Some of the stories people are talking about this morning:»  The Washington Post Co. (NYSE: WPO) is desperate to unload Newsweek magazine—but not desperate enough sell to Avenue Capital Group because of worries related to the hedge fund’s plans to partner with the publisher of the National Enquirer. [WSJ] » …

»  The new Kindle is lighter, cheaper, faster than ever—but will it kill the iPad? [paidContent] »  Time Inc. (NYSE: TWX) execs are increasingly driven to distraction by Apple’s refusal to give publishers more control over selling subscriptions to readers through the iTunes Store. [Mediamemo] »  Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is…

Today’s launch of an Android e-reader app marks Barnes & Noble’s first foray onto that platform—and a shift in strategy. Instead of “BN eReader for iPad” or “BN eReader for PC,” its e-reader apps and software are moving to the Nook brand. That will put Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS)…

Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) still isn’t saying how many Kindles it’s selling, but that isn’t keeping the company from shouting how well it’s doing. The latest specifics and non-specifics from the company: “The growth rate of Kindle device unit sales has tripled” since it cut the price of the Kindle 2…

The e-reader market is moving faster than Tour de France cyclists on an oil-slicked hill. We’ve already seen a few crashes—iRex filing for bankruptcy, Spring Design suing Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), the Plastic Logic Que stuck in limbo—and we’re sure to see more. The big question as we head…

The remaking of the Kindle continues, this time with a new look, price and display for the super-sized Kindle DX. The 9/7” screen size remains the same, but Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) says a new, high contrast e-ink display offers 50 percent more contrast for a lower price. The 22 percent…

Last week, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) slashed its Kindle 2 price by 27 percent to a startling $189, following a similar price cut for the Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) Nook. This week, it’s flexing the Kindle platform’s muscles, adding a small batch of books “enriched” by audio and video available…

Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is following Barnes & Noble’s lead and slashing the price of its e-reader. The company just said that effective immediately it will sell its Kindle 2 for $189, down from its previous price of $259. The move comes only hours after Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) cut…

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) is shaking up its Nook e-reader line, lowering the price of its 3G edition by 23 percent and adding a lower-end WiFi version to compete in the $149 price range. The 3G edition launched late last year at $259 but is now going for $199.…

»  India’s Reliance Media World may tie up with CBS (NYSE: CBS) for English and Hindi pay channels.  [FT; India Real Time] »  The Pakistan government lifted its Facebook ban Monday after the world’s largest social network removed a page encouraging users to post pictures of the Prophet Muhammad. [Yahoo…

Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPad users have had no shortage of e-reader apps to choose from but one big name has been noticeably missing: Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS). The bookstore chain has been very high profile for the last year with its two-pronged strategy of hardware—the Nook—and platform—the BN eReader.…

OK, Jeff Bezos didn’t exactly say not to hold your breath for a color Kindle but he did explain to shareholders at Amazon’s annual meeting why they shouldn’t count on one any time soon. Or, put his way, why it’s “still a long way out.” According to AP, Bezos didn’t…

While everyone is watching to see how Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) will counter Apple’s iPad, the online retailer is concentrating on other things. The company has unveiled its second publishing imprint, AmazonCrossing, which will acquire the rights to foreign-language titles and publish the English versions. Secondly, it has finally released a…

It’s not even a rounding error but one of the numbers Rupert Murdoch seemed to really enjoy tossing out during the News Corp earnings call: more than 64,000 active users for the Wall Street Journal iPad app after its first month. “Unlike the Kindle, we keep 100 percent of the…

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) plans to add e-book sales to its massive free e-book offering sometime this summer, the company told book industry insiders today. Chris Palma, Google’s manager for strategic-partner development, said consumers using Google’s book search will be able to buy digital versions of current and backlist books, according…

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) is the latest e-reader vendor to try TV as a way to reach the broad base of consumers needed to succeed in the highly competitive space. The retailer just launched a major ad campaign for the Nook, which got through the holidays in a burst…

Starting Sunday, for the first time since Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) launched the Kindle, prospective buyers will be able to try one out in a store instead of hoping for a hands-on moment courtesy of someone who already owns one. They also will get to experience instant gratification instead of waiting…

Let me get this one piece of advice out of the way: if you’re thinking of buying an Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPad primarily to read e-books, don’t—unless you’d rather spend extra bucks on looking cool than on books. At $499, the cheapest WiFi-only iPad is vastly overpriced as an e-reader…

Round 1 goes to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). The iPad, as expected, has caused a big stir, and given people like Walt Mossberg reason to gush with enthusiasm about the death of laptops. Throughout, as various members of the press have mused about the death of Amazon’s Kindle, I feel compelled…