Kindle Touch touchup: Here's the landscape mode you wanted

Amazon has updated the firmware for the Kindle Touch to version 5.1 and it actually has a few significant feature enhancements, including one that a lot of folks have been clamoring for: a landscape reading mode.

When Amazon first released the Kindle Touch, some people were upset you couldn't turn the device horizontally and read with more words on a line (for people who read with larger font sizes, landscape reading makes a lot of sense). Landscape mode was available in the $79 non-touch Kindle but not the touch-screen step-up model, which starts at $99. … Read more

My life among the Kindles: Comparing the models

In less than a year, I've gone from mocking e-books to never wanting to buy a print book again. Blame the Amazon Kindle. I've found it a great way to read.

A new generation of Kindles came out at the end of last year, including the Kindle Fire tablet. Here's how I've found them to measure up against each other, over the past four months or so.

Kindle's cool, but e-book high prices and limitations aren't Before I dive into the Kindles, let me get two issues that I hate about the Kindle out … Read more

Is the 8GB Nook Tablet worth your $200?

There's a new line in the sand drawn for 7-inch tablet pricing, and that number is $199.

Barnes & Noble and Amazon were already locked in a fierce rivalry in the "bargain tablet" space with the $249 Nook Tablet and the $199 Kindle Fire. Barnes & Noble delivered better specs for that $50 premium (double the RAM, double the storage, and a microSD expansion slot). But now B&N has removed the price difference between the two products by releasing a new step-down Nook Tablet that levels the playing field on both specs--halving the internal storage … Read more

Sorry, PlayBook 2.0 still isn't worth your money

commentary The PlayBook tablet can finally access corporate e-mail. Hallelujah, right?

No, don't expect the legion of BlackBerry faithful to flock to the PlayBook, now that it has the one key feature everybody said Research In Motion should have included in its tablet in the first place. At this point, even the most ardent fan has to admit that this product has been nothing but a disappointment.

RIM is hoping that the release of its PlayBook 2.0 software will spark demand for its troubled tablet. The updated operating system includes an integrated e-mail in-box, a calendar and contacts … Read more

Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet: How to choose

Editors' note: This article was originally posted November 23, 2011. We've added some material and updated it on February 24, 2012, based on further use of the products and the introduction of Barnes & Noble's 8GB Nook Tablet.

Now that the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet both have a few months under their belts, we're taking another look at these two budget-price tablets.

Even after a handful of software updates from both manufacturers, we're still awarding the Nook Tablet a slightly higher rating, thanks largely to its hardware advantages: a better … Read more

Does Kindle Touch 5.0.3 software update solve speed issues?

While Amazon's 5.0.3 software update for the Kindle Touch may seem relatively minor on the surface, it may help put to rest some complaints about the generally zippiness of the device compared with its non-touch sibling, which Amazon simply calls the Kindle.

Amazon has quietly released the update without making any reference to what it exactly it fixes. "This update features general software improvements for Kindle Touch," the update page reads.

Some users also were upset that Kindle Touch couldn't switch into landscape mode (yes, the non-touch Kindle can do that). That doesn't … Read more

Dodocase for Kindle Fire now available

Want to bind your Kindle Fire into a moleskin-style notebook?

Dodocase, the maker of popular bookish cases for tablets and e-readers, has just released its Dodocase for Kindle Fire, and it's a good one.

I parked our Kindle Fire review sample in the case for a few days and it fits really nicely inside the bamboo "tray" (rubberized corners hold the device in place) and the case is thin yet protective.… Read more

Case-Mate ships new Kindle Fire cases

A steady stream of Kindle Fire cases have headed to stores and Case-Mate has three new ones: the Venture, Tuxedo, and Hampton.

Here's a quick skinny on all of them, ordered by size, least to most expensive.

The Tuxedo ($40) is a slim folio case that Case-Mate says is equipped with built-in and reusable MagicTape, "a double-sided adhesive that doesn't leave residue and never loses its grip." This one folds up into a stand with multiple viewing angles and also includes smart magnets that "put the Fire to sleep while not in use and awaken … Read more

CNET answers your Kindle Fire questions

No matter how inexpensive Amazon.com makes its Kindle Fire tablet, it's no good to you if it doesn't do what you want.

In this blog post, I'm rounding up all the questions I've received from CNET readers about the Kindle Fire and answering them to the best of my knowledge. If you see something we missed, be sure to keep the conversation going in the comments section.

Should I be worried about how the Kindle's Silk Browser uses my data?

Not particularly. Amazon insists that all of the information it processes to make Silk … Read more