e-Readers estimated to be owned by 12% of U.S. consumers by end of 2012

By 2012, 12% of U.S. adults will have some sort of e-reader -- a Kindle, Sony Reader, NOOK or similar device -- according to estimates by eMarketer. By the end of this year, there will be more than 20 million readers in consumers' hands. The information assumes that there is no sharing of devices, but Nielsen reported last year that about a third of e-reader owners share with at least one other

Is Kobo e-reader a missed opportunity for magazines?

More than a year after it launched, the Kobo e-reader newsstand still does not carry a single Canadian magazine. While it offers a range of Canadian newspapers, ranging from the Globe and Mail ($15.95 a month or $0.65 an issue) and the Edmonton Journal ($13.99 a month or $0.55 an issue) the only magazines it offers has not changed or grown and all are U.S.-based. For instance, Harvard Business

Kobo service offering two-week free trial of Canadian and U.S titles, but no Canadian magazines

Kobo, the e-reading service controlled by Indigo Books & Music, is offering a two-week free trial download of a menu of popular Canadian and American newspapers, and U.S. but, curiously not one Canadian, magazines.  This offer includes digital editions of the following Canadian newspapers :Calgary Herald 
Edmonton Journal 
Montreal Gazette 
National Post 
Ottawa Citizen 
Regina

Tablet and e-reader owners spend 50% more time reading magazines, survey reports

A survey reports that people who own tablets like the iPad and e-readers spend 50% more time reading magazines than non-owners of such devices. The survey was conducted by market research firm the Harrison Group, digital magazine vendor Zinio and Qualcomm, which manufactures mobile devices. The story was reported by Folio:. (While the results are interesting, it must be remembered that these are

U.S. e-reader prices slashed as battle for eyeballs heats up

The likely inevitable price war in e-readers has broken out, big time, in the U.S. It can't be long before similar price-cutting occurs in Canada. Today, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble cut the price of its Nook reader to $199 and introduced a wi-fi model for only $149; and Amazon.com followed suit by lowering the price of its Kindle to $189.Both the Nook and

Impact of e-readers will be low this year, say those who should know

According to a story in paidContentUK the Association of Online Publishers in Britain seem to be muting expectations and are demonstrating a surprising lack of certainty now about the immediate future of e-readers. Mail Online managing director says most people won't have their hands on them in 2010. Conde Nast UK director says they will be a "novelty" this year.

Virtual newsstand lets you swipe a magazine off a coffee table

I will concede that the intention is good (ease for the customer), but there is something weird and off-putting about this concept for a new form of virtual newsstand -- a table top from which you can drag participating titles onto the e-reader of your choice. The video is from eMedia Vitals and the demonstration was at the SXSW Music and Media Conference.

Wired magazine and Adobe unveil tablet reader that is a "new era of media"

 
Wired magazine and Adobe Systems have unveiled a tablet application of the Wired Reader. It was not a CGI demo or simulation,  but ran more or less with real content with real copy, created with Adobe InDesign.  
Wired editor Chris Anderson says that the magazine is entering a new media era, with a digital platform that retains all the features of  his glossy print magazine, but augmented with

Quote, unquote: On not being steamrolled

“We’re at the hinge point. As a librarian, I have to go where the information goes. Yes, there are a couple ways to disagree with e-book readers – we can complain about the hardware or the software. But as with any disruptive technology, you’re either guided forward or you’re steamrolled. The only way to do it is to jump on the tiger and take control of it.”-- Christopher Harris, a librarian and

Will e-readers save publishing? Probably not

With several e-readers either launched or about to be, MediaWeek has asked the apt question about whether these gadgets will save the publishing industry. Predicting an iPhone-like breakout is perilous (and probably as likely as predicting the iPhone’s huge success five years ago). Thus, few inside the publishing world realistically see e-readers as a lifeline; most view it as a promising

Time Inc. pondering whether to launch its own e-reader

Time Inc. is apparently considering creating its own e-reader, in competition with the Kindle by Amazon and others. According to a story on an NBC website, an internal memorandum suggests that the company has radically shifted its attitude towards the technology. The document is a printout of a slide presentation, complete with handwritten notes.The Time Inc. presentation, titled "New Platforms

Popular Science for paying e-readers proves to be a hard sell, even at 99 cents

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Popular Science, which earlier this year launched a paid digital edition called the Genius Guide for e-readers, in anticipation of a large public interest, is scrapping the notion, at least as a paid vehicle. According to a posting on MediaWeek, readers were lukewarm to the idea.Publisher Gregg Hano originally hoped to get 900,000 downloads for the first

Readers fairly critical of high cost of Economist accessed on Kindle e-reader

U.S. readers of The Economist can now have wireless delivery of the magazine to their Kindle readers (Kindle or Kindle DX) for a fairly bracing $10.49 a month or $5.49 for a single, weekly issue, ordered through Amazon, according to a newsletter from publisher Ben Edwards. The magazine is one of about 30 titles Amazon is now offering for the e-readers, including some major titles such as The New