Inside these posts: E-readers

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Amazon offers cheaper Kindle — with ads

A commuter reads a Kindle while riding the subway in Cambridge, Mass. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Amazon announced its new “Kindle with Special Offers“ on Monday which will sell for $114, which is $25 less than its ad-free counterpart, Amazon’s $139 Kindle Wi-Fi. The Kindle 3G is available for $189. It will begin shipping May 3.

The Kindle’s “special offers” and ads will appear on the e-reader’s screensaver and at the bottom of its home screen. Amazon plans to mix together advertisements from launch sponsors including Buick, Olay and Visa with daily-deal style discount coupons. Get the full story »

Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble over Nook

A customer tries out a Nook electronic book reader at a Barnes and Noble. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Microsoft Corp. sued Barnes & Noble Inc. and the manufacturers of Barnes & Noble’s Nook electronic book device, escalating a series of patent battles over gadgets based on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.  Get the full story »

Apple blocks Sony Reader app from iPhone

Apple Inc has blocked rival Sony Corp’s electronic book application from the iPhone because it would have circumvented Apple’s system for buying content.

The scrap is the latest in Apple’s long history of tense relations with media companies. They have clashed for years over pricing and how music, movies and books are sold on Apple’s mobile devices, the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Get the full story »

Amazon to let readers lend Kindle books

Amazon.com Inc. is going to allow the lending of e-books purchased from its Kindle Store.

The online retailer announced the upcoming feature in a discussion forum for the Kindle on its website Friday, saying that later in the year it will start letting Kindle users and people who use its free Kindle apps loan books to others for a two-week period. During the loan, the book’s owner will not be able to read the book, Amazon said.

Barnes & Noble says Burkle not fit for board

Barnes & Noble Co. said activist investor Ronald Burkle was unqualified to be on its board and accused the billionaire of trying to take over the bookseller through a proxy battle without rewarding shareholders. Get the full story »

Amazon offers $139 Kindle for mass appeal

Amazon.com launched a cheaper, wireless-only Kindle Wednesday, betting that the $139 price will turn its latest electronic reader into a mass-appeal device as Apple Inc’s iPad gains ground.

The world’s largest online retailer and leading e-reader seller also revealed its third generation Kindle, some 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous version, but still priced at $189.

Amazon does not give sales figures for the Kindle, but said last week that its growth rate tripled after it cut its price on the device from $259 and said e-books were outselling hardcover books. Apple has said it sold more than 3 million iPads, starting at $499, since the product was introduced in April. Get the full story »

New Kindle sells for $139 in price war

Online retail giant Amazon.com plans to introduce two new versions of the Kindle e-reader on Thursday, one for $139, the lowest price yet for the device.

Amazon downgraded with crowded e-book market

Despite its early lead in the fast-growing e-book market, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) faces growing competition from tech giants Google Inc. (GOOG) and Apple Inc. (AAPL), according to one analyst.

Marianne Wolk of Susquehanna downgraded Amazon to a neutral rating on Monday. In a note to clients, the analyst cited “intensifying competition” in the e-book market, which is creating more uncertainty around the company’s Kindle business. Get the full story »