Nov 28

Magellan’s GPS Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch: $130, coming next month

Posted in: amazon, AppStore, gps, IphoneApp, ipod touch, IpodTouch, nav, navigation, on sale, OnSale, pre-order, price, pricing, Today's Chili

We heard earlier this month that Magellan was looking to one-up TomTom by outing an iPod touch / iPhone GPS car kit of its very own, but a few critical details were missing: namely, a price and a release date. Thanks to a new product listing on Amazon (capped after the break), we at least have a clue as to when this thing will be shipping stateside and for how much. If you’ll recall, this one’s compatible with the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod touch as well as the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and aside from providing a built-in speaker, charging capabilities and a noise-canceling handsfree speakerphone, it’ll also work with any navigation or location-based app — not just Magellan’s own $79.99 RoadMate program. The unfortunate part here is that Magellan has somehow managed to produce a cradle that’s actually more expensive that the ludicrously overpriced TomTom variant, but those willing to part with $129.99 can place their order now and look for a December 11th ship date.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading Magellan’s GPS Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch: $130, coming next month

Magellan’s GPS Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch: $130, coming next month originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 25

Kindle 2.3 software update available, generation 1 owners need not apply

Posted in: amazon, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, kindle, ota, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili

We gadget nerds have to endure unspeakable atrocities in order to slake that early adoption jones: first-run gear shipped DOA, buggy pre-release software, and months of waiting after a product leaks only to be greeted by a jacked-up price premium at launch. So we feel your pain, original Kindle owners, after Amazon announced a major firmware update that brings native PDF support to the 6-inch Kindle 2 and DX readers with the promise of a staggering 85% increase in battery life to all Kindle 2 devices — if you haven’t already received it OTA, the 2.3 software update is now available for download and installation via USB tethering. At least owners of “some earlier versions of Kindle” (quote from the press release) will receive native PDF support whenever the 1st generation firmware update (currently at version 1.2) is released. It’s worth noting that Amazon’s PDF reader lacks a zoom function which makes many PDFs entirely unreadable on the device. Good thing Amazon’s store is chock full of easily zoomable books in a proprietary format then, huh?

Kindle 2.3 software update available, generation 1 owners need not apply originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 24

Kindle firmware update promises 85 percent battery boost, native PDF reader

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, kindle, Today's Chili

We’re not quite sure what sort of black magic it’s worked to make it happen, but it looks like Amazon is really taking the art of firmware updates to a new level with the latest upgrade for the Kindle. Not only does it finally add native PDF support (which would have gotten folks rightly excited on its own), but it promises to boost battery life by a full 85 percent. That translates to about seven days of use with the wireless on, and is apparently the result of a six month firmware improvement and testing program — can we get these folks working on other devices? Naturally, the latest firmware will be shipping on all new Kindles right away (just not the DX, it seems), and it will be pushed as a free update to existing Kindle 2s via Whispernet, although there’s no ETA on that just yet.

Kindle firmware update promises 85 percent battery boost, native PDF reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 24

Kindle Gets Huge Battery Boost, PDF Upgrade, for Free

Posted in: amazon, kindle, Today's Chili

Kindle DX shot.jpgAmazon disclosed Tuesday that owners of its Kindle e-reader will receive a free firmware update that will increase the battery life by a whopping 85 percent and add PDF capabilities, all for free.

Users won’t have to download or manually update the Kindle, Amazon said; instead, it will be delivered via the Amazon WhisperNet service in the background.

While the firmware 2.3 upgrade applies to the Kindle DX as well as the U.S. and global versions of the Kindle, the battery-life upgrade applies to just the “Global Wireless” version of the Kindle, according to Amazon’s firmware page. Both the Global Wireless and U.S. Wireless version of the Kindle received the PDF reader upgrade. The Kindle DX also received some PDF improvements.

The upgrade extends the battery life of up to seven days even with
wireless turned on, a significant improvement from its previous four-day lifespan with wireless turned on. Users can also read PDF files either by emailing them to their Kindle address or by loading them via USB. Users can also convert PDFs to the Kindle format by emailing them with ‘Convert” in the subject line, Amazon said.

The improvements were the result of a six-month firmware development cycle, Amazon said. “Kindle, already the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted
product on all of Amazon.com, is now even better–with 85 percent more
battery life and a built-in PDF reader,” said Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon Kindle, in a statement. “These two significant enhancements are available now.”

Post updated at 11:30 AM PT.

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Nov 24

Amazon promises update to better ‘organize Kindle libraries’

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, e reader, e-book, e-book reader, E-bookReader, firmware, kindle, reader, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, update

If you’ve found yourself somewhat irked by the Kindle‘s lackluster organizing abilities, you clearly aren’t alone. A post by The Kindle Team over on Facebook has made clear that Amazon is aware of the shortcoming, and it’s currently toiling away on a “better way to organize your growing Kindle libraries.” No details are given about the forthcoming solution, but the team does confess that it’ll be released as an over-the-air update “in the first half of next year.” Huzzah?

[Thanks, Anthony]

Amazon promises update to better ‘organize Kindle libraries’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 23

ASUS UL30Vt available for pre-order at Amazon

Posted in: amazon, ASUS, laptop, Laptops, PreOrder, Today's Chili, Windows7
ASUS‘s good-looking, switchable-graphics boasting UL30Vt-X1 is one those Windows 7 laptops you really need to check out for yourself. The thin and light, 13.3-incher will get super strength battery life with the discrete graphics on. This one packs DDR3 memory, and a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (which can be overclocked). It’s up for pre-order at Amazon now for $799 with Windows 7 Home Premium, so if you’ve been waiting around for this one… well now’s your time.

ASUS UL30Vt available for pre-order at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 22

Roku Players to Get More Content

Posted in: amazon, netflix, Today's Chili

XR_Roku_AngleRemote.jpgRecently, Roku announced two additions to its line of video-streaming players–the Roku SD ($79.99 list) and the Roku HD-XR ($129.99). Today, the company announced that those players, along with the original $99.99 Roku HD (formerly known as the Netflix Player by Roku), will now gain access to more content via the Roku Channel Store–Roku’s version of an app store. There are 10 new apps, or “Channels”, and they expand the boxes’ capabilities beyond video-streaming.

Joining the Netflix, Amazon, and MLB.TV on-demand content are the following channels: blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3, and TWiT. Each channel will offer video or photo content to be displayed on your TV, and Roku reps promise there is more to come. While the platform is open to developers, the company will keep an eye on new channels to ensure quality–and block anything racy. All current Roku boxes will have access to these channels via a free upgrade to be delivered at sometime in the next two weeks.

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Nov 22

Olympus’ $1,100 PEN E-P2 up for pre-order, played with early

Posted in: amazon, camera, digicam, dslr, micro four thirds, MicroFourThirds, olympus, on sale, OnSale, pre-order, Today's Chili

Olympus’ PEN E-P2 is destined to be a fine product, we’re sure. What we aren’t sure of, however, is how exactly the company came up with the nearly laughable MSRP. The second-ever Micro Four Thirds offering from the outfit is up for pre-order right now at Amazon, though the $1,099.99 asking price is just far too lofty for us to recommend snagging a place in line. That said, you’re still probably interested in learning more about the device, so we’ll be pointing you in Gadling‘s direction for that; the crew over at our favorite travel blog managed to snag one of these buggers early, and exterior color aside, we’re told that it looks practically “identical to the E-P1.” Hit up the links below for a closer look — just keep your credit card far, far away until we see a full review.

[Thanks, Misael]

Olympus’ $1,100 PEN E-P2 up for pre-order, played with early originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 20

Nokia N900 drops to $480 on Amazon

Posted in: amazon, maemo, nokia, sale, Today's Chili

The N900’s US retail price of $649 is a steep barrier to cross without the carrier subsidies negotiated in Europe. But what if we told you that Amazon has cut the price to $530 minus another $50 (after mail-in rebate) for a $480 take home price? Not bad for an unlocked ARM Cortex-A8 handset with excellent browser, 32GB of flash, 5 megapixel camera and an enthusiastic Maemo development community hellbent on making this the greatest device ever known to mankind. No, not by ship date (which is presumably any day now) but by 2012 if things go according to plan.

[Thanks, Samuel]

Nokia N900 drops to $480 on Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 19

Palm Pre slips to $80 on contract, makes the Pixi that much less attractive

Posted in: amazon, on sale, OnSale, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, sale, smartphone, Sprint, Today's Chili, webos

Man, the Pixi has a tough life. For starters, it launches at a price point that simply makes no sense when you consider that the Pre could be had for the exact same price via third-party channels. Next, Palm’s second-ever webOS device falls to just $25 on contract, making it worth a glance once more. Nary two days later, Amazon has chopped the price of the Pre to just $79.99 with a 2-year contract, and to boot the $36 activation fee is being waived. We always heard sibling rivalries were the worst — guess mum wasn’t kidding around.

Palm Pre slips to $80 on contract, makes the Pixi that much less attractive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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