Fact is, the Author's Guild actually only has about 8000 members, and that membership includes agents and lawyers in the publishing industry. Google making a deal with the Authors Guild to carve up the entire universe of written material is about the same as Google making a deal with Hertz Gold Club to decide what price everyone is going to pay for every new or used car - whether they're a member or not! Okay, maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point - the Author's Guild is but one small organization that has as its membership a statistically insignificant number of authors. They are in no position to settle anything for anyone.

This so-called class action settlement is really just an abuse of the legal system, and an attempt by a huge corporation to establish a monopoly by getting a really small organization to go along with it, providing a fig leaf in exchange for a huge sum of money.

One might think that, but since Apple owns more than 70% of the market, it's probably more trouble than it's worth to deal with the support issues. And of course they don't want to help their competitors, which is understandable.

I find that video strangely erotic.

My recipe for fixing the world economy; everyone should get one of these USB monitors and watch their stock portfolios. They say that just keeping track of what you eat makes you lose weight, so just being on top of the stock market should make it go up!

I think you're confusing things, but in doing so you bring up the central argument that Nilay fails to mention; Kindle's text-to-speech function, like all text-to-speech devices, does not seem to fall under the derivative works law but under performances law, which are a classification of exemption to copyright violations. Can a computer give a performance? I'd say yes, but in doing so that does not necessarily violate copyright because there are performances that are allowed. So I think when viewed in that context Amazon is probably pretty safe (though I have not done any research on caselaw).

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#110

Microsoft: Function over design
Apple: Design meets function
Bang & Olufsen: What is function?

The HP Mini 1000, available in the US and abroad, already has a 10.2" screen as an option. Near as I can tell this is just a Compaq-branded netbook for markets that still care about the Compaq name.

I agree, though I don't think that a VGA or better screen is necessary for GPSing - my Nuvi works just great with a QVGA screen. The better screen is necessary for web browsing and working in productivity apps though. I'll never buy another QVGA device.

It's a pretty watch, but for that garish Mercedes symbol. IMO branded watches are sort of a catch-22; if you don't own the Merc, it's pretensious. If you own the Merc, it's ostentatious and gauche.

That screen doesn't look 16:9.