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Soon, you might be able to buy a new Kindle at an actual, brick-and-mortar Amazon Store. The e-commerce giant is reportedly opening its first pilot store in Seattle. It's an intriguing idea, but the real question is: Why would Amazon want to?
Tablets and e-readers were a popular gift over the holidays, so much so that the number of people who own them nearly doubled between mid-December and January, a new study finds. A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released Monday found that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent who said the same in December.
Amazon has become an surprising gadget rock star. Skeptics bet against the original Kindle, which became a blockbuster, and the Kindle Fire is the first non-iPad tablet to sell well. Next stop for Amazon's gadgeteers: smartphones.
At $499 and up, Apple's iPad may not fit in your holiday budget. But how about $199 or $249 for a slightly smaller, full-featured gadget? Barnes & Noble has its Nook Tablet; Amazon has the $199 Kindle Fire. Decisions, decisions ...
If lower prices haven't swayed you into buying an e-reader, how does a steady diet of free e-books sound? Amazon.com is introducing the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, a bonus for Amazon Prime members that lets them "borrow" an e-book from a list of hundreds once a month at no additional cost.
This isn't how Barnes & Noble wanted to write its final chapters. The liquidation of rival Borders this summer should have been an opportunity to grab market share, and it's Nook e-reader should have kept it relevant. Instead, a price war is exposing the retailer's financial shortcomings.
The Amazon.com tablet is finally happening. The online retailer showed off its Android-powered device this morning. Kindle Fire should be a hot item this holiday season, but let's go ahead and break this down into five important takeaways, as you ponder the decision to buy or pass on Amazon's latest gadget.
The death of bookstore chain Borders begs the question: Is there still a place in the Internet-dominated market for brick-and-mortar booksellers and the value they add? Independent bookstores thinks so, and the numbers in the American Booksellers Association, believe it or not, are growing.
Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, made a $1 billion bid Thursday to buy Barnes & Noble. The bricks-and-mortar bookstore business is declining everywhere, so for Malone's gamble is to pay off, the Nook will have to gain some ground against Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle.
AT&T says its retail stores will start selling Amazon.com's Kindle electronic book readers Sunday. The e-readers will cost $189, the same price as they currently sell for on Amazon.com, and buyers won't have to sign up for AT&T data plans to get the popular gadget.

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