Thursday, September 29, 2011

drag2share: Why The Kindle Fire Beat the iPad 2 (For Me) [Kindle]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5844712/why-the-kindle-fire-beat-the-ipad-2-for-me

Why The Kindle Fire Beat the iPad 2 (For Me)There are times when less is more in terms of technology. And frankly, at its $199 price point. That less is definitely more.

The iPad 2 is a great device. Hell, I bought my wife one. But I don't need a $500 tablet. The Fire gives me the features I want at a price point that's less than half of the iPad 2. I can check my email, browse the Internet, maybe play a few games, most importantly, I can read magazines in color on a Kindle.

I use the computer to work. While it's fair to say that the iPad can be used to create content, I really don't have time to tap away on a touchscreen when I have a perfectly good MacBook Air. The features that set the iPad above the Kindle Fire are wasted on me. I don't need those. I'll never edit a video on the iPad. I have Final Cut Pro for that. Taking pictures on a tablet is ludicrous, I have an iPhone for quick shots and a DSLR to make me feel like I'm talented. It comes down to features and price. It's too much, for too much.

The Kindle Fire fills that tiny tablet gap in my life. It only has the features I really care about at a price point that's reasonable. It's more than reasonable, it's pretty great. But more importantly, it's the color Kindle I've been waiting for. I don't care about built-in 3G. That's what Mi-Fis are for. The camera on our iPad was used the first week just to point out how horrible the pictures looked. The only downside to the Kindle Fire is the lack of are the lack of external speaker and Bluetooth. But this isn't a deal breaker in my book.

Amazon has already sucked me into its Kindle-library clutches. I find myself trolling the Kindle store for books while sitting on the couch. Amazon's Whispersync has made it easy to add those purchases to the Kindle app on my iPhone. Now that I can run borrow books from the local library on the Kindle, I'm sold. You win Amazon, here take my money.

Apple was the first company to realize that a tablet computer doesn't need to be a full-fledged "computer" to succeed. All a tablet needs are the features that people actually use. Amazon just took that idea and ran with it. It won't be long before other companies attempt the same thing at an even lower price point.

My wife loves her iPad 2 and I'm happy I bought it for her. But for me, the $199 Kindle Fire is the tablet I've been waiting for.

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drag2share: Toshiba prepping new 560Mbps TransferJet chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/toshiba-prepping-new-560mbps-transferjet-chip/

Toshiba TransferJet
So, TransferJet hasn't exactly taken off the way many had hoped, especially Sony which crammed the wireless tech into CyberShot cameras and Memory Sticks. But some, like Toshiba, are still holding on to the dream. By the end of January 2012 Tosh plans to ship samples of its new TC35420 TransferJet chip to manufacturers, which can move files at an impressive 560Mbps. The short-range, high-speed sharing protocol could make moving photos, videos and other media between your smartphones, tablets and laptops quick and easy... or it could just become another feature that lies dormant in a few select products collecting piles of virtual dust. It only started showing up in products last year, so we're not ready to put a nail in its coffin just yet -- we'll just have to see if the tech can finally live up to it promise of painless connectivity.

Toshiba prepping new 560Mbps TransferJet chip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAkihabara News  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: Disney launches two new Android smartphones, mouse ears not included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/disney-launches-two-new-android-smartphones-mouse-ears-not-incl/

Mickey's ditching the steamboat and giving up Fantasia in pursuit of all things mobile as Disney launches the DM011SH and DM010SH -- joining the company's other Android offering. The 4-inch 3D capable DM010SH handset will be Walt's top-of-the-line variant with a 960 x 540 qHD touchscreen, 8MP camera and a 1GHz processor. Next in line is the DM011SH waterproof slider with a 3.4-inch touchscreen sporting 854 X 480 resolution and an identical processor and camera to its higher-end cousin. Both Android 2.3 phones come decorated with the signature insignia in tweentastic candy colors like pink and white, with a black version of the DM010SH available for more subdued Mouse House fans. Aside from the phones, Disney also outed the internet-enabled DM001Photo, a 9.4 x 5.6-inch digital picture frame for viewing pictures, videos and emails over 3G for ¥890 (or $11) a month. Although prices have yet to be finalized, the DM010SH is slated to hit the Japanese market in October, while the other two should appear on store shelves by December. Check out the full Japanese PR and product pages by hitting the source links after the break.

Disney launches two new Android smartphones, mouse ears not included originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Dat acider, Land of Droid  |  sourceDisney Mobile (Japanese), Disney Mobile (PDF Japanese)  | Email this | Comments

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drag2share: OWC updates its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G SSD lineup, offers 30GBs for just $68

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/29/owc-updates-its-mercury-extreme-pro-3g-ssd-lineup-offers-30gbs/

Say hello to Other World Computing's latest 2.5-inch SSD, the 30GB variant of its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G series (3Gb/s, of course). This SandForce-driven SSD may not have loads of storage, but priced at a wallet-friendly 68 bucks, it's certainly tempting if your optical drive's been gathering dust. Whether you're running an ungodly amount of Firefox tabs on a Mac or Windows machine, you'll be covered with "sustained data rates of over 275MB/s," keeping your tasks speedy. Ready to ditch the beach balls and hourglasses? It's available now from OWC and you'll find more info in the PR past the break.

Continue reading OWC updates its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G SSD lineup, offers 30GBs for just $68

OWC updates its Mercury Extreme Pro 3G SSD lineup, offers 30GBs for just $68 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOther World Computing  | Email th! is&n bsp;| Comments

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drag2share: RIM details Android compatibility, apps written with NDK see Canadian visas declined

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/29/rim-details-android-compatibility-apps-written-with-ndk-see-can/

While you're undoubtedly aware that the PlayBook will gain the ability to run Android apps at some point, RIM's come clean with specifics as to which ones will run on the biggest BlackBerry. According to Thinq, engineers from the Canuck company confirmed that the upcoming compatibility layer will not support apps written with the NDK -- you know, wares written in C instead of the typical one-two Java / Dalvik punch. Also on the chopping block are those that incorporate Google Maps, in-app billing or Mountain View's text-to-speech engine. Similarly, live wallpaper and applications that use VoIP or have more than one activity linked to the launcher are also on the outs. It's been decreed then: don't expect a fantastical bevy of apps to make the jump sans elbow grease, which if we're honest, is about right given the other news out of Waterloo.

RIM details Android compatibility, apps written with NDK see Canadian visas declined originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileBurn  |  sourceThinq  | Email this | Comments

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