Looking for an Ebook Reader as a Christmas present or just for yourself then there is now a new kid on the block in addition to the Kindle Ebook Reader and the Sony Reader there is the nook from Barnes and Noble.

The nook will use the Android platform and should be available on November 30, it will set you back US$259.

It has Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connectivity, a 6″ E-Ink display and a separate colour touchscreen to be used as primary input method.

It has a MicroSD expansion slot for extra storage. One innovative feature that the Kindle Ebook Reader does not have is the ability to lend books once to someone for up to 2 weeks.

It is however a US-only device.

It also includes a built-in WiFi adapter, allowing free access to AT&T-powered hotspots in B&N retail stores.

One thing that is missing is the text-to-speech tools that the Kindle has and the battery life is only 10 days, compared with 14 days for the Kindle.

Amazon Has Launched a Kindle for PC Application

Amazon’s share price rose over 20% on Friday when it reported $199 million net profit.

One of the reasons for this surge in profits is the Kindle ebook reader which is now Amazon’s “number one best-selling item both in unit sales and dollars”.

In another move to increase profits and cash in on the enthusiasm for the Kindle, Amazon is making an application available free of charge to allow you to use Kindle software to turn your PC into an ebook reader .

Here are some facts and figures.

1. The Kindle application will be free to download

2. It will be available in November.

3. It will be available for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows XP.

4. Windows 7 version will have more features

5. 360,000 Kindle ebooks will be available

6. You can transfer previous purchases free.

7. You don’t lose your place if you switch from PC to Kindle or iPhone.

8. Kindle notes or highlights will be synchronized.

9. You can choose font size and select the number of words to appear on each line.

10. Best-selling books will cost $9.99 to download

Amazon has announcesd a slimmed-down version of the Kindle Ebook Reader for the UK and at the same time Plastic Logic has revealed that it will be launching the QUE in January 2010, describing it as the first proReader for business professionals.

The QUE ereader will support document formats for business users  (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.).

“QUE enhances business performance and gives you a competitive edge. More than an eReader, QUE means business.”

The QUE will be ultra thin, lightweight and wireless-enabled, and measure 8.5 x 11 inch, and be less than a 1/3 inch thick.

It will have the largest screen in the industry and an intuitive touch screen user interface.

It will also feature a shatterproof plastic display which along with E Ink Vizplex® technology will provide an “outstanding reading experience”. The battery can also last days, instead of hours.

Kindle DX Launches this Summer

Amazon has sold so many of its Kindle version 2 ebook reader that it decided to make a bigger version so that people wouldn’t have to scroll up down and across the 5 inch screen.

The new screen is 9.7 inches. Amazon has also signed a deal with the New York TImes, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe who have agreed to subsidize customers who also take out a subsciription to their newspapers. A good deal for Amazon but maybe not such a goo ddeal for the newspapers.

The Kindle DX in addition to being a lot bigger than the Kindle 2 is also a lot more expensive, with a rettail price of $489 compared to $359 for the Kindle 2 – a lot and maybe too much for a lot of peopl eso there is no guarantee that Amazon will have the same success with the Kindle DX as it had with its two provious ebook readers. Most people will buy the version 2 I would imagine. Personally I would buy the cheaper version and use the money I saved to buy a fine designer handbag from Radley Bags

Amazon KIndle Problems

If you are thinking of buying a Kindle Ebook Reader then you may want to think again. Apparently if you send too many things back to Amazon they can get quite upset and switch your Kindle off.

Amazon recently banned one user from using their services because he had made too many returns. His returns were not ebooks or anything else related to his Kindle but that didn’t stop them switching his Kindle off !

If they do switch your Kindle off what happens? You can still read books you have already bought, but you can’t use it to download anything new.

So you are now the proiud owner of a $359 piece of plastic.

The user finally got his Kindle access restored by Amazon, who said this was a “courtesy”, but they reserve the right to switch it off again if he does anything they don’t like.

They said that “if a higher-than-acceptable number of concession incidents occur in the future” they will switch his Kindle off again – sounds like blackmail to me !

If you are a techy you can work out how to remove the Digital Rights Management on the ebooks you buy so you can read them on any device.

Well I certainly won’t be queuing up to buy a Kindle !

For more info. see : Kindle Ban User

Amazon Kindle Patent Lawsuit Filed by Discovery Communications

The Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader must be doing well ! Hwo do we know that ? Because people keep starting lawsuits against it. If they weren’t selling any nobody could care less about lawsuits. But Amazon are making some dosh with thei Kindle Ebook Readers and also the sales of ebooks that go hand in hand with the numbers of ebook readers sold – so people want to get a piece of the action.

The latest lawsuit comes from Discovery Communication of Discovery Channel fame – they claim they had a prior patent – for full information have a look here Ebook Reader patent litigation

I reckon ebook readers are the way reading is going – who wants to carry about 20 kilos of books when they can put them all on one electronic device and download newspapers and magazines and even have the ebook reader read out the books to them wihot the need to even read the book yourself – much more flexible and innovative – plus soon there will be colour to look at and no doubt at some point video or animated cartoons or god knows what the sjy’s the limit an dyou rimagination of course !

The only problem with ebook readers of course is the price which Amazon and Sony have put way too high for the simple reason that they can – in a year or two I’m sure the price will have com edown so that any old Joe Bloggs can afford his ebook reader. Laprops are dropping in price and netbooks and notebooks too so I see no reason why ebook readers should be the same price as a gaming laptops.

Make Money with Your Digital Camera

If you have an eye for a good photo it i spossible to make money from all those digital photos you have got stashed away on your hard drives all around the house. Wll maybe not all of them, as you’ve probably got around 20 of the same thing which are very similar but the good quality ones can be monetized by submitting them to microstock photography agenices such as microstockphotography or microstockphoto  – there are lots more available if you do a search on Google.

Let’s face it even though we no longer use expensive 35mm film , photography is still an expensive hobby so if you have enough photos already taken then by sugmitting them to microstock agencies then you can sometimes make a $100 or so dollars a month or more if you have many thousands of pictures then you can make much more.

What type of camera do you need for microstock photography. Basically a digital SLR such as the Nikon D90 – agencies always want the highest quality possible and a good SLR will certainly deliver the sort of quailty required by microstock agencies.

Before rushing out and buying your digital SLR you would be well -advised tohave a look around the variou sphotography websites that exist on the web to check the digital camera ratings that they give to the variou scameras available.

If you are worried that these websites are not objective then I suggest signing up to a few digital photography forums. These forums are full of well-meaning and expert amateurs who will soon tell you whch are the best digital SLRs available and will also be able to give you more direct informatio nabout selling you rphotos via microstock photo agencies.

An Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader for Christmas

Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader

The Amazon kindle a very impressive gadget for reading books using an electronic-ink screen. It would make an ideal Christmas present. Pleae check back later.