Friday, May 27, 2011

Hands-on with the Entourage Edge

Hands-on with the Entourage Edge, article/video.
Clearly made not the least for the education market, and clearly an interesting device.

My issue is, though, once you have the color touch screen, what do you need the e-ink screen for? Are you gonna drag around double the weight just for the occasional day you need to read in sunshine? Many people are very attached to E-ink, and I really don't get it, for me it's just... gray.
The lack of backlight might be nice on the eyes in the long run, but I won't know until I see it in color, or at least least with a decent contrast instead of near-black on middle-grey. (Black on light grey is ideal for me on screen. Perhaps black on white on paper, for then you can normally adjust the lighting so you're not blinded.)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Barnes & Noble Intros $139 6”Nook

Barnes & Noble Intros $139 6”Nook, article.
It has only one button, and a touch-screen. If done well, that should work better than the Kindle's multiple buttons.



I like that they have shaped the back for a better grip. About time somebody thought of that.

The E-Ink  screen is still grey though, and the E-Ink company has sadly said that we shouldn't expect any steps forward there, this year. :(

Monday, May 23, 2011

iPads as... product labels?

iPads as... product labels? Article.  Talk about high tech!
The kiosk-style iPads use an interactive interface for showing product details, and also include an option for requesting a store employee for assistance.

I wonder how the 'pads are powered, I don't see anything plugged in.


Great idea, when you start thinking about it: they are instantly changeable centrally, and the content is infinitely variable and expandable... tutorial videos, promo videos, etc.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

What the Amazon Kindle Tablet Might Be Like

What the Amazon Kindle Tablet Might Be Like, article.
Speculation, but sound stuff and based on a lot of data most people don't know.
And I agree: it's very unlikely that an Amazon tablet would compete in the iPad market, that would be stupid. Instead it's likely to be more limited, more focused on reading, but much more powerful (color touch screen and Android apps) than the Kindle 3, and hopefully less than $250 in price. That might be hard to achieve, but maybe the current Kindle3-with-ads thing is an experiment to see how many would accept limited advertising in order to subsidize a reduced price for an Amazon tablet. And from what I hear, that's quite many people, for the K3 at least.

An iPhone App for the Post-Rapture Barter Economy

An iPhone App for the Post-Rapture Barter Economy, post/video.
"The post-apocalypse recession is bound to be a doozy. If you don't have the stomach for looting (why aren't you in heaven, pussy?), or don't have a gold stockpile, you'll probably have to barter for basic survival needs."