kevin

September 28, 2011

Amazon unveil new Kindle device this morning

No live video feed from Amazon’s press conference this morning but cnet are live blogging from NYC here.

Update: looks like a touch enabled color Kindle is $99. Not sure if this is the Android powered tablet or just a touch enabled Kindle. If that’s the tablet then that is a bargain at that price.

Update: $99 for touch enabled e-ink Kindle, $79 for non-touch Kindle and ad supported. No details on tablet yet.

Update: here you go… Kindle Fire 7″ Android based tablet… $199. That’s an awesome price. This thing is going to sell like hotcakes. Pre-order now, ships Nov 16.

August 30, 2011

Could an Amazon tablet make it big time for non-iOS tablets?

Rumor has it that Amazon is planning an Android based tablet, with a price somewhere between $249 and $299. Given the failure of HP’s entry into the tablet space with the WebOS powered TouchPad, Amazon may be gambling in a market currently dominated by Apple and it’s iPad. However, given Amazon already is the leader in eBooks and eReader hardware with it’s wildly successful Kindle, this could be the stepping stone to further success with a more fully featured tablet, rather than the one trick eReader.

To be successful the price could make or break Amazon’s new tablet – HP cancelled their TouchPad because it wasn’t selling, but when the price was lowered to $99 to clear stock it flew off the shelves. This must have been some surprise to HP since more recently an HP exec has said that they may be thinking of resurrecting the dead device for another attempt, presumably starting off at a lower price point.

August 29, 2011

Can Samsung get Apple’s case dismissed using examples in SciFi as ‘prior art’

This is an interesting story to keep an eye on: Samsung are claiming that examples of tablet-like computers in SciFi films like 2001 mean that there are examples of ‘prior art’ and therefore Apple’s lawsuit is invalid. I hope they win. I’m tired of hearing about Apple’s lawsuits, they’re becoming as bad as Microsoft and Oracle.

August 23, 2011

$99 HP TouchPads find the sweetspot

Despite being cancelled by HP and knowing that there won’t be any future upgrades or support, with the price lowered to $99 to clear the remaining unsold stock the TouchPads have been flying off the shelves.

The reason the product wasn’t selling wasn’t the product itself, it’s just that it was priced too high. With a lower price, and even despite the fact that the product has been discontinued with no future support or upgrades, the $99 price point for a tablet has the things flying off the shelves. That has to be a marketing lesson for someone…