Amazon announced the Kindle for iPad applications availability for users worldwide. It had previously been available for US subscribers only. The Kindle for iPad offers access to the complete Kindle-format bookstore with over 550,000 titles.
Today Amazon announced in a press release that, in the near future, Kindle software will come pre-installed on many ASUS models including the 1005PE line of Eee PC Netbooks and their UL Series of notebooks.
There is no doubt that preloaded software is not an entirely new concept. But the implied partnership strengthen rumors that the upcoming Eee Pad tablet device will be unveiled by the end of this month.
In spite of the shortcomings compared to an e-Ink display, these devices are useful as reading tools.
Thus, Amazon is simply following its strategy of countering Apple’s iPad and iBooks through ubiquity. Kindle Reader software is available for nearly every big OS or smartphone platform. So buyers are able to easily buy and read e-books on nearly any device. Since netbooks are the most obvious competitors for the iPad, getting Kindle on the Eee PC out-of-the-box makes a great deal of sense for both Amazon and Asus.
The german iPad – Neofonie’s WePad can now be preordered at amazon.de So to all you non believers (including me) – it seems to be real.
The Android tablet WePad (wordplay on I Pad?) has a large 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and six hours of battery life. The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and Google Android and the Android Market. There is also the so called “WeMagazine publishing ecosystem” with names like Berthelsmann and Gruner+Jahr standing behind it.
One big advantage besides USB, SD card slot, open system, webcam and so on over the iPad might be the innovative thumb navigation which lets you use the pad without placing the device on a surface.
Just a few months ago, there seemed to come an alternative to the iPad – Microsoft Courier. While Apple released the iPad in April the Microsoft Courier will never make it.
Microsoft has decided to stop the project and focus other projects. The MS Courier could have become a real iPad killer. But obviously MS has other plans, rumors say the will concentrate their efforts on the netbook market.
Microsoft’s Frank Shaw:
At any given time, we’re looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.
There is no explanation why Microsoft gave up on Courier project. Maybe the resulte would just be too expensive compared to the iPad.
It is sad, since the Courier could have been that different kind of e-reader to challenge the iPad and other e-readers on the market.
The iPad Camera Connection Kit has finally shown up. It consists of a pair of two white dongles. One is just a simple SD card adapter. It adds one-touch image and video import to the iPad. If you take your pictures in RAW format you might be interested in the fact, that it also imports RAW pictures complete with the EXIF data.
The second dongle provides a USB port with some new functionality. It is reported, that you could connect a USB-keyboard and actually type on the iPad via this USB keyboard. Also there are rumours, about USB audio. The dongle should enable you to make Skype calls after connecting a USB headset. It is said though that the USB and SD image transfers are one-way only, and not all peripherals are supported. For instance you can not connect an external hard drive to the iPad using the Camera Connectivity Kit. Camera Connection Kit shipments are two to three weeks out.
Demo movie:
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