Netflix and Amazon step up battle for kids’ eyeballs over summer vacation
photo: Shutterstock / James Blinn
Netflix and Amazon both want to be the company that captures your kid’s screen time this summer. Read more at paidContent »
Not a good sign: Barnes & Noble just keeps slashing Nook tablet prices
Why is Barnes & Noble extending price cuts on Nook tablets? It may be because the retailer is trying to clear out stock. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon pushes forward with Kindle Fire HD’s international expansion
photo: Amazon
Amazon is making its Kindle Fire HD tablets broadly available internationally, with preorders shipping in June. The tablets were already available in Europe and Japan. Read more »
Amazon launches its virtual currency, with $5 worth free to every Kindle Fire user
Amazon’s virtual currency, Amazon Coins, launched Monday. It can be used to buy apps and games and make in-app purchases on the Kindle Fire and in Amazon’s app store. Read more »
Here’s how much in content sales turn Kindle Fire into a money maker
When Amazon launched its Kindle Fire hardware, the market knew it wasn’t making money on the devices. Turns out it doesn’t take that much in content sales for a 20 percent profit margin, according to ABI. Read more »
Software turns Amazon Kindle Fire into a Nexus 7 lookalike
Amazon’s Kindle Fire makes for a great tablet, so long as you don’t mind the custom user interface and lack of supported Google services. A new custom software installation turns the Kindle Fire into a fully functional Android 4.2.1 tablet and it looks great. Read more »
Amazon’s Appstore is on fire: 500% more downloads this year
Now that Amazon has its own devices in the Kindle Fire lineup, downloads from the Appstore are on the rise: up 500% in the past year. It doesn’t hurt that Amazon has added a number of developer-friendly features over the past 20 months, either. Read more »
iPad mini: A first video look at Apple’s small tablet
Apple’s iPad mini is here, but does it offer a big experience in a small package or is this just a useless device for many? I like the form factor and it turns out that the lower resolution display isn’t all that bad! Read more »
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What the shift to the cloud means for the future EPG
The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Connected consumer third-quarter 2012
The third quarter saw many parts of the traditional media business in flux. Other developments included the rollout of new device-based content ecosystems, red flags and red ink for traditional consumer electronics makers, and a resurgence of consumer purchases of movies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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A look back at mobile in the third quarter
Apple stole the spotlight in the third quarter with the release of its iPhone 5, Amazon pursued the tablet market aggressively with a new line of tablets, and Microsoft prepped to launch Windows 8 and the highly anticipated Surface tablet. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Why Amazon might buy TI’s mobile chip business
Reports of Amazon considering the purchase of Texas Instruments’ mobile chip business for billions of dollars may not make sense at first glance. But there are several reasons why such a deal could make sense for Amazon in both devices and cloud computing activities. Read more »
Barnes & Noble’s two new tablets want to help you find your next book
photo: Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble’s new Nook HD tablets, priced starting at $199, aim to stand out from the pack with reader-centric features and enhanced reading experiences for magazines and catalogs. The company’s goal is to drive book discovery and purchasing through the tablets in new ways. Read more »
Amazon gives devs a maps API alternative to Google
photo: Amazon
Amazon is giving Kindle Fire developers a new maps API, providing an alternative to Google Maps. This could help developers become less dependent on Google. And it may show how Amazon plans on implementing native mapping in its tablets. Read more »
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A near-term outlook for the mobile app marketplace
In the five years since the iPhone hit the market, Apple and Google have delivered more than 40 billion cumulative downloads of apps. Other sources predict the app marketplace will swell to surpass 66 billion downloads in 2016, a growth fueled by tablet, entertainment, and enterprise apps. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
My thoughts on 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, 2012 edition
Tablets (or any gadget) are supposed to be our companions for a long time. And in order to review them, you really have to live with them. So, after using the new Kindle Fire for about three days, all I can offer are my early impressions. Read more »
Why Amazon’s in-app sales of physical goods could be big
Developers are getting the ability to sell physical items through Amazon’s mobile in-app purchase system. The first app to get this ability is Activision’s Skylanders Cloud Patrol. This could be a big help for developers looking to monetize their apps through commerce. Read more »
Ads on Kindle Fire HD tablets: Bad news or just business?
Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD tablets are impressive and aggressively priced, but unlike prior Kindles, you can’t pay extra to turn off the special offer ads. Business models are clearly changing to reflect the new digital economy, but has Amazon gone too far this time? Read more »
Watch out tablet-makers, Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablets are hot!
Tablet makers: Amazon just put you on notice with several new products, all of which are low in price and high in content. The new Kindle Fire HD line brings high-definition to Amazon’s tablets as well as an innovative, but limited, 4G LTE plan. Read more »
Amazon’s September harvest: new HD Kindle Fires, Paperwhite ereader
photo: Courtesy: Amazon
Amazon’s big press event announced four new Kindles, an e-reader as well as a a feature called Kindle Serials, which will bring old-school serialized publications to the e-reader age. Read more »
Live blog: Amazon unveils 4 new Kindles, Kindle Serials
We’re here in Los Angeles for Amazon’s press conference. The company is expected to announce a new Kindle Fire and Kindle e-reader today, and we’ll have all the details for you live from Santa Monica. Read more »
With rumored phone, Amazon wants to be on all screens
photo: Amazon
Amazon’s press event could bring more than a new tablet and e-reader: A smartphone may be shown as well. It makes sense because consumers don’t just buy products, they buy ecosystems. And Amazon has one that it can extend to the small screen of a smartphone. Read more »
Will Amazon announce an Apple TV competitor this week?
Amazon has been quietly hiring a number of experienced connected TV developers, including some that worked on Logitech’s failed Google TV efforts. Could that mean that the company will announce a streaming media device during its press event in Los Angeles this week? Read more »
What to expect at next week’s Kindle event: A rumor roundup
What should we expect from next week’s Amazon press conference in Los Angeles? The rumor mill suggest a front-lit Kindle e-reader, a new Kindle Fire with a camera and location technology, and more streaming movie offerings for Prime members. Read more »
Amazon says Kindle Fire makes up 22% of U.S. tablet sales
photo: Getty Images / Spencer Platt
Amazon says the Kindle Fire is sold out, meaning the company will definitely announce a new tablet at its press event next week. Meanwhile, Amazon says the Fire makes up 22% of the U.S. tablet market — suggesting actual sales far lower than early analyst estimates. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Appstore opens for business in Europe
photo: Amazon
Amazon is taking its Appstore for Android abroad for the first time, launching it in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The move was expected, and its eems to pave the way for an international launch of the Kindle Fire. Read more »
Amazon shares some factoids on Prime — but still no member numbers
Amazon shared a few facts about Amazon Prime, which offers unlimited two-day shipping and other perks for $79 a year. The company won’t state how many members Prime has, but says it ships more items with Prime than with its basic free shipping option. Read more at paidContent »
New stats show iPad surging again as Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet fall
Market research firm IHS iSuppli shows that iPad shipments surged in Q2 2012, as Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablets saw major drops. Kindle Fire’s share of the media tablet market fell to 4.2 percent, with B&N’s at 1.9 percent. Read more at paidContent »
Barnes & Noble brings Nook Tablet prices in line with Kindle Fire and Nexus 7
Barnes & Noble dropped prices on its Nook Tablets and Nook Color on Sunday, bringing the price of the Nook Tablet 16 GB in line with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s 8 GB Nexus 7. The bookstore chain has failed to gain much tablet market share. Read more at paidContent »
Planning to buy a new Kindle? Wait
The current Kindle Touch models are either unavailable or shipping in 8 to 9 days on Amazon, suggesting that new models are coming soon — possibly including a front-lit Kindle to compete with Barnes & Noble’s Nook with GlowLight. Read more »
Move over Amazon MP3 store, Spotify hits Kindle Fire
photo: Amazon
The Kindle Fire gains a free new mobile music app in Spotify, but it’s only mobile if you have a Wi-Fi connection; offline support requires a Spotify Premium subscription. However, the app supports high-quality music streaming and full access to Spotify’s millions of digital tracks. Read more »
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Research In Motion: future scenarios for its fate
Despite its current decline, RIM is a different firm today than it was in 2007, with new management, a full awareness of its shaky position, an upcoming OS release and a number of lingering advantages that can still be leveraged. Here’s how it just might survive. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Amazon gets it: One size doesn’t fit all for tablets
Amazon is expected to introduce up to 6 new tablets, including a 10-inch model. Why not? Few besides Amazon have the consumer data, shopping experience and content to make multiple screen sized tablets, proving that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to mobile devices. Read more »
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Takeaways from connected consumer’s second quarter
Tablets featured prominently in the connected consumer space, both as a product category and as a component of broader platform strategies by major OS providers Microsoft, Google and Apple. Meanwhile Facebook began laying the groundwork to add payment processing to its platform. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Takeaways from mobile’s second quarter
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Amazon launches GameCircle to boost Kindle Fire games
Amazon is getting more serious about gaming on the Kindle Fire with the introduction of GameCircle, a social engagement layer for developers who want to add achievements, leaderboards and cloud syncing to their games. The service is Amazon’s answer to Apple’s Game Center. Read more »
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The evolution of consumer-media cloud storage
Cloud-based storage and cross-device syncing of media content are two of the most competitive areas in consumer IT. Apple, Google and Amazon see cloud-based media services both as a way to increase attachment to their platforms and a means to extend and amplify their broader strategic goals. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Why Amazon is getting into the smartphone race
Amazon is in the business of selling stuff, traditionally online but more recently in the form of a tablet, the Kindle Fire. Now, it’s reportedly looking at expanding to smartphones. Here’s a look at why and how Amazon might be able to pull it off. Read more »
Reports: Kindle Fire 2 coming this summer
Amazon is reportedly set to unveil a new version of its Kindle Fire tablet by August. A hurry-up launch could spike interest in its flagging Fire product but would also come at a time when a growing number of discount tablets are crowding the market. Read more at paidContent »
Houghton Mifflin promises to be on all devices — even the Surface
Troubled Boston-based publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which restructured and emerged from bankruptcy last month, is apparently back and ready to make its books available on all devices, including those that are not available yet. Is that a smart strategy? Read more at paidContent »
