Amazon fights multi-front war

Remember when Amazon.com was just an online bookstore?

As the Internet has evolved, Jeff Bezos and company have transformed with it. And while the site is certainly a retail powerhouse and dominates the publishing (and ePublishing) industry, Amazon has become a company with deep interests in other forms of entertainment — and those efforts are starting to bear fruit.

Read more at Daily Variety

America’s Radio News Network – April 19

Every Thursday, I join Chris Salcedo and Lori Lundin on the mid-day edition of America’s Radio News Network to discuss trends and news in the technology and video game space. This week’s topics were the near-imminent arrival of Windows 8, Barnes & Noble’s new back-lit nook eReader and NBC’s decision to live stream the entirety of the 2012 Summer Olympics online.

Listen here

America’s Radio News Network – April 12

Every Thursday, I join Chris Salcedo and Lori Lundin on the mid-day edition of America’s Radio News Network to discuss trends and news in the technology and video game space. This week’s topics were Sony’s restructuring, the Dept. of Justice’s antitrust case against Apple and several book publishers (which could result in lower eBook prices) and the heartwarming story of Caine’s Arcade.

Listen Here

eBook wars heat up – again

Amazon may be riding high in the eReader rodeo these days with the release of the new Kindle, but it doesn’t own the market – and it’s feeling pressure from the competition once again. 

Effective Wednesday, Borders will lower the price of its two eReaders, the Kobo and the Aluratek. The Kobo is falling from $149 to $129. The Aluratek will drop from $129 to $100, putting it in the sweet spot for consumers.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

eReaders: Barnes & Noble gets serious

Barnes & Noble’s nook eReader has hardly been struggling, but the company’s device hasn’t exactly been top of mind for most shoppers. The iPad and Amazon Kindle tend to leap to most people’s minds first. Today, the company is taking steps to change that. 

It’s doing so in a way that makes a lot of sense: Cost. Barnes & Noble has announced a new version of the nook that eschews the 3G connection and only uses Wi-Fi. They’ve smartly priced it at $149.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog