Isaiah's Tech

Amazon has just announced what has been rumoured for a long time - and a bit more! Yes it's the Kindle Fire which is running a completely customized Android 2.x UI. This tablet features a 7-inch display and looks a whole lot like the BlackBerry Playbook. This tablet is lacking a bunch of features but that's because all Amazon wants you to do on this is read and buy books as much as possible. The tablet does feature a dual-core CPU along with WiFi but lacks 3G, cameras, and even a microphone. The device will be available for $199 and you can pre-order it right now with shipping set for November.

That's not all though. Amazon also decided to unveil the Kindle Touch eReader along with another $79 Kindle - this one ships today! The Touch eReader has a 3G model which will cost $149, while the WiFi-only model is $99; they're both set to launch on November 21st!

[BGR]

Tech Crunch's own MG Siegler has reported that he has played with the upcoming Android-based Kindle even though he wasn't able to take any photos of it. If you believe him, he says a bunch of things about the upcoming tablet turned e-book reader. He says it looks a whole lot like the BlackBerry Playbook, that it'll simply be called the Amazon Kindle, and the company has transformed the Android (2.2) OS completely into their own simple UI. The tablet is said to be a 7-inch model which could hit the market in October / November for $250 which is half the price of the entry-level iPad 2 and cheaper than almost every other tablet out there right now.

Of course, the tablet is sporting a backlit display so the battery life is up in the air and it'll effect your eyes a lot more than an e-ink display would. The CPU is unknown right now but it could be a single-core CPU to keep the cost down and because you'll mostly be reading on it anyway. He also mentioned that the 10-inch model is expected in Q1 2012 but only if this 7-inch model is a success. They're betting it all on this one.

Update: Tech Crunch has shopped a photo of what the next Kindle will look like and it's above.

[Tech Crunch]

AT&T has announced something that maybe a few of you would be interested in. They have just announced that they'll be releasing the Amazon Kindle 3G e-book reader starting on March 6th. If you love reading on an electronic device then you should pick one up. This one will priced at $189 contract-free so it's not a bad deal.

[Tech Crunch]

Amazon announced their new Kindle earlier today and it looks like they're already up for pre-order. The WiFi model is up here for $139, while the WiFi + 3G model is here for $189. Of course, if you were paying attention earlier today you know that this 6-inch e-book reader from Amazon will be available starting on August 27th.

[Engadget]

We heard about the slimmer Kindle late last week and apparently that's being codenamed the "Shasta". We also heard that it'll feature a sharper display but it looks like it'll also gain WiFi which is great news. The rumoured launch is set for August with two models: WiFi + 3G or just WiFi.

[Engadget]

According to Bloomberg, Amazon is looking to show off a new version of the Kindle this Summer. This new model is set for an August unveiling and it'll reportedly have a screen that's sharper and more responsive. The device itself is said to also be a bit slimmer. Sadly, Engadget is hearing that this e-book reader still won't have a coloured display and it won't be gaining a touchscreen.

[Mashable, Engadget]

We knew it was going to happen and it's official. Amazon has just announced that their 6-inch Kindle will be hitting Target all over the US starting on April 25th. It's set to be priced at $259.99 which is quite a bit for an e-book reader. With the Nook and the iPad already out, Amazon has got to do something drastic for their next version.

[Engadget]

It looks like the Amazon Kindle could be headed to Target in the USA pretty soon. The 6-inch model looks like it'll be retailing for $259 and the in-store date is said to be April 25th. Is anyone still willing to buy a Kindle with the iPad on the market?

[Engadget]

Prime View International (PVI) is responsible for the display in Amazon's Kindle. PVI has just mentioned that they're working on touchscreen, coloured, and flexible displays for the future. One of these could very well find its way onto the next Kindle. Amazon's going to have to think fast though because the iPad is set to launch in a couple of months and some people in the book industry are putting their trust in Apple.

Thankfully, PVI has also mentioned that the response times will be much improved on these new displays.

[Engadget]

It looks like Amazon's Kindle DX with Global Wireless is now available! In case you're interested in this e-book reader it's now available to "over 100 nations" for the equivalent of $489 USD. Of course with all of the CES news on e-book readers, maybe you'll be interested in waiting for some of those. You can start pre-ordering it now!

[Engadget]

Canadians can now purchase the Amazon Kindle e-book reader off of their website here. The Kindle was one of the first highly successful e-book readers to date and it's available for $275 CAD. Finally, you can have access to over 300,000 books.

[Boy Genius]

According to Financial Times, the latest rumour is that Apple will be launching its tablet with their refreshed iPods as early as this September. This tablet will, of course, have WiFi and it's codenamed "Cocktail". This tablet will be sporting a 10-inch [probably capacitive multi-touchscreen] display and it will run on the iPhone OS. What makes this even more interesting is that it will "also have a book marketplace" so you can say goodbye to the Kindle by the end of the year - if the rumour is true. Remember, it's just a rumour, so don't cry if the Apple tablet doesn't come out in under two months.

[Gizmodo]

Interested in the 9.7-inch Kindle DX? Well, it will start shipping on June 10th for the same $489 USD price that we heard about earlier this year. You better start pre-ordering them as fast as you can because it's first come first serve.

[Gizmodo]

As I type this, Amazon is officially revealing their Kindle 3 aka Kindle DX to the world right now. Well, it looks like Amazon already has the Kindle DX listed on their official website for a big, shiny price tag of $489 USD. The Kindle DX is definitely the best Kindle of the series - so far - sporting a 9.7-inch display that also rotates if you want to read in landscape style. The DX also has a PDF reader and more storage space for those of you who just love to read. Pre-orders will start soon, so just wait a little while longer.

[Engadget]

The new Kindle that is supposed to be announced on Wednesday could be this Kindle DX. We heard about the bigger screen this morning and the Kindle DX definitely has a larger screen. the Kindle DX (above) has: a 9.7-inch display, a built-in PDF reader, "and the ability to add annotations in addition to notes and highlights -- whatever that means." Apparently, New York Times will be offering a $9.95 monthly subscription which is lower than the current $13.99 monthly payment. We'll see what happens on Wednesday when everything gets official. 3 different Kindles in under a year is really something though. Take a look at the link below, to see a whole gallery of the supposedly new Kindle DX.

[Engadget]

Amazon has just sent out invites for an event, which is happening this Wednesday. New York Times is telling everyone that it is the announcement of a new Kindle with an even larger screen. Could it be the rumours we heard about back in February? The rumours seem to be pointing directly towards it, so we'll just have to see on May 6. I'll have the news for you in 2 days about what exactly gets announced, but I'm sure everyone over 40 years old is excited.

[Gizmodo]

Apparently, that's what it looks like since the latest rumour mentions that there could be a Kindle with a larger screen by Christmas. I guess it would make a good Christmas present for those Kindle lovers out there. Up to now, I still don't know what the point of an Amazon Kindle is. Wouldn't it be better off to get a tablet PC or a netbook? You can always download books using torrents. Maybe that's just me and my devilish illegal ways. Yes, I downloaded the Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo book series, thanks to torrents. I read my first book when I was 17, it was the first Starcraft book. Sad, I know. I'm actually planning to read the 'Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels and Demons' this Summer along with the other books that that author made. We'll see how that works out.

[Gizmodo]

Apple move aside because at CeBIT this year, Asus looks like they're pulling out the stops. Who needs to pay over $2,000 USD for an iMac when you can get the Asus Eee Top all-in-one PC for just $600 USD. You can now pre-order these online. If you're still interested, the Asus Eee Top will have a 15.6-inch screen, a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, an integrated webcam and will run on Windows XP. Amazon says that they will be available on March 9, but like i said, you can pre-order them right now. Gizmodo points out that "if 15.6 inches is a bit too small for you, rumor has it that your patience could be rewarded with a 22-inch version coming out later."

Asus will continue their pressure on Apple by releasing the Asus Eee PC 1008HA. If you want to see how thin the netbook is from the side then just click on this link. It is clearly a MacBook Air competitor. The netbook manages to stay about 1-inch thick, weighs only 2.4 pounds and has a 92 percent-sized keyboard.

Meet the Nintendo Wii Asus Eee Sticks. Clearly a Wii rival, but obviously won't be as popular. The Asus Eee Sticks were available for viewing at CeBIT this year. They are motion sensing sticks, similar to the Wii's sticks. Judging from the picture, it looks like they were showing off some tennis.

I briefly talked about this Asus Eee keyboard PC over a month ago and it looks like there are some more details regarding this peripheral. The Eee keyboard PC will be on sale this May or June. They will be going for $400 USD and $600 USD for the wired model and the wireless model, respectively. Finally, the specs have been revealed. With the Eee keyboard PC you get a 5-inch touchscreen display, a 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 16 or 32GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, wireless HDMI, 2 USB slots, VGA, HDMI and audio in/out. These are pretty good specs for a keyboard PC, did i mention that it won't be a pain to carry around?

We'll take a break from Asus for the last paragraph. Here is a look of Amazon's Kindle app for the iPhone. If you want to read up on the "First Look" just go to this link to read up on it. It's a fairly long post, so i just though i'd warn you first.

Asus Eee Top (and picture): http://i.gizmodo.com/5163468/asus-eee-top-all+in+one-now-available-for-preorder
Asus Eee PC 1008HA (and picture): http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=1847
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Specs: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/asus-debuts-the-eee-pc-1008ha-shell-10-inch-ultraportable/
Asus Eee Sticks (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/asus-shows-off-eee-stick-at-cebit/
Asus Eee Keyboard PC (and picture): http://i.gizmodo.com/5163636/asus-eee-keyboard-pc-should-arrive-in-may-or-june-for-400+600
Amazon's Kindle App (and picture): http://theappleblog.com/2009/03/04/first-look-amazon-kindle-for-iphone/

Kindle 2 was just released and now we head back to the new rumours. The Kindle 3 rumours, that is. Apparently, PVI (Prime View International, the makers of the Kindle's display) has mentioned that the next Kindle will have a larger display and will have "touch functions." The screen may be the size of a regular sheet of paper, which is 8.5 x 11-inches. This would make things more readable. The Kindle 3 is supposedly going to hit shelves by the end of this year. Maybe the next Kindle will have pinch and zoom? Multi-touch functionality? Hello Apple lawsuit.

Mozilla is still currently working on their mobile browser. It is called Mozilla Fennec and has already been released. Unfortunately, it's only in an alpha state right now. Well, the head-honchos over at Mozilla have finally decided to change the name Fennec to something more creative. They've decided to change the name to Firefox (told you it was creative). Yeah. Mozilla Fennec has changed its name to Mozilla Firefox, which is identical to their web browser. Very creative Mozilla. +1.

A new rumour has spawned from the LG camp this time. Apparently, LG may stop producing their own plasmas. They may be leaving the plasma business for good. They'll still be continuing their LCD line-up, but it looks like they may "give up" on plasma TVs. This isn't too surprising after seeing Pioneer and Vizio leave the plasma business earlier this year. I think LCDs are just superior to plasmas. TV makers should also be getting OLED TVs out there, even though it is quite expensive. OLED has more future than plasma does, in my opinion.

Kindle 3 (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/kindle-3-rumor-with-touchscreen-8-5-x-11-inch-display-returns/
Mozilla Fennec Name Change (and picture): http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Mozilla_Fennec_to_be_Christened_Firefox/551-99456-643.html
LG Leaving The Plasma World (and picture): http://i.gizmodo.com/5161359/lg-might-be-ready-to-give-up-on-plasma-tvs-altogether

These are only United States statistics. After passing Myspace in December 2008, Facebook is now an estimated 20% larger than Myspace. Facebook now earns 10 million more visitors a month than Myspace does. Another notable is Twitter, which is the thin green line at the bottom of the graph. You can only see it when you enlarge the graph. They're growth is expanding and it should hit the 10 million mark soon. The chances of it catching up to Facebook anytime soon (or ever) is unlikely.

You can now attach files or pictures to your Google Calendar events. This includes files from Google Documents and pictures from Picasa. The next subject that should be brought up is Google Eye-Tracking. Somehow Google's team is able to tell exactly where you are looking at on your monitor screen. Is that scary or what? All of this news about Google lately is really starting to scare me. First Google Health, now Google Eye-Tracking. I still love Google, but this is kind of weird. This information could be useful in a way, by detecting what people read and how they read it, stuff like that. Let's move along.

A couple of photos have leaked of a Samsung M7600. It has a design very similar to the Helio Ocean and will, reportedly, have a DJ scratching app. Yes, a DJ scratching app. It has a 3MP camera and a 2.8 inch AMOLED touchscreen. I'll dub it the DJ / rapper phone. Original, am i right?

Just hours after my post about the Kindle 2, the price and availability were leaked to the web. These aren't from the Amazon camp, so there is a possibility that this may not be true. Anyways, the Kindle 2 has a 'rumoured' price of $359 USD and will be available on February 24. The Kindle 2 looks much thinner and sleeker than the first Kindle.

Facebook 20% Bigger Than Myspace (and chart): http://mashable.com/2009/02/06/facebook-myspace-twitter-traffic/
Attaching Files to Google Calendar: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/02/attach-files-to-google-calendar-events.html
Google Eye-Tracking: http://www.pcworld.com/article/159117/google_eye_tracking.html?tk=rss_news
Samsung M7600 (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/leaked-samsung-m7600-phone-sports-bang-and-olufsen-sound-helio-lo/
Kindle 2 Information (and picture): http://i.gizmodo.com/5148568/kindle-2-official-images-and-price-leak-359-on-february-24