Amazon late Tuesday unveiled the next generation of the company’s Kindle Fire tablet line. The new models feature quad-core CPUs, improved graphics, ultra-high density displays, and impressive battery life for hundreds of dollars less than competing tablets from Apple.
Editorial: Rediscovering CDs in the Age of Music Downloads
The method by which I collect music has changed considerably over the years. At a very young age, I recorded my favorite radio stations to blank cassettes, then dubbed the songs I wanted to mix tapes. When I started to earn some money, I would buy cassettes, then CDs. Then of course came Napster and, so as not to incriminate myself, let’s just say I found that service “very interesting” during my cash-strapped college days. Once the novelty of Napster…
Deal Alert: Seagate ST4000DM000 4TB Hard Drive for $149.99
Update [2013-05-23]: The sale is over, and Amazon has raised the price back to approximately $175. Better luck next time! As notebook hard drives break density records, and the market eagerly awaits 5TB desktop drives, the price on 4TB drives is starting to fall. Amazon today listed the relatively well-reviewed Seagate ST4000DM000 4TB hard drive for $149.99, more than $60 less than MSRP and about $30 less than its average street price. Newegg quickly moved to match the offer. At about $0.037…
Amazon Launches Coins Digital Currency, A Bad Deal for Consumers
After teasing the idea in February, Amazon today launched its own digital currency for the Kindle ecosystem. Named “Coins,” the move is being sold by the company as a way to both simplify transactions as well as generate more money for content creators. For customers, Amazon Coins is an easy way to purchase apps and in-app items on Kindle Fire, and for developers it’s another opportunity to drive traffic, downloads and increased monetization. With discounts of up to 10% for…
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eBooks Account for 23% of U.S. Publisher Revenue in 2012
Last week’s news that Microsoft is considering a $1 billion buyout of the Nook eBook company it formed with Barnes & Noble is less surprising in light of data revealed today by research firm Statista. According to data from the Association of American Publishers, eBooks accounted for nearly 23 percent of U.S. publisher revenue in 2012. On the year, eBooks accounted for 22.6 percent of sales as a percentage of U.S. trade publishers’ net revenue, up from 17.0 percent in…
Amazon Preparing Broad Hardware Push Including 3D Smartphones
Following rumors that Amazon is preparing a Kindle branded TV set-top box, the company may also be on the verge of announcing its first line of smartphones, according to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal. Two smartphones, including a high-end model with a 3D screen and an “audio-only streaming device” are said to be in the works. Rumors of Amazon’s interest in smartphones first began in mid–2012. The company reportedly hoped to use the product to secure a slice…
EFF Reveals “Who Has Your Back” In Online Privacy
Consumers should trust Twitter, Dropbox, and Google to safeguard their personal information from improper government inquiries, while customers of Apple, AT&T, Myspace, and Verizon should check the street to see if any unmarked government vehicles are parked outside, according to the annual “Who Has Your Back” report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the non-profit digital rights advocacy group. In an evaluation of 18 online firms, a surprising number of prominent companies were found to have few protections for user…
Apple’s iOS Tablet Share Falls in Q1 on Strong Android Growth
Apple’s once dominant market share in new tablet shipments continues to erode, according to preliminary data released today by research firm IDC. Apple’s share of worldwide tablet shipment in the first quarter of 2013 fell to 39.6 percent in the face of explosive growth from Android competitors, even as the company outperformed shipment expectations. Top Five Tablet Vendors (Shipments in Millions) Source: IDC 1Q2013 Shipments 1Q2013 Market Share 1Q2012 Shipments 1Q2012 Market Share Year-Over-Year Growth Apple 19.5 39.6% 11.8 58.1%…
Apple Dominates 2012 Digital Video Purchases and Rentals
While Netflix controls subscription-based online video, Apple dominates online video purchases and rentals in the U.S., according to a new report from the NPD Group. Apple’s iTunes held a commanding lead in both categories during 2012, reaching unit shares of 67 and 65 percent for online TV Show and Movie purchases, respectively. Microsoft’s still developing Xbox Video service and Amazon’s Instant Video took third and fourth place in terms of digital purchases. Online movie rentals were also controlled by Apple,…
Repairability Chart Outs Industry Focus on Disposable Tablets
The shift of the computing industry from big open boxes to small tightly-integrated mobile devices, started in many ways by Apple in the early 2000s, has led to a new era of portability and functionality. But it has also deprived customers of expandability, customization, and repairability. For most users purchasing new tablets and ultrabooks, the days of upgrading and repairing hardware post-purchase are over. From the perspective of many companies, consumers are encouraged to view new devices through a lens…