Hasta La Gadget!

You don’t need to sit down, we’re not about to hit you with any shocking news, but a recent BookExpo America convention has given publishers the chance to air out their laundry list of complaints. Seriously, do these guys ever have anything positive to say? Now they’ve managed to pinpoint a flaw in the Kindle and iPad’s resounding success, identifying the two ebook reading platforms as closed, and expressing a yearning for a universal and open format that all books can be published and consumed on. Of course, they wouldn’t be publishers if they didn’t also lust after robust DRM measures, which might explain why they’re not roundly supporting the readily available EPUB format. It has DRM options, but perhaps they’re not gnarly enough for the dudes responsible for bringing us the psychological horror of the Twilight series. We still don’t like the suggestion that the people, Amazon primarily, who popularized this market should just open it up out of the goodness of their own hearts — maybe we would if publishers ever showed themselves capable of doing similarly noble things.

Ebook publishers seek universal format, lament Apple and Amazon’s closed ecosystems originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In “less than 60 days,” Apple has shifted 2 million iPads. If you remember, it took just 28 days to sell the first million, so it doesn’t look like sales are slowing down much yet. In fact, it seems like Apple could have offloaded a lot more if only it could make them fast enough.

The announcement, somewhat callously released on Memorial Day yesterday, comes after the opening weekend of the iPad’s international launch. While there’s no way to tell just how many units made it to Europe, Australia and Japan, one thing is certain: They sold out. Of the few places stocking the iPad in my hometown of Barcelona, Spain, the only iPads to be found were the demo units being pawed and covered in finger-grease by eager crowds.

Accessories, too, remain in short supply. There are plenty of cases and screen protectors, but Apple’s own add-ons — the docks, cables and camera connection kit — are still weeks away.

Two million sounds a lot, but how does it compare to a rather more mature segment, let’s say, the Mac? In the first quarter of this year, Apple sold 3.36 million Macs. Extrapolate the iPad figures to three months (3 million) and you get pretty close to that figure. And if you compare the sales of portable Macs for that same quarter (2.1 million), the iPad is already outselling the MacBook line. Sure, the entry-level iPad is half the price of the cheapest MacBook, but the iPad is also a brand new category of device, not a seasoned — and known — bestseller.

The iPad, then, is a success, and the tablet mass market is officially here. We can’t wait to see what Google and Palm have got coming.

Apple Sells Two Million iPads in Less Than 60 Days [Apple]

See Also:

• Apple iPad Reaches '1 Million Sold' Twice as Fast as iPhone
• Apple: One Million iPads Sold in 28 Days
• Netbook Sales Shrivel as Apple Rolls Out iPad
• iPads on Track to Outsell the Mac

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Tablets may be attracting all of the attention right now, but it’s clear that Intel‘s keeping a broad focus on mobile computing. During today’s PC Client keynote at Computex, the company took a moment to talk up Canoe Lake, an experimental platform that’ll enable 720p video playback on a machine that’s barely thicker than a couple of envelopes stacked together. We got a chance to peek the prototype on hand in Taipei, and we were told that Intel designed the device you’re peering at above completely in-house as a way to sell PC makers on the idea. They also affirmed that a GMA 3150 GPU was inside, and that the platform was capable of handling high-def multimedia. The machine was indeed functional, but few tricks were shown — the 10-inch display looked suitable enough, though it would certainly take us a few days to stop noticing that monster gap between the keyboard and LCD. But hey, you’ve got to cram those components / battery / fairy dust somewhere, right? Look for a plethora of Canoe Lake-based systems (probably fashioned like the gapless netbook at the tail end of the gallery below) to start shipping in “the second half of this year” from companies that Intel simply can’t name as of yet.

Intel ‘Canoe Lake’ prototype netbook preview originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft isn’t kidding around about showing Apple it’s serious in regard to competing in the tablet space, and while most of the devices surrounding its Computex booth were locked down tight, we were able to spend a few exclusive minutes with a brand new LG that showed some serious promise. Boasting a 10.1-inch LED capacity touchscreen, the UX10 was one of the most solid tablets we’ve had the opportunity to touch. The prototype on the floor was equipped with 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 WiFi, a 7200mAh battery and a micro-HDMI output. The entire front was smothered in glass, with an itty-bitty bezel and a striking pearlescent white paint job around back. Though, we couldn’t help but notice the similarities in the logo when thinking of a certain Streak. Microsoft representatives couldn’t comment on an estimated price, though they did affirm that the device will escape the prototype stage and ship to consumers at some point in the future. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and peek past the break if you’re a fan of videos.

Continue reading Exclusive: LG UX10 tablet preview at Computex

Exclusive: LG UX10 tablet preview at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that I like bijin (美人, “beautiful girls”). In the past we’ve blogged here about apologetic bijin but this time the development has more of a web marketing spin.

The popular Bijin-Tokei (美人時計, or “beautiful girl clock”), a website that showcases different young ladies telling you the time every minute, has collaborated…with a new instant noodles product.

All right, so perhaps you were expecting a fashion brand? It seems that even yakisoba in a plastic container can be made to look glamorous when it’s held by a pretty girl.

For one hour every night on Bijin-Tokei, the time will be told by a revolving set of 15 girls indulging in JanJan noodles. Every minute there’s a new lady, which even for instant noodles might be a bit too fast to prepare and eat. Tune in from eleven for your dose!

Bijin Tokei has been a big success since it started nine months ago, accruing some five million unique users and 2.5 billion page views. It has also spawned imitators (the “Gal Tokei“, another in Korea, plus an adult one!) and the site even has an English version. The widgets are particularly popular and mean you can ogle girls whenever you look at your own blog!