoft has filed several lawsuits for patent infringement against bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc over its Nook electronic book reader and other device makers.

Earlier, Microsoft sued Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc over its Android phone handsets. The Redmond company said that Barnes & Noble's e-readers infringe several Microsoft patents with software used to tab between screens, surf the Web and interact with e-books.

Amazon expects to sell 8 million Kindle devices this year which is 60% more than predicted by analysts according to Bloomberg Businessweek report. In comparison, Apple has sold only 7.6 million iPads from April to September.

The figures cited by Amazon cannot be checked because the company does not officially present any sales numbers for the reader.

Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General in Connecticut, launched an investigation into deals concluded by Amazon.com and Apple Inc with publishers to offer the lowest in the market prices for electronic books thus thwarting their rivals to compete with them.

Amazon has launched wireless only Kindle reader that is cheaper than its previous versions. The new e-book reader is priced at $139. The company hopes the new move will turn its latest electronic reader into a mass-appeal device as Apple Inc's iPad gains ground. Besides, Amazon also unveiled its third generation Kindle, some 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous version, but still priced at $189.

A new study from Retrevo has found that e-book reading people mostly prefer to purchase e-readers than iPads. The survey asked the participants whether they were planning on buying an e-reader this year. 20% said yes, 8% already own one, 8% are buying an iPad instead, and 64% are not buying an e-reader or an iPad.

Experts are divided in opinions on whether it is better to use iPad or Kindle devices when you read before bed. Some experts cite iPad’s bright LCD display as a main factor to reduce your body's ability to produce melatonin, an important compound that helps our bodies fall asleep. And thus they recommend to put down the iPad and pick up a Kindle.

Tens of millions people will adopt new web-connected portable devices this year, forecasts the industry watcher Deloitte. The company predicts that “NetTabs” – touchscreen tablets primarily designed for web surfing, larger than a smartphone but less than a laptop – may become the very product people will need in 2010.

Technical specifications for the new Asus e-book reader DR-570 have appeared on the web. The DR-570 is equipped with a 6in OLED “high-brightness” color display and according to the company it will support Adobe Flash and either Wi-Fi or 3G wireless connections – but not both.

It was several times last year that the company reported its plans to release its own color e-reader and it confirmed that the DR-750 will be released by the end of 2010.