Hasta La Gadget!

Don’t worry, we’re as confused as you are about this whole Android thing. We keep getting little hints about the future of Google’s mobile operating systems–names like Honeycomb, Gingerbread, Ice Cream. If the alphabetical thing holds up, then it ought to go in exactly that order.

The question is what the number release on the next major upgrade will be. Many have suggested that Gingerbread will actually be version 3.0 of Android. New comments from an anonymous Google engineer on the Android forums, on the other hand, seem to that 2.3 is actually the next big release in the pipes.

The engineer replied to user concerns about enterprise Wi-Fi problems after updgrading to Froyo, writing, “Yes, Android 2.3 is a “marjor release,” and this patch will be available then.”

No word on whether 2.3 will be the mythical Gingerbread, however.

Amazon has good news for Kindle owners that it wanted to share with them first. A post from the Kindle team on Amazon’s Kindle Community forum says that 14-day lending will come to the Kindle sometime this year.

There is a catch: “Each book can be lent once for a loan period of 14-days and the lender cannot read the book during the loan period.” If you’re familiar with Barnes & Noble’s lending feature on the Nook, this isn’t a surprise. “Additionally, not all e-books will be lendable – this is solely up to the publisher or rights holder, who determines which titles are enabled for lending.” Again, to borrow some jargon, this is a known issue.

Books will be lendable both to Kindle owners and users of Kindle apps, which is nice: even if you don’t have your own Kindle, you can borrow an e-book from someone who does.

The Kindle team also revealed that Kindle app users will soon also be able to read Kindle magazines and newspapers through the app. Periodicals had been a Kindle-only feature. Support for newspapers and magazines is coming to iOS “in the coming weeks” and Android and other app platforms “down the road.”

Since there’s so much news about Kindle’s e-reading competition lately, I guess Amazon just wanted to let Kindle users know that the company still loved them — and more importantly, that it’s going to keep giving them reasons to love the Kindle.

Coming Soon for Kindle [Amazon/Kindle Community Forums, via Kindle Review]

See Also:

• Barnes & Noble May Present Nook 2 Next Week
• Report: Nook Color Will Be Android-Based Reader/Tablet
• Kindle for Web, Blackpad, Sure; Amazon Android Tablet, Maybe …
• How to Do (Almost) Everything With a Kindle 3
• Amazon Updates Mac Desktop Client, Kindle Firmware
• New Amazon Ad Shows Kindle As Sexy Competitor
• Despite Reports, B&N Nook Competes Just Fine, Thank You
• How to Root Your Nook and Run Android Apps

Later this year, Kindle users will be able to lend out certain titles to other Kindle users, once, for up to 14 days. You’ll also soon be able to read Kindle newspaper and magazine subscriptions on other devices.

Everyone’s favorite pink puff is back in Kirby’s Epic Yarn.

Matt Richardson’s friend Lauren wanted a device to hold down the down arrow and physically scroll through Google Reader, like a sustain pedal on a piano. Matt built it for her using an old USB keyboard, wire, solder and a little DIY invention.

It’s surprising we don’t see foot pedals more often in mainstream desktop computing. They’re a natural, well-established interface: besides analog tech like pianos, drums, bikes or a spinning wheel, think of cars, table saws and electric guitars.

If you’re curious, there are plenty of commercial USB foot pedals available, mostly targeted for disabled users or industry-specific uses. For example, they’re extremely popular in professional digital voice transcription, often coming bundled with transcription or dictation software. These usually have three controls: play/pause (center), rewind (left) and fast-forward (right).

Musicians, too, continue to experiment with foot pedals: we’ve written about AirTurn’s Bluetooth sheet-music turner for iPad, with a special eye towards its potential for disabled users.

Other USB foot pedals are extraordinarily versatile and programmable. But because they aren’t a universal accessory marketed to mainstream users like a mouse or keyboard, all foot pedals tend to be expensive and often highly tailored to individual users’ needs.

Building a foot pedal yourself using a keyboard’s guts is one way to solve this problem. But I can’t help but wonder what a determined hacker could put together with an Arduino board, a weekend and a little imagination.

Google Reader Pedal: hacking a USB keyboard [Boing Boing]

See Also:

• iPad Sheet-Music Foot-Switch is a Real Page-Turner
• Bluetooth Sheet Music Turner Could Help Readers With Disabilities …
• Toe-Mouse for Foot-Controlled Computing
• Build It. Share It. Profit. Can Open Source Hardware Work?
• Why Arduino Is a Hit With Hardware Hackers
• The Design, Art, Technology and History of Arduino
• Just What Is An Arduino, And Why Do you Want One?