Misconceptions re Amazon and KindleFire - plus a few facts

In reading the e-reader and tablet news, I often see misconceptions posted to Comments sections as 'fact' and this week I replied to one, which other commenters said has been repeated in comments to several news sites.   Since I see this type of thing often, I thought I'd post a blog version as well and will also post tomorrow some excerpts with comments on a good Q&A article on the Kindle Fire, which I forgot to mention over a week ago

  For one of of the points here, we have a quite thorough response from Amazon support and that's included also.

  I'll preface each misleading statement I read (below) with 'F' for false, and 'M' for Maybe.

'

F:  Kindle Fire ...is stuck with 6 GB usable internal storage unlike Nook Color that can get up to 32 GB card in.  Kindles are made to be almost like a "dumb terminal" of the past to make sure you're tied up to Amazon's storage on the web (for which you need Wi-Fi connection to get to) and you can only store content you get from Amazon there, not other files.

Not so.  During WiFi browsing sessions you can download video to the Kindle Fire when downloading videos is allowed.

  The tablet is said to be able to hold up to 10 movies if you don't put other things on it besides 80 apps and can also, in place of limited local storage on the tablet, have many stored on the Cloud.  From that Cloud, you can re-download a file at any time if you've purchased a downloadable version; it's like having a portable hard drive with you, as long as you have WiFi available.
  You can also side-load (via USB cable) videos to the tablet.

  Just playing the videos you've already downloaded or side-loaded to the tablet doesn't require a WiFi connection.

  And whatever you don't need for the moment you can just store on the Cloud, whether or not you bought it on Amazon -- the key is whether the storage is free or not, but a video doesn't need to be from Amazon.  If a video is rights-protected by someone else, that's another matter.

  Amazon gives all customers (globally) 5 gigs of Free storage for any type of file per year, from anywhere, but has also offered 20 gigs of storage/yr for $20/yr ($1.67/month).  SOME countries are not eligible for the storage upgrade although all get the 5 free gigs.   The Amazon table at the bottom* specifies which counties are exceptions for the bonus-storage-space at this time ...   At any rate, so to speak, added storage for any of your non-Amazon content is $1 per add'l gigabyte if it's available for your country.*

  And, any video or other content that you buy from Amazon itself, however, is stored free and doesn't count against any of the Cloud storage limits.

F:   Quoting Amazon on Kindle Fire: "Free cloud storage for all Amazon content". Get it, Amazon content?

The thing to "get" there is the free part.  If it's not Amazon-content, it counts against the yearly storage limit you choose, whether it's against the free 5 gigs or 20 gigs.  You CAN, though, store content (in the Amazon Cloud) not purchased at Amazon, vs what was said above.

M:   - Kindle doesn't support eBooks in ePub format that is the most used format in the world.

We're talking Kindle Fire here rather than the Kindle e-Ink e-readers which don't read ePub.  Amazon Android Apps store does carry Aldiko and other ePub readers, which could be used on the tablet then.  Now, whether DRM'd ePub can be read on it depends on whether or not Adobe Digital Edition will be available with this or not, on the tablet. It IS used on regular Android tablets.

  Amazon will be allowing in-app buying for developers, so that will all be interesting to watch.

F:   Kindle app store contains only Amazon approved apps and it does not include (and will not include) Netflix app that iPad has and Nook Color is getting thus again you're stuck with Amazon content only.

This is wrong too - it begins to sound like a wish list of what wouldn't be allowed.  Netflix is partnering with Amazon (as are Pandora and other companies) to have apps for the Amazon Fire.  It won't be in iPad format, of course, but in format for the Amazon Fire.

M:   Amazon confirmed that you cannot download anything to Kindle Fire when traveling abroad.

You probably can't stream media from Amazon's US servers when abroad and can't download a Kindle book as a non-US resident abroad if digital rights don't allow it outside the U.S.  A traveling US resident (and residents of some other countries) can though, if they can download those in their home countries.

  Again, as with the e-Ink Kindle e-readers, you should be able to download Kindle books when traveling abroad, if the books are eligible to you in your home country.

  The Amazon "Silk" browser is different in that it uses Amazon's speedier Cloud processes on servers in the U.S.  You should be able to send a Kindle book as a U.S. resident to your Kindle Fire though.

  See the thorough Amazon response on this last question which Rob Trenckmann received in email from Amazon customer service Oct. 10** (quoted at the bottom of this post also).

M:   I'd recommend waiting for a couple of weeks as Nook Color 2 is rumored to be released by Barnes & Noble.

I'd always be interested in what BN will release.  I have a NookColor 7" and enjoy it.   The update is said to be not that different but the 2nd NC is said to have a different, larger format.

  However, B&N doesn't have the streaming-media ecosystem that Amazon does, and they have had long-time policies like not allowing refunds for e-books that are missing pages or badly formatted, while Amazon allows 7 days for a refund.   Customer service policies should be looked at also.

  AND, Nooks cannot download Nook books to even a U.S. resident who's traveling outside the U.S. (unlike with Amazon) - B&N just doesn't have the digital rights stuff in place. '

From Amazon's Cloud help pages: * The 5 GB free storage plan is available to all Amazon.com customers, however further upgrades to the storage plan are currently unavailable in the following countries:

Austria	Belgium	Bulgaria
Cyprus	Czech Republic	Denmark
Estonia	Finland	France
Germany	Greece	Hungary
Ireland	Italy	Latvia
Lithuania	Luxembourg	Malta
Netherlands	Poland	Portugal
Romania	Slovakia	Slovenia
Spain	Sweden	United Kingdom

** Amazon Kindle Customer Support answers to Rob Trenckmann:

' Hello,I see that you've written to us about seven issues. I'll do my best to provide a thorough answer to each of your inquiries in this message.

1. Using Kindle Fire in Europe:

Currently Kindle Fire can be shipped only to US customers but after purchasing it in US you can use it in Europe.

2. Regarding downloading apps:

Yes, you can use all the apps you've downloaded while in Us but you cannot download apps while you are in Europe.

3. Accessing books:

Yes, you can access all the books.

4. Using web browser and email interface:

Yes, you can use the web browser and email interface as long as your device is connected to wifi.

5. Purchasing books:

Yes, you can purchase and download books successfully while you are in Europe.

6. Using movies or TV features.

I'm sorry you cannot download movies or use TV features while you are in outside US. '

Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle FireKindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Amazon Kindle Tablet and BN Nook forces poised at High Noon, ready to Fire

TECHCRUNCH'S MG SIEGLER GETS THE WORD AGAIN

MG Siegler got the news today, and from the time he first posted the mock-up you see at the left, done by a compatriot, TechCrunch has replaced the lead image of the mockup with a more descriptive one.

  He writes that the Kindle name is now "Kindle Fire" - with the idea, I guess, that this will spread like wildfire, or a person buying it will be "afire" with Amazon's latest kindling of interest in reading and digital information in general. :-)  Now that'll include streaming of video and audio through its own (but outsourced) tablet.  Someone had earlier guessed the name "Aspire" but that would have left it always short of a goal, so that must have never really had fans.


Outstanding "off-topic" detail
Ryan Block, from gdgt.com writes that Amazon's Lab126 group which develops the Kindle eReader, decided not to take on the tablet project, "in favor of continuing to work solely on next-gen E-Ink-based devices."  (Computer-bound feet doing a happy dance) Yay!


Quanta and the RIM Playbook
So, Amazon turned to Quanta (which Digitimes has been correct about in saying, some time ago, that Quanta was producing the 7" Amazon tablet).  RIM had originally outsourced much of the hardware design and production of the Playbook to Quanta, which builds and sometimes helps design, Block says, hardware for name brands.

  Block's story is that the development process made a shortcut by using the RIM PlayBook as their hardware template.  He says it's meant as a 'stopgap' measure, with the Spring tablet to be The One, and most have agreed that Amazon itself has as its main focus its own larger tablet which isn't due for months.  He mentions a slow processor for the current, smaller one.

  Even then, the Kidnle Fire won't be ready to ship, Siegel says, until the second week of November, from what TechCrunch has learned.

Lowering expectations as a strategy?
  But then Siegel's now much-read original article in early Sept., describing what he had, in hand, had said this 7" tablet  likely did NOT even use a dual-core processor, only a single-core one!  I had hoped out loud he was definitely wrong on that one!, and it appears he was, somehow.  Siegel reports today it has a dual-core processor after all.

  I've been hoping Amazon has been leaking information that would cause gadget sites to underestimate the 7" tablet, but it's nevertheless definitely *modest* in aspirations and in what is on it, which will keep the cost lower.  The sense is that it's entirely utilitarian and there's nothing snazzy about it whatsoever.

The Ease of Use thing
I'lll add a thought -- re its not being a normal 'open' Android system -- of course it's not.  Amazon wants a controlled, easy to use interface for an audience that wants ease of use, above all,  and a bare Android device would require 25/7 customer support without letup.

  With the stock Android, I browse the web nicely with the really interesting but discontinued Entourage Pocket Edge (rooted and on version 2.2.1 and with a dual-screen setup that is a lot of fun),  but then I need to call an app like FREEdi to get the YouTube videos which this now basic Android tablet then presents in full-screen, although not with the beauty of the NookColor's smaller YouTube displays -- but NookColor's tended-garden has a controlled, easy-to-use interface, even if it's a bit buggy.  I'm looking forward to what B&N does with NookColor 2, said to be announced within a month.

 The first-generation NookColor does have a single-core processor, I read, but the NookColor 2 will almost surely have a dual-processor chip -- and a $350 model is also due from B&N, which means (in my mind) a larger, more capable, second tablet or one with 3G access in addition to WiFi. 

As I say, the online bookstore e-forces are almost at the top of the hill, ready for battle :-)

Back to Amazon:
   Giving thanks skyward, I am glad to add that Siegel says the KTab he held is

' much better than the PlayBook because the software is better and, more importantly, the content available is much better. '

  In addition to Amazon's own custom version of Android, it uses the Amazon AppStore of course.  While I've found it pretty good (and generally helpful to new users),  Siegel says that Amazon has "been rounding up the big app makers to get them on board for the Fire launch, I'm told."

Movies, TV, MP3s, colorful magazines tailored to the 7" form factor
  I mentioned yesterday that Amazon signed a deal with 20th Century Fox for streaming of movies and tv shows, a service "which will be a key part of the Fire."

  The big magazines are on board too, Peter Kafka says, except for TIME, which won't be ready "in time" but then TIME still hasn't done a subscription arrangement with Apple either.
  Kafka also mentions that Amazon is already a 'huge partner for many of them, as a marketing platform for their ink-and-paper titles.  Hearst and Amazon shared a press release earlier this month, which noted that "Amazon will become Haerst's single-largest third-party seller of PRINT subscriptions for its magazins via digital channels."

 Siegler adds that industry sources say publishers have tailored some of their titles for the 7" tablet that Amazon will be introducing on Wednesday.  Some publishers have, of course, already done this for the NookColor.  The National Geographic magazine that's on  that 7"NC  is just stunning and is the main reason I really like it, although I enjoy the very portable color web browser too, despite having no highlight, copy or paste tools!


Other details, from Siegler:
  . No email client, but, he points out, you'll be able to get one from the Appstore or -- as I do -- use my regular web mail on the browser.
  . Uses a TI dual-core OMAP chip - the same chip used inside many newer Android devices. &He 'guesses' the clock speed (why 'guess' with his sources?)  at 1.2 GHz, and if he's correct, that "would make it significantly faster than the NookColor, which uses an 800 MHz OMAP chip."
      BUT the NC2 will be built on top of "Gingerbread" (Android 2.3), he hears, which will put the NC ahead of Amazon in that regard.

  As has been said, NookColor 2 team is lined up and ready, after maybe learning from almost a year on the first model (though their NC updates do not confirm this idea or maybe their goals have not been high).  Still, NookColor 2 should be formidable, but I will stress, their e-device customer-service is definitely not, while Amazon's has been superior.

Whispers
Siegler *now* says that he hears floating whispers (reminds me of the TV Series LOST!) that the price could be $300 with Amazon's Prime program and $250 without it.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Kindlescribe.com, Kindleair domain names. HP Touchpads #1 & 2 Amazon sellers

RUMOR CITY

With HP's two terminated Touchpads suddenly taking over the top selling slots at Amazon from the Kindle and the iPod Touch, even at heftier prices than HP's discounted prices that were announced Saturday before selling out Sunday at those attractive prices ($99~ and $150~), Kindle and Amazon Android tablet rumors are hitting the news again.

 I tried getting the 32gig HP Sunday morning for $150 but they were sold out everywhere.  Why?  Real, dedicated Multitasking (unlike Apple's suspended type), the popular Beats Audio sound, Flash video (blank on the iPad), Hulu and CBS, etc., directly available on the tablet, at the $99-$150 price.

  It's amazing that a killed product (with no promise of software updates for the webOS tablet version, although HP plans to keep developing webOS) would sell at $350 to $400+ at Amazon currently.  HP had 275,000 to sell, and Best Buy was able to sell only 25,000, so HP decided it was not worth continuing the month old tablet.  Maybe Amazon's rumored tablets were a factor.  And the reports that webOS crashed too much, the battery life was poor, and the touch response not as good as with iOS or even Windows Phone 7.

The discontinued Touchpads topping Amazon's US sales yesterday proved one thing: there is strong consumer interest for affordable tablets from a trusted maker.

  As a gadget person myself, I've never been able to justify paying a minimum of $500 for a WiFi 10" tablet by anyone, when what it does can't match what I can easily do on my 10" netbook.  If a company were to charge about half of that, take a loss on the hardware while making money from the content sold for it, I'm in.

Amazon tablet rumors galore
Amazon Android tablet rumors were all over the news last night.  Earlier this week some had noticed that Lab126, Amazon's subsidiary that designed and engineered the Kindle and which promises "the next revolution" on an image of a coming device, applied to trademark the term "Lab126" and its long-time logo (see top, left), which some think could "do double duty as branding" for the Amazon tablet.

  Lab126's careers page has listed, for some time, jobs available for those with firm work backgrounds in research and design of "high profile, portable, hand-held consumer elecronics."  Geekwire points out that these were filed (Aug. 16) under the classification, “design and development of computer hardware and software.”

Kindlescribe.com- more rumors
Add to that the news yesterday that Amazon has registered KindleScribe.com (and also grabbed KindleScribes.com to protect its use by others, I imagine), and the news-world is understandably hoping that the next Kindle or Kindle-inspired tablet will have a stylus and writing-software (as with the HTC 'scribe'.

  Nowadays, you can hide the site-owner's name on WHOIS sites for $5~, so Amazon made a decision that this new domain name could be public.  Nevertheless, from that, what we're seeing is just conjecture, but I'd say the domain name does indicate something's up.

 In early August, Amazon registered a new domain name, KindleAir.com and that sparked interest of course.  Does it have to do with Whispernet? (Doesn't it always?).  Lightness?

  Several news sites say Amazon has been dropping info here and there, and it's likely they want to build anticipation and maybe slow down sales of other devices until they're ready to announce whatever may come before October, although the more advanced tablet much rumored wouldn't be ready until the end of the year but in time for the Holidays (as these rumors go).

  In the meantime, the Kindlestore has dropped prices on refurbished Kindles, AT&T stores are now selling the $139 Special Offers 3G model as of yesterday, and we're seeing new discounts on some Kindle accessories -- the latter happened about a month before the Kindle 3 was announced.

Thanks to Jesslyn - MyKindleStuff and Nancy Picchi - IslandLibrarian for news alerts last night.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

WSJ expands article considerably. WashPo-Techcrunch comments on it.

WALL STREET JOURNAL ADDS INFO TO SAME ARTICLE (LINK) NOW DATED JULY 14

The link to the WSJ article July 13 now leads to a largely-rewritten one putting even more emphasis on Amazon challenging the iPad (a dramatic angle), when, as the Washington Post/Bloomberg/Techcrunch article points out, the Amazon tablet is more of a 'threat' to Google for the reasons they give in their article.

Word changes are interesting.  Yesterday, it was that the tablet would be 'introduced before October' and today it's that it'll be "released by October."

The article now goes extensively into the battlefield aspect of it all, and you can read that at the same link, as I'm not including much of the iPad angle here.

  Newly worded paragraphs of more interest:

' Amazon's tablet will have a roughly nine-inch screen and will run on Google's Android platform, said people familiar with the device.  Unlike the iPad, it won't have a camera, one of these people said.  While the pricing and distribution of the device is unclear, the online retailer won't design the initial tablet itself.  It also is outsourcing production to an Asian manufacturer, the people said.

  One of the people said the company is working on another model, of its own design, that could be released next year. '

  I actually mentioned yesterday that a more advanced model was said to be expected in 2012.

  Then they mention (and the Washington Post does also) that an Amazon tablet might cannibalize sales of its Kindle.   Despite all the current news stories that e-reader sales have been going through the roof while tablet sales have slowed, the idea of a Kindle killer persists.

  More new material:

' A person familiar with Amazon's thinking said it [is] still figuring out how to market the tablet computer.  One issue is whether customers will want to buy both the tablet and Kindle, which is viewed as a dedicated-reading device for bookworms. '

' Amazon spokespersons have said that surveys show that many who value reading books have chosen an e-ink reader AFTER buying a tablet.  Some will want one or the other and some will want both.  I have a Kindle and a NookColor (more of a tablet), as they complement each other.

WSJ writers Stu Woo and Yukari Iwatani Kane, with contributor Amir Efrati, mention that Sony unveiled, yesterday, prototypes of a tablet and a wallet-shaped dual-screen portable device to be available later this year.  That should be interesting.

New wording re the two updated versions of its e-Ink Kindles now omits yesterday's description of an "improved and cheaper adaptation of the current Kindle," which has me hoping again that the second 'improved' Kindle is the 9.7" e-Ink Kindle DX Graphite rather than what they termed "the Kindle" yesterday, which is a term usually used by Amazon, since August, for the WiFi Kindle 3.

 Here's the rewrite:

' Amazon plans to introduce two updated versions of its black-and-white Kindle in this year's third quarter, people familiar with the matter said. One of the new Kindles will have a touch screen, which current models don't have. '

The word "cheaper" for "the Kindle" is gone.

Forrester's "Ms. Epps" mentions that "Amazon is also in a position to offer a cheaper alternative to the iPad" and "could sell the tablet at a loss while hoping to make money on sales of movies, music and books" but says that Amazon lacks a natural brick-and-mortar outlet and that the tablet "may be less refined than the iPad."

The Washington Post/Bloomberg's Techcrunch.com article explains how the tablet could be very successful for Amazon.  They consider the coming tablet a "sort of placeholder until Amazon's own version is ready."

When describing the threat of an Amazon tablet to Google, they point out that the Android appstore is complicated (Amazon's target crowd is one that doesn't want to depend on computers). Their take on this:

' Amazon needs devices they can ship with the store pre-installed.  And more importantly, their stores pre-installed.  As in, any device they ship is going to be filled with Amazon to the brim.  That includes the ability to sign in to your Amazon Prime account [to] buy things with one click...When that happens, Amazon will have an Android tablet that is more compelling than any other Android tablet on the market on day one '

They also say that Amazon will be less dependent on Google 'carrots' (Google branding, Google apps) offered to partners and this will be interesting to watch.  For sure.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($164)   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

WSJ says Amazon tablet and 2 e-ink readers by October

WALL STREET JOURNAL WROTE:
AMAZON PLANS "TABLETS" BY OCTOBER.

That was the headline when I started writing this.  It's been changed to: AMAZON PLANS IPAD RIVAL.

(Thanks to the ever-alert and connected Edward Boyhan for the heads-up.)

They also changed the opening paragraphs (while I was typing), the first one now saying, "Amazon.com Inc. plans to introduce a tablet computer before October, said people familiar with the matter, in a move that will heighten the online retailer's rivalry with Apple Inc." [Always make it mainly about an arch rival...sells better.]

  Well, "before October" is what everyone else has been saying although it was more on the order of "August or September," but WSJ writers Stu Woo and Yukari Iwatani Kane have more info, from sources AKA leakers, probably with some permission.

They add that the sources said that Amazon will also release "two updated versions" of its Kindle e-readers "in the 3rd quarter," which leaves us with July-Sept also.

' One will be a touch-screen device.  The other won't have a touch screen, but will be an improved and cheaper adaptation of the current Kindle, said people who have seen the device. '

It's mentioned that Amazon spokesman didn't return requests for comment, but they almost never do on future releases.  However, Jeff Bezos' "Stay tuned." a couple of months ago said quite a bit with two words.

Woo and Kane add:

' The Amazon tablet will have a roughly nine-inch screen, people familiar with the product said, and will run on Google Inc.'s Android operating system.  The online retailer isn't designing the device itself, but is outsourcing production to an Asian manufacturer, these people said.

 The device will not have a camera, said one person familiar with it. '

These folks are very ...'familiar' with it. at least.  :-)  I'll refer to them now as PF's

The one surprise would be a 9" screen, as speculation had focused on 7", 8.9" and 10" choices, and the 8.9" seems a good compromise, EXCEPT that even the 9.7" Kindle DX has not seemed quite large enough for PDFs although it's FAR better than the 6" e-readers for those.  Maybe the DXG will get the long-due PDF enhancements that the Kindle 3 has had since last August, with the same type of display technology.

I had written, before the later WSJ-changes, that the piece started out with "tablets" by October and ended up talking about only "The Amazon tablet."  Someone else, in-house, noticed and they've changed the piece.  It's been rumored Amazon has been planning a second, more advanced one in early 2012, so that may have been the mixup when the PFs described the Amazon plans.

On the two Kindle e-readers, they'll use the same e-Ink technology as before, the sources said.

  MY guess? Spell that 'h-o-p-e'... The 'improved and cheaper' Kindle might be a new Kindle DX Graphite with WiFi, LONG awaited.  Fingers crossed for enhanced PDF capabilities, at least.  But they still have two versions, of the 6" model to think about, one of them with WiFi only.
  And their wording was "the Kindle" which Amazon has used mainly for the 6" WiFi-Only model.

  Note that their announcement about the AT&T-supported, lowered pricing of the Kindle 3G SO today emphasized, more heavily than they have before, the benefits of 3G.

WSJ probably is one of the news organization trusted most by Amazon, so this one is more credible than some.  But there are so many possibilities.  What do you think?


See the ongoing List of stronger Amazon tablet rumors with dates, titles and links to the Kindleworld blog articles, with linked sources.  [This won't be one of them.]

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Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

Amazon Tablet Rumors: Icewarp claims compatability with the Amazon tablet - UPDATE

MORE RUMORS, BASED ON EARLIER, CONFLICTING ONES

In a press release July 8, Icewarp stirred more dust clouds in the rumor fields by headlining their release, "IceWarp is Compatible with the Upcoming Amazon Tablet"

Way to get attention!  There are a ton of gadget news sites reporting that this is somewhat based on the June 22 Digitimes report that I also included in my monitoring of stronger rumors 'back then' and many are quoting WSJ's Matthew Jarzemsky's pick-up of that June 22 Digitimes article when they quote the numbers expected for August and September.  They were quoting Icewarp's press release.

UPDATE - ZOKnowsGaming was one site, saying, "After taking a look at this press release from IceWarp, it quickly became evident that there is an official Amazon tablet, and it will be launching soon." Most of the others like Marketwatch and iStockAnalyst were just press releases.  Google now lists only 12, and when you click on the 12 articles noted, only 4 exist now.  Another one, XYDO, saying "...other things are being made clear.  One of them is the fact that there will be full support for the IceWarp unified communications server system" in a piece titled, "Upcoming Amazon Tablet Will Have IceWarp Support."  OpenSource merely quoted the press release, under the same "IceWarp is Compatible with the Upcoming Amazon Tablet" headline.  It's amazing how many carry these business wires, even Quicken/Intuit site.  There were 33 left, but a search of 'icewarp' and 'tablet' brought up an MSN Money story by Kim Peterson (same date as the others), an 'icewarp' search 'found' result, but that search word is not in there now, although her report includes: "A report in DigiTimes says Amazon has shot up to the No. 2 spot in terms of tablet orders from manufacturers.  ... But Amazon takes the second spot, placing orders for 1 million to 1.2 million units..."."

  One that no longer shows up in search results is ZDNet UK's by Jack Schofield, on July 10, which reported, "However, IceWarp has recently fanned speculation by issuing a press release with the headline: IceWarp is Compatible with the Upcoming Amazon Tablet." [End of Update].

 A later rumor [than June 22], by Canaccord Genuity analyst Bobby Burleson was cited by Motley Fool in the article on July 8 which reports that Burleson "waxes favorably on NVIDIA and Atmel as he's hearing that Nvidia's Tegra chip and Atmel's maXTouch touchscreen controller will be part of Amazon's device."

  However, the earlier June 22 article mentions "TechnoBuffalo's Noah Kravitz writing about his own sources giving him information that conflicted with the previous strong rumors of "Hollywood" and "Coyote" code-named models that would be based, earlier reports had said, on NVIDIA processors.

  Not so, says Kravitz.
  "My sources tell me Amazon’s tablet computer will run Android but feature Intel-based innards, and not an Nvidia Tegra processor, but what beats at the heart of Jeff Bezos’ secret creation is barely half the story here."

So, what will Icewarp's compatability involve?
  Will Icewarp be compatible with a tablet with NVIDIA or with INTEL chips?  Icewarp mentions neither in their press release, but see their subtitle of their release:

  Their subtitle is: -- Unified Communications & Collaboration provider’s standards-based architecture currently supports all standards-based devices, regardless of clients --

  From Icewarp's release:

' SPRINGFIELD, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IceWarp is compatible with the upcoming Amazon tablet, the global provider of unified communications and collaboration solutions announced Friday.  A rare exception in the UC space, IceWarp’s architecture is based on universal standards, doesn’t depend on any client and supports all mobile devices currently on the market.

“We are looking forward to testing this new exciting product and providing IceWarp customers with the option to use it as a part of our versatile and extremely secure business communications system,” says Jakub Klos, IceWarp Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and co-founder.  “IceWarp’s philosophy is not to dictate what device people should be using.  We rapidly embrace any new communication gadget that improves today’s mobile worker productivity.”

IceWarp has full ActiveSync capability that allows it to offer full synchronization for both personal and public data - email, calendars, contacts, and tasks delivering rich user experience.

“Future Amazon tablet users will be tapping rich Android Apps market, that delivers a plethora of solutions, such as Jabber (XMPP) for mobile Instant Messaging, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for mobile multi-media conferencing – all supported by IceWarp,” explains Mr. Klos. “Paired with IceWarp, the tablet will deliver a full-fledged mobile UCC experience.”

They're saying that Icewarp is compatible with everything that's based on universal standards. Whether they're assuming the Amazon tablet will be or whether they've had any look at or involvement with any Amazon tablet isn't clear from this.

The press release continues:

' According to Dow Jones reporter Matthew Jarzemsky, Amazon (AMZN) is expected to hit the ground running in the tablet race, behind only Apple's (AAPL) dominant iPad in shipments seen in the 3Q. AMZN is likely to ship 1M to 1.2M units, beating the 750,000 to 900,000 seen for Acer (2353.TW), Samsung (005930.SE) and others, but trailing Apple's 14M to 15M. Total tablet deliveries, excluding unbranded generic models, seen topping 21M units, up from 13.5M to 14.5M in 2Q, Dow Jones reports. '

ALL that is quoted in maybe 50 stories today, but that one is an old story from June 22.  Well, old by today's rumor standards.  More:

' Already recognized as a leading email solutions provider, IceWarp (formerly Merak Mail Server) is deployed in more than 20,000 organizations and supports over 50 million users worldwide. The company disrupts the Unified Communications (UC) category by delivering all UC components (email, mobile synchronization, SMS, chat, voice and video) in one integrated, extremely secure and easy-to-deploy solution. Its customer include such market leaders as Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) and Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VZ, NASDAQ: VZ), as well as small to midsized firms.

For more information, please visit IceWarp (www.icewarp.com) on Twitter and Facebook. '

So, was this just a deft way to get attention to Icewarp's email solutions program??  Or, am I missing something?  The fact that many news sites are reporting this as meaningful and citing WSJ's 6/22/2011 article [because Icewarp did) seems to indicate that it means more than I can see.  So, if you know what I'm missing, please add a comment. Thanks.

See the ongoing List of stronger Amazon tablet rumors with dates, titles and links to the Kindleworld blog articles, with linked sources.  [This won't be one of them.]

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Jeff Bezos talks about possible Tablet and concerns over adKindles

CONSUMER REPORTS TALKS WITH JEFF BEZOS

"Asked today about the possibility of Amazon launching a multipurpose tablet device, the company's president and CEO Jeff Bezos said to “stay tuned” on the company’s plans.  In an interview at Consumer Reports' offices, Bezos also signaled that any such device, should it come, is more likely to supplement than to supplant the Kindle, which he calls Amazon’s “purpose-built e-reading device.”

I'd prefer the words "would supplement" to "more likely" ... but he's likely being cagy with the "should it come" that Consumer Reports' Editor, Paul Reynolds, reports.

Bezos added, "We will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device,” he said. “In terms of any other product introductions, I shouldn’t answer."

There's a video of another talk with CR yesterday.   Pressing 'play' on it may not work.  If not, just move the pointer forward a bit.  I haven't listened to it yet.  Kindle-Blog edition readers won't be able to use this video link on a Kindle and will need to view it on a computer, smartphone with data plan, or tablet.
  It's a pretty lively conversation, from what I can see.

  Re the new ad-subsidized Kindle With Special Offers and ads of course, CR reports that Bezos said it shouldn’t be interpreted as a stepping stone to a future Kindle that’s more multipurpose or that allows e-commerce to intrude on the reading experience.

  Re Library Lending, Bezos didn't feel he could say more than “sometime this year” for when library lending would be available on the Kindle.  "But he did say that users should expect a lineup of titles that’s at least comparable to those available for competing devices that support library e-books."

 In Len Edgerly's conversation with Jay Marine the other day, it seemed that "by the end of the year" was brought up.  The last time I heard that phrase used (and it was for Kindle book loans between Kindle owners), it was finally announced as ready on Dec. 31, so I wouldn't count on it being any sooner.  It'd be nice to be surprised though.

  CR reports that Bezos said again that Color E Ink “is not ready for prime time…the colors are very pale.” And Reynolds notes that 'he added that “it continues to be improved” and “it makes a lot of sense for there to be a low-power, reflective color display.  I think that’s something you could build a fantastic product around.”

  Well, I don't think they can afford to wait for that before offering a color tablet.  Quite obviously they're working on one, and I'll be adding more on the possibilities soon.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Kindle News Roundup: NYReview of Books Kindle Ed., More on rumored Samsung/Amazon tablet; Kindle for Android Update; Amazon Germany's Kindlestore opens; publishing in Amazon.de Kindle Store

KINDLE NEWS THIS WEEK

New York Review of Books
This excellent resource is finally available in a Kindle edition.  The New York Review of Books reviews "...the most engrossing new books and the ideas that illuminate them."  There's a 14-day free trial and you can unsubscribe during that time.

Kindle for Android
The Kindle for Android app has been updated to tailor it for tablet-computers, with enhancements that take advantage of the larger screen. New features include
  . the Ability to pause, resume download at any time
  . enhanced word look-up capability (for Android-based phones and tablets)
    with built-in dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions.

Amazon.de Launches German Kindle Store
Amazon's press release says that the Amazon.de Kindle Shop will have the Largest Selection of Any E-Bookstore in Germany.
  It launches with "650,000 titles, 71 of 100 Spiegel bestsellers, and over 25,000 German-language titles with thousands of German classics downloadable for free only on Kindle.  Top German and international newspapers and magazines are also available for single purchase or subscription including Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Handelsblatt and Die Zeit."

 Also, Amazon announced yesterday that authors and publishers worldwide are now able to make their books available in the Amazon.de Kindle Books store in Germany, using the (kdp.amazon.de) Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service.

  "German-language authors and publishers can utilize the new German KDP website to make their books available in Germany, Austria, the U.K., U.S. and over 100 countries worldwide. The popular KDP 70% royalty option, which allows authors and publishers worldwide to make more money on books sold to Kindle customers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, is now also available for books sold in Germany and Austria. Additionally, publishers can now receive their payment in either Euros, British pounds or U.S. dollars. For more information and program terms, please visit kdp.amazon.de."

MORE on that Rumored Kindle Tablet via Samsung
Peter Rojas, who wrote the article this week about the probability of a Samsung-built Amazon tablet, was the co-founder and former Editor of Engadget and is now co-founder of gdgt.com.  He has very good connections in the industry and, while there's always the small chance he can receive bad information, his sources are probably more solid than the usual.

Also, on November 5, 2010, I wrote a blog article about the rumor of an Amazon Android tablet being quite strong because Computerworld's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, aka cybercinic, had quietly included in a column the following:

' Sources at Amazon tell me that the company will indeed produce a mass-market Android tablet.  I can't tell you its size, pricing, when it's expected to ship, or anything else of substance.  The one thing I do know is that, like the Kindle, it will run Linux with a Java-based interface.  In short, this new tablet Kindle, let's call it "KinTablet," will run Android. '

 Some have said that Amazon would not want to upset its OEM partners by releasing a 'competing tablet' but Kendrick feels it would not be so much a tablet built to compete but "would be intended to extend the company’s retail operation into the next logical space."

  To speculation or hopes that this would be a particularly mighty tablet, ZDNet's James Kendrick writes, "Amazon’s intent would not be to produce a state-of-the-art mobile device" but would instead "be designed to have the Amazon retail system completely ingrained into a decent, economical tablet.  Amazon's own Android Apps store would probably be 'curated' (as Apple's is and B&N plans to be, for Non-rooted NookColors), but in effect, competing with Google's Android market, which is 'open' but also leaves non-computer-intense customers to their own security measures and is disorganized and confusing to many.

  In another article, about the Kindle with special offers and straight-out, large ads on its screensleepers and on the bottom area of the Home screen of book titles, Kendrick writes:

' If only 1 percent of ... Android activations resulted in a Kindle customer, that is over a million new customers every year for Amazon content.  That’s a conservative number, but the size of the Android market is huge.  Most Kindle app users probably buy multiple ebooks from Amazon...it’s no surprise that Amazon is selling so many ebooks..."

"So this ad-supported Kindle reader will probably get more devices in the hands of new customers, but that’s not the real story.  I wonder if this is Amazon’s first baby steps into developing its own ad network for its future mobile devices that it is probably working on.  I firmly believe Amazon is about to disrupt the mobile space by entering into the mobile space with a tablet device, and take Apple on directly.  An ad network would be another piece of the ecosystem to go head-to-head with Cupertino. '

I wondered the other day if Apple's sudden lawsuit against Samsung (a supplier for Apple), for look & feel concerns, might be explained by this rumored tablet partnership with Amazon.  I wasn't the only one wondering out loud.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Is Samsung building an Android tablet for Amazon?

AMAZON TABLET -- by SAMSUNG?? - gdgt.com staff
Peter Rojas, a staffer at gdgt.com, writes about the "open secret" that Amazon is working on an Android tablet.

  He even says he's "99% certain they are having Samsung build one for them."
 
  The Galaxy tablet is not doing that well with reviewers or with sales, though some really like it, so I hope it's either not true or that Amazon sets higher standards for them.

  BUT it would certainly explain the sudden lawsuit Apple filed against Samsung this week for look and feel (rounded corners on a rectangle, among other things -- maybe even words on a screen).  I'd thought it was odd that Samsung seemed that much of a threat to Apple -- but Amazon & Samsung?, probably.

 Rojas adds that, unlike Barnes and Noble, Amazon would use the tablet for more:

'...as a platform for selling music (see that cloud locker they just rolled out?), video (you can bet Amazon Instant Video will be a big part of this), and apps from the Android app store they just launched (which is the biggest indication of all that they've got something in the works).  You probably wouldn't have something as open as a regular Android tablet (at least not without hacking it), but I think most users would accept the trade-off if it meant a much lower price of entry.
. . .
  ...they have shown with the Kindle that they can produce a great product and then expertly tie that product into a content platform.  I'm not sure I can stress how non-trivial an accomplishment this is, especially for a company that's mainly known as a retailer. There are full-fledged consumer electronics companies that still haven't figured this stuff out. '

He thinks a tablet might be out no later than this summer although that seems off the top of his head.  A commenter to the gdgt.com site writes (and I agree) that while the stars are aligning, as he puts it, for something like this,  he hopes Amazon waits until Google "cleans up Honeycomb" - their Android operating system that was designed FOR tablet devices but has been very buggy.

In that Comments area, Rojas -- in his responses --  treats Samsung's role with the tablet as a certainty.

' I can't say specifically why Amazon partnered with Samsung, because I don't really know, but my guess is that Samsung was able to make it attractive enough from a financial standpoint and Amazon probably felt like they could deliver an iPad-quality tablet.

  Should also mention that this may be something neither party ever confirms publicly. '

Well, I guess they WILL confirm it if they actually release one together :-) -- or he's saying it would carry the Amazon name and not Samsung's and would not be touted as built by Samsung (which would be odd).


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

ZDNet today on: Amazon's Secret Android Tablet ?

KINDLE'S SECRET SIBLING: AMAZON'S ANDROID TABLET
  That's ZDNet's Jason Perlow who is going there in bold letters without a question mark, for ZDNet -- and for once I somewhat agree with him that it's possible although not likely for awhile, and not this year.

  It's occurred to me for days that Amazon bought Touchco quite some time ago and I've read that they're busy but Amazon has no plans for a touch screen for the Kindle E-Reader, they say.  Smart wording.  I also read that Qualcomm feels their Mirasol technology (e-paper like, muted color, fast enough to do video and easy on batteries) may be ready to be in e-readers by year-end.  At the same time, full-scale production could not happen until next year, another article said, so who knows.  Testing would take months after that.

  At the same time, Amazon's Lab126 has had job ads for some time, for video and animation programmers.  Why?  And why not a less-expensive LCD Tablet with a *secondary* function of e-reading, for color magazines, travel books, cook books with enticing illustrations, and for ENHANCED KINDLE BOOKS that are coming out with multimedia enhancements while a plain-text version isn't available?  One is by Rick Springfield, Late, Late at Night.  That's a Kindle book obviously available only for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices...for now.  There are other enhanced Kindle books also.

  Would Amazon give up that area?  They can use Apple's iPad well without worrying about developing and maintaining another piece of hardware/software.   But, there is a target audience that won't be interested in anything BUT a color device and which doesn't care about long-form reading particularly nor about black and white E-Ink.  As Barnes and Noble marketing knows, there are also families with young children who are blissed out by the iPad or would like something like that if it weren't so expensive while somewhat fragile for that market.

  I've thought that Jeff Bezos' talk with Charlie Rose made clear he didn't want color E-ink for the Kindle - it's not ready.  But what about a tablet that concentrates on younger reading, color books, magazines, and web browsing.

  Would Bezos allow another e-reader to partner with Qualcomm for the first Mirasol e-reader/tablet?  Would he give up the relatively inexpensive LCD color market whether or not people can easily view an LCD outdoors?

  So, I've wondered.  And now ZDNet has come out with an eye-catching headline on Amazon's "Secret" Tablet.  Conjecture but interesting.

According to Perlow and cohorts, Amazon has the infrastructure and support needed for a successful tablet.  Read his column for the details though.  He speculates:

' The only reason why Amazon would want to develop its own App Store would be to offer the service to low-cost device manufacturers in order to compete with the Android Market, or to provide an app ecosystem for a device of its very own. '

  He's taking a "wild guess" -- and there is NOTHING on this but speculation.

  Although, he says,

' licensing to 3rd-parties is not out of the question ... based on my examination of the initial materials which have leaked, Amazon’s App Store is most likely to have a “curated” model similar to Apple’s App Store, in order to maintain quality control as well as deny potential competitors access to it.  This is in stark contrast to the Android Market, which is effectively a Wild West with limited acceptance criteria. '

  He wonders if it might even sport a dual mode transflective LCD display (w/an e-paper capability) such as Pixel Q's.  If so, it'd be the first ereader tablet that would be readable outdoors.  We're getting way ahead of ourselves though, and he adds this disclaimer for those hoping for something this year:

  "When this Amazon Tablet is likely to appear is anyone’s guess.
    It’s unlikely to be this coming holiday season."

  Well, I agree on that too, because putting out a bug-free model with such a change in technology, just to catch the holiday season, would be a bad idea.

So, ZDNet has some eyes for its latest column, and I thought I'd report on their conjecture and my own, though it's extremely UNLIKELY there'll be anything at all ready before next spring.

I wonder how many would be happy to have an inexpensive, unusable in sunlight e-reader tablet that uses LCD color.  The image in the header is of two Microsoft Windows Tablets.  Might Amazon partner with someone else on the hardware?  I don't think so.  I think Control is important.

  Many say that, for themselves, all they care about is color, but what if it's smaller and they can use it only indoors and it has short battery life, weighs a pound, and takes forever to charge? Do people want that? Wouldn't people want to wait for the flexible e-ink surface that's coming before spending money on one for children?

  At any rate, I might ultimately like a *secondary* e-reader that does do ePub and color, as an extra reader.  How much would I pay for that? I don't know.  I haven't been tempted by anything yet (because I wouldn't pay that much for a secondary reader unless I know it functions well and that'll take some time), though I'm gadget-attracted -- for now, it doesn't fill a need, in my case.  Probably because I have such a great, small but multi-featured, 2.7 lb netbook.

 A want, maybe -- sometimes.  But now the Galaxy 7" Tablet, with 2 cameras, an SD slot, a web browser - with up to 8 open windows at one time - and which runs Flash (tho' slow to load it), plus an e-reader function, is getting both very good reviews yesterday (one by Engadget) and a meh one today from another reviewer.  For one thing, it's small but would cost a bit more than the larger iPad (portability costs as do the additional features the iPad doesn't have).  It's a confusing area, the 7" e-reader/tablet field.  One to step into carefully, for both buyers and makers.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Kindle News, lots of it, 10/13/10

The 11 items mentioned below include a few that are mainly links w/short descriptions for those interested in following the links, as there is a lot of news this week and you can follow these when you have time.  The others probably contain too much information but I wanted to see community responses to some of the news.


1. STAPLES
Staples's display area for the Kindles.  Note the larger Kindle on the desk?  I didn't THINK they have the DX Graphite in stock but it was said that they'd be in stores in November.

  At this point, they only have pre-programmed demo models although they call them "interactive"... the article drips with sarcasm, but I wish Amazon felt they could afford to have one model in each store that people could actually try for an idea of how the Kindle  (UK: K3) actually functions.

  In the article's Comments area, someone writes back in similar vein but with a different viewpoint:

  "I got my grubby paws on one of these devices last year, and actually quite liked it.  I found out that you can use the free 3G internet access to surf the web, anywhere on the planet that has 3G cellphone coverage.
  Oh, and apparently you can read books on them as well. "

2. COWEN AND CO.'S DIGITAL BOOK MARKET SURVEY
The L.A. Times Entertainment blog reports on estimated sales based on a survey by Cowen and Co.:

' Not only are sales of the Kindle device expected to grow 140% this year to nearly 5 million units from 2009, but digital book sales via the Kindle store are on track to grow 195% to $701 million in 2010, according to Cowen and Co., which released a report Monday on the digital book market.

...according to the report, written by Cowen analysts Jim Friedland and Kevin Kopelman. "In fact, we think the adoption of tablets will boost Kindle e-book sales."

...For 2010, Cowan estimates Apple will have 5% of the market for digital books, compared with Amazon, which is projected to have 76% of the market.  But by 2015, Cowan estimates Amazon will have 51% of the market and Apple with 16%.

3. AMAZON SINGLES
When I first saw the PR release at MarketWatch, I thought Amazon was expanding into the Dating-Services area, but instead:

' Less than 10,000 words or more than 50,000: that is the choice writers have generally faced for more than a century--works either had to be short enough for a magazine article or long enough to deliver the "heft" required for book marketing and distribution.

But in many cases, 10,000 to 30,000 words (roughly 30 to 90 pages) might be the perfect, natural length to lay out a single killer idea, well researched, well argued and well illustrated--whether it's a business lesson, a political point of view, a scientific argument, or a beautifully crafted essay on a current event.

Today [Oct. 12], Amazon is announcing that it will launch "Kindle Singles" -- Kindle books that are twice the length of a New Yorker feature or as much as a few chapters of a typical book.  Kindle Singles will have their own section in the Kindle Store and be priced much less than a typical book.
  Today's announcement is a call to serious writers, thinkers, scientists, business leaders, historians, politicians and publishers to join Amazon in making such works available to readers around the world.

  "Ideas and the words to deliver them should be crafted to their natural length, not to an artificial marketing length that justifies a particular price or a certain format," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content.  "With Kindle Singles, we're reaching out to publishers and accomplished writers and we're excited to see what they create." '

Nick Bilton of the NY Times points out that

' This medium-length format has traditionally been difficult for writers to sell to publishers as it doesn’t fit into the mold of a printing-press distribution model.

  In a digital distribution system, those pricing structures no longer exist, and a digital price can be adjusted accordingly.

  By promoting this new format, Amazon can also avoid upsetting publishers who were frustrated with the company when it introduced its own self-publishing product, allowing writers to price and directly sell their content on the Kindle platform. '

Engadget's Joseph L. Flatley refers to these as "really, really short books"

  To Engadget's mostly tongue-in-cheek analysis - "It looks like Amazon has finally admitted what we knew all along: most books are too long. And boring.
  We need more e-publications that reflect our torn jeans, frayed hair, coffee swilling, ca. early-1990s slacker lifestyle.
  Kindle Singles, as announced by "the man" in an ironic blast of "PR," are described as e-books anywhere from twice the length of a Maximum Rock'n'Roll feature article to a few chapters in a typical book...."

  In the Engadget comments area, Nick Sweetman writes:

' Have you ever heard of this thing called attention span? It's when you actually get to '

  IMHo predicts:

' Mark my words: in 2020 they will come out with Kindle Fractions, for page-and-a-half publications, because by then singles will be considered long and boring :) '

  And, on a more serious note, jtnoel adds:

' Amazon is one of Dime Novel Publishing's distribution channels.  In fact, we currently have close to 30 titles published (although Amazon does not provide publishers the ability to offer texts for free...unless you are one of the big guys).

  The issue is about getting noticed. Publishers pushing short/serialized content through Amazon are, in short (no pun intended), lost in the shuffle.  By breaking this out into its own model, there is a great opportunity for authors/publishers like us to get some real marketing push from Amazon. '

 Dingus is amusing:

' The "Amazon Singles" name is all about branding.  Because calling them "Amazon Short Stories" sounds like a comic from the '50s.
  Also the acronym might not fly. '

 And, on a note that might please Amazon and Singles-authors, Mark points out why this might work:

' There are probably a lot of awesome short stories by authors I love, that I don't read.  Why?  Because I don't want to buy compilations with other short stories I am not interested in reading. '

zippycart.com makes some good points:

' ...Others view Kindle Singles as a new revenue source [for writers].  Writers can now take a different approach, and create smaller books that have a more narrow focus.

  It might take a year to write a traditional book, but Kindle Singles could be easily produced in two weeks to a month.  This quick turn around time could allow writers a chance to sell more digital work, so they can have the money to allow them to spend time focusing on bigger books.

  Other writers, on the other hand, may look at this as a new opportunity to carve out a unique niche, where they produce dozens of 30 to 90 page books.   Either way, this new addition to the Kindle Store provides a great deal of opportunity for many. '

Technorati's Laura Zavelson writes:

' If viewed through a magazine/newspaper lens, this could be the first step in letting journalists and writers produce their own work rather than having to be on staff or go through the tedious pitch process.  While the press release did not discuss the business model, there is also the possibility that writers might even be able to earn more for their work by going straight to distribution and bypassing the publishers.

  ... The newsstand price of a top consumer magazine runs about $5. What if you could spend less and just buy the articles you're interested in?  Would you do it? '

4. ZORK FOR KINDLE AGAIN
Geek.com's John Brownlee writes that while he feels the Kindle is 'worthless' for any games (of the action type, definitely), Zork is another matter:

' Given how extremely dedicated and talented the text-adventure community is even today, this seems like an absolutely wonderful development for the Kindle, transforming it from an e-reader into an affordable handheld console for a type of game not really supported on other systems.  Roll out support for A Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and I’m there. '

5. AMAZON TO SELL KINDLE IN CHINA?
In an article in Investor's Business Daily, by Doug Tsuruoka, about Amazon and sales of mooncakes! in China, I saw this:

' Amazon operates under the name Joyo Amazon in China.  Market research firms in China say Amazon is doing well selling books.  There are unconfirmed reports in the Chinese press that Amazon will soon start selling its Kindle e-book reader in China. '

Probably true.  In the July 28 blog entry, I wrote that the Global Times, China reported that

' Despite claims by Amazon that its E-book reader, Kindle, has no timetable for entering the Chinese market, its Chinese branch, Joyo, is in what is believed to be preparations to launch the device, media reports said Wednesday.

  An industry insider disclosed that Joyo has initiated recruitment of distribution managers and personnel via recruitment organizations, which leads industry analysts to believe this is a prelude to launching.  Information on talent-recruitment is available on Joyo's official website. '

And a couple of days later came the news that the new Kindle now handles Chinese characters.

6. QUALCOMM'S MIRASOL DEMO AT AMERICAN MAGAZINE CONFERENCE
ChicagoNow's yearley reports that the color but e-paper-like Mirasol display (that can do video) for future e-readers was demo'd at American Magazine Conference.  The part that most interested me, in a long article explaining Mirasol technology, was this:

' The Mirasol is a "color display that future E-Readers will be able to integrate for a different viewing experience from the present offerings...There is currently a dedicated fab facility, special factory that produces the displays, in Taiwan which increases its production reach and will be able to supply demand given a deal is reached soon for an E-Reader... [Emphases mine, as usual.]

The display can show images and video as a clear XGA format at 1024 x 768 screen resolution with 223 pixels per inch.

...The final question on everyone's mind is perhaps what E-Reader devices the Mirasol display might be a part of in the near future and if it will be in other mobile devices besides E-Readers.  However, that was the one question that could not currently be answered and [they] were not able to say at the present time to anyone.  Though currently Qualcomm is in the process of working on deals with major players in the E-Reader market.

The CEO of Barnes & Noble was present at the American Magazine Conference, so perhaps he caught onto some ideas after previewing the Qualcomm Mirasol display and will decide to bring it to the Nook, along with Mirasol's full color and video capabilites. '

See far more info on this promising (but muted-color) display at ChicagoNow.

7. TOM'S HARDWARE WEBSITE NOW IN KINDLE BLOG EDITION
Kindle Edition of Tom's Hardware mobile The popular and highly-regarded "Tom's Hardware" site is now available in a Kindle Edition for 99 cents a month.

8. AMAZON AND BEST BUY WORKING ON TABLETS?
Yet another rumor, this time from androidandme.com, about a possible Amazon tablet in the works (I'd not mentioned any of the other Amazon tablet rumors).

  They point out that

' TechCrunch "was the first to post the rumor that an Amazon tablet was coming and it makes perfect sense when you really think about it. Amazon’s site attracts nearly 80 million visitors each month and they have demonstrated their ability to move a branded device like the Kindle e-reader. If Amazon takes their moneymaking Kindle brand and slaps it on an Android tablet, they now have the perfect mobile platform to push their growing video-on-demand library, while also using their killer recommendation engine to sell apps and games. '

Just a rumor and not a strongly-based one though it makes sense it might happen someday.  And Amazon's Lab126 has had job postings for positions requiring experience in video and animation.

9. RELUCTANT EBOOK ADOPTER DETAILS HOW HE FELL FOR THE ENEMY
How I got a preview of the Kindle 3 – and totally geeked out - by Christopher Sutton, a "reluctant ebook adopter."  The link for this delightful read was tweeted to some Kindlers by @mikecane.

It's a long piece by a guy who's always loved physical books and strongly resisted the idea of an e-reader (does this sound familiar?).  He explains his slow turnaround, to the extent he wound up in the new Amazon video, "What Customers are Saying".  Seen just under "The Reviews Are In -- where this link takes you, though it takes a bit to load -- the video also includes a couple of appearances by Jesslyn who runs the information-focused blog My Kindle Stuff - Info, How-To & Book Resources at http://mykindlestuff.com.

10. FOR EDUCATORS - a recommended article
The Chronicle of Higher Education's Jeffrey R. Young asks, As Textbooks Go Digital, Will Professors Build Their Own Books?.  It wouldn't be that easy, for many reasons.

11. GOOD READING ON THE FUTURE OF THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
BookBotics - The Future of Publishing, at http://www.ebookbotics.com/
  "BookBotics features commentary and analysis about the future of books, reading and publishing business models in an era of digital media and convergence technologies.  While BookBotics focuses on these issues in particular, it also provides information on legal issues in the publishing industry as well as the many technological developments and curiosities that have become part of our digital culture."


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.