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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Sony President Mike Fasulo
Mike Fasulo hasn't been in his position for long, but Sony's new president/COO knows a thing or two about consumer electronics, having previously served as the company's CMO/VP. We'll grill him on what the company is offering up year -- or at least as much as we can fit into half an hour. January 7, 2014 4:30 PM EST Follow all the latest CES 2014 news at our event hub, and check out our full stage schedule here.
How to make a CES keynote
Last night, director Michael Bay made an abrupt stage exit during Samsung's day zero CES press conference. It was awkward, but little more than a square of toilet paper on the bottom of a tennis shoe compared to last year's Qualcomm keynote. A bizarre mix of stilted theatrics, celebrity appearances and product demos, the presentation was like nothing we'd ever seen -- until we took a look back. Qualcomm may have jacked its keynote up on steroids, but many of the tricks it pulled out were already tried-and-true standards. As Sony's Kaz Hirai prepares to kick things off at CES 2014 this morning, we reflect on 20-plus years of innovative speeches, futuristic predictions and just plain strange behavior. This is how you make a CES keynote.
Alcatel's 4-inch Bluetooth e-reader will offer a more portable reading experience
Alcatel doesn't just show up to trade shows with phones, it also likes to come with a handful of clever accessories (regardless of whether they're final products or just prototypes) as well. At this year's CES, the TCL-owned manufacturer showed off a 4-inch e-reader called the Magic Flip, which connects to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. It's incredibly small, thin and light, and is meant to be a companion to your daily driver -- as long as it's made by Alcatel, that is. The Magic Flip is exactly what you'd expect it to be: a pocket-friendly e-book reader capable of receiving notifications from your phone. The E Ink reader, company reps tell us, is supposed accept every standard e-book format, which theoretically should make it pretty easy to transfer books back and forth. In terms of hardware, it offers three capacitive buttons underneath the display, consisting of backwards, forwards and home buttons. Since the demo unit we played with did not feature final firmware and was prone to quite a few bugs, we weren't able to navigate the user interface outside a basic demo page. Still, the Magic Flip makes its way to the market in the next few months, and even though it will likely appeal to only a small number of people, we appreciate a smartphone maker that's at least thinking outside the box and taking risks.
The year in reviews: 2013's best and worst gadgets scored and scrutinized
Fun fact: Engadget reviewed 176 products in 2013, and that's not even counting the umpteen times we got hands-on with stuff at tradeshows and press events. In general, we try to review just the top-tier gadgets, but even then, some of it ends up being forgettable. (Can you name-check everything we tested from memory? We can't.) So, as the year draws to a close, we're taking a look back at the last 12 months of reviews, and this time, we're including only the products you'd have no trouble remembering. Across every category, we've noted the flagships everyone coveted -- along with the duds that could've been so much better. Oh, and you might notice that we included some numbered scores throughout. That's right; Engadget is bringing back numerical ratings, and they'll follow the same format as the critic score gdgt has already been using for years. Which is to say, each rating takes into account various criteria for a given product category -- things like battery life and portability. Wanna see how your favorite gadgets did? Meet us after the break for a walk down memory lane.
YotaPhone update lets you read more e-books and documents on its energy-saving E Ink display
Much as we admired the potential of the YotaPhone in our recent review, we just couldn't overlook its lack of support for popular e-reading platforms like Amazon Kindle and Google Books. That problem hasn't been solved just yet, but things are starting to move in the right direction: the dual-display handset has now been made to work with an alternative (and relatively popular) e-reading app called FBReader. This app will let you display and swipe through Word and .rtf documents on the E Ink panel, as well as unencrypted .epub and .mobi e-book formats of the sort that are traded in smaller e-book stores and some shadier, copyright-dodging parts of the web. PDF files should also be supported by the next version of FBReader, which is currently in beta. Meanwhile, Yota Devices tells us that it's "discussing potential collaboration" with Amazon in order to bring about Kindle support, which, if it happens, would be nothing short of a breakthrough.
Google Play Books for Android temporarily loses PDF upload support
We hope you weren't too attached to Google Play Books' PDF upload support on Android, because you just lost it -- albeit temporarily. Following some code sleuthing, Android Police has confirmed that Google removed PDF uploading; for now, you're limited to transferring EPUB books. The PDF support was experimental, Google says, and should come back with a future app update. That's unfortunate for anyone hoping to save documents to Play Books, but we won't object too much when there are at least a few alternatives for sending PDFs to the cloud.
Mac and iOS users can now gift iBooks
Your chances of buying tangible gifts for the holidays may be fading fast, but your digital options are now wider than ever. Apple has just enabled full gift support on the iBookstore for both iOS and Mac users; you can buy someone a specific book rather than giving them iTunes credit. As with apps and media, it's simple to either time the gift delivery or attach a message. An iBook may not be quite as elaborate as a present under the tree, but we doubt that many iPad-toting readers will mind.
Amazon puts Kindle Fire HDX on interest-free payment plan, starting at $57
Short on cash? Amazon wants to sell you a Kindle Fire HDX anyway. As of today, you can pick up the shopping giant's flagship slate on a quarterly payment plan. Naturally, the amount of each installment varies based on the size and configuration you choose; a 7-inch model with WiFi, 16GB of storage and Special Offers, for example, runs $57 per payment. A similarly equipped 8.9-inch model on the other hand, costs $95 every three months. If you're worried about financing fees or interest, don't sweat it -- Bezos and pals aren't charging either of them. That doesn't mean Amazon is a completely forgiving money lender, though: miss a payment, and the shopping giant will block any access to its content library and possibly delete your account. Harsh, but at least it's better than a broken leg.
Books come to Google Play in five South American countries
Google Play Books' expansion tour has just made an important stop in South America. As of today, bookworms in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela can browse Google's virtual shelves from Android, iOS or the web. The wider access sadly doesn't include movies, music or periodicals, but locals who want to read up on everything from Machu Picchu to Medellin should be happy.
Judge Denise Cote responds to Apple's concerns over court-appointed monitor
As you may have already read, Apple is none too thrilled with Michael Bromwich, the court-appointed monitor Judge Denise Cote chose to keep an eye on Apple's antitrust compliance measures. This past Monday, Cote issued an order addressing Apple's many complaints. In short, the order relays that if Apple has problems with either Bromwich or Cote herself, Apple knows what protocols it has to follow. One thing worth noting is that Cote denies that there has been any ex parte communication between her and Bromwich, while also indicating that there won't be any such meetings in the future. The order reads in part: Through its November 27 submission, Apple offers other objections as well. It objects to the Monitor's performance of his duties to date and to his fees. On September 5, the Court set forth specific procedures designed to resolve any concerns about the monitoring. The procedures are as follows: within ten calendar days of any action giving rise to an objection, Apple was directed to write to the Department of Justice and Plaintiff States setting forth its objections. And so, the legal song-and-dance continues. While Apple could have avoided the entire headache this saga has created by simply settling with the Justice Department, Tim Cook said during this year's AllThingsD conference that Apple, as a matter of principle, would rather take the antitrust battle to court than admit to doing something it didn't do. [via Roger Parloff]
Amazon celebrates another 'best ever' holiday weekend, still won't make with the specifics
Another holiday weekend, another 'best ever' notch for the Kindle sales post. As ever, Amazon's not giving any specific information about such claims, but the Kindle family is doing just fine, thank you very much, thanks in no small part to its two HDX tablet offerings and a revamped Paperwhite e-reader. The smaller HDX and the repackaged HD also managed to top the retail giant's sales chart over the weekend. If Amazon's looking to keep this party going into the future, it's bound to have some seriously busy drones on its hands.
Hands-on with the YotaPhone: the e-ink Android phone that nobody expected
There was a moment, back in 2012, when we had some quiet doubts about the YotaPhone. The first prototype was desirable, useful, and far beyond any kind of gimmick -- but it also seemed like it'd be hard to manufacture for a reasonable price, especially by a company that has never built a phone before. After all, this is effectively two devices rolled into one: an LTE Android phone with a 4.3-inch LCD display on one side, plus an e-reader on the other side, offering always-on notifications from the OS and the luxury of over 60 hours of e-book reading time thanks to good old E Ink technology. Fortunately for us, and for any other phone lover on this planet who appreciates fresh ideas, such fears were unfounded. The Russian engineers at Yota Devices have overcome the many technical challenges that stood in their way, and the fruit of their efforts will go on sale in Europe later today via a dedicated online store, priced at a not-so-wacky 499 euros ($675). Admittedly, that may seem like a lot to ask if you focus solely on the specs -- like the 720p resolution of the LCD or the mid-range Snapdragon S4 Pro processor -- but it starts to make sense when you take a look at just how unique this thing is. And now that we're holding the final hardware in our hands, we're able to do just that.
E Ink's new Fina display technology promises lighter, thinner e-readers
That Kindle Paperwhite is pretty thin and light already, but future e-readers could be even skinnier thanks to a new screen technology from E Ink known as Fina. The tech uses a super thin glass substrate that'll supposedly result in displays that measure less than 50 percent in both thickness and weight when compared to "an equivalent glass-based TFT." According to a released statement, this makes Fina ideal for large tablets that also need to be lightweight, which is exactly why it was implemented in the PocketBook CAD Reader, a new 13.3-inch device that's also the first to use Fina. The slate has a dual-core 1GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage space and it runs Android 4.0.4. Of course, we wouldn't expect to pick this up at Best Buy any time soon, as it's primarily meant for displaying drawings from Autocad. Indeed, PocketBook even said it's made to be used on construction sites, not by everyday consumers. Still, we wonder if Fina's arrival means we'll see larger format e-readers in the future, especially for all those DX lovers out there. In the meantime, check out the source link below for more details on E Ink's latest innovation.
Apple's court-appointed antitrust compliance monitor Michael Bromwich responds to Apple's objections
As we reported late last week, Apple and the court-appointed monitor charged with keeping an eye on Apple's antitrust compliance measures haven't exactly gotten off to a good start. Apple last week filed a motion stating that Michael Bromwich -- the court-appointed monitor -- is taking Apple to the cleaners with exorbitant fees. The filing states that Bromwich is charging Apple US$1,100 an hour for his services. In just two weeks on the job, Bromwich has already billed Apple $138,432. According to Apple's complaint, Bromwich has hired additional attorneys to help him do his job and is engaging in behavior that falls far outside the scope of his duties. For instance, Apple takes umbrage with the fact that Bromwich wants time to interview Apple executives and board members that have nothing to do with Apple's e-book antitrust compliance. For example, Bromwich, for whatever reason, wanted to sit down and interview Apple designer Jony Ive and Apple board member Al Gore. In the wake of Apple's filing, Bromwich has fired back a salvo of his own. All Things D summarizes Bromwich's response thusly: You people seem to think I'm working for you. "Apple has sought for the last month to manage our relationship as though we are its outside counsel or consultant," he wrote in a letter to Cook and his board last week. My fees are reasonable, and you have no idea what a reasonable fee looks like. Also, it doesn't matter if you think my fees are reasonable, because you don't get to negotiate them: You just pay them. The court will approve them. If you enjoy a good legal back and forth, you might enjoy this biting excerpt from Apple's initial complaint. Michael Bromwich is already operating in an unfettered and inappropriate manner, outside the scope of the Final Judgment, admittedly based on secret communications with the Court, and trampling Apple's rights; the Court's proposal out of the blue to grant him even greater powers as monitor would only make things worse. Since his appointment, Mr. Bromwich has run far afield from his mandate and informed Apple that his fee structure is designed to "generate profits" for himself and the law firm he has retained to make up for the antitrust experience he lacks. You can read Bromwich's full response below: Bromwich letter to Apple All Things Digital.pdf var docstoc_docid="164408476";var docstoc_title="Bromwich letter to Apple All Things Digital.pdf";var docstoc_urltitle="Bromwich letter to Apple All Things Digital.pdf";
Apple not happy that court-appointed monitor in e-book antitrust case charges $1,100 an hour
Apple this past October became tethered to a court appointed external monitor tasked with overseeing Apple's antitrust compliance. The court appointment stemmed from Apple being found guilty of conspiring with an assortment of book publishers to artificially raise the price of e-books across the industry. The monitor chosen to keep an eye on Apple was former Assistant US Attorney Michael Bromwich. Handpicked by US District Judge Denise Cote, Bromwich's role entails him working within Apple to help maintain the company's compliance with antitrust law. Notably, Bromwich's legal fees, per Cote's orders, must be footed by Apple. Only thing is, Bromwich's fees have turned out to be astronomical. According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple this past week filed a motion asserting that Bromwich's fees are exorbitant and unprecedented. All told, Bromwich is charging Apple $1,100 an hour, a rate higher than what Apple has paid out to lawyers in any of its previous litigation matters. During his first two weeks on the job, Bromwich billed Apple a whopping $138,432. Indeed, $1,100 an hour is more expensive than what top lawyers at top legal firms across the country charge for doing complex legal work. Apple's filing reads in part: Mr. Bromwich appears to be simply taking advantage of the fact that there is no competition here or, in his view, any ability on the part of Apple, the subject of the authority, to push back on his demands. So why is Bromwich's fee so high? Well as it turns out, Bromwich is charging Apple a 15% administrative fee on top of his legal duties. He's also charging Apple for other attorneys he's hired to help him carry out his job. The Bloomberg report further relays: Apple also objected in its filing to proposals by Cote to allow Bromwich to interview company personnel without counsel present and to report to her without Apple lawyers present. Those conditions "impermissibly expand the scope of the monitorship," according to Apple's filing. In my view, it's really hard to see this as anything more than a shameless money grab.
Amazon's next-gen Kindle Paperwhite reportedly arriving in Q2 with a sharper screen, lighter design
Amazon only just released a new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader two months ago, but we're already hearing rumors that a newer model is on the way. According to a new report from TechCrunch, the new version, to be released in early Q2 of next year, will boast a sharper 300-pixel-per-inch screen, allowing it to better compete with models like the Kobo Aura, which has a 265-ppi screen. (Not that Kobo's represents much of a threat to Amazon's book-selling empire.) Also it's worth noting that E Ink makes the displays for basically all these e-readers, so it seems unlikely that Amazon would hold an exclusive on a 300-ppi panel -- at least not for long. Additionally, TechCrunch claims the new Paperwhite will have a lighter design that mimics the new Kindle Fire HDX tablets, with chamfered edges, a rear power button and a glass screen that sits flush with the bezels. The device is also rumored to have haptic feedback along the edges, which will give vibrating feedback when you do things like move to the next page. There's no big software update planned, apparently, although Amazon is said to be working on a new custom font that's more conducive to marathon reading sessions. We suppose if this report is true, all will be revealed over the coming months -- hopefully those of you who just bought a new Paperwhite won't be too cheesed off by the timing.
Kobo Arc 10HD review: $400 is a lot to spend on a 'tablet for readers'
A tablet for readers has always been a tricky proposition. For starters, the manufacturers that have attempted to create such a thing also make dedicated e-readers -- devices with longer battery life and screens designed to make text look as much like print as possible. Barnes & Noble has given the category a shot with its Nook Tablets, though there are lingering questions as to whether that line will even survive. Amazon, meanwhile, has gone the opposite route, with reading representing just one of many features. Kobo's latest readers see the company doubling down on reading, with a trio of tablets built around a reading core. The Arc 10HD is the top-of-the-line model, a slate that doesn't skimp on the specs (or price, for that matter, at $400). Most notably, it maintains a clear focus, promising to be (in Kobo's own PR speak) "the best 10-inch HD tablet for readers." For Kobo, that means loading up on book-centric features, including one that turns off all of those tablety distractions so you can just read. What, precisely, does it mean to be "the best 10-inch HD tablet for readers"? Does Kobo even deserve that distinction? Most importantly, is it a category within a category that really needs to exist in the first place?
Engadget's 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: E-readers
Welcome to Engadget's holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Weighing your e-reader options isn't as difficult as, say, deciding on a new smartphone. There are fewer models to sift through, for one, and your allegiance to Amazon or B&N could further narrow things down. Still, you have a range of options in every camp -- from barebones devices meant for reading and nothing else to full-fledged tablets with the higher-end specs to match. Below, we make the case for some of our top picks.
Hands-on with Goodreads for Kindle Paperwhite
Exactly a day after gracing the Fire line, Amazon-owned Goodreads has arrived on the Paperwhite -- if you're willing to take a little initiative and download yourself, that is. And in all honesty, this was the upgrade we've been waiting for since the acquisition was first announced. It's nice functionality to have on the Fire, certainly, and folks who own multiple Kindle devices will appreciate being able to use it across the tablets and readers, but the addition of social reading means a lot more on e-readers, where things tend to be a lot more locked down, due to hardware limitations. Overall, we were a bit underwhelmed by the implementation on the HDX. With a few exceptions, Goodreads feels more like an app than an integral part of the ecosystem. Given that the Paperwhite offers a less open platform, however, we had higher hopes for the e-reader. And indeed, once installed, Goodreads is front and center -- well, slightly to the right of center, added to the homepage toolbar, sandwiched between search and settings. If you've already tied your Amazon account to the social network -- as we did with yesterday's Fire update -- you should be good to go. Tap the "g " icon, and you'll bring up the Goodreads app, which has been styled to match the rest of the Paperwhite UI. The app's front page shows you updates across your network, including ratings and who wants to read what. From there, you can like and comment on statuses and mark those titles and "Read" or "Want to Read." Up top, the My Shelves link lets you see your own collection. From that page, you can also click through to add books from your Amazon library, a nice way of back filling all the electronic and physical books that you've read over the years. It's the next best thing to inviting people over to your place to see your real life bookshelf.
Personalize your Kindle cover or skin with vacation photos at no additional cost
If a regular ol' Kindle accessory doesn't express your personality as well as you'd like, Amazon has announced a new service that looks to oblige. Customers can now personalize an Amazon Origami cover along with a smattering of other covers and skins with a library of images, logos and patterns or by uploading their own photo masterpieces. That collection also includes comic, movie and TV artwork from the likes of Breaking Bad and Peanuts -- just to name a couple. The best part? There's no additional charge. Covers and skins are available for Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HDX and a few older models. Can't wait to get started? Hit that source link to begin crafting your very own.
