Barnes & Noble "nook™ eBook Reader" to be available this week

Barnes & Noble announced that its popular nook eBook Reader – the ultimate gift for book lovers – is in stock online at nook.com and will be rolling out in the majority of Barnes & Noble stores beginning mid-week, just in time for Valentine’s Day. While in-store, nook customers will enjoy exclusive holiday-themed online content, kicking off this month.

Barnes & Noble quickly sold out of nook stock online over the holidays due to unprecedented customer demand. Since then, the company has ramped up production and is shipping stock to the majority of its stores, beginning this week. Customers can visit the Barnes & Noble nook In-Store Locator atwww.bn.com/nook/instore, updated daily beginning February 10, to find local stores with devices in-stock. Enhanced in-store connectivity allows nook customers to seamlessly access fast, free Wi-Fi in Barnes & Noble stores.

"nook is the perfect Valentine's Day gift for anyone who loves reading. Demand for nook continues to be very high, and we're pleased our customers will be able to try and buy nook in our stores and online and enjoy it in time for the holiday," said William J. Lynch, President of Barnes & Noble.com. "In Barnes & Noble stores, nook owners will enjoy exciting nook-only content from their favorite authors and other valuable offers, along with fast and free in-store Wi-Fi, which nook customers have been accessing in droves over the last few weeks."

Creative Announces Pre-Order Availability of the Sound Blaster® World of Warcraft® Wireless Headset

Creative Labs, Inc. today announced a limited number of Sound Blaster® World of Warcraft® Wireless Headsets can now be pre-ordered at www.amazon.com for US$159.99.

“When we previewed the prototype of the Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset at BlizzCon®, it generated a lot of excitement among players,” said Ryan Schlieper, product marketing for gaming at Creative and a guild master in World of Warcraft. “BlizzCon attendees could tell the headset has been designed and developed by people who have a passion for the game. Taking that passion and combining it with Creative’s dedication to pushing the envelope of gaming audio has created a new class of gaming headset. I’m excited that players can now pre-order the headset to be delivered right to their door on the first day the product is available anywhere.”

New djay Keyboard Covers from algoriddim and KB Covers Transform MacBooks into Fully-Interactive DJ Controllers

algoriddim and KB Covers announced the release of the djay Keyboard Cover, which converts any U.S. MacBook, MacBook Air or unibody MacBook Pro into fun, fully-interactive DJ controllers. Already known to professionals and novices alike for its exciting visual interface, simple controls and seamless integration with any iTunes library, djay's many features are now even easier to learn through the keyboard cover's straightforward display of program shortcuts and commands.

Developed in conjunction with KB Covers, a leading provider of the finest quality keyboard covers for Apple/Mac desktop and laptop computers, the djay Keyboard Cover enables users to spend less time learning controls and more time having fun mixing their own music. Each button is clearly coded with symbols and colors to help identify key functions and distinguish between djay's extensive shortcuts for both the left and right turntables. The djay Keyboard Cover gives users the power to play and mix songs faster than they've ever experienced, plus it protects the keyboard from any accidental spill

"The djay Keyboard Cover gives users the power to play and mix songs faster than they've ever experienced, plus it protects the keyboard from any accidental spill," said Greg Sad, Marketing Director of KB Covers. "Our mission is to create truly interactive reference tools for the latest and greatest Mac applications, and when we heard about the capabilities of djay, we knew we could provide DJs everywhere with a must-have accessory." Visit the algoriddim press room for compete solution details

Soaring FPD Demand in China Alters Traditional FPD Seasonality

Increasing demand from China, especially for TVs, notebook PCs and monitors, has altered the seasonality of flat panel display shipments. Demand for LCD and plasma panels from North America and Europe typically is weighted most heavily towards the second half of the year, with the result that the second half typically accounts for at least 55% of annual demand. However, in its recently-released Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, DisplaySearch reports that shipments of large-area FPD (including TFT LCD and PDP) in the second half of 2010 will fall to 53%, from 58% in 2009.

FPD Demand Seasonality

Category	1H/2H	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
All FPD	1H	45%	51%	44%	46%	46%	47%	47%
	2H	55%	49%	56%	54%	54%	53%	53%
Large-Area FPD	1H	44%	52%	42%	47%	47%	47%	47%
	2H	56%	48%	58%	53%	53%	53%	53%
Small/Medium FPD	1H	45%	50%	44%	46%	46%	47%	47%
	2H	55%	50%	56%	54%	54%	53%	53%
All TFT LCD	1H	42%	49%	43%	46%	46%	46%	46%
	2H	58%	51%	57%	54%	54%	54%	54%

Source: Q4’09 Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report

“China is changing because of the world, the world is also changing because of China,” noted David Hsieh, Vice President of DisplaySearch and President for Greater China. “China’s influence on the FPD industry is changing the FPD cycle and reshaping the FPD supply chain, with increasing panel and product manufacturing shifting to China—creating fierce competition among Japan, Korea and Taiwanese panel suppliers to establish fabs. Together with different characteristics of FPD buying and consumer behavior, this shift makes China a land that is flooded with opportunities and risks.”

The demand for small and medium displays (less than 10” diagonal, including TFT LCD, OLED, EPD, STN LCD and LTPS LCD) shows the same shift in seasonality, with the second half decreasing to 54% of annual demand. China, as an emerging zone for applications like TVs, notebook PCs, monitors, e-books, mobile phones, digital still cameras and portable navigation devices, has started to alter the seasonality of panel demand, which will influence the whole FPD supply chain as well as the quarterly supply demand balance. As a result of the economic recession, 2008 was a unique year: FPD demand for the second half of 2008 was even smaller than the first half. However, 2009 has demonstrated reverse seasonality, with strong second half demand, accounting for 56% of the annual demand.

Apple iPad Impressive, but Kindle Not Dead Yet (In-Stat)

Apple’s iPad announcement is big news. It’s a robust tablet form factor that is a half-inch thick and weighs 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display that supports 1024x768 VGA video.

“In the short term, though, I don’t see the iPad demolishing Kindle sales." The ebook implementation is everything one would expect. The application can be downloaded from the App Store and the content is managed by the “iTunes” platform, so it seamlessly integrates e-book with the other popular personal content. All iBooks are stored on your Bookshelf. As you would expect, all books are displayed on a sharp, color screen with many personalization options.

However, just because iPad has launched and is an impressive device, In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com) cautions individuals who are quick to write off the e-reader segment. The market, which includes e-readers like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony E-Reader Daily Edition, has firmly established itself in the US market; there is plenty of room for growth that new features such as e-mail and Web connectivity will drive.

Overall, the e-reader market continues to heat up as Amazon aggressively markets its Kindle lineup, Sony expands its offerings, and new market entrants continue to crawl out of the woodwork. Additional market drivers include international expansion of e-book availability, anticipated price declines, and the electronic distribution of newspapers. Visit the In-Stat research portal for details