Hasta La Gadget!

There’s no doubt that Barnes & Noble in love with the paper-like interface of the Nook HD+. Not all of its new owners are quite so taken with the retro chic, with the proof being XDA-Developers member verygreen’s early root for the Android tablet (and possibly its HD cousin). The preliminary code is enough to offer a glimpse of a more digital interface as well as teasers of a CyanogenMod port and booting from SD cards. Before racing to use the instructions at the source, be aware that the root’s usefulness may vary wildly in the near future — as of this writing, a familiar defense mechanism dating back to the Nook Color has kicked in that rejects the root and restores itself to factory stock after eight failed boot attempts. That there’s a root at all will nonetheless be a comfort in the long run to those who like the idea of a budget tablet without the enforced nostalgia for dead trees.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ tentatively rooted for the paper UI-phobic (video)

Filed under: Tablets

Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ tentatively rooted for the paper UI-phobic (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Schaaff came over to Sony from Apple back in 2005 with a mission of aligning its vast consumer electronics and entertainment interests, and today the company has announced he’s retiring from his post as Sony Network Entertainment President at the end of the year. Schaaf’s responsibilities will be taken over by current Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House to start 2013, although Schaaf will retain his seat on Sony Network’s board of directors. In place and SNEI prez since 2010, he was around for the infamous PSN hack and subsequent outage in 2011, calling it a “great experience”… that he would not like to do again, of course. While Sony has made great strides in reorganizing the way its disparate arms work together since ’05 (remember Sony Connect? No one else does either.) his departure comes amidst new company head Kaz Hirai’s “One Sony” turnaround efforts along the same lines. A rebranding of PlayStation Network to Sony Entertainment Network hasn’t pushed the Music and Movie Unlimited properties to the top just yet, nor connected devices like its tablets and phones — we’ll see if this executive shuffling has any effect on the company’s fortunes going forward.

Continue reading Sony Network Entertainment prez Tim Schaaff retires, will remain on board of directors

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Sony

Sony Network Entertainment prez Tim Schaaff retires, will remain on board of directors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over in Japan, e-readers aren’t exactly new to the market and with Amazon’s introduction of their first Japanese language e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, it certainly looks like Amazon is late to the game. Perhaps in an effort to make up for lost time, reports have indicated that the Kindle Paperwhite device for the Japanese market will be priced less than its US counterpart and will be sold for roughly $100. For those unfamiliar, the Kindle Paperwhite in the US is going for $120 for the standard version, while the ad-free version is priced at $140, a move which we’re sure will annoy some of Amazon’s US customers.

However this move was a strategic one as by lowering the price of its Kindle Paperwhite, it puts it within the same price range as its competitors, namely the Kobo e-reader sold by Japanese retailer, Rakuten. We have to wonder if this price cut will make it a more competitive device, especially since rivals such as Rakuten and Sony have long established themselves in the Japanese e-reader market, with Rakuten promising 200,000 titles by the end of the year, while Amazon launched with only 50,000 for its Japanese e-book store.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite torn apart, reassembled, Amazon Kindle press event round-up,

According to Reuters, EU regulators look likely to accept an offer from Apple and a handful of publishers, including Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan. The assembled publishers propose that they will allow retailers (including Amazon) to sell e-books cheaper than Apple currently does. The move will attempt to end the EU’s anti-trust investigation that looked into the publishers’ e-book pricing model that unfairly affected retailers’ ability to compete with Apple’s own electronic book collection.

Filed under: Apple

EU regulators to accept Apple and book publishers’ offer of cheaper e-books originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s nothing like a good underdog story. Aside from last year’s failed Vox tablet, Kobo has made some quality devices, but has still failed to make a huge dent in the e-reader market — a space dominated by Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In the case of the Glo front-lit e-reader ($129), Kobo might just be hampered by unfortunate timing. Though the company managed to get a jump on things in the last round with the Kobo Touch, the Glo comes on the heels of similar devices, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. But, could this reader have what it takes to convince Kindle and Nook owners to take a leap of faith? Find out after the break.

Continue reading Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market

Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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