News of The Day 9/29/2011

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Kindle Fire
Like we weren't going to be discussing further.

  • Yes, there are concerns about the Silk browser since it uses the Amazon EC2 cloud to accelerate and store data, raising privacy concerns. Don't expect this to go away.
  • Amazon's strength? Consumer data.  Well, it's a consumer device – note though this could give any rivals an in to hammer them on privacy – as well.

Mobile:
Nokia makes cuts in some of its mapping/commerce division.  May want to be careful there.

Social Media:
A look at why Facebook's frictionless sharing has many problems.  Some good insights – we're really in a realm of unintended consequences media/social wise anymore.

Technology:
Meg Whitman will work for $1 a year at HP. Which is good considering the ton of money HP paid Apotheker to poke some holes in the hull of their ship. Probably a good confidence-building move on Whitman's part – or their part.

As no one didn't expect, Apple is obviously phasing out boxed software.

Video:
And the ecosystem rolls on, Microsoft making a bunch of deals to carry content from Comcast (there could be a complex alliance), Verizon, and more coming (including Sony Pictures Crackle). This is a lot of deals – which really starts turning the XBox into a service.

Roger Ebert provides some useful analysis of Netflix's future – he's positive on it.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How long will we keep hearing about the Kindle Fire?

– Steven Savage

T-7 Days: Accelerating momentum

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Well, toaday gets interesting as I work on "Focused Fandom: Cosplay, Costuming, and Careers"

First, last night I figured out formatting  . . . mostly.  I'll actually do my formatting by hand simply because it gives me more control than the unsurety of using new conversion tools.

And I got an inquiry by someone wanting to do a review, which is awesome, though I'll have to make sure they get something in a reasonable format.  More may be pending based – email is coming in all the time.

So it's accelerating towards October 4th.

Next up, putting a few things in order, and then running the final conversion for ePub and Kindle, and then PDF.  I do PDF last because ePub and Kindle conversions help me find any last errors.

So, here we go . . .

– Steven Savage

News Of The Day 9/28/2011

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Absolutely nothing happened today. If you believe that, then you're really way too trusting.

Amazon's New Tablet And Everything Else

Well first of all there's the Techmeme Roundup. But yes, Amazon made all it's product announcements today, and that includes the "Kindle Fire" tablet.

  • The Prices? $199 for the Kindle Fire, $149 for the Touch 3g, $99 for the Touch, and $79 for the regular Kindle. Amazing price points, and I think the regular Kindle just became the easy-to-give gift at that price rate. I would not be surprised if some of these were loss leaders.
  • That price? It undercuts the iPad pretty far. Apple (and B&N) are clearly in their sights. Also, it's cheap enough people may buy it AND use other devices – think about that for a moment . . .
  • Why this isn't an iPad killer makes some good points about it.

A look at how the Tablet is really a store makes a good point. Similar thoughts here – it's a shopping kiosk and media device that lets you play Angry Birds.

  • Amazon's plans don't extend outside of the U.S. at this time. Put's them at a disadvantage against others.
  • The 'Silk' browser does some of it's processing in the cloud – I do not like that as it makes the browser dependent on Amazon, and that may be too far for many sites, companies, ad providers, etc.

    • Comics:
    Looks like ComiXology is on the Fire. Not surprising, but recall that Amazon wants this to be a consumer device, and they're already there with a comics app. This could increase/accelerate reading and interest in comics – and makes ComiXology a potential gategeeker.

    Technology:
    A look at Yahoo's latest strategies. Most interesting to me is the focus on an ecosystem – which of course is inevitable (and mores in light of today's announcements).

    RIM not as doomed as we thought?  It gets more complicated with Ichann involved.

    Video:
    Sony expands and improves it's video on demand service. Video service, check. Music service, check. Games, check. Sounds awful ecosystem to me.

    Video Games:
    What Kindle Fire means for game developers – nothing surprising, but a good round-up.

    Consoles will be around for awhile, says GameStop. Gives us an idea on their plans.

    QUESTION OF THE DAY:What story is being eclipsed by the Kindle Fire.

    – Steven Savage