May 28
May 13
Amazon Coins virtual currency launches: Glue for Amazon’s hardware ambitions?
Posted in: Today's ChiliAmazon has launched its own virtual currency, Coins, for app, game, and in-app purchases on Kindle Fire tablets as well as in the Amazon Appstore. The Amazon Coins launch – which will see all Kindle Fire users in the US credited with $5-worth to get them started – is part of the retailer’s attempt to lock users into the forked-Android ecosystem, with the promise of cheaper apps and content if customers use the cash-alternative.
One US dollar is equivalent to 100 Coins, though Amazon will be offering discounts for bulk purchases. That could make converting real currency into virtual more cost-effective, if you’re a frequent shopper; Amazon says that buying large quantities of Coins will see up to a 10-percent discount.
So, 500 Coins will cost $4.80 at present, or a 4-percent discount. If you buy 10,000 Coins, however, it’ll come in at $90, or a 10-percent saving.
The Coins have no expiration date, and can be used on the 2nd-gen Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD 7″, Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, and on the Amazon Appstore on Amazon.com. Those with a 1st-gen Kindle Fire aren’t left out, though they’ll have to buy whatever they wanted to download on Amazon.com, not on their tablet, and then download it from the Cloud tab on the slate.
Right now, Coins and regular currency can’t be mixed, so you can’t empty your Amazon account of virtual currency and then top-up the rest with normal dollars. Instead, you’ll have to buy a new chunk of Coins; the smallest number you can buy is 500. If you don’t have sufficient in your account, the option to pay with Coins will be greyed out.
The launch of a virtual currency perhaps lends extra weight to speculation that Amazon’s hardware ambitions don’t end with the Kindle Fire range. Earlier this month, rumors circulated that the company’s hardware team was working on at least two new smartphones – one said to have a glasses-free 3D display – as well as a Sonos-rivaling streaming media box. Previous leaks have indicated a set-top box is also in the pipeline.
Those would all integrate well with a common virtual currency, and Coins may be Amazon’s glue to stick the ecosystem together. Users may perhaps be more likely to buy a tablet, phone, and STB all from the same vendor, if they can use the same cash-equivalent across all three (and get a discount in the process).
Amazon Coins virtual currency launches: Glue for Amazon’s hardware ambitions? is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 06
Today in an interview with The Wall Street Journal Asus CEO Jerry Shen said that he was very optimistic about the sales of Windows 8 tablets. He says that tablets powered by Windows 8 will see a significant growth in sales this year, and to achieve that 7-inch tablets powered by Windows 8 are going to be essential. This is true to some extent as almost all major manufacturers have a low-spec variant of their tablets out with moderate price tags, take for example the Nexus 7, the Kindle Fire and the iPad mini.
Asus CEO also believes that prices of Windows 8 tablets will fall down to below $300, which too will contribute significantly towards bringing in new customers. It was previously rumored that Microsoft and a number of its manufacturing partners were considering developing a 7 inch tablet, but no such device has officially materialized as yet. Only recently Bill Gates said in an interview that iPad users were frustrated with the tablet, the statement is now being construed as an indication from the ex-CEO of Microsoft that all a user actually needs is the Surface tablet. Currently Windows 8 tablets are 10 inches or higher in size, having a mid-range and mid-sized device just might carve a respectable position in the market.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Surface Tablet With 7.5-Inch Display Will Allegedly Sell For $399, 10-inch Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Rumored, 
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May 05
The 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon kick started the trend of small and mid-range tablets, that is the view that some have. While this can be debated upon, there’s no denying the fact that Google soon followed suit and released its own 7-inch tablet. Apple was a little late to the party with their iPad mini, but they made sure that their product will stand out from the crowd both in terms of finesse and price. It is now being reported that Amazon is developing a new 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet, this according to analyst Richard Shim of NPD DisplaySearch.
He claims that 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet will tout a 2560×1600 display with approximately 300 pixels per inch, that’s a greater pixel density than that of Retina Display iPad 4 which has 264 pixels per inch. Mass production of this new tablet will reportedly begin in the third quarter of 2013 and the company might, this is an unconfirmed rumor but still, release revamped 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire models with near 300 PPI displays. No details about specifications, pricing and availability have been divulged just yet. Analysts are known to speculate about unreleased products, that doesn’t mean a company’s product roadmap has been revealed. Amazon has not yet commented on this rumor, so there still exists a possibility that the 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet is much more similar to a figment of the imagination.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Surface Tablet With 7.5-Inch Display Will Allegedly Sell For $399, New Nexus 7 Tablet Google I/O Release Rumored, 
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Apr 28
Apple’s iPad remains the most satisfying tablet for US users, new J.D. Power consumer research suggests, though Amazon’s Kindle Fire range is close behind the Cupertino slates. The iPad scored 836 out of a possible 1,000 points in J.D. Power’s 2013 US Tablet Satisfaction Study, with owners questioned on the five categories of performance, ease of use, styling & design, features, and cost. The survey also found that more than half of those with a tablet share their slate with at least one other person.
Apple’s overall score of 836 was buoyed by particular strengths in four of the five categories: performance, ease of operation, styling & design, and features. In contrast, Amazon’s tablets – which scored 829 out of 1,000 – did particularly well in the cost category. 1,857 tablet owners were questioned in February 2013 as part of the research.
Interestingly, while Apple sold a whopping 19.5m iPads in its most recent financial period, J.D. Power’s research indicates that those who already own a tablet are less likely to add to or replace their slate collection any time soon. In 2012′s study, 37-percent of owners said they intended to buy a new tablet within the space of the coming year; in 2013′s survey, that number has dropped to 27-percent.
Overall satisfaction, however, is higher when the tablet is a communal device. In fact, those who are sole users of tablets ranked satisfaction 28 points lower than those who share one slate between four or more people; J.D. Power suggests that could have significant impact on subsequent purchases, with group satisfaction leading to brand-loyalty.
As for other tablet manufacturers, Samsung, ASUS, and Acer all get name-checked, though their scores each fell below the study average of 828. Samsung, which makes the Nexus 10 for Google in addition to its own Galaxy Tab line-up, scored 822, while ASUS, which makes the Google Nexus 7 among other models, scored 818. Acer dropped further behind, with a total of 784.
No mention of OS was made in the survey, though separate research published last week by Strategy Analytics indicates that Windows-based models saw a surge in attention after the more touch-tailored Windows 8 was released. Nonetheless, the tablet marketplace is predominantly dominated by iOS and Android.
[via AppleInsider]
iPad most satisfying tablet in 2013 says J.D. Power research is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 26
Amazon has outed an updated for its Kindle app on Android, most notably bringing with it a new design and UI overhaul that mirrors the user interface of the company’s Kindle Fire tablet. The updated app includes a redesigned home screen, an improved Kindle Store layout for Android tablets, and navigation changes.
The update also incudes a section in the sidebar meant for users who are new to the Kindle platform. This section is called Popular Samples, in which users can browse a number of free samples of books to read, to get them acquainted with the Kindle app, as well as find interesting books that they might like.
The new tablet interface has definitely changed according to our experience, and the home screen features the same Cover Flow-esque navigation that’s on the Kindle Fire, allowing you to swipe through different books, newspapers, and magazines. The sidebar also gives you quick access to other sections of the app, including the Kindle Store and the aforementioned Samples.
The app also comes with a slew of the usual bugfixes and general performance enhancements that we see in every app update, so if you’re not a big fan of the new design, you’ll at least have a more rounded-out app that’s a bit quicker and snappier than before. The update is available now in the Google Play store.
Kindle for Android update brings Kindle Fire-like design is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 22
It was nearly a year ago when Microsoft first launched the Xbox SmartGlass, where an app for the Android version of the Xbox SmartGlass was also introduced sometime last year, seeing an update earlier this month which allowed it to play nice on Android-powered tablets – which is a good thing, of course. Well, there was a major cop out of sorts since support for Amazon’s range of Kindle Fire tablets was not available for a while since Amazon’s range of tablets have been so heavily modified, that plenty of Android apps are unable to run on those Amazon tablets as such.
It is then nice to hear that things have changed for the better, as Amazon has now rolled out a version of Xbox SmartGlass just meant for owners of the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets. Considering how Amazon has laid claim to selling “millions” of either device, it would translate to a potentially larger audience to make full use of the Xbox SmartGlass app.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: ibenX GamePad Is An Android-Powered Tablet, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Coming To iOS This Summer, 
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Apr 22
Larry Hryb, the Director of Programming for Xbox Live, stated today that Xbox SmartGlass now supports Amazon’s selection of Kindle Fire tablets. It’s coming in about half a year late, seeing as the app was released for regular Android devices way back in October of last year. With the Xbox SmartGlass app now available in the Amazon App Store, owners of the affordable Kindle Fire can enjoy an extension of the Xbox Live experience with their tablets.
Before you can install Xbox Smartglass onto your Kindle Fire, you have to make sure that your device is at least running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Smartglass brings the second-screen option to your Kindle Fire, allowing you to control your music and video through your tablet, type using your tablet’s keyboard, view second-screen options for movies/TV shows you’re watching, and interact with extra content provided by certain games. You are also able to track achievements, customize your avatar, browse the internet, and much more.
An example of the usefulness of Smartglass would be if you’re watching a movie. On your tablet, you can pause,play, fast forward your movie and more. But not only that, on the side panel, there will also be a description box providing you with relevant information regarding the media playing on your Xbox 360, including episode summaries, the TV show storyline, and much more.
With certain games, like Skyrim, your Kindle Fire will serve as a companion that will help you as you navigate throughout the game’s fantasy maps. You can use your Kindle Fire as a map to make sure you’re never lost in the game’s massive world. You can download Xbox SmartGlass for your Kindle Fire from Amazon’s App Store. The functionality of the app should be the same as the app for Android.
Xbox SmartGlass brings support for the Kindle Fire is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 17
Amazon’s Appstore for Android devices is readying a big leap in availability, spreading to nearly 200 countries as the online retailer ramps up the pressure on Google’s official Play download store. Set to launch “in the coming months” the broader availability – which will include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa, and South Korea, among others – follows Amazon’s most recent international launch, the Japanese version of the store back in 2012.
According to Amazon, those developers with apps already in the Appstore will automatically have their titles included in the new locations; if they want, they can opt out. The company is also putting out a call for new submissions, teasing would-be developers with case studies of huge increases in in-app payments and engagement.
In fact, Amazon claims, a study of over 500 games using Appstore in-app purchasing found those using the GameCircle social gaming system made 83-percent more revenue per use than those omitting GameCircle. Launched in November 2012, GameCircle is Amazon’s equivalent of Apple’s Game Center, designed for Kindle Fire tablets.
Whether that Kindle Fire hardware will also see broader expansion internationally remains to be seen. Amazon’s Appstore has mainly been a way for the retailer to better flesh out its relatively closed ecosystem – heavily reskinned Android, divorced from the official Play market – with the Kindle Fire hardware itself a path to encouraging users to spend more money on content.
Amazon Appstore set to spread to 200 countries is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 11
The Daily Roundup for 04.11.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili 
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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