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Archive for slate PC
Unboxing the ExoPC Windows 7 Slate PC
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Welcome to another Good e-Reader Video Review! Today we unbox the new EXOPC Windows 7 Slate PC. We first heard about this one last year and recently saw it at Computex. It has been on the market now for a little while and this is our first chance to look at the great Slate PC!
Let’s look at the hardware briefly of the Ciara Vibe; it has a 11.6” touch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768, a 64GB BROADCOM Crystal hard drive present, and 2 GB of DDR2 RAM. The tablet also has built in Bluetooth, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a mini HDMI port, and a memory card reader.
What we really liked so far was the build quality of the unit. It is very sleek and weighted without being heavy. The inclusion of a capactive touchscreen stylus was a bonus. It has a large vent on the top and large stereo speakers on the bottom of the device. It does not have a ton of volume and other buttons, instead everything is software based.
Of course, if you have a bluetooth keyboard you can take advantage of volume and all of the other media shortcuts!
Check out what comes with this unit and marvel at it, as we turn it on for the first time. Our full review and video review is coming up shortly.
Good e-Reader Week in Review Nov 31 to Oct 7 2010
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Welcome to another Good e-Reader Week in Review, where we cover all of the latest news on e-Readers, Tablets, Digital Publishing and eBooks!
In the last week we have a fair ton of announcements regarding the immident launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Whether you live in the USA, Canada or anywhere in the world, we have exclusive information in terms of pricing and regional availability.
We also have lots of news on the new Archos line of tablets and new digital publishing tools from Adobe.
As always, with the Good e-Reader week in review, we only cover the most essential stories that you need to know about. If you want to know more about any of our top stories, click on the title of the link to view video, pictures and the entire story.
Entourage Pocket Edge revealed
Half the size of the original Entourage Edge which certainly makes this new dual screen e-reader a viable item now. It features dual screens, one is a E-Ink screen and one a full color screen, both of them can be interacted with via touch screen. The Entourage Pocket Edge was designed to be a students and work device, it can play music, record audio, connect via WIFI and has a great store to purchase textbooks and other ebooks form. If you are a student off to College or University, this is a must have.
Samsung Galaxy Tab News!
The hottest new Android Tablet is a serious contender to the Apple iPad. Up until now, sure lots of tablets have come out, but they lacked features that made them viable comsumber goods. Samsung is the first major company to come out with a tablet that packs all the features you need, in a small 7 inch unit.
Now for the important news; right now the Samsung Galaxy Tab is available in the UK and in Taiwan. If you live in Canada and deal with Rogers, we have leaked Rogers Wireless pricing. We also have reports that Bell Mobility in Canada will also get the Galaxy Tab on November 12th.
Finally, we also have news that although the Galaxy Tab ships with Android 2.2, it will have GingerBread and Honeycomb updates.
If you would like to read a full preview of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, click HERE.
Amazon Kindle 3 3G Allows Full Internet Access in China
The new Amazon Kindle 3 3G e-Reader allows people living in China to bypass the Great Firewall! You might remember hearing tons of news reports that China has blocked major internet sites such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and many more! They also monitor in a draconinian fashion all internet useage, many people have been arrested and many more imprisoned for simply surfing the internet and stating their opinions. Who would have thought an e-reader would allow people to connect up to the internet and allow people to visit any site? This is mainly arbitrated to the fact that Amazons internet connection with 3G is outside of mainland China.
Archos 70 Internet Tablet now shipping
Archos has been making tablets and devices for about a year now and just came out with their new Archos 70 tablet. A 800 x 480 pixel 7 inch capacitive multitouch screen makes up the display. The Archos 70 also includes a front and rear facing camera and runs the latest Android 2.2. However, access to the Android Market is ruled out, something that the Samsung Galaxy Tab has an edge on. Although the price is right, for only $279 you get one heck of a piece of hardware. So good infact that it was sold out in 2 days.
Adobe Webkit Prototype for NextGen Digital Publishing
What does iBooks, and Calibre have in common? They both use the new Adobe Webkit open source software! We got a few preview of their new digital publishing software that allows users to take advantage of adding text and pictures. Not only that, but via touch screen, you can move the picture anywhere on the page and the text will automatically accmodate the pictures your dragging around, in real time! With the advent of HTML 5 and the growing Anti-Flash movement, Adobe is doing their best to stay relevant in web and digital ebook development.
Notion Ink Adam Pre-Orders begin in December
The Tablet all geeks are looking forward to, the Notion Ink Adam out of India. It looks like this device will have pre-orders available in December, with the first units shipping mid December and early next year. We have confirmed reports in terms of the final pricing for the Notion Ink Adam, from its CEO Rohan Shravan. It seems that four versions of Adam will be launched: each will use NVIDIA’s Tegra 2, but there will be Pixel Qi and LCD models and a choice of WiFi-only or WiFi and 3G. The LCD version will cost $399 for the WiFi-only and $449 for the WIFI and 3G model, while the Pixel Qi version will cost $449 for the WiFi-only and $498 for the 3G model.
We have been reporting the last few weeks on Notion Inks company Logo, they have been soliciting the community for images to represent the company. They have selected a Winner who will receive a free Adam, and the other entrants will get mad discounts!
ASUS DR-900 e-Reader Revealed in Video
Many people all this year have been eagerly awaiting the Asus DR-900 and Asus DR-950, and it looks like the wait is over, at least for the DR-900. It has quietly shipped in Taiwan for $390.00. Asus has told us they plan to ship globally both models in the first Quarter of next year.
Toshiba Folio now shipping
The Ultra-Expensive Toshiba Folio is shipping right now! Price wise, the Folio 100 will cost €429 for the Wi-Fi only version and €529 for the 3G enabled Folio 100 in Germany while the same in Italy will make one lighter by €399 and €499 for the Wi-Fi and 3G models respectively. Price of the Wi-Fi Folio 100 in the UK will cost £329. All prices mentioned are inclusive of all applicable local taxes. Click on the title of the story to get FULL specs and features.
Pocketbook to open two USA based e-reader stores
Pocketbook has long been a popular company to do business with, for people outside of North America. They have released a ton of different e-readers over the last few years, and now plan to open up 2 stores starting next week, and over 60 starting next year. They plan on selling 5 different e-readers to start, and plan to intergrate their new Tablet PC soon.
And that wraps it up for another Good e-Reader week in Review! As you guys know, the holiday season is quickly approaching! If you are wanting to buy yourself, or a special someone a new e-Reader, check out our retail partner Shop e-Readers! If you live in Canada, USA, Australia or New Zealand, they have great shipping rates!
Good e-Reader Week in Review – Sept 5 to Sept 12 2010
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Welcome to another edition of the Good e-Reader week in review! This week we have seen a ton of new Tablet PCs announced and also some firmware updates for Kindle! Always, we have the latest in E-Reader, Digital Publishing, eBook and other news! Good e-Reader is the definitive source for all things E-Reader and Tablet PC. If you want to see the full story, or pictures of any of the stories we talk about, click on the hyperlinked text (or the title of the article)
Barnes & Noble e-reader software updated
The latest e-reader news coming in revealed the Barnes & Noble e-reader software for the HTC HD2 has been provided with an update so that what was already a nice and comprehensive application has now acquired a more exciting and interesting outlook.
Samsung Galaxy Pad might cost $200 to $400 in US
While early reports did point to a bit hefty price tag of the Galaxy Pad tablet for the European market, those awaiting the Samsung 7 inch tablet in the US can be considered more fortunate. For as per the latest tablet PC news coming in, price for the same in the US is likely to be around the $200 to $400 mark.
Elonex launches 9 Android tablets
To have a tablet that looks like the iPad is perhaps the easiest method of emulating the success of the magical tablet device from Apple. It is perhaps this line of thought that has prompted many to start off their tablet venture with a device that looks like the iPad and Elonex as well are keen to be identified in this group. Also, it’s not just one or two tablet devices that Elonex will be coming up with but an entire range of tablets consisting of - wait for it! – 9 devices in all that will start off with a 5 inch sized screen while the biggest of the lot will be all of 10 inches.
How to Self Publish and Market an eBook on Amazon
Earlier on in the week we posted the most comprehensive guide on the internet on how to self publish a digital ebook on Amazon! We give you all of the tips you need to do cover art, a table of contents, as well as making an Amazon account and submitting your book. We also give you made ideas on how to self promote your book, via social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and more! Click on the title of this article to access the entire guide.
Coby 810 tablet spotted
Coby did have a few portable media players as well as netbooks in its past line up, but they can’t actually be considered exceptionally successful in either segment. However, the company has now set its sights on the most happening segment at present; that of tablet PCs and is showing off a new tablet device at the ongoing IFA event at Berlin.
Telefunken T9HD 3D Android Tablet
At the IFA annual conference in Berlin, we have seen many new Tablet PCs unveiled. We also saw a slew of 3D TVs as well. A company merging the two segments is Telefunken and they have shown off two different tablet computers that have a 3D display.
Kobo Releases new Desktop Application to Manage their E-Reader
Although this Desktop application is not entirely new, select people were invited to use it when Kobo updated their factory firmware that allowed ePub books that were downloaded outside of Kobo to display the proper fonts. Now it looks like Kobo has ditched the invite only aspect of this software suite and opened it up to the public.
This program is billed to be able to effectively manage your Kobo E-Reader library and remove books from your Kobo when you’re done with them. The application also allows people with smart phones, other brands of e-readers, and tablet devices to purchase books and use the Kobo Desktop Software to transfer them to your E-Reader.
Kno dual display tablet to make year end debut
Remember the Kno tablet device, a dual screened tablet that is aimed primarily at the educational sector? It has been a long time since we last got to hear of it and it’s in the news again. This time with a firm launch schedule which is towards the end of the year. This is also the time when a lot of tablet devices have lined themselves up for a market launch and the Kno is one more addition to that list. And the reason why the makers of this dual screened tablet are able to come up with the launch window is that they have secured a whooping $46m funding that is needed to make the Kno tablet a market reality.
RAmos W9 tablet PC
Here is one more tablet device in the 7 inch category. It runs on the Android operating system and looks like the iPad. Further details are sparse and there is no confirmed information coming from Ramos, the makers of the tablet. So the only other thing that’s known is that the tablet will carry microSD card slot, will have a 3.5mm headphone out port along with a micro-B USB port. It’s likely to be built around the new and powerful 1GHz Rockchip RK2818 and will run at least the 2.1 version of Android, if not the latest 2.2 Froyo.
Best Buy will now stock the Amazon Kindle
The latest e-reader news coming in should elicit cheers to all the die hard fans of the Kindle as well as Kindle aspirants. For the e-reader is one step closer to the consumer, now that Amazon announced it will allow Best Buy to sell their popular range of Kindle and Kindle DX e-book reading devices.
This will bring the double-B in line with other stores like Staples and Target that are now also entitled to sell the Kindle e-readers. The Kindle e-readers have been available from the US retail giant Target since April, while US office supply store Staples will begin to sell the same later in the year. Consumer electronics giant Best Buy will have the new Kindle priced at $189 for the 3G version and the $129 for the WiFi only version at its stores from this fall. Later will follow the larger Kindle DX priced at $259.
Cool-er to launch new colour e-book reader in partnership with Elonex
It was just a few months ago (July to be specific) that we carried the news of the Cool-ER e-reader having bit the dust. Well, such was the time when the e-reader segment was in turmoil and for a while, even the strongest had seemed vulnerable. The news of Interead, the United Kingdom based company which branded and distributed the Cool-ER brand of E-Readers having filed for bankruptcy led many to believe that was the last they will ever get to hear of the e-reader anytime again. However, the latest e-reader news springs a surprise as now we get to hear the company is back. And how!
New update for the Kindle Software
It is now possible to create user accounts on the Kindle device itself, thanks to a software upgrade. The updated Kindle software, version 3.0.1, is already being made available and will ensure a completely untethered digital reading experience with the Kindle.
Touch Screen Chip Makers Revelling in Tablet Market Growth
Many popular touch screen manufacturers and companies making chipsets are entering an golden age of sales and profit directly arbitrated to the proliferation of tablet and slate computers.
With the tremendous success of the Apple iPad, many companies such as Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, HTC and Cisco Systems Inc are all working on a new generation of Tablets. Many companies already have begun to usher their products to market, such as the Samsung Galaxy Pad.
Here and There
The IFA conference in Berlin, Germany has come to a close and we were there giving you the most extensive coverage anywhere online! You can view all of the new E-Readers, Tablets and Slate PCS shown off at IFA HERE.
We saw a screenshot of the new Motorola MZ600 Tablet PC in Verizons inventory sysetm, can we see a Droid branded tablet before the holiday season to be launched?
We are currently running a contest on the Good E-Reader forum to win a new Kindle Graphite WI-FI E-Reader! Entering is free, check it out.
In the land of the Rising Sun we see a new tablet computer called the “Mouse”
At the Apple Conference in San Francisco they confirmed they had over 35 million ebook downloads, since the service first went live in April. We also heard totals thrown out for Movie, Music, and App Downloads. They also gave us the skinny on Apple TV, and the new iPod line of MP3 Players. Check out the full story HERE.
That about wraps it up for this week in E-Reader, Tablet, Slate PC, Digital Publishing and ebook news! Remember if you have an Apple product, you can listen to the Good e-Reader Radio Show on itunes! Click on the picture on the right hand side and you can listen! What can you expect? An audio version of the Good e-Reader Week in Review, as well as Music, Songs, Rants on technology, and contest news!
We also would like to thank all of our visitors that check out Good E-Reader on a daily basis! Its your support that keeps us going! We would like to also welcome Kevin Spiss as one of our new Freelance Writers.
Good E-Reader Week in Review – Aug 16 to Aug 23 2010
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Welcome to another outstanding edition of the Good E-Reader week in Review! As always, we cover the most meaningful and relevant news stories of the week in the Tablet, Slate PC and E-Reader sector.
This week, we take a look at a number of new videos we uploaded, covering Converting eBooks with Calibre, a review of the Augen Gentouch 78 Tablet PC and many others. We also feature a ton of stories, such as Bestbuy and their holiday plans for the Tablet PC segment. We also take a look at firm release dates for the HP Slate, LG Tablet, Velocity Micro Cruz and more!
The Axon Logic Haptic tablet now available on pre-order
Axon Logic, the company that not many have heard of before has announced it is game for a bout in the highly competitive tablet segment and for this, they have armed themselves with a tablet PC named Axon Logic Haptic. And the one thing that sets this tablet PC apart from the rest is that it does not come pre-loaded with any specific operating system. Instead, Axon Logic is leaving it to the users of the tablet to decide which operating system they’d like to have on their tablet. There will be more on the OS later but for now, let’s focus on the other aspects of the tablet.
The Haptic tablet has a 10.1 inch LED back-lit LCD touchscreen up front that in the company’s own words “will enable you to touch the world like never before”. The touch sensitive screen has a 1024 x 600p resolution display with a stylus included. Speaking of the screen, Axon Logic says, “Don’t be limited to how you touch. Use the built in stylus, your fingers, or even a glove,” this in spite of the screen being based on the older resistive technology. The screen also includes on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition feature.
At its core, the tablet has a 1.66 GHz Atom N270 processor coupled to a 2 GB RAM while hard disk space spans a massive 320 GB. The other key features of the Haptic tablet include a built-in 1.3 megapixel front-facing web cam for video chatting, built-in speaker, three USB ports along with Mic, Ethernet, headphone and VGA ports and a memory card reader. The Haptic tablet also comes with 3G CDMA-VErizon SIM slot while also supporting a/b/g/n Wi-Fi.
Now coming to the most interesting aspect of the tablet and yes, you guessed it right, it’s about the OS of the device. Axon Login tablet PC is compatible with every Drawin OS which includes PureDarwin and even Apple’s proprietary operating system Mac OS X. It is to be noted the Mac OS X is based on the Darwin open source specification.
Dell to bypass 2.1 and jump to 2.2 Froyo for Streak
First the Streak came in late, and then there are many who feel the 5 inch smartphone tablet combo should have been more lucrative in its pricing. And if that wasn’t enough, the Streak came pre-installed with the Android 1.6, while the world around it has already started to have fun with the latest 2.2 Froyo version of the popular Android operating system. It’s not that the Streak in its present form with the old Android 1.6 is a slouch, but there is no denying the fact the Android 2.2 will make it even more of a zippy performer. Featurewise, the Android 2.2 is richer than the erstwhile 1.6 version that the Streaks now come bundled with.
This should come as a welcome relief to all those who are opting for the Streak with 1.6 version pre-installed. Many thought it would take ages to reach version 2.2 of the OS if Dell had opted to upgrade the OS incrementally and by the time they had caught up with the Froyo, the chubby green robot may have marched another few generations ahead.
Now to the bad news; Dell is yet to release any timeline by which we can expect the upgrade. So for now, it’s Android 1.6 that the Streak users will have to be content with. But when upgraded to the latest Android 2.2, the Streak will be a device to watch out for.
Toshiba’s Libretto W100 Tablet on Sale now! But it’s still expensive
We first reported a few months ago that Toshiba was working on a wicked new dual screen tablet PC! Now today we have it on sale in the USA for around $1100.
The Toshiba Libretto W100 Duel Screen tablet first went on sale about a week ago in Japan. You can reserve yours now on the Toshiba site or Amazon. Toshiba has mentioned to us that if you order now, it will take around 3 weeks for the device to arrive.
The Libretto W100 comes with two 7 inch LED Backlit WSVGA Multi-Touch display that has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Powering the Libretto W100 will be the 1.2 GHZ Intel Pentium U5400 processor. It also has 2 GB of DDR3 on board memory along with 62GB solid state hard drive and will run the Windows 7 Home Premium. The entire unit measures a quite compact 202 × 123 × 25.4 mm and sports a black brushed aluminum finish that exudes style from every angle. It has the looks of a cute little laptop though at 1.8 pounds, it won’t be a pain to lug it around. The weight will go up a bit more for the enhanced battery pack, however.
The W100 also incorporates a built in accelerometer for both the screens that will change screen orientations quickly and automatically. Also, both the screens can work independently of each other, thereby providing the users with the flexibility of using it the way they would like. The libretto W100 also packs in a range of software that is designed to further enhance the touchscreen abilities of the Windows 7 OS. These include an eReader app called Blio and Bulletin Board which is a Toshiba program that aims to act as a one-stop portal that will provide access to a calender, the documents, and the pictures that have been in use along with other frequently-used applications. Apart from these, the W100 will also come installed with the Reel time and PC Health Monitor programs.
Barnes and Noble Nook App for the iPhone is available
Barnes & Noble has recently launched their new E-Reader App for the Apple iPhone. They have also updated their image and brand, from now on all of their Android, Apple and other Applications will be called “Nook,” so you can have Nook for your PC. The new NOOK for iPhone gets the same iPad customization, together with last-page-read sync across ebooks also being viewed on the PC, Android, iPad and iPhone apps, and access to the Barnes and Noble eBookstore and digital library.
There are also plenty of reading preference settings, such as themes suited to day or nighttime reading. B&N’s LendMe system is also supported, so you can lend ebooks to family and friends. One of the new features for this application that will be out in the next update will be a book rating system. Users can update their 5 star ranking for books, simalar to the Nook for iPad.
Now you can watch HBO on the Apple iPad. Well Soon, Anyways
Popular entertainment and movie channel HBO is bringing in its shows for streaming on the iPad and other tablet devices. The best thing is, it will be free for all those who have subscribed to the channel via cable or satellite TV packages. The last bit may not be to the liking of many as they might have preferred to deal directly with HBO, bypassing the cable providers, but for now cable providers continue to play a big role in the entire thing.
Also, the latest move on part of HBO is sure to have irked Netflix as they had sought to play the game together. An agreement between the two does not seem likely any time soon. HBO has many a successful show under its belt and owns the cable and Internet rights to films coming out from Universal, Fox and Warner Bros studios. HBO also has a huge subscriber base, with over 29 million having subscribed to the channel.
Netflix for its part is a big player, with over 15 million subscribers and good profit margins. Netflix has also entered in a deal worth $900 million with Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment Group, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, wherein they will have exclusive right to the films that these companies produce.
So both the companies together could have created a behemoth, but it’s not to be, for HBO intends to play it solo and is more interested in increasing viewership and traffic to its own content and channels. The revelation comes from the HBO Co-President Eric Kessler who believes consumers won’t mind “paying a premium” if the content is good enough.
The Apple iPad new Commerical – its very Delicious
The Google Chrome Tablet PC to be launched on Nov 26 2010
The tablet landscape is all set for a dramatic change with several high profile tablet launches scheduled to happen during the end of this year or early next. That the manufacturers are keen to cash in on the holiday season is another reason they have planned for a year end launch.
And the one tablet that has raked up considerable interest among consumers as well as competitors is Google’s Chrome powered tablet device that, if rumors are to be believed, will get to see the light of day on the 26th of November. The rumors also point out the tablet will be built by HTC with Verizon being the official partner. Verizon is the largest wireless service provider in the United States and it plans to subsidize the new tablet to ensure it gets to have a significant price advantage against the iPad. Of course this would entail being tied to a Verizon data plan for the wireless service.
Also, if the rumors surrounding the tablet turn out to be true, we might have a tablet that with a NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor at its core coupled to a 2Gb RAM. On board storage should be around 32GB SSD, though the tablet is likely to have provision to expand that even further. A 1280 x 720 pixel multi-touch display will be making up the front of the tablet that is touted to have features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a built in 3G modem, GPS and an integrated Webcam. Of course the final product will have a lot more, though these should act as the initial pointer.
Google has a long standing relationship with HTC with the latter being the maker of several of the most advanced Android smartphones. These two in turn are closely tied to Verizon and it just makes sense for the three to team up for the first Chrome OS tablet.
Continuing with the last aspect, the upcoming tablet with Chrome as the OS will be a nice break from the surge of Android powered tablets. And if you are not sure what the two operating systems from Google stand for, here it is from the Official Google Blog: “Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems.” The Chrome OS is further described as: “While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.”
Lots of Notion Ink Adam News
Notion Ink today sent an email to around 100 developers giving them a tease on the upcoming Project Genesis.
Notion Inks Adam Tablet PC is making waves in the tech world about its robust features. Project Genesis is an online competition giving “millions” away to developers who make great applications to be shipped with the device. Also, these applications will be features in Notion Inks own online store that it is developing. This new store is not a straight alternative to the Android Market, but the applications developed will have the Adam in mind.
In further developments, CEO of Notion Ink Rohan Shravan has encouraged people to send emails to relation@notionink.com to apply for access to the SDK.
On the Notion Ink Blog, Rohan elaborated on some other news that the community at large has been pestering him about. He mentioned that in the first week of November, the Notion Ink Adam is slatted to enter into FCC certifications.
On the issue of the end price people would pay for the device, he had this to say “We want is cheap as well. I don’t think profit is in hardware. It lies in the ecosystem. And when the best hardware can be clubbed with a massive eco-system, you are talking about a revolution. There are unusual barriers in hardware which will not allow anyone to reduce prices below a certain level. The reason is, I think, as soon as a component hits large-scale manufacturing to become cheaper, next generation, better and faster component is available at the same. You probably have noticed this with Apple a lot.” He went on to elaborate ” Currently we will ship LCD and PQ Variants. Both available in Wi-fi only and 3G modes. I believe you will get a range of around $399 to $498 for these four. We are also working on reducing it further down.”
HP tablet in Q1 2011 is confirmed
From the slippery tracts of the Land of Rumors and Speculations to the firm grounds of certainty and confirmation, the Hp tablet is indeed on a firm track to reality. We had earlier carried reports of HP’s Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley having broken the news of the coming of the long delayed tablet sometime in the first quarter of next year. However, it was rumor at best and the news lacked the much needed touch of confirmation, which came during HP’s Q3 2010 earnings call.
What he had said exactly is this: “You’ll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011,” which should be enough to put any doubts to rest regarding the HP tablet becoming a reality. In fact, Bradley went on to add that it was the company’s tablet dreams that has prompted them to go for the Palm acquisition in the first place. HP had earlier confirmed they will be making a Windows 7 powered tablet as well, but that one would only be targeted at the enterprise sector.
However, there was no mention of any tablet based on the Android operating system. HP has had a tryst with what can be described as the most preferred operating system of tablet manufacturers, and for a while there were rumors of a tablet device from HP that would have the Android as the OS.
Now that we know for sure about the impending arrival of a WebOS and a Windows powered tablet, with the former arriving first, next in line is perhaps an Android powered tablet. The only thing left to be seen is whether it will be good enough to take on the iPad or it turns out to be a fluke, as the majority of the tablets have turned out to be so far.
Velocity Micro Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet to debut next month
As per the latest e-reader news, Velocity Micro Cruz Reader will be available for pre-order from Borders starting September 15th. The company also has good news for those who prefer tablet devices, as the Cruz Tablet will also be on offer for pre-order from Borders starting from October 15th. Prices as announced now stand at $199 for the e-reader and $299 for the tablet.
Complete details are yet to come by though what is known is that the e-reader will have a 7 inch screen and will be similar to the Pandigital Novel in that the Cruz e-reader will be a multimedia device that will allow its users to watch movies, pictures, or listen to music as well as surfing the net. All this while the device is being marketed as an e-reader. Just as Pandigital is still doing with its Novel.
The new Cruz e-reader runs the Android OS, version 2.0 and has tied up with the recently launched Borders’ online e-book store as the official content provider. However, users won’t have access to the Android Market Place and will have to depend on the Cruz market instead.
New Pocketbook E-Readers and a Tablet to be shown at IFA
At the IFA show in Germany Foxconn Technololgy the makers of the pocketbook e-readers will be showing up with 4 new e-readers and a Tablet PC!
The products they shown off were the new PocketBook Pro 602 and Pro 902, the Premium model Pro 603 and Pro 903 and the PocketBook IQ with TFT color screen.
The entry level 602 has a six inch e-ink screen, while the 902 has a 10 inch one. The battery life on both models are good for around 12,00 page turns before you would have to recharge it. Spec wise, each model is rather identical. You have both models running on a Linux based operating system, and possess bluetooth and WI-FI. They internal memory of both devices is around 2 GB.
Meanwhile, the Pocket Pro 603 and 903 have the same screen sizes as the lower tier models, both 6 inch and 10 inches. Battery life is the same as well, at around 12,000 page turns. The big difference is that these models have a multi-touch screen and 3G for internet. The company is billing the touch screen as the e-reader equivalent of a WACOM tablet.
One of the more surprising new features that was shown off was their first Android Tablet PC, named the Pocketbook IQ. This little dandy has a 7 inch TFT Color Touch screen. It will have WI-FI and bluetooth and a built in G sensor, so it can switch between horizontal model and landscape.
Top 10 List of the highest earning Book Authors
Just last month Amazon published a report of its authors whom have sold the most ebooks online. Today Forbes published a report of the highest earners of the ebook industry. This report covers the time period between June 1 2009 and June 2 2010. It not only covers book sales, but film rights, gaming deals, and other income.
The Wink e-reader launched in India
India is slowly catching up with the e-reader fever and here is one more e-reader after the ‘Pi’ e-book reader from Infibeam to satiate a growing community of book lovers who seem to be just as ease or perhaps more with the electronic version of the books than their hard cover counterparts.
And it is for these people that the Bangalore based digital publishing company EC Media International have come up with a new e-book reading device which they have named the Wink. Pretty nice name for an e-reader though unfortunately the e-reader does not break any new grounds in design, features or its overall capability. In fact, it will remind one of the Kindle 2 at a time when Amazon has come up with a more advanced version of their popular e-reader and which promises to be an even better e-reader than the Kindle 2 while continuing with the same price. The Wink is also isn’t exactly cheap, since at Rs. 11,500 which translates to about 190 euro or $250, it sure is costly than the new Kindle which comes for $189.
So what is that EC Media has packed into the Wink to justify its price. Let’s find out.
To begin with, the Wink comes in a device that allows its user to listen to music, play games and browse the net, apart from of course reading e-books, all through a 6 inch e-paper display having a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels and 16 shades of gray. At its core is a 400 MHz Samsung processor while on board storage amounts to 2GBs which can be extended further to 16 GB by way of MicroSD cards.
Among its other features, there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB 2.0 port. To connect to the outside world, the e-reader has been provided with 802.11b/g WiFi and GPRS wireless features. The Wink also boasts of a good battery life that can sustain about 10,000 page turns on a single charge or 10 hours of music playback.
That about wraps it up for another Good E-Reader Week in Review. If you want the latest eBooks for your E-Reader or Tablet PC, check out our Good E-Reader eBook Store. We allow you unlimited ebook downloads a month, for a low monthly fee. Also, be sure to check out the Good e-Reader Youtube Channel, for the latest product reviews, podcasts and much more!
Good E-Reader Week in Review: Aug 8 to Aug 15 2010
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This has been a super busy week in the realm of E-Readers and Tablet Computers! We have seen the death of the Que, and the rise of Sony’s plans to make an Android Tablet.
We also take a look at the new Apple iPad firmware update and what it entails, and take a look at new information about the Asus E-Reader.
At Good E-Reader we take news seriously and produce these weekly installments to give you the top weekly news for E-Readers, eBooks, Slate and Tablet Computers. We know you do not have time to read everything that comes out, news wise. We we make it our mission to summarize the top weekly news items in a easy to digest format. As always, click on the title to read the full news story.
More info about the new iPad’s in development
There are rumors doing the rounds saying that Apple is in the process of developing new versions of its hugely successful tablet PC the iPad. The new versions, according to rumor, will have smaller screen sizes than the current iPad. This is nothing new to us or our regular readers, however.
Well, we do have more info about the newest baby iPads that are going to hit us during the first quarter of 2011 that gives us an idea of what to expect from Apple:
The next gen iPads may not have the size to flaunt but it does get an upgrade where it matters the most: its processors. While the current generation iPad comes equipped with ARM Cortex A8 processor – A4 processor in Apple speak - both versions of the new iPads are likely to be powered by a more powerful customized ARM Cortex A9 processor which scores over the A4 in terms of a higher clock speed and multi-core capabilities.
Along with a boost in CPU capabilities, the new iPads also also likely to be provided with enhanced system memories which may be doubled from the current 256 MB to 512 MB. Also, while it was earlier believed the new iPads will come with OLED screen which are considered superior to the LCD displays, it seems that’s not the case as the latest reports point out its going to be a revert back to the IPS panels that the iPad now sports. However, screen resolution will continue to be the same at 1024 × 768 pixels in spite of the screen size being scaled down, which translates to better pixel density for the new iPads with smaller screen sizes.
WebOS based HP tablet to debut in 2011
It has been quite some time now since HP promised us a tablet device. Something that can match up to the iPad, currently the undisputed leader in the tablet segment. But the tablet has never made it to the real world and has always reigned supreme in the rumor turf. All that ever came our way is just prototype tablets running different operating systems during different times of the year. And speaking of operating systems, HP seems to have left nothing to chance, having tested everything from Windows, Android to the WebOS that they have gained access to after having acquired the Palm company.
However, a HP branded tablet is back in the news once again and this time they would like us to believe it’s definitive: a tablet from HP running WebOS is indeed in the making and is just a few months away from being commercially launched. In fact, they have even gone on to specify a specific launch window, that of the first quarter of 2011.
Windows 7 vs the iPad
Samsung Galaxy Tablet to make debut next month
Here is some good news from the Samsung camp: the tablet device they have been making is finally nearing completion of its development phase and is all set to enter the market soon. In fact, it can be as soon as next month. The IFA consumer electronics show to be held in Berlin has been chosen as the preferred launch venue of the Android tablet that has raked up considerable consumer interest in recent times. The show is held from September 3rd through the 8th.
Providing credibility to the rumors is the fact that the news comes from a ‘top ranking official’ of the Korean company. “We will showcase our latest Smart TV and interchangeable lens camera models at the show,” the source revealed before adding, “We will also showcase our tablet PC for the first time officially.”
The Woes of the Augen Gentouch78
We just picked up the Augen Gentouch78 Android Tablet from K-mart for a sweet $149.00 and it is a very frustrating device.
First of all, Augen never informed Google that they would have integrated Android applications shipped on the device, such as GMAIL, Android Market, and others. Because of this, you cannot download any applications from the Marketplace. Although Google Android is a free operating system, you still have to License it via Google. The main problem is that Android is an open source OS, Google apps are not. Augen said that they were left in the software unintentionally.
Augen has released an update as of Aug 6 2010, that allows you limited access to a custom store they have set up. Do not expect to see any official applications here such as; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all of the mainstays. You do have access to a few independent applications, but most are very lackluster. You can download the new Store App here
The Augen is riddled with bugs as well. For one, you cannot factory wipe all of the data from it. It gives you the option to do it, and when you reboot it, nothing happens. It also does not flip between landscape mode and horizontal mode. You have to download another app for this, but guess what? It’s from the Android Marketplace.
Apple releases iOS 3.2.2 update for iPad
As per the latest tablet PC news, Apple has come out with a software upgrade that covers most of their iDevices, including the iPad. The upgrade has been named the iOS 4.0.2 software update and is actually comprised of two versions: 4.0.2 and 3.2.2, with the latter being destined for the iPad.
Also, the latest update differs from all other updates in that the latest tweaking job is aimed at just one and only one thing – to plug the huge PDF hole that allowed hackers to gain unauthorized access to the iPad. It was the PDF flaw that enabled the hackers to jailbreak the iPad, something that Apple has said they covered by including two iOS fixes in the update that they believe will deter hackers from tinkering with the iPad.
Among the two fixes, the PDF fix is designed to prevent the running of any third party program codes through specially prepared PDF files, thereby blocking the route taken by hackers to jailbreak the device.
Kobo and Random House form a partnership with Fairmont
Kobo today has struck a deal with the Fairmont Hotels to have E-Readers available for customers to utilize if they are Gold Members.
When you stay at the hotel, you will get deals on most Random House E-Books, giving you between $2 and $5 in savings on select titles. When you return your e-reader when you check out, you get further coupons for E-Books.
This gives people incentive with coupons for deals and free ebooks to go out to the local Chapters/Boarders store and purchase a new Kobo E-Reader.
Sony is Developing a new Android Tablet
Operating system.
This news was posted on Sony’s LinkedIn webpage where they were looking for a “Senior Staff Software Engineer”. They cited familiarity with the Google Android SDK was a must. The job position is available in California, USA.
Also in the job posting it asked for familarity with Mac OS and Windows, which leads us to believe that Sony is working on an many applications for Android, iPad and the iPhone among others.
Sony looks to be ducking out of the increasingly competitive E-Reader market, and might be jumping on the Tablet PC bandwagon. It would probably be beneficial for Sony to develop a very high end Android Device, when most of the entrants to the market have lackluster products, such as the Augen GenTouch78 and the Apad.
Asus Developing many Tablet PC’s
The tablet segment is buzzing with activity. Not that it had gone into the hibernation mode but for a while it was the Android tablets that were found hogging the limelight with the biggies in the business seemingly having no qualms taking the back seat. But that has changed and the latest that we get to hear are some ambitious tablet plans from Asus. The Taiwan based company had already revealed they would aim to register a sizeable presence in the tablet segment and has just come out with further details outlining their game plan.
Asus CEO Jerry Shen has come out with the specific price of three tablet devices that it plans to launch in the December January time slot while also mentioning there is an Android powered tablet in the pipeline as well which is slated to go on sale during March next year.
Plastic Logic calls it Quits on the Que E-Reader
We reported a few days ago that Plastic Logic was looking to sell a fair amount of shares of its company to a Russian State owned media firm. We also reported a few months ago that Plastic Logic had canceled pre-orders of their E-Reader and refunded the customers. We now have confirmed reports that Plastic Logic is giving up on their Que E-Reader.
Plastic Logic first showed off their excellent e-reader at the Consumer Electrics Show. It had a high price of around $500 and due to recent entrants to the e-reader market - such as Barnes and Noble and kobo - their e-reader is not commercially viable anymore. One of the big proponents that led to the dissolving of their e-reader was the Apple iPad.
The CEO of Plastic Logic Richard Archuleta recently said in an interview; “We recognize the market has dramatically changed, and with the product delays we have experienced, it no longer makes sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reading product.” He went on to say, “We plan to take the necessary time needed to re-enter the market as we refocus, redesign and retool for our next generation ProReader product. We continue to perfect our core plastic electronic technology and manufacturing processes that are central to our product’s unique value proposition.”
Sony to Launch two new E-Readers – PRS-650 and PRS-350
We broke the news yesterday that a Sony job posting on LinkedIn revealed that Sony had plans in the works for a new Android Tablet PC. We now have reports that Sony is following up and releasing two new touch screen e-readers. The new e-readers are extensions of existing product lines, such as the Sony PRS 600 and 300.
Due to more competition in the e-reader market, Sony will keep costs low for their two new Sony Reader devices. They will have faster page turns, will be lighter and more robust then their previous iterations.
The Sony PRS-650 will have a six inch screen while the PRS-350 will have a five inch screen. We also will see an increase with on-board memory from 512MB to 2GB of internal storage. We also have heard reports that the Sony PRS-650 will have WI-FI and 3G. Sadly there is no WI-FI or 3G for the new Sony PRS 350, but likely it will be under $100.00.
Not only is Sony upgrading the screns, and some of the internal memory, but they are also upgrading the GUI included with the device. You will have a new Home screen, with larger icons. It will also be bundled with Note Taking software.
Asus e-reader to cost around $300
Asus CEO Jerry Shen has also revealed its upcoming e-reader will cost around $300, which surely is a huge improvement over the rather audacious ‘around $599′ that it was earlier believed will cost when it is ready to enter market, which has been pegged to be around October.
Strangely named the Eee Tablet, the black and white e-reader comes with an 8 inch TFT LCD display having 64 shades of gray and a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The touchscreen will be devoid of any backlight and will be as much receptive to stylus input with a digitizer as it will be to finger presses.
This apart, the other salient features of the Eee Tablet e-reader are an integrated 2 megapixel camera, a built in microphone, 2GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot along with WiFi connectivity option. The e-reader also comes bundled with a full web browser and runs a custom Linux operating system while battery life of the device is slated to be around 10 hours.
With the Eee Tablet, Asus is primarily targeting the student community where the e-reader will fit in as a convenient note taking device. With the Eee Tablet, the Taiwan based manufacturer is also contemplating a change of name to Eee Note by the time it is ready for shipping in October to avoid being confused with its Eee Pad range of tablet PCs. After all, for Asus, the Eee Tablet/Eee Note is a Kindle beater and not a tablet device.
That about wraps it up the Good E-Reader Week in Review! If you have an iPad, E-Reader or Tablet, then you will love our Unlimited E-Book Download Service! We support 10 different formats on each book!
Good E-Reader Week in Review – Aug 2 to Aug 9 2010
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Welcome to another riveting edition of the Good E-Reader Week in Review! This week we have seen a wide array of new Tablet PC News, some have been announced in development, as well as a few new release dates. We have perplexing news that the Barnes and Noble bookstore chain is in real trouble. On the flip side, we look at Amazons recent success and some of the statistics regrading their ebook sales and the Kindle E-Reader.
As always, click on the title to read the full article and please enjoy.
MasterPad Tablet PC to run Windows 7
It is as if Steve Ballmer has taken it upon himself to don the mantle of the iPad slayer and he is soldering on with the Windows 7 OS even though critics would not waste a chance to mince words describing how inefficient the operating system is in a tablet environment. Actual prototypes were too few and far between to prove them wrong though this seems to have been taken care of a bit with the unveiling of the MasterPad, a prototype tablet brought out by the Israel based company Pegatron. And if initial responses are to be believed, the tablet does look to be quite a capable device.
The first thing that catches everybody’s attention is the super thin frame of the MasterPad which Pegatron says is all of just 14 mm. The screen is 11.6 inches of In Plane Switching display with 1,366 x 768 widescreen resolution while the processor is the Intel Atom N450 unit running at 1.66GHz. There is also a dedicated HD video-processing chip to enhance the multimedia capabilities of the tablet. Pegatron has stated the MasterPad is capable of smooth 1080p video playback and is also compatible with the Adobe Flash.
These apart, the MasterPad incorporates a 1.3-megapixel webcam with a microphone, a memory card reader as well as an accelerometer. Then there’s going to be two USB ports and a mini-HDMI port. The table also comes with an integrated 3G modem along with on board memory options range from 32GB to 64GB. All of this stuff is enclosed with a magnesium and aluminum alloy body and stops just short of a kilo in weight.
Connecticut Attorney General Investigating Amazon Publishing deal
We reported last week that Amazon cut a really sweet deal with a New York Publishing group. They cut exclusive ebook deals for such authors as Salmon Rushdie, Oliver Sacks and Phillip Roth. Amazon also gets access to the estates of William S. Burroughs of the Beat Generation fame.
This created an uproar in the industry, especially since e-books are now outselling real books.
This exclusive arrangement with Amazon has attracted some powerful opposition in the form of Connecticut attorney general, Richard Blumenthal. He has opened an investigation to see whether or not the deals recently done by Amazon and Apple have violated any rules and regulations. His main beef is this exclusive arrangements will be anti-competitive to new E-Book companies from starting up. Also, not only does it affect start-ups, but it could also prevent Sony, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Boarders from selling ebooks by specific authors.
Augen Gentouch78 Has No Access to the Android Maket
Just got the hottest gadget around this weekend from K-Mart in the form of the Augen 78 Tablet PC? Bad News, it does not have access to the Android Market place yet. Augen released a message on their website that they were having numerous problems with the device. For one, it cannot access the Google Android Market. Apparently Augen did not inform Google they were pre-installing applications on their device, which Google took exception to. We have heard many reports that even downloaded applications will not install properly. Augen said a week ago, within 48 hours they would have a fix. They do not, and people are returning their tablets in droves. This situation is much akin to the Pandigital Fiasco.
Random House sees E-Book sales Soar
Random House, who is the world’s biggest book publisher, expects E-Books to generate 10% of the company’s overall revenue by next year, the CEO has recently divulged.
Chief Executive of Random House Markus Dohle recently did an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel that e-book revenue had already jumped to 8 percent of the companies overall sales in the United States. Random Houses stars that contributed to the sales spike were Dan Brown, John Grisham and Stieg Larsson.
“We’re at 8 percent in the United States currently, it rose by leaps and bounds,” Dohle told Der Spiegel. “I could well imagine that we get beyond 10 percent next year,” he said. He added that he did not expect e-books to generally overtake printed books in the next five years. But he did say that ebooks by 2015 will account for 25 to 50% of total sales.
Random House is turning a blind eye right now to Apple’s iPad because Dohle said he was not sure about Apple’s model which forces publishers to determine the end-consumer price, unlike for printed books which are priced by retailers.
Verizon and Motorola to roll out a Tablet PC
Verizon harbors ambitious Android tablet plans and they have made no attempt to keep this a secret. Here is more info on that front, as the latest tablet PC news reveals they have partnered up with Motorola to give shape to their tablet dreams. However, every attempt is being made to keep everything pertaining to the new tablet under wraps (though some of the details have filtered out and are now in public domain). So we know the new tablet will come with two integrated cameras – one at the front for video conferencing, and another on the back for still pictures. The new tablet will also have a 10 inch screen, which puts it slam bang in the iPad territory. The report also reveals it will be thinner and lighter than the iPad.
What’s also known is that the tablet will be compatible with Adobe Flash while also having mobile hotspot functionality. It will also have something that perhaps no other tablet is offering right now – access to Verizon’s FiOS cable service. Motorola already is into making the Verizon FiOS set-top box and to include the same technology – albeit with any modification - should not be too much to ask. Google’s Android operating system has been chosen for OS duty.
Unfortunately, this is as much as is available right now and there is no word yet on what is going to power the new tablet or what is likely to be its price. But the good thing is the tablet may be ready for a launch as early as this fall.
Its end of the road for the Foxit eSlick E-Reader
It seems the good old law of nature is playing its part in the e-reader segment. E-readers have had their time under the sun. There was a time when e-readers came to swamp the market with devices of all shapes and sizes, and of all hues and colors vied for consumer’s attention. The market was big enough to accommodate all of them and the concept still fresh. The end result, avid readers lapped up these e-book reading devices and there was enough for everybody to survive. The going wasn’t bad after all. Alas the good old days.
But then, as numbers swell, a shake-up becomes imminent and its only the fittest that gets to survive while the rest perish. We have had seen Irex and the Cool-ER e-readers running out of juice before and this time, its the eSlick e-reader’s turn to drive into the sunset. Of course, there is the other factor as well, like the iPad that is making life difficult for dedicated e-readers.
Foxit justified the move saying it needed to “eliminate the possibility of competing with our partners.” Foxit’s eSlick e-readers were once counted to be among the cheapest around and for its excellent support for PDF files. That the e-readers haven’t been updated ever since these came onto the scene back in the December of 2008 did not help things either. And with all the other e-readers resorting to slashing prices in order to survive, Foxit quickly lost the price advantage that it once enjoyed. Its e-readers with a 6 inch screen real estate and e-ink enabled black and white display will set you back by $200 now. This while the Kindles, the Nooks and the Sony e-readers come for less than that while offering much more in terms of features and support.
Cutting prices to remain competitive was never viable for a small company like Foxit and as part of its new restructuring plans, Foxit has said it will shut down its European operations and will work entirely out of its Fremont, California headquarters. It will now devote its resources on licensing the software technology that enabled its e-readers to read PDF and ePub files. The company said it expects a surge in digital reading and would like to cash in on that after exiting the hardware business.
Penguin CEO an E-Book Convert
Penguin chief executive John Makinson proclaims himself as an eBook convert! On a recent trip to India, he had his iPad loaded up with a manuscript by John le Carré and some Portuguese classics (in English) ahead of Penguin launching a range in Brazil. He mentions that it simply “makes sense” to have books on one device instead of carrying an armload.
“It does redefine what we do as publishers and I feel, compared with most of my counterparts, more optimistic about what this means for us,” he says. “Of course there are issues around copyright protection and there are worries around pricing and around piracy, royalty rates and so on, but there is also this huge opportunity to do more as publishers.”
Publishing, he says, must embrace innovation: “I am keen on the idea that every book that we put on to an iPad has an author interview, a video interview, at the beginning. I have no idea whether this is a good idea or not. There has to be a culture of experimentation, which doesn’t come naturally to book publishers. We publish a lot of historians, for example. They love the idea of using documentary footage to illustrate whatever it is they’re writing about.”
Barnes & Noble in Dire Straights
A war is currently on in the e-reader/e-book business and it seems no one is safe from the firing lines. Not even those who can be described with such superlatives like the biggest, the largest, the best, etc. And the latest casualty seems to the number one book store chain in the United States, Barnes & Noble. According to the latest e-reader news, they have put themself up for grabs. With economy yet to reach the pink of its health and competition continuing to be relentless, this seemed to be the most obvious decision on part of Barnes & Noble. That the consumer preference has shifted towards e-books is another reason behind the move as Barnes & Noble sources revealed they wish to apply themselves more in the e-book business.
New Apple iPad in Development
The rumor mills are at it again and this time they are not focusing on devices that they think will topple the iPad but on the iPad itself. According to the latest tablet PC news, Apple is working on a second generation iPad which it hopes to introduce to the market during Q4 of 2010. Rumor also has it that the new gen iPad will have display sizes of 5.6 and 7 inches. Further, the reports also point towards Apple going in for OLED screen in place of LCD display that is on the current generation iPads.
OLED screens are considered far superior than LCD displays, in that OLED screens are more capable of displaying deeper black levels (since they do not require a backlight source). Also, contrast ratios are higher for OLED display while the screen refresh rates are faster, too. And that’s not all, for OLEDs are thinner and lighter in comparison to LCDs.
A smaller iPad will be surely welcomed by consumers. These will be even more affordable than the base iPad. In fact, there are reports that Apple already placed orders with component makers based in Taiwan to supply the screens in the two sizes for the new iPads. The leading developers of OLED screens in the world, like Samsung or LG, are hardpressed to meet their own demands with their mobile gadgets and an order from Apple would further strain their resources. LG already is finding it hard to meet the demand for the LED display of the current iPad and is resorting to setting up a second production line to ease demand rush.
There have been reports of many e-readers deciding to close operations due to intense competition. The iPad is also considered to be a major cause of worry for the e-reader industry, and has already brought doom to many. Just think what a smaller iPad will do to the lesser e-readers as these are likely to be the first to feel the heat of a new, sleeker iPad.
Viewsonic to launch Froyo Android tablet this fall
Viewsonic will surely like to cash in on the holiday season which is when it plans to launch the tablet in the UK and Europe though there is no word yet as to when its going to set sail for the US shores. Prices for the European market is likely to be around the £300 to £400 mark, which translates to around US$478 to $637.
Viewsonic’s earlier attempt at an Android powered tablet is the VT101 tablet which was launched in China a few months ago. Its with a larger 8.9 inch screen having a resolution of 1024 x 800 pixels and has a 1GHz nVidia Tegra 250 CPU. If the upcoming tablet is a smaller version of the same tablet with a 7 inch screen then it would definitely be a nice tablet to watch out for. Add to that the access to the Android Market place that the tablet comes bundled with and what you get to have is perhaps a sure shot winner on your hand.
HP Zeen Tablet PC in Development
HP is pioneering some interesting technology lately, and is putting out a bevy of beauties to be hitting the retail shelves hopefully by December 2010.
In December of 2009 HP filed for a trademark on the word “Zine” and now they have just filed an FCC Application for a new tablet device called the “HP eStation Zine”
Although there is no official word of the operating system, many people are alluding to this device has being the HP Tablet PC.
With the acquisition of Palm in the Books in July, HP admitted that Palm and WebOS will be a fringe programming group, perhaps dealing in smart phones exclusively, although they are developing some neat printers using WebOS.
From what we know, the eStation Zine will be a capacitive tablet using Google Android 2.2 Operating System. It will be using a exclusive skin layer, much akin to Motorola’s “Motoblur”
Kindle’s UK Store Opens!
Here is some good news for those living in the United Kingdom – Amazon.co.uk has announced they have started shipping their latest version of the Kindle e-reader. They also announced their UK Kindle Store has started commencement of operation in that country.
So what this means is that UK residents will get to lay their hands on the brand new lighter and smaller Kindle which will cost them £149 for the one with an integrated 3D modem while the WiFi only version of the kindle will come for £30 less.
Introducing the Gpad G10 Android tablet
The tablet Android love story continues and here is one more example of it – the Gpad G10. And its readying itself to do battle in the budget tablet segment, priced as it is at a quite affordable $185. In fact, at this price point it can even spoil the Augen Gentouch 78 tablet party which had created quite some ripples (if not waves) when it announced its availability from Kmart stores for $150. But does the Gpad G10 have enough features to really make a credible case for itself. Let’s find out.
To begin with, the Gpad G10’s “G10″ bit might make you believe it has got a 10 inch sized screen. But that’s not the case. Instead, the Gpad G10’s display is made up of a 7 inch LCD touch screen that has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It has a Telechips 8902 ARM 11-based processor with a clock speed of 800MHz to run the device. It has got 256MB RAM though internal memory is pretty dismal at just 2 GB. However, to make it up, the tablet includes a microSDHC memory card slot which in turn let’s you increase the tablet’s total memory to an acceptable 32GB.
Toshiba Libretto will make market debut on Aug 11
The Toshiba Libretto may have cooled the nerves of those who were keenly awaiting the release of the Courier from Microsoft. Or maybe it might have infuriated them more with the thought of ‘if Toshiba can do it than why not Microsoft.’ Whatever it is, the fact is unlike Courier, Libretto has gone on to become a reality and this time its another milestone that the dual screen tablet device is about to reach in its product life cycle – Toshiba has finally announced firm release dates for the tablet to begin shipping. Its going to be on the 11th of August and in Japan to begin with.
Toshiba had earlier promised a summer release of the dual screened tablet in America too though while summer is definitely on, there is no sign of the Libretto W100 yet on the American landscape. And it surely is being watched in other parts of the world as well where many are eagerly looking forward to the official release of what can be terms as the first true blue dual screen tablet device. Of course that’s not without reason as the device sure has what it would take to become a cult product.
ASUS is Developing LCD E-reader
There is a new e-reader peeping from just under the horizon and its coming from the Taiwan based company Asus. Asus had earlier revealed it is building an e-reader and a tablet device and this might the one that they had been talking about.
Initial reports reveal Asus is keen to break away from the usual e-ink stuff and has therefore taken the LCD route, equipping the e-reader with an 8 inch LCD screen. Asus also plan to endow the e-reader with 64 level of gray. It also stated the e-reader won’t have backlight and will be able to refresh itself pretty quickly. Word on the street is that the e-reader may also come integrated with a 3G modem. Unfortunately, everything else like battery life, browser support and the like is a mystery as of now.
However, Asus plans to launch the e-reader in October and with a price tag that’s under $599. Watch over for more on this in the coming days.
Best Buy will launch Rocketfish-branded iPad clone
A tablet device from Best Buy is soon going to be a reality and the confirmation comes from none other than the company’s CTO and founder of Geek Squad Robert Stephens who revealed some teaser shots of the upcoming tablet on Twitter. However, what has been shown is just the outer shell which again has left experts divided in their opinion on the form factor as to some it resembles the HP Slate though some believe its an iPad clone. The latter might be closer to reality as Best Buy too has stated they are targeting the Apple’s offering with their tablet device.
It would be interesting to note that Stephens had earlier revealed a tablet device is slowly gaining final shape in their camp. He had also stated that the tablet would come with Android 2.2 pre-installed and would also feature a built-in camera among others. However, there is no word yet if the pictures shown of the tablet is the same as has been described almost a month ago.
HP Slate out Soon..But only for Enterprise Customers
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Well here it is, some bitter news with the usual sugar coating on it. Coming to the sugary part of the news first, the Slate from Hewlett Packard that we have been awaiting for so long is finally coming. But before you start jumping for joy, we’re going to have to break the bad news –it won’t be for mainstream consumption but instead exclusively for enterprise. Yes, that’s true. And it sure will break a million hearts, just as it had happened in the case of the Courier device which Microsoft had so cruelly declared abandoned with nary a thought for all those who have been so anxiously awaiting its release. Now it’s HP’s turn to play spoilsport.
The news should also come as a complete surprise. It was just yesterday that we reported the existence of the Slate running the Windows 7 OS that has earned quite a bit of notoriety for being too heavy on the processor and the battery. Nevertheless, there still were many who were eager to see the Slate rip through the fortunes of the iPad. But not anymore.
The ominous piece of news was revealed by the Personal Systems Group Vice President of HP, Todd Bradley who while interacting with his colleagues at Fortune Brainstorm let it out that the Slate will be built entirely with the enterprise market in mind.
And as for its availability, its going to be around fall this year which is before the holiday shopping season. So its a clear picture that’s emerging, Windows 7 will be for the enterprise edition while its the WebOS that’s perhaps meant for the mass consumer segment. It will be interesting to note that the Android has already been ruled out and an Android powered tablet is not likely to materialize before the Gingerbread version is ready.
So let’s keep our finger crossed for the WebOS powered tablet from HP. And who knows, it might well turn out to be the real winner in the tablet PC wars.
Good E-Reader Week in Review – June 28 to July 4 2010
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Welcome to another edition of the Good E-Reader week in Review! This week we saw more Tablet and Slate PC news more then most weeks! We saw many different new products get announced, we saw the rise of E-Readers tailored towards Kids ages 2 to 9 and some new Android Software! We also posted our July E-Book Preview, with all of the authors you know and love and some ones you have not heard of before.
As always click on the bold title of the news item to read the full article.
Summer Reading July eBook Preview for Fiction
This month we published due to popular demand the latest eBooks to come out July 2010! We see such popular bestseller name stay authors such as Nora Roberts and the Search, due out July 6 2010, and many more.
Kindle Android Application now Available
A few hours ago the Amazon Kindle Application went live on the Android Market! This application gives you access to all of your Amazon eBook purchased you might have made with your Kindle E-Reader, or books you might have purchased via Kindle to PC or their Blackberry Application.
The Kindle app lets you do things like adjust yours font sizes, free ebook samples, and most importantly, wireless bookmark synchronization. This application will even let you adjust the background color as well as brightness, just by hitting the Menu key.
In order for this application to run correctly your Android device must have at least Android 1.6 to operate. The Application is a free download.
The mTouch Tablet from Merel Technologies
How big do you think a Tablet PC can get. We know of the Dell Streak that sports a puny 5 inch screen. That perhaps is the smallest size for a device to be still classified a Tablet for anything less than that, and it runs the risk of ending up being in smartphone territory. Then there are the JooJoos and the ICD Vegas at the upper end of the spectrum with screens measuring 12 inches and 15 inches respectively. Also, with a screen measuring 15 inches, the Vega from ICD is clearly the biggest tablet PC we have seen so far.
But here’s one Tablet PC that can shake things up. Welcome the new mTouch tablet from Merel Technologies. And its claim to fame, a massive 42 inch LED-lit LCD screen, that, in spite of its size, is strong enough to take up the role of a drink coaster as well. Of course for those who think its way too big, there a 32 inch sized tablet as well. But at 32 or 42 inches, the mTouch is a far cry of what we think of Tablets since these are not the portable device that Tablet have come to be known for. Instead, the mTouch can actually be termed a ‘table tablet.’
Specs wise, the mTouch has an 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor along with 4GB of DDR2 RAM. A 320GB SATA hard drive provides with enough storage space with the mTouch that includes 20 touch points on its LED-lit LCD screen. Then there’s a built-in GeForce 9300 graphics to render life like pictures on the huge screen, which essentially is a stacked multi-touch layer along with an LCD TV that makes up the display interface. The entire touch components along with the user interface and the operating system are proprietary to Merel. The display incorporates gesture recognition, object recognition, and multi-user multi-touch features so that what we have with the mTouch is a device that makes for an innovative means of interacting with media and kiosk apps.
V.Tech V Reader – a Kids E-Reader
V.Tech has just released a new E-Reader aimed at Kids! Formally known as the Flip and now known as the V-Reader, this e-reader joins the Fisherprice IXL and the Aiptek Story in the race to replace traditional books for little kids.
The E-Reader features a full color touch screen and software driven QWERTY Keyboard. The device comes with a bunch of built in eBooks such as The Little Engine that Could, Dora the Explorer, Toy Story 3 and many more. It retails for around $59.99 and each book will cost around $20.00. The Device comes with a USB cable, but not an AC Adapter. It has dedicated volume controls and a head phone jack so you do not have to hear the same book 1000 times, as your little one plays with it.
Graphite Kindle DX Coming July 7th
Its finally here, the new Kindle DX at a new price. However, before you begin to think of an whole new Kindle DX out to replace the current version, here it is, the new aspect is just limited to the color of the Kindle and that it now comes at a price that’s lower than the previous Kindle DX by $110.So its now $379, down from the $489 that it would have cost before, .i.e. during the pre-iPad days.
The Kindle DX will however, continue to be 3G ready and does not include any monthly bills or annual contracts. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the device which has started from today with the actual deliveries slated to begin from the 7th of July.
The display continues to be black and white though Amazon claims the new DX incorporates a new e-ink screen with 50 percent improved contrast. What this boils down to is clearer text and sharper images. The screen will continue to be of the same size, 9.7 inches though it now is enclosed within a eye catching dark graphite frame.
There is a rush of Tablet PC in Germany. Acceptance of orders for the Neofonie WeTab is about to begin and there is another lined up already called the 1&1 SmartPad Android tablet from the German cable Internet provider. And the good thing is, this tablet is scheduled to be launched this July itself.
The 1&1 SmartPad has a 7 inch LCD WVGA touchscreen display upfront and a 500 MHz ARM11 processor behind it. Screen resolution stands at 800 x 480 though its not known whether it will be capacitive or resistive. The SmartPad has 256 MB of DDR RAM and another 1 GB of storage capacity. There is also a 2GB SD card included in the package. The SmartPad comes integrated with 802.11 g/b/n Wi-Fi for connectivity though 3G has been made an optional extra. However, for anytime and anywhere Internet connection, a USB WWAN dongle can be made use of which stands in as a means to connect to cellular data networks.
Although it was just a few days ago that Amazon slashed the price of the Kindle 2 from $254.00 to $189.99 and just yesterday announced of an upcoming Kindle DX Graphite edition for $379.99. Today’s news has Amazon making another acquisition of a company in the form of Woot.com, in the tune of a reported $110 million dollars.
Woot is an online shopping site with a loyal base of around 2.75 million users. Its claim to fame was an online “deal of the day” concept selling one item each day for a significantly marked-down price. Items range from flat-screen TVs and PlayStation 3’s to Microsoft Zune players. The site has become so popular that it’s not uncommon for items to sell out within in minutes. To mark the acquisition of Woot, todays sold-out item of the day: the Kindle 2 for $149!
The CEO of Woot.com, Matt Rutledge, said that while Amazon did buy the company, Woot will remain and run the same way it has for years, “with a wall of ideas and a dartboard.” He continued, saying that the Woot vision will remain the same, “somehow earning a living on snarky commentary and junk.” The habitual jokers did not reveal the financial details of the purchase; however technology blog Techcrunch reported that Seattle based Amazon paid entirely in cash.
HP concludes Palm Purchase for 1.2 Billion
Hewlett Packard has completed acquisition of the Palm this week in a deal worth about US$1.2 billion. This also marks the culmination of the process that was first announced on the 28th of April. started HP has dropped some hints that there could be a possibility of them replacing the Windows 7 Home premium OS from Microsoft with the Palm’s WebOS in all its forthcoming tablet and slate ventures including the much talked about HP Slate device. HP had earlier shown off the Slate running Windows 7 but had failed to meet performance criterion.
Announcing the acquisition deal, Palo Alto from California based HP said, “Palm will be responsible for webOS software development and webOS-based hardware products, from a robust smartphone roadmap to future slate PCs and netbooks”.
There had been some resistance on its takeover bid by HP by some section of Palm share holders. This however was settled when HP offered the price of $5.7 per share in June and is the reason why the acquisition process was delayed from April when it had been formally announced.
The Good E-Reader July Edition of the Magazine is out! Purchase your subscription to day! At 1.99 for the first issue, its a steal! If you love our blog you will swoon for our magazine!
Good E-Reader Week in Review! June 20 to June 26 2010
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This has been one heck of a week in the realm of Tablet/Slate PC’s and E-Readers! Not only did we see the usual announcement of product launches, but we saw Barnes and Noble debut a new electronic reader, and lowered the price on the existing Nook! We saw Amazon slash prices on their Kindles for the summer, to get rid of stock for the upcoming Kindle Touch. We also saw a ton of Product delays such as the Pandigital Novel and even some cancellations such as the Plastic Logic Que E-Reader!
Grab a coffee and be prepared for one of the biggest week in reviews courtesy of your friends at Good E-Reader! As always, if you want to read the full story on any of our articles, click on the title of the article!
Barnes and Noble releases the Nook WI-FI
The first of Barnes and Noble new E-Readers to be ushered out this year, the Barnes and Noble WI FI! Now we just have to wait for the Nook 2 to come out around September.
The Nook Lite will have the same functionality as the Barnes and Noble Nook but will have WI-FI only. It will still be the Android driven device and same Operating system and will be able to connect to the Barnes and Noble store to buy e-books directly. It will also be able to play the Android games and surf the internet that are available on the original Nook. It is on sale now! It features a white back, unlike the Nook which is grey. It weighs less than the Nook, which is 12 oz., while the lite is only 11.6 oz. It connects via WI-FI for free on any AT&T hotspot and Barnes and Noble stores. It will also connect via WI-FI to any public hotspot, and has the ability to take passwords for private wireless networks.
Barnes and Noble Nook and Kindle 2 Price Cuts
Just as Barnes and Noble today are offering a new WI-FI only version of the Nook for 149.99, and today is now offering their original Nook from $249.00 to $199.00. Amazon struck back today and offered yet another price reduction on its Kindle 2 E-Reader to $189.00
Amazons price reductions mark the 3rd time within one calendar year that Amazon has reduced the price on the Kindle 2. When the Kindle 2 originally launched in Feb 2009 it had the price of $349. In July 2009 they again reduced the price to 299.99 and in October when they launched the Kindle 2 World Edition they dropped the price yet again to $259.00.
Amazons slashing of the price on the Kindle 2 to $189.00 and the Nook price reduction to $199.00 is making E-Readers more accessible to the masses! With the success of the Kobo E-Reader with an entry level of $150.00, many people opted to the Kobo, because all of the other good e-readers cost in the upper 250.00’s
With many more solid e-readers being available for under $200.00 they are more accessible to people on a budget now than ever before. We see the price reductions as a WIN for the customer who wants more variety of an e-reader for less than $200.00
Toshiba Libretto W100 dual-screened tablet on sale in August
The Libretto W100 comes with two 7 inch LED Backlit WSVGA Multi-Touch display having a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Powering the Libretto W100 will be the 1.2 GHZ Intel Pentium U5400 processor. It also has 2 GB of DDR3 on board memory along with 62GB solid state hard drive and will run the Windows 7 Home Premium. The entire unit measure a quite compact 202 × 123 × 25.4 mm and sports a black brushed aluminum finish that exudes style from every angle. It has the looks of a cute little laptop though at 1.8 pounds, it won’t be a pain to lug it around. The weight though will go up a bit more for the enhanced battery pack.
The W100 also incorporates built in accelerometer for both the screens that will change screen orientations quickly and automatically. Also, both the screens can work independently of each other, thereby providing the users with the flexibility of using it the way they would like to. The libretto W100 also packs in a range of software that is designed to further enhance the touchscreen abilities of the Windows 7 OS. These includes an eReader app called Blio and Bulletin Board which is a Toshiba program that aims to act as a one-stop portal that will provide access to a calendar, the documents and pictures that have been in use along with other frequently-used applications. Apart from these, the W100 will also come installed with the Reel time and PC Health Monitor programs.
Connectivity options with the W100 include 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR though strangely, there is no mention of either mobile broadband or any 3G connectivity. Then there’s also a MicroSD card slot, USB 2.0 port, along with a small 1.0 megapixel HD Webcam with Toshiba Face Recognition. An 8 cell battery will be providing the juice which is in the rage of around 5 hours (less than 4 hours with a 6 cell battery pack).
Toshiba has said it will make the W100 available from August though in limited numbers. Also at $1099, it will be more than double the price of the cheapest iPad and significantly expensive than its top of the line version. But then, what you get with the Libretto W100 is a tablet PC that is nearer to the laptop and it has got two screens.
Nokia Tablet PC powered by MeeGo available in November
According to a Digitimes Senior Research Analyst Nokia may be at the last stage of their push to release a Tablet PC by the end of the year.
They got the low down that an order that 100 engineering samples of the Nokia Tablet PC were ordered from Foxconn Electronics. The Tablet should be around 7 to 9 inches and will feature the MeeGo Operating System. It will also run the ARM processor, no word on what version they are running.
MeeGo is an open source, Linux project run in conjunction with Intel, and Maemo, and Nokia. MeeGo integrates the experience and skills of two significant development ecosystems, versed in communications and computing technologies. The MeeGo project believes these two pillars form the technical foundations for next generation platforms and usages in the mobile and device platforms space.
MeeGo features a three column based type system that remembers the videos and recommends others you might have not seen. For example there is a great looking task manager which blends both the icon-grid view of Android with moveable thumbnails like on WebOS, switched between by using a pinch-zoom gesture. No word on Price yet.
Apple Sells over 3 million iPad’s – That’s a million a month
In less than three months Apple said today that they have sold over 3 million iPad tablet PC’s.
Selling 3 million iPad’s in 80 days is a great track record, and it has boosted Apples stock. If you are keeping record, in the first 28 days Apple sold the first millions of its iPad’s, mainly to the USA market.
Selling over 1 million iPad’s every month can be considered a monumental success, and many eyes are looking at other Tablet PC’s offerings from the likes of Notion Ink, Google, Dell and others.
Buy a Kobo and get a $20.00 Gift Card
Although the Kobo e-reader never slashed its price, it is still the cheapest most reliable e-reader on the block! Despite the fact Amazon and Barnes and Noble reduced their e-readers to under the $200.00 price range, Kobo offered an added incentive to hustle even more electronic readers, giving a free $20.00 coupon for Boarders Books if you pick up a Kobo, the offer is available Online as well!
The First Google Android 2.2 Tablet named PHI! Only Available in India
They had launched India’s first e-reader, the Pi. And now they have come up with a tablet device, which also marks a first in India. The company is Infibeam and the device, the Phi, a sleek tablet PC that does impresses with its looks. In fact, the Phi marks another important first; it will be running the Android 2.2 operating system, which makes the Phi to be the first among the plethora of Android tablet to run Froyo. Infibeam also claims that users of the Phi will have unrestricted access to the Android Market for downloading apps, something that Google hasn’t allowed so far for any non-smartphone devices. So if this indeed is true then this should mark another first for the Phi!
Now coming to the tablet, the Phi comes with a 7 inch TFT LCD touch screen with a resolution of 800 x 400 pixels, which should be good enough to live up to what is being said of the Phi as ‘a touch screen media device that supports high definition multimedia formats.’ Phi measures a quite compact 225 x 175 x 75mm and weighs just 11.7 oz., which means toting it around is a breeze.
There is further news that there will be another version of the Phi as well, one that will be running Windows. Both the tablets will be similar apart from the Windows version having a TCC 900MHz processor at its core. Also at around 14 oz., this will also be a bit heavier of the two Phis.
Beneath the 7 inch screen lies a 600 MHz Arm 9 processor. It includes a 256 MB RAM and has an onboard memory of 8 GB, which is further expandable to 32 GB via TF cards. These apart, the Phi also feature HDMI port, 2 mini USB 2.0 ports along with a speakerphone and an earphone jack.
A great device, costing only $350.00 US, although it is only available in India, perhaps EBAY can run the rescue for people wanting to their paws on one.
Woeful Pandigital E-Reader off the market for a few months.
Yesterday, June 24 2010, Pandigital announced a halt on sales of their Novel E-Reader. They will try and fix some of the on-going firmware problems. The company did mention that in August at the latest the device will again be available. Rumour has it, Pandigital is scraping the current device, and going with a new version that is black, has more RAM, and more functionally, this model is currently being reviewed by the FCC.
The Pandigital Novel Costs only $199 and features a 7-inch TFT LCD color multi-touchscreen display. It measures 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches and weighs 454g (16oz). The Operating system runs Google Android and has an ARM 11 Mobile Processor. The Resolution of the device is 800 x 600 and allows great renders of your full color book shelf. Finally, the unit features WI-FI, a mini USB port, 1 GB of internal memory, which is expandable to 32 GB. It reads many popular E-Book formats such as PDF, EPUB, HTML and TXT.
The Google Android operating system allows this e-reader to surf the internet with a dedicated web browser, check email, listen to music and have access to many different applications available for download.
Although the Pandigital first cut its teeth doing digital photo frames, its transition to quasi tablet driven e-reader should be a case study for other people trying to get involved into this increasing competitive niche. They tried to rush out a device too quickly to get market share, only to alienate existing customers and turn future customers off with their inability to provide firmware updates, and depending on KOHL to handle the recall of the device.
Plastic Logic QUE orders cancelled and refunded! No hope in sight
The Plastic Logic Que E-Reader has been delayed twice this year, since it was initially debuted at the CES earlier this year. According to the CEO the E-Reader aimed at business travelers is delayed indefinitely, with all Pre-Orders canceled and refunded.
Although the company is calling the canceling of all pre-orders a “delay” there is no official release date for this unit. It was initially planned for release June 24 2010, but that does not seem to be the case anymore.
“Plastic Logic wants to make sure that the product they deliver is the right one for their target business customers in the rapidly changing marketplace,” a spokesperson for Plastic Logic as said “They are continuing to refine the product, technology and features, and are anxious to get in the marketplace as soon as possible.”
The Plastic Logic Que has a massive price, and is working on two different units; the prices are $649.99 and $799.00. Which might not be feasible in the current market climate? Only this week, Amazon, Barnes and Noble have both slashed the prices in their E-Readers for less than $200.00.
Although this delay and cancelling of orders may be the final nail in the coffin of the Plastic Logic Que, many users are venting tremendous frustrations. Many people are feeling ire in the fact that the technology is mostly sound. There is no official word on what aspects of the Que need refining or need to be revised. Although the company is not giving any indication on when this would ship, they need to get a move on soon. It will be interesting to see if Plastic Logic will in fact ship the color version of the Que they announced earlier in the year, will ship in 2011.
Here and There
Boarders released their first iPad App, heavily derived on the Kobo E-Reader App; they are planning more device launches, such as the iPhone and Blackberries very soon.
In other Apple news, they revised their iBooks free application to be able to read PDFS and have added functionality. They also added an iPhone and iPod touch version of iBooks application. Although International users still face a baron wasteland of iBookstore titles.
The Lenovo U1 Tablet PC is delayed! But for a good reason. The news was revealed by company sources wherein the delay is attributed to Lenovo’s decision to go for the Android operating system in place of the Linux OS. It was during spring that Lenovo had made public that the new hybrid notebook would not be released just yet as they are up to changing the tablet portion’s OS from the conventional Linux build to the Android OS.
Although not traditionally known for e-reading and more like Gaming! Nintendo CEO recently tipped a few local newspapers that he was trying to get some publishing agreements to have the 3DS be able to pull magazines and newspapers via its WI-FI connection! A sweet portable gaming system AND an e-reader, we are drooling… Seriously.
Motion Computing, a Texas company is ushering out a new tablet PC called the J3500 Tablet PC! When will marketing companies ever learn! You have to give your product a sweet name in order for it catches on. I can’t imagine people getting envious looks when they say “Hey look, I just got a sweet J3500 Tablet! You’re more likely to get WTF’s. The J3500 includes a 32-bit Windows 7 Professional functioning via a 1.2 GHz Intel Core i7 Duo processor, 4 GB of DDR3 memory and Windows 7 Dual Touch potential. The 12-inch screen has a bright display which is a stunner while the ultra-durable Corning Gorilla glass that it is made of ensures it is up to four times resistant to breaking forces. There is a new ‘anti-smear’ coating as well that enhances visibility.
Chinese networking and telecommunications giant Huawei named the S7 said they are in the process of launching a tablet PC in Australia towards the end of 2010.
The company revealed the 7 inch tablet will run the Google Android OS and claims the tablet’s low price point will make it an appealing alternative to the Apple’s iPad. The S7 ‘e-tablet’ has a 7 inch 800×480 resolution touchscreen display with a 16:9 ratio though unlike the iPad, the S7 uses a resistive touchscreen display. What this means is that you can use your fingernails or a stylus to make a selection, though on the flip side resistive screens generally aren’t as responsive as a capacitive display. The S7 is powered by a 768MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM processor and runs the 2.1 version of Google’s Android operating system. Huawei has confirmed the S7 will be upgradeable to the latest 2.2 version of Android though didn’t offer a time frame. Being a Google Android device, the Huawei S7 tablet will have access to the more than 70,000 third-party applications available in the Android Market. In the meantime, the S7 has already reached other western markets. It in fact is currently up for pre-order at the UK retailer Expansys with the actual delivery within 8 to 10 days and is priced at £299.99.
That about does it for the most notable news of the week! Of course more stories abounded, and you can catch all of the weekly news by checking out the first couple of pages of our Blog! As always we appreciate everyone who stops by and checks us out on a regular basis! Make sure to visit our E-Reader and Tablet PC forum at http://goodereader.com/forum/ we also sell our Good E-Reader Magazine!
Show us some support! It is only $1.99 for your first issue, and a brave new world awaits you, some have referred to us as “trailblazing spokesmen of the E-Reader Industry” and “the only magazine, I will ever read, because the bar is set too high.” Glorious.
Good E-Reader Week in Review – May 30th to June 6th
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to another exciting edition of the Good E-Reader Week in Review, where we look at all of the most important news relevant to E-Readers, Slate and Tablet PC’s.
This week, saw TONS of news, as the major computer tradeshow Computex came and went, with oodles of new technology items displayed, we had a writer at the tradeshow that got us exclusive stories and pictures of some great looking devices. There was also a fair amount of news outside of Taipei, which as always we will summarize the most news worthy items. If you want more info on any of the articles, click on the title of the article to read the full story.
Asustek Computer’s has launched two Eee Pad tablets which makes it the first Tablet PC that truly has the potential to make things difficult for the high flying iPad. Of course there are a few more tablets waiting in the wings and we might have some good news on them at the Computex fair that’s slated to begin just next month.
But for now, we have the Asus Tablet PC to play around with so we know the Eee Pad EP121 has a quite large 12-inch touchscreen. What’s interesting is that the tablet will have the Intel Core 2 Duo processor at its core and will come pre-loaded with Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. And yet, Asustek claims the battery will have enough juice to keep the show going for 10 hours before requiring a recharge. This when both Intel and the Windows 7 have been accused to be too power hungry.
The other tablet device – the EP101TC that Asus brought forth packs a 10-inch touchscreen and runs the Windows Embedded Compact 7 software. It will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra processor with other information about the 10 inch tablet pointing to an ultra-slim device that’s just 12.2-millimeters thick and weighs 675 grams. Also as per company sources, price for the 10 in tablet has been pegged at about $399 to $449 though no price details have been disclosed for the 12 inch tablet.
It seems like the Windows 7 OS is dominating right now at the Computex show as here’s one more slate pc – the Tycoon TVB00 that makers First International Computers or FIC unveiled on Day One of the show and it runs, well no points for guessing, the Windows 7 Ultimate Edition operating system. This also makes the Tycoon TVB00 to join the ranks of the MSI WindPad 100 and the ASUS Eee Pad both of which are Windows 7 based tablets.
The rest of the specifications of the tablet look good too. Like it comes with a LED back-light 10.1 inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. Its ‘out of the box’ connectivity options include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 2.1. There is a mini HDMI port, a micro-SATA type 1.8″ HDD along with a Broadcom BCM 70015 Crystal HD advanced media processor that makes 1080p HD video playback a breeze. At just 9.59 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches,
It’s also a compact device, which along with a combined weight of 1.87 pounds makes the Typhoon easy to carry around.
LG is making waves into the Slate and Tablet market with an late prototype called the LG UX10 Tablet. It featured a 10.1 inch screen, an Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing webcam, an SD card slot, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a 7200mAh battery and a micro-HDMI output. It also had HD Audio built in and weighed only 850 G, it was equipped with a multi capacitive touch screen, but it was not working when we took a look at it.
Moorestown Quanta Redvale tablet running MeeGo Previewed
Intel’s Computex keynote was brimming with new technology announcements on Day One at the Computex though the one thing that literally swept away everything else was the 10-inch Moorestown Quanta Redvale tablet running on the MeeGo software platform. The demo was brief but was enough to let everyone know that there will be a lot going for the tablet once it reaches markets in 2011.
The tablet itself in far from being complete and ready for mass production. In fact, it’s just the pre-alpha stage Quanta Redvale tablet that was previewed but what caught everyone attention is its sharp features and breezy performance. The latter though can be attributed to the 1.5GHz Moorestown processor that displayed its prowess at the show by enabling the tablet to playback some 720p quality videos without any fuss whatsoever. This when NVIDIA had serious apprehensions of the Intel smartphone chip being able to come up with a credible performance.
Notion Ink Adam Delayed Until Thanksgiving
The CEO of Notion Ink was at Computex and letting people know that due to a few factors such as Flash problems with their internal processor and investors wanting the initial release closer to the X-Mas holidays, the Adam is delayed.
Microsoft Announces Windows Embedded 7 for Slate PC’s
Microsoft made a keynote announcement at the start at Computex which got lost in the shuffle of all the mighty Slate and Tablet PC’s we saw over the last few days. They announced a new operating system that is more multi-media and wireless based called Windows Embedded Compact 7.
It is an operating system seemingly tailored towards mobile devices such as Slate and Tablet systems, to use in lieu of Windows 7 as the only operating system of choice for developers who do not want an Android based system. It is a lighter version of Windows 7 and stripped down to be ideal with touch screen and smaller mobility devices that do not need the horse power of a true Windows 7 OS.
AT&T Suspends Unlimited Data Plan for Apple iPad
Here’s a piece of news that may not be to the liking of future iPad owners –AT&T has decided to scrap its unlimited Internet data plan so that those who hog bandwidth the most will also have to shell out more. The move will affect users of the iPad as well as other smart phones which includes Blackberries or iPhones. AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPad in the United States.
All iPad owners till now have unlimited Internet usage plans that cost them $30 per month and will continue to have the same privilege while they renew their contacts. The same however can’t be said of all new iPad owners starting from Monday as there will be a new two tier data plans to choose from.
So as per plan DataPlus, consumers will have to pay $25 per month and will be offered two gigabytes of data to play around with while any extra usage will be charged at the rate of $10 for every gigabyte of data. However, AT&T says this should be enough for the majority, read 98 percent of smart phone users.
And as per plan DataPro, users will be charged $15 every month for 200 megabytes of data. Breach that and another $15 will be levied for every 200 megabytes of data that is used in excess. AT&T however is of the opinion that this would turn out to be enough for 65 percent of its smart phone customers.
AT&T further revealed that the act of ‘tethering’ a phone to a laptop to avail of Internet access through AT&T’s network will attract an additional charge of $20 every month.
ViewSonic announces the Jin Yong E-Reader
With the Jin Yong VEB362 e-reader, ViewSonic claims what it has is the “the slimmest multi-touch eReader ever” on the back of tight dimensions of 5.28 x 8.39 x 0.35 inches. Matching the compact dimensions is its weight which stands at a comfortable 270 grams or just 0.55 pounds. Internal storage is quite generous at 2GB that’s good enough to lap up 1,500 e-books, though if you still feel cramped, you can make use of a MicroSD card that will expand your storage options further to up to 16GB. This coupled with the customizable categories truly makes the Jin Yong a personal mobile library. The Jin Yong VEB362 also comes integrated with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi which means the e-reader is capable of downloading e-books independently from a range of supported online stores. The e-reader supports PDF, ePub, HTML as well as TXT layouts.
The Latest Good E-Reader News has a twitter confirmation from that not only is Samsung releasing 3 tablets by the end of the year, including the Samsung S Pad but they have posted a new image of new 7 inch Android Tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The South African Development team working on all 3 Samsung Tablets did a follow up Tweet that said “This particular one is a 7″ model and has a high-res TFT screen. At the top-end it has a 3.5mm jack”
No other details were given at this time, but we can see that this Tablet maintains Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. We can also see from the picture that it will take a SIM card, so it will be compatible with 3G and WI-FI, and has a MicroSD Icon.
Here and There
June E-Book Preview list is now available on our site, if you want a definitive look at all of the bestselling ebooks to be released this month for E-Readers, check it out.
We have extensive coverage on Computex from our agents in the field, many new Slate PC’s were announced, and you can view the entire coverage list here. http://goodereader.com/blog/Computex-Coverage/
The Good E-Reader Magazine for June has come out, we focus this month’s issue on 30 different Slate and Tablet PC’s to have release dates this year, it’s a very extensive list and gives you all of the information you need to know to make a buying decision.
Apple has released figures that it has sold over 2 million iPad’s to direct customers since April, which is a staggering amount and bodes well for the Slate and Tablet PC market.
The Vega tablet from ICD was announced to be in development and should have a release date soon. First off, there is a huge high resolution 15.6 inch touch screen of 1366 x 768 pixels that acts as your standard interface with the Tablet. This when most tablet manufacturers tend to lose their breath by the time they reach the 10 inch or so mark for their tablet devices. Powering the Vega will be the NVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor and will be running Google’s Android operating system, version 2.0. A 512 MB Flash memory does storage duty and if you are beginning to complain it’s just not enough, there’s a SD card slot that will expand your storage options further. The Vega comes equipped with a 512 MB RAM.
Another Windows 7 PC arrives on the scene with the Carbon Fiber HD Slate. The one thing this tablet has going for it, is the Windows 7 operating system that many users will enjoy on this offering, as well as multi-touch screen support. It sports an Intel Atom Z530 Processor which comes to around 1.6 GHZ. It comes bundled with 2 GB of RAM and a 40 GB SSD Hard Drive.
Cool-ER Compact – Interead has also confirmed that the COOL-ER Compact will also be launched during the same time though what is intriguing is the surprise omission of any mention of the COOL-ER 3G that should already have been with us by this time of the year.
Coming to the COOL-ER Connect, the e-reader will be featuring a touchscreen enabled 6-inch E-Ink screen and will sport a price tag of less than $250. Interestingly, the e-readers will be put together by Netronix who are also known to be the makers of Kobo e-reader. Interead has also confirmed that the COOL-ER Compact too will have a 6 inch screen though it will have a smaller body around it and will be devoid of touchscreen or WiFi. However, no pricing details have been announced of the COOL-ER Compact.
That about wraps it up for another edition of the Good E-Reader week in review on Tablet and Slate PCS! Stay tuned for more Audio Updates and a week in review iTunes edition to come out soon. If you want the latest monthly news on E-Readers and Slate PC’s, subscribe to the Good E-Reader Magazine Today.
Good E-Reader Computex Exclusive: Tycoon TVB00 Slate launched
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It seems like the Windows 7 OS is dominating right now at the Computex show as here’s one more slate pc – the Tycoon TVB00 that makers First International Computers or FIC unveiled on Day One of the show and it runs, well no points for guessing, the Windows 7 Ultimate Edition operating system. This also makes the Tycoon TVB00 to join the ranks of the MSI WindPad 100 and the ASUS Eee Pad both of which are Windows 7 based tablets.
The rest of the specifications of the tablet look good too. Like it comes with a LED back-light 10.1 inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. Its ‘out of the box’ connectivity options include 802.11b/g/n WiFi as well as Bluetooth 2.1. There is a mini HDMI port, a micro-SATA type 1.8″ HDD along with a Broadcom BCM 70015 Crystal HD advanced media processor that makes 1080p HD video playback a breeze. At just 9.59 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches, it’s also a compact device, which along with a combined weight of 1.87 pounds makes the Typhoon easy to carry around.
At the nerve center of the Typhoon is the Intel Atom N455 processor with a clock speed of 1.66GHz, which along with a 2GB DDR3 RAM is supposed to make light work of anything that’s thrown at it. Whether it succeeds in that and is actually able to carry out tasks efficiently and in a manner that does not bore its user remains to be seen. And the reason for being skeptical is the combination of the Intel Atom processor along with the Windows 7 OS. While FIC revealed the wide screen will be well suited for interactive media programs or for reading e-Books, e-Newspapers, and e-Magazines, its Polymer batterypack will be able to keep things moving for only 3-hour on a single full charge.
However, the good thing is, the Tycoon TVB00 will be available in various attractive shades and will make it to the market by the end of this year.
Keep watching for more updates from the Computex or for other e-reader news.
Also, the Good E-Reader Magazine is out!. So pick your copy today!
iiView M1Touch Tablet PC to Come End May
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Here is one more tablet pc that would like to be seen as an iPad killer, the venerable tagline that any tablet looking to compete with the Apple’s iPad would like to adopt before anything else. So can the iiView M1Touch from the Hong Kong based manufacturer live up to what it is being touted as? Let’s find out.
To begin with, the iiView M1Touch does have an impressive spec sheet to boast of. Like it’s got an Intel Atom N450 processor at its core with a clock speed of 1.66GHz. It has 2GB of RAM though there’s also a version that has 1GB of memory. Storage space options include a 160 or a 250GB HDD and comes pre loaded with the Windows 7 Home Premium. Company sources revealed there will actually be four versions of the tablet.
A 10.1 inch multitouch screen with a resolution of 1024 X 600 pixels makes up the front of the iiView M1Touch. The tablet also comes loaded with other goodies like an accelerometer, a 4-in-1 card reader and a USB port. Then there’s an in-built camera as well. Also, if it is about killer looks, the iiView M1Touch is right there with good build quality and a sleek design. In fact, it does sport a striking similarity to an iPod Touch, iPhone or the iPad.
However, at 11.4 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches, it isn’t exactly a compact device. And tipping the scales at quite a huge 2.65 pounds, it definitely is on the heavier side. Another area where the iiView M1Touch is let down is on the battery department since just with 3 hours of back up time, the iiView is no where near iPad territory that has a backup time of over 10 hours. Battery life happens to be one of the key aspects of a tablet and anything less than at least 8 hours is quite rue some.
But then, there is one aspect where the iiView M1Touch betters the iPad clearly and it is its price. The base versions of the tablet is going to cost in the vicinity of around $510 and as per reports currently available, the tablet is going to hit stores during the end of May.
You will have more of this in our Good E-Reader Blog along with all the latest e-reader news.
You can also refer to our monthly publication, the Good E-Reader Magazine for a comprehensive coverage of the Tablet/Slate or E-Reader segment.
