eReading News of the Day

News of the Day

6/18/2013
Asus to Sell Chromebook This Year

Asus, the Taiwanese computer manufacturer, has announced its plans to add a Chromebook to its laptop line of computers in the second half of this year.

Currently Chromebooks are sold by another Taiwanese manufacturer, Acer, plus the Korean giant, Samsung and America’s HP.  The Chinese manufacturer, Lenovo, also has one, but it is sold to schools rather than consumers in the retail market.

Asus’s CEO, Jerry Chen, said that he sees a rising market for Chromebooks in schools and government and some business demand,  but consumer demand is not strong. 

No pricing or configuration for their new product was announced.

Barnes and Noble Extends Sale Prices of its Nook Tablets

Barnes and Noble has announced that the Father’s Day sale of its two Nook tablets, the  HD and Nook HD+  will be extended indefinitely.  The $129 price of the 7-inch HD and $199 for the 9-inch HD+ will be available for some time to come.

This is good news.  Both these devices are excellent eReaders and pretty good all-purpose tablet computers.  At these prices, they are the best deal around, in my view.

This type of fire sale does increase the speculation that B&N is preparing to exit the hardware business—no should be surprised if this proves to be true some time in the future.  But B&N in not saying yea nor nay.  Those cards are close to its corporate vest.

For pictures and specs of the Nook HD, click here, and scroll down to the Nook HD coverage.

6/17/2013
Tablet Growth Fast and Contuining

Tablet ownership has taken off like a rocket.  The chart below depicts data from Pew Research Center’s latest pole on tablet ownership shows the rapid rise since the iPad’s introduction in April of 2010.  The survey began in May. 

Over one third of adult Americans now have a tablet of some size, and the growth is expected to continue for years into the future.  Over half of adults between ages 35 and 44 own a tablet.

NPD estimates that by 2017 tablets will outsell notebooks by six to one.  This comes on top of current growth of 142.7% year over year from the first quarter of 2012 to that of this year.

A big part of what's driving this explosive growth, according to IDC, are inexpensive Android devices with screen sizes of about 7 inches. Looking ahead, IDC predicts that smaller tablets, such as the Nexus 7 and the Apple iPad mini, will have 63% of the market by 2017.

6/14/2013:

Microsoft announced Thursday it would open 500 special stores within existing Best Buy stores in the United States.  The store-within-a store will sell exclusively Windows-based tablets and computers and other Microsoft products.

Microsoft, which has a chain of 70 or so of its own Microsoft Stores and kiosks within shopping malls, said on Thursday the initiative would add more than 1,200 Best Buy Microsoft-trained sales associates to help customers.

Two months earlier Samsung Electronics unveiled plans to install its brand shops in more than 1,400 Best Buy stores this year.

---

6/12/2013

The latest router from Apple, the Airport Express, pictured on the left, uses the new specification, 802.11ac.  The new standard is up to three times faster than the current 802.11n and uses a band for transmitting over the 2.4GHz channels and the newer, wider bandwidth 5GHz channel.  Each channel uses three separate antennas.

The vertical mount means taller, higher antennas, and the antennas use a focused transmission that is aimed at the devices using it.

Although you need an iOS or OS X device to control the Airport Extreme, the router sends out a generic WiFi signal usable by any WiFi device including PCs, BlackBerry, etc.

Specifications are show at the right.  The network that is created by the new router also enables automatically picks up wireless printers and external storage devices and makes them available across the network.

The router also includes a guest mode that allows guest access with our without passwords, but excludes guests from accessing other devices on the network.

Huawei has begun selling its latet 7-inch tablet, the MediaPad 7 Vogue, but only in China thus far.  This same tablet was filed with the U.S. FCC not long ago, so we can expect to see

Apple is including the new 802.11ac in the new version of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro.

it on dealer shelves here in the not to distant future.  It is an interesting tablet that seems designed for the middle to low end, so I look for a $150 price tag with another $50 reduction sometime later, perhaps for the holiday season.

The specs will yield a good rReading experience:  the display is 1024 x 600 pixels, and it is powered by a moderately competent 1.2 GHz MediaTek quad-core processor.  This is supported by 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage as well as a microSD card slot for extra storage. It runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

6/11/2013

The new release of Apple's latest operating system for the Mac, OS 10.9 Mavericks, will include the eReading app, iBooks.  This is the app that the iPads use for eReading, and it is a good one.  The app will allows Mac Book and Mac desktop users to directly access the iTunes store to download books within the app.

The new release is expected in the fall.

6/10/2013:  

The first of the small Windows 8 tablets, the Acer Iconia W3, an 8.1 inch screen that can be docked with a keyboard and become a desktop or used separately as a Windows 8 tablet, is now available for pre-ordering at Staples, Amazon and Office Depot.

Pricing will start at about $350, depending on the amount of memory included.  The screen is 1,280 x 800 pixels and is powered by an Intel’s dual core, 1.8GHz Atom Z2760 processor.
The processor is last year’s model—there is a faster one coming within months.  This would affect my decision, but if you are in a hurry to try a full-blown Windows 8 (not RT) with a free copy of Microsoft’s Office aboard, then this is your chance.

The keyboard is about $100 extra, by the way.

Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) gets underway in a few hours in San Francisco.  This is Apple’s annual event where new stuff is introduced, and Apple aficionados everywhere are excited.
Here is what to expect today:

• New iPhone, iPod and iPad operating system iOS 7 is certain to be the number one topic.  The new look and feel of iOS7  is eagerly anticipated—it is a major makeover for their smartphones and tablets without changing the hardware.
• Also a new OS (OSX 10.9) for the MacBook line, including the Pro and Air series. 
• New processors for the MacBook line—moving up to Haswell which is faster and doubles battery life.
• iRadio will introduce streaming music to the Apple line—iOS and OS X.
• Possibly a move to the fastest possible WiFi by building the new 802.11ac versions.  This is a quantitative leap in wireless speeds, bringing wireless to new speeds and distance.  This is more of a probability than a certainty, but Apple has always the first to introduce the fastest WiFi specification—they were first out with 802.11g over AB and first out with the 802.11n version.

6/8/2013:  Barnes & Noble is offering deep discounts on the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets this week. See pictures of the tablets at left.

The company’s latest 7 and 9 inch tablets normally sell for $199 and up, but right now you can buy a 7 inch model for $129 and up, and 9 inch models have prices starting at $149.

These are great prices.  The HD+ is a nine inch tablet with great resolution, and the HD is the seven inch tablet that is one of the best eReading tablets of that size available, although it is geared to Barnes and Noble’s offerings.  Keep in mind, though, that with access to the Google Play Store the Kindle reading app can be added and access to Amazon’s content will be available.

For a Computerworld review of the new models Click here

6/5/2013:  Microsoft said early Wednesday morning that Outlook would be added to the Office suite bundled with Windows RT tablets, including the Microsoft Surface. 
The enhanced version of Office will also be included free in the newer versions of tablet hardware just being announced to coincide with the new version of Windows 8.1  For example, the new Acer Iconia W3, with an 8.1-inch screen, will have Outlook included in its Windows 8.1 version.  Recall that Windows 8.1 is reviving the start screen that has been a major source of complaint about Windows 8.

iPad Mini:  Apple is believed to be developing a new iPad Mini that would be cheaper than the current version. A report from Citi Research claims that information from the company’s Asia based supply chain network points in that direction.
The lowest priced iPad Mini now costs $329, although the current model is on sale in Walmart stores in the United States for $299.
A less expensive iPad Mini has been speculated on before April, and the original rumors had it appearing by April of this year.  Most of the speculation has been from supply chain snoops in Taiwan, and the reliability of these firms is somewhat less than sterling, but they are often right.

6/3/2013:  The newest (4th) generation of Intel PC chips, code-named Haswell, will begin appearing on dealer shelves soon.  Intel is shipping them now, and new desktops and laptops are gearing up for production now.

The new chips adds about the same 10 to 15% performance boost that Ivy Bridge took over Sandy Bridge.  This is a healthy increase in speed, but the larger value of the new design may rest with its doubling of batter life. 

The newest (4th) generation of Intel PC chips, code-named Haswell, will begin appearing on dealer shelves soon.  Intel is shipping them now, and new desktops and laptops are gearing up for production now.
The new chips adds about the same 10 to 15% performance boost that Ivy Bridge took over Sandy Bridge.  This is a healthy increase in speed, but the larger value of the new design may rest with its doubling of batter life. 

An example of a new laptop that will be using the HaswellThe newest (4th) generation of Intel PC chips, code-named Haswell, will begin appearing on dealer shelves soon.  Intel is shipping them now, and new desktops and laptops are gearing up for production now.
The new chips adds about the same 10 to 15% performance boost that Ivy Bridge took over Sandy Bridge.  This is a healthy increase in speed, but the larger value of the new design may rest with its doubling of batter life.

An example of a new laptop that will be using the Haswell design is the Acer Aspire 3, shown at right.  The new model is impressive for the enhanced power and display quality it will offer: a 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS display with 170 degree viewing angles, Intel WiDi wireless display, the ability to resume from sleep in as little as 1 second, and up to 1TB of hard disk space.

Pricing is not yet announced, but I look for a $1200-$1400 price range when it is finally available.

6/1/2013:  Overdrive is currently the largest company that facilitates the digital lending of books from libraries all over the world. Chances are if you have borrowed an eBook from your library, you got there through the software supplied by Overdrive.
Today the company unveiled its new Media Station. This is a new solution for libraries, bookstores, and retail shops to sell ebooks and garner a 30% commission on every sale.
The Overdrive Media Station is a HTML5 driven solution that allows customers to read samples and make purchases. Over one million ebooks, audiobooks, and videos are available to be purchased.
Soon you may be able to buy the book of your choice using a self-service kios using what is pictured above.

Today's news is that we may soon see a $50 Android tablet, with eReading capability, in the United States within a few months.  


Pictured above is the Sunnycube V7, a 7-inch Android tablet made by Sunnycube, a Chinese manufacturer of electronics.  It will be sold soon in China for an equivalent price of $40 and is expected to come to America, too, but no official announcement has yet been made.

The specifications are modest: 

An ARM Cortex A9 dual-core processor  Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software, a low-resolution 800 x 480 pixel display, just 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. It includes a 1.5 GHz VIA WonderMedia WM8880 dual-core processor and front and rear cameras.

The screen resolution is not as good as the better E-Ink readers nor the better Android 7-inch tablets. Kobo's Mini E-Ink reader features an 800x600 pixel 5-inch screen, for example. But, for $50, if it sells for that price, and one that could do email and surfing with a full color screen, would find a niche in the American market.