Amazon unveils Kindle Fire tablet for $199

By: Roger Cheng SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 6:55 AM PDT

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shows off the Kindle Fire.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire, an Android-powered tablet that acts more like a color e-reader on steroids and will retail for $199.

The Amazon Kindle Fire.

(Credit: Amazon via Bloomberg)

"We're building premium products at non-premium prices," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos during the presentation.

The Kindle Fire will be available on November 15, and is available for preorder now. Bloomberg earlier reported the $199 price point and details on the device.

The Kindle Fire marks Amazon's first foray into the tablet market, which has so far been dominated by Apple's iPad. But with its low price--most tablets retail for around $500--and the established Kindle brand, analysts believe Amazon's product could represent the first legitimate competitor in an area where many other high-end Android tablets have missed the mark.

"We believe that the launch of an Amazon tablet will significantly boost the tablet market and inject a much needed competitor to Apple's iPad," Adam Leach, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said ahead of the event.

The specifications, however, are lower than other comparable high-end tablets. While it has a dual-core processor, it lacks many of the other typical features found in a tablet, such as a camera, microphone, and 3G wireless access. The device is more intended to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, which is essentially a stripped down Android tablet.

The Kindle Fire will also use an older version of Android intended for smartphones, but Amazon added remade the user interface, giving it a completely different feel from rival tablets. It can also play games and can surf the Internet using its own custom Amazon Silk browser that uses a combination of cached content on the device and on the Web. The company claims it can predict your browsing habits and preload favorite websites for faster browsing.

Bezos said that most of the content is backed up in the cloud, and that the device features wireless synching. The company's Whispersync technology, which delivers digital books to the Kindle, wiill also work with movies and television shows.

Bloomberg reported that the Kindle Fire comes with a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the company's premium service that offers free two-day shipping and streaming video. The service normally costs $79 a year.

Amazon has slowly been building up its online content, adding new shows and movies all the time. Amazon recently signed a new licensing deal with 20th Century Fox to bring in its library of shows and movies for streaming.

Amazon has also reportedly signed agreements with several publishers, including Conde Nast, Hearst and Meredith, to have digital versions of magazines ready at launch.

Amazon is attempting to go where other tablet makers have failed. The past few months have seen a number of companies stumble out of the gate with their supposed iPad-killer. Hewlett-Packard scrapped its WebOS hardware business after the lackluster sale of the TouchPad, only to revive interest by holding a fire sale at $99 a unit. Research in Motion flopped badly with its PlayBook and is similarly trying to spark sales through a number of discount programs with its retail partners. Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha acknowledged initials problems selling its Xoom tablet when it was priced higher than the iPad.

As an e-reader, the Kindle has been instrumental in driving sales of digital books for Amazon and bringing that category of device into the mainstream despite earlier efforts by Sony. The catalyst for its success has been its low-powered e-ink technology, which enables users to read the device from anywhere, as well as the ease in which a person can buy a digital book over the air.

Another smart move: Amazon's decision to create apps on other devices such as the iPad and Android phones, allowing people to read their books on any device, but still stick with the Kindle library.

Earlier today, Bezos unveiled a trio of new e-ink Kindle readers, ranging between $79 and $149.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20112714-94/amazon-unveils-kindle-fire-tablet-for-$199/#ixzz1ZGF3DgNB

B&N Unleashes A New Nook

B&N Unleashes A New Nook: Touchscreen E-Ink, 2 Month Battery, $139

by Matt Burns on May 24, 2011
Tags: B&N, barnes & noble, nook

Barnes & Noble just unveiled the latest and greatest Nook ereading device at a special NYC event. It’s a simple device, really. In fact B&N stated that this revamped Nook is the easiest to use ereading device on the market. The touchscreen enabled Nook, sorry Kobo, is said not to feature any page turning latency and a battery that last up to two months, which is double the current Kindle’s battery life.

A 6-inch Pearl E Ink screen is front and center on the sleek device. It’s rather small at 7.5 ounces in a casing that’s just 5 x 6.5-inches. It’s tiny. Barnes & Noble is understandably proud of its latest creation and proudly stated on stage that the new Nook features 37 less buttons than the latest Kindle. (Not having a QWERTY keyboard would do that)

The new Nook hits at a very Kindle-like $139 price. The unit ships June 10 with pre-orders starting today on Nook.com.

Floor Plans for IT Show 2011

It's going to start tomorrow, and here's the floor plans for the IT Show, and their exhibitors.

New Covers for iPhone and iPad

Moleskine introduces two new hybrid tools designed for making it easier the simultaneous use of paper, phone and internet utilities: a Smartphone Cover compatible with iPhone 3G and 3GS, and a Tablet Cover, iPad compatible. Both Covers are combined with blank notebook pages. They are conceived as analog-digital ultra-portable workstations for the contemporary nomads.

The features and style of both Covers are those of a classic Moleskine notebook: sleek rounded corners, strong elastic band, and the legendary smooth black cover. Inside, a lighter suede lining protects the electronic device against impact and scratches, alongside a Volant notebook with plain pages. The Smartphone Cover is mainly conceived to be used with Bluetooth, headphones or loud speaker. Smartphone and Tablet Covers add to the first piece in the Folio Digital collection, the e-Reader Cover for Kindle.

Pre-orders on Amazon.

Handhelds, E-readers ASUS Eee Note EA-800 priced at $230, launched in Taiwan

Woah, it was only last week that we finalized the naming scheme for ASUS's LCD-equipped note taker, yet today the company's announcing that it'll be available to buy this week in its native Taiwan. Even better news is the $230 price tag (NT$6,999), which makes the Eee Note quite the affordable little device. It's versatile too, thanks to a built-in camera and microphone for recording of notes and a 3.5mm headphone jack for playback.

Running on Linux, the 8-inch tablet (1024 x 768 res) is said to be capable of 13.5 hours of uninterrupted use, which doesn't match the similarly monochromatic e-readers out there but is a decent compromise for the functionality on offer. Hong Kong should be the next market on its global tour, to be followed by Germany, Italy and Russia around the turn of the year and China and the US in Q1 of 2011.

: Computerworld

Asus Eee reader: The world's first 9-inch touch-screen ebook reader

Those who love to read on the go will rejoice at the arrival of the new ASUS Eee Reader DR900. With a 9-inch screen that offers 2.25 times the reading area compared to 6-inch ebook readers, this sleek device is ideal for reading material ranging from novels to comic books — and everything else in between.

Less than 10mm thick and weighing just 440g, the Eee Reader is a highly portable travelling companion that can be taken on any journey, whether it’s the daily commute or a long-haul flight. Its 2GB of internal storage (expandable via SD Card) can store up to 5,000 ebooks and the two-week battery life is long enough to read 20 novels back-to-back between recharges.

This ultra-low power consumption is possible because the Eee Reader’s SiPix electrophoretic display only uses power to change its image, not to maintain it. Page turns are virtually instant and the monochrome image is as crisp as ink printed on paper. Better still, the screen stays clear even in broad daylight, making so it’s as easy to read on the beach as it is under a bedside light.

The Eee Reader’s 9-inch capacitive touch-screen also removes the need for a physical keyboard and delivers a simple and intuitive user interface. Readers both young and old can master the Eee Reader in minutes, and with built-in Wi-Fi and optional 3G, it puts a world of reading material at everyone’s fingertips.

Product Highlights:
-- 9-inch SiPix electrophoretic display reflects light like paper to mimic a printed page, giving a more natural and more comfortable reading experience than backlit LCD displays.
-- Capacitive touch-screen with a virtual keyboard can be used to annotate reading material, make handwritten notes and even draw sketches.
-- Buy ebooks no matter where you are, thanks to the WebKit-based browser and built-in Wi-Fi, plus optional 3G.
-- Read non-stop for up to four days on battery power with Wi-Fi enabled, and up to two weeks with Wi-Fi disabled.

High-quality text-to-speech supports for 23 languages, giving instant conversion of ebooks into audio books. No thicker than a pencil (221 x 191 x 9.7mm) and weighs just 440g (Wi-Fi model).

Source: Asus

Floorplans and Brochures of Sitex 2010

The floorplans and brochures for the event are out on hardwarezone tech show portal.

http://sites.hardwarezone.com/sg/techshow/

Check it regularly, as there are more updates coming soon!

Top 10 Reasons to Use an eBook Reader

By Andrea Edmunds

We imagine most people have the same initial reaction to eBook readers that we did. Sure it’s great, but there’s no way it will ever replace real books. Plus, if it’s anything like reading text on a computer, count us out.

But as technology has developed and the popularity of eBook readers, especially the Kindle, we started to wonder why Oprah called it her most favorite gadget. Oprah considers herself to be a professional reader and has the Midas’ touch on the books she picks for her book club. She’s no stranger to reading and if she likes it maybe there’s more to it. So, while there are always pros and cons to everything we do, we came up with the Top 10 reasons we like eBooks. Who knows, maybe this will be enough to convince you to make the switch:

1. Don’t have to pack 10 or so books for one trip. Probably the most compelling reason, especially with rising costs to bring baggage on planes, it makes it easier to keep bags light.
2. With dedicated services, you can have thousands of books available virtually at your fingertips. Just the concept is enough to get us excited. Any book we can think of is available and we can get it whenever we feel like it.
3. Saves money buying new books. Many New York Times Bestsellers are available for $9.99 and some of the old books (like the Nancy Drew Files) are available for less than $1.
4. Portable. Just like a book, you can take it anywhere. Compared to some of the big reference book I’ve read or even textbooks, these eBook readers are a piece of cake to carry around.
5. Can last for 2 weeks without being charged. Sure it’s electronic and it has to be charged, but when you wait two weeks to charge it, you can almost forget it’s electronic.
6. Compact, everything in one place (books, newspapers, blogs). Today’s world is all about consolidating, making every gadget do more. So being able to consolidate and get all your reading material in one place makes it invaluable.
7. The Kindle is especially flexible switching from read to me to regular reading easily. Sometimes it’s hard to go to work when I’m reading a really good book. The Kindle makes it easy because you can just switch to the Read to Me function and at least listen to it in the car.
8. Can zoom in on text and different sizes. Sometimes the text on those old paperbacks is just too small to read easily, being able to change the font size at least means you can probably use it longer than some of your old books.
9. Supports multiple document formats. You can even do homework/work on it. Not that you’d want to, but the option is available.
10. Ergonomic. Admit it, your wrists hurt when you hold the book open for hours on end. This stays open by itself while you nurse your wrists back to health.
     

iPad vs Kindle

Let’s walk through a Kindle vs iPad review that looks at which is the better eReader – the iPad or the Kindle.

This specifically compares the $259 Kindle 2 against the Apple iPad ($499 WiFi, $629 3G). There’ll be a separate Kindle DX vs iPad post later.
Please note that -

1. If you want a multi-purpose device then iPad is the right choice for you. No need to read the rest of the post.
2. If you will be reading less than a book a month then the iPad is definitely the better choice.
3. If you want a dedicated eReader than the Kindle is better – read the post and see the pros and cons.
4. If price is an issue then the $259 Kindle is the clear choice.

Let’s look at Kindle vs iPad in detail.
Kindle vs iPad Review – iPad advantages
The best way to think of the iPad is as a larger iPhone – one with a 9.7″ screen. The iPad’s advantages are -

1. It does a lot of things – movies (including HD), TV, color screen web browsing, playing games (games look really good), .   
2. Very good looks.
3. Larger screen size – the screen is a 9.7 inch IPS display. IPS is really good screen technology.
4. Full capacitive touch screen.
5. 1 GHz Apple A4 processor.
6. 16, 32, and 64 GB of flash storage – That’s much more storage than the Kindle.
7. 802.11n, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 in the 3G model and WiFi and Bluetooth in the WiFi model. Kindle doesn’t have WiFi or Bluetooth.
8. Accelerometer and Compass. Kindle doesn’t have either.
9. Good battery life of 10 hours. Standby of over a month. This is still much less than the Kindle.
10. iPhone Apps – iPad gets all iPhone Apps. The new SDK includes an iPad simulator.
11. Excellent for newspapers – you get color photos and inline videos and more.

The iPad is optimized for movies and games and doing everything. It also happens to let you read – quite well.
The iPad models are priced at -

1. WiFi  models at $499, $599, and $699. Available around March 27th, 2010.
2. WiFi+3G models at $629, $729, and $829.

iBooks Store for iPad - iPad as an eReader
The key features of iPad’s iBooks Store -

1. Menus look like bookshelves with titles on the shelves. 
2. Partnered with Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, MacMillan, and Hachette. 
3. You can look at reviews and download samples – very similar to the Kindle.
4. Publishers can choose B&W or color content. They can embed video too.
5. You can turn pages by tapping the screen or by dragging your finger.
6. You can change the font and the font sizes.
7. It’ll offer fiction and textbooks.
8. It uses ePub format.

It’s quite good.


Kindle vs iPad – Kindle advantages

1. Price – At $259 the Kindle is much cheaper than the iPad.
2. Focused on reading. Means few distractions and the whole device is built with reading in mind.
3. More compact and lighter. iPad weighs 1.5 pounds and is 0.5″ inch thin – the Kindle is thinner and lighter (0.36″ and 10.2 ounces).
4. Screen is better for reading. 
5. Free Internet.
6. Free Wikipedia in 100+ countries around the world.
7. Amazing battery life of 2 weeks with wireless off and 1 week with wireless on.
8. [To Be Confirmed] It seems the iPad will not have Text to Speech which would give the Kindle an advantage.
9. [To be confirmed] Cheaper Prices as ebooks are at $9.99 and on the iPad they are rumored to be $12.99 and $14.99.
10. [To be confirmed] Wider range of titles. Kindle for iPad app might negate this advantage.

We don’t know what sort of apps we’ll get in the Kindle Store - However, they might make the Kindle better.


Kindle vs iPad – Which is the better eReader?
Let’s consider the reading experience on both devices and the major factors that go into making a great eReader.
Please note that we’re considering books – if you’re buying an eReader primarily for newspapers and textbooks you should stick to the iPad.

1. Getting Books - A tie. It’s easy to get books on both.
2. Cheap Books – Kindle wins because it will have lower prices (to be confirmed).  
3. Reading Books – The Kindle’s eInk screen is better for reading.  
4. Price – Kindle easily wins.
5. Screen Quality - iPad has an excellent quality screen and is bigger at 9.7″.  eInk is better for reading. iPad wins.
6. Color – iPad has color. Kindle doesn’t.
7. Portability – More compact size and better battery life make the Kindle the winner.
8. Reference and surfing the web for information – iPad wins as it has a better browser and you can see a page at a time.
9. iBooks Store and Software – The eBook App and Store for the iPad is called iBooks and it’s really good. Apple wins.
10. Ease of Use – This is a tie as both are very easy to use.
11. Content Portability – With ePub it seems iPad will be more open. Unconfirmed but Apple probably wins.
12. Free Internet Access – Only on the Kindle and also includes free whispernet in 100+ countries.
13. Text to Speech feature – Kindle wins (have to confirm that iPad’s iBooks does not have Text to Speech).
14. Adding notes etc. – iPad wins.

Based on the arguably 14 most important reading related features we have the Kindle and the iPad in a tie - They each win 6 areas and tie in 2 areas.
The Kindle wins overall because it wins in some of the most important areas – price, cheap books, readability of the screen, and portability.
Please weigh the factors according to what you value and consider essential to reading.
There are also a few factors that might be important to you (although they aren’t strictly to do with reading) -

1. Looks – The iPad wins.
2. Doing things other than reading – iPad wins.
3.  

 Kindle vs iPad – Recommendation
This Kindle vs iPad Review arrives at quite a straightforward conclusion -

1. If you want a device optimized for reading or price is a priority then the clear choice is the Kindle.
2. If you want a device that does a lot of things well, including reading, then the iPad is the clear choice.

The $499 WiFi iPad makes it very accessible (although you’ll have to factor in the price of data plans).
Kindle vs iPad is an easy decision because these are very different devices built for two distinct sets of customers.