Filed under: Feature, TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Amazon, Amazon.com, AmazonKindle, Freakonomics, iPhone, iPod, Kindle2, Speech synthesis, Wireless network
KINDLE 2: E-READING JUST GOT EASIER
Earlier this morning, Amazon announced the Kindle 2, the upgraded version of their popular first edition e-reader. Even though 2008 sales for the original Kindle are unknown, some analysts speculate anywhere from 374K – 500K units sold. In essence, the thing is pretty freakin’ popular.
After watching the demo video and reading the specs for the new E-reader, I think this one will be even more so.
Check out the demo video for yourself:
Here are the highlights for me:
Design
It’s thin, it’s lightweight (10.2 ounces), and it looks pretty spiffy. I already want mine laser-etched. In addition, the pages ‘turn’ faster and the display is clearer with 16 shades of gray. No glare in the sun for beach reading. Just checked out Techcrunch’s side by side page turn from Kindle1 & Kindle 2 and it looks pretty much the same.
Capacity
Not shockingly, the storage has been increased to accommodate 1,500 titles. Not quite sure who would need that many books packed into one device but then again, I didn’t understand the 80GB iPod either.
Delivery
Once a book is selected over the 3G wireless network, the title can be downloaded in 60 seconds. Browsing and downloading is all done with NO charges to the user. Amazon picks up that cost. All you have to do is pay for the title. If only my iPhone was so sweet…
Battery Life
You get 25% more life from the battery. This translates to 2 weeks on one charge.
Text to Speech
Initially, when I read about this feature in the live blog from Crunchgear, I thought this sounded pretty fab. You can either read on the device or switch to text to speech and have the device read to you. This works especially well when you say, commute to work by driving to a train station and then take the train into the city. Have the Kindle read to you during the car ride to the station, and then continue reading on your own on the train. Ingenious. That said, as someone who is currently listening to Freakonomics in the car, it’s a much different enterprise when listening to a human being read to you rather than the automated robotron voice of the Kindle 2. As much as I like hearing why drug dealers still live with their moms, I’m not as keen to hear it from robotron. Check out the demo video halfway down the page on the product site and you’ll see what I mean.
Price
This new Kindle costs $359 which was the going rate for the Kindle 1. On top of that, NY Times bestsellers cost only $9.99 on the Kindle which is usually less than the book. In checking the Amazon book store, this is not always the case. Plus, to this end, being that there is no printing and manufacturing cost, I’d actually think the title cost could be less. Kindle 1 owners get top priority in ordering the device as an act of Amazon love. In addition, anyone who recently purchased the Kindle 1 but hasn’t received the device yet will receive the Kindle 2. Very nice. Click here to pre-order yours. The device will ship 2/24.
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Amazon Kindle, Amazon.com, Apple, iPhone, iPod, Kindle 2, Plastic Logic, Snow Leopard
Apple may be preparing to produce its own branded set with a built in DVR that could sync with PCs, iPhones and iPods, according to Gene Muster of investment bank Piper Jafray. Apple could be looking to eliminate the middleman by including iTunes videos and music directly in the set. (Iwantmedia 2/9, http://www.tvpredictions.com/apple020909.htm 2/9)
Apple, which was awarded a patent for the multitouch technology used in the iPhone last month, apparently is integrating multitouch and location tools in its upcoming Snow Leopard operating system. The inclusion of the tools gives software developers the ability to create applications that take advantage of a computer’s longitude and latitude and produce interfaces for games and other software that is easier to use. InformationWeek (2/6)
(Below) Snooze. Perhaps releasing news of your partnership deals on the same day that Amazon announces the Kindle 2 was a bit unwise?
Plastic Logic plans to announce partnership deals on Monday that it says will bring a number of major publications to its planned electronic book reader. Unlike the Amazon Kindle, the screen of the Plastic Logic Reader approximates the look of a printed newspaper or magazine page. (Iwantmedia 2/9, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/technology/start-ups/09reader.html 2/9)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Amazon Kindle, Amazon.com, Apple, Audio, iPod, iTunes, Microsoft, Zune
Amazon.com says that its Kindle electronic book reader is out of stock, but isn’t revealing how many have been sold. Citi Investment Research analyst Mark Mahaney is estimating that 500,000 Kindles were sold in 2008, based on a regulatory filing from Kindle partner Sprint. (Iwantmedia 2/4, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090203/ap_on_hi_te/tec_techbit_amazon_kindle 2/3)
I still say, if Amazon is open to outside devices, Apple needs to swoop in on this one and link the iTunes experience into it as well. Perhaps, when Jobs is back at the healm.
Microsoft said it will begin producing exclusive video content for Zune, its portable media player that is trying to get a toehold in the market controlled by Apple’s iPod device. The first offering will be a comedy called “Cinemash,” which is being developed in collaboration with Mean, an arts and entertainment magazine. Variety (2/3)
Several manufacturers of stripped down Blu-ray disc players are preparing to market their products in the U.S. for about $150, according to a published report. One maker apparently is Lite-On, which makes “white-box” drives. EngadgetHD (2/3)
Canton has introduced three additions to its Reference line of speakers, the Reference 5.2 DC and the Reference 7.2 DC, which are floor-standing units, and the Reference 9.2 DC, which is a monitor speaker. The company said the new models featured aluminum-oxide ceramic dome tweeters for enhanced power handling and distortion levels. ElectronicHouse.com (2/3)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Apple, Google, iPod, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Net Applications, Verizon Wireless
NASA, Google, and some of the foremost authorities in science and technology have teamed up to create a new school, dubbed Singularity University
, that is looking to solve “humanity’s grand challenges”. The university is named after the idea of the singularity – an extremely rapid period of technological progress. And damn if it doesn’t sound like the coolest school ever. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/02/world-renowned-scientists-team-with-google-and-nasa-to-launch-singularity-university 2/2)
Microsoft Windows, which is used by 88.26% of computers accessing the Internet, saw its share of the operating system market fall more than four-tenths of a percentage point in January compared with the previous month, according to Web tracking firm Net Applications. On the plus side, Apple’s Mac OS X, which has 9.93% of the market, was up three-tenths of a percentage point. InformationWeek (2/3)
Panasonic in April will debut a pair of plasma TVs that are thinner and consume far less electricity than its current offerings. The 50-inch version will be about an inch deep, use an estimated 260 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and, along with a 54-inch model, initially be available in Japan before migrating to North American markets this summer. Reuters (2/3)
For all those oldies-but-goodies trapped on audio cassettes, Alesis has come out with a system to transfer recordings from the bygone platform to today’s digital devices, such as CDs, iPods and flash memory drives. The new TapeLink USB is a dual-cassette gadget that connects to a computer via USB port and can collect audio from either metal or CrO2 tapes. Electronista (2/2)
Verizon has introduced its $200 “Hub” VoIP phone, which works over any broadband connection, calling it the first custom-made device that integrates with such Verizon Wireless services as text messaging, navigation and Chaperone. The telecom disclosed several partners for the touch-screen Hub: OpenPeak, Fandango, Navteq and Time. Wireless Week (2/2) , TVWeek.com (2/2)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Apple, Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Hardware, iPod, Microsoft, Walt Disney Pictures, Zune
The 3D theatrical version of Lionsgate’s gorefest My Bloody Valentine 3D outperformed the standard version 6-to-1, according to 3D equipment vendor RealD. My Bloody Valentine, the first feature film to be released in more than 1,000 digital 3D cinemas, grossed $27 million during its first week in release, with 71% of the receipts coming from 3D screens. (Cynopsis 1/26)
Tried to go last night and hit the “sold out” sign. I guess I should have realized how popular this thing would be. Take 2 on Thursday.
Microsoft‘s Zune media player is said to be suffering a revenue decline of 54%. The $100 million revenue drop “reflects a decrease in device sales,” says Microsoft in a U.S. regulatory filing. Meanwhile, Apple says it is seeing an increase in sales of its rival iPod media player. (Iwantmedia 1/26, http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/zune-gasps-for.html 1/23)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has thought of a new way to promote its Blu-ray releases. For the first time the studio will window Blu-ray releases slightly ahead of their DVD counterparts, per VB. The strategy will begin with Disney’s animated hit Bolt – coming out on Blu-ray on March 22, two days before the DVD. (Cynopsis 1/26)
For the first time, a new generation of Americans that grew up with home computers and a wide range of video gaming options is turning 40 and taking control of the business world and other elements of society, according to this analysis. “They are responsible middle-aged parents, and many are coming into the full flower of their professional lives,” the author writes. The New York Times (1/23)
Klipsch soon will roll out three new home-theater systems — the HD Theater 1000, HD Theater 500 and HD Theater 300, all of which are 5.1 setups with left, right and center front channels, a pair of surrounds and a subwoofer. The units are priced to move as well: the 1000 will begin shipping in February with an MSRP of $900, the 500 rolls out in March for $600, and the 300 comes out in April and will cost $400. ElectronicHouse.com (1/23)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Eartha Kitt, Handhelds, iPhone, iPod, Mariah Carey, Smartphones, Sony Music Entertainment
The iBreath accessory transforms the Apple iPod into a breathalyzer that measures the user’s blood-alcohol level and sounds an alarm if it is over the acceptable legal limit. The $79 device, which uses a retractable “blow wand,” is one of many such products designed to combat drunken driving. Los Angeles Times (12/19)
Last minute Christmas gift idea for your favorite alcoholic. . .
Starting Dec. 30, BlackBerry users will be able to download SlingPlayer Mobile as part of a public beta for software that links with users’ set-top boxes to let them watch programs playing on their home TV set or DVR on their BlackBerry. Sling Media already sells software for phones based on other operating systems. TWICE (12/18)
I can’t WAIT to see this in action on my BlackBerry.
Eartha Kitt’s sultry “Santa Baby” Master Ringtone/Ringback was certified Gold by the RIAA with sales of over 500,00 units to date, according to Sony Music Entertainment. The ringtone was taken from her original 1953 recording. Mariah Carey’s holiday themed, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” is currently #2 among all ringtones and is topping the holiday ringtone charts for the third year in a row with cumulative sales to-date of more than 1.8 million copies. (Cynopsis 12/19)
CBS Mobile launched a pair of new mobile web sites for its CNET and CHOW properties. The tech news site iphone.cnet.com is optimized for the Apple iPhone and iTouch, with additional mobile handsets to follow in the coming months. Food blog CHOW is currently available as a WAP-based site. (Cynopsis 12/19)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Apple, Dell, Humor, iPod, Mac, Microsoft, RadioShack, Sony
TECHNOLOGY
Numark has introduced the PT-01USB, a battery-powered turntable system that enables vinyl lovers to take their collection with them on the go. The $149 system is compatible with Mac and PC setups to enable the transfer of tunes from record to MP3s. ElectronicHouse.com (10/28)
RadioShack has launched a program by which consumers with old camcorders, MP3 players, laptops and other CE devices they no longer want can trade them in for store credit. Manufacturers participating in the program are Apple, Archos, Creative, Dell, iRiver, Microsoft, Philips, RCA, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony and Toshiba. InformationWeek (10/28)
Sunfire has come out with a new A/V receiver, the Theater Grand 401 Receiver, with a suggested price tag of $4,000. System features include 200 watts of amplification, support for Sirius satellite radio, Olé touchpad ports and a VIA!migo port for iPods, to name a few. CEPro.com (10/28)
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