Nick

If you’ve been waiting for the release of a new color Kindle e-reader before buying one in 2025, you’re in for a disappointment. Amazon doesn’t look set to release a new e-reader before the end of the year!

(more…)

For years, Nook e-readers have been on the American (and sometimes British) market. But for months, even years, now, their e-reader lineup has been falling behind. 2025 is looking particularly concerning, as there's only one two e-readers left in the Nook catalog.

Barnes & Noble is a major player in the USA, with a huge chain of bookstores all across the country. So, it makes sense that the brand would have the resources to dominate the digital reading space. The Nook brand was created years ago, and it's seen its share of ups and downs.

We remember when Nook released a groundbreaking e-reader back in 2012: it was the first one to have a front light, and it was really well-designed for e-ink screens.

That same year, Nook signed a strategic partnership with Microsoft to expand in the digital reading sector.

But then, just a year later, in 2013, Barnes & Noble announced they were ending the Nook e-readers! How do you explain that? It was a strategic shift to focus on print and their bookstore chain, rather than digital services, which were booming at the time…

Since then, Barnes & Noble has relaunched their e-reader line, but you can't help but notice that it's still really underdeveloped, with only 2 e-readerw : a simple, effective, but basic one and a larger with 7.8" screen.

Clearly, Nook is losing steam. It's easy to see, since the brand still hasn't launched, or even announced, a color e-reader model.

While all the other players in the market have been offering color e-readers for months or even years, Nook is sticking to its guns and refusing to move forward.

While it's not a sure thing that the Nook brand is doomed again, it seems pretty obvious that it's lagging behind, and its survival is in jeopardy if it doesn't innovate quickly.

Looking for an alternative to Calibre, the well-known ebook management software? Okay, first: why? But if you are, there's a new, equally free piece of software called Colibri.

So, Colibri is a promising new open-source software option that might just win you over. Although still in active development, Colibri already offers features that will let you organize and enjoy your ebook collection, and even share it.

Available for free and open source (the software is modifiable and hosted on Github), Colibri stands out with its features geared towards managing your ebook library online and making it accessible to everyone via the internet.

Therefore, this is definitely a digital book management solution, but one focused on sharing, with features designed with that in mind:

Simple Library Management: Easily import your ebooks, update their metadata, and enjoy a well-organized library, accessible from all your devices.

Automatic Metadata Retrieval: Colibri automatically retrieves information about books, authors, and publishers from public databases. No more spending time manually filling in each field! (Something Calibre already offers)

• Easy Search Integration: Colibri integrates search services to easily index and search for content within your library.
• Seamless Passkey Authentication: Log in to Colibri using Windows Hello, Touch ID, Face ID, or other similar authenticators, thanks to Passkey technology.
• Book Collections: Create themed collections to organize your books according to your preferences.
• Colibri is designed to work online, so you'll need the technical skills to install it. It can be run on Docker, Cloudflare, Vercel, AWS, or directly on a Node.js server.

Although the software is still under development, it already allows you to put an ebook library online, which would be ideal for family sharing or for smaller organizations, such as libraries or media centers, that want to make documents accessible.

Another interesting use would be providing digital documents and professional documentation within a company.

So, Colibri is a promising project that's worth keeping an eye on. It offers an interesting alternative to Calibre, with a more modern approach and increased online hosting flexibility. However, for use on a single computer, without sharing features, and total flexibility plus compatibility with e-readers, Calibre remains the gold standard and a must-have.

You can find the software for download here: https://github.com/colibri-hq/colibri

Taiwanese company Readmoo is making waves with the announcement of their upcoming MooInk V, a foldable e-reader co-developed with E Ink.

(more…)

A new French study reveals a significant decline in book reading among the French population. This once-cherished pastime seems to be losing its appeal, potentially leading to serious consequences.

(more…)