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Business Week's report that Amazon planned to launch a new version of its eponymous Kindle e-book reader have proved wide of the mark.

Dow Jones Newswire report that Amazon spokesman Craig Berman said on the issue: "Don't believe everything you read -- there's a lot of rumor and speculation out there about Kindle. One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of Kindle this year. A new version will come out sometime next year at the earliest."

Source: Guardian.co.uk

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Sony Reader muscles into Kindle territory

Along with launching a new lifestyle magazine (WSJ.), News International are pushing through a WSJ.com relaunch, which will debut on September 16.

The International Herald Tribune report, Robert Thomson, managing editor of the Journal, said the new site will sport "lots of wonderful gizmos" and a new design providing easier access to free content.

Thomson went on to say that the Journal will likely introduce additional magazines along with other features to boost its Saturday edition. News International reportedly believes this is an ideal way to reach its readers in a more relaxed environment -- and with it, additional direct-to-consumer advertising to offset reductions in business-to-business placements.

Source: International Herald Tribune

See also:

US: Wall Street Journal unveils magazine supplement, WSJ.

The Chicago Tribune is undergoing a radical overhaul which is scheduled to be launched in a matter of weeks.  Prototypes of the new pages and sections for this redeign were posted in Tribune Tower for review by employees on Thursday.

Sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that the space devoted to news in the Chicago Tribune will be significantly reduced, with the paper's front section including national and international news, the local and business reports and the editorial page. The Tribune publishes freestanding sections for metro and business news currently.

The redesigned paper is set to have a three-section format, Tribune employees reported to the local rival newspaper. The newspaper's other sections would be for features, with a working title of Live, and Sports. According to the prototype, the pages for local news will be labeled Chicagoland, a term Tribune editors use to define the city and its suburbs.

The Chicago Tribune, is aiming to launch the revamp by the end of September.

The Tribune itself has refused to comment on the leaked information. The sources that spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the pages they saw were works in progress, with some section having several versions up for review. The recently leaked idea that the newspaper would be renamed The Trib has reportedly been abandoned.

Source: Chicago Sun-Tribune via IFRA Executive News

See also:

US: Chicago Tribune prototype redesign leaked

The New York Observer decides to launch a new fashion publication, following in the footsteps of the Wall Street Journal, which recently launched a magazine supplement. The semiannual Observer Style will be released on November 16 and would focus on the local fashion scene.

Mini Dairio, a free daily from Spain, announces a complete makeover that features a more modern title with consistent use of color throughout the entire paper.

The Kyiv Post website is undergoing a redesign scheduled to be launched on September 7. The new site will incorporate online news resources and will contain all the content of the print edition.


Brian Bonner, chief editor of the Kyiv Post, said that the redesigned site will contain more news and content than is possible in the print version.

Bonner went on to report that Kyiv Post readers can expect a redesigned print copy of the newspaper this month. It will contain more pages for news and entertainment coverage, a separate employment section containing tips for both employees and employers.

Source: Kyiv Post via IFRA Executive News

The Sony Reader is muscling into Kindle territory, and early reports on the new player in the market are positive.

The Kindle is more expensive the Sony's model and the Kindle does not have "format neutrality." The Kindle is unable to read formats like Acrobat PDF unlike its Sony rival, which can read virtually any format. However, the Sony Reader may not have always-on Internet connectivity, according to Gizmodo.

The Reader also does not does not have as many titles as Amazon's gadget has, but you can read any PDF, TXT, RTF, DOCs, Blogs and RSS for free and right away. But, you have to pay for each blog and RSS you subscribe to with the Kindle. This is disappointing when you can access these for free with an iPhone.

Furthermore, the design of Sony's model is more aesthetically pleasing than Kindle. The slimline model makes its rival look somewhat cumbersome by comparison.

Sources: Guardian.co.uk and Gizmodo

Independent.co.uk, relaunched in January 2008, is the latest newspaper website to be brought down temporarily. The site was inaccessible from 10 am to 7 pm on Wednesday. 

The Netherlands has the greatest amount of online social network members relative to its site, reports the European Journalism Centre. 49% of the country's citizens are affiliated to social networks.

An Ipsos Mori British Business Survey 2008 (BBS) has revealed that News International's The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Online still attract more business executive readers than their rivals.

This is despite the fact that The Times has suffered a decline in its readership since the last BBS survey in 2005. The survey reports that The Times averaged 330,000 daily business readers, which is slightly down on the 339,000 it registered in 2005.

The Daily Telegraph attracts 187,000 business executive readers each day, down from 202,000 in 2005. The Times has 83,000 C-Suite readers (board level executives holding positions such as chief executive and chief financial officer), which News International say is 38% more that the Financial Times.

The Sunday Times also led the way in the Sunday market, averaging 453,000 business readers, ahead of The Sunday Telegraph on 169,000 and The Observer on 147,000.

For its web edition, Times Online attracted 269,000 business readers in the latest survey, up from 167,000 in 2005, putting it ahead of Telegraph.co.uk, which secured 155,000 readers on average per day, followed by Guardian.co.uk with 193,000 and the FT.com on 199,000.

Source: Brand Republic