Amazon launches Kindle Oasis

Amazon has launched its most advanced e-book reader 'Kindle Oasis' that features company's highest-resolution 'Paperwhite Display' and is the first waterproof (IPX8) device.

The all-new Kindle Oasis is available for pre-order for Rs 21,999 for the 8GB model and Rs 28,999 for the 32GB model (WiFi + free 3G). The device will start shipping from November 13.

'Kindle Oasis' has a battery life measured in weeks and has fast-charging capability that allows it to go from zero to fully-charged in less than two hours.

With 7-inch 300 ppi display, the device fits over 30 per cent more words per page and it has the fastest page turns of any Kindle.

The crisp and laser-quality text reads like paper with uniform display lighting and no glare, even in bright sunlight.

It has a 3.4mm display that features strongest cover glass and a new aluminium back. 'Kindle Oasis' can be immersed in up to two meters of fresh water for up to 60 minutes.

Customers can also buy covers that open like a book, automatically waking the device when opened and putting it to sleep when closed.

The water-safe fabric covers can be purchased for Rs 2,999 and come in indigo, charcoal and sandstone colors. The premium leather covers are available for Rs 3,999 and come in black ad merlot.

Amazon launches Marketplace Model in India

Amazon Inc has launched its "Marketplace Model" in India, a country that has big potential for online retailing.

Starting with books, movies and TV shows video products, Amazon will include mobile phones and cameras in the coming weeks, the company said in a statement.

Under the marketplace model, the US company will offer a platform for third parties and consumers to sell and buy products. Foreign companies are currently not allowed to directly offer online retailing in India.

Amazon already runs a price comparison portal, junglee.com, in India.

Amazon to update Kindle Fire in two weeks

While Amazon’s Kindle Fire Android tablet might be receiving some mixed reviews from the tech community, the 7-inch tablet seems to be a success among consumers.

But the device isn’t without criticisms, most notably, from users complaining that its performance is leaving something to be desired. Users have trouble with the touch interface on the device, which is reportedly too small and results in tapping the wrong thing a little too often. The device’s web browser, which uses Amazon’s cloud-based Silk feature to help speed its performance, is also still slow enough that it has users complaining. Amazon is addressing those concerns, though, and says it plans to roll out some software updates for the device in the coming weeks.

The enhancements coming to the tablet will fix up a variety of things about the tablet, in areas like its web browser and touchscreen navigation responsiveness.

The over-the-air update to the Kindle Fire is due in less than two weeks, Amazon says. It’ll also give users the ability to choose what appears on the device’s navigation carousel and generally improve performance everywhere.

Amazon still isn’t saying just how many Kindle Fires it has sold, but it has said the number is “millions” and that it’s the most successful product the company has ever launched. It says it’s also building more to tablets to meet continued demand. The Kindle Fire is a cheap alternative to other Android tablets, and recently overtook the iPad to become Best Buy’s best-selling tablet.

Regardless of the reviews, the Kindle Fire has a lot going for it including its affordable price tag of $199, which undercuts almost every other tablet on the market by a couple hundred dollars. It also has a lot of brand recognition and the leverage of Amazon’s entire retail empire behind it, making it a solid way to consume media sold by Amazon.

It seems that Kindle Fire users are mixed on the tablet, but that’s apparently not slowing down sales. If Amazon can address some of the more fixable user-experience concerns, like the interface troubles and the browser speed, it seems likely that the Kindle Fire could become even more popular. Amazon has opened a door with the tablet, now it needs to keep that door open by patching the software and keeping customers happy.

Google working on Amazon Prime challenger

Rumor is spreading about a move Google may be making into Amazon’s realm. The search giant supposedly wants to set up a service that would allow customers to receive products bought online within the same day. The service would charge a low fee.

WSJ cites that big retailers such as Macy’s, Gap and OfficMax have already been approached. A Macy’s spokesperson acknowledged Google’s pitch to the company, but declined to state whether those in charge had made any decisions. Some retailers have expressed interest in the idea.

Google reportedly plans on attaching this new quick-shipping service to Product Search, a comparison shopping feature which aggregates deals and directs shoppers to retailer websites, rather than selling the products directly to consumers. The speedy shipping would be made possible using the information on inventory which retail partners already share with Google. Product Search would allow shoppers to see whether a product is in stock nearby and whether that product could arrive in the same day or the next. Supposedly, Google has approached UPS and other courier companies to partner with them on the project.

This move would definitely be a challenge to Amazon and its Prime product, which is a service charging $79 annually that offers fast shipping for Amazon shoppers. Prime has been very good to Amazon, boosting its sales by 42% this year. Not only would Google be venturing into Amazon’s Prime space, Google has its eye on the ad revenue lost to Amazon’s product search domination.

According to WSJ, the shipping service may be launched in the next year. Google hopes the move will garner more ad-money earned from its Product Search feature, but critics believe the venture may be too expensive. The Product Search feature was recently updated, adding more information to products and offering an easier, more intuitive experience to online shoppers.

Comparison: Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire

Here is a comparison of the major features of Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook Tablet computer and Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire:

Price: The Nook Tablet costs $249; the Kindle Fire, costs $199.

Connectivity: Both tablets connect to the Internet only through Wi-Fi.

Screen size: Both tablets have displays that measure 7 inches diagonally. That's about three times the size of an iPhone screen and half the size of an iPad screen.

Software: Both run modified versions of Google Inc.'s Android software. Neither one has direct access to Google's Android Market for third-party applications; Amazon and Barnes & Noble run their own stores.

Apps: Barnes & Noble says there are about 1,000 third-party applications available for the Tablet. Amazon has nearly ten times as many.

Storage: The Nook Tablet has 16 gigabytes of storage plus a memory-card slot. Of the built-in memory, all but 1 gigabyte is reserved for content bought from Barnes & Noble. The Kindle Fire includes 8 gigabytes of internal storage and no memory-card slot.

Battery life: Barnes & Noble claims up to 9 hours of video on the Nook Tablet, Amazon says 7.5 hours on the Kindle Fire.

Thickness: They're nearly identical: the Nook tablet is 0.48 inches thick, while the Kindle Fire is 0.45 inches.

Weight: Again, nearly identical. The Nook Tablet weighs 14.1 ounces, the Kindle Fire half an ounce more.

Movies: Both come with apps from Netflix and Hulu, which provide streaming movies and TV shows to subscribers. The Kindle Fire also provides access to downloadable and streaming movies from Amazon.

Amazon to launch a 7-inch tablet

After much anticipation, Amazon is expected to unveil its own tablet on Wednesday. Many believe an Amazon tablet stands the best chance of stealing some of the popularity thunder from Apple’s iPad.

On Friday, Amazon invited select media outlets to a mysterious event, which will be held this Wednesday, September 28. The company did not say why they are holding the event, or what will be launched. But it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that a tablet is in the pipeline – we’ve been hearing quite a few details about the device for some time.

According to earlier reports, Amazon will release a 7-inch tablet, which is expected to be an extension of its Kindle e-reader line, but one that runs on Google’s Android operating system. A 10.1 inch version will reportedly be released sometime next year. MG Seigler of TechCrunch, describes the “Amazon Kindle” tablet as “very similar” in look and “form-factor” to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The timing of Amazon’s event is telling. If the rumors are true, Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 on October 4 – a little less than a week after the Amazon event. By holding an event this week, Amazon positions itself to steal the tech press spotlight in the lead-up to the alleged Apple event. After that, it’ll be all Apple all the time.

Amazon preparing its own tablet

According to a source, Amazon may be preparing to launch its own tablet. Taiwan's tech newspaper DigiTimes, claims that Amazon has placed orders for the device with Quanta Computer, the Taiwanese manufacturer supposedly tapped to crank out the tablets.

Quanta estimated that production of the forthcoming Amazon tablets would peak at 700,000 to 800,000 units a month and that the devices would begin shipping in the second half of 2011. The report also indicated that Amazon would be working with the company behind the Kindle's E Ink display, suggesting that a colorful screen readable in bright light could be in the cards.

While news that trickles out from Asian component product lines isn't historically the most reliable, these aren't the first murmurings of a tablet from the web retail giant. Amazon may be a name synonymous with online shopping, but it's also an aggressively innovative company that already has a gadget success story with its own e-reader, the Kindle.

The retailer has been expanding its horizons as of late and it appears that Amazon wants to get a foot in every door, from storage in the cloud with Amazon Cloud Drive to its own Android app store. Readying an Amazon-branded tablet would mean one more experiment, this time in the white-hot tablet market.

Amazon selling HTC ThunderBolt for $129.99

The mobile division of Amazon is currently selling the HTC ThunderBolt 4G for $129.99 to all new customers who sign up for a plan on Verizon. Those looking to upgrade and renew their contract aren’t as fortunate. The renewal price is $199.99. Those who are interested will have to act fast. It expires at midnight on Monday, April 25.

The ThunderBolt, which normally retails for $249.99, is the first phone on Verizon to take advantage of the carrier’s new 4G LTE network. It has performed very well, selling 260,000 units in its first two weeks on the market. We have no complaints about the Android device except for its battery, which tends to drain very quickly due to the demands of Verizon’s 4G network.

Amazon launches Online Mobile Phone Store

Amazon has launched a beta Web site that offers cell phones, service plans, comparison shopping features, easy rebate redemption, and free two-day shipping on AT&T and Verizon Wireless phones. Amazon’s online store for mobile phones is http://www.amazonwireless.com/

Sprint and T-Mobile are noticeably missing from the short roster of carriers. However, Amazon said it plans to add carriers and expand its selection during the beta phase, as well as test features and gather input from customers to optimize the experience.

"We have taken our eight years' experience selling cell phones to create a new site that makes a potentially confusing transaction much easier for customers," said Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon.

Clearing Customer Confusion--
According to a recent Best Buy Mobile survey reveals a large number of American adults are planning to buy a smartphone in the next 12 months, but barriers are standing in their way. Some of the barriers identified in the survey include confusion about the technology, the shopping experience, and price.

More than half of women and 42 percent of men are confused about which smartphone to buy, and more than half of adults over 50 express this confusion. Sixty-four percent of Americans say they don't own a smartphone because the devices are too expensive.

Best Buy and AmazonWireless seem ready to go head-to-head to solve these issues. Scott Moore, vice president of marketing for Best Buy Mobile, said his company offers smartphones from nine major carriers, along with unbiased, noncommissioned pros to guide consumers to the devices, features and services that are right for them.

"We offer free upgrade checks to anyone currently using any form of mobile service so customers can see if they're eligible to get a smartphone; and, in many cases, there are special promotional deals along with our everyday instant rebates," Moore said. "We want everyone to have a smartphone."

Amazon's Advantage--
Currently, AmazonWireless only offers about 120 phones, including smartphones and the latest models for budget-conscious shoppers. Customers can shop for phones by carrier, phone feature, price, color and brand. The site's shopping cart guides customers through each stage of the purchase process, and customers will find Amazon features like bestseller lists, detailed product descriptions, and customer reviews.

"The step-by-step purchase process on AmazonWireless makes it easy for customers who already have a plan to upgrade their phones," Ryder said. "If you want to establish new cell-phone service, we've made it simple to find the right phone, service plan, and options for your needs. We've also eliminated the technical jargon and frustrating rebate paperwork that customers often face when buying a phone."

Best Buy doesn't offer the same online wireless store that Amazon is rolling out, but Amazon isn't the first retailer to offer phones and plans online. Amazon will, however, be the largest.

Amazon launches video games trade-in store in challenge to GameStop

Amazon.com Inc has launched an online videogame trade-in store, granting credit at the online retail giant to customers who send in used games.

According to a company blog post from Amazon, “Amazon Video Games Trade-In is a new service that enables you to trade in your games for an Amazon.com Gift Card”.

Customers use a prepaid shipping label to send a used videogame to Amazon and receive credit in return they can use to purchase items on Amazon.com. Users can mail in used games and get varying amounts of Amazon.com credit, including a 10 percent bonus toward items in Amazon's online video games store.

Amazon's move is seen as potential challenge to US videogame retail store GameStop, which has 6,100 stores in the United States and 17 other countries and offers a lucrative game trade-in service.

You may visit Amazon Video Games Trade-In page here.

IBM to deliver Cloud Software thru Amazon

IBM has tapped Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) to deliver software to clients and developers under a new pay-as-you-go model. The agreement will let Big Blue's clients access IBM DB2, Informix Dynamic Server, WebSphere Portal, Lotus Web Content Management, WebSphere sMash, and Novell's SUSE Linux operating system in the cloud.

With immediate effect, IBM will provide software developers with Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) without charge for development and test purposes. In the coming months, IBM intends to launch full production software images in beta, and eventually extend its cloud-computing portfolio to include service-management capabilities from IBM Tivoli software.

According to Dave Mitchell, director of strategy and emerging business at the IBM Software Group, “This relationship with Amazon Web Services provides our customers with a new way to use IBM software and broadens our distribution channels”.