The Sunday Salon... Are eReaders Taking Over the World?

Imagine someday that "dead tree" books are the rarity, and that the "now" generation has grown up never having to turn a page.. at least not one made of paper. It may not be so far fetched... at least to an extent. I remember going to a show in NYC where a mentalist was performing. The mentalist asked for audience members to shout out numbers one at a time so he could write them down on this huge gridded board. He then asked a boy to come up on stage and help him with the next part of the trick. The boy was 8 or 9 years old. The next part of the trick involved the boy to hold onto a special cassette tape. The mentalist then went back to the board, added up all the numbers and turned to the boy. He told the boy that he could now put the cassette tape into the player, turn it on and we could all listen to what the mentalist had already predicted all those random numbers to add up to-- except the boy had never seen a cassette player before. The boy wasn't embarrassed, acted like the cassette player was an antique from the 16th century, the audience laughed and all of us who knew what a cassette player was felt very old... Could the "dead tree" book go the way of the cassette player? Only time will tell...

It's Sunday! The week has passed like a flash, and I'm reeling from a busy week. It seems that my week has been filled with reading on my Kindle, and hearing other eReader news. So I thought I would devote this Sunday's Salon to take a look at the new pricing of eReaders and some new offerings that will surely make a choice of an electronic reader even more difficult. But choice is good, right?! As even more eReaders and Tablets flood the market, prices are coming down... at least for the eReaders themselves...

The Kindle 3 from Amazon, the latest generation of Kindle has been arriving in homes steadily since the end of August. It's lighter, smaller, has redesigned controls and the all new wonderful e-ink Pearl display. Feels great in my hands. I can read any PDF documents I send to it easily, I can navigate easier with the new navigation square, and it's just so nice. The screen is beautiful, sharp with more contrast. Kindle offers the ability for multiple family members under the same account to share books, and even read them at the same time. In fact most Kindle ebooks can be loaded on up to 6 devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC. After using this latest Kindle offering, my Kindle 2 feels big and heavy! Pricing on the new, latest generation Kindle's:

• Kindle 3G & WiFi... $189 (choice of white or graphite)
• Kindle WiFionly ... $139 (graphite color only)
• Kindle DX with 3G, and BIG 9.7" display... $379 (graphite color only)

The Kobo eReader from Borders was really on the right track... Originally wanting a smaller, thinner eReader for ePub books made me look at the Kobo. The design of it is so nice- it's thin, simple controls, feels nice to hold with a rubbery like quilted back and could fit easily in one hand. The Kobo ebook store was easy to navigate, and I could read my Kobo ebooks from multiple platforms. Although customer service was a bit lacking at first. Kobo was really a separate company from Borders, so when I was having a software issue right out of the box, I had to navigate between Borders customer service and Kobo customer service in Canada. Very frustrating, but it eventually worked out. I was looking for a bare bones, nothing fancy ePub reader and I thought that this was the answer, BUT the text was not sharp on the screen. Or maybe just not sharp enough for my liking... Prices have slowly come down for the Kobo. And they needed to because for the price of the bare bones Kobo, you could just about buy yourself either a WiFi only Kindle or Nook. And WiFi is a nice feature. Price for the Kobo...

• Kobo ... $129.00

The Nook from Barnes & Noble has really come a long way. I had tried a Nook when they first came out and was having problems accessing my library, and it was slow navigating. I now chock that up to growing pains. I really wanted to love that Kobo, but after my DH got a Nook for reading ePub books I had to admit that the Nook's screen display was just so much nicer than the Kobo. I liked the design of the Kobo, but it all really comes down to the screen and being able to read, so back went the Kobo and the Nook became the eReader of choice for ePub books. The screen is so nice, with e-ink technology, sharp and variable font size. The design itself is nice and very comfortable to hold while reading. I am getting use to using the touch screen on the bottom to navigate, which at first seemed a bit awkward, but is slowly becoming second nature. It is also SO EASY to download ebooks from my library using Adobe Digital Editions! We opted for the WiFi only and it's perfect since we have WiFi at home. Barnes & Noble has also been running a promo for free B&N classics for the Nook this past month. A nice way to add some great ebooks to your Nook for free. And a great way to promote the Nook! Prices on the Nook...

• Nook with WiFi only... $149
• Nook with WiFi & 3G... $199

Sony has always seemed to be the third wheel after the Kindle & Nook exploded on the scene. My first eReader was a Sony Pocket Reader and I loved it. I still like it. It's small, the screen is sharp, enough contrast, and easy to navigate controls. There is no WiFi or 3G, but it's very easy to plug it into the computer, access your Sony library and buy and download your books. At the time it was a novelty, there wasn't much of a selection of ebooks, and libraries hadn't really jumped on the ebook lending band wagon. Things have changed... Sony just announced the Sony Reader Pocket edition and the Sony Reader Touch edition are getting a revamp. A updated design, and some great new features. First they've stream lined both readers. They are thinner, the controls have been updated, no more wheel

on the bottom for navigation or buttons on the front side, now you have can turn your pages with forward/backward controls on the bottom OR swipe your finger across the page! E-Ink is still the technology of choice for these screens as well. Sony has also added the ability to highlight and scribble notes right on the screen with the help of a stylus! And you are suppose to be able to export those notes too! Adjustable font sizes and styles, along with the ability to read both ePub files and PDF's puts Sony back in the running. I do prefer the page turning forward/backward to be at the sides of the readers, but with touch technology, I'd probably be swiping anyway. Also, the screen on the Sony Pocket Edition is 5 inches, just slightly smaller than the other eReaders, but still a nice size to read and this also makes it one of the smallest eReaders. BUT the Sony Reader Touch Edition has the full 6 inch screen size found on the other eReaders. Sony has this great video on their site promoting their new readers, just make sure you're looking at under "overview" and click on the play button. Now pricing is a bit steep, but Sony has a great reputation, and products, and this might keep them in the game. Prices may drop too, and you can still get the previous generation Sony Pocket Reader at a great reduced price. The new Sony Readers will start shipping 9/16. Prices on the Sony Readers...

• Sony Reader Pocket Edition (prs-350/new model) available in silver or pink... $179.99
• Sony Reader Touch Edition (pre-650/new model w/ 6"screen) available in black or red... $229.99
• Sony Reader Pocket Edition(prs-300/old model) available in silver, rose or blue... $116.99

And another choice...

• Aluratek's eLibre Pro sold by Borders... ePub & PDF reader w/ 5i nch screen. Even though this does not have e-Ink technology, I've heard that the screen is very just as nice, with good contrast and sharp fonts. NORMALLY priced at $119.99, it is ON SALE until 9/14 for $99.99! Hey, it also comes with a built in mp3 player!

We haven't even touched on Tablet Readers! Which included The Cruz Tablet at $199, the Pandigital Novel (looks like a tablet) at $249, the iPad starting at $499!

So what do you think about the future of "real" books? Brian Palmer wrote a post for Slate Magazine entitled Should You Ditch Your Books for an E-Reader? pointing out some of the environmental issues of Paper vs. Plastic reading, including you'll need to read 23 new books to break even environmentally with your Kindle. Of course, borrowing books from the library and sharing your own books is also great for the environment!

Next Sunday, back to Books with Buzz! And a sneak peek at this coming week.. Historical fiction fans be on the lookout for a giveaway of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel! Details on tuesday! And in the meantime, let me know what eReader you just love and why!

Happy Reading, digital or paper... Suzanne

Is it Bye Bye for The Oxford English Dictionary?!

"The Oxford English Dictionary, may well never see the light of day again, only the light of a monitor."

...Curt Hopkins, ReadWriteWeb

OK, When was the last time you opened up your dead tree dictionary?! The folks at Oxford University Press think you may have forsaken that old reliable piece of nostalgia that use to grace a special place in every household. And that may mean no new updated dictionaries from them! At least not the printed kind...

The Oxford English Dictionary "is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past," and has been in print since 1884. It is such a massive undertaking that there are 300 scholars, researchers, readers, and consultants working on the latest 3rd edition, and is projected to cost about $55 million. Right now the overhaul of the third edition, which was begun in the late 1990's, is about one third finished and is expected to be completed by 2037! In an interview this past sunday with The Sunday Times, Nigel Portwood, chief executive of Oxford University Press, said he didn't think the third edition of the dictionary will be printed...

"The print dictionary market is just disappearing, it is falling away by tens of percent a year"... Nigel Portwood

On the other hand, the online version of The Oxford English Dictionary gets over 2 million hits a month from subscribers. And in our new age of technology, is it really any wonder? Of course the current edition of The Oxford English Dictionary is 20 volumes in total and weighing in at 750 pounds! But even sales for conventional dictionaries are slowing down. With the advent of the internet it's as easy as the stroke of the keyboard to find a meaning of a word. And if you are using your Kindle, iPad or most any eReaders, it's as easy as a quick highlight and you have your answer.

But the dead tree dictionary is more than definitions really, it's a world of discovery. Opening up the pages of a dictionary for no other purpose than to read about words is an adventure in itself... Here's a few random words from my Oxford Pocket American Dictionary...

• hymenopteran... n. an insect having four transparent wings, including bees, wasps, and ants.

• crepuscular... adj. appearing or active in twilight

• amanuensis... n. a person who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts. A literary assistant

So, what do you think? Is the printed dictionary a thing of the past? There is some validity to the printed dictionary being antiquated. New words enter our language at a rapid rate, and this year alone The Oxford English Dictionary added 2000 new words, so one could say that the print dictionary is outdated faster than the publisher can get it to the shelves.

"I love dictionaries. This sounds really sad, but if I am stuck when writing a book, then I flick through a dictionary, as they are full of inspiration, taking you off on really interesting trails and detours, which you can't have with an online dictionary. I would hate for a generation of children in the future never to have that feeling."... Julie Bertagna, children's author 4/28/2007 The Herald

All this reminds me of the end of the card catalog. I remember feeling quite sad when my library took out the card catalogs (do you remember the card catalogs?) and switched over to computer search engines. I loved flipping through the cards, sometimes finding inspiration for reading about something I never would have otherwise found... Dictionaries or card catalogs, I still like to be able to hold something in my hands and flip through to do a bit of research. But in an ever growing world of technology we better make sure our keystrokes are up-to-date...

Some of the new words added to this years dictionaries... “Wurfing” (surfing the internet at work), “Tweetup,” a combo-term for ‘tweet + meet up,’ used to describe meeting arranged through Twitter, and "Staycation", a money-saving holiday at home.

P.S. Need an online dictionary? Try Merriam Webster online, and check out their "Word of the Day" while you're there.

NEW Third Generation Kindle Revealed!

Third Generation Kindle Revealed!

Late last night Amazon revealed the NEW Kindle! Word spread very quickly through the internet and Kindle forums. The photo above shows the new Kindle design on the left versus the "old" Kindle version on the right. One of the most anticipated and best feature is the latest generation e-ink screen called pearl. The new screen is sharper and has 50% better contrast than previous Kindle screens and "any other eReader". Amazon revealed earlier this month E-Ink's Pearl on the Kindle DX and I can tell you first hand after seeing it that the fonts are sharper and there is more contrast between the background and the fonts. Nice that Amazon decided to share this with their smaller Kindle! And speaking of smaller, the new Kindle has a 21% smaller body, but still retains it's 6 inch screen size. Here are some of the other highlights of the new Kindle...

• 15% lighter... weighs in at 8.7 ounces, which is less than a paperback
• Battery life... ONE MONTH if you leave the wireless turned off; 10 days if you leave the wireless turned on.
• Double the amount of storage- you can now store up to 3500 books!
• Improved PDF support, with a dictionary look-up and the ability to add notes.
• Faster page turns
• comfortable new soft-touch textured back

Some other design changes are the buttons for Menu, Home and Back, which were on the right side of the Kindle, are now located below with the typing keys. The Navigation button is now larger, and the number keys are not displayed, which means to access them you will probably have to shift keys.

What else is great about the NEW Kindle? How about the price! You have a choice...

• Kindle Wi-Fi only, available in graphite grey.... $139.00
• Kindle 3G plus Wi-Fi, available in white or graphite grey... $189.00

The Kindle is slowly inching towards that magic eReader $100 price point and beats Barnes & Nobles Nook (Kindles direct competitor) by $10! I can't wait to see one of these new Kindles in person! I'm particularly curious to see the new size. One of the things I liked about the Borders Kobo reader that I tried was it's size; the Kobo was smaller than my Kindle and the size was very comfortable to hold, especially with it's soft-touch quilted back. The new Kindle size is almost as small as the Kobo and it too has a new soft-touch textured back.

Well, what do you think? If you've been on the fence about getting an eReader this may be the final push you need. And does this mean prices even lower for Sony, Barnes & Noble and Kobo eReaders again? You can read all about the new third generation Kindles and all their features at Amazon.com . Pre-orders are being taken right now, with the new Kindles being shipped on August 27th!

The Sunday Salon..."Books with Buzz"

It's Sunday! Welcome to The Sunday Salon! Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of joe and relax! The Sunday Salon is where hundreds of bloggers gather together virtually to chat about all the bookish things that happened this week.

One of the exciting things to happen this week in the "eReader world" was the price war between Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders. It started with Barnes & Noble lowering the price of The Nook (with Wi-Fi & 3G) to $199 from the original $259. Amazon almost immediately lowered the price of the Kindle to $189, which was originally $249. Sony then dropped their Sony Touch eReader to $199, down from $250 and then Borders jumped in by not lowering their price on the Kobo, but giving a $20 gift card along with doubling the Borders Bucks for any new Kobo purchased. You can read all about it in my June 22nd post, and I've also included links to all the eReaders mentioned. So, if you were thinking about an eReader, now seems the time to buy one!

Karin Slaughter fans were happy this week as her new book, Broken, was released. Bringing back her characters from Undone, Karin weaves mystery

& suspense together with murder to give us another thriller based in Georgia. Last August I read & reviewed Undone and really enjoyed it! It was the first Karin Slaughter book I had read and I am looking forward to reading more! Like to read this on your Kindle? This book is Kindle Ready! Janet Evanovich fans were happy too, as her 16th Stephanie Plum novel, Sizzling Sixteen, came out this week! If you are unfamiliar with the Stephanie Plum novels, they're kind of like chick-lit noir. Stephanie is a plucky girl working for her cousin Vinny as a bail bondswoman in New Jersey. She's got brains and lots of luck, she's funny and her life is filled with lighthearted adventures... and of course romance. If you want to start at the beginning of this series, One for The Money is it. Her Stephanie Plum novels are numbered "One for the Money", "Two for the Show", etc. For fun Janet Evanovich usually has a contest on her website to name her next book too.

There were a few books that I've had my eye on for a while that were released this week...

The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen... It's a tale of two sisters spanning 70 years as they live and love and travel from Canada to New England. It's gotten wonderful buzz. Unfortunately Beverly Jensen died before it was published. Here's what the publisher writes... In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock are children living on the edge of a windy bluff in New Brunswick – a hardscrabble world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. In The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay, we follow them, along with the ornery men in their lives, through tragedy and comedy, all the way to old age. Relationships between sisters can be difficult, loving, competitive. I look forward to seeing how the relationship between Idella and Avis develope over 70 years! BTW, This book is Kindle Ready!

The Lovers by Vendela Vida... Here's how Indie Bound described The Lovers, "a stunning novel about the love between husbands and wives, mothers and children. Twenty-eight years ago, Peter and Yvonne honeymooned in the beautiful coastal village of DatÇa, Turkey. Now Yvonne is a widow, her twin children grown. Hoping to immerse herself in memories of a happier time—as well as sand and sea—Yvonne returns to DatÇa. But her plans for a restorative week in Turkey are quickly complicated. Instead of comforting her, her memories begin to trouble her. Her vacation rental's landlord and his bold, intriguing wife—who share a curious marital arrangement—become constant uninvited visitors, in and out of the house. Overwhelmed by the past and unexpectedly dislocated by the environment, Yvonne clings to a newfound friendship with Ahmet, a local boy who makes his living as a shell collector. With Ahmet as her guide, Yvonne gains new insight into the lives of her own adult children, and she finally begins to enjoy the shimmering sea and relaxed pace of the Turkish coast. But a devastating accident upends her delicate peace and throws her life into chaos—and her sense of self into turmoil." I thought it would be interesting to see Yvonne's memories of her youth compared with the present as she tried to travel back in time. * BTW, This book is Kindle Ready!

Looking ahead to next week, James Patterson along with Maxine Paetro have a thriller coming out called Private. What's it about?... "Former CIA agent Jack Morgan is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed."

Tess Gerritsen, a favorite thrill writer of mine, has a new book coming out, Ice Cold, starring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli ( I just love her!) and medical examiner Maura Isles... "Boston medical examiner Maura Isles is in Wyoming for a conference. Impulsively, she joins an old friend and his daughter on a ski trip. When their vehicle breaks down, they’re stranded in the eerily named Kingdom Come, a small community whose residents appear to have vanished. Then Maura vanishes. The announcement of her death shocks homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, Maura’s close friend. Investigating Kingdom Come, Rizzoli uncovers dark secrets that may explain Maura’s disappearance." *BTW, Jane & Maura are coming to television! TNT will premier the television series this coming July. It's called Rizzoli & Isles, it will take place in Boston, and the pilot episode will be taken from Tess Gerritsen's book The Apprentice. If you want to start from the beginning with Jane Rizzoli, read The Surgeon first. *BTW, Ice Cold is Kindle Ready! And so are The Surgeon & The Apprentice!

As far as what I'm reading this week... I've got my nose in Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea and am loving it! The story takes place in a small dusty Mexican town where all the men left to go north for work. The women in the village are wonderful, and when banditos threaten to take over the little town, 19 year-old Nayeli along with three of her friends, go in search of help. The writing is wonderful, and Urrea's descriptions of the surroundings is so vivid. *Psst...Look for a review and a GIVEAWAY for this soon!

And it's still June, and that means it's still audiobook month! On my iPod, I'm listening to Stuart Woods' Hot Mahogany, and it is fabulous! It's got that old time detective story feel to it, with Lawyer turned sleuth Stone Barrington, the theft of a piece of antique furniture, women falling for the hero, and a great side kick. Tony Roberts is the narrator and his voice is perfect for this crime noir! I'll be giving you the full scoop when I've finished.

AND, If you haven't yet, there's still a few days left to enter the GIVEAWAY for Knight of Passion by Margaret Mallory! Giveaway ends monday, June 28th at midnight!

What have you been reading?! Listening to any audiobooks lately? Share what books have caught your attention! I'd Love to know what you've found this week! In the meantime, I hope you found something that peaked your interest here!

Happy reading... Suzanne

The Kindle Korner & eReader Price Wars...

Interested in a eReader? This may be the time to buy. Yesterday, there was a bit of a price war going on in the eReader market... First Barnes & Noble announced their Nook eReader with Wi-Fi & 3G would be priced at $199 (down from $259). And the Nook with Wi-Fi only price is $149. No sooner did Barnes & Noble make their announcement, then Amazon jumped on the band wagon. The Kindle 2, the latest generation model, with global 3G coverage is now priced at $189 (down from $249)! And of course the Kobo eReader, Borders new eReader offering, is priced at $149. With those eReaders, you still have more choices- The Sony Touch priced at $199 (down from $250), The Sony Pocket priced at $170, and coming soon the Aluratek Libre (7/20 from Borders) so far priced at $120. Here are the links to check out all these great bargains...

• Nook eReader with Wi-Fi & 3G($199) & Wi-Fi only($149)... Barnes & Noble
• Kindle 2 with Global 3G Coverage ($189).... Amazon
• Kobo eReader ($149)................................... Borders

*Update on the Kobo eReader! As of 6/22 until ? you should get a $20 gift card with your Kobo eReader purchase. Look for it when ordering.

• The Sony Touch eReader ($199)................. Sony
• The Sony Pocket eReader ($170)................ Sony
• The Aluratek Libre (coming 7/20 "$120"). Borders

While you are at the websites, you can find more information on what each of these eReaders offers. The Nook, Kobo, Sony & Aluratek eReaders are ePub friendly. ePub (electronic publication) seems to be the standard form for eBooks. Kindle does not support ePub, they have their own format supported by books you buy at the Amazon site.

Do I have a preference? I love my Kindle 2, but if I want to read books in the ePub format I needed another eReader. I bought a Sony Pocket eReader for that purpose, and have enjoyed using it. I decided I would try the Kobo eReader because it's design is similar to the Kindle2, and I really like the Kobo book site to buy eBooks. I just received my Kobo eReader in the mail on thursday (review coming soon...) and I really am liking it. There are some draw backs, such as speed ( it is SLOW when loading your books), but the feel is similar to the Kindle and it is light! Do you have an eReader yet?! Share what one you like and why!

*Oh and just a note here, if you are interested in buying the Sony Pocket eReader after looking into all the choices, you can buy the Sony eReaders from Borders, BUT the price reduction (for now) on the Sony Pocket eReader is only if you buy it directly from the Sony Store.