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E-Books readers sales rise Unlike Tablets

Posted by Unknown
Sunday, July 3, 2011
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Recently one of my readers asked me how I felt about my prediction a year ago that dedicated e-readers were doomed to decline. This was before the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that “The percent of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011,” while “roughly the same percentage” of people were using tablets in May 2011 as had been using them in November 2010. You know what? I still feel good about my prediction.
You see, if you take a closer look at the Pew report, E-reader Ownership Doubles in Six Months (PDF Link) you’ll see that tablets still gained 3% more owners. True, the growth rate for tablets has slowed down some and e-book readers appear to be growing faster, but has it really.
You see I’m also on record as saying that the Android Linux-powered e-readers were quickly evolving into tablets. Like what tablets you ask? Try the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color: they’re both powered by Android
The Nook Color is already an Android tablet. It runs Android 2.2. It also has a small, but growing number of Android applications includingFandango, Evernote and Seesmic and, a personal favorite of mine for reading news Pulse News.
While Amazon hasn’t announced that there’s a Kindle Tablet on its way, I know from numerous sources that one, or more, are on their way. Once I had a clearer idea what’s what with it, I’ll be reporting on what industry insiders have told me.
So, if anything, I’m surer than ever that the day of the dedicated e-reader is done-except at the bottom end-is done. Now, and then, why should companies bother to make devices that only let you read books when with Android it’s so easy to make these devices into full-scale tablets? I can’t think of a single good reason. Can you?

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Workout while you work with this Elliptical Machine Office Desk, $8000

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Hitting the gym before or after work can be such a drag. You either push yourself too hard at the gym before work and end up spending the rest of day nursing new aches at the office, or mistake the bench press for a bed after a long day at your job. Why not workout while at work?
For $8000, you can have an elliptical machine built right into your office chair so you can put your legs to good use while sitting at your desk. According to Hammacher Schlemmer, the venerable gadget retailer in New York, the Elliptical Machine Office Desk is:
Designed to be pedaled at slower cadences that won’t break one’s concentration (or cause one to break a sweat), an average user can burn about 4,000 calories in a typical workweek.
Resistance on the elliptical machine is electronically controlled via the included performance monitor that tracks distance, watts, rpm, and calories burned, and displays information stored for up to 30 individuals on its 4″ x 6″ LED screen.
This set up also includes a “generously padded” seat that spins for easy entry and exit and an adjustable backrest, as well as the height adjustable desk that can rise from 27″ to 47″ at the press of a button, so you can say goodbye to “food coma-ing” after lunch.
My back can really bother me after sitting in front of a computer all day so this office-exercise machine hybrid is a good step in the right direction, but with the hefty price tag and unappealing design, I can’t imagine anyone outfitting an entire office (or even a home office) with the Elliptical Machine Office Desk.

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Google driverless cars hit the roads in Nevada

Posted by Unknown
Friday, July 1, 2011
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Nevada has just passed legislation removing many of the legal barriers to the use of Google’s self-driving car technology. So if you see a Toyota Prius or Audi TT without anyone at the wheel the next time you’re in the state, don’t worry - Google’s got their back.
Let’s back up. All that Assembly Bill No 511 says is that Nevada lawmakers have to draft legislation which provides rules for Google’s fleet of autonomous cars, according to the Daily Mail report. That means it could still be a little while before the general public will get to take a ride.
The bill carries two amendments: the first, which already passed, provides for the licensing and testing of driverless cars. The second, which is still in debate, would grant an exemption for texting behind the wheel of the car you’re not actually driving.
Google has been pushing for this legislation for some time: after a series of successful road tests that resulted in almost 140,000 miles driven with only limited human intervention, the search giant started lobbying Nevada to take a serious look at their technology and start the path to legalization.
The benefits of driverless cars include less traffic accidents and greater fuel efficiency, to hear Google tell it. And they never let a car go off without a human operator who can take over in the case of a mistake. But would you ride in a car without a driver?
source Zd Net

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Leaked Windows 8 tablet in Q1 2012?

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There’s an alleged leaked Dell roadmap making the rounds that shows a timeline indicating that Dell is going to ship a Windows 8 tablet, codenamed Peju, in the first quarter of 2012.
My first reaction on seeing this is… No way. How can this possibly be, given that we haven’t even seen a first tech preview of Windows 8 — and are unlikely to see one, according to most informed (and uninformed) speculation until fall 2011? I’m still thinking Windows 8 will be released to manufacturing in time to make it onto PCs for holiday 2012, but there are also some claiming it won’t be out until some time inearly 2013.
Put another way: If Microsoft delivers a public beta or two, and does the final fit and finish work on Windows 8, is there any way that it could possibly be released to manufacturing in late 2011, which is what Dell would need to get it onto tablets in time to ship it in Q1 2012? I just don’t see it. (And for the record, Microsoft officials are not commenting. I asked.)
There is another remote possibility… and one that’s been in the back of my mind for a while now. Let me say up front that this is all pure and utter conjecture on my part.
What if Microsoft is planning to deliver the system-on-a-chip version of Windows 8 first? The company is believed to have been working on a port of Windows to ARM for several years now, starting with the rumored “LongARM” project. So what if the SoC version of “Windows Next” that Microsoft showed off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this past January was a lot further along than many think? Microsoft has said it plans to deliver Windows “Next” — which is widely assumed to be the same as Windows 8 by most sane and rational people — on Soc chips from Intel, AMD and ARM.


The purported leaked Dell roadmap also shows a new Windows Phone 7 from Dell, codenamed “Wrigley,” shipping in July. Wrigley is said to be running a “major new version” of the Windows Phone OS. That feasibly could mean “NoDo,” the version that Microsoft is expected to deliver in early March 2011. If it means “Mango,” the true “next major version” of the OS, which Microsoft is expected to release to manufacturing in early fall 2011, the roadmap is off (or dated)

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CE Week Top 10 Gadgets

Posted by Unknown
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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 A round up of the most important gadgets and trends this year by tech journalists from NPD, Fox, gdgt, ABC and Laptop at CE Week NYC. 
 It’s not quite time for an end-of-year list of 2011’s most important gadgets and trends, but a mid-year round up is exactly what took place on stage at the CEA Lineshows Conference in New York City this week.

Clayton Morris from Fox News got Ross Rubin of NPD Group, Peter Rojas of gdgt, Andrea Smith of ABC News Radio, Mark Spoonauer of Laptop and Josh Topolsky of ThisIsMyNext to chat about the most exciting gear and gadget-related trends on the market now

  1. Software/App is the new gadgetFor a panel billed to be all about gadgets, it was surprising the journalists would kick things off by talking software rather than hardware, but they were spot on. With all the tech coverage devoted to software update news — from iOS 5, Windows Phone 7 Mango to Android Ice Cream Sandwich (what’s with all the food references?) — so far this year, software is without a doubt defining (if not outright making or breaking) gadgets right now.
  2. Eye-Fi Memory Card
    An Eye-Fi card looks and feels just like a standard SD card but contains an embedded Wi-Fi chip that allows users to upload photos and videos instantly and wirelessly from camera to computer or even your phone, without having to physically move the card from one device to another. As Rojas pointed out, many people don’t bother moving their photos or videos off their phones or SD cards, so they rely solely on the camera’s tiny LCD screen to show off their images. With the Eye-Fi, users don’t have to bother with moving a thing, and only have to worry about capturing the best shot. That said, the card only works with selectcameras and camcorders so check for compatibility before buying. The Eye-Fi is available from major retailers like Best Buy starting at $40 for 4 GB.
  3. OnLive Game System and other set-top boxes
    What makes the OnLive Game System a game-changer to the panelists is that the cloud-based video game service takes the device out of the equation by running games that used to be only possible on the latest consoles or high-end PCs with top of the line parts, on devices that have a fraction of the power. Other set-top boxes in the living room like the Roku, Singbox and Boxee also got a mention as they are helping people cut the cord to cable. Smith made a good point that her college-aged son just cares about getting Netflix on his Xbox, so the box that wins will be that one that makes it easy to get the content consumers want, as opposed to what the cable company wants to push to consumers.
  4. Health Gadgets
    No particular product was singled out but all the panelists agreed the use of technology to help consumers take more responsibility for their health is growing, especially among the “boomer generation” according to Smith. Average consumers can now purchase attachments like the iHealth blood pressure reader and app to measure and record their vital signs and send the information directly to their doctors, rather than drop by their doctor’s office. There are even apps that remind users to take their medication, and measure there caloric in-take and exercise progress. Whether these apps and gadgets are as effective at improving our health as advertised, we’ll just have to wait and see.
  5. HTC Thunderbolt 4G/LTE
    Phone-wise, the panelists were most impressed with Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt to date. What separates the Thunderbolt from others is the incredible upload (30 seconds to one minute) and download (5-12 mbps) speeds it can achieve thanks to the LTE network. In Spoonauer’s opinion, “This is a huge deal. It’s mobile broadband that feels like home broadband.” The Thunderbolt’s 4.3″ display, 8 megapixel camera and 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU running Android Froyo still rank among the best specs in phones currently on the market, though it faces “lots of challenges around battery life,” said Rubin.
  6. iPad 2
    For Topolsky, companies trying to catch up to the iPad 2 have yet “to make a really compelling argument about their products,” which explains why the iOS device is still dominating its category without much competition. The panelists attribute the iPad’s success to its software because “the main reason people buy the iPad is for the apps,” according to Smith, “People want to play with those apps.” Spoonauer got some chuckles by pointing out that, “There are probably more apps in the Chrome app store than in the Android Market for Honeycomb.”
  7. Chromebook
    Speaking of Google’s cloud-centric laptop running the Chrome OS, Rojas believes the Chromebook will “eventually be a game-changer [but] we’re not there yet.” At $350 for the cheapest model by Acer, the Chromebook is still too expensive for a laptop that has limited functions (no Bluetooth or Ethernet port, for example) when a netbook at a similar price is much more flexible and powerful. Perhaps when the price of Chromebook drops further, it will encourage more people to purchase the Google laptop as a secondary device and hence influence the industry.
  8. Nintendo Wii U
    Although the next generation Nintendo Wii U console won’t be launched until 2012, the announcement of its new controller at E3 earlier this month captured the imagination of many eager consumers, including these tech journalists. As Rubin put it, the Wii U offers “innovation with a second screen” so they can’t wait to see how it will play out.
  9. MusicLites
    MusicLites is a light bulb that streams and plays music wirelessly through the built-in receiver and speaker, which can be controlled with a remote via Infrared. Simply screw the bulb into a regular light socket, connect the USB transmitter to the source of music (computer, phone or tablet), and the music will be able to play in rooms installed with the MusicLites bulbs. The light bulb is a 10-watt LED light (equivalent to about a 65-watt reflector bulb), with a 70-millimeter full range high fidelity loudspeaker and a wireless audio receiver that works on the 2.4GhZ Wi-Fi band. “I think this is an insane idea,” said Topolsky and I would have to agree given its price: $250 for one bulb, and $120 for the iPad/iPhone/iPod-compatible transmitter and remote. They are available in select audio dealers now. See for yourself in the video below

  11. Motorola Atrix 4G + dock
    The panelists lamented what could have been with AT&T’s Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone that can transform into a netbook with the Webtop OS and laptop dock. The idea is that you can expand on your phone’s functionality by docking to a laptop shell, but in practice, “the laptop component isn’t great,” said Topolsky. Other gears like the Asus Padfone and Transformer are also following in this direction as the design makes sense “for people who are looking to combine gadgets,” said Spoonauer. I know I am always looking for ways to do more with less gadgets. What about you?

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