LG Display, the Korean company which is the world’s second largest LCD maker after Samsung Electronics, is one of the major suppliers of flat screens used in Apple’s iPad and iPhones. Kwon Young-Soo, the CEO of LG Display, announced on 22 July 2010 that it could not currently meet the huge demand for iPads and would invest $513.5 million in an LCD production line to boost capacity for its mobile phone and tablet flat screens in order to meet the worldwide demand, and hoped to get back on course by the 2nd quarter of 2011.

On 23 July 2010, Apple launched the iPad in retail stores in 9 new countries-Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore-thus making the iPad available in a total of 19 markets worldwide.

Since its initial US release in early April 2010, Apple has sold approximately 3.3 million iPads and 8.4 million iPhones in the quarter ending 26 June 2010. iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history.

If you have bought an iPad, you’ll definitely need to protect the magical glass touchscreen so check out our Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases before taking any risks and lending your precious tablet to your children!

Amazon will have a good reason to celebrate as the Amazon Kindle 2 and Kindle DX ebook readers were rated as the best choice for consumers when 9 dedicated devices were tested for their performance in comprehensive lab tests as reported in the July issue of Consumer Reports and www.ConsumerReports.org.

Also the ebook reading capabilities of the Apple iPad were assessed but not rated alongside the dedicated devices.

Amazon’s Kindle devices had crisper and more readable type compared to all other ebook readers tested, including the iPad, and were also also the fastest at refreshing and page turns. The Kindle 2 latest generation was considered preferable to consumers due to its greater portability and lighter weight compared to its larger sibling, the Kindle DX, which is more suited to reading e-textbooks.

The Barnes and Noble Nook was rated well for fast page turns, but when compared with the Kindle 2, the type was not as crisp and it was heavier. The Nook had more complicated navigation of content and touch controls were non-intuitive.

For the 2 Sony ebook readers, the Daily Edition PRS900 and the Touch Edition PRS600, the versatility of their performance rated well in terms of their ability to behave as digital notepads for text or drawings. The Daily Edition is comparatively heavy and expensive, whereas the Touch Edition does not have unlimited, free 3G wireless connectivity so ebooks cannot be downloaded at an impulse wherever you are.

Consumer Reports found that 3 other ebook readers were undistinuished at best, namely the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro, the BeBook Neo, and the iRex DR 800SG.

To compare the Amazon Kindle 2 latest generation, Kindle DX, Nook, Sony Touch Edition PRS600 and Apple iPad check out the eBookReaderGuide.com Comparison Table.

Remember that the Amazon Kindle does not come complete with a protective cover; you are welcome to browse our Top 10 Kindle Covers and Cases to help you decide the best cover for your needs.

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Kobo has launched its global ereader application for iPad in all markets where the Apple iPad is currently available. In addition Kobo has released regional versions offering local content and merchandise in Canada, Australia and UK.

The Kobo application for iPad comes pre-loaded with 5 free ebooks and allows connection to the Kobo ebook store, which offers more than 2 million titles, both for free and for purchase.

Users will be able to create a custom bookshelf by adding different background wallpapers and bookmarks, optimize the font and font size and adjust brightness and color.

Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo commented, “We’re excited for iPad owners around the world to experience Kobo on this amazing device…People don’t want their content locked on one specific device, so we’ll give them the ability to read what they want, on the device that they want.”

Kobo’s open approach enables consumers to read their content on any device anytime, anyplace including downloading purchases and reading on Third Party devices. Kobo’s belief is that customers shoud have freedom of choice and be allowed to build ebook libraries independent of any device or service.

The Kobo e-Ink ebook reader device (with 6″ inch display, 1 GB internal memory, 4-way D-pad navigation) will be launched in the US on 17 June 2010 after having a successful debut in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Its pricing at $149 USD significantly undercuts the pricing of rival dedicated reading devices, Kindle, Sony Touch Edition and the Nook, thereby appealing to the budget market.

The relatively low pricing and open ePUB and PDF formats could be the double edged sword in the Kobo armoury that give it the potential to be a winning product with the masses in the dedicated ebook reader market. Let’s just wait and see.

Don’t forget that your precious iPad needs special protection from accidental bumps and scratches during everyday use, so check out the eBookReaderGuide.com Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases to help you select the best product that will help to keep your device in pristine condition.

Following the US only release of the Kindle application for the iPad on 2 April 2010, Amazon have  launched the Kindle application for the ipad globally i.e., in Australia, France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and UK where the device had its debut on 28 May 2010.

Besides being able to download and read ebooks  from a selection of 550, 000 in the Amazon Kindle Store without the requirement of Kindle hardware, here are some of the features that new iPad users will have at their fingertips with the Kindle application.

Amazon’s Whispersync technology which synchronizes the users last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights automatically across Kindle applications on different devices.

iPad users can enjoy a unique reading experience when they use the Kindle application on the iPad as the user interface has been adapted to the large size of the iPad with bold colors and animation.

Whilst within this application, iPad users can dim the screen, choose 3 different background colors and alter font color and size.

Finally the Kindle application for iPad offers page turn animation to allow the user better interaction and to mimic the physical turning of a page in a book. Here’s a screenshot of the Kindle app on the iPad.

Will the partnership between Amazon and Apple lead to herds of potential Kindle ebook reader customers and loyal Kindle fans rejecting the No. 1 ebook reader, and Amazon’s bestselling product? Will the dedicated ebook reader device survive the infectious global mass buying frenzy for the multi-functional iPad?

Stay tuned to eBookReaderGuide. com to find out how the Kindle vs iPad plot thickens.

To help keep your precious iPad in pristine condition, it would be wise to invest in a high quality and durable product that provides protection from everyday bumps and scratches, so come and check out the eBookReaderGuide.com Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases to help you decide on the best product for your needs.

Barnes and Noble, the world’s largest bookseller, have launched a free eReader application for the Apple iPad. This application can access more than 1 million titles, as it uses the same ebook store that provides content (ebooks, newspapers and magazines) for the Barnes and Noble Nook ebook reader device.

A unique and innovative feature of this application is that it offers LendMe technology, which enables the owner of a certain ebook to lend it for 14 days to another persons compatible device. During this lending time the original owner of the ebook cannot access the same ebook.

There are also 8 font types available to allow you to choose your prefered typeface and 5 text sizes, plus adjustable margins. Millions of colors are available for texts, highlights,
links and pages based on pre-designed themes. Merriam-Webster’s pocket dictionary is built-in, and a browser to enable use of Wikipedia and Google. You can also find the last book read at the top of the library, or sort by author, title or date added.

Just remember that an iPad is a huge investment, therfore it’s wise if you protect it from accidental bumps and scratches that could be detrimental to it’s function and readability of the display. You are invited to check out the eBookReaderGuide.com Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases round-up of the most affordable, durable and high protection products on the market based on our expert reviews.

Since its launch on 3 April, Apple iPad sales have by far outstripped sales of Apple iPhone in the US as 1 million units were sold in the first 28 days. However, there is more good news for Apple as a consumer survey has measured a 50% increase in consumer interest in May 2010 as compared to two months before the launch, in February 2010 (ChangeWave Research).

In the May 2010 survey of 3175 people, a small cohort of 245 consumers who already owned an ebook reader was identified. When this group was questioned about the type of device that they owned it was noted that Amazon Kindle was owned by 62%. Within one month of launch, Apple iPad was owned by 16%. Following behind are the Sony Reader at 7%, a Smart Phone with ebook capability at 7% and the Barnes and Noble Nook taking 3% share. Other devices make up 7% of the remaining share.

eBookReaderGuide.com notes that the survey provides a rare snapshot of Amazon Kindle’s share of the dedicated ebook reader market. In May 2010, Kindle had 86%, Sony 10% and Nook 4% share.

So has the Kindle Killer finally arrived? To answer this question eBookReaderGuide.com took a closer look at the results of the survey.

If these findings are extrapolated they give a good indication of the iPad’s rapid impact and has proven that it’s ready and set to shake up the ebook reader market. The dominating  ebook reader by a broad margin is the Amazon Kindle, a dedicated ebook reader, that has had a major stronghold on the market for 2.5 years.

The survey measured that magazine and newspaper readerships are about 3 times higher amongst iPad owners compared to other ebook reader owners. eBookReaderGuide.com believes that the iPad’s large color touchscreen display is a key factor that has made newspaper and magazine reading more attractive. Dedicated ebook readers on the other hand provide an e-ink display. Whilst perfectly suited for reading most ebooks and texts, monochrome ebook readers are disadvantaged when displaying color pages. We believe that newspaper and magazine reading could become a principal use of the iPad.

In addition, an iPad user survey measured that 33% of users have placed ebook reading as one of their top five activities on the iPad. The most common uses were measured to be surfing the internet (83%); email access (71%), Apps from the Apple Store (56%) and watching videos (48%). eBookReaderGuide.com notes that the early adopters of the iPad may not be fully representative of the ebook reading community.

It would be interesting to get further insight into how the iPad’s position as an ebook reader changes in the future as the device becomes a well established gadget of many households and users from a wider cross section of generations learn how to interact with the iPad. It is still early days, and buyers across the globe are in a frenzy about acquiring the iPad as the demand in the US alone is exceeding the supply.

The attractive color LCD touchscreen on the iPad makes it more conducive to activities other than ebook reading and it would be of value to assess if the iPad takes off as an ebook reader in the long-term. The Kindle application for the iPad will certainly allow iPad fans to enjoy the wider selection of ebooks, newspapers and magazines available at the Kindle Store compared to the Apple iStore. With the iPad there is so much potential for it to be used by children who enjoy reading illustrated books.

So, has all of the excitement about the Apple iPad amongst consumers worried those with a vested interest in Amazon Kindle? Not so it appears. At an annual meeting of Amazon shareholders on 25 May 2010, CEO Jeff Bezos responded to a shareholder who asked about the iPad by saying, “The Kindle will compete with these LCD devices like the iPad by being a very focused product. Serious readers are going to want a purpose-built device, because it’s an important activity for them.” He further added, “It’s like the difference between a camera built into a cellphone and a stand-slone camera. If an activity is important, you get dedicated devices.” Another shareholder asked Bezos when the Kindle would be available with a color screen. “A color Kindle is still a long way out”, he responded.

eBookReaderGuide.com will be reporting on further developments of iPad, Kindle and other ebook readers and what consumers think about the reading experience on these devices; will the iPad be acceptable for reading outdoors like the e-ink based devices and/or for long duration reading? If you have any views that you would like to share just let us know here at eBookReaderGuide.com.

Check out our comparison table to see how the iPad, Kindle and other ebook readers compare with each other.  If you decide to commit to buying a Apple iPad as a reading device for business, home or holidays you can combine functionality and style with an iPad cover or case. eBookReaderGuide’s compilation of the Top 10 Apple iPad Covers and Cases will inform you of the most highly recommended products to safeguard your investment.

With 9 countries preparing for the proposed international release of the Apple iPad on 28 May 2010, there have been delays in the global distribution of iPads due to the overwhelming demand exceeding supply in the US, and shipment disruption due to volcanic ash from the Eyajafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. As a result, Apple have extended the release date to 7 June in these countries.

Advance orders from markets in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and UK were commenced on 10 May 2010 so that eager overseas customers could get a taste of the much-hyped revolutionary offering from Apple.

Not only has the longer wait been a cause of frustation for customers, but a harder tablet to swallow for international buyers is the discrepancy in the pricing of the iPad; the iPad is being launched at highly inflated prices in relation to their US counterparts.

However if you are feeling extravagrant and your patience is wearing thin that you want to acquire a unique iPad that really stands out from the rest, then look no further than British designer Katherine Hughes who has crafted a WiFi + 3G, 64 GB iPad where the rear case and the bezel are made of 271g 22 carat solid gold. The Apple logo on the rear case is encrusted with 53 diamonds. The price I hear you ask? Hold your breath……..It’s a jaw-dropping $190,000. Stuart Hughes, the company modifying the iPads will not be working overtime though as only 10 units of the Solid Gold iPad Supreme Edition are to be manufactured for worlwide sales. So, grab one while you can folks. As for myself, I shall be quite content to test out the relatively inexpensive aluminium version.

Whether you finally choose to opt for the mass produced iPad or the luxury designer brand, we recommend that you protect your Apple iPad once it arrives with a cover or case from our selection in the Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases.

With ebook reader wars hotting up following the much anticipated release of the Apple iPad in the US last month, and estimated iPad sales having reached 1 million devices in the first 28 days, President Barack Obama on May 9 expressed his concern about the latest gadgets at a commencement address today at Hampton University, Virginia. With iPods, and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations – none of which I know how to work – information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.”

He further told students, “You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter.”

We here at eBookReaderGuide.com empathize with President Obama’s concerns about the quality of information reaching today’s youngsters and how that information is assimilated. We agree that the prolonged dependance on games consoles could be detrimental to the well-being of young people as they can get locked in a lonely world of virtual reality where they may falsely believe they have a more meaningful sense of purpose. However, revolutionary portable gadgets such as ebook reader devices, including the Apple iPad, have the potential to educate, empower and emancipate young people for many generations to come because they provide a platform for digital media such as books, audio books, magazines and newpapers. Additionally, ebook reader devices, such as the iPad, Kindle, Nook and Sony are essentially “green gadgets” that will encourage people to be responsible and conserve the natural environment. Ebook reader devices are already encouraging users to share information through social networking applications. Finally, as the iPad and other ebook reader devices have the increasing multi-language support, it is well worth considering the global impact of these devices in promoting a good quality of education for school age children. We here at eBookReaderGuide.com would welcome your views in response to President Obama’s address (see below).

If you’re an Apple iPad owner have a browse at our Top 10 iPad Covers and Cases. Or if you have not yet decided upon a device check our Ultimate eBook Reader Comparison Table.

Apple’s iPad multi-functional devices with WiFi and 3G connectivity emerge on the global market today to much acclaim, and following suit in kudos are the smart and simple Kobo ebook readers in Canada (US to follow towards the end of May 2010). We here at eBookReaderGuide would welcome comments on your first experiences of these much anticipated new releases. Do you prefer iPad for its bells and whistles or the simplicity of the Kobo device? Let us know your thoughts and opinions as the competition hots up, are you supporting team iPad or team Kobo?

There’s speculation by Digitimes Research that Apple is working a mini iPad (5 to 7 inches) due out early 2011 below $400.  Why does Apple want to create a smaller competing device?  The new and more portable mini will be used for those on the go and compete against the smaller ereaders from Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (Nook), and Sony (Reader).

Is there room in the crowded ereader niche?

We will likely achieve maximum capacity in the ereader niche with a flood of them coming to market in 2010.  Doesn’t matter whether the market can handle more competition, Apple will surely make a big splash.  How do they intend to compete with limited availability of content (i.e. ebooks) and apps?  Apple realize that they don’t have to get all their ducks in a row to be successful since the other ereaders have created apps (e.g. Kindle for iPad) already and the iBook store will eventually catch up (that’s the hope anyways).  So the motto “build it and they will come” is Apple’s strategy!

What must the incumbent ereaders do to survive?

With yet another potential threat on the horizon, current popular ereaders must innovate to stay competitive or perish the way of ereader dinosaurs.  Current market leaders must figure ways to incorporate new technology (e.g. color e-ink, faster processors, and touch technology) and optimize the tools to engage readers, enrich, and improve the reading experience.  Ereader incumbents that best cater to reader needs will have the best chance of survival and those attempting to mimic all of iPad’s (mini or otherwise) functionality will undoubtedly fail.