In the past couple of years, Amazon has managed to develop one of the largest e-book stores around. The company has a powerful self-publishing platform that has enabled many small publishers to bring their work in front of Amazon’s audience. Unfortunately, some marketers have taken advantage of Kindle Direct Publishing to publish garbage and “private label rights” works to Kindle store. Amazon may have been lenient towards these types of works in the past. It is now starting to remove these garbage e-books from its e-book store.

We are all for small publishers having the freedom to bring their work to Amazon, no matter how bad or great their work is. But garbage or spam content don’t have a place in Kindle Store. Many of PLR works are a part of schemes to encourage buyers to resell what they have bought for profit. Amazon’s move to delete duplicate content from its store should increase the overall quality of its offerings.

Here is the note Amazon publishers who have violated this new rule have received:

Certain of these books are either undifferentiated or barely differentiated from an existing title in the Kindle store. We remove such duplicate (or near duplicate) versions of the same book because they diminish the experience for customers. We notify you each time a book is removed, along with the specific book(s) and reason for removal. In addition to removing duplicate books from the Kindle store, please note that if you attempt to sell multiple copies or undifferentiated versions of the same book from your account, we may terminate your account.

Amazon probably should have identified this problem sooner. The Kindle store is simply not for people who can’t write their own content and want to sell the same old garbage sold by many other scammers.

Apple has already shown its intention to go after e-book publishers to get a piece of their revenue. The company has big plans for iBooks too. As reported on ibtimes, consumers may be warming up to iBooks:

In terms of usability of iBook vs. Kindle application on iPad – on a scale of 10, iBook is probably 8 and kindle application on iPad is probably 5 – “Kindle application lacks the finish and crispness of an iBook” was the converged view we gathered,

Trip Chowdhry explained. Many experts have considered the App Store not to be a huge profit center for Apple. After all, Apple spends a ton of money to run the store. But with people buying more iPads and iPhone, iBooks and the App Store as a whole will be bringing a ton of money to Apple’s pockets. Is iBooks superior to Kindle in terms of usability? The jury is out on that.

via Apple Insider

Apple iPad has a long battery life in comparison to laptops and many other tablets on the market. But it can’t even get close to what devices such as Kindle offer. The next generation iPads may not be able to close the gap significantly, but they could potentially take advantage of solar power to offer their users an easier way to keep their tablets charged (according to a recent Apple patent):

a solar power package for use with an electronic device, the package comprising: at least one solar cell operable to derive solar power from solar energy; and a power charger operable to provide the derived solar power to the portable electronic device, wherein the derived solar power is provided in a plug-and-play fashion when the portable electronic device is coupled to the package, and wherein the power charge is operative to adjust the amount of power provided to the portable electronic device based on attributes of the portable electronic device.

The future iPhones and iPads could have solar battery cells in the front and back. According to this patent, users will be able to charge these devices multiple ways. iPad 2 won’t be a solar powered device but it could have a retina and less reflective display. At this point, it is not clear when we will see solar iPads. At the same time, solar tablets are much more exciting alternatives to e-readers than the current crop of slates.

We knew Apple was going places with the iPad. What we did not expect was the speed in which the company has increased its e-book market-share. During WWDC 2010, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had sold over 5 million e-books since the launch of iPad. That puts Apple’s Ebook market-share roughly at 22%. Steve Jobs did not specify more details about these stats, so it is tough to know how Apple iBooks has fared against Amazon Kindle for iPad.

Apple is not stopping with iPad. iBooks is coming to iPhone 4, so people will have the opportunity to buy e-books on those tiny devices. Considering the reception that iPhone 4 has gotten, Apple could easily double its market-share in a flash (at 2.5 books per device pace) . iBooks will be getting a major upgrade in the near future too (which will include support for PDF). Wireless syncing across multiple devices is going to be a big plus.

It still amazes me that some people use their iPhones to read e-books. It is just very difficult and inconvenient to read a book on such a device. It’s true that iPhone is easy to carry around, and it may be useful for reading for a short period of time. But, the majority of iPhone owners will most likely not use their iPhone as their main e-reader. With that said, Apple has gotten the upper-hand in the e-book market. Amazon did rule this market with Kindle for quite some time. Now, it’s best bet is to go all in with Android. Considering that Android will be overtaking iOS in market-share in the very near future, Amazon will have a good chance to make a fight out of this.

We still do not know how many e-books Amazon has sold through iPad. What we do know is that Amazon needs to respond and do it quickly to stop Apple’s momentum. Let’s hope Amazon manages to amaze us all with Kindle API and Kindle 3.

People may be staying in lines to get their hands on iPhone 3G S, but that doesn’t make iPhone 3G S the top gadget to own these days. iPhone 3G S is a very capable device that comes with many new features. It has gotten a big boost from iPhone 3.0 OS as well, but one can argue that you can still manage with your old iPhone 3G. That hasn’t stopped people from talking about iPhone 3G S non-stop in the fast few weeks. In reality, Kindle DX is still the gadget to own for father’s day. Kindle DX gets the nod over iPhone 3G S as it helps you read more often (something a lot of us don’t don enough). Besides, you don’t have to deal with wireless plans and upgrade issues. With that in mind, here is my question for you:

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.

Amazon has finally taken its first big step to take the Kindle platform beyond the hardware. Jeff Bezos did announce a few weeks ago that Amazon would be bringing the Kindle platform to mobile phone users, and he has kept up with his promise. Kindle for iPhone is a free iPhone application that enables you to read Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can also buy books from Kindle store right on your iPhone. In essence, this application turns iPhone to a Kindle mini.

Kindle for iPhone comes with Whispersnyc, which means you can sync your reading locations and annotations between your Kindle and your iPhone. In addition, any book that you buy for your Kindle can be accessed on your iPhone as well. And let’s not forget that you get the same Kindle book discounts on your iPhone.

This is a somewhat risky move on Amazon’s part. Amazon does intend to sell more books, and what a better way to do that than selling books to millions of folks who already own an iPhone. The problem is, Amazon has already invested a lot in its own gadget. You could say that Amazon will be hoping to convert iPhone owners to Kindle buyers. The problem is this move could backfire. People may just decide to buy the iPhone to kill two birds with one stone (and save their $350 in the process). It’s a risky move but one Amazon has to make to take the Kindle platform to the next level. And who knows. A larger base may help Amazon to drop its e-book prices.

What’s your take: is this a wise decision on Amazon’s part?

The iPhone and the Kindle are two very different devices and Amazon may not be risking too much by reaching out to the iPhone holders. A lot of these guys may even own Kindles which would be even better for Amazon. But the real trouble arises when you consider the possibility of Amazon offering e-books to Sony. I am still not sure whether that happens, but if it does, that would somewhat level the playing field. I am all for intense competition and rivalries, and if Amazon goes ahead with this, we may see the e-book market explode to new heights. But is it really likely for Amazon to hinder the growth of its own device to increase the overall size of the pie in this market?

The details are sketchy at best at this point. There seems to be a real interest on Amazon’s part to target mobile phone users. iPhone has a huge following, and that market would be very attractive for Amazon. But as far as Amazon offering e-books to its direct rivals such as Sony, we will have to wait and see. I have a hunch that it will happen but not in the near future.

Your take:

In the past few days, I have read all kinds of articles about how iPhone 2.0 crushes the Kindle, and how Kindle 2.0 is no better than the first Kindle. I love the iPhone. I think Apple has done a lot of good things to make the iPhone the best gadget in the world. At the same time, I think the iPhone is overrated. There I said it. The iPhone may have the best mobile applications. It may even be “cooler” than the Kindle. But it certainly doesn’t make you smarter!

I hear our leaders talk about how the U.S. has become less competitive in science and how we don’t have enough engineers. You know why? Because we spend more time on entertainment (videos, games, …) than actually reading good books. People just don’t spend enough time reading and learning these days. Sure. You read blogs. But a lot of those blogs are opinions and not facts. And let’s not forget that a lot of those blogs (maybe 90% of them) are written by folks who read blogs and not books. You see the trend? We spend less time reading material that is well-researched and more time reading opinions and link-baits. If you read blogs for an hour a day, you are at least trying. A whole lot of folks don’t read books nor blogs. They read magazines, but nobody has become the next Einstein by reading celebrity magazines.

I am not going to argue for the Kindle being faster or less weighty than the iPhone. I find those comparisons to be too shallow. Think about it. Amazon Kindle allows you to read books wherever you are and actually exercise the muscle that matters the most. If you are using the iPhone to read books 2-3 hours a day, then more power to you. But a lot of iPhone users don’t, and that is why Amazon Kindle is better than Apple iPhone.

I’d like to believe that Apple’s troubles are due to them overestimating the demand for the iPhone. But the fact is, Amazon may also take a hit in their sales numbers, even though Kindle has been a bright spot for them in this past quarter. But how much that enthusiasm negates the fear that folks feel in these volatile times?

I am not sure Amazon Kindle can move forward as fast as before despite all the praise that it’s getting in the press. This year promises to be one of the worst years ever for retailers, and folks are cutting their shopping budgets to prepare for the worst. I don’t know about you, but if I was in an unstable job with the economy in the toilet, I would too be hesitant about buying Amazon Kindle. Will Kindle survive these tough times? There is no reason to doubt it, but nevertheless, the numbers won’t be that rosy for Amazon in this and next quarter.

Your take: do you think Amazon will get hit harder by the financial crisis than Apple?