Redirect Notice
The previous page is sending you to class = “readability-styled”>.
If you do not want to visit That page, you can return to the previous page.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Amazon Unveils Kindle Fire HDX - The World's Highest Resolution Tablet - Huffington Post UK
Amazon has made a fresh assault on the tablet market with a new range of super HD devices priced to beat Apple and Google at Their Own Game – on price, and on screen resolution.
The new Kindle Fire HDX and a refreshed, cut-price Kindle HD were unveiled at a series of private press events on Tuesday.
The Kindle Fire HDX is the online retail giant’s new flagship device, coming in two sizes – and with included technical support available at the touch of a button.
Above: The new Kindle Fire HDX
The HDX devices are powered by a brilliant 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, a father improved Adreno 330 graphics processor and boast 11 hours of battery life.
The HDX overpriced comes with a ground-breaking screen with 2560-1600 pixels (on the 8.9-inch model) and 1920 x 1200 pixels on the 7 inch. Both These displays have higher resolutions than the current-generation iPad – though Apple’s updated tablet range isn’ta due until next month at the earliest.
Both the HDX tablets have front-facing cameras for video calling, dual rear speakers and Dolby Digital Plus audio, and the 8.9-inch has a rear-facing camera (8 megapixels) too.
The WiFi-only HDX will cost from $ 229 (7-inch) up to $ 379 (8.9-inch), will the 4G version will cost $ 100 more each.
Engadget HANDS ON: – “What the pictures did not tell us, however, was just how light the 8.9-inch version is. Amazon Describes it as” startlingly so. “Thankfully, we managed to stifle a shriek When we picked it up, but at 13.2 ounces, the word “surprisingly” does factor into the equation. It’s nearly seven ounces (34 percent, as Amazon likes to put it) lighter than its predecessor. “
Meanwhile the Kindle Fire HD is thinner, lighter and cheaper than before, coming with a 1280 x 800 pixels display, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and a price tag of just $ 139 – or about £ 90 in the UK ( price TBA).
Loading Slide Show 
- class=”hp-slideshow” id=”hp-slideshow-318533″>
-
Jeff Bezos
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR AMAZON? In this image distributed on Tuesday, Sept.. 24, 2013, Amazon.com Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos introduces the all-new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”, right, and Kindle Fire HDX 7” tablet in Seattle. “
-
Kindle Fire HD
-
Kindle Fire HD
-
Kindle Fire HDX
-
Kindle Fire HDX
-
Kindle Fire HDX
-
Kindle Fire HDX
All of the new tablets will run Amazon’s skinned version of Android, the new Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”. The updated version adds new options for Organising your digital content, improved reading options (including a battery-saving mode) and mprovements for developers Aimed at getting more apps and games on the device.
Unfortunately current Kindle Fire users will not get the new updates – it saidthat the software was “available EXCLUSIVELY” for the new models.
There’sa Currently no word on a UK release, on any of the new products – Amazon typically waits a few weeks or months to launch its tablet and e-reader products in the UK, so it’s not clear if they’ll be out before Christmas.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review (2013): ice lastyear's best e-reader still tops? - Engadget
Amazon’s really laid off the pomp and circumstance thisyear. Between a new Paperwhite e-reader and a trio of tablets, the company’s hosted nary a press conference; just a couple of small-scale meetings. In the case of the White Paper, the reason seems clear. From the name on down, nothing about the device screams “major upgrade.” Both the hardware and software received some tweaks, sure, but, well, if this were an Apple product, it would almost certainly be called the Kindle Paperwhite S. Then again, we loved the Paperwhite the first time around, so why mess with in. perfection?
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review (2013): ice lastyear’s best e-reader still tops?
See all photos
19 Photos
Hardware
It’s hard to say if this is just One of those in-between years, or if Amazon has just throttled down e-reader development. Maybe the company has taken a less-than-bullish view of the space, or perhaps it’s convinced the original White Paper did not need much work. Either way, for the first time in a while, there are not major hardware changes here – nothing the company can hang its latest ad campaign on. Indeed, even the product’s name plays down the upgrade; it’sa Referred to the device as the “All-New Kindle Paperwhite” into Amazon’s press materials, though from an aesthetic standpoint, the “all-new” seems a tad generous.
Placed next to eachother, 2012′s and 2013′s Paperwhites are pretty Bike or Bus to distinguish. Slip a $ 100 bill underneath one, and you can play a round of two-Kindle Monte. The reader’s Retained the same dimensions as its predecessor at 6.7 x 4.6 x 0:36 inches – so, if you do ultimately Decides to upgrade, you can at least keep your old case. Amazon managed to shed a few frac tion of an ounce off the previous generation, Bringing the new model down to 7.3 (Which even Those who’ve wrist last year’s model are unlikely to notice). The newest Kindle is overpriced a touch heavier than Kobo’s offering. (As ever, Adding-in 3G connectivity will add even more heft, Bringing the total weight to 7.6 ounces.) The Paper White’s noticeably taller than the Kobo Aura too, and hence not quite as pocketable.
In the wake of the Aura, the Paperwhite’s design feels pretty utilitarian: it’s a black rectangle designed to do a specific job, without much concern for style. In the center is a 6-inch display, a size the entire industry seemingly settled on During some secret, underground Masonic e-reader meeting. It’s a tough point to argue, though. Kobo’s size Recent experiments did not go too far in convincing us That six inches isn’ta indeed the sweet spot for e-readers, and Amazon did not seem to get much traction with its newspaper-oriented DX.
As ever, a black plastic bezel juts out a bit around the display – something Kobo managed to avoid with the Aura’s contiguous design. Indeed, the Paperwhite’s plastic bezel seemingly does not need to exist either, as the company moved from IR to capacitive touch a while back, Which shouldhave Eliminated the need for the display gap. There’s a prominent white Kindle logo along the bottom bezel, though the company’s made it a little bolder this time out and tightened up the kerning a bit, so no one sitting next to you on the train will mistake the thing for a Nook. Once again, you’ll find a micro-USB port and power button on the bottom – and that’s about it. Amazon’s long made it clear That it has no time for page-turn buttons or expandable memory.
On the rear, Amazon’s preserved that nice soft-touch feel, Which adds a bit of traction. And while we’d definitely welcome a move toward the Nook’s more hand-friendly concave back, after so many iterations, Amazon’s still pretty set in its ways here. There’s one interesting change back there, however: the company’s swapped out the subtler indented Kindle in favor of a glossy black version of Amazon’s familiar “A to Z” branding. Clearly, the smaller Amazon type on the cargo version just was not getting the point across. It’s a bit louder, But when it’s not set down on a table, your hand or a case will be obstructing the logo most of the time – and heck, we’re just glad That Amazon doing now? Figured out That it could make a little extra money by selling That real estate to a third party. But we’ve alreadycreated said too much …
Last time, the company was all about reading in the dark, enough So THAT its new front-lit technology gave the reader its name. Sure enough, we were impressed, Particularly coming on the heels of Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, though the Kindle would soon be eclipsed by Kobo’s Glo. Amazon took great pains to illumination improvement this year, and while the difference isn’ta exactly night-and-day, the company’s done a fine job nonetheless. At full blast, the Paperwhite lives up to its name, with an impressive white balance and more even coverage toward the bottom of the screen.
The processor’s overpriced been bumped up this time, from 800MHz clockspeed to a full 1GHz. In real-world use, That Translates to a slight improvement in page-turn speed, sometimes more notice able than others. The difference is decidedly clearer When loading books or waking up the device, with the new version outperforming its predecessor each and everytime. Granted, These readers do not have to do a ton of heavy lifting, so you’re not going to see a massive improvement in speeds with an upgrade like this. Still, the less time you spend loading, the more time you can spend actually reading.
Unlike Kobo, Which has a strong anti-refresh stance, Amazon still gives you one every so often, with a quick black flicker as the system gets everything in place. Though the industry standard for a while was every six pages, the refreshes do Appear to come about half as frequently here. The screen still has a pixel density of 212 ppi – that’s less than the Aura’s impressive 265, though honestly, if you’re spending most of your time reading text, the Kindle’s screen Should be plenty crisp. Also, the improved white balance in the frontal lighting helps create the appearance of improved sharpness / contrast.
Onboard storage is still limited to 2GB – when all’s said and done, that works out to around 1.2GB of actual space, or, by Amazon’s count, 1,100 books. Again, that’s probably more than most of us need to carry around at any one time, and with the benefit of Amazon’s free cloud storage, you’ll never want for re-reads again. Battery life is Estimated at up to eight weeks, though keepingtrack With These e-ink devices is getting a bit silly. Even if you’re a voracious reader Particularly, you will not find yourself charging up too often, though keeping the light on will certainly have an impact on runtime. As will WiFi and, Should you opt for it, 3G. That Particular upgrade will cost you an additional $ 70. It’s not a necessity by any means, but as frequent travelers ourselves, we can certifying to the fact That being able to download books anywhere is really, really nice.
Software
Notice anything different? Us neither. Not at first, at least. As with the hardware, Amazon’s largely stuck to its guns on the software side, and it’s not hard to see why. Over the years, the Kindle OS has evolved into something quite user-friendly. As with the Fire, content is king. When you pop into the homescreen, you’ll see your three most recently read books (though you can overpriced refine things by author, title or dates) with a small, dot-based progress bar showing you how far you’ve read. On the left side, you can click into the cloud, to see what you’ve got stored with Amazon. The prominence of That feature makes upgrading simple – just turn on your device, tap on Cloud and you can repopulate your new Kindle with the books you’ve alreadycreated purchase.
Below all of this are four suggested titles – Amazon does want you to keep buying, after all. Personally, we prefer to just see the books we’ve bought up there and save the Recommendations for the store – or Goodreads, Which offers a much better system for customizing suggestions. If you DECIDED to save a couple of bucks (20, actually), by picking up the Special Offers version, the bottom sixth of the screen will feature an ad banner. If not, you’ll simply have more real estate for book covers.
The book carousel is overpriced home to two new features: Dictionary and Vocabulary Builder. The Dictionary (Oxford English, to be precise) is really just an outgrowth of the offerings on past devices. This time, however, you can overpriced consume the dictionary as a standard book, flipping through or doing a quick search. Fair warning, though: it makes for some pretty dry reading. Vocabulary Builder, meanwhile, aggregates all of the words you’ve looked up while reading into flashcards. You can flip through them and mark each as mastered once you’re clear on the definition. Not exactly a killer app there, but it could certainly come in handy for students – or, as one German Amazon employee pointed out When we saw the reader at IFA Those trying to master a new language.
The reading experience, too, is largely Unchanged. Again, there’s not much to do When you’ve got a page full of mostly text. In the bottom-left corner, you’ll see your location in the book. You can tap through That to find out how much time you’ve got left in the text or in a specific chapter – a feature that’s actually helped our speed reading improvement, as we thwart end up competing with ourselves. It’s a sickness, really. We do wish Amazon would cave and display good, old-fashioned page numbers for all titles, but the “time left” feature is pretty handy nonetheless, as is the percentage of progress you’ve made, Which IS DISPLAYED in the bottom right.
Tap in the upper-right corner, and you’ll add a quick bookmark, by way of a little dog-eared animation. Tap up top, and a whole bunch of options will pop up, for searching within the book, advancing to a different section, sharing passages and adjusting the font, among others. You can change the font overpriced with a simple pinch-to-zoom maneuver, Which will pop up a box featuring eight different sizes. There are overpriced seven styles and three options for both line spacing and margins. Once again, Kobo wins on That point, with far more potential font variations. Still, we suspect That the Paperwhite’s font options will specimen morethan Sufficient for most readers. Finally, flipping between pages can done with a swipe or a tap.
hold down on a word to highlight it and the dictionary definition will pop up. There’s overpriced a handy tab in there for looking things up on Wikipedia – Particularly useful if you’re a non-fiction buff like yours truly, though as you’d expect, That functionality only works where you’ve got an active connection. Oh, and if Amazon’s got an X-Ray listings are for that Particular book, thatwill pop up there, too. Click on a proper name, for example, and you’ll See that person’s bio. You can overpriced click through to find everytime someone on That Particular page is Mentioned throughout the book. It’s a Particularly handy feature if you’re Attempting to beat your way through an avalanche of names in a Game of Thrones -type title.
From That window, you can overpriced add notes, share and translate. Those options pop to the front if you highlight more than one word. Amazon’s overpriced improved the dragging functionality in highlight, making it Easier to pick the correct words. Clicking on a footnote symbol, meanwhile, pops up a window with the note, rather than jumping you Directly to the end of the chapter – a handy feature for quick references. And as before, when you’re all finished reading, Amazon will quickly sacrifice you some related books before you go, Which is a pretty easy way to get caught in a World War II reading loop. Believe us.
Nice updates, all, but Amazon’s still got an ace or two up its sleeve. Thing is, some of the biggest software updates Are not even here at launch. It’s a bummer, for sure, but how do you get thwart an e-reader software update That legitimately brings new functionality? For parents, there’s Freetime, whichlets you create profiles and gene rally Encourage more reading through achievement badges and so on. The update we’re really waiting for, though, is Goodreads – functionality we’ve been Anticipating since Amazon bought the startup EARLIER this year. Kobo made a smart move in Bringing Pocket integration to its line of new devices; likewise, Goodreads May well specimen to be the killer app for the new White Paper.
Once enabled through an over-the-air update set to arrive before the holidays, Goodreads will bring a far more social reading experience. Baked Directly into the Kindle’s software, it will allow you to track your friends’ reading, rate books and discover new titles in a more organic way. We saw a quick demo of the functionality in the beta a while back, but we’re going to reserve final judgment until we get the update ourselves.
Wrap-up
More Info
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been bombarded with ads for the All-New Paperwhite – and on the Special Offers screen of our All-Old Paperwhite, no less. It’s a tempting upgrade: we have to admit. At the end of the day, though, is it worth the $ 119 starting price (or for that matter, $ 189 for the 3G version)? Not really. For all intents and Purposes, the 2013 edition is a lot like what we saw in 2012, though improved processing speeds, better front lighting, software tweaks and forthcoming Goodreads integration are all welcome updates. Ultimately, They all help solidify the Paperwhite’s status as a truly terrific e-reader.
This time next year, we’d love to see a fundamental upgrade to the hardware, similar to what Kobo did with the Aura, but between the Kindle’s great UI, Amazon’s impossible-to-beat content selection and the price difference ( the Paperwhite is $ 30 cheaper), The New Paperwhite ice alreadycreated an extremely well-rounded choice.
Edgar Alvarez and Daniel Orren contributed to this review.
Amazon Paperwhite Is the Best Digital Reading Experience Money Can Buy - Mashable
What’s This?
class=”author_name”> By Lance Ulanoff 2013-09-30 12:53:17 UTC
Mashable Choice highlights the products and services we’ve tested and would recommend to others. Consider it Liked, Favorited, +1′ ed and Pinned.
do not miss books – note Their smell, weight nor feel as I turn the page. This is largely thanks to products like Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite. The ereader and its Competitors, including Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch, have continually raised the technological bar, while Bringing the eReading experience closer to what feels like perusing an actual book. The new sixth-generation Kindle Paperwhite now nearly matches print tomes for visual clarity and quality, is just as easy to navigate and, of course, does things no physical book could ever do.
SEE ALSO: What to Do With Your New Kindle
Amazon, Which recently unveiled a new collection of full-blown Kindle Fire Tablets That use HD LCD screens, shows no sign of abandoning the E-ink ereader market driven. Although the 2GB Wi-Fi Kindle Paperwhite costs $ 119 and an entry-level Kindle Fire HD costs just $ 139, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told us That he believes readers Should buy both kinds of hand-held products. I tend to agree. (An ereader is Primarily a reading device and a tablet is for web browsing, email, games, video, social media and more.)
Kindle Paperwhite was alreadycreated an excellent digital reading device, but thanks to a number of component-level and software-based enhancements, it’s now virtually unmatched in performance and usability (until, at least, the struggling Barnes & Noble Reveals its latest Nook ereader).
Inside
Externally, the Kindle Paperwhite looks exactly the same as its predecessor (6.7 inches x 4.6 inches x 0:36 inches with a black, plastic body). However, Amazon execs told us That at 7.3 ounces, the new White Paper is slightly lighter than the previous one. I could not really tell the difference, though. especially after putting both of them into cases.
The real differences are inside. Amazon told us That The New Paperwhite features a 25% faster processor, Which Should make virtually every operation on the device faster than the fifth-generation Kindle ereader. In side-by-side comparisons, the new White Paper was faster, but not noticeably so. I would say the screen transitions were sharper, and animations – Which are tough to do on E-ink in the first place – looked a bit smoother.
Amazon overpriced Significantly Increased the complexity of the touchscreen grid. This change was far more notice able, as I ended up with Fewer false touches when i selected text, navigated from page to page and selected the new Kindle software-based features.
Last year, LED lighting was the big new thing in ereaders. Amazon and Barnes & Noble both Introduced new devices featuring These internal light sources. Barnes & Noble’s was slightly better Because They did a better job of shedding consistent light over the top of the E-ink page. Now the Kindle Paperwhite has the edge. Amazon Significantly improved the light channels at the base of the device to Decrease the blooming effect That appeared with the cargo Kindle. Reading in a darkened room, the Kindle Paperwhite’s lighting looked great.
The reading screen overpriced looks great Because the latest E-ink technology is noticeably better. Contrast is much higher so the grayish background of the page (areas without text), now looks much closer to white, or at least the off-white of a standard printed page.
Reading is Fun
At its very core, the Kindle Paperwhite is a reading device. Sure, it has an experimental web browser That almost no one uses, and the availability to register with and share from two of your favorite social networks, but it’s really about reading. Fortunately, Amazon has added a couple of new tweaks That actually improvement the overall experience.
The main one is Page Flip. Put simply, it lets you skim through books in much the same way you might a physical book. A touch of the menu bar at the top of the screen (it only Appears When You touch the screen in That area) Reveals a new navigation bar at the base of the screen. When you touch That, a Slider Appears. It lets you skim through pages and chapters, all the while giving you completely readable thumbnails of the pages. To navigate to one of the pages, you just tap the thumbnail.
PageFlip worked well, though, sometimes it was a bit hard to control When The “flipping” would actually stop. I Assume that, with some practice, I’ll get better at flipping through digital pages so They do not fly by like an animated flip book.
In general, though, I love this enhancement. It May sound like a fairly small thing, but for anyone who has been reading ebooks for years and found Their myriad navigation and bookmarking methods inadequate, digitally thumbing through a 900-page tome is a godsend.
New Tools Galore
Like so many other improvements, Page Flip is intended to help the Paperwhite Achieve the overarching goal of most ereaders: to make the experience as book-like as possible. Beyond That, it’s getting hard to see how much more Amazon can improve the “reading” experience. However, Amazon is not shy about taking advantage of the Kindle Paperwhite’s digital nature to add features, like X-Ray, That are impossible in print.
X-Ray is the toolthat lets you learn more about any topic in any book you’re reading. Along with the explanation, it shows you every instance of That topic / character / place in the book, lets you see the term in context and, if you choose, to navigate That page in the book. The Kindle Paperwhite’s new softwarealso enhances lookup features by combining the dictionary, X-Ray and third-party sources like Wikipedia into a tabbed interface it calls “Smart Lookup,” Which Appears When You hold your finger down on a word. This worked perfectly for me.
In my view, books, even Those I read for entertainment, are about learning, Whether it’s about story structure and character, or new locales and exotic vocabulary. I’m not ashamed to say that i thwart use Amazon’s built-in dictionary to look up words. When I read physical books, I almost never stopped to pick up a separate dictionary to look up an unknown term. All ereaders have made this Easier, but the Kindle Paperwhite May be the first one That collects the words you’ve looked up and then quizzes you on them.
A new feature called Vocabulary Builder (Which has a dull cover and was kind of hidden in my Cloud collection) collects all the words you’ve looked up across all the books, magazines and text books you’ve been reading on the device . It lists the words either by book or as one large list. A tap on any one of the words Reveals its dictionary definition and usage, and there’s an overpriced option thatlets you delete the word from the builder. The best part, though, is the FlashCards tool. Flashcards show you the context of the word, with the definition hidden on the other side. You can flip through the cards until you think you’ve mastered them and then delete the cards.
Another new feature thatshould appeal to the fact-checker in all of us is the Inline Footnotes tool. This works exactly as you would expect. A footnote has a little number over it, but instead of having to flip to the end of the ebook, you can now tap the number on the Kindle Paperwhite screen to see the footnote reference in a pop-up window. Both this and the Vocabulary Builder work smoothly, and each could be a real boon for students.
Not Yet
There were a couple of newly Announced features – Goodreads integration and Freetime parental controls – that I could not test Because They have not arrived on the Kindle Paperwhite yet. However, Amazon has promised That These features will be available soon. In the mean time, I did not miss them much. Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite is really all you could want in an ereader: a great, clear e-ink display, a super-responsive touch screen, a smart, intuitive interface and a reasonable price.
You can certainly choose to spend more for the Whispernet 3G edition, Which will give you access to the Amazon bookstore and ebooks wherever you are. But with near ubiquitous Wi-Fi and the fact That most of your time will be spent reading books and magazines stored locally on the Kindle Paperwhite, I do not see why you would.
The Lowdown:
The Good: The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a pleasure to use, with crystal clear text and natural, book-like navigation.
The Bad: The Page Flip feature is awesome, as long as you can get it to slow down.
Bottom Line: If you want an ereader – and who does not – it’s hard to do better than this device.
Image: Mashable
Topics: amazon, Apps and Software, ereader, ereaders, Gadgets, kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Mashable Choice, Mobile, reviews, tech
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Buddy & Me, available now for iOS, Kindle Fire - Joystiq
by Thomas Schulenberg on September 29th 2013 10:30 PM
Buddy & Me takes place in the dreams of a young boy. Developer sunbreak Games’ website Describes the game as a sprint through an “infinite treehouse filled with interactive obstacles, curious creatures, and beautiful landmarks inspired by the Pacific Northwest.” Players will not be glued to Their puffy orange friend forever, though – Buddy soars alongside the boy in the background, offering assistance When The boy is in need of it.
Exploring a world with a beautiful world with a mythical beast as a child. Hmm, almost reminds us of something ….[Thanks, David!]
Amazon Introduces New Kindle Fire Tablets - Small Business Trends
If you never thought of your Kindle as a tablet before, it’s time to re-evaluate That notion. Small business owners and entrepreneurs on the go who need to read, watch online videos and do other basic things you would need a tablet to do, take note.
Amazon’s latest crop of Kindle Fire HD and HDX tablets May be an alternative to high end mobile devices depending upon your needs.
Kindle Fire HD and HDX
The newest Kindle tablet, the Kindle Fire HDX, comes in two screen sizes, 7-inch and 8.9-inch. The screens victim resolutions That Amazon says are “beyond HD.”
In fact, CBS News reports the 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution of the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX is higher thanthat of Apple’s iPad.
In addition to an improved email app, the new device introduces a “mayday” Feature Which Allows 24/7 tech support from an Amazon representative. The representative can either walk you through your problem or actually take control of your device remotely.
The devices start at $ 229 and $ 379 respectively.
Amazon has overpriced released a 7-inch version of its Kindle Fire HD at just $ 139, an impressively low cost for any tablet.
A larger 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD was released two years ago.
How To Get Your Device
The new 7-inch Kindle Fire HD will ship to retailers May. 2 and can be preordered on Amazon. The two new Kindle Fire HDX devices will ship on May. 18. See more on both devices in this video from The Verge:
Image: Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon
Sponsored Content
About Joshua Sophy
Joshua is a journalist and editor with 15 years experience in the media. A former newspaper reporter and editor, Joshua overpriced serves as President of the Board of Directors of a curling club and is editor of a regional newsletter focused on the sport of curling in the Eastern U.S.
Amazon Continues To Quietly Build The Enterprise-Optimized Tablet With New ... - TechCrunch
Amazon’s Kindle line of Android-powered tablets, Which sports a modified version of Google’s OS That the online book seller is Developing on its own, is looking more and more like a bunch of enterprise Greeks walled up within a great wooden horse Consumer . The new Fire HD and HDX tablets ship with “Mojito,” the third iteration of Fire Olympics, Which offers a number of key enterprise-specific features.
These features include support for enterprise email: a built-in native VPN client; wirelessprinting: a pre-installed productivity suite compatible with Office documents; secure hardware data encryption, better authentication and secure browsing via the Silk; and finally, Crucial Support for Existing popular mobile device management services via native APIs.
Kindle’s appeal in enterprise Began likely due to cost – the per-unit deployment fees Associated with Introducing Amazon’s inexpensive tablet across small and large groups of employees father undercuts That of the iPad, for instance. But Amazon has been doing work to help complete the picture, Adding services like Whispercast, Which Essentially offering a free, native MDM Solution for Organizations That Do alreadycreated havetheir own the place. This Fire OS update (and 3.1, Which will introduced a few of the features Mentioned above Shortly) means it can overpriced moonrise Address Those Who havealready built an enterprise mobile device provisioning with network providers like Good, without Requiring them to do any significant IT infrastructure spending.
Also new With These tablets is the Mayday Button, a new on-device tech support servicethat Allows HDX owners to Essentially press one button and have an Amazon tech advisor respond Immediately, remote in and show you how to do something on your own device. The support agent actually Appears in a live video window, too, so it is very much one-on-one care.
Mayday has a clear consumer focus, but it’s overpriced Potentially a terrific feature for enterprise users. It means, in short, That Their Organizations Providing employees with HDX tablets can save on in-house IT support and training, since Amazon Provides all the basic help needed to get users familiar and comfortable using Their devices. It’s a basic concern, but One That causes plenty of headaches for in-house IT.
Amazon has the right recipe for BYOD success with a low-cost tablet that’s powered by a strong consumer content ecosystem, but it’s now Clearly investing a lot more time and effort into building out its enterprise value proposition. These new tablets make it a little more apparent That business and education are an opportunity they’re quite consciously targeting, so it’ll be interesting to see if enterprise buyers heed That call When the go on sale Shortly.
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them in Numerous warehouses and Distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon Directly sells or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The Majority of Amazon’s …
src=”http://crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0000/3898/3898v1-max-150×150.jpg” ![]()
Hands On With the New Kindle Fire - PC Magazine
The two new Kindle Fire tablets HDX, at $ 229 for 7 inches and $ 379 for 8.9 inches, deliver the most intense specs you’ll find at that price point. On the small tablet, Amazon is matching the price and 1,920-by-1, 200 screen resolution of Google’s Nexus 7, but bumping up the processor a notch from the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro to the even faster 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800. The body, meanwhile, no longer feels cheap at all: The New Fires are slim, with a mostly soft-touch back That has some interesting angles.
It’s safe to say the Nexus 7 buyer isn’ta the Kindle Fire buyer. You’ll know it as soon as you pick one of the tablets up. The Kindle Fire still starts up to its big, colorful carousel of books, movies and games, with clear labels across the top showing what Amazon wants you to do here: Shop, Games, Apps, Books, Music, Videos, Newsstand, Audiobooks, Web, Photos, and Docs.
PCMag Live 9/25/13: New Kindle Fire Tablets & Jeff Bezos Dabbles in Space Flight You can now flip away from the carousel and look at a more traditional grid of apps, and the new tablets have a range of improved enterprise features. The email app & Q threading. Amazon sped up the Silk browser, moving it to the latest version of Chromium and showing me how certainkind optimized websites like the New York Times can be loaded within two seconds thanks to network-level pre-fetching. There’s VPN support, and various kinds of enterprise security and manageability.
Hands On With the New Kindle Fire
But ultimately These tablets still sing entertainment. Amazon added lyrics to the music player, and a ton of IMDb data to TV and movie files; Practically you can play “Pop-Up Video” now with the IMDb trivia data, jumping to the spot in a TV show where the beditors found a goof or a reference.
Each tablet comes with $ 5 worth of third-party app credits, and Amazon now has more than 100,000 apps in its store. Amazon’s Peter Larsen seemed to be on the right track about getting the right apps: Amazon looks at the top iPad app list weekly with an aim to making surethat the most popular tablet apps are in its store, he said.
“We’ve Increased our percentage of the top apps found on iOS year over year,” he said.
Android But Not Android
One of the biggest philosophical changes with the new Kindle Fire is how the nameless Android fork I once dubbed “Amdroid” now has a name: it’s the Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito.”
By naming it, Bezos ice Emphasizing how Amazon controls the “whole stack” – and Specifically how Amazon redesigned Android’s graphics pipeline and touch event handler to improvement responsiveness. Dealing with touch events has always been an Android failing: it’s why there’s more teams When you try to draw with a stylus on most Android tablet screens as Compared to an iPad. It’ll be very interesting to see if Amazon That solves problems.
Amazon still has to keep its OS compatible with Android, though, to keep third-party developers (and users who expect third-party apps) happy. Fire OS 3.0 is based on Android 4.2.2, Larsen said, and power users will still be able to sideload APKs to run on the devices.
Still the Easy Tablet
The new Kindle Fires have sharp screens and snappy performance. I’ve got to see how the screens Automatically react to ambient light by changing Their contrast, a neat trick. HD movies and games looked great and played smoothly thanks to the fast processor. The tablets no longer feel thick or cheap.
Amazon has found success by making its tablets the ultimate media consumption devices. It’s not trying to build all-purpose laptop PCs like Apple is with the iPad, or to focus on productivity like Samsung ice. These are tablets to kick back with and read, watch or play.
With that in mind, the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX looks pretty hard to beat, and the $ 139 Kindle Fire looks like a terrific kids’ tablet. With this Kindle Fire HDX, The New Nexus 7 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 covering the casual geek and productivity markets, Apple’s iPad mini is looking pretty threatened right now.
The new Kindle Fire tablets will arrive over the next two months: we’ll have full reviews as soon as we can. Until then, check out the slideshow above and the video below.
A week in Tech: Kindle Fire HDX, Oppo N1 and an app-controlled brewery - Metro
Stuff, the world’s best selling gadget magazine, fills us in on the hottest tech news from the week including the new Kindle Fire the HDX.
Meet the Kindle Fire HDX – Amazon’s tablet on steroids
Amazon has revealed its third generation of Kindle Fire tablets – the 7in and 8.9in Kindle Fire HDX – and they’re specced to impress.
The latest generation of Amazon’s tablets have under gone more than a few nips and tucks in addition to swallowing plenty of spec-sheet vitamins.
Both new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX models have spent time under the knife, with the 8.9in HDX now weighing in at 34 per cent lighter than its predecessor, in addition to sporting a thinner figure.
Meet Tangeez, the Lego-inspired interactive lighting
Lego-inspired: Tangeez (Picture: Stuff)
Kickstarter is continually turning up interesting tech projects That might otherwise stay under the radar.
Tangeez are a prime example: they’re cylindrical LED lights That stack in much the same way as Lego, and the light color changes depending on how you build them up. Each Tangeez tray (2.5in in diameter and 1.5in tall) features red, green and blue lights, Which can combine to create seven different colors. They’re overpriced fully recyclable, being made of the same plastic as milk bottles.
Beer today, gone tomorrow: Brewbot is an app-controlled micro brewery
Brew your own beer: Brewbot (Picture: Stuff)
Brewing your own beer is a fiddly business – fortunately, there’s an app for that. And a brewery.
When you’re brewing, making sure the temperature and ingredients are spot on is vital – but it can be tricky. Well, it used to be, anyway.
Oppo N1 lets you take 13MP selfies with its swivelling camera
Innovative: Oppo N1 (Picture: Stuff)
You might not have heard of Oppo, but the Chinese smartphone manufactuer is nothing if not innovative.
The Oppo Find 5 hit the shelves with a 5in 1080p IPS display before the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. And now Oppo’s revealed the Oppo N1 – a 5.9in phablet with a swivelling 13MP camera.
Ordnance Survey Creates Minecraft map of Great Britain
Minecraft map of Great Britain (Picture: Stuff)
Enterprising Minecraft players have created everything from working computers to the fictional world of Westeros from Game of Thrones in the block-building game.
Now the Ordnance Survey’s got in on the act with a geographically-accurate rendition of Britain, rendered in Minecraft.
Follow Stuff on Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/joinstuff or on Twitter at @ StuffTV
Saturday, September 28, 2013
The First Real Amazon Tablet - New Yorker (blog)
Perhaps the only thing you need to know about Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablets HDX Is that if you turn off a feature That Allows an Amazon representative-a live human to Appear on your Kindle and take control of it, you would ask , in Jeff Bezos’s words, “disabling the greatest feature we’ve ever made.” Called Mayday, it’s the flagship feature of Amazon’s two new tablets, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Like a Genius Bar in a button, It provides around-the-clock tech support three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
When you press the button, a person Should Appear in a tiny rectangle on your tablet within fifteen seconds to respond to your query. While you can see her, and she can see whatever is on your tablet, she can not see you. She can draw on your tablet though, like a sportscaster diagramming NFL plays on “Monday Night Football,” or, in dire circumstances should, take complete control of it to fix whatever the problem is. If Mayday succeeds, it willprovide the tech support of your dreams-an utterly unmatched experience, in Which you do not have to go to a store, pick up a phone, or wander over to a computer. It is something only Amazon, Whose mission is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company,” would build: In an age of big data and uber-automation, it has created a supremely costly feature Whose success is Entirely dependent on an army of people-an army thatwill need to scale up in order to handle, for instance, the millions of users who will shred the packages of new Kindles on Christmas morning.
The feature overpriced helps make the new Kindle Fire HDXs the most precise distillation tion of the Amazon into individual products yet. It’s a truism That every tablet and smartphone now is a blank slate of sorts, but they’re more like shards of companies thathave been chipped away and cast into the world. The previous Kindle Fires always felt slightly more solipsistic than other tablets, That in Amazon’s ambition to get users to simply buy more stuff Amazon Kindle books, Amazon Music, Prime video felt more naked than with, say, Apple and the iPad. This was a problem Because the Amazon universe felt small; while a Kindle runs applications built for Google’s Android software, They are Clearly not the point. But the new Fire software, paired with the improvements That Amazon has been making in services like its Prime Instant Video, Appears to Make That universe seem far more cohesive than before. Amazon’s Internet Movie Database service details, in real time, the actors, music, and trivia featured in the films and TV programs you watch; its recently recommended for Goodreads book social network will be deeply integrated with the reading experience; Matchbook will port printed books you alreadycreated own to Kindle devices; Amazon’s twenty-million-song music collection will stream anywhere; and Prime members can download movies for free, to name a handful of features. These things-a constellation of services That Amazon has pieced together over the years-make the Kindle Fire HDX seem like the first real device from Amazon.
Just as Crucial to the new Fires’ quintessential Amazon-ness Is that they are so reasonably priced: the entry-level Fire HDX 8.9, Which has a 2560-by-1600-resolution screen, a 2.2-gigahertz quad-core processor and two gigabytes of RAM , costs three hundred and eighty dollars and competes with the five-hundred-dollar iPad, the four-hundred-and-fifty-dollar Surface 2, and the four-hundred dollars Nexus 10th The HDX’s seven-inch counterpart, Which has a 1920-by-1200 resolution screen, is just two hundred and thirty dollars. And Their lesser sibling, the remodeled Fire HD, starts at just a hundred and forty dollars. (Google is able to match Amazon’s HDX 7 pricing with its acclaimed two-hundred-and-thirty-dollars Nexus 7, Because, like Amazon, it AIMS to make money When you use the device, Note When You buy it.)
In this way, Particularly with the addition of Mayday, a costly service to run, These tablets are embodiments of one of Amazon’s Defining traits: the undercurrent of anxiety you experience with every dollar you save and every convenience you exploit. You sense That all the discounts and features are leading up to a moment in some not so distant future When, after Amazon has slowly forced every competitor out of business, it will hike prices So THAT IT can finally make real profits. Or as Slate’s economics correspondent Matthew Yglesias put it, “Wall Street has Essentially Granted Bezos the right to operate an extremely forward-looking charitable venture on the theory That at some future point it will Acquire monopoly pricing power and start screwing us all.” Yes , That would negate everything Amazon has built since its inception in 1994, and the life’s work of Jeff Bezos, who seems to commit in one extremely expensive charitable venture after another: a spaceship company, a ten-thousand-year clock, and his two -hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar purchase of the Washington Post . But Amazon isn’ta really a charity, right? (Though perhaps it does not need profits after all.)
One suspects, though, That the first time the Kindle Fire HDX Mayday button spares somebody an hour-long tech-support phonecall with his or her parents, at least some of Those anxieties might simply melt away.
Nexus 7 (2013) Vs. Kindle Fire HDX (7 inch) - the Diplomat
EBG6NYSM4VCJ
itemprop=”articleBody”> With the holidays quickly approaching, laptop makers are rushing to unveil new products and pique not entered Their brands. As worldwide PC shipments dwindle, tablets have’ve become the hottest new piece of computing hardware. In the short existence of the modern tablet, myriad form factors, component combinations, and Purposes have emerged. The compact seven-inch tablet – smaller than a traditional tablet, but larger than a smartphone – has Gained Increasing popularity.
itemprop=”articleBody”> As far as Android-based tablets are Concerned, Google’s own Nexus 7 is Considered by many to be the gold standard. The 2013 version, released in July, was well-received by both critics and consumers.
itemprop=”articleBody”> While not exactly powered by Android, Amazon unveiled the brand new Kindle Fire HDX at a press event yesterday. It boasts an array of major upgrades over the previous Kindle Fire HD and some brand new software features thathave never been seen before – all for the same price as the Nexus 7.
itemprop=”articleBody”> With two 7-inch tablets costing a wallet-friendly $ 229, holiday shoppers May have a Bike or Bus choice to make. But the truth is That These competing slates serve Entirely different Purposes. The size May be roughly the same, but the guts and intended user experience could not be more different.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Physical Size, Display, and Raw Power
itemprop=”articleBody”> First, let’s take a look at the actual size and weight of each device. The Nexus 7 is 7.9 inches tall by 4.5 inches wide and 0.3 inches thick. It weighs 0.69 lbs. The Kindle Fire HDX is 7.3 inches tall 5 inches wide and 0:35 inches thick. It weighs 0.67 lbs. That makes the Nexus 7 taller, narrower, and thinner – but still slightly heavier. It also Creates a larger bezel around the top and bottom of the screen.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Additionally, the Nexus 7 features a front-facing camera That is oriented to a portrait view, while the Kindle Fire HDX’s front shooter is oriented to a landscape view.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Both display panels measure 7 inches diagonally, with identical resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and matching pixels per inch (PPI) of 323.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Internally, the Nexus 7 features a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. It is Offered with either 16 or 32GB of internal storage.
itemprop=”articleBody”> This is where the Kindle Fire HDX blows the Nexus 7 away. It has a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 – the same CPU found in the LG G2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – with Adreno 330 graphics. RAM and internal storage are the same, but the Kindle Fire HDX overpriced comes in a 64GB model.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Software and Features
itemprop=”articleBody”> While These tablets containers totally different guts, the software might be what sets them apart the most – surely, it dictates what kind of user will find one more attractive than the other.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Google’s Nexus 7 runs stock Android 4.3 – no extra junk, no nonsense. On top of the vanilla OS is the fact That Google sends updates to Nexus devices before anyone else.
itemprop=”articleBody”> “nexus devices are synonymous with pure Google experiences. This is the chance for Mountain View to show off Android in its purest form, away from the meddling fingers of Samsung or HTC who just love to Sensify and TouchWiz Up Their devices, “said TechRadar .
itemprop=”articleBody”> From developers to power users to the app-obsessed, the Nexus 7 is arguably the best “all-around” Android tablet on the market right now.
itemprop=”articleBody”> The Kindle Fire HDX, on the other hand, is a vehicle for content consumption. It is Technically an Android tablet, but Heavily-skinned with the “Fire Olympics” and locked out of the Google Play Store. The Kindle Fire HDX includes top-of-the line components, yet it manages to stay the same price as the Nexus 7. Why? Because Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos believes That his company should ‘make money When people use our devices, not When people buy our devices. “
itemprop=”articleBody”> The Kindle Fire HDX is made for reading books, listening to music, and watching videos. An updated version of the X-Ray Allows even deeper immersion into your favorite media.
itemprop=”articleBody”> “X-Ray for music adds auto-scrolling lyrics to the song you’re listening to, and will even identify the song that’s playing in the show or movie you’re watching. It’ll give you trivia for whatever you’re watching, backstories for the characters, and all the other information, the Amazon-owned IMDb can provide, “said The Verge .
itemprop=”articleBody”> The Kindle Fire HDX overpriced gives users who have subscribed to Amazon Prime the option of downloading and magnification of videos to be watched offline. Videos can be stored for up to 30 days and expire 48 hours after the user presses play. Unfortunately, this option does not support all of the Prime Instant shows and movies – but more and more titles will likely be added down the road.
itemprop=”articleBody”> There is one negative quirk Associated with all Kindles – “Special Offers.” These are ads That display on your screen When the device is turned off. Some people find them easy to ignore, but others opt to pay a $ 15 fee to remove them fromtheir device.
itemprop=”articleBody”> For beginners, the Kindle Fire HDX May be the best option on the market, period. A new function called MayDay gives users free 24-hour video support from an Amazon support representative. Not only can a user ask questions about how to perform a function or task certainkind, but the MayDay support staff will be able to control the device remotely if a user is struggling with the directions.
itemprop=”articleBody”> Verdict
itemprop=”articleBody”> The Kindle Fire HDX May have better specs at the same price point as the Nexus 7 – but for someone who wants a well-rounded tablet That is free from the clutter of third-party ” skins “and Unnecessary apps, Google’s slate is hard to beat.
itemprop=”articleBody”> If your primary reason for owning a tablet is reading novels and staying current with your favorite TV drama, nothing even comes close to the Kindle Fire HDX. Amazon forgoes making a profit on the device itself Because the Kindle Fire HDX has one purpose – Consuming copious Amounts of media. Fire OS is easy to navigate for noobs, and the MayDay panic button will ENSURE thateven grandma can use it with ease.
itemprop=”articleBody”> One final consideration: 4G LTE connectivity. The Kindle Fire HDX will cost an extra $ 100 for wireless data, while the Nexus 7 adds the service for $ 80.
itemprop=”articleBody”> The Nexus 7 is available now, and the Kindle Fire HDX will begin shipping in October.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2013) - PC Magazine
name=”intellitxt”> By now, it’s pretty clear Amazon is betting big on ebooks-and Not necessarily just for ebook readers, but for color tablets, smartphone apps, and browser-based reading as well. Nonetheless, for many people, an ebook reader is still the best choice. It’s distraction-free, easy to hold and use, and lasts for weeks on a single charge. The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite ($ 119 with special offers, direct), newly updated for late 2013, is the best ebook reader we’ve tested, and our new Editors’ Choice, Replacing last year’s version. Amazon gets so much of the experience right in this 6th-generation model That it’s an obvious upgrade from any older ebook reader without edge lighting, and possibly even some with That feature.
Compare Similar Products
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2013)
class=”red-small45″>
class=”red-small4″>
Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight
class=”red-small45″>
class=”red-small3″>
Design, Display, and Hardware
On the surface, the Kindle Paperwhite looks very similar to last year’s version. It Measures 6.7 by 4.6 by 00:36 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.3 ounces; the dimensions are the same, but it’s two tenths of an ounce lighter. It’s still housed in a soft-touch rubberized coating That feels nicer than what Barnes & Noble uses on its ebook readers. The old Kindle logo on the back panel has been switched out for the more recognizable Amazon logo. Otherwise, the bottom edge features the same micro USB charger port, status LEDs, and power button as before: there are no other hardware controls.
The 6-inch display delivers a reasonably sharp 212ppi and 16 levels of gray, and Amazon has tweaked the contrast levels once again. But the real story is the upgraded edge lighting. Unlike last year’s model, you do not see any blooming along the bottom edge of the screen, and the light is just brighter this time around. Amazon overpriced claims to have improved touch response by 19 percent, though the older version was still pretty accurate in my experience.
View all 9 photos in gallery The Kindle Paperwhite hooks into 802.11b/g/n networks, and a 3G cellular option is still available for a hefty $ 70 extra; That model weighs 7.6 ounces instead of 7.3. Charging is easy with the bundled micro USB cable, and takes about four hours. But there’s no included AC adapter; you’ll need to use a PC. (My Windows 7 PC thoughtfully says “Device driver not installed successfully” when ever I plug in the Paperwhite to charge it.) Amazon sells a small USB-compatible AC adapter for $ 19.99, as well as a $ 39.99 leather cover with a magnetic clasp That wakes up the device When you open it.
Interface and Reading
The Home button brings you to the home screen. A top row of icons contains Home, Back, Light, Cart, Search, and Menu buttons, the latters Of which drops down additional options for creating collections, syncing, and changing settings. You also can toggle between displaying all of your books in the cloud or just the ones on the device. The cover-based interface is easy to get the hang of, and you can flip back and forth between the display cover and a list view. In typical Amazon fashion, along the bottom are suggestions for buying additional books.
Once you select a book, you can start reading. The reading interface looks and works almost the same as on the previous version. Most of the right hand side of the display, all the way down to the bottom edge, acts as a giant page turn button. A small portion on the left steps back a page, while an inch-deep bar across the top brings up a two-row Menu bar. The first row contains the same icons as on the homepage. Beneath the first row are buttons to adjust the font, go to a specific page, bring up X-Ray for more information on a topic, Share to Facebook or Twitter, and Bookmark pages.
Reading is a delight. Aside from the much brighter display, the best thing about the new Kindle Paperwhite is how fast it is. Loading books and turning pages feels quick, and makes the old Paperwhite model seem oddly sluggish. Amazon overpriced reduced the frequency of full-page screen refreshes, from once every six page turns, Thu Whenever an internal algorithm Decides it’s for incidental preserve font sharpness.
Kindle Page Flip, X-Ray Upgrades, and the Kindle Store
Along the bottom of the interface is a new bar with the Kindle Page Flip, Which makes it much Easier to scan through books using a slider near the bottom of the page. It’s not the slider, it’s the large thumbnail preview of each page as you go through; it’s about as close to flipping through a real book you can get on a screen. I still find it frustrating to pick up an ebook reader and look for a specific chapter, or refer back to something. This does seem to help, Although nothing will beat a real book in That regard. It’s still Easier to scan through real paper pages for big areas of whitespace That signify the start and end of chapters.
Android this week: Galaxy Note 3 (un-) locked; LG G2 REVIEWED; Kindle Fire HDX ... - GigaOM
3 hours ago in September 28, 2013 – 6:24 am PDT
A few new Android devices were Announced this week, but an upcoming one, the Galaxy Note 3, was front and center for attention. A sticker on the outside of the handset, Which is currently available overseas, indicated the handset would be SIM-locked to the region it was sold out. For an unlocked, GSM handsets, that’s simply not acceptable to potential buyers; Particularly if They travel Internationally.
The situation Became even more confusing late in the week When a Samsung representative from Germany explained the situation. Even thought the stand Clearly indicates the Note 3 is region-locked, the phone will work with SIM cards outside of the sales region, provided it is first activated with a SIM from the initial sales region. My colleague in Berlin, David Meyer Explains:
“Let’s say you buy the device in Germany and want to take it with you on a trip to the U.S. If you activate it for the first time using a German SIM card, you’re good to go. If you want to activate it for the first time with a U.S. SIM card while abroad, you will need to find a local Samsung service partners to unlock it for you. “
Assuming the Samsung representative from Germany is Ε“the speaking on Behalf of All Samsung international division, the situation isn’ta as bad as Initially thought. Of course, clearer language from Samsung at time of sale – the sticker on the box, for example – would be helpful.
The idea is to block sales on the gray market but this seems more annoying to Legitimate customers interested in the Note 3 – or any Galaxy S4, S4 Galaxy Mini, Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III devices produced after July.
One new handset That isn’ta region locked is the LG G2. Alex Colon shared his review EARLIER this week, saying
“The LG G2 is a very good phone. It’s arguably the best phone LG has released to date. And yet it’s a hard phone to recommend.
If not for all the needless software modifications and the frustrating button placement, the LG G2 would be one of the best Android smartphones available. At it stands, you get a far more polished experience with phones like the HTC One and the Galaxy S 4. “
The device’s speed and performance is without question and the camera is solid too. But hardware is only part of the equation; software and the user interface are Equally important, if not more so. Check the whole review to see if the G2 is what you’re looking for in a large handset.
If tablets are your thing, Amazon has a few new ones. Like the old Kindle Fire lineup, These are based on Google Android, but with Amazon’s own user interface and without Google services. The new Kindle Fire HDX tablets come in a 7-inch ($ 229) and 8.9-inch ($ 379) size.
It’s an interesting approach as the small tablet seems to compete squarely against Google’s own $ 229 Nexus 7 while the larger Kindle Fire HDX is priced under the slightly larger iPad. Both are Aimed at Amazon customers who want to watch Instant Videos, read Kindle ebooks, and consume other contentthat Amazon is happy to providesprofessional.
Subscriber Content
?
Subscriber Content comes from GigaOM Pro, a revolutionary approach to market research without the high price tag. Visit any of our reports to subscribe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)