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Kindle subscription to the New York Times will net you free web access as well
Can't get enough New York Times over your Whispernet? Worry not, dear Kindle reader, for Amazon's on a roll with its announcements today, the latest of which is that a subscription to the NYT on its world-conquering e-reader will also grant users access to the paywall-protected NYTimes.com online portal. No complex rules or conditions, you'll just be one of the insiders who get unfettered access to all the fine old school journalism practiced at Times towers. See Amazon's press release after the break or hit the source link to learn more about the $28-a-month (for international users) subscription. Update: The sub price is $20 in the USA, the $28 cost we first saw relates to those signing up from the UK and other international markets. Thanks, russke!
Tablet speculation: How could a tablet connect to the world?
Do you know what word Dave Caolo is hearing in his sleep? Tablet. What phrase is trending mightily on Google Search? Tablet. What is every Apple fanboy and fangirl dreaming of for...um...some new gift-giving holiday in the March/April timeframe? Tablet. It's what good little geeks hope to find on their doorstep if their credit cards are not maxed out and Apple ships on the rumored schedule. In addition to bringing world peace, universal vaccination, and rainbow puppy unicorns, the tablet carries its own compliment of mobile issues: specifically, how and how well will it connect? This is a question we were kicking around this morning in the TUAW chatroom, after encountering a number of speculative reports in our morning RSS feed. Rather than predict which way Apple is going to go, we thought we'd run down the most likely possibilities. We all agree that a tablet would be, at a minimum, no less connected than an iPod touch. That is, none of us think that Apple will ship a tablet sans Wi-Fi connectivity. And with McDonalds now offering free Wi-Fi at over 11,000 restaurants world wide, let alone sponsored municipal Wi-Fi, new Wi-Fi for pay services on airplanes, and other commuter-based Wi-Fi services, you can easily imagine an urban tablet that works in most major cities around the globe. A Wi-Fi-only approach, though, cuts out a lot of possibilities for tablet use on the go, when users move away from cities. 3G/4G access, similar to the kinds of deals currently offered on Dell netbooks and laptops, might be a way for Apple to go as well. Of course, that would involve signing up for 2-year contracts at outrageous prices (it doesn't matter who does the service, the prices are outrageous across vendors). That could seriously put off existing iPhone contract holders, who might not be willing to expand their obligations to another multi-year commitment.
Kindle's German launch stalled by T-Mobile and Vodafone?
A news item is circulating the internet reportedly from German business weekly Wirtschaftswoche claiming Amazon is facing a major hurdle in trying to bring its Kindle to Deutschland. The problem at hand? The two big wireless providers in the country, Vodafone and T-Mobile, are both saying "nein" to providing Whispernet service, and apparently the issue has to do with how much money Amazon was willing to give -- unsurprising, if true. Another, very likely reason for T-Mobile's unwillingness is that parent company Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be working on its own e-book reader, and we gotta believe those company picnics would be mighty awkward if a large subsidiary was given the competition a major boost. We can't imagine this stopping Amazon for long, and we'd be very surprised if the Kindle didn't find some way to sneak itself into the region sooner or later.
iPod touch: Always a bridesmaid ...
With all the fanfare this week surrounding the iPhone, let's not forget the famed handset's red-headed stepchild: the iPod touch. Hardware updates to the line weren't exactly expected just now. Apple tends to save their iPod updates for special music events held every year since 2003. After Apple's education promo is done and dusted, we can probably expect a special event in September where we see updates for our favorite media device. What's in store for the new iPod touch? Setting aside for the moment rumors about a tablet-sized device, there are sure to be plenty of updates for the handheld iPod touch we've come to know and love. As far as the operating system update is concerned, we'll gain all the features compatible with the iPod touch's hardware, like copy and paste, upgrades to the iTunes store, and the landscape keyboard. These updates, like those in the past, will come at a price: In an effort to adhere to strict accounting regulations, Apple charges iPod touch users about $10 to upgrade to the new operating system. iPhone users aren't charged similarly, because revenue from the handsets is accounted on a subscription basis, which has different rules about giving updates away for free. Like the iPhone, the update for iPod touch will be available June 17. Compared to the iPhone, planned updates to the iPod touch's hardware remain largely unknown. iPod touch models have been generally close in specification to the iPhone, but each model is slightly different. In theory, if applications require the greater horsepower the iPhone 3G S provides, some high-performance games may be incompatible with existing iPod touch models, in addition to apps that take advantage of the iPhone's built-in GPS and camera. Cameras, however, might be on the way: Mike noted rumors last month about iPod nanos with cameras built-in. If those are true, it stands to reason that iPod touch models could get the same functionality. I've opined before about a whispernet service for the iPod touch, but I don't see that happening anytime soon, especially with AT&T's lackluster feature delivery schedule revealed during the iPhone keynote. What do you think the next iPod touch will be? Will it become "just like the iPhone but without the phone part?" Let us know by leaving a comment.
Amazon to charge per megabyte to send personal documents OTA to your Kindle
So far, sending files to your Kindle cost a flat fee -- one dime per document for conversion and download over Whispernet. Looks like that honeymoon is over, as Amazon's announced that as of May 4th, the Personal Document Service will be a variable fee of $0.15 per megabyte, rounding up. It's still free of charge if you transfer the documents over via USB, and sending them to "name"@free.kindle.com will return converted files to your email address gratis. If you're trying to be frugal, we might suggest combining all those pending transfers into one fat PDF and sending it off sometime this weekend. [Via GearDiary]
Barnes & Noble working on an e-book reader of its own?
Everyone else is doing it, so why not Barnes & Noble too? That's the talk following last week's CTIA at least, where mysterious "insiders" were reportedly abuzz about the possibility of a B&N e-book reader that, like the Kindle, would supposedly be tied to a cellular carrier for some Whispernet-like connectivity. According to one of those insiders, Barnes & Noble had apparently first been in talks with Verizon about a partnership, but those seem to have fallen apart for one reason or another, and it now looks like Sprint (Amazon's partner, coincidentally) is the top contender. Some "observers" apparently still aren't ruling out AT&T as a possibility, however, especially in light of its recent expression of interest about getting into the e-book reader game. No word about the actual device itself just yet, but there's no shortage of ready-made options out there (like Plastic Logic's e-reader above) should B&N decide to go that route.[Thanks, Tim]
My ideal iPod touch
Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod touch. As a matter of fact, I'm writing this post with it on the beach as my girlfriend goes surfing. But with Apple's new product announcement on Tuesday, it makes me wonder what changes could be in store for our favorite supercharged music player. I think the single greatest thing Apple could do for the iPod touch is take a page from the Amazon Kindle and offer free "Whispernet" service for every iPod touch sold. (Or, say, roll it in with a Mobile Me subscription.) Amazon bought access to a chunk of Sprint's EVDO network, which means every Kindle has network access wherever it goes. Apple could make such a deal with AT&T -- and its various partners worldwide -- to provide the necessary bandwidth. Who knows -- perhaps they have already. Allow tethering with software like NetShare, and you've got Internet access for your Mac, too. Instant-on, and always there. Brilliant. Another simple addition would be GPS functionality, bringing the iPod touch in line with its newer sibling. Suddenly, the need for both a GPS and an iPod in your car is obviated, and it opens up interesting opportunities with the car manufacturers who already offer iPod integration in their vehicles. Third, and this could apply to new iPhones too, would be to allow access to the dock connector for Apps. This opens up all kinds of options for iPhone and iPod touch owners to use voice recorders and cameras, as well as potentially control a wide range of equipment from industrial automation tools to backyard telescopes. Who knows what Apple has up their sleeve? Certainly not me. But with this wish list fulfilled, you can be sure a new iPod touch is in my immediate future.