Blackberry has just officially announced their second phone running Google Android. This new device is available to pre-order right now for $299 and will be sold on BestBuy, Amazon and Blackberries own website. For residents in Canada all of the major phone carriers will be offering it.The DTEK50 has a a 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080 scratch-resistant display, a 64-bit octa-core … [Read more...] about Blackberry Announces the DTEK50 Android Smartphone
Archives for July 2016
Amazon Prime Launches in India
Amazon has been operating in India for three years and the company has finally unveiled their Prime loyalty program. It will offer free two day shipping with no limit on order size.Amazon has been investing billions of dollars in India, one of the worlds most populous countries. Their Kindle e-book store has been a staggering success and resulted in their arch-nemesis … [Read more...] about Amazon Prime Launches in India
Electronic paper fights school bullying
Electronic paper is going to take over the world sooner than you think, wrote Wired in its article on the meteoric rise of the technology. This proliferation is made possible by the fact that there is only one display technology that checks all the boxes of versatile indoor and outdoor use. E-paper is rugged, requires very little power and can be used and viewed with ease in … [Read more...] about Electronic paper fights school bullying
Hoopla Now Offers Star Trek Audiobooks
Hoopla is a company that powers a libraries digital collections. They offer aubiobooks, e-books and other multimedia content. The company currently deal with over 850 libraries and have a portfolio of over 400,000 titles. Last week, Hoopla has just added 50 classic Star Trek audiobooks that are narrated by William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy and more.The Hoopla … [Read more...] about Hoopla Now Offers Star Trek Audiobooks
Future Google Play Updates Will Be Smaller in Size
When you download an app from Google Play sometimes its not clear about how much space it will actually take. Sometimes a very small app will require a 2 GB expansion file and other times the app updates are quite large. Google is going to address this issue and keep app file sizes in check.Google is developing a new algorithm further compresses the size of apps and … [Read more...] about Future Google Play Updates Will Be Smaller in Size
New Harry Potter Title Sets Pre-order Records
Barnes and Noble has just announced that the new Harry Potter and Cursed Child screenplay is their most pre-ordered book ever. The bookseller has not disclosed how many units were sold. It is also the most pre-ordered written work sold on Amazon.The book of the play is set for release at midnight July 31 and the play, presented in two parts, opens in London's West End July … [Read more...] about New Harry Potter Title Sets Pre-order Records
Ixxus Launches End-to-End Publishing Solution
With the launch of the digital publishing revolution, there was no shortage of startups that emerged, promising to meet the customers' publishing needs. Unfortunately, so many of these companies were cookie-cutter solutions, all offering essentially the same services--fixed layout, HTML5, formatting, distribution--that there was no distinguishing factor for too many of them. … [Read more...] about Ixxus Launches End-to-End Publishing Solution
Cyanogen might shift from OS development to Apps
Three years ago the developers of Cyanogen formed their own corporation to focus on their own operating system and license it out to other phone manufactures. They signed a deal with OnePlus to have their OS on all of their smartphones, but that deal fell through. They also got an influx for cash from Microsoft to preload all of their office apps. The phones that employ the … [Read more...] about Cyanogen might shift from OS development to Apps
Amazon Flex Drivers Will Deliver a Secret Release on July 31
Amazon has just sent an email to their Flex Drivers that let them know that there is a special midnight to 2 AM secret release on July 31st. Amazon was cagey and did not tell the drivers what the product was, which is leading to speculation that this is not the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Screenplay.Amazon Flex drivers are contracted drivers who deliver Amazon … [Read more...] about Amazon Flex Drivers Will Deliver a Secret Release on July 31
Indigo is Planning to Renovate Nearly Every Bookstore
Chapters Indigo are planning on renovating almost every single bookstore in Canada within the next two years. The bookseller is pleased with their new Sherway Gardens location in Toronto and it is basically billed as a cultural department store. Indigo now plans on adopting this model in almost every major market in Canada.The Sherway Gardens location is a new concept store … [Read more...] about Indigo is Planning to Renovate Nearly Every Bookstore
Canadian and US Bookstore Trends for 2017
The year is half over and we now have a sense on how bookstores, digital publishing and the book selling industry are faring. What are going to be the big trends for 2017?Barnes and NobleBarnes and Noble bookstore sales have remained flat this year, but the company may see more print sales in 2017 due to a few factors. Hastings books is closing 126 stores and Powell’s … [Read more...] about Canadian and US Bookstore Trends for 2017
Booktrack’s Days are Numbered
Booktrack is a company that develops soundtracks to books. It started in 2011 and has raised around three million dollars to stay in business. Their technology didn’t seem to take off with consumers and the only way to listen to them is with their proprietary app. I fear Booktrack's days are numbered.Booktrack took advantage of most of the hype surrounding the enhanced … [Read more...] about Booktrack’s Days are Numbered
Due to Competition Sony Discounted the DPT-S1 to $599
When Sony entered the market a couple of years ago with their DPT-S1 Digital Paper, they were the only game in town. Within a few short years there are numerous companies that offer a 13.3 inch e-reader with more features and they are starting to really takeoff in the market. Sony is trying to stay relevant with a series of price drops and the company has just discounted their … [Read more...] about Due to Competition Sony Discounted the DPT-S1 to $599
Corning Unveils Gorilla Glass 5
Gorilla Glass 5 might not make it to your new smartphone anytime soon, but if you are a total klutz you will want to pay attention. The new glass technology will survive drops 80% of the time when dropped face-down from 1.6 meters onto rough surfaces, far outperforming Gorilla Glass 4 which only will survive a drop from a meter high.Internal research done by Corning showed … [Read more...] about Corning Unveils Gorilla Glass 5