Thursday, June 23, 2011
Rumor: Amazon Gunning for a Tablet Release This Fall
A shot of Kindle apps on the iPad. A sneak peak at what we can expect an Amazon tablet interface to look like? Photo courtesy Amazon
It looks like we could be getting an Amazon-branded tablet sooner rather than later, based on the latest reports on the retail giant’s plans.
According to DigiTimes, Amazon will launch its tablet PC models by August or September of this year. The company hopes to push four million units by the end of the 2011 holiday season.
Previous reports suggested that Amazon would be releasing two tablets, codenamed “Coyote” and “Hollywood”, before the end of the year. “Coyote” is tipped to feature an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, while “Hollywood” is purportedly built with Nvidia’s T30 “Kal-El” quad-core processor. DigiTimes claims that Amazon’s tablets will incorporate TI processors instead.
Amazon’s forthcoming tablets will also reportedly be accompanied with their own movie streaming service.
Amazon began its foray into the hardware space in 2007 with the debut of its Kindle e-book reader. Now in its third iteration, Amazon has proven its chops in the mobile device market with a loyal following of Kindle users, even snagging a piece of the iOS and Android party with Kindle iOS and Android apps (and a WP7 app as well).
Amazon solidified its stake in the Android platform in particular with the recent debut of its own Android app store, which would be an obvious choice to have baked in on an Amazon-branded tablet. That, paired with Amazon’s Cloud Drive music streaming service and the rumored movie streaming service, the tablets could be a veritable Amazonian tour de force in the tablet market, if they’re executed correctly.
Market research firms agree: Amazon would be the most credible threat to Apple’s dominance in the tablet arena.
And with Amazon’s focus on non-reading based media and entertainment services, its potential tablet offerings sound perfectly in line with CEO’s Jeff Bezos’ previous carefully-worded statements regarding new products like a tablet (if you need a refresher, he said we should “stay tuned” and that the company “will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device?).
With the recent rumors and reports, and Amazon’s latest activities, all signs seem to point to “yes,” we’ll be seeing an Amazon tablet in the next few months.
See Also:
- Amazon App Store Requires Security Compromise
- Amazon Launches Its Own Android App Store
- Tablet Wars: Amazon Adds Apps to Kindle
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/qtaZaBeYShk/
New Android Phone Works Even After Bathing in Your Sweat
Sony Ericsson's new Xperia Active Android phone aims to be your new workout buddy, holding up in the sweatiest of environments. Photo courtesy of Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson’s new smartphone was made for two kinds of people: sporty jogger types and those who sweat profusely.
Dubbed the Xperia Active, Sony Ericsson’s recently announced smartphone is built to withstand the elements. It’s dust proof, water-resistant and even incorporates “wet finger tracking” (which, admittedly, sounds somewhat gross).
The Active probably won’t withstand a dip in the lap pool (or an accidental drop in the toilet). It’s aimed more at those who want to browse the web while on the treadmill, or perhaps check out their Runkeeper stats while taking on their latest triathlon. One word of advice, though: last time we checked, it’s still not kosher to talk on your phone at the gym.
Along with the Active, Sony Ericsson also unveiled the Xperia Ray, a fairly bland, run-of-the-mill Android smartphone. It comes with a 1-GHz processor, 3.3-inch screen and 8.1-megapixel back-facing camera.
Sony Ericsson unveiled the devices at the CommunicAsia tech conference in Singapore on Wednesday.
Over the past few years, hardware manufacturers have been pushing out new Android smartphones to the public at a breakneck pace. The problem, however, is that most of the phones have similar hardware specifications, with little else for consumers to differentiate between each device. Handset makers have tried adding on different layers of software (or “skinning”) over the stock version of Android in order to give a different look and customized feel to its phone. But not all custom skins have proved popular with smartphone enthusiasts, and some prefer a bare-bones approach to the operating system.
Sony Ericsson has taken a different path by releasing novel hardware designs with minimal software modification. The company’s recent release of the Xperia Play (or “PlayStation phone”) included a built-in, slide-out PlayStation controller interface, the first of its kind seen on a smartphone. The release of the Xperia Active is in the same vein as the Play — curveball additions to the company’s smartphone line-up which aim to break from the indistinguishable crowd of available devices.
The two phones are expected to be available this fall.
- Curvy, Slim Xperia Arc Is Leggy Supermodel of Smartphones
- Hands-On With Xperia Play, the Android-Powered PlayStation Phone
- G-Lab: Xperia Play, Cyanogen, Mac Malware
- Sony Ericsson?s Xperia Neo Release Delayed by Japan Quake
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/vNfHEYnLBTI/
Boehner Says Obama Lacks House Support For Libya
Setting up a showdown on Libya, House Republicans agreed on Wednesday to vote on dueling measures, one to give President Barack Obama limited authority to continue U.S. involvement in the NATO-led operation against Moammar Gadhafi and the other to cut off funds for military hostilities.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Full story at http://www.npr.org/2011/06/23/137359966/boehner-says-obama-lacks-house-support-for-libya?ft=1&f=1001
Posts
