The rumors are back! A few days ago, a lot of blogs started picking up a rumor about Apple joining forces with Verizon to get the iPhone in more hands. But now a lot of these blogs are backtracking and discussing Apple’s new product which seems to be a mediapad. So what is a mediapad anyway? It’s an entertainment pad that comes with a larger screen than Kindle and has more entertainment options. It will probably be more portable than Amazon Kindle and will have access to the app store on iTunes.

This is a rumor at this point but Steve Jobs has been attacking the Kindle and netbooks for a while now. That probably means Apple is thinking about a hybrid device somewhere between the two. While Apple realizes that reading books on an iPhone is not exactly pleasant, it is not known for making one trick pony devices. That means this mediapad will be more than just an ebook reader.

Should Amazon be worried? Not necessarily. While it’d be fun to see Apple go head to head with Amazon for a piece of the e-book market, it’s more likely that Apple is trying to fill the gaps that exist in its product offerings. In other words, Apple won’t be making an e-book reader per se. Apple’s mediapad could challenge the Kindle but we just don’t know enough about it to see how it will stack up against the Kindle. I wouldn’t mind taking a chance on a device that is built upon Apple’s amazing application platform, but can Apple keep its price low?

Your take: will Apple’s rumored mediapad challenge Amazon Kindle?

I still remember how a few weeks ago people were talking about how Stanza was going to challenge Amazon Kindle by letting people read e-books on their iPhones. That’s before Amazon came out with its own application for the iPhone platform. It seems Amazon is not done with its adventures in the mobile world. Lexcycle has now announced that it has been purchased by Amazon. That will put Kindle for iPhone and Stanza under one roof. With this move, Amazon has taken out one of its top competitors on iPhone. Interestingly enough, the people behind Stanza believe there will be no major changes to how Stanza operates:

Customers will still be able to browse, buy, and read ebooks from our many content partners. We look forward to offering future products and services that we hope will resonate with our passionate readers.

I am sure Amazon will add its branding material to Stanza at some point. And while I would love to see both Kindle and Stanza co-exist, I don’t believe it makes sense to confuse the consumers and provide two competing applications (is Amazon planning to make one a premium iPhone app?).

This is a great move by Amazon. It has understood early on that you can’t rely on hardware to dominate the e-book market. That’s why Amazon is bringing the Kindle platform to mobile devices such as the iPhone. While companies such as Sony are focusing so much on making their hardware as powerful as possible, Amazon is pursuing a long-term strategy that will put Amazon in the position of dominance in this market for years to come.

M-edge GO! Jacket is a protective case for your Kindle 2.0 that helps you keep your gadget protected at all times while you are on the go. M-edge is no stranger to the Kindle market. It has many cases available for Kindle 1.0/2.0. The Go! Jacket series is designed for those who want to protect their Kindle against scratches and accidental drops. These cases are made out of leather. They are not only very attractive but highly convenient as well as they let you access your Kindle buttons and ports at all times.

What I like about Go! Jackets is their Kindle Compatible hinge system that keep your Kindle tight. It’d be awfully tough for you to lose your Kindle with these cases. I like the fact that M-edge Go! Jackets are a bit thicker than Amazon Kindle’s official case. It does look like a more safe option if you are too worried about damaging your gadget. And it does help that you get 5 designs to choose from:

• Marbled Red
• Pebbled Black
• Smooth Mocha
• Pebbled Fuchsia
• Pebbled Purple

If you are looking for an affordable case for your Kindle ($29.99) that is good looking and actually protects your Kindle, you should give M-edge Go! cases a try.

Your take: how’s been your experience with these cases?

Kindle 2.0 may be the top dog in the e-book market, but there are a few start-ups that are trying hard to come up with a true challenger to Amazon Kindle. Amazon may not exactly be looking forward to having a fierce challenger in this market, but when companies compete, consumers win. With that in mind, here are 4 e-book readers that I look forward to testing later this year / early next year.

1. Plastic Logic: Plastic Logic is a big touch screen reader that has created a lot of buzz on the web. It is expected to be released in 2010.

2. Txtr Reader: Txtr Reader is another capable e-book reader, and it comes with wireless capability as well. It has an API too.



3. Readius: Readius was expected to be released 2008, but it seems the manufacturer has had difficulties distributing the gadget due to the tough economic conditions in the U.S.

4. Boox: Boox by Onyx is another cool e-book reader that is worth a look. It comes with Wi-Fi capability and text-to-speech. It’d be interesting to see how these guys deal with the Authors Guild.

There will be more eBook readers on the way. Amazon has set the bar really high, which is forcing some of these companies to go out of their way to try and beat Amazon in its own game. Is a Kindle killer among these devices? That’s a whole other story.

*Photo: (jontintinjordan/Flickr)