We will probably see update available for over the air update (OTA update) in the coming weeks, but if you want to give it a try, go to Kindle firmware page, and download the firmware file there. v3.0.1 promises various unspecified “performance improvements” together with the ability to set up a new Amazon account directly from the Kindle itself.

We were a bit surprised as we had to choose the B006 version of firmware (which was supposed to be serial number for US and Canadian customers), although we ordered an international (Europe) Kindle… Not sure whether Amazon mixed up something (as our Kindle was delivered to US address), or if this only applies to Kindles shipped from amazon.co.uk …

How to upgrade Kindle?

Instructions on how to upgrade your kindle are on the Amazon Kindle firmware page, but to summarize – if you are doing upgrade thru computer (it might be available for over the air update later – and this will happen automatically) then download the appropriate file for your Kindle (see serial numbers), connect your Kindle to PC via USB cable, and copy firmware file to Kindle (in root directory). Then disconnect the cable, turn on Kindle, go to Menu, Choose Settings, and press Menu again – choose Upgrade. If upgrade button is grey (cannot be run), you have most probably downloaded the wrong firmware file, or the file download/copying was terminated prematurely.

More and more Amazon Kindle the recently renewed digital ebook reader is getting new competition. Newcomer is coming from India and is called Wink E-Reader. It supports 15 different languages so that it can be used practically everywhere. EReader has an eink screen with diagonal of six inches (resolution 800 x 600).

Internal capacity of the device is 2 GB, but allows expansion to 16 GB via SD card slot. It has inbuild Wi-Fi and 3G (although it is still unknown whether they will offer worldwide 3G coverage).

Device is based on 400 MHz ARM9 processor, has a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and supports variety of formats, including audio MP3 and AAC, and many ebook formats, including but not limited to: PDF, ePub, WOLF, HTML, RTF and some others. Price is still unconfirmed, but rumors are it will be below $99. Device should be available globally before the end of year.

But the world's largest online retailer continues to believe in the direction outlined with the original Kindle. The new model that will be presented in late summer will therefore be only the evolution of existing ideas.

The new Kindle will be the even thinner and lighter, while the display will provide even greater sharpness and faster response time in particular.

Amazon' CEO Jeff Bezos, argues that the Kindle is only for reading ebooks, thereby denying the possibility that Amazon could enter an area for display devices and interactive content, where the Tablet PCs are at home. This indicates, that at least in the near future, we should not expect Amazons products with color touch screen.

Also an technological first will be inclusion of ISBN code scanner, with which users will be able to scan ISBN tags on phisical paper books, and buy ebook version of edition online.

Release date of LumiRead is also scheduled for fall or later this year. Price is still unknown at this moment, but given the fact that Sony already lowered price of its ebook readers, and that Amazon is thinking about lowering the price for Kindle to $150, and given the fact that Acer is known within notebook maker arena as price cutter - we expect the $99 price tag or similar…

Acer also announced another similar device - a tablet with seven inch screen that will run on Google's Android! Acer's unnamed tablet will have 7 inch screen and a hardware keyboard on the bottom (something like Kindle). From the technical documentation we could also dig support for 3G, but much more is not known… Device should come to market before the end of the year (november time frame).

The new display consists of a thin transistors, seeded on film foil only 20 micrometers thick. It includes properly adapted electronic circuits that are in charge of power transmission and sending the data about the image. Display has diagonal of 10.4 cm (4,1 inch) and can be rolled into cylinders with a diameter of around 4 millimeters. Screen resolution is 432 x 240 pixels, contrast 1000: 1, brightness is 100 cd/m2.

At this time, Sony is not announcing any prices of products based on this breakethrough OLED display! See this display in action below:

Also other sources on the Net confirm our information, and it looks like Kindle e-Book reader will soon be available at reduced price of only $ 150. This means a reduction of more than one hundred dollars. With this move, Amazon will try to compete with Apple and its ipad, which recently appeared on the market, and which many users see as a better replacement for conventional eink e-book readers like Kindle. Currently one can not yet say precisely what impact will the ipad and the other tablets bring to the market of eink e-book readers.

More will be known in few months, when quarterly business reports from Amazon and other ebook reader makers will show real impact of ipad. We can just speculate for now about the fall of the sales of eink e-book reader. It is still unknown whether more interest in tablets means less interes in ebook readers, as in essence they are two very much different devices… The first move in the market was already done by Sony, as the company recently dropped the price of its smallest e-Book Reader. Next move will bo done by Amazon.

The newest addition to ebook reader market is the Alex eReader. Alex eReader is produced by US company Spring Design. Device features large 6 inch eInk display (16 shades of gray) on the top and 3.5 inch color touchscreen display on the bottomof the unit.

Device runs Google Android 1.5 OS as first of ereaders. Therefore it offers best of both worlds - and is feature wise similar to iPad. eBook eink screen offers long (weeks) autonomy, but color display in the bottom offers web browsing and usage of android applications… Alex eReader supports WiFi and 3G, and has removable SD card reader.

First reivews are popping in, and the word is that device might soon be sold in rebranded model from big retailer (maybe Barnes & Noble's next ereader?):

Microsoft’s e-reader device, Courier will be extremely portable. This means that everything weighs just a pound (0,5 kg), and that device will be less than an inch (3 cm) thick. While closed (it will have a shape of book when open), its outer dimensions will be compared with photographs 4×6” (13×18 cm) format. It is interesting which OS will power the device -  contrary to popular belief this will not be Windows 7, but rather Windows CE 6, with the Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor inside…

The touch screens of the device can be used with hands, fingers and included pen. With pen you can draw a and write. There will be an in-build camera and headset output support. Price is still unknown, but as device closes to its release in second half of the year, more details should appear…

Another video of user work case scenario…

Among top dogs on the show were QUE proReader, Entouraged eDge, Samsung e6, Spring Design Alex, Skiff, iRiver Story, Aluratek Libre Pro, Booken Cybook Orizon, DMC Worldwide… What is really showing that ebook readers are taking off, is the amount of noname chinese ebook reader device, which could be seen everywhere.

While new devices bring a lot of the new features on the table, none tops best reading experience and best content support, which two existing rivals (Kindle and Nook) already offer. But still – competition works in favor of the customers, so we welcome all new devices. We will try to review them first hand, when they are available on market…

Also – can’t wait to see what new devices will be shown early march at Hannover’s CeBit… Still awaiting big news on ASUS’s ebook reader, which should bring down the price tag considerably…

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Last October company Plastic Logic announced its e-reader device Que. And in this year's CES the product was finally presented. Que e-book reader device has an integrated WiFi for wireless data acquisition, and also integrated 3G module. The A4 sized screen 10,7 inch in diameter (8.5 x 11 inch) is touch-sensitive, based on mixture of new plastic display technology the QUE has been working on for last 10 years already known E-Ink tech from Viziplex. The device has 4 or 8 GB of integrated memory, and supports all kind of document types: office files, PDF, eBooks, ePub… It comes with a software that allows synchronization of calendar with many applications (Outlook, Blackberry, MAC), and you can also convert all sorts of files to QUE. Device if just 1/3 inch thick (0,8 cm), and weight about a pound (0,5 kg).

QUE allows reading e-mails, PDFs, ePublicitations, e-books, viewing entire schedule, markup on documents, editing documents (office), writing emails… and obviously aims to be more than just another e-book reader. Looks like QUE declared war on paper, as it supports digital tasks thru the whole business day…  All in all beautifully designed, in a high quality device, with crisp clear touchscreen, with long battery life. It comes with intuitive user interface, and access to one million titles to choose from (Barns & Noble), and also offers digital subscriptions to e-magazines/e-newspapers.

QUE's e-ProReader will be available in april 2010. Price will start at $649.