(image courtesy of Techcrunch)

Hello and welcome to another “State of the ebook!” We have an avalanche of news this week, from smartphone news to international expansion and beyond!

Let’s get started!

In Barnes and Noble news…

-eReader for Android is now available, according to Jessica! No word on B&N’s branded version yet though.

-Barnes and Noble has confirmed you will be able to use gift cards to purchase eBooks for the nook! Check your credit card points, as many companies offer B&N cards as one of the rewards. It’s like free books that way! (via Engadget)

-Rumors are swirling that the nook will be available in-store starting November 30th. Pre-orders are now getting awfully tight if you want one before Christmas, so try camping out in front of your local store! (via Engadget)

Amazin’ Amazon

-Teleread points out an interesting fun fact: Because you can register up to 6 Kindles/Kindle reading programs to one account, you theoretically can share an account with friends or family. While this isn’t something the publishers would love to see promoted, if you share books with someone often it is easier than the nook (at this time).

-Random House is certainly benefiting from the Kindle. Sales of Random House Kindle eBooks are up 400% this year, due in large part to huge sales of the Lost Symbol! (via Teleread)

-The Kindle has come to Canada! Canucks rejoice! (via MobileRead)

Sony Reader: Not going down without a fight!

-Sony is trying to show up Amazon’s disastrous Kindle goes to College experiment. Blyth Academy in Toronto will be replacing all textbooks with e-textbooks to be read on Sony Readers. Lots of ebook Canadian love this week! (Via Engadget)

-Sony Reader Daily Edition is now up for pre-order at Sonystyle.com. Beware, though, Engadget is reporting there may be delays through the holidays. Get that pre-order in now!

And in general eBook news…

-The New York Times has an article on smartphones versus dedicated ebook readers. The article concludes there are pros and cons to smartphone ebook reading as well as dedicated readers like the Kindle, nook and Sony Reader Not really a surprise to you if you are a regular reader of Gear Diary, but mainstream media coverage of eBooks is always a good thing! (Via The NY Times, registration required.)

-If you’ve been holding out on the e-ink market because you desperately want color, then Qualcomm is your best hope. While there are no details on the manufacturer, supposedly an ebook reader using Qualcomm’s Mirasol screen will be out in late 2010. Mirasol screens not only are visible in direct and indirect light, but they also support video playback! (Via Engadget)

-In last week’s interview with K.C. Blake, he mentioned the importance of seeing how other industries have succeeded and failed as the world as gone digital, and using that to determine how to adapt publishers to the electronic era. The World Digital Publishing Conference was held a few weeks ago, and that seemed to be the theme for survival of traditional media around the world. Biz community has a great writeup of the conference, where the main theme was how to bring the strengths of newspapers and other traditional media to the internet. There are some great suggestions on how to integrate the open, collaborative nature of news and media on the internet while also maintaining the “filter” of some professional control and input. There is a lot more to learn from the writeup, and it will be very interesting to see what the future brings to publishers worldwide. (via Biz Community)

And now, a question for everyone: How do you read your newspapers? Do you read them online, on your Kindle, your smartphone, or on actual paper? Techcrunch couldn’t help poking fun at newspapers, the Sony Daily Edition, the nook and the Kindle all supply your paper (for a price), and publishers around the world are struggling to find new ways to engage readers. So what is your preferred news format and why?

Related posts:

1. PressDirect Brings 1,400 Newspapers and Magazines to an eBook Reader Near You!
2. State of the eBook: An Introduction
3. State of the eBook: The Dark Side of eBook Popularity?
4. State of the eBook: What’s in a Name?
5. State of the eBook: Year of the eBook?