Amazon with the Kindle is the current leader in the e-reader niche and is responding aggressively with Kindle development kits for developers, apps for platforms (iPhone, Blackberry, pc, and Android likely next), purchase of touch technology company (Touchco), patent deal with Microsoft, increased revenue sharing with publishers and authors, trying to lower ebooks to $9.99, and hiring developers like crazy for their Kindle development farm.  These defensive initiative wouldn’t have happened as quickly without some healthy competition.

How has Apple’s iPad entrance affected the other competitors?  A couple of potential players are already retreating as Plastic Logic Que and Acer e-Readers have delayed their launch until later this year or distant future and this is likely due to timing as they don’t want to be overshadowed by the iPad.  Waiting for the market to mature is a wise decision at this point.

The increased press in this growing niche has also attracted big players with the likes of Dell (Mini 5 tablet), Samsung and Google (E6 e-book reader), and Microsoft (Courier tablet).  For these tech titans, products in various stages of development are being dust off the shelf and bringing to life ideas that were not so successful in the past.

The iPad has re-energized the market by bringing timely competition and interest.  When we look back a few years from now, this year will be viewed as the year that redefined the e-reader and tablet pc market.  Companies that can bring a device that’s intuitively easy to use, seamless access to rich unique content, and provide unparalleled user experience by combining reading and note taking, gaming, entertainment, and conduct business apps will take the prize for years to come.

According to Apple’s site, you can pre-order your iPad for delivery/pickup (at store) on April 3 or late April depending on whether you want Wi-Fi or 3G.  Prices start at $499 for 16GB Wi-Fi to top of the line 64GB (Wi-Fi and 3G).  You get free shipping and there’s a pre-order limit of two per customer.

To accessorize your iPad, here are some items that might interest you:

• iPad Keyboard Dock ($69) full-size keyboard, charging dock, and includes rear dock connector port and an audio line out port
  
• iPad Dock ($29) for docking and charging; includes rear dock connector port and an audio line out port
  
• iPad 10W USB Power Adapter ($29) 6-foot cable for charging through electrical outlet
  
• iPad Case ($39) for protection against sratches and dents
  
• Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic ($79) for music and video listening
  
• iPad Doc Connector to VGA Adapter ($29) for connecting to other devices (e.g. TV, projector) for watching slideshows and movies

Other options include:

• Data plan (no contract) for the 3G starting at $14.99 for 250MB/month or $29.99 for unlimited through AT&T.
  
• MobileMe Membership internet service at $69 for single user and $119 for family.
  
• AppleCare Protection Plan at $99 which gets you hardware and software coverage and support for two years.

The total price of ownership adds up for this latest Apple device and Apple even offers a financing plan in case you haven’t saved up.  At minimum, for the price of the device, I would expect a few accessories (e.g. cover/case or charger) included as part of a package.  Until users get their hands on the device, the jury is still out on the whether the  iPad is a Kindle killer or just another expensive e-reader.

The first iPads to go on sale will connect to Wi-Fi networks only and cost $499, $599 or $699, depending on the data storage capacity. Versions that also can connect to “3G” cellular networks (AT&T) are expected to go on sale in late April for $629, $729 or $829.

The new Apple iPad will come with 12 new applications and will run the 140,000 applications that were developed Apple’s other devices (e.g. iPhone, iPod touch).  The delay is only a few days from the original date, but it does take a little luster off of the release.

The faster processor is claimed to have twice the rendering performance of the current chip which will increase the device’s responsiveness (e.g. the page turning speed) and capacity of an e-reader to run applications and operate more quickly.

The other important factor is lower price of the new chip ($30 less).  More power at lower price?  Who doesn’t like that combination!  This would be music to consumer ears and wallets.  Apple might not be a happy camper since the new Freescale chip will drive down e-reader prices and put some pressure prices of the yet-to-be released Apple iPad.  The e-reader market gets more interesting as the competition heats up.  Expect Amazon to step up to the challenge by combining their newly acquired touch screen technology with the improved Freescale chip to create the next generation Kindle 3!

Is this another ploy by Apple to create a frenzy on the iPad tablet or are they pulling a Barnes & Noble Nook Xmas? The chance of real supplier issues is more likely since we’ve seen this from other new device releases.  Not to say Apple couldn’t plan this, but what do they have to gain from this?  Shorter initial supply creates more of a buzz from the free press (whether bad or good).  If Apple does release the limited supply and stick to the original date, then consumers are more inclined to have a ‘buy it now’ mentality.   On the flip side, the delay could drive a few more sales to competitors (e.g. Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, or Sony eReader) because of disappointed customers.  But if you are a true Apple enthusiast, what’s a few more days!

Regardless of the reality, can this be actually GOOD for Apple?  The fanfare is not the same without a production/supply issue.  Whether you are going to line up overnight at the Apple store or don’t care for version 1.0 of iPad, the suspense will end soon or in this case, we should say later!

Amazon Kindle 2 and DX: plain text, PDF, Mobi-Pocket, Kindle
Apple iPad tablet: plain text, PDF, ePub, HTML
Barnes Noble Nook: PDF, ePUB, eReader
Sony Reader: plain text, PDF, ePub, Broadband eBook

Plain text (.txt): ASCII standard text file format which allows interchanging and readability on Unix, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, DOS, and other systems
Portable Display Format (.PDF): Created by Adobe Systems to represent two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system
ePub (.epub): Format is an open standard for e-books created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)
Mobi-Pocket (.prc, .mobi): E-book format based on the Open eBook standard using XHTML can include JavaScript and frames
Kindle (.azw): Developed by Amazon and based on the Mobipocket standard, with a slightly different serial number scheme (it uses an asterisk instead of a Dollar sign) and its own DRM formatting
HTML (.htm,.html): Hyper Text Markup Language which It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists etc as well as for links, quotes, and other items
eReader (.pdb): Created by Palm Digital Media; The reader shows text one page at a time, as paper books do. eReader supports embedded hyperlinks and images
Broadbank Book (.lrf,.lrx): Proprietary format by Sony, with no known reader software for non-Sony devices

Other eBook formats used by other eReaders include the following:  Fiction-Book, DjVu, WOLF, Tome Raider, and Open eBook.   

There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to each format, but as a potential eReader owner, does the supported format influence which device you buy?

If you haven’t  heard about Apple’s new invention (the Apple iPad), then you probably have been hiding under a rock! The promised features of the first version of the sleek device has disappointed many (even a few Apple die-hard fans). The much anticipated cool device will be available sometime next month. If you are in the market for an eReader and considering a device that doesn’t do any one thing best, then you may want to consider the iPad.  Based on press release preliminary reviews, here are some top excuses why the iPad might appeal to you:

1. You enjoy reading magazines, newspapers, or comic books in color
2. You are an occasional reader (few times a week)
3. You like to play video games
4. You want a device for listening to music and watching movies
5. You are a connoisseur of the latest and greatest gadgets and price is no object

If having a camera, web-cam, multi-tasking capability, or a flash player is important to you, then you might want to wait for iPad version 2.0.  On the other hand, if you read a lot and don’t fancy any of the listed features, then the Amazon Kindle is your cup of tea!

The top 2 people to refer the most amount of people win a prize (iPad – 32GB WiFi for first place, iPad – 16GB WiFi to second place). In addition to the top two people, I will also be giving away a prize to someone selected at random (iPad – 16gb WiFi). More referrals equals more entries and that means a higher chance of winning the random prize.

This iPad contest ends March 31st, 2010.

Best of luck!

As reported on an earlier post (Kindle apps for iPhone or PC), you can now download FREE software to read your collection of eBooks on your Blackberry!

Read Kindle Books on Your BlackBerry:

1. No Kindle required
2. Get the best reading experience available on your BlackBerry.
3. Access your Kindle books even if you don’t have your Kindle with you
4. Automatically synchronizes your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync
5. Create bookmarks and view the annotations you created on your Kindle 

Do not have an Amazon Kindle? CLICK HERE to get one!

Some key features include:

• 3G wireless access (Verizon)

• 8.1-inch screen (ideal for books, magazines and newspapers with detailed graphics)

• Latest electronic paper display technology, using E Ink’s Vizplex imaging film

• 2GB built-in memory (1500 e-books)

• Multiple formats supported (Adobe PDF, EPUB, Newspaper Direct, Fictionwise, eReader, TXT)

• Faster page turns than competing products and navigation is easy with an interactive stylus-driven touch screen

• Users can enlarge or reduce text size and margin widths, or select portrait or landscape mode to customize their reading experience

The IREX device’s suggested retail price is $399.99 which includes free wireless access to download eBook content.  There’s no perfect screen size, but if you prefer a screen larger than 6 inches and not as big as the Amazon Kindle DX (9.7 inches), then the DR800SG is your answer as it fits nicely in the middle at 8.1 inches.