AWS meets Kindle Fire
On Sept 28th, Amazon announced the new Kindle Fire tablet. This post digs into the two key cloud integratio ns that Amazon brings with Fire. Amazon Silk, The Cloud Accelerated Browser The browser deploys a split-architecture where all of the browser subsystems are present on the Kindle Fire as well as on the Amazon’s cloud [...]
Beating Apples system Amazon introduces Cloud Reader
Is this one of the first chinks in Apples armor for eBooks? I have tried repeatedly to use the eBook development kit for Apple, and honestly from a user friendly and programmatic viewpoint it is probably the worst chunk of software pushed by Apple. If the eBook fits all specifications and everyone from Amazon to [...]
No For Kno, Finally. It Was DOA Anyway.
Boomtown reports Kno, makers of the flip-open dual tablet designed for the education market is planning to sell off the hardware business, and focus on software only. Says Kara Swisher: That’s because marketing a new and complex product like the Kno takes a lot of effort and cash, especially since it is an increasingly competitive [...]
The Kno is Not a Tablet. It’s a Workout Device
Seriously. At 5 and a half pounds it’s not exactly a lightweight tablet you would want to hold for hours. I have a very simple test for you: if you have an average 14”-15” laptop around, flip it open, hold it vertically, just like this: … and tell me how long you could comfortably hold [...]
Are We Ready To Write Obituary For eBook Readers?
Ever since iPad was released, there are murmurs about the eventual death of specialized ebook readers. Already, we saw some of the much hyped ebook readers going down the drain. With the release of iPad, people are slowly realizing the usefulness of multifunction devices over specialized devices just for reading ebooks. The e-Ink technology of ebook readers [...]
The Four Quadrants of Innovation: Disruptive vs Incremental
I recently wrote up a post, Most Dangerous Innovation Misperception – The Silver Bullet Approach. In it, I discussed the issue of organizations myopically focusing on only disruptive innovations to the exclusion of more incremental or sustaining innovations. In doing more research on the subject, I began thinking about the dynamics that apply when a [...]
Qu'est-ce QUE c'est? A Killer e-Book? A Kindle Killer?
A picture is worth thousand words. So the next two images of the Que, Plastic Logic’s ultrathin, bendable e-reader should save 2,000 words… courtesy of MediaMemo: I’ve said before, dedicated e-readers won’t go away anytime soon, and Plastic Logic’s product is the one to keep an eye for – simply because this is the first [...]
Books On Clouds: A Game Changer?
I am a big sucker for ebooks for many reasons. First, there is a noble reason of not cutting the trees and helping the planet. There are other practical and lesser mortal reasons like saving space by not having huge bookshelves occupying most of the office space, cost (the consumers are supposed to have huge [...]
College Students Reject the Kindle: What e-Book Reader is Going to Work?
As students begin to reject the Amazon Kindle ebook reader, the idea of ebooks as text books for colleges should start taking center stage. What device or system is going to truly work for busy students who want to use ebooks, but are finding it hard to use them at all on any device? Ebooks [...]
Kindlegate: Debunking The Fast Company Article And Learning A Few Lessons From It
Recently, Jamais Cascio wrote an article on Fast Company pointing out to the recent Orwellian Kindle fiasco by Amazon and, then, arguing that one should not trust the Cloud Computing. The article can be categorized as borderline fear mongering with somewhat incorrect representation about the actual nature of the Cloud Computing. However, there are some [...]
CrunchPad Getting Close to Launch – Now Really Sexy Situational Device.
I admit I was skeptical when Mike Arrington first announced he wanted to build a lightweight Web Tablet. But a few month later we saw the first prototype, which was not particularly attractive – but real. Mea Culpa, I was wrong. The second prototype was already quite likable, albeit not as sexy as as the [...]
NetBooks Will Not Replace e-Readers
PC World has jumped the shark with the bombastic title: Bye-bye Kindle, E-reader Screens Coming for Netbooks. It’s all about start-up Pixel Qi’s new screen which can operate as traditional backlit color LCD or as a black-end-white e-paper that hardly consumes energy and most importantly reduces eye-strain. PC World jumps to the conclusion: E-reader makers [...]
Kindle App For iPhone – Do Books On Clouds Matter?
Image via CrunchBase Amazon launched the Kindle App for iPhone yesterday night and it has set up a flurry of posts on Techmeme. I downloaded it yesterday night and played around with it. Now I am thinking whether it matters at all. iPhone already has two good book reading applications in the name of eReader [...]
