SEATTLE, USA: Kindle is Amazon’s most wished for, most gifted, and #1 bestselling product, but prior to today it has been available only to U.S. customers. Now for the first time, Kindle is available to customers around the world.
Kindle wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution six-inch electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle utilizes the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so you never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Readers around the world can pre-order Kindle today for $279 at www.amazon.com/kindle and it will begin shipping October 19.
“We have millions of customers in countries all over the world who read English-language books,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Kindle enables these customers to think of a book and download it wirelessly in less than 60 seconds.”
The Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) offers international customers over 200,000 English-language books, including New Releases and New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically priced less than physical editions.
Over 1,000 different rights-holders now have books available in the Kindle Store, including leading publishers Atlantic Books, Bloomsbury, Canongate, Faber and Faber, Hachette, Harlequin, HarperCollins, Lonely Planet, Penguin, Profile Books, Quercus, Simon & Schuster and Wiley.
“Penguin is a leading supplier of digital books to Kindle in the U.S. and we are delighted to be extending that successful partnership to the rest of the world,” said John Makinson, CEO of Penguin, the world’s largest publisher of English language books.
“The publishing industry is experiencing explosive growth in digital book sales in the US and we hope to stimulate digital buying elsewhere by making our content widely available on new devices.”
“At Faber and Faber we are always seeking new ways of finding readers for the writers we publish, so we're excited by Kindle's launch beyond the U.S., and to be developing our strong partnership with Amazon beyond physical books,” said Faber and Faber Ltd. Publisher and Chief Executive Stephen Page.
Over 85 top US and international newspapers and magazines are also available in the Kindle Store for single purchase or subscription. Many international newspapers are available in the Kindle Store for the first time, including La Stampa (Italy), El País (Spain), El Universal (Mexico), O Globo (Brazil), The Daily Telegraph (UK), joining top papers such as The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Le Monde (France), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) and The Washington Post. Newspaper and magazine subscriptions are auto-delivered wirelessly to Kindle.
Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Electronic paper's green credentials will boost adoption
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: The use of electronic paper, also known as 'e-paper', is increasing as a result of its ultra low power consumption, a similar user experience to real paper and 'green' benefits, according to a new report from Gartner Inc.
E-paper is a display medium intended to mimic the appearance or ordinary ink on paper while being rewritable. Gartner said that despite disadvantages of poor color and refresh rate characteristics, e-paper will have significant benefits over other display media and will positively impact the traditional paper market, the retail display sector, a number of consumer markets and the office environment in years to come.
“E-paper does have has some barriers to overcome before gaining credibility with the mainstream market,” said SJ Chae, senior research director at Gartner. “However, it is generating a great deal of interest and we expect adoption to increase steadily over the next few years as the technology improves.”
Chae said that one of the key drivers for e-paper adoption is the way it is continuously evolving to include new technologies. Recent additions include touchscreen, wireless connection and rewritable colour support capability into devices using e-paper.
Multiple e-book readers have also been introduced and applications of the technology are now expanding beyond e-book readers to include device displays for phones, clocks and watches.
E-paper also has the advantage of providing a similar user experience to real paper display. Its thinness gives users the benefits of a portable, paper-thin rewritable display while its readability in bright sunlight gives a similar user experience to that of reading a paper display.
According to Gartner, low power consumption is the main driver for e-paper adoption in most cases and this is enabling initial applications in signage (for retail and roadside applications), static displays (e-books) and small information-centric screens.
Low power consumption also boosts e-paper’s green credentials. Its potential environmental benefits are significant, resulting in the saving of trees, preventing the generation of waste water and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
Despite these benefits, there are a number of disadvantages to e-paper that must be overcome in order for it to gain more widespread adoption. Overall, e-paper content is limited and the current colour capabilities of e-paper displays are poor.
E-paper is also typically weak in its handling of moving images and a compromise must be found between the requirements for full-motion video and low power consumption.
Gartner believes that the cost of e-paper displays will need to fall further if it is to act as a viable mainstream alternative to print media, especially as the falling costs and increasing quality of alternative technologies –- such as OLED and LCD –- could moderate the growth potential of e-paper.
Some examples of e-paper technologies include:
-- Electrophoretic e-paper, where the image is generated by an array of electrically charged particles suspended in fluid.
When current is applied, the particles are moved to the opposite electrode side. Switch the field, and the particles will move to the other side, and this will change the colour and finally change the images. Electrophoretic technology from E Ink is currently used in commercial devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Sony Librie reader and Plastic Logic's e-newspaper
-- Electronic Liquid Powder (ELP) from Bridgestone, which uses a similar electrophoretic approach to E Ink's e-paper, but with the ELP particles suspended in air instead of fluid.
-- Cholesteric LCD, an LCD variant, such as the technology from Kent Displays that is used in Fujitsu’s new e-book reader FLEPia, using multiple layers of different colour LCD crystals to generate the image.
E-paper is a display medium intended to mimic the appearance or ordinary ink on paper while being rewritable. Gartner said that despite disadvantages of poor color and refresh rate characteristics, e-paper will have significant benefits over other display media and will positively impact the traditional paper market, the retail display sector, a number of consumer markets and the office environment in years to come.
“E-paper does have has some barriers to overcome before gaining credibility with the mainstream market,” said SJ Chae, senior research director at Gartner. “However, it is generating a great deal of interest and we expect adoption to increase steadily over the next few years as the technology improves.”
Chae said that one of the key drivers for e-paper adoption is the way it is continuously evolving to include new technologies. Recent additions include touchscreen, wireless connection and rewritable colour support capability into devices using e-paper.
Multiple e-book readers have also been introduced and applications of the technology are now expanding beyond e-book readers to include device displays for phones, clocks and watches.
E-paper also has the advantage of providing a similar user experience to real paper display. Its thinness gives users the benefits of a portable, paper-thin rewritable display while its readability in bright sunlight gives a similar user experience to that of reading a paper display.
According to Gartner, low power consumption is the main driver for e-paper adoption in most cases and this is enabling initial applications in signage (for retail and roadside applications), static displays (e-books) and small information-centric screens.
Low power consumption also boosts e-paper’s green credentials. Its potential environmental benefits are significant, resulting in the saving of trees, preventing the generation of waste water and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
Despite these benefits, there are a number of disadvantages to e-paper that must be overcome in order for it to gain more widespread adoption. Overall, e-paper content is limited and the current colour capabilities of e-paper displays are poor.
E-paper is also typically weak in its handling of moving images and a compromise must be found between the requirements for full-motion video and low power consumption.
Gartner believes that the cost of e-paper displays will need to fall further if it is to act as a viable mainstream alternative to print media, especially as the falling costs and increasing quality of alternative technologies –- such as OLED and LCD –- could moderate the growth potential of e-paper.
Some examples of e-paper technologies include:
-- Electrophoretic e-paper, where the image is generated by an array of electrically charged particles suspended in fluid.
When current is applied, the particles are moved to the opposite electrode side. Switch the field, and the particles will move to the other side, and this will change the colour and finally change the images. Electrophoretic technology from E Ink is currently used in commercial devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Sony Librie reader and Plastic Logic's e-newspaper
-- Electronic Liquid Powder (ELP) from Bridgestone, which uses a similar electrophoretic approach to E Ink's e-paper, but with the ELP particles suspended in air instead of fluid.
-- Cholesteric LCD, an LCD variant, such as the technology from Kent Displays that is used in Fujitsu’s new e-book reader FLEPia, using multiple layers of different colour LCD crystals to generate the image.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Prime View reaches agreement to acquire E Ink!
TAIPEI, TAIWAN & CAMBRIDGE, USA: Prime View International (PVI), a leading small and medium display provider and the world’s highest volume supplier of ePaper display modules, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire E Ink Corp., a leader in electronic paper display materials and intellectual property for approximately $215 million.
The new company will expand capacity and develop improvements for ePaper display screens that are easy on the eyes, long-lasting, and highly portable. ePaper is ideal for reading of digital documents which are less wasteful, more convenient and more up-to-date than paper documents.
“The ePaper display module market will grow to over $3 billion by 2013. This market will see further growth with the emergence of color displays and flexible displays, serving eBook/eTextbook, eNewspaper/eMagazine and eDocument markets. Currently, electrophoretic display technology has more than 90% market share in the overall ePaper displays, and E Ink is the #1 supplier of electrophoretic materials," according Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, DisplaySearch’s Director of Display Technologies.
“The market for electronic book devices such as the SONY Reader and Amazon Kindle is forecasted to grow from 1.1 million units in 2008 to 20 million units in 2012, a cumulative annual growth rate of 105% over the four-year period,” said iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal, “PVI and E Ink enabled this market back in 2005 and they have been the display market leaders ever since.”
“The world is searching for green technology that saves energy and cuts waste and still provides an outstanding experience,” said Scott Liu, Chairman and CEO of PVI, “E Ink’s electronic paper meets those needs, especially in electronic publishing and mobile displays. The people in both companies will unite to provide the world’s best digital reading experience and that will benefit all our customers and end users.”
“Combining E Ink and PVI creates a single public company that is dedicated to electronic paper,” said Russ Wilcox, co-founder, President and CEO of E Ink Corp. “With a common ownership structure, we can get closer to customers around the world, streamline the supply chain, and speed up new product development.”
The deal is the capstone in a transformation at PVI over the past four years to focus on electronic paper displays. In 2005, PVI acquired the ePaper business of Philips Electronics and partnered with E Ink to provide displays for electronic books including the popular SONY Reader and the Amazon Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. PVI also invested heavily in dedicated driver chips and touch screens for ePaper, as well as flexible displays, which will be marketed later this year.
In 2008, PVI bought a 74 percent stake of Hydis Technologies of Korea, quadrupling capacity for the transistor backplanes used in ePaper.
E Ink and PVI currently support nearly 20 eBook manufacturers worldwide. In addition to electronic books, E Ink’s Vizplex imaging film is used in cellphones, signage, smartcards, memory devices, and battery indicators. E Ink sales were $18 million in the first quarter of 2009, up 157 percent over the same quarter in 2008.
With the merger, PVI gains substantial intellectual property and employee talent, while securing supply of a critical component during the rapid growth phase of the market, and adding alliances and relationships across the ePaper and flexible display industry.
E Ink will continue to supply its products across the display industry and will have access to increased operating funds to boost production and accelerate new technology and product developments.
PVI will finance the acquisition with an equity placement and a convertible bond offering led by Taiwanese securities firm KGI. The transaction is subject to shareholder and customary regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Since its inception, E Ink has collaborated with a wide range of partners to develop a global ecosystem for electronic paper displays. E Ink also amassed a portfolio of hundreds of patent applications, including 150 issued in the United States. IEEE Spectrum ranked E Ink’s patent portfolio as number three worldwide for computer peripherals and storage.
In the past 12 months, customers have announced many exciting E Ink-enabled devices.
* Oprah Winfrey endorsed Amazon’s Kindle on live television calling it “her favorite gadget”. Subsequently Amazon’s Kindle 2 has proven highly popular and the Kindle DX enters the eTextbook and eNewspaper space with a large 9.7” screen.
* SONY launched a new PRS-700 Reader with integrated touch screen.
* Chinese astronauts brought the Hanwan N510 eBook into outer space on a recent Shenzhou 7 mission.
* PVI, Epson, LG Display, PolymerVision, Hewlett-Packard and Plastic Logic demonstrated flexible active matrix displays using E Ink Vizplex imaging film.
* E Ink teamed with Esquire Magazine and Ford on the first ePaper animated magazine cover.
* In May 2009, Verizon announced the Samsung Alias 2 cellphone, with a changeable keypad made with E Ink Vizplex imaging film.
E Ink was recognized with top business and industry awards in 2008, including The Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) Top Innovator Award; the Boston Business Journal’s List of Boston’s Fastest Growing Companies; and, The FineTech Japan Display Components & Materials Category Grand Award, among others.
E Ink will remain headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and plans to expand its employee base from 127 to 150 people during 2009.
PVI was advised on the acquisition by investment bank Credit Suisse and law firm Baker & McKenzie. E Ink was advised by investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners and law firm Bingham McCutchen.
The new company will expand capacity and develop improvements for ePaper display screens that are easy on the eyes, long-lasting, and highly portable. ePaper is ideal for reading of digital documents which are less wasteful, more convenient and more up-to-date than paper documents.
“The ePaper display module market will grow to over $3 billion by 2013. This market will see further growth with the emergence of color displays and flexible displays, serving eBook/eTextbook, eNewspaper/eMagazine and eDocument markets. Currently, electrophoretic display technology has more than 90% market share in the overall ePaper displays, and E Ink is the #1 supplier of electrophoretic materials," according Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, DisplaySearch’s Director of Display Technologies.
“The market for electronic book devices such as the SONY Reader and Amazon Kindle is forecasted to grow from 1.1 million units in 2008 to 20 million units in 2012, a cumulative annual growth rate of 105% over the four-year period,” said iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal, “PVI and E Ink enabled this market back in 2005 and they have been the display market leaders ever since.”
“The world is searching for green technology that saves energy and cuts waste and still provides an outstanding experience,” said Scott Liu, Chairman and CEO of PVI, “E Ink’s electronic paper meets those needs, especially in electronic publishing and mobile displays. The people in both companies will unite to provide the world’s best digital reading experience and that will benefit all our customers and end users.”
“Combining E Ink and PVI creates a single public company that is dedicated to electronic paper,” said Russ Wilcox, co-founder, President and CEO of E Ink Corp. “With a common ownership structure, we can get closer to customers around the world, streamline the supply chain, and speed up new product development.”
The deal is the capstone in a transformation at PVI over the past four years to focus on electronic paper displays. In 2005, PVI acquired the ePaper business of Philips Electronics and partnered with E Ink to provide displays for electronic books including the popular SONY Reader and the Amazon Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. PVI also invested heavily in dedicated driver chips and touch screens for ePaper, as well as flexible displays, which will be marketed later this year.
In 2008, PVI bought a 74 percent stake of Hydis Technologies of Korea, quadrupling capacity for the transistor backplanes used in ePaper.
E Ink and PVI currently support nearly 20 eBook manufacturers worldwide. In addition to electronic books, E Ink’s Vizplex imaging film is used in cellphones, signage, smartcards, memory devices, and battery indicators. E Ink sales were $18 million in the first quarter of 2009, up 157 percent over the same quarter in 2008.
With the merger, PVI gains substantial intellectual property and employee talent, while securing supply of a critical component during the rapid growth phase of the market, and adding alliances and relationships across the ePaper and flexible display industry.
E Ink will continue to supply its products across the display industry and will have access to increased operating funds to boost production and accelerate new technology and product developments.
PVI will finance the acquisition with an equity placement and a convertible bond offering led by Taiwanese securities firm KGI. The transaction is subject to shareholder and customary regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Since its inception, E Ink has collaborated with a wide range of partners to develop a global ecosystem for electronic paper displays. E Ink also amassed a portfolio of hundreds of patent applications, including 150 issued in the United States. IEEE Spectrum ranked E Ink’s patent portfolio as number three worldwide for computer peripherals and storage.
In the past 12 months, customers have announced many exciting E Ink-enabled devices.
* Oprah Winfrey endorsed Amazon’s Kindle on live television calling it “her favorite gadget”. Subsequently Amazon’s Kindle 2 has proven highly popular and the Kindle DX enters the eTextbook and eNewspaper space with a large 9.7” screen.
* SONY launched a new PRS-700 Reader with integrated touch screen.
* Chinese astronauts brought the Hanwan N510 eBook into outer space on a recent Shenzhou 7 mission.
* PVI, Epson, LG Display, PolymerVision, Hewlett-Packard and Plastic Logic demonstrated flexible active matrix displays using E Ink Vizplex imaging film.
* E Ink teamed with Esquire Magazine and Ford on the first ePaper animated magazine cover.
* In May 2009, Verizon announced the Samsung Alias 2 cellphone, with a changeable keypad made with E Ink Vizplex imaging film.
E Ink was recognized with top business and industry awards in 2008, including The Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) Top Innovator Award; the Boston Business Journal’s List of Boston’s Fastest Growing Companies; and, The FineTech Japan Display Components & Materials Category Grand Award, among others.
E Ink will remain headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and plans to expand its employee base from 127 to 150 people during 2009.
PVI was advised on the acquisition by investment bank Credit Suisse and law firm Baker & McKenzie. E Ink was advised by investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners and law firm Bingham McCutchen.
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