Today's Headlines

Tablet Strategy Done Right:  Sarah Rotman Epps on the Amazon Kindle Fire
Forrester.com
The highly regarded tablet analyst on the September 28 Amazon announced about its tablet:  "Amazon will sell millions of tablets, and the rapidfire adoption of the Kindle Fire will give app developers a reason—finally—to develop Android tablet apps. Apple’s place as market leader is secure, but Amazon will be a strong number two, and we expect no other serious tablet competitors until Windows 8 tablets launch."

Amazon Goes  Up Against Apple with Tablet Announcement
USA Today
Fire boasts some eye-catching innovations, such as its Web browser. Dubbed Silk, Amazon claims it's an exceptionally speedy "split browser" engineered to take advantage of the backbone of the Internet by moving heavy-lifting computations to the cloud. It can also anticipate where a user is going to click next, by exploiting the same technology that helps Amazon.com offer its "customers who bought this also bought this" feature.

Roundup of Amazon Kindle Fire Articles
Computerworld
Editor Richi Jennings compiles a roundup of interesting blog postings about the Kindle Fire.

Today's Headlines

E-Retailers Discover That Tablet Users Buy Stuff
The Wall Street Journal
Tablets still account for only a small percentage of overall e-commerce, but they are punching above their weight. While the conversion rate—orders divided by total visits—is 3% for shoppers using a traditional PC, it is 4% or 5% for shoppers using tablets, says Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research.

7-Inch Tablet Coming from Toshiba
AllThingsD
The smaller-screen version, which is due to ship in December, will come in 16GB and 32GB varieties, both featuring a 1280-pixel-by-800-pixel display, Android 3.2 and and a Tegra 2 processor.

What to Expect on the Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet
The Washington Post
A roundup of rumors and speculation about the size and capabilities of the new Amazon device that will be unveiled to the press today. 


RIM Takes Page from HP Playbook and Cuts Prices on Its PlayBook Tablet
Padgadget
In a move that may soon become cliche, Research In Motion (RIM) has announced a price reduction for their BlackBerry PlayBook. Several Canadian retailers are selling the 16GB devices for $399, the 32GB for $499 and the 64GB for $599 but if you shop around, the 16GB version has been seen for as as low as $249.

Today's Headlines

Down and Dirty in Down Under:  Apple Presses Samsung Tablet Ban in Australia
The Wall Street Journal
Apple is seeking a court injunction to prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia starting Friday

Most Big Magazine Publishers Back Amazon's Tablet

AllThingsD

When Amazon unveils its new iPad-like device on Wednesday, it will have the backing of at least three of the big magazine publishers: Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith all have deals to sell digital versions of their titles on the new device, according to industry sources.  Time Inc. has not yet come to terms with Amazon. 

 

The Name for Amazon's Tablet?  It's the Kindle Fire

TechCrunch

On Wednesday morning in New York City, Amazon will unveil the Kindle Fire. Yes, this is the name Amazon has settled on, to help differentiate the product from the e-ink Kindles, which will still be very much alive and for sale. And while Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will show off the Fire on stage, it won’t be ready to ship until the second week of November, TechCrunch has learned. 

Apple Sets Earnings Call for Oct. 18

SlashGear

Mark your calendars.  The company may post results of what may be its best quarter ever helped by skyrocketing sales of tablets. 

Today's Headlines

Amazon's Tablet May Be Announced at Wednesday Press Event
The New York Times
Amazon has scheduled a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, and the speculation on technology blogs and among analysts is that the tablet will be unveiled. The Amazon tablet, analysts believe, will most likely sell for about $250, half the price of the basic iPad. Its screen will be seven inches as opposed to the iPad’s 10 inches.

Two New NookColors May Be Launched This Year
The Digital Reader
Sources tell The Digital Reader that B&N will keep the NookTouch at $139, and they will have the two NookColors at higher price points. The Encore and Acclaim tablets will be priced at  $249 and $349.

Today's Headlines

Gartner Analyst:  Challenges to iPad's Domination Will Be "Minimal"
AllThingsD
Gartner's Carolina Milanesi:  "...Apple delivers a superior and unified user experience across its hardware, software and services. Unless competitors can respond with a similar approach, challenges to Apple’s position will be minimal."

Ken Burns's New Doc to Premiere on PBS iPad App
Padgadget
An early premiere of the first episode of the Ken Burns documentary “Prohibition” will be available on Friday, September 23 on the free PBS apps for the iPad and the iPhone.

Some Apple Retail Employees Can Now Borrow Loaner iPads
CNET
Apple this past week detailed plans to introduce an interesting new program that gives its retail employees a chance to "check out" iPads like they would a library book.

Review of World's First Tablet with Slide-Out Keyboard
Laptop Magazine
Reviewer Avram Piltch on the Aaa Eee Pad Slider:  "Typing on the physical keyboard was a mixed bag. Though we were able to type with greater accuracy and comfort than with a virtual keyboard, the keys are smaller than what you'll find on most netbooks"

Today's Headlines

253 Million Tablets to Be Shipped by 2015
Computer Business Review
Tablet shipments will reach 253 million by 2016, nearly a five-fold increase from the 55.2 million tablets expected to reach the market in 2011, according to a new report by analyst firm Juniper Research.

Wisconsin Library Begins iPad Lending Program
WEAU-TV
History was made in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, as the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library became the first public library in the country to check out Apple iPads.

Library E-Books to Become Available to Kindle Owners
The New York Times
Amazon significantly increased the potential visibility of library e-books on Wednesday when it opened up its popular Kindle e-reader to these books for the first time.

Today's Headlines

iPads and iPhones Help Mobile Devices Dominate Airport Wireless
AllThingsD
Not long ago, airport Wi-Fi connections were dominated by laptops, with only a small number of mobile phones hopping onto such networks. These days, though, tablets and smartphones make up more than half of such connections, according to new data released on Tuesday by Boingo Wireless.

Why RIM Won't Kill the PlayBook
paidContent
Charles Arthur argues that Research in Motion can’t kill it, because that would mean killing the only outpost it presently has for which developers can code for QNX, the OS that is going to be the basis for its new phones from next year.

Windows 8 Developer Tablets Available on eBay for $3,500
PCMag
Got $3,500 to burn? Love tablets? Curious about Windows 8? If your answer is yes to all three questions, you need to go to eBay  and buy the only Windows 8 tablet in existence, the Samsung developer preview model unveiled at Microsoft’s BUILD conference last week.

Picking the Best Android Tablet
PCWorld
What's better? The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the Motorola Xoom?  PCWorld takes a hard look.