Hasta La Gadget!

You really should pay attention when Engadget’s founder, Peter Rojas speaks about the tech industry. Especially when he leads into a story like this:

It’s something of an open secret that Amazon is working on an Android tablet and I am 99 percent certain they are having Samsung build one for them.

The GDGT piece goes on to present a very reasoned argument that paints Amazon, not Samsung or the rest of the traditional consumer electronics industry, as Apple’s chief competition in the near-term tablet space. An idea that’ll be tough to argue against if Amazon — with its combined music (downloadable and streaming), video, book, and app ecosystem — can actually launch a dirt-cheap, highly-customized, 7-inch Android tablet this summer as Pete predicts. Oh, and the fact that Amazon already has our credit card details will certainly make for easy adoption. Hit the source below for the full read or, better yet, stay tuned for the next Engadget Show where we’ll be nerding-out with the son of the father of the father of Engadget.

Amazon to take on Apple this summer with Samsung-built tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We love books. We just don’t love carrying more than one of them around. It’s great to hear, then, that Amazon has figured out a new Kindle Library Lending feature, which will allow US customers to check the ethereal form of books into their Kindle (all generations are supported) or Kindle app-equipped smartphone or computer. Annotations will be retained, in case you decide to take the book out a second time or purchase it through Amazon, in which case they’ll come flooding back in like fond memories of a good read. The service matches Sony’s similar ebook library checkout offering, which is no coincidence as it’s powered by the same company, OverDrive. It’s set to launch later this year and you can read more about it in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Kindle Library Lending will let you take books out on your e-reader or Kindle app, launching in US this year

Kindle Library Lending will let you take books out on your e-reader or Kindle app, launching in US this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon will sell you an ad-supported Kindle for $114

Can’t afford a Kindle? Amazon will knock $25 off the price of the Wi-Fi model if you can stomach compulsory ads.

The new “Kindle with Special Offers” costs $114. In exchange for the price cut, Amazon will replace screensavers with ads, and put banners on the home page. The ads will not show up when you’re reading a book.

The initial run of screensaver ads will be sponsored by Buick, Procter & Gamble, Visa, and Chase, and Amazon will also drop its own special offers into the mix. From the examples, Amazon’s offers look pretty good. As for the third-party ads, they will be presented to the public for review before being used as screensavers. This will be done via an upcoming app called AdMash, which will show prospective ads to users and allow them to vote on which ones will make it to the front page.

It’s a curious move, and devilishly clever. It puts static ads onto the screens of potentially millions of Kindle’s when they’re not in use, where they can be seen by any passerby. Even the AdMash app is really a way of showing more ads to those who use it to vote. Amazon, along with its partners, is clearly getting its money’s worth.

And what of the buyers? It’s a curious group of consumers that wants a Kindle enough to pay $114, but can’t spring for $25 more to remove the ads. How are they going to buy books? And is it really worth turning your ebook reader into a mobile billboard for the price of a dinner? After all, the ads will haunt you for the life of the device. And if you are trying to save money, then its likely you’ll be hanging on to it for a long while.

There’s another downside, too. One of the greatest things about the Kindle is that you can read any old junk and nobody will know. All they see is the standard screensaver, when you’re really reading the collected works of Danielle Steel. Now all kinds of embarrassing spam could show up there. Still, I guess anything’s better than that godawful Emily Dickinson screensaver.

Kindle with Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers [Amazon]

See Also:

• Kindle Can Now Buy, Download Audio Books Over Wi-Fi
• Read (Some of) Your Own Books on Kindle for iPad
• Amazon Launches Kindle Singles, Saves Long-Form Journalism …

Here’s a scenario: what if we told you that your next Kindle could be had for $25 less than retail? What if we told you it came from the rear of a nondescript white van? Or what if we told you that you’d first need to sign up for 842 email marketing scams? Thankfully, none of those scenarios are ones we’re looking to tell you about. Instead, we’re here to introduce you to the world’s first ad-supported Kindle, going on sale within Target and Best Buy locations for $114. That represents a gentle $25 savings compared to the price of today’s cheapest Kindle, but those 2500 pennies don’t come free — you’ll be asked to endure “advertisements on the bottom of the device’s home page and on its screen savers.” Furthermore, it sets a new precedent in the gadget arena that could very well carry over to ad-discounted tablets, netbooks, PMPs, and who knows what else. At this point, Buick, Olay and Visa will be advertising, and we get the impression that said list will bloom in due time. It’s hard to say just how intrusive they’ll be, but Kindle director Jay Marine seems to think that “customers are going to love it.”

We aren’t so sure. While it’s crystal clear that the general populace adores coupon cutting, it seems problematic to us to ship a pair of identical products that cost within $25 of one another and expect Joe Sixpack to grok the difference. In fact, we’re guessing that this will inevitably lead to consumer complaints from those who can’t figure out why their “on sale Kindle” isn’t nearly as enjoyable to read as “Bob’s Kindle… that he found during a sale.” At any rate, a demo of the new device displayed a screen saver deal “where customers would pay $10 for a $20 gift card to Amazon,” and while no ads will appear in e-books, there’s still “a clear advertisement” along the bottom of the home screen. All that said, here’s the key feature that Amazon’s seemingly overlooking: an option in the software to pay back the $25 a customer skimped on to do away with the ads on their ad-supported e-reader. Solves the buyer’s remorse problem, at least.

Update: And it’s official — PR’s after the break!

Continue reading Ad-supported Kindle to ship May 3rd: saves $25, includes lot of enticement

Ad-supported Kindle to ship May 3rd: saves $25, includes lot of enticement originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can’t get enough New York Times over your Whispernet? Worry not, dear Kindle reader, for Amazon’s on a roll with its announcements today, the latest of which is that a subscription to the NYT on its world-conquering e-reader will also grant users access to the paywall-protected NYTimes.com online portal. No complex rules or conditions, you’ll just be one of the insiders who get unfettered access to all the fine old school journalism practiced at Times towers. See Amazon’s press release after the break or hit the source link to learn more about the $28-a-month (for international users) subscription.

Update: The sub price is $20 in the USA, the $28 cost we first saw relates to those signing up from the UK and other international markets. Thanks, russke!

Continue reading Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well

Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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