Kindle2
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iSuppli: $359 Kindle 2 costs $185 to build, Whispernet says shhh
Ever wonder how Amazon was able to bundle unlimited Whispernet (Sprint EVDO) with the Kindle 2? To start with, eBooks are small, really small in the context of digital media downloads (music, audio-books, movies) so there's little impact to the Sprint network. Kindle 2 is also sporting a pretty healthy markup to cover the data fees. After conducting its own teardown and analysis, iSuppli estimates that the Kindle 2 costs just $185.49 for materials and manufacturing. The estimate does not include the costs related to marketing, distribution, class-actions, or the pain you feel at having learned the true definition of free. Full press release after the break.
Amazon suspends Kindle account after too many product returns
The Kindle should be a pretty straight forward proposition, but this just goes to show you how sometimes folks can stir up controversy even with something as innocuous as an e-book reader. First there was the hassle with the Writers Guild over text-to-speech, and then Amazon threatened MobileRead with legal action for merely linking to software they didn't take kindly too. And now we're hearing alarming tales of Kindle owners who have had their accounts turned off when inadvertently running afoul of company policy. Case in point, a user on the MobileRead forums reports being locked out of his account for what was termed an "extraordinary" rate of returns (that is, he returned electronics that arrived damaged or defective). Because of this, our man was unable to purchase new books for his device, or even check out magazine / newspaper / blog subscriptions he had already paid for. Luckily, this gentleman was able to plead his case and get his account reactivated -- but other users haven't been quite so fortunate. We'll be keeping an eye on you, Amazon -- so let's try and play nice for now on.[Via Channel Web]
Kindle 2 users complain of eye strain, mull over possible solutions
You know how it is: Amazon refreshes the Kindle, makes some upgrades, and everybody's happy. Almost. It seems that a small but vocal minority is really, really not into the way that fonts are rendered on the new device. For real. Y'see, the newest iteration of the e-reader sports font smoothing algorithms and sixteen levels of gray (as opposed to four levels on the original). For sure, these enhancements make for prettier pictures, but on the downside it causes text to blur significantly when displaying fonts in the smallest three sizes. If you're one of the disgruntled Kindle 2 owners looking for some relief for your tired eyes, there are a couple options available to you. You might want to try the Unicode Fonts Hack, which will allow you to replace the system font for something more to your liking. Or you could hop on over to Amazon's Kindle forum, where you can commiserate with your fellow angry customers (OK, not really a solution -- but possibly therapeutic). You could wait for the rumored Kindle with a larger screen to arrive (no telling when or if that's gonna happen), or even downgrade to a first gen device, as some folks already have. Or you can read a book. One thing you can't do? You can't stop progress. [Via Wired]Read - Amazon: Please make the text darker on Kindle 2Read - Unicode Fonts Hack
Is Amazon developing a larger screen Kindle?
With raging success, you can always count on one thing: copycats and rivals. Okay, so maybe that's two, but you catch the drift here. Not long after Amazon launched its Kindle 2 to much fanfare, Hearst confessed that it was looking to produce a competitor with a screen that was about the size of a standard sheet of paper. In a presumed effort to keep up with the Joneses, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Amazon is looking to develop yet another Kindle (something we've definitely heard before) with "a larger screen," which would obviously help it appeal to newspaper companies looking to easily transition their content to a large form factor e-reader. Not surprisingly, Amazon refused to comment on the "speculation," but the report did note that there was at least some chance that the newfangled device would debut before the 2009 holiday season.[Thanks, bo3of]
Savory for Kindle 2 automates PDF and EPUB conversions, doesn't make James Patterson any more enjoyable
We've seen surprisingly few Kindle 2 hacks 'round these parts, and therefore few apps that run on the beloved e-reader itself. One notable exception is Savory, which monitors the device's Documents directory for files sporting either the .epub or .pdf extensions -- when one of these guys rears its ugly head, it's converted to a Kindle filetype. The only hitch is that the program (as currently available) chokes on image-based PDFs -- according to the author, images in PDFs are fine, as long as there is some text to extract. Sure, the software doesn't do anything that Amazon doesn't already do for free -- but it does make the conversion quick and painless. Ready to give it a go? Hit the read link for the files, and you'll be mere moments away from all those terrific Left Behind books someone scanned and posted on The Pirate Bay. You're welcome.
How would you change Amazon's Kindle 2?
Right around 13 months ago, we were asking you fine readers how you'd change Amazon's original Kindle. Now that it has had some time to think about things and deliver a refined version of its hit e-reader, we're giving early adopters the chance to fire off yet another round of criticism. Did Bezos & Co. address all of your gripes with the first iteration? Are you still bummed by anything? Is the screen sharp enough for your tastes? Battery life up to snuff? Do you still want more freedom when it comes to using that built-in EV-DO connection? What could Amazon do to make you even more stoked about being a Kindle 2 owner? You never know what the next firmware update could bring, so choose your words wisely.
Kindle 2 gets its first firmware update
Looks like Amazon's widely rolling out the first Kindle 2 update -- we've actually been getting sporadic tips about it for a couple days now, but our unit didn't have an update option until today. Nothing huge to report here, but we're guessing that 2.0.2 allows publishers to selectively disable text-to-speech, which isn't exactly thrilling news. Anyone notice anything happy we should know about?
Amazon using DMCA to restrict Kindle content sources
Oh, Amazon. Just a couple weeks after the Authors Guild's overzealous copyright-maximalist stance forced the bookseller to modify the Kindle 2's text to speech feature, the company's lawyers have had a fit of irony and sent out a DMCA takedown request to MobileRead, claiming that the site's links to a Python script that enables Kindle owners to shop at Mobipocket-format ebook sites constitutes circumvention of the Kindle's DRM. There's all kinds of corporate-lawyer idiocy at play here: MobileRead was just linking out to another site hosting the script, which can't actually be used to break Kindle DRM, and the only people using it are the people who want to buy more books -- not exactly the sort of customers you'd want to piss off. Amazon's sole motivation here seems to be the fear that people might buy Kindle content from somewhere besides Amazon, and it appears to be using copyright law to try and prevent that. Another corporation driven mad with DRM power? Say it ain't so.[Via TechDirt]
Video: Kindle 2 sees the wrong end of a laser, recommends you don't panic
If there were anything a frequent traveler needs more than a towel (and money, and identification, and maybe a cellphone...) it's a Kindle 2. To celebrate its ability to provide free access to the world's great information repository from absolutely anywhere (within in the United States that has cellular access), Adafruit Industries has turned the K2 into something of an ode to Douglas Adams's great epic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. After a little burning action courtesy of its Epliog 35 watt laser (which we've seen in action before), the e-book reader now sports the most valuable advice ever given to a man (or alien). Sadly it still won't give you directions to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but it will at least let you download and start reading it in under a minute. Ford Prefect would be proud.
Engadget Podcast 136 - 03.06.2009: Who nerds the Nerdmen?
Yes folks, it's finally, really happening... again. The Engadget Podcast returns with Josh Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel, and a phantasmagoria of totally awesome awesomeness. Hear the guys wax excited about CeBIT, dish on the latest Apple spec bumps, reveal their innermost desires on the camcorder / DSLR front, and get seriously serious on a number of other heart-wrenching items of importance. Don't miss out -- listen now! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Forgot About Dre 00:01:50 - Jimmy Fallon and Engadget: together again, March 9th 00:05:21 - ASUS' morning CeBlitz roundup 00:06:30 - ASUS Eee PC 1008HA hands-on 00:11:55 - Hands-on with ASUS' Eee Keyboard 00:16:28 - MSI Winki eyes-on: it's an instant-on OS, but for desktops 00:17:32 - MSI X-Slim X320, X340 and GT725 hands-on 00:23:05 - MSI Wind NetTop CD130 eyes-on 00:23:40 - MSI Wind NetOn AP1900, Wind Top AE line eyes-on 00:26:30 - MSI WindBOX dismounts LCD, acts all proper at CeBIT 00:27:40 - Apple morning roundup, few Mac products left unscathed 00:29:12 - New Airport Extreme and Time Capsule juggle two networks simultaneously 00:37:15 - Apple axes the numeric keypad on iMac's standard wired keyboard 00:45:14 - Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-GH1 does 1080p video in a Micro Four Thirds form factor 00:54:58 - JVC's new Everio X GZ-X900 does 1080p video, 9 megapixel stills, 600 fps slow motion 01:02:50 - Amazon's Kindle for iPhone hits the App Store 01:08:05 - Amazon sorta capitulates, will let publishers decide text-to-speech availability 01:09:10 - Hearst to launch wireless e-reader, potentially revolutionize print media Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Kindle 2 hacked for tethered web browsing, but not the way you think
Looking to hook your laptop up to your Kindle 2 and do a bit of free-riding on its built-in 3G modem? Then this is not the hack for you. If, on the other hand, you've been pining to browse the web on your Kindle and eschew the convenience of wireless connectivity, then you're in luck! Apparently, the Kindle 2 has a few surprises in its debug mode that the original Kindle didn't have, one of which is a USB networking facility that will let you bypass the usual 3G option and instead take advantage of the internet connection on a connected computer. Not the most practical option, to be sure, but it also probably won't cause Amazon to start breathing down your neck (as the other, as yet not possible option, likely would). Hit up the link below for the complete how-to.[Via SlashGear]
The Engadget Interview: Tom Glynn, the voice of the Kindle 2
It looks like Amazon and the Authors Guild have reached a compromise regarding text-to-speech -- for now, at least. One person who's been ironically silent during all of this is the voice of the e-reader itself, Tom Glynn. We've just had a little chat with the musician, broadcaster, hardcore Kindle fan, and voice of Nuance's text-to-speech technology, which we'd like to share with you -- and while you're at it, be sure to check out some of his tunes on MySpace or at tomglynn.com.
Amazon sorta capitulates, will let publishers decide text-to-speech availability
While affirming its stance on the legality of Kindle 2's text-to-speech feature -- and in fact stating it'll actually get more customers interested in buying audiobooks -- Amazon's announced that it'll now let the books' rights holders decide on a title-by-title basis whether or not they'll let TTS be enabled. No word on when the update'll be fed to the devices, but we bet somewhere right now, Paul Aiken's cracking a tiny smile. Full release after the break.
Is this the voice behind Kindle's text to speech feature?
The controversy surrounding the Kindle 2's text to speech functionality continues unabated, and as we delve further into the legal back 'n forth between Amazon and the Authors Guild, we wonder if we haven't discovered the true identity of "Tom." According to David Pogue, the New York Times journalist has received an email from a certain adult contemporary heartthrob named Tom Glynn, claiming to be the source of the mysterious voice. What do you guys think -- would you pay $359 for this guy to read you a bed time story?
The Engadget Interview: Paul Aiken, Executive Director of the Authors Guild
As you're no doubt aware, this week's launch of the Kindle 2 came complete with copyright controversy -- the Authors Guild says that Amazon's text-to-speech features will damage the lucrative audiobook market. To be perfectly frank, we're of two minds on on this debate: on one hand, we're obviously all for the relentless progression of technology, and on the other, we sussed out the fundamental reasons for the Guild's objections almost immediately. It's pretty easy to find the first set of arguments online, but we wanted to make sure we weren't missing anything, so we sat down with Authors Guild executive director Paul Aiken and asked him some burning questions. Read on!
Amazon Kindle 2 review
Having already handled the Kindle 2 at its launch in New York City, we had a pretty good idea of what we'd be getting into after it arrived at the bunker. Once we actually had a little time to spend with the device, it really started to sink in how much those minor tweaks can add up to make a big difference. Jumping from Amazon's original attempt at an ebook reader to its latest iteration isn't exactly like day and night, but it's definitely a positive shift in the experience, though one that leaves us wondering how they failed to make some of these choices the first time around. Read on for a full look at the Kindle 2.%Gallery-45760%
The $41,916 Kindle book is just 1-Click away
Either Amazon's $41,916 list price is a mistake or Malcolm Barnes is finally about to buy that BMW. At $137 a page, we'd recommend you read and re-read the sample for Practical Variable Speed Drives and Power Electronics a few times before pulling the trigger, Sparky.Update: Sadly, it's been fixed -- Barnesy's varispeed thrills will now set you back just $42.36.
Authors Guild president: Kindle's a swindle
We're not sure his tone or rhetoric are the most convincing, but Authors Guild president Roy Blount Jr. has a little op-ed in the New York Times today attempting to explain his organization's objection to the Kindle 2's text-to-speech features. If you read our little Know Your Rights piece, you already know what he's on about: the main problem is that Amazon isn't paying for both ebook and audiobook rights for Kindle content, and Roy's worried that eventually computerized text-to-speech will be good enough for consumers to eschew buying audiobooks entirely. Take a deep breath, count to ten, consider that audiobooks are a billion-dollar business, and you can sort of see where the Authors Guild is coming from -- Roy doesn't sound too crazy when he says he thinks "authors have a right to a fair share of the value that audio adds to Kindle 2's version of books."What does this mean for you? Well, probably just higher prices in the short term, as we're guessing publishers will start increasing ebook license fees to cover what they think they're going to lose on audiobook sales, and Amazon and other ebook retailers will just pass those costs along. Lame, sure, but it's not the crackdown some were hysterically predicting -- Roy's pretty clear that the Authors Guild doesn't care about parents reading to kids or text-to-speech for the blind, just the Kindle's impact on the audiobook market. We'll see how Amazon and the Guild resolve this one over the next few months -- in the meantime, point your Kindle to the read link and blow Roy's mind by having Tom read the op-ed to you.
Jeff Bezos chats up the Kindle 2 with Jon Stewart
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos showed up at Jon Stewart's pad the other day to discuss the Kindle 2, and Jon seemed fairly unimpressed. They were just finally getting into a groove when Bezos dropped the price bomb, and then their fleeting segment was over. It's embedded after the break. Amazon VP Ian Freed has also been chatting up the device, but in a more technical nature. On designing the Kindle he reiterates the "invisibility" design ethic surrounding the device, about making it "disappear" for the user. They also improved the cellular modem for improved reception, and also fended off features like a color screen that would shorten battery life, up the price and cause the device to generate more heat and make its presence known. As far as text to speech goes, he thinks it's good for short stretches of reading, and notes that it covers the vast majority of titles that aren't available in an audio format, but didn't speak specifically to the possible infringement of author rights. Read - Jeff Bezos on The Daily ShowRead - Designing the Kindle 2
Further signs point to an international Kindle
If last night's unveiling of a suspiciously SIM-shaped blank space on the Kindle 2's circuit board wasn't enough proof for you that our little reader is set for a big international journey, this might just be the ticket. Lab126, the company that developed the Kindle -- which also happens to be owned by Amazon -- has posted a job listing for a "Wireless Software (Firmware) Manager" with "competency in 3G wireless technology (HSPA, EVDO)," experience in "working with one or more 3G wireless chipset solutions and Linux-based devices," and who doesn't mind engaging in a little overseas travel themselves. Granted, this could be in regards to some other wireless, Linux-powered mobile device under development by the company, but we'll let you draw your own conclusions. Oh, and if you're a globetrotting wireless guru you'd better hurry up and get that resume in -- haven't you heard we're in a recession?
