Hasta La Gadget!

This may not be Amazon’s next version of the Kindle, but this rad mod does fill a very unique purpose. Glenn, an electrical engineer, created what he’s calling the Frankenkindle for his sister, who has cerebral palsy. This e-reader features controls that are much easier for her to use than the stock buttons on the factory offering. Using the keypad from a children’s reader and Amazon’s pride and joy, the fully functional device is only lacking a permanent mount for the hacked digital library and some wire organization. In between the buttons and the Kindle, he’s customized a Teensy USB microcontroller to interpret and pass along the proper input commands. While fully aware the device will need some user testing, Glenn intends to tailor this bad boy to his sister’s specific needs — and if that wasn’t enough he’s got more tricks up his sleeve that will help others with physical disabilities. If you’re wanting a quick walk through, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Engineer hacks a Kindle, creates easy to use prototype for sister with cerebral palsy

Engineer hacks a Kindle, creates easy to use prototype for sister with cerebral palsy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon grabs two more Kindle related domains, keeps gadget writers in work originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If we take a can of Spam and call it “Engadget’s precooked pork meat product,” you’ll still know it’s the same mystery meat you ate for lunch, right? Under the idea of “private label rights,” authors can do just that: sell their works to others who can rebrand and resell them. This week, Amazon cracked down on duplicate ebooks in its Kindle Store, pulling titles because they “diminish the experience for customers.” One copycat who got the smack down called it a “kick in the pants” when his 22 titles got yanked. He did, however, admit he had the swift one coming. Aping authors can expect more book banning Kung Fu as Amazon continues to rid itself of “undifferentiated or barely differentiated versions of e-books.” Hi-yah!

Amazon axes copied content, duplicate Kindle Store ebooks get the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honestly, we’re not sure what to make of all the rumors and leaks surrounding Amazon recently. It’s safe to assume the company is working on a tablet, and we’re long overdue for an update to E-Ink Kindle. But, a recent round of domain registrations has sent the interwebs into a tizzy with some suggesting a new product, dubbed the Kindle Air, is in the pipeline. Though Amazon’s name doesn’t appear anywhere in the registrant information for Kindleair.com, the name MarkMonitor does — the firm Bezos and crew just used to register kindlesocialnetwork.com and kindlesocialnetworking.com. Now, companies pickup domains all the time just to protect their brand, and it seems a bit odd that Amazon would choose a moniker so similar to a particular sliver of aluminum and silicon out of Cupertino. Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait and see if an even lighter and thinner e-reader is on its way from the Seattle company.

Amazon snatches up Kindle related domains, Kindle Air rumors start circulating originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Most of us are still walking around hunchbacked from years of carrying heavy textbooks in our overstuffed backpacks. Thankfully, an e-reader can significantly lighten the loads for students everywhere. Sure, we’ve still got a ways to go before electronic devices can replace textbooks altogether, but in the long run, it’s a purpose that could significantly impact the postures of backpack wearers all over. Jump past the break for our recommendations, and another opportunity to enter our back to school giveaway. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and head over to our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: E-readers

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: E-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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