Ray Hendon

Ultraportables, which include the newest incarnation of thin and light laptops, the Ultrabook, are thought by some to be a threat to tablet computers.  The instant-on capability of Ultrabooks are believed to be especially attractive to those who have been buying tablets because of this feature. 

It appears likely to me that Ultrabooks and other thin and light laptops will do well in the market place, especially when their prices fall a few hundred dollars.  But whether they will dampen any of the enthusiasm for tablets is another matter.  Personally I think both form factors satisfy separate needs for different users.

One feature of the new Ultrabooks that will help resolve the question is whether they will serve their owners as competent eReaders.  Surely there are some prospective buyers who would prefer to own only one device rather than two—but only if the one could do the work of two.  Can an Ultrabook do both heavy duty computing and convenient eReading?  Can one design satisfy both these needs?

Certainly a dedicated eReader or a tablet have some advantages over a laptop, even a thin and light one.  Reading electronic books, for example is probably done best by a device that closely emulates the look and feel of a book.  The popularity of the Kindle and Nook are thought to owe much of their success to their similarity to printed books.

How essential is the look and feel,  though, to those who read a lot.   This article takes a look at the possibility of using these new, thin and light computers as an eReader.

To put this question to a practical test, I loaded the top three eReading applications to an 11.6” screen Asus UX21 to see how they worked.  The applications chosen to test are:

Amazon’s Kindle App for PCs, Macs, iPad, iPhone and Android devices

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• Barnes and Noble’s Nook Application for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone  and Android devices
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• Sony’s Reader Application for PC, Mac and Android devices

  

To give you a taste of the difference, I have taken screen shots of random pages from eBooks on the three applications I mentioned.

Beginning with Amazon, a screen shot of George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, is displayed in the two column format for laptop viewing. The screen shot is taken of the Kindle application for PCs.

Screen of Kindle Reader in Two Column Format

The Kindle app is widely praised for its versatility of layout options, underlining, comments, bookmarks and especially its syncing abilities.  This app also has go-to options that ease navigation, and dictionary lookup for a highlighted word.  All these features work on Ultrabooks. 

Amazon also has a user friendly policy of allowing you to direct any book in your library to be sent to any device on your registered list of devices. Amazon is indifferent as to which device or how many you use for any their electronic titles.  It treats them all the same and syncs them in an effortless way. The moment I registered my latest laptop, the Asus ZenBook UX21, all books in my library were immediately available for reading.

The strongest features of Amazon is, in my view, the ease of use of its website.  It is easy to find books, send them to the device of your choice, and generally navigate their vast site.

Equally strong is the selection of books, magazines and newspapers. They claim over a million titles, but that includes some categories such as “Singles” that represent a new class of literature that is generally shorter than a book but longer than an article. 

The worst feature of Amazon is that they insist on using a proprietary format for their eBook files.  It has an AZW extension and works only on Kindle software or hardware.  Although all the free sites I use give the option of downloading their books in the AZW format, in practice it is not terribly inconvenient.  Amazon also can read PDF files, and they will convert your Word for Windows documents to a format that allows you to put them in you Kindle library.

The other downside to Amazon is that they use DRM (digital rights management) on everything, so there is no cutting or pasting using anything in the AZW format. 

The Nook eReader software also provides a good reader experience. The screen shot below is from one of their pre-DRM works. Don’t be fooled by the small typeface. My screen capture utility shrunk it because the Nook takes up more of the horizontal space of the computer screen than the Kindle reader, so it has to cut the size down to fit within the pasted space. In practice, the Nook screen is as readable as any other.

Screen shot from the Nook Reader using the dual pane format

All the formatting and user options are available for the Nook reader–font size, margins, highlighting, lookup, go-to. And the B&N syncing feature is excellent between devices, and they offer their reader software app for a wide range of devices.

As far as eReading goes, it is hard to find much to prefer of B&N over Amazon or vice versa.  Both are excellent and have almost identical features.

The same is true for selection of books. B&N’s inventory is huge, and they have a good selection of free public domain books—as good as or better than Amazon’s.

Nook uses the ePub format, as does Sony, although both will read many other formats as well.  They do not read Amazon’s proprietary AZW file format, however.

Something of an oddity: The Nook reader treats all ePub software as DRM protected, so they do not allow cutting or pasting of non-DRM books.  Even on the iPad, whose own iReader app allows cutting and pasting of non-DRM protected material the  Nook does not.

Sony’s reader app provides a good reading experience. The screen shot below is from an ePub file of a non-DRM version of Sherlock Holmes.

 

Screen of Sony Reader’s Dual Column Layout

 

As with the Nook, the Sony Reader software uses more of the landscape screen to display its materiel than the Kindle app, so my clipping software has to reduce it to fit the pasting space. But Sony gives one plenty of formatting options and page control.

Sony lags both Amazon and B&N with book selection and syncing ability.  Their books are generally priced high; they have few free books, and their selection doesn’t match its two larger competitors.

Sony makes its reader software available to fewer devices—no iPad, no iPhone, no BlackBerry, for example.  They have syncing available to the three types of devices they support, but I have not tried it personally.

I like the Sony reader app for its ability to read almost any kind of document regardless of format, except, of course, Kindle documents. I will always have their app installed on my computers in case a particular book is not available in the Kindle format.  And they allow cut and paste options for non-protected books.

I find all three of the reader software about equally enjoyable to use. The differences in layout and options are not terribly important. I find I use the Kindle app more than the others because I find more books on their site I like, and I like to sync the books among all my devices. Still, I maintain active use of the Nook and the Sony Readers.

Summary:

First, the reality of the size and convenience of specialized eReaders and tablets makes it clear that they have the advantage. It is not possible for an ultrabook, weighing in at 2.9 pounds, to be as convenient to use as a 7-inch tablet or even the pound and a half iPad.

However, it is also inconvenient to carry two devices if one will do. So, there will be occasions when a thin and light laptop could be a suitable substitute for a dedicated eReader or tablet. 

At bottom, all of these tested apps work well on an Ultrabook. And they would work just as well with the software from other vendors such as Kobo or Blio. If your eReading preferences include comic books, magazines or children’s books, then you might like a specialty reader designed for the formats unique to these publications.

While all the eReading apps work well on an Ultrabook, it still may not be your preferred way of reading electronic texts.  But they are completely usable as a primary or secondary eReader. The choice of one over another is more dependent on which site you prefer to use because of its particular strengths than to the characteristics of their eReades.

From my experience, I have given away my Kindle reader. I simply do not want to carry another device with me in my travels. Now that I have a 7-inch tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, I use it as my eReader of choice because of its lightness and ease of holding in one hand. I use the iPad for e-reading infrequently, but there are occasions when it comes in handy. Its weight, though, makes it a second choice, especially for long reading times. 

I rarely use a PC or my ultraportable for reading, but if I do it will be on the ultraportable.  Its lightness and instant-on feature does make it a better choice than the older, heavier laptops, but it is not as convenient to carry as a tablet.

An ultraportable may not be your favorite way of reading electronic texts, but it serves as a completely satisfying vehicle for reading if you want to carry only one device with you or if an occasion arises when it is all you have to use.

 

Reports out the last few days point to Barnes and Noble looking at ways of selling some or all of their Nook line of eRedeaders.  The problem is an odd one.  By most measures the Nooks have been successful products.  They competed effectively with other eReading devices, and the Nook Color almost singlehandedly defined a new niche in the tablet category of computers.

The bottom line, however, is that the sales success has not been translated to B&N’s bottom line:  the large book chain has not found  a way to sell their fancy new devices at a profit.  Development costs are high, as are the costs of keeping the products up to date in a fast-paced technology industry. 

B&N is said to be looking at two options:  The first is to sell the brand to another firm that could afford to continue developing the Nooks and to promote them in American and international markets.  It is understood, apparently, that these products need further development and to be promoted more than they are now if they are to become profitable.

The second option would be to sell a large percentage of the products to another firm but keep  a minority interest.  This would allow B&N to reap some of the expected profits from the line as it reached critical mass.  And it would free them from the need to raise additional capital.

Lurking behind the issue is that B&N is not currently profitable.  Furthermore, if they sell or drop the line of eReaders, what they are left with is a dinosaur brick and mortar book chain that is steadily losing ground to the same digital markets that the Nook has helped define.

Some analysts feel the Nook is doomed and will eventually disappear.  The price pressure applied by Amazon is simply too much for each of their products, the e-Ink Reader that sells for $100, the Nook Color for $199 and the Nook Tablet for $249.  At these prices, there is no margin left for profit and not enough money coming in to continue their development efforts.

If there is to be a buyer it must obviously be one with deep pockets.  Microsoft and Google qualify as having deep pockets.  But do they have the compelling interest?  It is hard to see Microsoft blowing itself up even beyond their present size to take on such a different breed of cat.  It is not an area in which they have much of a proprietary interest.  They are not hardware manufactures at their core; neither are they book sellers, electronic or otherwise.

The case for Google is better.  They have an electronics bookstore, although it is not doing particularly well.  And they make the Android OS that runs many of the eReaders, both e-Ink and LCD types.  They would have better bargaining power with the publishers for the electronic titles they would sell.  Perhaps a partnership would be possible for them.

It also seems that Sony could be interested.  Their selection of electronic titles lags B&N and Amazon, so they would gain traction in an industry that is not in their wheelhouse.  They make eReader hardware now, so there would be some duplication in picking up the Nook line.  However, Sony could use the Color Nooks to enhance their offerings in the 7-inch segment of the tablet market.  Furthermore, Integrating these two sides of the Pacific might me more than Sony could do given their current state of struggle in the computer market.  This makes them a longshot, in my view.

12/21/2011:  Fire Fixes Flaws

From David Pogue: “Animations are sluggish and jerky — even the page turns that you’d think would be the pride of the Kindle team. Taps sometimes don’t register. There are no progress or ‘wait’ indicators, so you frequently don’t know if the machine has even registered your touch commands. The momentum of the animations hasn’t been calculated right, so the whole thing feels ornery.”

+A software update, sent out over the air on Tuesday, fixes these balky characteristics.  According to reviews, the carousel stops spinning on a dime; it takes only one tap to open an application, and one tap opens something much faster than before. and page turns are faster and smoother.

There was one enhancement, too.  The user can control which apps are in the home carousel.

A good fix for the Fire that makes a significant difference in user satisfaction.

12/19/2011:  Lenovo Has Quad-core 10.1-inch Tablet in The Oven

A report from DigiTimes, a newspaper based in Taiwan that keeps a close eye on electronics manufacturers in that island nation, says that Lenovo has a quad-core tablet ready to begin production in January.   It will be called the K2, which will be an update of the existing K1.  The new device will feature an  NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, up to 2GB of RAM, and Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

12/17/2011:  7-inch iPad Coming in Late 2012?

DigiTimes, an infamous reporter of random rumors strikes again with a report that Apple is buying oodles of 7.85-inch displays from LG and Aupotronics.  Presumably these purchases are intended for use by the Cupertino firm, and it probably isn’t for a new laptop.  More likely it would be for the often speculated 7-inch tablet, a sort of mini-iPad. 

The rumor would put delivery close to the end of 2012.  DigiTimes has been right in some of their reporting, given the close relationship they have with the Taiwan firms that actually manufacture many of the world’s laptops.  But, they have also been wrong, so there is no way of knowing yet.

RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook  sold about 850,000 units for the three quarters since its introduction.  %00,000 weere sold in its first quarter, 200,000 the next and now, 150,000 in the last quarter that ended November 26th.  RIM has been working overtime trying to get sales going on their tablet.  They have sent out multiple OS fixes, and they promise a much improved model in February.  But, the main emphasis for boosting their sales has been to lower the price to $200.  this has helped, and it is rumored that after Christmas selling season is over they will keep the $200 price point as permanent.

This will make it hard for other 7-inch tablets to get more than $200, with the Kindle Fire selling at that price, too.  This is good news for those who are considering a 7-inch model to supplement their digital experiences.

12/12/2011: Kindle Fire to Get Software Update

Amazon will push an update to Kindle Fire owners before the end of the year, according to a report in the New York Times.  The new software will offer better performance, improvements in multitouch navigation, and the ability to edit the list of recently used items that show up on the home screen.

All of the enhancements are in response to consumer complaints that have been documented in reviews posted by the early adopters of the new 7-inch tablet.  Nearly 33% of early buyers have given the Fire three star or less ratings.  This compared with only 11% of the first Kindle buyers some years ago.

12/08/2011:  The Nook Tablet Ships a Million

It is clear now that the 7-inch segment of the tablet market will never be the same since Amazon and Barnes and Noble brought out their 7-inchers at prices that translate to roughly half the prevailing prices at the time.

Amazon’s success with the Kindle Fire has been widely publicized, and now Barnes and Noble is said to have shipped a million units of their Nook Tablet since its mid-November debut.

Neither the Fire nor the Nook Tablet are as full featured as their competition from Samsung or HTC, to name a couple, but the pricing at that end of the market will never again support a $400 price, much less the $500 price point at which they were initially offered.

An example is offered by RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook.  Even at the deeply discounted price of $199, they are expected to have sold only about 150,000 units for the entire quarter.  Admittedly the $199 price point was not in effect during the entire quarter, but with Amazon selling four to five million since mid November and Barnes and Noble at least taking shipments on a million units, this can spell only disaster for the PlayBook.  I wonder if it can be fixed.

The sales of Samsung 7-inch tabs and HTC are not yet known, but it cannot be expected to be much.  Altough HTC has reduced the price on their 7-incher to $199, I wonder how much they can sell.  The original Galaxy Tab is now selling for $200 with a 3G contract.  It is hard to see that the newer models of the same size will sell much at their $400 price points.

12/01/2011: Electronic Reading Continues it Rapid Growth

Electronic reading continues to grow at a fast pace as it continues to grab a larger slice of the book sales pie. Amazon reported today that they now offer over 900,000 eBooks in English and other languages, all offered for sale through their website.

Following this announcement, Juniper Research, a firm that follows the industry, released a report which foresees sales of electronic books to reach almost $10 billion by 2016. Sales for this year are estimated to be about $3.2 billion.

Juniper attributes the rise to the growing inventory of eBooks and in the number of eReading devices on the market. They also say that the spread of eReading to smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices is expected to contribute to the growth. The research firm expects that tablets alone may account for as much as 30 percent of eBook downloads by 2016.

Posted via DraftCraft app

The  research firm IDC has reported year-to-date sales on tablets, and it revels a 264.5 percent surge in tablet sales worldwide from the third quarter of last year to this year.  Third quarter shipments for this year are estimated at 18.1 million units.   This amounts to a growth of 23.9 percent from the second quarter of this year.

Apple’s iPad led the field with 11.1 million units shipped during the 3rd quarter.  This is just over 61 percent of all tablets shipped during the period.  Samsung’s tablet line, which includes both 10.1 and 7-inch models, was in second place with 5.6 percent of the total worldwide shipments. 

HP’s quickly discontinued TouchPad placed third by shipping 903,000 units, yielding a 5 percent market share. 

The Kindle Fire did not begin shipping until the middle of November, so they had no 3rd quarter shipments.

Apple’s dominance of this market is expected to diminish in the 4th quarter, however.  IDC estimates that Android-based tablets, which include the Samsung tablets and the Kindle Fire, will increase their market share to 40.3 percent  and the iPad will fall to 59 percent.  Much of the increase for Android devices is attributable to the amazing success of the Kindle Fire.

Specific estimates for the Nook Color and Nook Tablet were not provided, but it is widely believed that these Barnes and Noble products will also contribute to the decline in market share enjoyed by the iPad.  Both of their tablets have enjoyed strong sales over the final quarter of the year.

The data leave little doubt that there is a wider market for the 7-inch form factor than has been seen before the Fire and Nook tablets were introduced.  Certainly the price points of $199 for the Fire and Nook Color and $249 for the Nook Tablet have had much to do with the surge in popularity of the smaller devices.  Prior to this development, the 7-inch models were listed at $499, and they had failed to move.  Amazon and Barnes and Noble changed that dynamic with unambiguous clarity.

2011 looks especially good for this new form factor.  IDC estiates that by the end of the year total worldwide shipments will come in a 63.3 million units shipped.  Next year should be even better.

Of all the Android-based tablets that have been brought to market this near, none have made any significant progress against the leader, the Apple iPad, except the recently introduced Kindle Fire.

Wisely avoiding a head-to-head competition with the iPad, Amazon chose a smaller form factor and one oriented more to the e-reader market and its needs than to the wider audience that the iPad appeals to.  Yet the Fire is, after all, still an Android-based machine, but with extensive customization of the interface and tight integration with all of Amazon’s products and services. 

Now we have the beginning of estimated sales data, and the data supports the wisdom of Amazon in doing with their new tablet what they did.  A business information services company, HIS says:

“. . .Amazon will ship 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets during the last three months of 2011, giving the company a 13.8 percent share of tablet shipments in the fourth quarter, beating out the 4.8 percent held by Samsung. Apple is pegged to control 65.6 percent of the market.”

The same data also shows that Barnes and Noble did a good job on their new tablet, the Nook Tablet.  It has established itself solidly behind Samsung in fourth place with around 4% of the market. 

The success of the Fire, specifically, shows the marketing muscle of Amazon, and is a tribute to their design team—as is the Nook Tablet.  The iPad can be taken on, but the most successful firm in doing it did it with a smaller (e-reader-sized) screen and a reduced functionality.  But, more importantly, it also comes in less than half the price of the iPad.  These factors, coupled with Amazon’s loyal customer base and marketing muscle, explain much of their success.

This success story may give other manufacturers some hope, but it also a warning.  Android cannot take on iOS directly.  Their interface is not as polished or consistent, although I hope the newest version, 4.0, will go some distance in closing this gap. 

But close is not good enough in the tablet market.  A price reduction is mandatory for those who aspire to take on Apple.  Look at the failures of Motorola’s Xoom, RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook and HP’s tablet.  Close isn’t enough. 

BlackBerry, similar to HP, has found, perhaps a sweeter spot at $200 than at $500, but it is far from clear that their 7-incher is yet a viable product.  This venerable firm had to take a half-a-billion dollar write-down on their existing inventory this last quarter.  I can’t see how this is good news for anyone but to the guys and gals from Cupertino.

Another piece of good news for those of us who buy this stuff, is that the 7-inch segment of the tablet market may have found its proper place.  At $200, it is viable.  The problem with this is that no one can make and sell a good quality 7-inch tablet at that price.  It is reported by those that follow the accounting statements and finances of Amazon that the Fire costs them a dollar or two more than $200—but they can make up the difference with the sale of all the other stuff they sell.  Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Toshiba and countless others don’t have this luxury.

Perhaps I should exempt Motorola from this category, however, because it is now owned by Google.  It is understood that Google does have aspirations to rival Amazon in the sale of books and other stuff, and they have made moves in that area.  But the Xoom is supposedly an autonomous division of Google, so on their own, the executives of that division could not sell their product for less than it costs to produce it.  Google has some organizational issues to deal with if they want their product to compete in this market.  They may have to adopt the old Gillette strategy of giving away the razor to make their profit on the blades.

 

11/28/2011:  Rumor: Apple to Re-design MacBook Airs And Add a 15-inch Model in Q1 of 2012.

Now the 10% price reduction on existing MacBook Air notebooks makes more sense.  The rumor is that sometime in the first quarter of next year Apple will offer a new design of the 11.6 and 13.3-inch models, plus they will add a 15-incher to the mix.

The price reduction is, then, a way of trimming its inventory of the old before bringing out the new.  This puts a new twist on buying one now.  The new models will probably have beefed up processors, faster and be more efficient.

Adding a 15incher, it is said, is Apple’s way of trying to compete in the enterprise market—sell more to business users.  This strategy, if it is, will meet significant resistance from business buyers who have a mandatory need to run the legacy Windows apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.  Microsoft has written code for these apps to run on Apple products, but it will require a separate purchase and add another layer of support on the IT departments.  Something, no one wants to do.

But, the Air is a fabulous product, and it will get some sales in the enterprise market.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is Huge in Sales, as Are The Other Kindle Models.

Amazon announced that Kindle sales are four times greater this year than last, probably largely attributable to the Kindle Fire.  Their new tablet is now the largest selling item they sell, system wide.  It looks as if Amazon has hit the sweet spot for the small-form tablet.

11/24/2011:  Lenovo’s 10.1-inch Tablet Price Cut

The IdeaPad K1, Lenovo’s entry into the consumer market for Android tablets, began its existence priced at $499.  Seeing its mistake, Lenovo has now reduced its price to $349 according to PC World.  Lenovo’s on-line site specifies $379.  This is their top of the line product for consumers.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS
•     NVIDIA® Tegra 2.0 T20 1.0GHz processor
•     Google Android 3.1 operating system
•     10.1” HD (1280×800) display
•     Up to 1GB DDR2 memory, up to 64GB SSD storage
•     Integrated Bluetooth®, 3G1
& 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity
[Only two color options (brown and red) support 3G connectivity;
3G option is not available before the end of August]
•     Micro SD card reader, Mini HDMI connector & Docking port
2
•     Integrated front (2M) & back (5M) mounted webcam

It comes with 30 apps (including Angry Birds) pre-loaded.  Strong on social networking, movies and its high resolution screen.  At the new price it will be competitive for those who want an Android large-screen tablet.

11/21/2011:  Children’s Books Lag in eReading

An article in today’s NY Times points out that children’s books are not making the transition to electronicformat at the pace for all adultr books.  The article points out:

“. . .sales of e-books for titles aimed at children under 8 have barely budged. They represent less than 5 percent of total annual sales of children’s books, several publishers estimated, compared with more than 25 percent in some categories of adult books.”

It seems that the parents of young children enjoy the tradition of holding an actual book with a child in their lap and the two go through the pages together.  In this way the child learns to turn the page and get familiar with the symbols and pictures made especially for the younger set.

It is difficult to impossible to put all the special fonts and pictures for children within the confines of a six-inch eReader screen.  Additionally, converting a paper children’s book to electronic texts is expensive with the special graphics and page sizes used for the youngsters.

The article also points out another significant impediment to adoption of electronic editions.  Parents love the browsing experience of a brick and mortar store and often stumble upon a new book for their child by just strolling the book shelves.

“. . . parents often want to flip through an entire book before buying it, something they usually cannot do with e-book browsing. A study commissioned by HarperCollins in 2010 found that books bought for 3- to 7-year-olds were frequently discovered at a local bookstore — 38 percent of the time.”

It looks as if there will not be much of an acceleration from tradition print to electronic editions in this niche market. 

11/19/2011  Amazon Ups Orders Again for Kindle Fire

According to a report by Display Search, a research organization, Amazon has recently added another one million units to its orders for the Kindle Fire this quarter.  This brings their orders up to 6 million, which is what they expect to sell by the end of this year.

The iPad2, according to general consensus, is expecting to sell about 9 million units for the quarter ending December 31.  this comparison is astounding.  No other tablet provider has sold more than a couple of million units a year, much less a quarter.  Amazon has shown its marketing muscle, and they have it in abundance.

These sales figures may not stay at this level past the holiday season.   Apple is expected to bring out the iPad3 by April or 2012, and that would put it further ahead of the Kindle Fire in features than it is now.

Nevertheless, Amazon has made an impressive debut for its new tablet .  they have my attention.

11/18/2011:  BlackBerry PlayBook for $199 in Canada

The Kindle Fire effect has reached our immediate neighbor to the north. The BlackBerry PlayBook is now on sale there for $199 for their 16 GB model at Canadian BestBuy stores. This sale will end on November 24.

In the U.S., Staples is offering that same deal (one per customer) but only on Black Friday. So far no other American retailers have matched that deal, but it probably won’t be long. It looks as if RIM is trying to empty its warehouses.

There is probably a newer version on the near horizon, at least I hope so. The new model, though, is not supposed to be out until after the first of the year in February.

For those interested in e-reading, the PlayBook has a Kindle app, so it will do well reading electronic books. Its specs are also quite good—fast processor, good screen resolution and fast execution. It has been hobbled, however, with the omission of some key applications such as email and contacts, and it uses a proprietary operating system, QNX, which is not natively compatible with Android apps. This has left it short of a good selection of independent apps.

Thus far, regardless of similar promotions in the recent past, it is not moving off dealer shelves. It is hard to make much of a case for it at $199, given its limited usefulness over the long term. In my view is was almost a good idea, and RIM almost implemented their almost good idea. It was and is, though, almost a good tablet.

11/16/2011;  Santa’s List Dominated By Tablets This Year

A survey done by PriceGrabber of online shoppers asked respondents what they wanted for Christmas.  First, 79% of the respondents wanted a tablet computer over a laptop.  Of the 79% who preferred a tablet, the following is their ranking by preference:

1. iPad: 83%
2. Kindle Fire, 5%
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 4%
4. HP Touch, 2%

The survey was taken in mid to late October, before news of the Nook Tablet was released.

For those who wanted an e-reader, the results by rank:

1. iPad, 62%
2. Kindle, 27%
3. Nook, 7%.

The sample size was 3574, but it was not a random sample, therefore the results are not reliable for scientific purposes.  But is is informative.  The iPad obviously dominates their choices, and this is not new.  But the Kindle Fire coming in 2nd is.  Amazon has an amazing ability to catch the public’s attention, and a good level of trust, too.  Christmas may be a little blue for the other sellers of tablets such as Acer, Asus, Toshiba, HTC and others.

No questions about preferences for screen size were asked, but the large-screen iPad seems to settle that issue for now.

Mobile Battery Life May Expand by 10 Times

Nothing is more bothersome to mobile computer and smartphone users than having to keep all their instruments charged.  I generally use four portable devices: a Lenovo Ultraportable Laptop, an iPhone, iPad and a Galaxy Tab of 7-inches.  Keeping all these guys running requires due diligence and constant attention.

Now a group of engineers at Northwestern University have been experimenting with lithium ion batteries, the kind almost all mobile devices use, and they claim they have extended the life of a single charge by 10 times.  A cellphone might last a month on a charge if this holds true when their ideas are put into production.

Additionally, they also claim that these new formulations will charge in a 10th of the time of today’s batteries.  They claim 15 minutes is all it takes to get one of their batteries fully charged.

The full article is found here if you want to get the details.  Needless to say, this is great news for all who are too often tethered to a wall outlet for hours at a time. I hope their claims have merit for production models.

11/10/11:  Amazon Increases Production Run on the Kindle Fire to 5 Million units

Pre-orders for the new Kindle Fire, Amazon’s upcoming 7-inch tablet, are doing so well that they have just upped the first production run to 5 million units, according to report from Taiwan. 

This is excellent news for Amazon, who has spent many millions of dollars in developing their new tablet.  It looks as if the Fire will slip in at second place behind only the iPad in the race for leadership in the tablet market.  Over the last year Samsung has led the 7-inch segment of the market, but the Fire is going to blow it out of the water.

This is probably good news, at least in one way, for Barnes and Noble.  The new form factor is definitely catching on.  This may mean that B&N’s efforts for their new Nook Tablet will also pay off.

The Kindle Fire is expected to be delivered to those who ordered earlier by November 15th.  I am anxious to read the first reviews of it.  The price is good, but it comes in on the low side as far as its specs—no cameras, slower processor and not running a version of Android that has access to the Android Marketplace.

RIM’s Playbook to go on sale Black Friday at Staples for $199

Research in Motion has had trouble selling its BlackBerry Playbook, and there has been much speculation as to whether their 7-inch tablet will make the cut by the end of the year.  The price has been coming down from its original $499, and now Staples has announced it will sell the device for $199 on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

Its survival is still in question because of delays in bringing its functionality up to par with other tablets.  And RIM recently cancelled a scheduled upgrade, putting it off until next year.  This indicates that the software fixes are much more difficult to bring off than its executives first thought.

11/09/2011:  Kindle Fire and other Kindle Models to be Sold at 16,000 Retailers.

Beginning November 15 the new Kindle Fire will be in stock at over 16,000 stores in the U.S.  BestBuy, Office Depot, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and WalMart will carry the products.

These are, by and large the same stores that have carried the eInk readers Amazon sells, so it is not surprising they have picked up the Kindle Fire.  This availability trumps Barnes and Noble’s bragging rights about having brick and mortar stores where their customers can buy the Nook Color.

Most of these stores also carry the iPad, so it gives Amazon a chance to compete directly with those who are shopping for a new tablet.  Although the Fire does not seem designed to compete head-to-head with the iPad, it doesn’t hurt to have it close by when iPad shoppers are looking.

11/08/2011:  T-Mobile to offer 4G (almost) version of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Press release from T-Mobile:

Beginning Nov. 16 customers can purchase the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for a $249.99 down payment at T-Mobile retail stores.

The purchase requires a $50 mail-in rebate, with a T-Mobile Value Mobile Broadband plan, two-year service agreement, and 20 interest free monthly payments of $10 on approved credit. Overage-free Mobile Broadband Value plans start at $29.99 per month, and T-Mobile postpaid voice customers enjoy $10 off their monthly mobile broadband service.

This up-dated version of the original Galaxy Tab is one of the finest 7-inchers on the market.  Now with a dual core, 1.2GHz processor, it will be much faster than its predecessor and have Honeycomb Android doing the user interface. 

For e-reading it offers two built-in readers: Blio for great color graphics in printed material and Zenio for magazines featuring full color.  It also offers a significant improvement in playing videos.  I would expect reader software from Kindle and Nook will be available the day it ships.

Amazon is selling a 16 GB WiFi-only version of the Tab for $399  with deliveries beginning November 13th.  Best Buy also carries a WiFi version (16GB) for $399.

The almost 4G offered by T-Mobile would be great, but there is no subsidy for buying it.  Their least expensive data plan is $30 per month, but with the extra $10 a buyers’ cost would be $40.

Bllack Friday is coming up soon, and the special items that retailers use to attract customers to their store are booming this year.  Some of these offers are especially attractive to those who like to read electronically, so I have filtered through the offers to construct the list following:

• BestBuy:  Acer Iconia A100 @ $190. 

The Acer Iconia A100, shown on right, is a normally much more expensive, but it is going for $190 at BestBuy only on Black Friday.  This tablet is not the equal of the latest Samsung Tab 7.0 plus or the HTC Flyer, but is equal and exceeds the Kindle Fire, at least in some uses.  Being a “pure” Android 2.3 device, it has full access to the Android Marketplace, which means it will run virtually everyone’s eReading software:  Kindle, Nook, Sony, Kobo, Google, and many others.

So if eReading is one of the things you would do on a Kindle Fire, look to the A100 as equal to the task.  Although you would give up the tight integration into the Amazon website for movies, books, music and magazines\, you can surf much faster, check you email well, and run all the Android apps.  I would give serious thought of using this device in place of the Fire if you want to have a more competent tablet as a tablet plus as an eReader.

• Asus Transformer:  @ $250.  The Transformer turns a 10.1 inch tablet, which seems competent in its own right, into a netbook, if you buy the keyboard/docking station that is sold separately.  So, for an extra $100 you get the best of the tablet and netbook.  At $250 it is only $50 more than the Kindle Fire, and it will run all the Android eReading software.  Something definitely worth checking out.

With a regular price of $399, it is $50 less than half price. If you are considering a netbook, this one is worth checking out.   It runs a verson of Andoid that has all the imporant eReader software availeble, so it would make a fine eReader machine plue a more fully functioning tablet/netbook.

Toshiba Thrive 10.1-inch Tablet @ $280. Running Android 3.2 with 8 GB of memory, this is a great price for a full-featured tablet computer with WiFi.  It will also run all the Android eReading software.  For another $50 you can upgrade to the 16Gb version.

Staples:

• BlackBerry Playbook, WiFi @ $199.  This tablet, highly touted when first introduced earlier this year, is still less than a fully function tablet, but the omissions to its feature set will be corrected in early 2012.  As asubstitute for the Kindle Fire it might be a good replacement.  It has the same internal processor as the Fire, but it has a excellent new OS dubbed WebOS.  An innovative design with fast execution and a bright screen, at this price is competes well with the Fire and Nook Tablet.  I don’t know if the Nook reader is available yet, but the Kindle Reader is.
• Acer Iconia A500 (10.1-inch screen) @ $300.  I don’t know the build quality of this Acer product, but if it is a solid machine, it represents a good value for an iPad substitute.  Android, at its current stage of existence, is not a full substitute for the Apple product, but with every new iteration of its OS it get closer.  At almost half the price, it is well worth checking out, especially as an eReader.

 

Office Depot:

• Lenovo Idea Pad K1 10.1-Inch Tablet @ $300

The Lenovo K1 is a competent 10.1-inch tablet with specs equivalent to many of the Android 10.1-inch tablets on the market today.  This $300 price may represent the new pricing point for those devices not quite up the the iPad standards, and $200 lower in price 

This tablet will have all the eReader software available to other Android devices, and would represent  a good buy for a well designed and built machine.

Apple Stores and Apple On-line

• MacBooks (Air, and Pro Models) off up to $101.

Apple doesn’t often discount its products, but Black Friday gives them a chance to clear out the inventory of many of their products.  The MacBook Air, a popular ultra-thin portable, will be about $100 less than usual, according to some rumor sources.  The MacBook Air represents the standard of the new ultra-thin portables.  No other vendor can match its looks or performance.  $101 off is not a steep discount, but it represents a fairly consistent way Apple cleans out its inventory with shallow discounts.  Such is the demand for their products.  The Air is available in 11.6-inch and 13-inch models ranging in regular price from $999 to almost $1300 for the 13-inch screen.  These will probably be the best prices one can expect for these highly valued machines.  Both the Air and MacBook Pro models have good eReading software from everyone who counts in the industry.

The MacBook Pro, the heavier model that has, for years, represented Apple’s standard for a conventional portable computer, is now giving way to the Air, with its lighter, thinner design.  You can go all the way up to an Intel i7 with this model, and a $100 off is probably is as good as it’s going to get.  

The model will probably be around for a few more years.  It has, of course, all the eReading software one could ask for.

 

iPad 2 @ $41 to $61 Off

The iPad 3 is headed to market by March or April of 2012, so Apple has some iPad2’s to close out.  As discounts go, these are not killer amounts, but it what we should expect from Apple. This firm has always maintained it high price points.

It looks like an exciting day on the busiest shopping day of the year. BestBuy is opening their stores at midnight. Arrive early if you have your sights set on a particular product. eReading on the iPad is fine, but it is a little heavy for long-session reading.  The King of the tablets gives nothing away as the best of the best in the tablet world.

Bon shopping.

 Ray Hendon

For the last two years I have wanted to begin each article about e-readers or tablets with a phrase about how rapidly things are changing in the industry. But, it is now and it always will  be that way. Technology is changing fast, and the longer we have experience in a particular technology, the faster change takes place. It’s a sentiment that is true in every segment of industry that is touched by computer technology.

This article is about the seven inch tablet, a segment of the tablet industry that has not in the past seen the tectonic eruptions that have defined the 10-inch segment. The iPad, of course, dominates the 10-inch segment, and, so far no other single tablet has managed to mount a significant challenge to the dominance established by the Apple product.

The seven-inch market, however, is not the same. Although Samsung probably owns the lion’s share of the smaller form factor today, their dominance is going to change soon. Samsung was the first major designer to bring a high quality device into this space, the Galaxy Tab. Their first 7-inch tablet was almost alone for the first nine months to a year of its existence. But, the price point Samsung chose for their entry was too high by half, so its sales paled with that of the iPad by more than 10 to one. Dell, who also had a 7-incher in the market, made a serious design flaw in giving their product a poor screen resolution, and even with their newer version, they still don’t get it, offering a measly 800 X 480 resolution while the market demands better.

The latter half of this year, however, has seen interest in the smaller form factor explode, not so much with sales but with other manufacturers jumping into the market with their own devices. Apparently they see something there that consumers do not. Of course, Amazon’s decision to go with the smaller screen for their first tablet has created more excitement than anything that preceded their announcement.

Below are nine of the best of these new devices, including one expected before the end of the year.

Acer Aspire Iconia A100

The technical specifications of the A100 are a little on the low side of most of the other tablets shown. It supports a dual core ARM A9 at 1 GHz speed, and its screen resolution is less than the best: 1024 X 600 is still being sold but 1024 by 800 is where it is headed. The A 100’s storage memory is light at 8 GB, although it does have a micro SD slot to boost the external memory.

Other specs include a weight of 14.7 oz, a TFT-LCD multitouch screen, two cameras, WiFi, blue tooth, 2 USB ports, HDMI out and GPS. It also runs Android Honeycomb and retails for $329 at BestBuy. AT&T has a 3G model that they sell with a data services contract.

Reviewers generally like the device but think it is priced too high for its specs. I agree, but I hope that as the end-of-year selling season progresses we will see a price reduction closer to $200. With the Kindle Fire going for $199 and the B&N Nook Tablet for $249, it doesn’t make much sense for spending a hundred or hundred and fifty more for the A100. It was unfortunate that Acer brought out its new model just before either the Fire or Nook Tablet came on the scene. Acer and every other tablet seller will have to do some re-thinking on their price points.

Lenovo Idea Pad A1

Priced on sale at $220 today from Lenovo, this model was also introduced before the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, so it suffered a little from being overpriced for the modest specs it has. But, the assumption would be that it is a well-built device, coming from Lenovo. It features:

Texas Instruments OMAP 3622 ( 1GHz )  single-core processor derived from the ARM A8 Cortex family.

· 1024×600 screen

• Android 2.3

· Optimized for the Web with full Flash® support and instant synching

· More than 10 preloaded apps, with more available via Lenovo App Shop and Android Market

· GPS navigation in offline mode

· Integrated front (0.3M) and back (3M) cameras

· Trendy design available in black, white, pink or blue

· Integrated Bluetooth® and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi

· Measures 7.7” x 4.9” x 0.5”

· Micro-USB connector, microSD card reader

Its weaknesses are the single core processor and a lack of full Android Market Place support and running an older version of Android, v 2.3.

Its strengths are in GPS, cameras (not great, but OK), and good connectivity with USB and microSD memory capability. Lenovo may find traction for their new entry at a $150 price point. But Lenovo has failed to adjust its prices yet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Samsung’s lead in the 7-inch segment of the tablet market is based on its original machine, The Galaxy Tab. The picture to the right is its replacement. While it looks about the same, it is thinner, lighter and speedier.

The Tab 7.0 Plus includes a 1.2GHz dual-core processor; the older model had a 1Ghz single-core ARM Cortex A8. The new machines also uses Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system; vs. 2.x Hummingbird for last year’s model. The screen resolution remains the same at 1024-pixel by 600-pixels. One of the cameras is up to 2.0 megapixles from 1.3. Video resolution remains the same at 720p.

A major upgrade over the older model is as a media center. The new one can be used as a remote control for many tv, etc. Samsung has also added a USB port, a nice improvement.

The new model will arrive at retailers on November 13.

The Wi-Fi-only Plus model with 16GB of storage will cost $400 at Best Buy, Amazon and Tiger Direct. A 32 GB model is also available.

There can be little doubt that the price of the new 7-inch Tab will have to come down. It is one of the best of the current crop of 7-inchers, but at twice the price of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and with only marginal improvement in performance, it is unlikely to sell many of the new machines. I would look for big price reductions as the final selling season gets underway.

One other thing in its favor is the year’s experience Samsung has in working out the kinks of this small form factor and in enhancing its feature set.  Their 7-inch Tab was and is a well made, sturdy device.

 

Huawei, SpringBoard

The 1280-by-800 screen

Mobile hotspot 3G

1.2-GHz dual-core Qualcom Snapdragon processor

1 GB RAM and 16GB storage

 

Huawei’s tablet is probably the best of the new breed. Good screen resolution, hotspot capability and a fast, dual-core processor.

It is a fine machine. It is fast, great graphics and a full feature set. But it is beset by two major problems, at least at this writing.

First it is too expensive. Again, the Amazon $199 price will cut it off at the knees at its advertised price of around $400.

Second, for now it is available only through T-Mobile—the weakest of the four major national service providers of cell phone service. Part of its problem is that its T-Mobile pricing is quite complicated. You make a down payment (with approved credit) of $229.99 and get a card for a $50 mail-in rebate. Then, on top of the charges for a data plan the owner must pay $10 a month for the next two years. This totals to $429 over the course of the contract, and by that time, of course, you will want to get a new device, given the rapid changes going on in the industry. One must also pay for the data services.

Below is a cut and paste from the T-Mobile site as to its features:

5 Megapixel Camera

Bluetooth® connectivity

Calculator

Calendar

GPS with Navigation Capability

HDMI Out

Music player

QWERTY keyboard

USB Tethering*

Voice recorder

Wi-Fi enabled*

This is a good batch of specs except for external memory capability or USB connection. It is also overpriced when compared with an iPad2 or other tablets. I would like to see it sold with WiFi only, but Huawei seems to be putting all its eggs in the T-Mobile basket for now.

PC world has a hands-on review here. Generally the reviewer was impressed with its speed and ability to stream videos without hitches. But, the reviewer had only a few minutes with the device, so we must wait for a more comprehensive review.

 

Amazon Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire has generated more interest in tablet computers than any other product except the iPad. Kindle e-reader customers have suffered long with their eInk, non-touch readers, and there is obviously a large number of Amazon customers who were waiting for a full-color tablet. Amazon recently upped their initial production run to 5 million units that they expect to sell before the end of the year. Pre-orders have apparently gone well.

Video Review:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Opi9VZt8s

Written hand-on review from Associated Press: http://news.yahoo.com/review-kindle-fire-sacrifices-under-200-050342124.html

Hands-on review from Wired: http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/11/kindle-fire/all/1

Specs on this $199 device are not outstanding. To get the price $300 lower than the iPad, they had to leave out things like cameras, high resolution screen (1024 X 600), 3G access and unmolested Android. But, the total package will probably work well for many users. It will surf, is tightly integrated with Amazon’s movies, music and electronic books. It will stream video, check e-mail and have some form of text entry for notes and letters. And Amazon has created its own browser that promises to be fast and capable. The video of a demonstration is impressive.

It also stores your movies, books and music on Amazon’s cloud storage facilities. This means you don’t need a lot of internal memory, thus saving more on production costs.

With Amazon’s marketing muscle and decent machine they will have a hit and probably end the year with the second place in tablet sales behind the iPad. In terms of pure specs, the Fire is more toward the low end of the market rather than the high, but when the build-quality and software integration is included in the definition it is not a low-end machine. It has a reduced feature set, but it does a great job in what it does.

 

Nook Tablet

The Nook family of e-readers and tablets is shown below, with the newest entry, the Nook Tablet shown on the right. Its specs are better than the Kindle Fire—it has a faster dual core and higher screen resolution, and it has more internal memory. It is also priced at $249.99, $50 more than Amazon’s product.(Click Here for  Review of Engadget)

For a more comprehensive review,see PC World’s Review Here.

Who can say how it will fare next to the Fire. Probably it will do OK. B&N gained credibility with their Nook Color as a fairly competent Android device, although it was marketed as a full-color e-reader.

I don’t think it will sell near as many as the Fire. Amazon has a larger customer base, and the integration with Amazon’s content will be attractive to many of their loyal customers. Nevertheless, B&N has a loyal customer base, too, so I expect they will do well with their new Nook Tablet.

HTC Flyer

The Flyer is a great 7-inch tablet. It is light, slim and has a great processor and screen. I wish all the 7-inchers were this good. It’s major problem is that it is a little too good. HTC has included pen-input capability, and this adds to the cost. While it is nice, not everyone needs it, and I wonder that it woldn’t have been better to offer two models, one with and one without this feature. But, that is only one person’s guess.

A hands-on review was published at Engadget (Click Here). It is a great machine. “. . . the 7-inch Flyer, the most unique of this year’s Android tablet offerings, opting for a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a sturdy aluminum construction that doesn’t even try to compete in the race for extreme thinness, and a Magic Pen to make you forget it’s running Gingerbread and not Honeycomb (yet).

Its display goes with the 1024 X 600, but it looks great. I have used it for brief periods—it is fast, bright and responsive. Viewing angle is much better than many, and it feels good in the hand.

When it first hit the market a month or so ago it was priced at $499—a killer for a 7-inch tablet. But it sat on dealer shelves until the price was reduced to $399. But it is still a notch too high, in my view.

It comes in two versions: 3G and WiFi only. Amazon sells a 3G version for $500, but it must be unlocked. None of the major carriers are selling it with a service plan for now.

Looking ahead:

The most interesting new 7-incher headed our way is the Samsung Tab 7.7. The new tablet, from the specs I have seen, it looks great.

· 7.7" SUPER AMOLED Plus*· 1280 x 800 WXGA· 197 pixels per inch (ppi)· 4-way rotation· Live Panel · Mini Apps · Clipboard · Hub for music, video (1080p), etc · WiFi, 3G, Blue Tooth · Front and back cameras · 1 GB memory + micro SD slot · 1.4 GHz dual core processor · Flash and Mobile Office suite · Sensors for proximity, GPS, Accelerometer, and others e-reading, games and remote control · WiFi, 3G, Blue Tooth · Front and back cameras · 1 GB memory + micro SD slot · 1.4 GHz dual core processor · Flash and Mobile Office suite · Sensors for proximity, GPS, Accelerometer, and others

The only problem with the nifty new device is that when and where it will be available is an unknown, apparently even to the executive suite at Samsung’s headquarters. Apple got an injunction against Samsung that prevents selling it in Germany and Australia.  Perhaps Samsung is fearful of the same thing happening in the U.S. The basis of Apple’s complaint was patent infringement, so this is a bothersome issue that may be a while before it is settled.

I will be first in line to see it if it ever makes it here. It may be a block buster of a product if it is priced right and the courts eventually allow it to be sold.  Otherwise, Samsung will have to pay some royalties to Apple on each unit produced.

The 7-inch market looks to come into its own this year and next.  I have found many uses for this size tablet, but it does not replace the iPad or other 10.1 Android tablet.  The screen size is simply to small to do a good job surfing in a serious manner.  I have also noticed that many power users have both sizes, so I am not alone in my opinion of its usefulness.

It is much preferred over a 10-inch tablet.As an e-reader, hotspot, email checker and some other functions,   It will be interesting see how this plays out.  Will the 7.7-inch make a splash?  Will Samsung’s other entry into the less than 10-inch market, the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab 8.9, make it as a viable alternative?

I took the picture to the left at a local BestBuy showing my 7-inch Galaxy Tab below the Galaxy Tab 8.9.  The larger screen will not fit into my back pocket, but it certainly makes a better web browser.

I will be watching this new form factor closely to see if it finds traction in the market.