Sony is getting out of the e-reader business

BYBilly Steele @wmsteele4 hours ago

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Sony announced the closure of its own Reader store in favor of Kobo's platform earlier this year, and now it seems the company is nixing e-readers entirely. BBC reports that the Japanese outfit doesn't plan to release another device with last year's PRS-T3 serving as the most recent option. Thanks to Amazon's Kindle lineup and a growing number of tablet options, dedicated reading slates have seen declining sales since 2011.

[Photo credit: Akio Kon/ Bloomberg]

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Source: BBC

Tags: e book, e books, e reader, e readers, e-book, e-books, e-reader, e-readers, sony Next: 3D-printed food could expand the options for hungry soldiers .fyre .fyre-comment-divider > span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper {top: 18px;}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider > a, .fyre .fyre-comment-divider > a:hover {top: 20px;} AboutAbout EngadgetContact usAdvertiseAbout Our AdsCommunityForumsEngadget MetaCommunity guidelinesReviewsProduct reviewsWrite a reviewContributeSend us a tip!Add to our databaseWrite a reviewStart a discussionAsk a questionLive eventsEngadget ExpandEngadget LivePopular topicsMobileHDAltSoftwareAppleFollow EngadgetEngadget AppsMore Apps from Engadget

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Google, Yahoo and others are getting fed up with government gag orders

The EFF may be handing out gold stars to firms that publish their own transparency reports, but earning that recognition isn't easy. Government data requests are often coupled with gag orders, barring firms from telling users that security agencies are thumbing through their data. Now Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook are arguing that these orders are a violation of the First Amendment.

Naturally, the government disagrees, pointing out that the nondisclosure requirements of its security requests have been applied tens of thousands of times without issues. It further argues that "hypothesizing scenarios in which the NSL

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Android is reportedly getting voice commands everywhere

Outside of the Moto X, hands-free voice commands on Android are limited; pick up a Nexus 5 or Galaxy S5 and you'll find that "OK Google" only works at the home screen. If Android Police's sources are accurate, though, you'll soon get to bark out orders no matter where you are in the interface. Google is reportedly trying out an "OK Google everywhere" feature (mocked up here) that, much like the Moto X, is always listening and responds only to your voice. It might also pay attention to what you're running. If you're browsing snapshots, for example, you could tell your phone to "share this photo."

That may not be the only change in store. Experiments are reportedly underway with a new navigation bar that replaces the usual home button with a "Google" item. Hit that and you'd start a search without having to speak first. If you need to return to the main screen, you'd use the "recents" (read: multitasking) key. Suffice it to say that this would be a big break for Google, which hasn't changed its basic approach to navigation since Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) in 2011.

Don't count on either the voice or search features coming to a phone near you, however. While AP believes that at least some of these Android revisions will reach shipping software, they're not guaranteed to make the cut. Also, these may only show up in the official Google Now launcher -- third-party phones could mix things up. Still, we wouldn't rule out seeing any of these features on stage at the I/O conference this June.

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Source: Android Police

Tags: android, google, mobilepostcross, okgoogleeverywhere, search, smartphone, VoiceControl, VoiceRecognition Next: YouTube for Android now auto-generates playlists of your favorite artists .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Kim Dotcom will celebrate getting his fortune back on the race track

Kim Dotcom's getting his fortune back, and to celebrate, he's throwing a party. The Megaupload founder tweeted this morning that Auckland's High Court will return the cash, vehicles and property that were seized on behalf of the US back in 2012. On hearing the news, Dotcom tweeted that when he gets his stuff back, which should be within the fortnight, he will rent out New Zealand's Taupo race track and invite members of his political party, the Internet Party, over for a track day. We're not sure if it's open to current members only, but we doubt there's any harm in signing up, hell, you might just get a ride in his prized Rolls Royce for your trouble.

Breaking News: High Court ruling just now. Mona and I are getting our New Zealand assets back, unless the Crown appeals :-)))

- Kim Dotcom (

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