I was hoping this wouldn’t happen, but I knew it would — it’s the danger of an always-on, always-connected society. Today, Kindle users found themselves a few books short; Amazon had, with no warning, pulled a kill switch on a set of books which a publisher wanted to no longer offer. The books were sucked out of the devices and customers were credited the ten bucks or whatever they paid — like it never happened. Scary, isn’t it? Positively Orwellian, in fact.
The “kill switch” has been brought up in other circumstances — most prominently with the iPhone. While Apple already holds sovereignty over the App Store’s contents, they also reserve the right to deactivate programs (or, one may extrapolate, activate programs) on any or all phones if they feel it’s necessary (or expedient). I never wanted an iPhone because I didn’t want to have any devices under the control of anyone but myself — and now I’m never going to buy a Kindle.
Read More
Look what just showed up on Amazon. That’s right, it’s the PSP Go, ready for pre-order for $248.99. That’s a deal, too—you save an entire dollar. That’s red-hot.
Amazon is trying really really hard to get the Kindle out by Christmas in the UK, and you can’t hardly blame them. Given how successful the ebook reader has been in the US, you can’t help but expect the same results on the other side of the pond.
It seems that the Kindle 2 has an issue when used with the official protective case: it cracks. Obviously everyone that spent $30 on the case that’s suppose to protect the Kindle from such damage isn’t too happy right now. Amazon previously stated that owners were kind of out of luck and had to spend an additional $200 for a replacement but recently started replacing cracked Kindles. The change probably has something to do with a $5 million lawsuit that includes buyers of Kindle 2 and Kindle DX models “installed in a Kindle Cover designed by Amazon.”
This seems to have been an issue for a while now judging by reviews on Amazon. Apparently one of the clips that holds the Kindle in place also tends to crack the case. Read More
We’re starting to see more and more “hate” being thrown Amazon’s way. That’s because, of course, the Kindle is something of a success, and publishers, who already operate a pretty wonky business (more on that in a bit), are becoming concerned that Amazon will soon be able to wield the same kind of power that Apple did over the music industry. Basically, book publishers don’t want Amazon to “own” the digital book market.
Anyone seen a Mitsubishi LaserVue HDTV in person? They are among the best quality HDTVs available and it seems that they are finally dropping in price. Too bad you still can’t afford one.
Before everyone gets in a huff, let’s consider Amazon’s intentions with these patent applications. Surely they would never allow advertisements to be placed in books which you have purchased legitimately at full price, so let’s put that out of our heads. But what if you could take a few bucks off the cover price at the cost of a few contextual ads relating (if possible) to the book’s content?
Personally, I wouldn’t mind — partially because I don’t use a Kindle or intend to any time soon, but more because it’s a no-lose situation. Amazon wouldn’t risk alienating its loyal Kindle base with dirty tricks like this, so it’s safe to assume it’ll be at least somewhat opt-in.
In case you didn’t know, Apple refreshed its notebook lineup a few weeks back and rebadged the 13-inch unibody Macbook as a Pro model. Apparently the masses like it as that model now occupies the top spot in Amazons best selling laptop computer list and number four overall. It wasn’t that long ago that netbooks ruled that second list and the white 13-inch Macbook was the top selling Apple computer at number 14.
The Palm Pre Touchstone got raked over coals when it first launched after someone did a little math and discovered the massive mark-up that the $70 accessory carried. Well, Amazon is selling it for only $29 which is a lot better. There is a little trick to get it for this price though.
Don’t get too used to paying next to nothing (well…) for your Kindle books, friends. A clever analysis by a Berstein duo suggests that Amazon currently only makes a 61-cent profit for each $9.99 Kindle book it sells. Meanwhile, a $24.95 hardcover book nets Amazon a cool $4.25 in profit. So it stands to reason that, if Amazon wants to replace that lost profit, it’ll have to raise the price of Kindle downloads.
Jeff “Wide-awake Michael Stipe” Bezos told a set of analysts that the Kindle – as a physical object – and the ebook store are two different and separate animals and that the device team is completely separate from the ebook sales business. Why is this important? It means that Bezos sees his future in the selling of bits, not e-ink screens, and the addition of mobile readers for the iPhone and other mobile devices is not a fluke – it’s a business plan.
Another month, another version of the Kindle. I’ve been using a Kindle since it was shaped like a very thin doorstop and I’m delighted each time I see a new version. The latest version is the DX, a monstrous 9-inch version of the smaller Kindle 2 that supports direct PDF reading without conversion.
Why am I interested in the Kindle? Well, I already have a first-gen Kindle so I’m not too keen on upgrading immediately. But I’ve been waiting for Amazon to solve something with the Kindle DX that has been nagging me for quite a while. You see, I have a problem. I don’t want to read the New York Times on paper anymore but paper seems like the only logical way to read it. Reading the newspaper on a gadget is rude and dangerous – especially with toddlers around the house. It’s a tough sell to have a gadget at the breakfast table. But then I know that I’ll never read it on the desktop whether through the Times Reader or any other source. So the DX sounded great. I has all of the features of the current Kindle plus rotational sensing and a beautiful, huge screen that might just fit the entire NYT front page and not just one article. So that’s why I wanted to see the DX.
Read More
Microsoft officially outed the Zune HD a week ago, but the Amazon product listing under the Technical Details section is talking about Xbox Live integration that wasn’t mentioned in the Microsof presser.
Integration with the Xbox LIVE network gives you access to millions of videos, TV shows, and games from Xbox LIVE720p HD video output to your HDTV with optional docking station
There is more too.
Ready to spend $489 on a Kindle DX? Well, if you are, the large-screen Kindle will be available on June 10, 2009 with pre-orders shipping first. We’re still holding out for the Kindle 9 XXXD.
Just in case you have some DVDs or Blu-ray discs laying around, Amazon wants ‘em and is willing to give you a gift card for ‘em. All you have to do is head over to Amazon and print out a shipping label. The discs do have to be worth more than $10 and in good condition. They don’t want your nasty-ass used discs.
At the Amazon shareholders’ meeting today, Bezos beat around the bush Kindle-wise, preferring not to state how many Kindles had been sold and how much money had come from and gone into the project. “I beg your indulgence on the question” was his way of stating “not palatable for shareholders at this time.” However, he was more forthcoming on the possibility of a color Kindle. Of course they’re working on one, why on earth wouldn’t they be?
But despite recent advances and even a color eBook on the market, Bezos says that color e-ink displays are “not ready for prime time,” and he doesn’t expect a color Amazon device for years.
About a half hour ago, Amazon opened up a new feature on the Kindle: the ability to read your notes and highlights on the Web. Readers have always been able to make notes and highlight text on the Kindle itself. Now those annotations appear on your account at http://kindle.amazon.com. Once you sign in, you can see all your notes.
While this opens up all sorts of possibilities, Amazon is taking a very conservative approach. You can’t share your notes with others. You can’t even edit them in your browser. All you can do is read them. That makes the feature little more than a Web archive of your notes and highlighted text snippets. It is a convenient feature, but why not enable sharing? Why can’t I share an excerpt with my friends on Facebook or Twitter (with the beginning of a quote and a short link)?
An analyst whose knowledge of the future is only curtailed by the misty damp that surrounds the ethereal plane is saying that the Kindle will make Amazon $1.6 billion in revenue with $400 million in profit. He also foresees that sales will go up 80% between 2009 and 2012 and that “subscriptions” will go up accordingly, leading to the agonizing death of newspapers and magazines. He also saw your fourth-grade hamster, Gonzo. He is doing well.
Oh, Internet! This here is a silly video showing a future version of the Amazon Kindle, the Kindle 9 XXXD. Why, it’s so big it can’t possibly be practical to use!
How is the Kindle DX going to save the newspaper industry when Amazon demands a whopping 70 percent of all revenue, plus the right to license that content (“the mayor said something important today at City Hall”) wherever it chooses? Such is the plight of the Dallas Morning News, and, presumably, other, smaller (compared to the New York Times, Washington Post, etc.) newspapers.
