Amazon Silk browser spins a faster mobile web, courtesy of cloud servers (video)

Part of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire pitch is its promise of Amazon Silk — a “split browser” exclusive to the tablet that gets the heavy lifting done on its EC2 cloud servers and promises faster access as a result. Dubbed Silk to represent an “invisible, yet incredibly strong connection”, it takes advantage of Amazon’s existing speedy connections, and that so many sites are already hosted on its servers to speed up web access. Another feature is its ability to learn from previous web surfers and use their data to determine how to render a page, and which sites to precache on the device before you even select the next link. While mobile browsers like Skyfire and Opera have offered speed boosting proxies before, Amazon thinks its AWS prowess and the addition of “dynamic decisions” about what to render locally or in the cloud takes it to another level. Read our live blog of the event for more details, or check out the video explanation and press release after the break.

Continue reading Amazon Silk browser spins a faster mobile web, courtesy of cloud servers (video)

Amazon Silk browser spins a faster mobile web, courtesy of cloud servers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAmazon Silk, @AmazonSilk (Twitter), YouTube  | Email this | Comments

Amazon launches Kindle Touch and Touch 3G: starts at $99, ships November 21st

Oddly enough, the Kindle Fire already feels like yesterday’s news. Why? Because Amazon won’t stop launching new products. Jeff Bezos just revealed the Kindle Touch ($99 with ads, $139 without) here in New York City, noting that this guy’s using an IR touch system, similar to the latest Nook and Kobo, and there’s no keyboard (physical, anyway) to speak of. It’s slimmer, smaller and lighter than the existing Kindle, with a muted silver chassis that looks almost nothing like the Kindles of today. The entire user interface has been re-thought out, with “taps” being used in place of buttons. Need another reason to buy? We’re told that it’s using the company’s “most advanced” E Ink display yet, and while no specifics were doled out, “extra long” was the term used to describe battery life. A 3G-enabled model ($149 with free global roaming!) will also be available, with the duo up for pre-order later today and shipments going out on November 21st. Unfortunately, the Touch — like the Fire — is a US-only product.

Keep up with the unveiling at our liveblog of the Amazon event.

Update: Orders are live!

Continue reading Amazon launches Kindle Touch and Touch 3G: starts at $99, ships November 21st

Amazon launches Kindle Touch and Touch 3G: starts at $99, ships November 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon reveals $79 Kindle, ships today!

As if a $199 Kindle Fire wasn’t enough, Amazon’s also launching a Kindle e-reader that’ll dip below triple-digits for the first time. You heard right — a $79 Kindle (or £89 if you’re unfortunate enough to be on that side of the pricing insanity). According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the company’s Kindle line will “start” at the aforesaid price as of today, a marked decrease from the $114 being charged for its lowest end unit earlier in the week. If anything, that’s a huge blow for Barnes & Noble, and we’re surmising that a reactionary drop will be coming soon in the Nook family if it hopes to keep pace. We’ve also learned that this guy has ads built right in — not a shocker given the price, but notable for those who aren’t keen on buying a device that continually serves up commercials to justify the lower up-front tally. If you’re looking to avoid the hassle, the non-ads variant is priced at $109.

Keep up with the unveiling at our liveblog of the Amazon event.

Update: We’ve added the first commercial video after the break.

Update 2: Orders are live!

Continue reading Amazon reveals $79 Kindle, ships today!

Amazon reveals $79 Kindle, ships today! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg Businessweek, Amazon, Amazon UK  | Email this | Comments

Live from Amazon’s tablet event in NYC!

Okay, so we don’t know that we’ll be seeing a tablet (or two) today, but that’s what we’re expecting, and regardless we’re eager to see what the company has in store for us. We’re getting settled in at Stage 37 here in New York City (a place we’re very familiar with) and the event begins soon. Join us as we find out what’s next.

Continue reading Live from Amazon’s tablet event in NYC!

Live from Amazon’s tablet event in NYC! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Is the New Amazon Kindle Fire Color Tablet—and It’s Only $199! (Updated with Impressions)

This is incredible. The new Amazon Kindle Fire will cost only $199! This is a killer price for a color tablet. Even while it doesn’t match the iPad’s features, there’s going to be some fierce competition this year. More »

Amazon Kindle Fire tablet unveiled: Android-based, 7-inch display, $199 price tag

Okay, so it wasn’t much of a surprise, but Amazon finally has a tablet, and as expected its name picks up where the Kindle left off: Fire. Of course, rumors of an Amazon tablet date back to this time last year (if not before), but it seems that Jeff and co. have wisely chosen to get this thing out on the open market before having yet another wild and wacky holiday quarter. Bloomberg has curiously reported on some of the details before the event itself kicks off, noting that the 7-inch device will run a version of Android while acting much like a “souped-up Kindle.” The real kicker, however, is the price — at just $199, it’s bound to turn heads, regardless of whether you were interested in a slate before. Naturally, that bargain-bin sticker explains the lack of an embedded camera and microphone, though consumers will find WiFi (no 3G, sadly) and a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. It’s also quite clear that Amazon’s hoping to make a bigger splash on the content side of things than has been made already by Apple, and with the deals flowing like wine, we wouldn’t be shocked if it does just that.

Update: Itching for specs? How’s about a 7-inch IPS (!) panel, Gorilla Glass coating, a 1GHz TI OMAP dual-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a chassis that weighs 14.6 ounces. There’s also access to things you’d expect to have access to: Android Appstore (though no access to Google’s Android Market!), Kindle books, magazines, etc. — all stored for free via Amazon Cloud Storage. Per Jeff: “Delete it and get it back when you want.” Oh, and Whispersync now works with movies and TV shows! “When you get home, switch to your big screen TV. Your movie will be right where you left it.” While it’s clearly Android underneath, the actual UI looks effectively nothing like it — considering TechCrunch‘s intel that Amazon went and did its own thing without Google’s blessing, we guess that makes some level of sense. Oh, and pre-orders are set to start today (but only for Americans… boo), with shipments heading out on November 15th.

Update 2: We’ve added the first commercial video after the break.

Update 3: Check out our hands-on impressions right here!

Keep up with the unveiling at our liveblog of the Amazon event.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Fire tablet unveiled: Android-based, 7-inch display, $199 price tag

Amazon Kindle Fire tablet unveiled: Android-based, 7-inch display, $199 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg, Amazon  | Email this | Comments

We’re Live at the Amazon Tablet Event

The nerd world is all atwitter about today’s Amazon event, eagerly anticipating a tablet or two. Will Bezos & Co crash the iPad’s party with a color Kindle Powerhouse? Will the black-and-white e-reader sink below $100? More »

Is a second generation Kindle Fire tablet hitting early next year?

Shortly after information started leaking out about the warmly-named Amazon tablet, gdgt offered up some supplementary details from sources explaining why the Fire looks an awful lot like the PlayBook. According to the anonymous informants, the thing was built using the same template as RIM’s device. Apparently the product is more or less being rushed out the door to make it out in time for the holidays. It seems that there may be another pressing reason for the rush to bring the reader-friendly tablet to market — namely a much improved second generation device, which is currently on-tap for the first quarter of next year. Why so close? Well, the newer tablet’s release date has supposedly been secured for some time, while its predecessor was pushed back for various reasons. It wouldn’t be the first time that Amazon launched two Kindle products months apart, with the Kindle DX arriving shortly after the Kindle 2. It’s not exactly the same thing, given that one device wasn’t meant to replace the other, but it certainly doesn’t bode well for the company’s ability to schedule. There are still some questions here, of course — even if the above is true (and that’s certainly a big “if”), that doesn’t mean that this second-gen tablet will hit its own mark. If it does, however, a lot of early adopters may get burned by the Fire.

Is a second generation Kindle Fire tablet hitting early next year? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WrapUp: Slick Windows Media Center Theme, Make Dropbox Portable, and More

This article was written on July 11, 2011 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

Verizon tiered data structureVerizon Switches to Tiered Data Plans
Verizon, just like AT&T, is migrating towards tiered data plans that range from $10/month for 75MB up to $80/month for 10GB.

 

Opera wahooOpera 12 Pre-Alpha Released
Now that Opera 11.5 was recently pushed out the door the next iteration, codenamed Wahoo (destined to become Opera 12), is available for developers to download.

 

Amazon cloud driveAmazon Adds More Features to Cloud Music Service
For a limited time only users who sign up for any paid storage plan (as low as $20 per year) will get unlimited music storage on Amazon Cloud Drive.

 

Facebook chatFacebook Enhancing Web-Based Chat
The new Facebook chat lets you have group conversations and even video chat with one other person thanks to video calling powered by Skype.

 

Spotify usSpotify Announces Upcoming US Launch
Last week Spotify officially came forward to say that their music service will soon be landing in the US, and allowed users to sign up for an invite.

 

Jailbreakme3JailbreakMe.com Updated with iPad 2 Support
iOS hackers are at it again with another web-based jailbreak that even supports the iPad 2.

 

Google multiple sign inGoogle Multiple Sign-in Now Supporting 10 Accounts
I was a little disappointed when Google’s multiple account sign-in feature only supported 3 simultaneous accounts, but it looks like they have quietly upped it to 10 accounts.

 

Blogger picasaGoogle Rebranding Blogger/Picasa?
Mashable has heard that Picasa will be renamed to Google Photos and that Blogger will be renamed to Google Blogs in the coming weeks.

 

Hotmail calendarHotmail Boasts 15-Years of Service
It’s amazing to think that Hotmail has been around for over 15-years, and to celebrate the milestone they are rolling out a mini-calendar view to your Inbox.

 

Wordpress 32WordPress 3.2 Released
The latest iteration of WordPress is faster, lighter, has a refreshed dashboard, includes a new theme, and comes with a distraction-free writing mode.

 

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Media center themeAwesome New Theme for Windows Media Center
You may be aware that you can theme your Windows Media Center, but the challenge is finding something that looks decent enough to replace the stock theme. This one, called Platform, is possibly the best I’ve seen.

 

Inbox styleChoose Your Gmail Inbox Style
Google is making it easier for users to switch between different types of email inboxes with their new navigation scheme.

 

Swype iosUnofficial Swype Keyboard Available for Jailbroken iOS Devices
Any iOS user that has been longing for a Swype-style keyboard can jailbreak their device to get their hands on the free mod. I tried it out, and the results aren’t quite as good as what I’ve gotten with the official Swype app on Android, but I’m sure it will continue to improve.

 

Download google mapsGoogle Maps for Android Adds Offline Capability
Android users are definitely lucky with the innovations coming to their Google Maps app, and this time Google is letting users download areas on a map (up to a 10-mile radius) for offline viewing.

 

Thunderbird conversationsThunderbird Conversation Brings Gmail-Like Interface to Thunderbird
The new Thunderbird Conversations 2.0 includes support for Thunderbird 5, and provides a Gmail-like conversation view when reading your emails.

 

Get folder sizeFind Large Folders on Your Machine
GetFoldersize is a free Windows app that can analyze how the disk space is used on your computer and identify large files/folders.

 

CantioCantio is a YouTube-Powered Music Player
Cantio is a free music service powered by the wide variety of music found on YouTube.

 

Dropbox portableHow to Make Your Dropbox Portable
Sometimes it would be nice to run Dropbox on any machine without having to worry about going through the configuration process, and this is especially useful for machines where you don’t have access to install new programs. These instructions walk you through how to make your own portable version of Dropbox.

 

–Downloads–

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Reminder: We’ll be live tomorrow at Amazon’s tablet event in NYC!

Please join us as we join Amazon for an Amazon.com press conference. We don’t know for sure what the company will be showing us — it could be a new kindle — but with all the tablet talk lately we have to figure there’ll be something slate-like on display. Join us tomorrow as we find out.

Set your bookmarks at this location right here, and tune in at the times listed below:

04:00AM – Hawaii
07:00AM – Pacific
08:00AM – Mountain
09:00AM – Central
10:00AM – Eastern
03:00PM – London
04:00PM – Paris
06:00PM – Moscow
07:30PM – Mumbai
11:00PM – Tokyo
12:00AM – Sydney (Sept 29th)

Reminder: We’ll be live tomorrow at Amazon’s tablet event in NYC! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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