Amazon Upgrades Software for the Kindle Fire Tablet

Credit: Amazon.com

In an effort to keep its darling tablet up to date, Amazon has released a new version of the operating system for the Kindle Fire.  The latest version is 6.3.1 and it’s free.

This update brings additional parental controls to Kindle Fire, including the ability to password-protect purchases, disable access to specific content libraries, and block access to the Silk web browser. As with all software updates, these new features will be delivered automatically to your Kindle Fire.

I had problems upgrading my Kindle Fire, so I contacted Amazon’s Customer Support Online and was baby-walked through the whole process in less than five minutes.  This is how the problem was resolved:

The device had to be reset.  It’s called a “Hard Reset”.  To perform a hard reset on your Kindle Fire, press and hold the power button for 20 seconds and then release.  After the device has completely turned off, press the power button to restart your Kindle Fire and you should be fine.  It worked!

This quick fix will resolve intermittent issues like a frozen screen, battery issues, or trouble downloading content to your Kindle Fire.

To be candid with you, I used my Kindle Fire with the new upgrade, but didn’t notice anything special.  Maybe the magic was happening under the hood, but it sure wasn’t anything to brag about.  I use the Kindle Fire, mostly as an electronic book reader.  Sometimes I check my e-mail and browse the web, but prefer to work with my desktop which has a larger screen and a much better keyboard.  If I had the money, I would buy an Apple iPad; it’s so much better.  But you have to live within your means.

As an e-book reader, the Kindle Fire works just fine and the battery life is beyond expectations.  However, I wish I could watch my Netflix movies; but no joy.  Amazon designed the device exclusively for the U.S. market and we are out of the loop in Panama—unfortunately.  Good Day.

Note:  For more information on the software upgrade, please click here.

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Barnes & Noble’s Nook Gets a Shot in the Arm

It’s an indisputable fact that as far as e-book readers is concerned, Amazon’s Kindle is the King of the Hill, distantly followed by B&N’s Nook.  But this doesn’t mean the Nook is wiped out—blown out of the water.  No Sir.  B&N is not throwing in the towel or sleeping the afternoon siesta.  They’re rounding up their wagons preparing for a comeback fight.  They went out searching for a big brother and they found it—Microsoft, for crying out loud.

Microsoft announced on Monday that it would invest $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s Nook division for a 17.6 percent stake. The deal values the e-reader business at $1.7 billion.

Earlier this month, Barnes & Noble announced a new black-and-white e-reader with a glowing screen so that it can be used in the dark. The introduction of the e-reader was followed by strong reviews from critics, and Barnes & Noble executives said the device is already sold out.  Both Barnes & Noble and Amazon are spending heavily to maintain a foothold in light of Apple’s success with the iPad.

The investment from a deep-pocketed tech giant will give Barnes & Noble breathing room, allowing the company to continue to spend money developing Nook devices.

The new division, which has yet to be renamed, will also include Barnes & Noble’s college business. It is meant to help the business compete in what many expect to be a growth area for e-books: the education market, something that Apple has already set its sights on.

I’m expecting a reaction from Mr. Jeff Bezos, who’s determined to have his Kindle become the de facto e-book reader.  It will be interesting to watch how this knife-in-throat competition evolves.  Good Day.

Source:  Microsoft to Take Stake in Nook Unit of Barnes & Noble – The New York Times Online

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The Process of Unpacking the Kindle Fire

For several months I was curious about the experience of reading an e-book using a tablet.  I had been reading several e-books on my Kindle application using my desktop computer with its wide 21″ screen, and it was pretty cool.  The only problem was that I had to be glued to my office every time I wanted to read.  If I wanted to read in the living room or the back porch, I couldn’t do it.  The desktop was too heavy to carry around, and I didn’t own a laptop.  I still don’t own one—feel don’t need it.

The most logical option to get around this problem, was to buy an electronic book reader; and there were several interesting alternatives out there.  After researching the subject, I came to the conclusion that the best reading experience would be with an Amazon Kindle using a Wi-Fi communication software called Whisper.  The electronic ink was amazing.  It was a blast of fresh air in the stuffy confines of software for reading e-books.

The price of a Kindle back then was $139.00 in the U.S. and $181.34 in Panama.  I didn’t have the money, so I kept on reading my books in my office.  Then I was in for an unexpected surprise.  On September 28, 2011, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, announced the Kindle Fire at an amazing price of $199.00.  Besides being an e-book reader, it was an MP3 players, a movie player, a Web browser; all in full high-resolution color.  I immediately said, “This is it.  This is what I want.”

On October 7, I placed the pre-order for the gadget and contacted a new company in Panama called Aeropost to bring it home.  The tablet was finally shipped by Amazon on November 17 and arrived in Panama on November 23rd.  The costs in Panama were:

1. Air Freight:  $13.00
2. Insurance:  $3.00
3. Taxes:  $34.12
4. Customs Handling:  $10.00
5. Total Costs:  $60.12

The price tag of the Amazon Kindle was $199.00 and a plastic cover to protect the tablet’s glass sold for $29.99.  So the total cost of my Christmas present was $290.11.  I had been saving for this baby for several months and it’s finally in my paws.  I’m getting acquainted with it, and after a few days, will post my experiences with it.

Today, I’ll just include several pictures depicting  my experience unpacking the tablet and waking it up.  Here we go.

Snapshot of the package containing the Kindle Fire and the plastic protective cover. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

After opening the carton box, I found two packages inside. One was the box containing the Kindle Fire, and the other was an envelope containing the Kindle Fire MicroShell Folio graphite cover by Marware. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

This is the packing containing the protective cover for the tablet. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the plastic container which housed the Kindle Fire. The tablet was packed inside a protective clear plastic pouch. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the opening or welcome screen. When I first saw it, the time and date were there. The letters and colors are top notch; crisp, bright, and crystal clear. I'm very impressed with the high resolution of the screen. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

To start the registration process, you first have to connect the AC power cable to the wall outlet to ensure you have sufficient charge to complete the process, then you press the power button on the bottom of the gadget.  The process will only request two things to the user; the time zone and the Wi-Fi network.  After that, the whole process is fully automatic.  It takes less than five minutes for its completion.

When the software was being downloaded, you I read the following message:  “Hello Mr. Omar Upegui R.  Congratulations, your Kindle is registered.  The latest Kindle software is being downloaded.  Once complete, it will only take a few minutes to restart your device and install the latest features.”   As you probably know by now, the Fire Kindle uses the older Android 2.3 kernel (Gingerbread), intended for smart phones.

I loved the personal touch of Amazon registering the gadget beforehand.  It had my name on it—Omar’s Kindle— and all my e-books were already neatly installed on the device.  As soon as the software was installed, I was ready to download books, music, videos, surf the web, and receive the latest software updates.  This is what makes Amazon great—its outstanding customer service.

The gadget also came with the following apps:

1. Pandora
2. Comics
3. ESPN Score
4. The Weather Channel
5. Words With Friends Free
6. Audible
7. Contacts
8. E-Mail
9. Facebook
10. Gallery
11. Help & Feed Back
12. IMDB

You can download more apps, but that’s another story for another day.  I haven’t used any of these apps yet, but will do in the next couple of days and share with you my personal experience with the tablet.

Snapshot of my blog, Lingua Franca, using the tablet's Silk Web browser. The pictures were crystal clear and the fonts were sharp and crisp. Exactly the way I expected them to be. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the digital shelf will all the e-book I have purchased from Amazon. This was my main reason for purchasing the Kindle Fire. I wanted to read books outside of my home office in an almost weightless and convenient device. I think this is what I was looking for, at an affordable price. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

 The Kindle Fire is great for people who want to consume Amazon content, whether that’s music, movies, videos, or books.  It does offer some games, but it simply doesn’t have the breath of games that Apple offers for iOS devices.  The same goes for Apps in general.  Apple is still king here and likely will be for a long time.  Good Day.

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Amazon.com is Sizzling Hot

Picture of the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire in New York City by Jeff Bezos. Credit: Amazon Via Bloomberg.

After an intense back and forth buzzing on the Internet about an Amazon tablet, this morning, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO gave us the hard facts.  Mr. Bezos, following the showmanship of his peer Steve Jobs, proudly announced its new Kindle Fire, a 7-inch Android-based slate that will cost $199. Many pundits commented that the consumer tablet is an evolved e-reader.

The Fire has an IPS display with 169 pixels-per-inch resolution. Super-tough Gorilla Glass protects the screen, which can support the display of 16 million colors. Inside, the Fire comes loaded with a dual-core processor, and the device weighs just 14.6 ounces. As expected, the Fire closely resembles the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The Kindle Fire runs on a highly-customized version of the Android operating system. Kindle Fire customers will receive a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, which gives subscribers access to the company’s movie and TV streaming library and free two-day shipping on products purchased through Amazon.com.

Amazon has also loaded the device with a custom “Amazon Silk” browser, which CEO Jeff Bezos calls a “split” browser, meaning it gets half its computing power from the device, and the other half from Amazon’s EC2 cloud computing servers.  It’s unusual that a company would come up with its own browser for one of its gadgets.  I don’t recall having seen this done before.

Amazon’s newest tablet can connect to the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection only.  It doesn’t have 3G connectivity, nor does it have a camera—two features available on most tablets, including a variety of iPad models. Despite the lack of these features, the Kindle Fire costs less than half the price of the least expensive iPad 2, which runs $499 and does not have 3G connectivity either.

Jeff Bezos also added two new Kindles to its arsenal (e.g., the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Touch 3G).  The Kindle Touch is a touchscreen e-reader, with Amazon’s traditional E-Ink display.  A Wi-Fi-only version will sell for $99. The second model, called the Kindle Touch 3G,  includes 3G connectivity and will have a price tag of $149—slightly cheaper than the Amazon Fire tablet.  With such a close difference, I’m sure many will cough out the extra fifty bucks and light the Fire.  The standard Kindle will now cost less; its new price is a mere $79.  I’m sure this is raising a few eyebrows in the e-books industry; specially Barnes & Nobles which carries the Nook Color, very similar to Amazon’s Fire.

The Fire tablet comes with 8GB internal storage, and no SD card slot for additional storage. Stereo speakers are embedded on top of the device.  The gadget is ideal for holding up to approximately 18 million songs, movies, TV shows, books, magazines, apps, and games.

Bezos explained that pre-order for the Kindle Fire starts today, with deliveries of the device to begin on November 15, just in time for the holiday season.  According to Bezos, Amazon is “building premium products at non-premium prices.”  I think it’s a catchy phrase.

Even as we speak, many technophiles are already imagining a Fire under their Christmas tree.  Reality of just day dreaming?  What do you think?  Good Day and happy shopping.

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Amazon.com Trims the Price of its Wi-Fi + 3G Kindle

Credit: Amazon.com

Good news are coming from Amazon’s territory and I’m not referring to that imposing river in South America.  I’m referring to Amazon Inc, the manufacturer of the juggernaut Kindle e-book reader.

As of August 21, 2011 prospective Kindle purchasers have another option:  a lower-price, ad-sponsored Kindle 3G model.  Now available at AT&T stores and priced at $50 below the standard model, AT&T’s $139 Kindle 3G with Special Offers comes with built-in Wi-Fi and 3G without monthly fees, data plans or annual contracts. For the discounted price, buyers will see advertisements from AT&T and other companies.

Another feature that may attract the back-to-school crowd is the device’s Kindle Textbook Rental service, which lets customers rent books for up to 360 days at up to 80% off the textbook list price.

The company planned to begin offering the new Kindle in stores beginning Sunday, Aug. 21. “We’re making it convenient and affordable for all who read, including students, to purchase a Kindle 3G with Special Offers,” said AT&T emerging devices President Glenn Lurie in the statement. “And the savings extend beyond the purchase price of the device, now that students can rent college textbooks at sharply reduced pricing, directly from Kindle. No lines, no waiting, and no heavy lifting. This should be an attractive option for all consumers.”

Those are the good news.  The bad news is that this offer is only valid within the United States.  If you’re located outside of the U.S., you’re out of luck.  However if you live abroad, you can still get the basic Kindle with Wi-FI capabilities for an excellent price of $139.00.  If you insist on having the 3G + Wi-Fi features, than you have to cough out $189.00.  Either way, you’re making an excellent purchase if you’re a dedicated e-book reader.

I’m still undecided whether I want a Kindle or an Apple iPad.  Some days I wake up thinking I need a Kindle, but on other days I’m in for an iPad.  I don’t have the money to buy either one, so it’s no immediate problem.  By December I will have saved enough pennies and will then have to make a final decision.  What’s your decision?  Good Day.

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Barnes & Noble Announces a New E-Book Reader

The race to increase global market share in the e-book readers’ domain continues.  This time the behemoth Barnes & Noble aimed its guns at Amazon.com with a new black and white Nook to compete against the popular Kindle.  The reinvented Nook, priced at $139, is meant to complement the Nook Color, rather than replacing it entirely, and the two devices are very different indeed. The bookseller has dubbed the new Nook “The Simple Touch Reader,” meant to offer a streamlined alternative to the Nook Color’s newfound bells and whistles.

Most notably, the new Nook offers a touchscreen and eyesight-friendly electronic ink, making it more of a straightforward e-reader than its experimental sibling, the Nook Color. Barnes & Noble intentionally kept things simple with the new Nook, and stated that it intends to target ebook fans looking for “a simple, pure reading experience.” Unlike the Nook Color, the new Nook won’t have access to a selection of Android apps.

At 5 by 6.5 inches, the device is more square than both its predecessor and other e-readers on the market. The new Nook features 2GB of built-in storage for your virtual reading list, but is expandable through a MicroUSB slot. The e-reader bears an uncanny resemblance to the HP TouchPad tablet, until you turn it over to see the contoured back, designed for comfort during long reading sessions.

According to Barnes & Noble, the new Nook is available for pre-order now, and will begin shipping on June 10. The new Nook will go on sale directly through Barnes & Noble of course, and will also be available through Walmart, Best Buy, Books A Million, and Staples when it launches.

This darling is not intended to be used as a tablet, but rather as a plain and simple e-book reader—easy to use and painless to your wallet as well.  Now let’s wait and see what Jeff Bezos thinks about this new competitor to his Kindle.  Amazon isn’t likely to take this new challenge lying down without an update to the Kindle.  You can bet on it.

Technology is such an exciting area and it keeps getting better and better—like good wine.  Good Day.

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The Color Nook Hits the Catwalk

Ever since Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO,  flexed his muscle and stood solidly behind the Amazon Kindle, the war of e-book readers has become white hot.  The large book resellers have jumped into the bandwagon with their own propietary gadget in an effort to rake in millions of greenbacks from the emerging electronic books industry which has a rising trend.

Photograph of the Color Nook e-book reader. Credit: Barnes & Noble

The latest kid in the block is the Color Nook which promises to give the Kindle a run for its money.  The $249 Color Nook, which has a 7-inch color touch-sensitive LCD screen and weighs les than a pound ships on November 19, just before the Christmas Holidays.

Barns & Noble decided to run the gadget with Google’s Android operating system bypassing Microsoft and Apple software.  This color e-book reader offers additional functionality such as Web browsing, audio and video playback, and some basic games.  It has a built-in Wi-Fi, but no 3G, and comes with 8 GB of internal memory which I think is the bare minimum.  B&N plans to sell some apps through its own stores.  Sounds familiar?

The color gadget can be used to read books, magazines, newspapers and an expanded array of children’s titles.  However, its main feature is the reading experience in direct confrontation with Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader.  The battery is expected to last roughly eight hous which pales in comparison with the longer battery charge of Amazon’s Kindle—a single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off.

I understand the Color Nook will be available at Best Buy, Walmart and soon Books-a-Million stores, along with B&N stores.  The guns are aimed squarely at the Kindle.  However, due to its color features, medium-sized LCD screen, and light weight, it’s also a good alternative to the bulkier and more expensive Apple iPad. It will be interesting to watch how consumers react to this new baby.  Good Day.

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The e-Book Reader’s Fever

Once Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, announced the Kindle, the publishing industry would never be the same again.  This announcement took the industry by storm.  The Kindle is not yet a mainstream gadget, but it’s on the right track.  Its main hurdles are that it has no color and the price is too steep.  If you add a polychromatic screen and an affordable price, it would be another invention similar to Gutemberg’s movable type printing.

Recently in was on the news that Barnes & Noble, which operates the nation’s largest chain of bookstores,  joined the electronic books race with the Nook.  The Nook, priced at $259, went on sale Tuesday afternoon at nook.com, at a price that matched the latest edition of the Kindle. The Nook will ship starting in late November.

B&N is trying to consolidate sales of e-books onto the Nook, which features a six-inch gray and white reading screen and a color touch screen control panel. In any of the chain’s 1,300 stores, consumers can download books on the Wi-Fi network. Outside the stores, consumers will access AT&T 3G network to download books.

One of the differentiating factors of the Nook is that customers can “lend” books to friends. But customers may lend out any given title only one time for a total of 14 days and they cannot read it on their own Nook while it is lent.

The Nook also has software that will detect when a consumer walks into a store so that it can push out coupons and other promotions like excerpts from forthcoming books or suggestions for new reading. While in stores, Nook owners will be able to read any e-book through streaming software.

Barnes & Noble is jumping into a crowded market dominated by the Kindle. The Reader from Sony is the next most popular such device, but there are several others in the works, including electronic readers from iRex and Plastic Logic.

It’s an interesting race to follow.  B&N, Amazon and Sony are great contenders and they know how to move their pawns.  I hope they realize $200 for a book reader is asking for too much.  I have a gut feeling, that when the dust settles, we will see prices in the neighborhood of $100 for a full-featured electronic book reader.  For sure it will not be possible this Christmas.  Maybe next?  Good Day.

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