This week Kobo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and a number of other companies updated their iOS apps to comply with Apple’s new rules for in-app payments. Basically if you’re not going to use Apple’s system for collecting payments, the company wants you to stop using the app to collect payments at all. Rather than give Apple a 30% cut of proceeds, these companies have taken… Read more »

One of the biggest complaints early reviewers have had about the HP TouchPad tablet is the lack of high quality apps available for webOS 3.0. In fact, some of the apps HP had promised would be available at launch didn’t make the cut when the tablet started shipping earlier this month. Take the Amazon Kindle app for the TouchPad, for instance. The TouchPad hit the… Read more »

Google is introducing a new design for the smartphone version of the Android Market. The new interface looks a bit more like what we’ve come to expect from Google’s app store on the web and on Android tablets. It also brings features that had been tablet-only up until now, including support for purchasing eBooks and renting movies to stream or download to your device. There’s… Read more »

OverDrive provides the platform used by most public libraries to loan eBooks to patrons. The company’s platform works with a number of dedicated eBook Readers including the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble NOOK line, and OverDrive also offers apps for Android, BalckBerry, iOS, and Windows Mobile. Now you can also add Windows Phone 7 to the list. The folks at OverDrive launched a WP7… Read more »

Apple has rolled out two major changes to its iBooks digital book platform this week. First the company added an iBooks section to iTunes, allowing you to purchase and download books from your computer the same way you would for apps, music, and movies. Second, the company has rolled out iBooks 1.3 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It’s available as a . The big… Read more »

Kobo provides eBook readers for iPhone, BlackBerry, webOS, and Android, allowing you to download paid or free eBooks and read them on a wide range of devices. The company has also been offering social features for the iPhone and iPad letting you unlock awards as you read and share your achievements with your friends. Now the company is bringing its “Reading Life” social features to… Read more »

Barnes & Noble has updated its NOOK app for Android phones and tablets, giving virtually any Android tablet much of the same functionality you’d expect if you purchased a NOOK Color device. NOOK 2.6.1 for Android can run on any device with Android 2.1 and up, but you get a few special features if you install the app on an Android tablet with a high… Read more »

Amazon has released a new version of its Kindle app for Android, bringing improved support for tablets running Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Appropriately, the new app is Kindle 3.0 for Android. There are two key areas where the app has been redesigned. The first is the new grid view for your library which lets you see thumbnail icons of all your books instead of a… Read more »

Amazon has announced plans to launch Kindle Library Lending later this year, allowing Kindle users to borrow digital books from more than 11,000 US libraries. The feature will be available both on physical Kindle eBook readers and on the company’s mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and other mobile and desktop computer platforms. A number of other eBook readers have been offering access to digital… Read more »

OverDrive is a company that powers library eBook and digital audio book loans for thousands of public libraries. OverDrive Media Console software is available for iPhone and Android devices, letting you check out media from your local library on your phone or tablet. But up until recently the company’s BlackBerry app only supported MP3 audio books. Now OverDrive has released a new version that adds… Read more »