Head-to-Head with Kindle: Borders Releases Competitively-Priced Kobo Wi-Fi

InformationWeek: "Kobo, an e-reader maker closely aligned with bookseller Borders, has released a Wi-Fi version of its namesake device that's the same price as Amazon's cheapest Kindle. The Kobo e-reader, which had sold for $130 without Wi-Fi, was available as of Wednesday for pre-order for $140 on Borders' website and for $139 on Kobo's site. The new e-reader is scheduled to start shipping next month. ..."

iRiver Wifi Story Price Cut in UK

From Tech Digest: The price on the new Wifi edition goes from £250 to £199.

FCC Approves Acer LumiRead E-Reader

Bottom line, no 3G. From UberGizmo:

The FCC has just approved Acer's upcoming LumiRead e-reader, although the papers did not include pictures as well as a user manual, so there is no way to garner additional information unless you work in the FCC itself and decide to spill the beans (at your career's peril, of course). What has been confirmed though is this will be a WiFi-enabled model, missing out on 3G connectivity at the moment. With the FCC approvals in the bag, it won't be long before you start to hear of promotional materials as well as ads concerning the Acer LumiRead. Hopefully the back-end support system is solid enough to prop up the hardware.

Acer LumiRead 600 eBook Reader for Fall

From Wireless Goodness:

Acer unveiled its LumiRead eBook reader back in May, and today the device made the rounds on the FCC. Unfortunately, FCC documents don’t reveal much, but today’s filings do suggest that the company is on track for the planned Q3 release date of the LumiRead.

The LumiRead will support Barnes & Noble’s eBook store, as well as Llibri.de, a German eBook retailer. The device, which has a 6 inch screen, offers 2GB of flash memory and expandability through microSD.

Acer mentioned that 3G and WiFi versions of the LumiRead will be released. However, today’s FCC filings only mention WiFi – no mention is made of 3G wireless data, yet.

Nook WiFi Confirmed Plus Drop of 3G Nook Price to $199

Check TechCrunch. The cheaper model includes free WiFi at all AT&T Hot Spots.

Cheaper "Nook WiFi" About to Ship From Barnes & Noble?

electronista reports:

A leak from Barnes & Noble's inventory system is likely to have confirmed rumors of an entry level Nook coming by the end of spring. The listing for a "Nook WiFi" shows it shipping for $149 on June 23. Not much else is detailed by Engadget's insider, but prior leaks had it stripping out 3G to fall below the regular Nook's $249 asking price.

In the short-term, this Nook WiFi (Nook Lite) will really pose a significant challenge to the generally-unimpressive Kobo eReader (Borders-affiliated) which sells for the same price but has no touch-screen interface and no WiFi. Not so much the Kindle, which incorporates 3G and stands on a par technically and price-wise with the standard Nook. In the longterm, the launch of Nook WiFi is the first step on what seems an inevitable trail for the major dedicated eReaders (Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader) toward increasingly modest hardware price-points while maintaining (if not enhancing) essential functionality - thus creating a niche even more distinctly separate from the tablet market than it is now. Choice for consumers. That's the key.

Note, Nook 2 is in development, as is a major new hardware release for the Kindle.