Shaun at PDA-247.com put together his thoughts on the state of reading e-Books on the iPad.  In short, he concludes that Apple has missed the boat by doing little to enhance the reading experience.  While the built in iBooks application does it’s job in slick packaging, it provides less of a user experience than, gasp, the Kindle app for the iPad.  Read Shaun’s full thoughts here.

Today (actually, I just realized it is now after midnight, so…yesterday), Amazon announced a firmware upgrade for Amazon Kindle 2 devices.  the new upgrade features some welcome changes, including improved battery life, better handling of pdf formatted documents, and auto-rotation of the screen.  Amazon will be pushing these updates out to Kindle users over its Whispernet, but if you are one of those people who absolutely, positively, must have it now, then Amazon also includes instructions to load the new firmware manually from your computer.  Read on for the full release from Amazon.

Kindle Software Update Version 2.3

The latest update brings several improvements to Kindle (Global Wireless), Kindle (U.S. Wireless), and Kindle DX devices.

Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle (U.S. Wireless)

• Longer battery life for Kindle (Global Wireless): You can now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks.
• Built-in PDF reader: Your Kindle can now display PDF documents without losing the formatting of the original file. Send PDF documents directly to your Kindle (via your @Kindle address) or drag and drop PDF files from your computer to your Kindle (when connected via USB). Learn more.
• Manual screen rotation: The Kindle screen can now manually rotate between portrait and landscape views so you can see the entire width of a web page or magnify the page of a PDF file. The page-turn buttons work the same in either orientation, and the 5-way controller movements are switched to match the orientation. Learn more.
• Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.

Kindle (U.S. Wireless) and Kindle (Global Wireless) users can go to Archived Items on their Kindle and download the Kindle User’s Guide, 4th Ed., which now documents all the features of Kindle Software 2.3.

Kindle DX

• Better cropping of PDF files: In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen.
• Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
• View pages longer: We’ve extended the time before Kindle DX switches into screensaver mode — from 5 minutes to 20 minutes — giving you more time for reviewing your content.

Look below for information on how to get the update manually.

Automatic Wireless Updates

All Kindles are designed to automatically check for and download updates when one is available. If an update is available, your Kindle will download and install the update the next time the wireless connection is activated and Kindle goes into sleep mode.

During the update, you’ll see screens that show the update progress. The update should take less than 10 minutes and is complete when Kindle displays the Home screen. Do not power off or reset your Kindle until the update is complete.

If you want to get the update immediately, or if you don’t have wireless connectivity, you can download the software manually by following the steps below.

Applying Kindle Software Updates Manually

If you have a software version prior to 2.3, you can download the latest Kindle software update to your computer and transfer it to your Kindle via USB. Here’s how:

1. Visit Amazon.com and make sure you’re logged into the Amazon.com account to which your Kindle is registered.
2. Determine which type of Kindle you have: Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select "Settings." Look in the bottom right corner of the screen. The version number will correspond to the kind of device:
   • Kindle (U.S. Wireless) devices begin with: 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, and 2.0.4.
   • Kindle (Global Wireless) devices begin with: 2.2, 2.2.1, and 2.2.2.
   • Kindle DX devices begin with: 2.1 and 2.1.1.

   If your version number begins with 2.3, you’ve already received the update and don’t need to take any further action.

3. Visit the appropriate link below to download the Kindle software update file directly to your computer:
   • Kindle (U.S. Wireless)
   • Kindle (Global Wireless)
   • Kindle DX
     
4. Turn your Kindle on and connect it to your computer using the USB cable.
5. Use your computer’s file browser to copy the update file from your computer to the Kindle root directory. (The root directory contains a number of folders — such as "audibles," "documents," and "music" — and is typically denoted by a "device" icon).
6. Check your file browser’s file transfer progress bar to ensure that file transfer to your Kindle is complete. When you’re confident the file has transferred successfully, you can use your computer’s unmount or eject function to safely disconnect Kindle from your computer.
7. Disconnect the USB cable from Kindle and your computer.
8. Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select "Settings."
9. Press the Menu key again, and then select "Update Your Kindle." (This option will be grayed out if the most recent update has already been installed.)
10. Select "Ok" when prompted if you want to perform an update.

[Via Amazon, with special thanks to everyone who posted this on Facebook.]

Hate or love it, today you will be tempted to give AT&T a chance.

For today only Amazon.com will offer you AT&T phones for a penny, with a new 2-year contract plan.

Note, only the iPhone seems to be missing in the offer, but all other phones and smartphones could be yours.

So, the other day, my wife noticed an email indicating that Amazon had reimbursed us $4.95.  Hey, I am never one to quibble over free money, so I took it.  Well, maybe I should have looked a little closer.  Apparently, that rebate was for a book I had purchased, The Works of George Orwell, obviously by George Orwell, and published by Mobile Reference.  Unbeknownst to me, along with that rebate, Big Brother Amazon was automatically sneaking in over the Whispersync connection and automatically removing the book from my Kindle.  Say what now?  Lucky for me, I had turned off Whispersync in order to conserve power, so I still have the book for the time being. 

The question on everyone’s minds now is what the heck happened.  And what gives Amazon the right to essentially unsell me a book.  I mean, I know when I bought it I did not call “No Give Backs”…but I really did not think I had to do so.  And really, I cannot possibly be the only one who is struck by the absurd irony of doing this with the book 1984, a book in which Big Brother literally controls your thoughts and feelings.

There is a bit of conflicting information going around as to what exactly happened here.  Over at Mashables, they are reporting that the publisher, Mobile Reference, changed their mind and decided not to publish a Kindle edition of the book.  Cnet News, on the other hand, is quoting an Amazon source who stated that the book was improperly distributed without the permission of the rights holder. 

For Amazon’s sake, I certainly hope the second explanation is the truth.  While I do not like the idea of Amazon reaching in and grabbing books off my virtual bookshelf without my knowledge (note to Amazon, an email would have been nice) I can live with this action much better if this was intended to right a wrong, rather than just a wishy-washy publisher.  Then again, every six year old can tell you that two wrongs do not make a right.

Nonetheless, it seems like Amazon has heard the outcry from this one.  They have indicated that they are now changing their terms of service in order to ensure this does not happen again.  Still…it should not have happened in the first place.

I have to say, I love the convenience of the Amazon Kindle, but I am starting to get tired of Amazon’s shenanigans.  In addition to this move, since February, we have seen:

• the on-again-off-again text to speech interface
• prices on the rise
• unadvertised limitations on downloads.

What could possibly be coming next?  The best thing Amazon has going for it right now is the almost complete lack of competition.  They can do whatever they want…and it shows.  Both Barnes and Noble and Borders have waded into the shallow end of the eBook phenomenon, but have both stopped well short of giving the Kindle a true run for its money.  Until that happens, I suspect we can plan on many more of these random and arbitrary moves from the eBook powerhouse.

I am a big fan of eBooks.  In fact, when I bought the Sony Reader, I almost instantly vowed to avoid paper and ink books forever.  I have since upgraded to a combination of the Kindle 2 and various apps on my iPod Touch, but I remain hardbound book-free.

One of the problems I have had with eBooks has always been the price.  Some eBook publishers for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform charge as much for a digital book as they would for a hardbound book.  This just makes no sense given the fact that the cost of producing an eBook, with no paper, ink, presses, or other overhead is significantly less than printing a book.  Amazon really became the first of the large distributors to acknowledge this difference in overhead with most books ringing up in the $9.99 price range, and plenty of others under $5.00.  In fact, it was the rare exception to find any books over $10 for the Kindle.  To be honest, that was one of my favorite features.  Kind of like the $2.99 and under average price of apps in the iTunes App Store.

Earlier this week, Fictionwise indicated that their eReader application would follow suit (finally).  Their new pricing scheme offers nothing over $12.99. Here are all of the details of the new pricing scheme:

• No e-book priced over $12.95
• All new e-books $9.95 or less
• All New York Times bestsellers $9.95
• Plus 15% rewards on all purchases

I thought this was a fantastic development, and was thrilled to see more distributors widening the pricing gap between traditional books and eBooks. 

Then, along came the other shoe…dropping as you might imagine, from Amazon.  Earlier this week, I had some extra money to spend and decided to buy an eBook for my Kindle.  I had jotted down a few new releases I wanted to read and began looking them up.  What I found when I got there, however, were prices in the $13-$15 range.  On almost every non-fiction new release I looked up, in several different genres.  This is just disappointing.  Particularly, when you read it in light of the Gear Diary KindleGate, in which Dan discovered that you do not necessarily have unlimited access to your purchased titles.  So, where does this leave us with Amazon?  You can now pay up to $15 for a digital copy of a book, which you do not own, and can potentially only download a limited number of times; or generally spend $2 more for a hard copy of the book, which is yours to read anytime you wish, and as many times as you like.   I found this unannounced increase in pricing to be troubling and disappointing.

I love my Kindle, and I love reading electronic books.  Honestly, I believe that the Kindle will ultimately do to eBooks what the iPod did to digital music.  it will bring it into the mainstream, make it easy and accessible.  But in order for that to happen, Amazon (and other eBook distributors) must do a better job of attracting new readers to the format by making the books accessible and reasonably priced. 

[Some parts of this report via JKontherun]