On Wednesday two major news stories dropped the same day:
1) the unveiling of the Apple iPad and
2) President Obama’s State of the Union speech
We wondered: what would people talk about more? Was the announcement of Apple’s Tablet Steve Jobs potentially more captivating than Obama’s first State of the Union speech?
A few hours after the announcement of the God tablet, the nay sayers have had time to weigh in.
… To be fair, it would have been almost impossible for the actual iPad device announced today to live up to the insanely hyped idea of an Apple Tablet that consumed the Internet’s attention in the weeks (if not months) leading up to today’s event. There are also many positives that are hard to deny about the iPad, not the least of which is its characteristically drop-dead gorgeous design aesthetic.
Nevertheless, before this thing wins your hard-earned dough, make sure you know what its limitations are. …
I still think it will be a huge hit. But I’m not sure I personally need one if I’m willing to haul around my much superior laptop.
Mashable – What’s Missing from the Apple iPad?
Mashable – The Anti-Hype: Why Apple’s iPad Disappoints
Watch it on Apple.
Price starts at $499. Cheap.
Most people will pay $30 / month for internet access.
Is it a good book reader?
On first impression, I thought kindle had nothing to worry about. But Mashable disagrees:
… given that iPad starts at $499 and iBooks offers such an impressive ebook experience, we have to wonder what Amazon could do at this point to stay competitive.
Yup.
They went with that name. …
Here is the first reveal:
Watched live blogging with photos on gdgt. While listening to live audio on ustream.tv.
I’m quite happily impressed with the first version. It’s enough for me. I’ll be buying one sometime in future. No rush, though. There’s nothing it does that my MacBook doesn’t.
1. The Web Will Be Accessible Anywhere
2. Web Access Will Not Focus Around the Computer
3. The Web Will Be Media-Centric
4. Social Media Will Be Its Largest Component
Great article. Click through for details – Mashable
How does the Apple tablet fit into this vision?
Very well.
A NEW device that integrates with your home computer and iPod.
… The Apple Tablet looks to be the next stage of this evolution. Rumor has it that not only is the device going to have 3G access, but Apple envisions it is a shared piece of hardware among the family. …
I downloaded a rental movie online for the first time. It worked perfectly US$3.99.
The Bourne Trilogy is fantastic. Why aren’t more Hollywood movies put together like this?
Click PLAY or watch a trailer for the Bourne Ultimatum on YouTube.
Video tutorial … How to Rent Movies With iTunes.
Amazon Video on Demand for the same film was only $2.99, but could not be downloaded to Canada for some reason. Amazon is usually cheaper than iTunes, but doesn’t work quite as well.
I’ll rent more from iTunes.
People love their Kindles.
But the electronic book reader from Amazon is a huge target. Everyone, including Apple, is scheming to eat their lunch.
How is Amazon responding to that threat?
They’ve announced the next generation, available January 19, 2010, called Kindle DX:
3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Global Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries. See details. Check wireless coverage map.
Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
Longer Battery Life: Now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of 4 days
Cost $490. About $10 / book. But no monthly charges. Sweet.
Many of the competitors require a monthly internet connection service.
Click through to Amazon to see details and videos on how it works.
… I’d still wait to hear about Apple’s Kindle killer device the end of January before ordering a DX.
Good news, Dana.
Here’s a much better device than the Kindle, only $490.
Click PLAY or watch the Entourage Edge on YouTube.
Lenovo’s amazing Tablet/PC Hybrid brings a tablet and a PC together in an amazingly elegant way.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’ll wait to see what Apple comes up with. … Love detaching the monitor, though.
And I LOVE it.
Did you see the announcement of the new Google phone?
…” the Nexus One: huge AMOLED touchscreen, thin-and-light form factor, available unlocked or on T-Mobile, pervasive voice input, etc. And many have already reached for the easiest narrative in which to fit Google’s announcement: the Nexus One is Google’s attempt at an iPhone-killer. …
The Nexus One may or may not be an iPhone killer (it probably isn’t), but it doesn’t matter, because the Nexus One was arguably the least significant thing that Google announced today. The real news at Google’s event this morning—news that could shake up the mobile industry just as thoroughly as the original iPhone announcement—wasn’t a phone at all, but a URL: http://google.com/phone. An online storefront that, if successful, could knock one of the major pillars out the current, much-reviled US carrier model and result in faster, cheaper, more flexible service for mobile users. …
… once they’re on Google’s platform, they’ll be forced to compete purely on the kinds of things that consumers actually want them to compete on, namely, price and quality. And when networks compete on price and quality, prices will go down and quality will go up. …
read more – arstechnica – Google’s biggest announcement was not a phone, but a URL
Phone companies will actually have to adopt a sensible pricing model. Apple must “open” their products.
The phone’s not available in Canada yet.
via Tyler McGowan on twitter @tylermcgowan
Rick McCharles 