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Kindle's active content given 100KB free monthly bandwidth allowance
We were wondering how Kindle's impending active content (read: apps) would be harnessing that free Whispernet bandwidth. As it turns out, there's just a smidgen allowed for gratis. According to the terms laid out by Amazon, there's a 70 / 30 revenue split, with that smaller percentage going to Bezos and co. "net of delivery fees of $0.15 / MB." The price tiers is a little simpler: apps can be free if their download over 3G is less than 1MB and they use less than 100KB per month, per user. Apps between 1MB and 10MB require a one-time purchase fee that offsets the bandwidth usage, and likewise a subscription fee is needed for those that plan on allowing over 100KB of a monthly data streaming. (To put that in perspective, this post -- just the copy -- is 4KB. That image above is 120KB.) Anything over 10MB requires a download over WiFi, and the maximum file size is 100MB... and if anyone manages to justify a 100MB app that runs on a greyscale E Ink display, color us impressed.
Kindle dev kit announced, 'active content' coming to Kindle Store later this year
Amazon's just announced the Kindle Development Kit, or KDK for short, which will be rolled out starting next month in limited beta and then to wait-listed folks "as space becomes available." The apps, here called "active content," will eventually be available for download via the Kindle Store later this year. EA Mobile is already signed up to participant, and Handmark has committed to creating "an active Zagat guide" We'll be interested to see what comes out of this, and it probably goes without saying, but something tells us Amazon isn't gonna let web browsers or music streamers through the front gates and over its free 3G service.
Trexa EV development platform is modular, extremely customizable
You know how you've been telling all your friends that, if you had the chance, you'd totally design the perfect electric vehicle? Well, here is that treasured opportunity. The modular Trexa EV, built by the eponymous startup company and designed by you, contains all the motor, battery and drivetrain basics within the low-profile base you see above, and lets you stack whatever optimizations you desire on top. That means customizable acceleration, suspension, torque and top speed, as well as the predictable versatility in outward appearance. In truth, it is really just aimed as a test mule for more professionally inclined (and presumably funded) EV designers, but we can't help but admire the simple genius of it all. Hit the source link for more.%Gallery-83502%
Microsoft Surface SDK opens doors to all
Having made the dev kit for the Surface available to select partners in June (a tiny bit late), Microsoft has now officially let the software loose for all and sundry to explore, experiment, and hopefully innovate with. Whereas Surface Developer units have been required till now to successfully design and test an app, the SDK should allow thrifty designers to produce content for the massive multitouch coffee table without necessarily owning one themselves. For the sweetest (so far) example of what can be achieved with the Surface's capabilities, click this link right here. [Thanks, Phillis]
Video: Creative Zii EGG development kit gets a second look
We already know the Creative Zii EGG development edition is shipping out to eager hands, but for the even more eager eyes out there, the folks at Anything But iPod managed some pretty nice, well-lit HD video to give another illustration of how the hardware will look and feel. The narrator is quick on multiple occasions to remind viewers it's an early build running on Creative's Plazma OS only (no Android yet) and he takes issue with the feel of the thin film of plastic on the touchscreen, but that and slow load times notwithstanding, the device is looking mighty impressive. Pictures through the read link, and mosey on past the break for digital peep show. [Thanks, Mathieu]
Texas Instruments unleashes pico projector dev kit on the world
Pico projectors have been multiplying like gerbils over the past year and a half, so it was probably only a matter of time until we saw a developer's kit released upon the market, right? Right. Well, Texas Instruments has announced it's doing just that -- released through Digi-Key Corporation. The kit will contain an HVGA resolution DLP projection device, a three color LED, a power supply, and a video cable connected to a BeagleBoard which boasts an OMAP35x processor, supported by Linux. The kit costs $349 and it's available now, so all you would-be miniature projector designers, get to it: the world is waiting.[Via About Projectors]
Sony offers PS2/PSP dev kits for education
College game design courses are great for learning how to program games on a PC, but for the most part, getting access to console development tools has meant going to work for a licensed console developer. Sony is looking to change that with it's new PlayStation-edu program, which provides PS2 and PSP development kits for"computer science and engineering students who want to understand how the hardware works in the PlayStation consoles."The program isn't a charity -- schools will have to purchase the dev kits from Sony -- but the package comes with demo code, samples, documentation, and access to a support web site and forums. Seems like a good way for Sony to divert student developers' attentions towards their products and away from Nintendo-affiliated Digipen or Microsoft's XNA development tools.
iPhone to receive updates before Leopard launch?
It's almost a foregone conclusion that Apple will be firing out iPhone updates in the not too distant future to address an array of niggles the general population has with its first foray into the cellphone realm, but based an "informed" poster over at HowardForums, that time could be sooner rather than later. According to a supposed Apple employee who opened his / her trap in a casual coffee meet, the iPhone will eventually support file system access so that users can more easily manipulate the content stored within without having to ask iTunes' permission. Additionally, it was suggested that iChat would be added "before Leopard," less restricted ringtone access was on the way, and there was even a confirmation that Flash support will indeed be added soon. Still, we'd take all of this with a dash of salt (at least for the time being), but hopefully our collective patience will pay off soon enough, eh?[Thanks, Fabian]
Wii developer kit pics, Link wants his green tunic back
A friendly anonymous tipster dropped a manila envelope containing five snapshots of what we imagine is the final Wii developer kit into Engadget's welcoming tips box today. It looks just like a Wii, but the bright white has been replaced by a sharp-looking green faceplate. We'd even go so far as to say that it's a particularly Hylian shade of green ... but one thing it most definitely is not is black. It's also not the enormous Wii alpha devkit we've seen before, although enormous is a relative term here. After all, the PS3 devkit is ginormous, and Microsoft was using the towering PowerMac G5 towers for their early devkits.Head on over to Engadget to catch some more shots of the little guy in various stages of undress.
