Summer is coming. Time to relax by the pool with a good book -- though, judging by what's on your reading list this year, perhaps it's time to go for the anonymity of an e-reader. No one needs to know how you've been slogging through Fifty Shades of Grey for the past two months, right? Thankfully, there's no better time to buy one of these devices -- there's plenty of choices and, thanks to competition, some seriously good deals. One thing all of these readers have in common: E Ink displays -- way better for reading out in the summertime sun than their LCD counterparts. So let's not delay that warm weather reading list any longer. Head on past the break to see our picks.

Continue reading Engadget's summer gear guide 2012: e-readers

Engadget's summer gear guide 2012: e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Taxes. Taxes. Taxes. That's what you folks living within the Garden State will have to pay on Amazon purchases starting July 2013. The recent news -- which is likely to cause some of you to throw a minor temper tantrum -- comes shortly after Jeff Bezos & Co. settled with the Texas government to also begin collecting sales tax in that state. Similar to the Lone Star deal, though, Amazon's agreed to create about 1,500 full-time jobs by building a couple of distribution centers in New Jersey -- and let's face it, job creation is always good news. Sorry, but looks like the Jersey Shore crew will have to spend a couple extra bucks the next time they place an order for that weekly stock of tanning lotion.

Amazon to start collecting sales tax in New Jersey beginning July of next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lovefilm certainly seems to be on the charm offensive to secure those movie viewing eyes. Yesterday it was the announcement of an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal, and today it's HD streaming for its "Instant" service. Subscribers in the UK and Germany can suck up full 1080p content when viewing on a Mac or PC, and 720p when watching via Xbox 360 or Smart TV (UK only) at no extra cost. The HD library is rolling out now, and currently includes only a selection of films and TV shows, but is set to expand over the coming months. So if you're a paid up member, you can start browsing the library today, and hunt out those HD badges.

Continue reading Lovefilm introduces HD streaming in the UK and Germany, adds another nail in mail rental coffin

Lovefilm introduces HD streaming in the UK and Germany, adds another nail in mail rental coffin originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

LoveFilm is living by its name, and snapping up more movie content for its online service. The latest signing? NBCUniversal. So, if you're a paid up member, this means you'll now get exclusive access to the latest Universal Pictures flicks during the second "pay window" (i.e. once the subscription movie channels have had their time with them.) So if you were hovering over the streaming only option, or undecided on which service to go for, maybe this will help you along with that decision?

Continue reading Lovefilm signs multi-year digital deal with NBCUniversal, looks Kick Ass

Lovefilm signs multi-year digital deal with NBCUniversal, looks Kick Ass originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 06:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Amazon's video store is going to compete with the other online sources like Hulu and Netflix, getting on as many platforms as possible is key and it made a major expansion today by launching on the Xbox 360. The app launched on the PS3 back in April, and just like that version, this one includes access to Amazon's video on-demand and Prime all-you-can-eat subscription based streaming. Unique to the Xbox 360 app is support for the console's Kinect peripheral and its ability to recognize control by gesture or voice, plus a brand new feature for Amazon -- a queue. The Watchlist (for now only available on the Xbox 360, Kindle Fire and via the web) lets customers preselect programming they're interested in for easy access on the devices later, just like Netflix's implementation, however Amazon's VOD store means access to newer and higher profile content is just a click away. There's more details in the press release and video after the break, or you can just check out the app on your console right now (if you're in the US and have Xbox Live Gold, of course -- even if you don't have Prime, there's a one month free trial offer).

Update: Major Nelson also posted availability of other apps and a free XBL Gold preview weekend, as Antena 3 launches in Spain, MLB.tv in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Muzu.tv in Australia and New Zealand. June 1st through June 3rd, XBL Gold access will be "unlocked", letting Silver gamers in U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile play for free and access the Amazon, IGN, Manga Entertainment and Muzu.tv apps.

[Thanks, AtillaG!]

Continue reading Amazon Instant Video streaming is now live on the Xbox 360

Amazon Instant Video streaming is now live on the Xbox 360 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon has decided that offering 3G-capable Kindles isn't enough of an involvement in the cellular world -- it's now getting into the business of offering the bits themselves. Through a tie-up with NTT DoCoMo-using MVNO Japan Communications, Amazon is selling prepaid SIM cards for LTE data. Each slice of plastic and circuitry will provide a 500MB block of sweet, sweet 4G for ¥1,980 ($25). There's a very good chance we'd burn through that in a day, but it'll let you get an NTT DoCoMo-ready smartphone or Arrows Tab online in a pinch. The Japanese can snap up the cards later in the month, while those of us in the US will just have to hope that Amazon can make a similar (if hopefully cheaper) deal closer to home.

Amazon offers prepaid 4G LTE data in Japan, gets you online 500MB at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 21:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite amassing something close to a billion users, Facebook has mainly stayed true to the startup mantra of staying focused on a few core things. In this case, that has been promoting openness and sharing among friends and, increasingly, the world at large. Such was the case for its rival Google at the launch of the search company's IPO. Since then, however, the company has launched a pair of operating systems powering handsets and tablets around the world, a digital media store selling everything from apps to books, and its own social sharing service (at least twice).

With the vast capital infusion that comes with an IPO, Facebook has an opportunity to expand far beyond its own site and Like buttons that now line up in a row next to sharing buttons using Twitter and Google+. The company certainly has no love for Google and has kept Apple at arm's length, but it has had a strong partnership with Microsoft, which made a financially shrewd $240 million investment in Facebook back in 2007. Windows Phone would be a poorer experience were it not for its tight Facebook integration. The giant social network would gain from entering the device market or spinning its own version of Android as Amazon has done, but there would also be significant challenges to striking out into its own ecosystem.

Continue reading Switched On: Facebook's ecosystem dilemma

Switched On: Facebook's ecosystem dilemma originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 May 2012 21:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon has been offering a free app of the day for a while now, but that offer is good for Android users only. Well, Apple seems to have caught on to the fact that iOS users like to save money too, as it's debuting a "free app of the week" offer. Cupertino kicked off the new promotion yesterday via Twitter, where it announced that the game Cut the Rope: Experiments will be the first free download. Click on through to the source link, and you'll see that the Appstore indeed lists the title as "free for a limited time."

Apple introduces 'free app of the week,' kicks things off with Cut the Rope: Experiments originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon is keeping its pace of expanding Amazon Prime's video collection every few months, and today it's Paramount's turn to swell the ranks. Instant Video is getting 'hundreds' of Paramount's movies, including both relatively recent movies like Nacho Libre and Mission: Impossible III as well as back catalog titles like Breakfast at Tiffany's and Clear and Present Danger. As always, the movies are watchable anywhere you've got broadband, and they don't add a premium to the $79 yearly Prime subscription. Just be prepared to explain why you're watching Urban Cowboy on your Kindle Fire at the airport.

Amazon adds 'hundreds' of Paramount movies to Prime, signals a Clear and Present Danger to free time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Amazon's Appstore initially appeared on the Android scene last year, one of its most innovative features was a Test Drive virtual machine that let users try out apps for free from their desktop, and now that technology has come back to the handset. In the newest update pushed today and pictured above, release-2.6.53 adds beta support for the cloud-based Test Drive feature to let users try out new software within the Appstore app itself. According to the description the feature is enabled on "select" Android phones and apps, although we didn't find any to try it out with on our Galaxy S II. Check for an update within the app to try it out for yourself or click the Appstore link below from your phone to snag the latest version.

Amazon Appstore's Test Drive try before you buy feature now available on Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 22:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sufficiently enamored with Samsung's Galaxy S III that you've got to have one in the US before anyone else, and you don't want it sullied by carrier customizations in the trip across the Pacific? Amazon has your back with pre-orders for 16GB versions in both Marble White and Pebble Blue. Either will keep the speedy Exynos 4 Quad and will stay unlocked, so you can hop networks to your heart's content. Do expect to pay a steep premium for being the first kid on your block: at $800, you're spending a lot to get an HSPA+ model on June 1st when the LTE-toting, cheaper (if carrier-locked and possibly part-swapped) editions should reach the US days later.

Amazon puts Samsung Galaxy S III up for US pre-orders, offers a slice of quad-core, unlocked utopia originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The UK's biggest bookstore chain has announced that it will start selling Kindles alongside other digital services from Amazon. Waterstones stores will let Kindle owners digitally browse books in-store and link up with special offers, tying into the chain's plans for substantial renovations that would also include dedicated digital book areas and free WiFi. The move follows on flies in the opposite direction of Target, who has started phasing out its Kindle sales in the US. We assume any plans for the bookseller's very own e-reader will remain the back-burner for now.

UK bookseller Waterstones to start selling Kindles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 04:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As spring reaches full blossom, it's not just the flowers that are beginning to show -- so are the new slates heavy hitters teased back at CES. So, what does that mean? It means it's high-time that we cast a fresh glance over the tablet landscape, took in a deep breath of slate-infused air and exhaled a hearty Engadget tablet buyer's guide. We've been running the smartphone equivalent for a little while now, so we thought it only fair to give the now-mature tablet category one of its own. We're going to look at the main categories of fondleslabbery and carve out what we think are the finest offerings on the market right now. It doesn't matter if you're looking for something big, small, just good enough or so powerful that it could replace your laptop: we've collected our favorites and shepherded them safely into this one humble guide. Of course, if you want to cast your net a little wider, you can always check out our tablet review hub, but if you struggle with indecision, head on past the break to see what's hot right now in Tablet Land.

Continue reading Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition

Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Certainly it's no great shocker that Amazon's got plans for a new e-reader and tablet later this year. Nor should anyone be particularly surprised at the prospect of a front-lit reader from the retail giant set to compete directly with the latest Nook offering. Reuters, however, claims to have some insight into both, courtesy of an anonymous source. Apparently the aforementioned reader is set for a July launch, arriving in the customary Wifi and 3G varieties. The tablet, meanwhile, is set for a release "closer to the holiday season," according to the source. Amazon, E Ink and the like naturally refused to comment on the matter.

Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon will never run out of copies of Harry Potter e-books from its Lending Library. Thanks to a new agreement with Pottermore, on June 19th the entire seven-book collection will be among the 140,000 plus you can grab, provided, of course, that you're an Amazon Prime member. If you've forked over the $79 yearly membership fee, you'll have no due date or waiting, and all your highlights and bookmarks will be saved if you need to re-borrow. Unlike your local library, you can only take out one at a time, but at least you won't have to line up behind all the Muggles to get it.

Continue reading Harry Potter e-book loaners coming to your Kindle, if you're Primed

Harry Potter e-book loaners coming to your Kindle, if you're Primed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Those of us who've been eying the Kingston Wi-Drive but have been disappointed with the iOS-first emphasis can rejoice, as a new firmware update is expanding access in a big way. At a minimum, anyone with a web browser can now stream music, photos and videos to their heart's content once they're linked to the drive over WiFi. And if you'd rather use a native app, any Android 2.2 or later device is now an option instead of having to turn to one of Apple's gadgets or the Amazon Kindle Fire. Future Wi-Drives should have the firmware loaded from the get-go. The apps as always remain free, although you'll need to spend a minimum of $50 to join the club with a drive of your own.

Kingston Wi-Drive update opens access to web, Android aficionados originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Need a turquoise stereo Bluetooth headset to go with that new tie, Winston? With four new colors for Jabra's Clipper you can be stylin' while never missing a call, plus there's a $15 offer of free Amazon music to keep you amused between conversations. The new hues still have the original $60 price, noise-cancelling earbuds, eight days of standby and six hour talk time, so go on, be matchy-matchy.

Jabra colors Clipper, lets you rock it with $15 worth of MP3s originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blue Origin typically keeps pretty tight-lipped about its projects. The private space-travel firm claims it prefers to talk about what is has done, rather than what it hopes to do. As such, We recently heard about its "Space Vehicle" (that's its actual name,) having completed wind-tunnel testing, and now the firm (partly funded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos) has revealed a little more. The craft in question is a seven-seater, and it took 180 rigorous tests to get to the final design. Blue Origin has been working with NASA under the agency's CCDev program, which awarded the firm $22 million to develop the project. Under the same initiative, Blue Origin is about to start testing on its BE-3 engine thrust chamber, which will help give the BE-3 rocket motor its 100,000 pounds of thrust. Once complete, this engine will be used in the company's multi-launch vehicle, and is currently on the test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. We'll spare you the puns about it not being "rocket science."

Blue Origin dishes more details on its Bezos-backed spacecraft originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 02:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So you've got yourself Kindle Fire and a house full of young, impressionable children. What to do? Have no fear, update 6.3.1 is on its way, bringing with it parental controls like password protection for purchases, content disabling in the library and the ability to block access to the device's Silk browser. The world will be a safer place once the update starts rolling out over the air in the next few days.

Amazon tablet update brings parental controls, lets kids play with Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Research firm IDC predicted there would be a steep drop off in tablet shipments during Q1 of 2012. Following the surge of sales during the holiday season, a fall of 34 percent, while certainly staggering, is hardly surprising. But there's bad news: shipments failed to meet even those bleak predictions. Shipments fell by 38.4 percent, thanks in large part to Android slates stumbling dramatically. After a reasonably impressive holiday season, IDC expected Android would continue to make inroads in the market. Instead, the number of units moved dropped drastically, allowing Apple to not just maintain its position at the top of the heap, but assert an unquestionable dominance not seen since the early days of Honeycomb. After accounting for 54.7 percent of all tablet shipments in Q4 of 2011, the iPad opened up an impressive lead, claiming 68 percent of the market in Q1 of 2012. What's more, after catapulting to the number two spot by shipping 4.8 million units at the end of last year, Amazon fell to number three -- accounting for only 4 percent of tablets shipped, a precipitous fall from 16.8 percent last quarter. That's good news for Samsung, however, which reclaimed its place as first runner up slate wars. For more, check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading IDC: Apple makes big gains in tablet market, Android stumbles

IDC: Apple makes big gains in tablet market, Android stumbles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If there's anything that Google doesn't like, it's things that collect dust. The company is famous for its annual spring cleaning efforts, in which the firm rids itself of redundant and dead-end projects, along with more bullish moves, such as its push to overhaul the internet's DNS system. Now it's looking to replace HTTP with a new protocol known as SPDY, and to that end, it's demonstrating the potential speed gains that one might expect on a mobile network. According to the company's benchmarks, mean page load times on the Galaxy Nexus are 23 percent faster with the new system, and it hypothesizes that further optimizations can be made for 3G and 4G networks. To its credit, Google has already implemented SPDY in Chrome, and the same is true for Firefox and Amazon Silk. Even Microsoft appears to be on-board. As a means to transition, the company proposes an Apache 2.2 module known as mod_spdy, which allows web servers to take advantage of features such as stream multiplexing and header compression. As for HTTP, it's no doubt been a reliable companion, but it seems that it'll need to work a bit harder to earn its keep. Stay weird, Google, the internet wouldn't be the same without you.

Google badmouths HTTP behind its back, proposes SPDY as a speedy successor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Did you miss late March's $139 Amazon Gold Box Deal on the refurbed Kindle Fire? Well, the retailer is giving you another chance, bringing back the deal for today (May 5th). It's the same discount as the last go-around -- namely, $30 off the standard price for the refurbished Fire -- and Amazon still certifies and reseals it. It's even throwing in a one-year warranty for good measure. Also like last time around, there's a limit of five discounted Fires per customer, so don't get too grabby.

It's back! Amazon's $139 refurbished Kindle Fire deal returns for one more day originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon has had a content development division for some time but today it's announced plans to expand from just movies to developing (and distributing, via its Instant Video service) original comedy and children's series. The new focus follows the competition like Netflix and Hulu which have both dived headlong into developing original TV show-style content that mirrors the content consumers seem to gravitate towards on streaming services. According to the press release Amazon Studios is willing to option one "promising project" per month for $10k and pay $55k to a creator if their series is selected for distribution. Submissions of 22-minute pilot scripts for comedies and 11-minute pilot scripts for children's shows are being accepted, which Amazon will either option within 45 days or the creator can choose between pulling it back and leaving it up for community feedback. There's more info at the site or in the press release after the break, but just remember: if we see any series picked up about dashingly handsome tech bloggers and the fast-paced lives they lead, we're coming for our cut.

Continue reading Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming

Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been storing part of your digital library on Amazon's Cloud Drive, access to your goods just got easier. The outfit has released a desktop app for both Mac and Windows machines enabling uploads and downloads with minimal effort. For starters, you'll be able to drag and drop files via a Cloud Drive icon and you'll be a brief right-click away from sending any file or folder to the repository. Downloads from the cloud run in the background and can be paused / resumed whenever you darn well please. Dropped your connection in the heat of battle? No worries. The app manages restarts and connectivity hiccups without losing your wares. If you're already signed up, hit the source link below to fetch yours.

[Thanks, Max]

Amazon outs Cloud Drive desktop app for Windows and Mac, allows easy access to your digital wares originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since 2010, Target has happily hawked Amazon's e-reading wares. The retailer even carved out a branded corner of its online shop just for the Kindle. Now though, that store within a store is empty and conspicuously missing from Target's virtual shelves is Amazon's entire Kindle line. Sure, a few accessories remain, but the readers themselves are gone. What's more, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, the products will be cease to be restocked at the company's brick and mortar locations starting May 13th. The communique states that, after evaluation, Target "has made the decision to no longer carry Amazon hardware."

The reasoning behind the banishment isn't clear, but the potential causes are practically endless. Amazon's vast online repository of goods, including some grocery items, makes it a direct competitor of the big box outlet. Target continues to carry the Nook and Kobo e-readers, but those company's don't challenge the retailer. It's also possible that, with mini Apple Stores opening up on its premises, Cupertino put some pressure on Target to clear out its competitors. It could also be as simple as collapsed contract negotiations, with Target failing to get as big a cut of sales as it wanted or, and this is a bit of a stretch, the Minneapolis company could be preparing to launch its own e-reading hardware. Neither Amazon nor Target has responded to our requests for comment at this time.

Update: Target has affirmed the move to Reuters, with the following statement: "Target is phasing out Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012."

Target pulls Kindle from virtual shelves, physical ones may follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Amazon's been your internet safe haven from the ravages of sales tax, you may want to sit down. As part of a settlement with the great state of Texas, Bezos' baby will start collecting the state's requisite 6.25-percent sales tax on July 1st. The settlement resolves the online retailer's ongoing dispute with the Lone Star state, which claimed that Amazon owed $269 million in back taxes. In addition to taking up collection, Amazon has agreed to create at least 2,500 jobs and invest a minimum of $200 million in capital investments, though it admits no fault, and believes "the assessment was without merit," according to its latest SEC filing. Grouped in with Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota and Washington, this agreement makes Texas the sixth state to collect sales tax from Amazon -- and California, Nevada and Arizona will join the collection club in due time. Check out the source links below for the Texas Comptroller's official statement and more reading on Amazon's tax agreements across the nation.

Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

E Ink Holdings made a loss of over $25 million last quarter, despite supplying its backlight-free panels to popular e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Why the poor showing after ten quarters of solid money-making? The company's accountants blame "off-season effects" and "inventory adjustments" by customers, which may simply be corporatese for "the screens aren't selling so well." Overall revenue tumbled 63 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and the outlook remains "conservative" -- although it's hard to believe that everyone suddenly wants to stay indoors and stare at pixels.

Sun stops shining on E Ink Holdings: company reports first loss in two years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's no Apple-sized quarter, but you'd need to be on HGTV's Million Dollar Rooms a handful of times over to scoff at Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings. After reporting $177 million in net earnings last quarter (on $17.43 billion in revenue), the online sales behemoth has today registered $13.18 billion in net sales -- proudly reporting that said tally was up from the $9.86 billion in its Q1 a year ago. Excluding the $56 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales would have grown 34 percent compared with first quarter 2011. As for operating income? That checked in at $192 million (compared to $322 million Q1 2011), with the outfit noting that the "unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter on operating income was $4 million." Net income also sank 35 percent from $201 million a year ago, but it still left Amazon with $130 million more in the bank than it had just three months ago.

It's important to note that the outfit didn't have "the holidays" here to help out, but it's still a bit worrisome to investors when profit margin shrinks. Focusing on more positive things, CEO Jeff Bezos noted that Amazon has "over 130,000 new, in-copyright books that are exclusive to the Kindle Store," again reminding the world that Amazon Prime members can "borrow them for free with no due dates." We're also told that the Kindle Fire remains the top, most gifted and most wished for product across its entire store, while pointing out that the North American sales segment was up 36 percent from Q1 2011 (reaching $7.43 billion). Our overseas comrades -- specifically, Amazon's UK, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Italian and Spanish sites -- accounted for $5.76 billion in sales, up 31 percent year-over-year. Worldwide media sales saw a 19 percent uptick to $4.71 billion, while global electronics and "other merchandise" saw sales grow a whopping 43 percent to $7.97 billion. Notably, the company continually banged on unfavorable exchange rates, so if you're looking for a place to heap blame... well, there you go.

Continue reading Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion

Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've seen some pretty clear indications that the Kindle Fire was rapidly gaining market share among Android tablets, and ComScore is now out with a new report that indicates it recently crossed a big milestone. According to the research firm, the Fire's market share in the US fully doubled from December to February, with it standing at 54.4 percent as of the end of the month. Counted together, the Galaxy Tab family sits in second at 15.4 percent, while the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer come in at 7 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Of course, the Kindle Fire isn't quite your ordinary Android tablet, so this is likely better news for Amazon than Google. In addition to that, ComScore also looked at the browsing habits of tablet users, and unsurprisingly found that larger screens tended to lead to more content consumption, with 10-inch tablets boasting a 39 percent higher consumption rate than 7-inch devices. You can find all the numbers at the source link below.

ComScore pegs Kindle Fire at more than 50 percent of the US Android tablet market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Have you ever wished that cameras could capture not only an image of the scene in front of them, but also describe it to you in plain English? Ok, what if it bypassed the whole "photo" thing and just spit out a slip of paper with words on it? Well, if you're still interested, the impressive Matt Richardson (of Make fame) has a project right up your alley. The Descriptive Camera is a relatively simple device really. A Logitech webcam is connected to a BeagleBone dev board, which is in turn plugged into a thermal printer from Adafruit. Obviously, the tech required to analyze a scene recognize the objects then convert that pile of pixels into a slice prose is outside of the budget and capability of your average DIY project. So Matt turned instead to Mechanical Turk, Amazon's marketplace for HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks. Images captured by the cam are uploaded via the BeagleBone, where an actual person describes what he or she sees and the resulting literature is printed out. For more details and images check out the source.

DIY 'Descriptive Camera' captures images, prints out prose originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, it may be Barnes & Noble's big day, but Amazon couldn't help but offer up some news of its own. The mega-retailer announced today that its Send to Kindle service is hitting the Mac, letting Apple users send documents and compatible apps from their desktop to their Kindle with a drag and a drop. The app's available now for free. For more info, send your browser to the source link below.

Send to Kindle arrives on Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're like us, there's nothing you hate more than having to go to different sites to pick up your pneumatics and abrasives. Thankfully, Amazon, that aggregator of all things with a price tag, has launched AmazonSupply, a site serving a broad range of industrial and business categories, including such favorites as fasteners, power & hand tools, fleet & vehicle maintenance and cutting tools. The site also offers up such Amazonian favorites as free shipping for Prime customers. AmazonSupply features some 500,000 plus items at present and 365-day returns. More info can be found in the press release after the break.

Continue reading AmazonSupply launches, offers up lab and janitorial supplies in same convenient location

AmazonSupply launches, offers up lab and janitorial supplies in same convenient location originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

May 3rd is no doubt going to be a monumental day for Samsung, but April 20th is certainly turning out to be quite memorable for potential specs of the Galaxy S III. Not only did we happen to come across a purported leak of the device itself, which suggested the handset would pack a 4.6-inch display and an 8 megapixel camera, but now a placeholder has popped up on Amazon's German site with a few contrasting specifications -- most notably, a 4.7-inch screen and a 12 megapixel camera. We're still a bit skeptical, because this is far from official, but the fact that the smartphone is shipped and sold by Amazon itself adds a wee bit of credence to the product listing. Only time will tell which set of specs -- if any -- are the correct ones, but the build-up to the Galaxy S III just got a whole lot more interesting.

Amazon Germany weighs in on Samsung Galaxy S III with 4.7-inch screen and 12 megapixel camera originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Korean newspaper Maeil Business believes that Samsung's finally ironed out the kinks in its S-Cloud service and will unveil it alongside the Galaxy S III at next month's event. The Korean giant will reportedly offer an "unlimited service" with less of the content or storage restrictions imposed by iCloud. It'll also apparently come with a VOD-store, offering up audio and video content for a fee, presumably beside what's available in Google Play. It's also reporting that the company's Media Solution Center has asked Microsoft to join KT and Amazon in developing the infrastructure to ensure a smooth launch. Either way, it's not long now until we know for certain, so be sure to join us on May 3rd for the whole story.

Samsung's S-Cloud tipped to arrive alongside the Galaxy S III next month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon is now shipping preorders for its Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G in both the UK and Germany, a week ahead of schedule. While eager e-reader... readers in the likes of France, Italy and Spain have to wait a little longer, Germans and Brits can expect their orders to arrive starting tomorrow, with stock also available in bricks-and-mortar options including John Lewis, Dixons, Argos, Carphone Warehouse, Currys, PC World and Tesco. Alas, there's still no news of a Eurozone arrival date for the Kindle Fire. We assume our European readers are still willing to wait, right?

Update: Amazon has contacted us stating that the devices have actually "started shipping to customers in France, Italy and Spain from the respective sites (Amazon.fr, .it and .es), as well as the UK and DE."

Continue reading Kindle Touch gets early release in UK and Germany (update)

Kindle Touch gets early release in UK and Germany (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

At the center of the revamped Google TV experience that rolled out last fall is its TV & Movies app, which is a blended guide of content currently airing live on TV and available for streaming from the popular internet services (Netflix, Amazon, HBO Go). As Product Manager Rishi Chandra mentioned when we caught up with him at CES, personalization is something Google will be focusing on going forward and that's shown in the updated app being pushed out today. When it's first opened, users will login and be asked to rate a few movies and shows so it can get a sense of their tastes to know what to present, Netflix-style. There's more information displayed up front too, with expanded descriptions, and details below each show so viewers can find out about the episode that's on more easily. For a few more details on what's new and refreshed, check after the break.

Continue reading Google TV's TV and Movies app gets to know you better with ratings, favorites and more

Google TV's TV and Movies app gets to know you better with ratings, favorites and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a move that's likely to grab the attention of more than a few Android developers, Amazon has announced that its arbitrary $20 limit for in-app purchases via the Appstore is no more. The company announced this change in an email to developers, which follows a tweak to the Appstore's parental controls. In-app purchasing is rather new territory for the Amazon crew, which first unveiled the necessary APIs just last week. There's no word on what new monetary limit is now in place, but make sure to watch your spending, kids -- some of these apps are incredibly habit-forming.

Amazon Appstore shatters $20 ceiling for in-app purchases originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amazon CloudSearch brings A9 to devs and businesses

Amazon CloudSearch brings A9 to devs and businesses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amazon adds in-app purchasing to Appstore for Android devices, Kindle Fire

Amazon adds in-app purchasing to Appstore for Android devices, Kindle Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Illuminated Kindle e-readers could arrive this year, also, might not originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.