Hasta La Gadget!

The more you think about it, the more obvious it is that an Apple tablet would specialize in reviving dead-tree media (i.e., newspapers, magazines and books). All the rumors suggest the device would be a larger iPod Touch/iPhone with a 10-inch screen. Previously Wired.com argued that redefining print would would be a logical purpose for a gadget this size, and Gizmodo today has even more details to prove that this is Apple’s goal with the tablet.

Gizmodo’s Brian Lam cites two people related to The New York Times, who claim Apple approached them to talk about repurposing the newspaper onto a “new device.” Lam notes that Jobs has called the Times the “best newspaper in the world” in past keynotes. (I recall him saying that when introducing the iPhone’s web browser at Macworld Expo 2007.)

Lam proceeds to cite a vice president in textbook publishing who claims publishers McGraw-Hill and Oberlin Press are collaborating with Apple to move textbooks to the iTunes Store. The possible distribution model would involve a DRM’ed “one-time-use” book, which could spell out to lots of money for publishers while reducing pricing of e-books for consumers.

Lastly, Lam claims several executives from magazines met at Apple’s Cupertino campus to demonstrate their ideas on the future of publishing, where they presented mockups of magazines in interactive form.

Those are all strong data points, and we agree with the overall argument. Wired.com in July speculated that an Apple tablet, in addition to an e-book section in iTunes, would be a killer combination to compete against Amazon’s Kindle and e-book store. We suggested an à-la-carte purchase model for textbooks so students could download single chapters as opposed to purchasing entire books. The suggestion from Lam’s sources about a DRM’ed “one-time-use” book would probably be a more attractive model for publishers.

Meanwhile, Amazon recently launched a pilot program with some universities to determine how to sell Kindle-compatible textbooks in the Amazon.com e-book store. It doesn’t appear to be going well: Princeton students are complaining the Kindle DX is disappointing and difficult to use, according to a Fox News report. We’re not surprised: In May, Wired.com polled students on their impression of the Kindle DX as a replacement for textbooks, and most of them dismissed the idea. Apple has a clear opportunity to seize the e-publishing market, and it appears the company has that precisely in mind.

See Also:

• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
• Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet

Photo: Gizmodo

In what has become the “hip cool thing to do” for consoles these days, the 250GB version of the PS3 Slim is up for pre-order in the UK before it’s been even confirmed by Sony for most of the world. Sadly, it’s just the boring old black version — so far the white PS3 Slim has only been seen making nice with Final Fantasy XIII in Japan — but at £285 (about $455 US) it is more than double the capacity for only 40 more “quid” than the original PS3 Slim. Pre-orders are available now, and Amazon says the console will ship on October 1. So the question is, do you jump in now, or do you wait for one of the myriad 250GB bundles headed for Europe? It’s the moral dilemma of our times.

[Via I4U]

Filed under: Gaming

250GB PS3 shows up for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk, ships on October 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Pre for $100, but coming from Amazon, the legitimacy level is at an all-time high. If you’re up for a contract renewal, it begs the question why you wouldn’t do this over… oh, pretty much anywhere else where you’re still paying the recently-reduced $149 rate — and it also makes you wonder just how much price pressure’s going to be on the Pixi’s diminutive shoulders by the time it launches.

[Via Gear Diary and everythingpre]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Palm Pre going for a nice, round $100 on contract at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let it be known: we liked the Zune HD before it was popular, before all the poseurs jumped on the bandwagon with their tight-fitting jeans and their hairstyles. If various stores on the internet are to be believed, the Zune HD is selling out in a pretty big way. Amazon is listing a 1-2 month wait for the 16GB model and a 1-3 week wait for the 32GB, Best Buy has the player listed as “backordered,” and New Egg shows “sold out.” Microsoft’s own store doesn’t seem to be having these stocking problems, but we suppose that’s to be expected. How about you, are you being kept from the Zune HD your heart desires? How does this make you feel?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Zune HD a major sellout? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we knew this was coming: Amazon’s trying to convince a federal judge to block the $125m settlement that’ll let Google Books make out-of-print works available online. According to Amazon’s newly-filed brief, allowing the settlement will essentially force copyright holders into allowing Google to scan in and sell their works whether they want to or not — a thorny area of the law Amazon’s gotten pretty familiar with as it builds out the Kindle library. Of course, since the actual settlement is between Google and those very same authors and publishers, it certainly seems like Amazon is crying crocodile tears here — according to our old friend Paul Aiken of the Authors Guild, “Amazon apparently fears Google could upend its plans” to make the Kindle the dominant ebook platform. Heady stuff — and with more briefs against the settlement due in the next few days from heavy hitters like Sony, Yahoo and Microsoft, things seem like they’re building to fever pitch. We’ll keep you updated.

Read – USA Today
Read – CNET
Read – Amazon’s brief [Warning: PDF]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Amazon formally protests Google Books settlement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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