New Kindle becomes Amazon's all-time best seller

Online retailer Amazon on Monday said its latest Kindle had become the company's best-selling product ever.

Without giving details of the number of units sold, the company said sales of its third generation e-reader had beat sales of"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO, said the product's 139-dollarprice tagmeant owners of tablet computers, such as the iPad, were also buying Kindles.

"We're seeing that many of the people who are buying Kindles also own an LCD tablet. Customers report using their LCD tablets for games, movies, and web browsing and their Kindles for reading sessions,"Bezos said.

Amazon also announced that it sold around 158 items a second on the peakholiday salesday, November 29 -- dubbed"Cyber Monday."

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Sony to launch PlayStation smartphone in spring

Sony's long-rumoured PlayStation Portable smartphone is set to be launched in North America and Europe as early as the spring, according to a Japanese newspaper report Wednesday.

The device would likely be based on Sony's handheld PSP Go game console, would be made by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and run Google'sAndroidoperating system, said the Asahi Shimbun's English edition, citing unnamed sources.

Sony hopes to take on Apple'siPhone, Research in Motion'sBlackBerryand Nokia devices by offering the firstsmartphonethat is based on a portable game console, with a set of controls that allows very advanced gaming.

The PSP Go, launched in November 2009, already features software downloads through a wireless connection, allowing players to also browse the Internet, watch movies, play music and read books and comics.

The new PlayStation handset would similarly work with Sony's online media platform, the company's answer to Apple's iTunes.

Sony hopes the phone will stimulate sales in the sluggish videogame console market, said the Asahi.

Sony called the newspaper report"speculation"and declined to comment.

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Review: High-tech snow sports gear is cool fun

(AP) -- Each winter the masses spill on to snow-slathered slopes, often wearing a new jacket or toting new skis and a renewed desire to test the mountain. This year there is plenty of high-tech gear to help them do it faster and better.

I tried a few products aimed at augmenting the snow-riding experience: two helmet cameras that record high-definition video, an ultra-light snowboard made with a layer of hemp and gloves designed with shutterbugs in mind.

If you've advanced past the bunny slopes and are serious about outdoor sports, you might want to check these out:

- The ContourGPS($349.95), from Seattle, Wash.-based Contour Inc., is a light video camera designed to be worn on a sports helmet, mounted onto bicycle handlebars or affixed to other surfaces with appropriate add-ons.

It's is less than 4 inches long with a lens tube not much wider than a half-dollar coin. It records to a MicroSD memory cardand can shoot at full high-definition resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

I strapped the camera against my helmet by threading my goggle strap through the mount on the side of the camera. The camera rested flush and snug against the right side of my helmet.

The Contour GPS has a finger-sized slider on top of the camera with two positions - record and off. That made it easy to use with gloves on.

The resulting HD footage was high-quality stuff. I had crisp footage of the slopes, trees and my riding partner as we plummeted down the slopes. It was shaky when I turned my head to look for oncoming traffic, or when my snowboard chattered a bit on an icy patch of snow. But it was better than I've been able to do previously while holding a video camera in my hand while riding. The sound quality was better than expected.

The GPS feature was the cherry on top. After launching the Contour Storyteller software (Mac or Windows), I was able to watch my videos and an overhead map view (courtesy ofGoogle) that gave me the speed and elevation at all point during my ride. I was represented by a dot, and a line showed the path I took. The display showed me doing a brisk 20 mph as I slid down the Big Pocono Run at Camelback Mountain Resort.

- The Drift HD 170 ($329), from U.K.-based Drift Innovation, is a camera with some different standout features. It boasts a wireless remote to record and stop recording (which I wore like a watch), and a built-in LCD screen for convenient playback.

I attached the Drift camera to the top of my helmet with the provided stick-on mount of sturdy plastic. I wore the remote on my wrist like a watch.

It was nice to watch the footage over lunch on the camera's LCD screen, just in case I missed a shot of a particular run that I might want to do over. Once I viewed the footage on a proper HD display, I found the footage slightly sharper and more vivid than the Contour GPS's.

An 8-gigabyte SD card was more than enough to shoot an entire day's worth of fun on the slopes. The battery lasted, too.

- The Slackcountry UL ($649.95), from Ride Snowboards, trades the snowboard's traditional top layer of plastic for hemp fiber. The engineers at Ride claim the hemp cuts the board's weight by nearly half a pound and is stronger than the traditional design.

It's early in the season, so there wasn't much thick powder to glide over in the Poconos, something the lightweight board is designed to do well. But the Slackcountry UL rocked quickly and accurately from edge to edge down an advanced slope. It felt quick and responsive, more so than my older Burton board.

I did notice that the rougher hemp-laden top surface was too coarse to hold my stick-on scrape plate, which I use to knock snow off the bottom of my boot. That's the lone strike against the novel top layer.

If hemp truly is more environmentally friendly to produce and bond onto Ride's snowboards as the company states, the designers are to be applauded for ingenuity. I don't ride hard enough to break a board's tail or tip, but the increased strength that hemp gives should please aggressive riders who go after the terrain park.

- Seattle, Wash.-based POW Gloves has two models, the Transfilmer ($65) and the Pho-tog ($50), both designed to protect a photographer's hands during snow season while freeing up the index finger to work the shutter button.

On the Pho-tog glove, the tips covering the thumb and index finger can be peeled back. The Transfilmer model is a mitten that peels back to reveal the bare tip of the index finger while the other fingers are covered by an interior glove.

I found both models to be a vast improvement over fully removing a glove in cold conditions just to snap off a shot or two.

Each of these products is a smart choice for the slopes this winter. They incorporate a blend of new technology and design to enhance your experience on the snow, and they may just make you the envy of the lift line.

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Tablet computers come of age with iPad mania

Yearning for an Internet-linked gadget bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a laptop merged with always-connected lifestyles to make tablet computing a defining trend for 2010.

TheiPadlaunched in April by Apple became the must-have device of the year and has rivals intent on dethroning the culture-shifting California company before it can lock in the market the way iPods became the ruling MP3 players.

"Apple nailed it and made tablet computers a success,"said Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney."There are going to be a lot of people trying to beat them but it will turn out like iPods; everybody wants one."

Internet Agelifestyles set the stage for the rock star debut of atablet computerdone right, according to Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.

Work weeks have grown steadily longer with the proliferation of gadgets keeping people connected to bosses and offices nights and weekends.

"Consumers are working all the time, have less leisure time and less money to spend but still want to maximize enjoyment they get out of life,"Rotman Epps told AFP.

"Tablets fill that demand for devices that fill those in-between moments and minimize your unconnected time,"she said.

Forrester data shows that 26 percent of US consumers who bought iPads use the tablets for work as well as personal purposes.

The top spot for using an iPad is the living room, with the bedroom being the second most common, according to Forrester.

"People are using tablets to read the Wall Street Journal or watch TV in bed,"Rotman Epps said."It is replacing, in some circumstances, laptop computers, television and print media."

Apple benefited by focusing on regular people instead of businesses, adding its hip cache and having real-world stores where people could try iPads before committing to buying devices, according to Rotman Epps.

"Apple cracked the market that others had struggled with for years,"said Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg.

Research shows that owners of the Apple tablets consume more video, news and other content online than other people do.

Some analysts expect iPad sales will blast past the 10 million mark this month, if they haven't already, and competitors are hitting the market with their own tablets or have announced plans to do so.

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Samsung's latest tablet device the"Galaxy Tab"on display at the 50th edition of the"IFA"in Berlin, September 2, 2010. Samsung said its Galaxy Tab, which is powered by Google's Android software, has sold one million units, Microsoft considers tablets a"priority"and Blackberry maker Research in Motion plans one next year named the PlayBook.

Samsung said its Galaxy Tab, which is powered by Google's Android software, has sold one million units, Microsoft considers tablets a"priority"and Blackberry maker Research in Motion plans one next year named the PlayBook.

Forrester predicted that by 2015, the number of US consumers using tablet computers will be 75 million, more than netbook users but less than the number of people using smartphones or laptops.

The tablet trend will put downward pressure on laptop computer prices, based on Forrester research indicating consumers think it's not worth paying a lot more to get a laptop instead of a tablet.

"Tablets really changed consumer thinking about mobile computing and the industry's thinking,"said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.

Analysts said the other big consumer electronics stories of the year were the continued growth of smartphones and Microsoft's Kinect, the Xbox 360 videogame console that players control using gestures and spoken commands.

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Microsoft's new Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 is seen on a shelf at the Best Buy store on November 4, 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida. The Kinect uses sensors to read the players body language so controllers are not necessary to play Xbox games with the Kinect.

Microsoft said it sold more than 2.5 million Kinects for Xbox 360 devices worldwide in the 25 days after they hit the market.

Google, meanwhile, said more than 300,000 smartphones running its Android software are activated daily as it builds momentum in the hot mobile market.

According to research firm Gartner, Finland's Nokia sold 29.5 million smartphones during the third quarter of the year for a 36.6 percent share of the worldwide market, down from 44.6 percent a year ago.

Sales of Android-powered smartphones soared to 20.5 million units, giving the Android platform a 25.5 percent market share, up from just 3.5 percent a year ago, Gartner said.

Apple's iPhone was next on sales of 13.5 million units followed by Canada's Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, with sales of 11.9 million units and Microsoft's Windows Mobile with sales of 2.2 million units.

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Google still polishing Chrome OS, postpones debut (Update)

(AP) -- It's taking longer than Google Inc. anticipated to deliver a new operating system designed to make computers run faster.

After more than a year building a much-anticipated system around its Chrome Web browser, Google announced Tuesday that the first laptops powered by the new software won't hit the stores until the middle of next year. The revised timetable is about six months behind Google's goal of having the Chrome OS completed in time for it to debut during the current holiday season.

Google's engineers decided they needed more time to fix bugs and fine tune the Chrome OS before the company launches its ambitious challenge to computers running on long-established operating systems made by larger rivals, Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc.

While Google polishes the Chrome OS, it will collect user feedback through a pilot program allowing a relatively small number of consumers and businesses to test unbranded devices running the software. Consumers will be invited to receive the test laptops through the Chrome Web browser and Google's YouTube video site. The companies getting the Chrome OS machines include AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, Kraft Foods Inc. Logitech International, and Virgin Airlines.

Acer Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. will make the first Chrome OS laptops available in stores next year. The prices of the machines will be determined by the manufacturers next year.

The postponement threatens to intensify the competitive challenges facing the Chrome OS machines. More people already are snapping up sleek, touch-screen tablets such as Apple Inc.'s iPad to surf the Web and run a variety of applications customized for the devices. Apple sold about 7.5 million iPads in the first six months after its April debut and the tablet is expected to be among the top-selling gadgets this holiday season.

The rising popularity of the iPad and an array of copycats has started to undercut sales of lightweight laptops, or"netbooks,"according to industry analysts. Even the next version of Google's Android operating system for touch-screen devices is supposed to include more features tailored for tablets.

The Chrome OS computers will have a 12.1 inch display screen and standard-sized keyboard, but no hard drive. That means the Chrome OS computers will need online access to run more programs. Google is teaming up with Verizon Communications to sell Internet access over Verizon's wireless network when there is no other way to connect to the Web. Online consumption of up to 100 megabytes per month will be offered for free during the first two years of computer ownership. Larger data plans will cost as little as $9.99 per month with no long-term commitment required.

Google decided to build its own computer operating system primarily because its views the hundreds of millions of machines powered by Microsoft's dominant Windows software as plodding, cumbersome relics unable to provide speedy Web surfing. The Chrome OS machines are being designed so they're ready to navigate the Internet within a few seconds after hitting the power button, almost as quickly as a television set is ready for channel surfing .

Developing a Web-based alternative to Windows also realizes a long-held goal of Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who had previously clashed with Microsoft as an executive at Sun Microsystems and Novell Inc. during the 1990s. Google's development of the Chrome OS contributed to Schmidt's resignation from Apple's board in 2009. Schmidt stepped down because he increasingly was steering Google into the same markets as Apple, raising potential conflicts of interest.

By making it easier and more appealing for people to spend time online, Google hopes to attract more traffic to its dominant Internet search engine and boost its revenue by selling more of the ads that generate most of its income.

The push for a speedier Web experience, prompted Google to introduce the Chrome browser more than two years ago. Although it still lags behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox, Chrome has steadily been winning converts. Google says Chrome now has 120 million active users worldwide today, up from about 30 million at the beginning of the year.

Chrome will soon get even faster by pulling up websites as people type in an address, in the same manner that Google's search engine displays different results with each keystroke. For example, typing"e:"in Chrome's navigation bar display ESPN's site in the browser, if that is a destination that the user frequently visits.

To help whet consumers' appetite for the new Chrome OS machines, Google unveiled a new store that will distribute Web applications that offer more features and better graphics than the content found on standard Web pages. The Web apps store opened Monday with about 500 free and for-fee applications, meeting the end-of-the-year deadline Google established when it announced the idea in May. More than 40,000 applications already have been developed specifically for the iPad.

The New York Times Co., Time Warner Inc.'s Sports Illustrated magazine and video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. are among the major companies already offering applications in the Chrome store. Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. also previewed an application that for the first time will allow other merchants to sell electronic books for its Kindle reader. The app enables Kindle books to be read through a Web browser.

Like programs designed for the iPad and mobile phones, the Chrome applications store could help publishers bring in more revenue from subscriptions and advertising.

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Gift guide: Consoles to bring out the gamer in you

(AP) -- With two new motion controllers out this fall, video game companies are giving even the most hand-eye-coordination challenged of us a chance to find our inner gamer. And for those who already have, lower-priced console bundles and an experimental game streaming platform can be reason enough to get a second - or third - gaming system this holiday season.

Here's a handy rundown of what's out there, how much it costs and who might want it:

- Kinect for the Xbox 360 fromMicrosoftCorp.

This is the futuristicmotion controllerfrom Microsoft Corp. It removes remotes entirely from the gaming experience. Kinect is basically a fancy camera that tracks your movements, hand gestures and voice. It can also recognize faces and scan in objects so you can use them in certain games. For now, two people can play simultaneously, though that will likely change as more games are developed. This holiday season, retailers are also bundling Kinect with a low-end version of the Xbox 360 at a discount.

Good for: Families with young kids, anyone averse to games with lots of buttons and complex controls.Wiigraduates or anyone who's been meaning to get a Wii all this time and just never got around to it.

Not so good for: Dorm-bound college students and city dwellers in tiny apartments, as Kinect needs at least 6 feet - though more is better - between it and the players to work. Hardcore gamers could go either way, so best to check first.

Cost: $150 for the standalone Kinect camera system, or $300 for the Kinect with a 4 gigabyteXbox 360. Both come with agame,"Kinect Adventures."

Must-have game:"Dance Central"($50)

- PlayStation Move from Sony Corp.

Sony says it had considered selling a controller-free controller a la Kinect but then thought better of it. Many games, it turns out, simply work better when you are holding a remote in your hand. Sony Corp.'s Move is that remote, at least if you are aPlayStation 3fan. It blends motion controls pioneered by Nintendo Co.'s Wii with the complex but entirely useful controls of a traditional game controller.

Good for: Wii owners ready to move on to high-definition games and first-person shooters, though for now the bulk of Move games are more limited to more"casual"titles. Families or roommates who want to play together or watch Blu-ray movies are also a good bet.

Not so good for: Xbox fanatics, hardcore gamers who want a pile of new titles to check out right away for Move might be disappointed with the selection.

Cost: $100 for a bundle that includes the PlayStation Eye camera, one Move controller and a game,"Sports Champions."For $400 total, you get all that plus a 320 gigabyte PlayStation 3.

- Nintendo Wii and accessories

To celebrate 25 years of Super Mario, Nintendo is selling a limited edition red version of the Wii this holiday season, which could make for a good gift for anyone on your list obsessed with this classic video game icon. The console comes with a red controller and two games -"Wii Sports"and"Super Mario Bros. Wii"- for the same price as a regular, white Wii system.

A great new accessory this year is the uDraw GameTablet from THQ Inc. It's essentially a mini art studio that lets players of all ages paint, doodle and color using a small tablet and an attached stylus.

Good for: Kids, families ready to graduate from the now very old PlayStation 2, little brothers and little sisters.

Not so good for: Hardcore gamers, tech-geeks.

Cost: $200 for the red Mario bundle, $40 for each additional remote plus $20 for a Nunchuck. The uDraw tablet is $70, with extra games such as"Pictionary"available for $30 each.

Must-have games:"Epic Mickey"($50),"Kirby's Epic Yarn"($50)

- OnLive MicroConsole

This new game console is so small it could easily fit in a Christmas stocking, and at $99 it's almost cheap enough to stuff in there. Most likely you haven't heard of OnLive, a promising startup that has come up with a way to stream video games through an Internet connection, much like how Netflix shows movies online. The console plugs into players' TV sets and comes with a generic wireless controller for traditional shooter video games. Players can rent or buy video games to download, watch live game play by other gamers and upload perfectly played sessions called"brag clips"for others to admire.

Good for: Adventurous gamers with their eye on the next big thing. Budget-minded gamers who want to try before they buy. OnLive offers short-term game rentals for a fee.

Not so good for: Players into more casual games or the Wii; those averse with the traditional game controllers. Anyone with weak Internet service at home. Your broadband connection must be at least 3 megabits per second near your TV set, though 5 or more megabits are recommended. Cable modems will easily exceed this but some DSL subscribers could have problems.

Cost: $99 for the console. There is a Netflix-style"all-you-can-play"service for $10 per month, though the games available through it are older. Separately, games are available to rent for three or five days for about $5 to $9. Buying games for unlimited play costs the same as a traditional hard copy for a console or PC.

Must-have game:"Assassin's Creed II"($30)

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Asus Eee reader: The world's first 9-inch touch-screen ebook reader

Those who love to read on the go will rejoice at the arrival of the new ASUS Eee Reader DR900. With a 9-inch screen that offers 2.25 times the reading area compared to 6-inch ebook readers, this sleek device is ideal for reading material ranging from novels to comic books— and everything else in between.

Less than 10mm thick and weighing just 440g, the Eee Reader is a highly portable travelling companion that can be taken on any journey, whether it’s the daily commute or a long-haul flight. Its 2GB of internal storage (expandable via SD Card) can store up to 5,000 ebooks and the two-week battery life is long enough to read 20 novels back-to-back between recharges.

This ultra-low power consumption is possible because the Eee Reader’s SiPix electrophoretic display only uses power to change its image, not to maintain it. Page turns are virtually instant and the monochrome image is as crisp as ink printed on paper. Better still, the screen stays clear even in broad daylight, making so it’s as easy to read on the beach as it is under a bedside light.

The Eee Reader’s 9-inch capacitive touch-screen also removes the need for a physical keyboard and delivers a simple and intuitive user interface. Readers both young and old can master the Eee Reader in minutes, and with built-in Wi-Fi and optional 3G, it puts a world of reading material at everyone’s fingertips.

Product Highlights:

-- 9-inch SiPix electrophoretic display reflects light like paper to mimic a printed page, giving a more natural and more comfortable reading experience than backlit LCD displays.

-- Capacitive touch-screen with a virtual keyboard can be used to annotate reading material, make handwritten notes and even draw sketches.

-- Buy ebooks no matter where you are, thanks to the WebKit-based browser and built-in Wi-Fi, plus optional 3G.

-- Read non-stop for up to four days on battery power with Wi-Fi enabled, and up to two weeks with Wi-Fi disabled.
High-quality text-to-speech supports for 23 languages, giving instant conversion of ebooks into audio books.
No thicker than a pencil (221 x 191 x 9.7mm) and weighs just 440g (Wi-Fi model).

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iPad makes it to Brazil, at eye-watering prices

Apple's iPad went on sale in Brazil from Friday, with customers lining up at stores to get their hands on the tablet computer whose entry into Latin America's biggest market faced pricing and other challenges.

Brazilians were being asked to fork over between 970 dollars for the cheapest version (a 16GB Wi-Fi model) up to 1,530 dollars for the top-of-the-line 34GB WiFi-plus-3G model.

Those prices were nearly twice the amount US customers were paying, due to Brazil's 100-percent tariffs on imported electronics imposed to protect the domestic industry.

The trendy computing device also ran into a problem with its name.

The word"iPad"had already been registered inBrazilto denote a South Korean-made defibrillator that has been used to restart patients' hearts in Brazilian hospitals for the past three years.

A brewing legal tussle between that medical unit's maker, CU Medical Systems Inc., appeared to have been settled to allow Apple's tablet to finally hit Brazilian shelves.

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Review: Nookcolor is best dedicated e-reader

(AP) -- When Barnes&Noble Inc. began to sell its first electronic reading device, the Nook, a year ago, I found it as welcome as a bookcase landing on my toe. It was a terrible design - slow, confusing and buggy.

The successor, the Nookcolor, is a huge improvement and the best dedicatede-readeron the market this holiday season.

The new color touch screen makes navigation and reading much easier. At $249, it is great for consumers who are not yet willing to spring for a pricier tablet computer such as the iPad.

The originalNookhad two screens: one big, Kindle-like gray-scale"electronic ink"display for reading and one small touch-enabled color display for navigation. It was like an unholy marriage between a Kindle and an iPod Touch, worse than either product on its own.

The Nookcolor, which went on sale two weeks ago, dispenses with the e-ink screen. The color screen has swelled to 7 inches diagonally, taking over the whole surface and making the Nookcolor look like the mid-sized product of a happy union between an iPhone and an iPad.

Other color e-book readers have hit the market this year from smaller names, including Sharper Image with its Literati. They've been hampered by poor screens that make the text shimmer uncomfortably. Barnes&Noble's screen uses the same technology as Apple Inc. does for its iPad, and it's wonderfully crisp.

E-ink readers such as the Kindle do have one selling point: They provide a more paper-like reading experience, which sounds attractive to people who find that staring at a computer screen for hours on end is uncomfortable. However, I believe most of this discomfort derives from screens that are set to shine too brightly. I found the Nookcolor quite comfortable to read on, partly because it's easy to adjust the brightness of the backlight for pretty much any reading environment. Blazing sunshine will still wash the screen out, though.

Most importantly, the touch-sensitive color screen makes navigation much easier. The Nook's software isn't exemplary in its clarity and I did experience a few glitches, but it's not hard to get the hang of it.

Here's how the Nook stacks up with the competition:

- Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle has stuck to e-ink technology, which has been the norm for e-readers so far. It has only one virtue: It's easy to read in broad daylight. In all other ways, e-ink is a disastrous technology and makes navigation a chore. The Kindle can't show color, scroll or zoom images, and the text is dark grey on a light grey background. It doesn't come with its own light source.

In the Kindle's favor, the reader is cheaper, available for as low as $139. There's also a $189 version that comes with free access to AT&T Inc.'s cellular broadband network. (The first Nook was cellular too, but the current version relies solely on Wi-Fi hotspots.) The Kindle is about the same size as the Nookcolor, but weighs half as much.

The Kindle doesn't accept e-books from public libraries. The Nook does, though it treats them as second-class citizens. They can't been pinned to the"home"reading screen, so firing them up takes more time than with other titles.

- Apple Inc.'s iPad does far, far more than the Nook, and it is much better at presenting magazines and newspapers, thanks to a screen that's twice as big. Magazines, in particular, are terribly clumsy to navigate on the Nook. The Nookcolor is more portable and cheaper, and its screen brightness can be turned up higher, so it's a better choice if you plan to mainly use the tablet for reading novels. The iPad is better in every other way, so buy one if you can afford the $499 starting price.

Apple's iPod Touch is a viable e-book reader as well and starts at $229, making it slightly cheaper than the Nook. The screen is a third of the size of the Nook's. Like the iPad, the iPod Touch can access not just Barnes&Noble's e-book store, but scores of others, including Amazon's Kindle store. However, the small screen means that it's best bought as a general entertainment device. If you really want something to read books on, the Nook is a better choice.

Both the iPad and theKindlebeat the Nookcolor in terms of battery life, but at eight hours, the Nook is good enough. Expect to charge it every three or four days.

The Nook is based on Google Inc.'s smart-phone operating system, Android, but it doesn't run any of the tens of thousands of third-party Android programs, or apps, that are available for phones. Barnes&Noble plans to launch its own app store early next year. In the meantime, the Nook does come with a Web browser and a couple of apps, including Sudoku and Pandora's Internet music service.

Barnes&Noble is taking advantage of the color touch screen by selling children's books with built-in narration tracks. It's a fine idea, and my 3-year-old daughter soon got the hang of starting up the device, navigating to a book, and following along by swiping the screen to go from page to page. But the books cost $8 each, while iPhone and iPad apps that are more engaging and animated, such as a version of"Dr. Seuss"Green Eggs and Ham,"cost just $2 each.

I don't think dedicated e-readers are going to get much better than the Nook, at least not when it comes to the hardware. Maybe they'll become a bit slimmer and lighter and have longer-lasting batteries, but there won't be much time for big improvements, because within a few years, general-purpose tablets such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab will have taken over this niche. Though it may get some more apps next year, the Nook won't be able to match the versatility of a general-purpose tablet.

The Nookcolor could use one immediate improvement: a space between"Nook"and"color."As it is, the name sounds too much like a mispronunciation of"nuclear"when you say it too fast, and that's not a word you want to stumble into when you're at an airport security checkpoint.

But other than that, it's a good choice for someone who doesn't want to spring for an iPad. Welcome to adulthood, e-readers.

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Apple's iPad goes on sale in S.Korea

Apple's iPad went on sale Tuesday in South Korea, three weeks after the local giant Samsung Electronics launched its rival tablet computer the Galaxy Tab in its home market.

One hundred invited preorder customers, anxious to get their hands on the popular new gadget, lined up before dawn at a downtown Seoul branch of wireless operator KT, the sole Korean partner for iPhones and iPads.

First in line was Lee Jun-Young, 39, who slowly unwrapped the box with a wide grin on his face, then raised his iPad high above his head.

"I love it. I've waited for the iPad for such a long time,"Lee, who said he also has aniPhone4, told the newspaper Money Today."I plan to use the iPad on my way to work and at home to study English."

KT said it had received 50,000 preorders for theiPadsince November 17.

"We've started distributing it nationwide. Customers are receiving their preordered iPads at the moment,"said KT spokesman Ham Young-Jin.

The company earlier announced the popular gadget would start selling at 218,000 won (192 dollars) with a two-year contract, rising to 865,000 won for models with additional features.

Samsung Electronics, the biggest rival of Apple, has already introduced its seven-inch screen Galaxy Tab in the United States and Italy and aims to sell over a million units globally by the end of this year.

Apple has sold over seven million iPads worldwide since its January debut.

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Gift Guide: Tech gadgets for frequent travelers

(AP) -- If you have people on your gift list who travel a lot, you may want to think about giving them something to keep them comfortable and entertained while on the go, even if they're not as nomadic as George Clooney's road warrior character in the movie"Up in the Air."

We can't do anything about delays, cramped seating, jetlag, traffic jams and noisy passengers, but thesegadgetscould make it easier to tune them out:

Livescribe Echo Smartpen (4GB: $170; 8GB: $200)

Pros: Livescribe makes pens that record audio and match it up with what you're writing. So people taking notes during a presentation can get away with jotting down keywords and then going back and listening to the conversation, cued up to different words on the page. Users can download free software to their PC or Mac that pulls in their notes, along with the audio, whenever they plug the pen into their computer'sUSB port. Livescribe claims the pen lasts five to six hours when it's recording audio, and it charges using theUSB cable.

Cons: The pen works only with paper that's pre-printed with a special pattern. It comes in notebooks of different sizes ($8-$25), but each has the same icons lining the bottom of every page. Tap on the controls to stop, start and pause audio recordings, as well as do things such as adjust the volume of the pen's speaking voice.

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse ($50)

Pros: This mouse lies flat when you're not using it, but, with one satisfying click, can be bent into a curved shape, making it look more like a standard mouse. Light and low maintenance, it turns off automatically whenever you press the mouse into a flat shape. It promises up to six months ofbattery lifebefore travelers have to recharge it. It's designed to be usable on any surface, so there's no need to pack a mouse pad. A small dongle plugs into a Windows PC or Mac to create the wireless connection.

Cons: The scroll wheel is simulated by a touch-sensitive strip that lacks the feel of a real wheel.

Apple iPad (Wi-Fi only: $499-$699; 3G: $629-$829)

Pros: Although ads for the iPad often depict someone relaxing with the tablet, legs propped up, it is an ideal companion for people on the go as well. True, you can surf the Web and watch movies on a phone or laptop, but the iPad's 9.7-inch display makes for easier viewing. It looks better than most laptop screens. Because the iPad turns on instantly and lasts up to 10 hours unplugged, using it is less of a hassle than booting up your PC and hoping that you can finish the movie before the battery runs out. The fact that the Transportation Security Administration doesn't require travelers to remove iPads from bags during airport security checks is the icing on the cake.

Cons: With a starting price of $499, the iPad is one pricey toy. And that's not counting the cost of applications and a protective case. (We like Apple's $39 offering because it doesn't add bulk and also has a stand, making hands-free movie-watching easier.) At 1.8 pounds, it won't weigh down a carry-on, but it's more cumbersome to whip out than a phone.

Klipsch Image S4 headphones ($80)

Pros: For some people, the iPod's standard-issue white ear buds get uncomfortable when worn in long stretches. Travelers will find comfort in the S4's small, tapered ear buds, which come with soft tips in different sizes. I found them more comfortable than iPod buds. They're sturdier, and they block out some ambient noise. When I wore them on my subway commute, I could still hear announcements over the loudspeaker, but not other people's conversations or the rattle of the tracks. As a bonus, the buds come with a metal carrying case and a tool to clean off earwax.

Cons: The cable tangles easily and is awfully thin, although the ear buds are covered by a generous two-year warranty should they break. Over-the-ear headphones with active noise cancellation, such as Audio-Technica's ATH-ANC1 QuietPoint headphones ($80), are better at muffling the roar of jet engines.

iGo Laptop Travel Charger ($100)

Pros: Every laptop comes with a power brick, but this one, made by iGo, is easier to take on the road and works with a variety of Windows-based laptops, thanks to a bevy of"tips,"or adapters, that fit into differing power jacks. Someone who travels with two or more laptops could find it a god-send. Weighing 13.5 ounces and measuring 0.7 inches thick, the charger is lighter and thinner than most AC adapters for full-size laptops. It comes standard with a cigarette-lighter adapter.

Cons: Not compatible with Macs. Works with international wall current, but you still need a separate adapter to plug it into the wall in most countries.

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Sony eyes December launch of e-readers in Japan

Sony, battling Amazon and Apple in the electronic book reader race, said on Thursday it would launch its latest devices in Japan in December along with a dedicated virtual library.

The move will mark a return to Japan for the electronic giant's e-reader business since it left the market in 2007 after seeing low demand at a time when Japanese consumers were focused on mobile phone books.

The success of Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle has however sent electronics makers scrambling to gain a slice of the growingtablet computerand e-reader market.

Sony has cut the size and weight of its e-readers while expanding the use of touch technology to all models -- allowing users to turn pages with a swipe of the finger like theAppleiPad.

Unlike the colouriPad, the Sony Reader uses black-and-white e-ink technology.

Its two models, Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition will be available December 10 in about 300 Japanese stores, selling for 20,000 yen and 25,000 yen (240 and 300 dollars).

Sony will also open a digital bookstore for the device in Japan as it has elsewhere, offering downloads of around 20,000 titles.

The group hopes to sell 300,000 e-readers in Japan in the first year and expects a 50 percent market share by 2012, the company said.

It also recently created a joint venture with Japan's second-largest telecommunications operator KDDI, the Asahi newspaper group and printing technology firm Toppan to offer services for a variety of devices.

Sony unveiled the latest devices in September and expanded their availability to Australia, China, Italy, and Spain as well as the United States.

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Gadgets: Gifts for the Apple lover

Having an iPod, iPhone, iPad or laptop is pretty common and the gift choices this holiday season seem endless.

The Dexim P-Flip ($69.95) is a multi-functional charging device but also acts as stand for both vertical and horizontal display of an iPhone (4, 3Gs or 3G).

When not in use, it easily fits in a pocket; when opened it has a dock so the device can slide into a 2,000mAh rechargeable battery.

Dexim states the battery, which will charge via USB (cable included), gives users up to six hours to talk time, 40 hours of music or up to 10 hours of video watching.

Having your device docked enables easy movie viewing or hands-free access to an endless number of apps.

A thermoplastic polyurethane case with an antiglare screen protector is included.

Dexim's Supercharged Leather Power Case ($69.90) is another choice for power and protection.

In addition to storing the device in the dark-black leather case, an iPhone/iPod will also get a power assist with the built-in 2000mAhrechargeable battery.

This gives users the same extendedbattery lifeas the P-Flip and has an on/off switch on the bottom.

Charging and syncing is also done via USB and all the phone's features are accessible while in the case.

Details: dexim.net
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Winter weather can cause havoc for anyone trying to use a portable device. To the rescue come Etre Touchy gloves.

The gloves are made without thumb and index fingertips, enabling users to keep their hands warm and have access to touch screens, buttons or even milking cows as suggested in a recent press release.

The gloves are made with 100 percent lamb's wool, come in many colors and are sized small, medium and large.

Details: etretouchy.com, $31.70
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Griffin Technology seems to have every solution for powering, playing and controlling any of the Apple devices while in a car.

The PowerJolt plus ($17.93) 12-volt accessory socket car charger supplies the power from the car's 12V port, but also gives users a second port for an addition car charger for another device.

A coiled cable with a dock connecter at the end is attached to the PowerJolt for easy connection to a device.

At the end of the PowerJolt is a cover, which opens up to allow the second charger to be connected.

With the extra port, digital cameras, cell phone, GPS units or anything needing power can be charged.

Griffin's TuneFlex AUX Handsfree ($42.95) device let's users talk on aniPhonein the all important hands free manner, while powering or charging with the car's 12V charging port.

A case-friendly cradle holds the device in place and has a plug attached for the charging.

It also comes with an AUX/Mic cable for connection to a car stereo for listening to the player's contents or phone call. The caller hears you through the cable's microphone.

Details: griffintechnology.com
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The Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550 allows compact laptops (up to 14.1") and Netbooks to sit on your lap at an angle while shielding uses from the heat they generate.

Rubberized feet keep the computer in place and a soft padded bottom made with soft air-mesh fabric sits on your lap to keep everything in place, cool and comfortable.

The Lapdesk also has a pair of built-in stereo speakers that connect to the computer via USB.

Users also get of the sound volume with controls built right in on the upper right side of the desk.

All this is done software-free and without the need of a power cord or batteries since it draws the power from the computer.

Details: Logitech.com, $59.99
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If it's just aniPador any other eReader you want stationed on your lap, then Veyl Products ePillow is what you need.

Just as it's advertised, the pillow is comfortable, convenient and portable.

Sewn into the pillow is a vinyl shelf to hold an iPad or other eReaders in place while reading or watching a movie hands free.

For airline travelers, the pillow can be used with your device or even save you money and use it as a pillow and not have to pay money since airlines charge for their pillows.

A carrying strap and storage compartment is also built in.

Details: epillow.net, available in brown or black for $29.95 with free ground shipping.
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Anytime a company makes the same old thing in a different way and it works well, it's a winner in my book.

The MoGo Talk XD is just that. The device is a well-made combination of a protective slim MoGo Grip case for aniPhone 4along with a Bluetooth headset.

What makes this unique is the Bluetooth piece is stored in the case itself when not in use.

The in-ear piece is built with SmartAudio sound and voice enhancement along with noise and wind reduction, which all results in very good quality.

Charging is done with the included microUSB cable and users can expect about four hours of talk time or 72 hours of standby.

Details: id8-mobile.com , $99.99

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Sharp holiday price drops seen for flat-panel TVs

(AP) -- If you're in the market for a new flat-panel TV, it's a good time to buy. TV prices usually drop from year to year, and the decline will be sharp this season thanks to a supply glut. Consumers have been holding out all year for better deals, leaving lots of unsold televisions on the shelves. Prices for high-definition LCD TVs will fall more than twice as fast as they have so far this year as manufacturers and retailers clear out inventory, analysts predict.

New sets will also be cheaper becauseTV makershave been getting great deals on the most expensive parts, the glass LCD panels.

However, DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon expects prices for those components to level off early next year, so discounts won't be this steep again until the holidays next year, or even later.

For the consumer, that means that if you pull the trigger on a new set in the next few months, you probably won't be kicking yourself next year for not waiting a little longer.

The law of supply and demand is at work here:

- A TV-buying spree in late 2009 led to component shortages, which kept prices high in early 2010. That discouraged consumers.

- Makers of LCD panels invested profits from last year's buying spree in more manufacturing capacity. Thinking 2010 would be as strong as 2009, they flooded the market. But the economy didn't improve as expected.

- As a result, there's an oversupply of panels, and prices started dropping over the summer. That means cheaper sets should be making their way to stores now.

Already,Wal-MartStores Inc. has slashed prices for some older models. Among the deals: a 32-inch Vizio set that went to $298 from $348. Amazon.com Inc. andBest BuyCo. are starting to advertise deals, too.

Some of the best deals this season will be on 32-inchLCD TVs, the most popular size. They will sell for rock-bottom rates of $300 or less, compared with about $400 last year. That's because manufacturers are selling raw panels of that size for only slightly more than the cost of making them - $160 to $170 each, far less than the $210 to $220 they fetched earlier this year.

Prices for 40-inch and 42-inch sets will drop about 20 percent, approaching $500, said Gagnon, the DisplaySearch analyst.

Deep price cuts also are coming for higher-end models, including LCD TVs with LED backlights, which use less energy than regular sets and can be thinner or provide improved picture quality. Manufacturers have increased production capacity for parts specific to LED sets; that will drive down prices for components and, ultimately, the TVs themselves.

Overall, good deals will be 15 percent to 20 percent lower than holiday 2009 prices for regular LCD TVs. The price drop had been slimmer at 7 percent earlier this year, Gagnon says, and the decline should return to the single digits by spring.

Of course, the longer a buyer waits, the lower thepricesgo. But that has to be weighed against the value of having a new TV. If a 32-inch set turns out to be $20 cheaper next summer, the buyer could have gotten six months of better TV for $20.

"In this industry you always know that in the future, you will buy new technology at a lower price. That's not the point,"said Sweta Dash, an analyst at iSuppli Corp."Especially this holiday, the price you will see is very good."

Source

Review: Paper wins over e-books for travel guides

(AP) -- It sounded like a better, lighter way to pack for a trip to Germany: a Kindle with a Lonely Planet travel guide in lieu of an 844-page brick of a book.

Yet to my surprise, the 10-day visit to Munich, Dresden and Berlin turned into a lesson about the pitfalls of cramming an old medium - the book - into a new one - the electronicreading device.

It's a good thing that I had the foresight to bring a paper copy of Lonely Planet's"Germany,"borrowed from the public library. My plan was to bring it as a backup in case something went wrong with the Kindle, but leave it in the hotel room to lighten my backpack. Instead, I ditched the Kindle and carried the book around.

That made me sad, because the Kindle, and the e-reading revolution, promises so much.

Thee-readerfrom Amazon.com Inc. is light and can store not only the travel guide, but all the bulky novels I've been meaning to catch up on. A built-in dictionary lets me look up strange words.

The Kindle lets me type notes, highlight passages, and find them easily again. I added tips on tipping and transit fares as well as a reminder to visit a concentration camp memorial outside Berlin. The Kindle also lets me add bookmarks, the digital equivalent of the folded corners, or doggie ears, that I've marred many paperbacks with in the past.

Preparing for the trip, there was no need to go to a book store or even a computer. I just bought the book through the Kindle's wireless connection. The Kindle version of the Lonely Planet guide was cheaper, too - $15.39, compared with the paper version at $18.47 on Amazon (the list price for both is $27.99).

Lonely Planet also let me buy individual chapters - for example, the one on Munich and surrounding Bavaria - for less than $5 (though it wasn't clear that I'd be getting the same content contained in the main book, rather than a distinct guide for the region).

But I quickly came to realize what I like most about paper books: I can touch the pages, and I can see more at once, whether it's a map, some text or a combination.

I missed all that reading on the Kindle, which was clumsy by comparison. There were two main reasons for this: the screen technology and the way the book was converted for e-reading

Consider the Lonely Planet's 2.2-mile, 16-stop walking tour of Dresden, which takes me by the major churches, markets and other sights rebuilt following the Allied bombings of the city in the waning days of World War II. The narrative gave me bare-bones descriptions of each sight. To learn more, I had to flip to a different section in the book and sometimes consult the index to find the right page. To navigate the route, I had to flip to a map and follow a black line marking my route.

Holding the paper version, I simply kept my thumb on one page and a finger on another to flip back and forth between the narrative and the deeper descriptions. The map was either on the same page or just one page away.

With the Kindle, I had to hit"next page"and"prev page"repeatedly, and the pages took their sweet time to turn, because the"electronic ink"technology of the screen doesn't respond as fast as a computer screen. Out of frustration, I flicked a switch to turn the device off instead.

E-ink also means scrolling and zooming doesn't work well. The Lonely Planet's solution was to break maps into four, so that you could get a closer look at each quadrant on the full screen. The idea is good in principle, but clunky in practice. I found I had to flip back and forth too many times because the legends telling me what sight each number corresponds to ended up on the wrong quadrant. Had the guidebook been developed in digital form from scratch, points on the map could have taken me to the corresponding entry with one click.

In the paper version, the region I explored was printed on the top of each page, whether it was Berlin or Central Saxony. On the Kindle, I had no such guide. I came across a listing for Thomaskirche, a church where composer Johann Sebastian Bach once worked. I thought it would be a good place to visit, until I realized I had already left the Dresden section of the book and moved on to Leipzig, which wasn't part of my journey.

Another example of poor conversion from paper to bits: There's an index at the end of the Kindle book that serves no purpose. The listings aren't clickable. I would have expected the digital index to function like a search - click on it for all the references to those keywords throughout the book.

And because the Kindle can't handle columns well, some text was presented as a graphic, making it unsearchable.

As a technology writer for more than a decade, I hardly consider myself a Luddite. I do believe e-books have their place in society - even as travel guides, when designed properly. The Kindle works well for linear novels, but stumbles badly when given another task. The experience might have been different on, say, an iPad, which has a responsive color screen.

Even then, I'd have to hope for a guidebook specifically designed for the screen, rather than a conversion from paper. Or I'd at least hope for an e-book that gets updated frequently, something more difficult with paper. As it was, theKindleedition I bought in August was based on the 2007 version of the guidebook, not the 2010 edition that just came out four months earlier.

And perhaps if I ever get to take an around-the-world trip one day, I'd appreciate being able to bring multiple guidebooks for multiple destinations without having to carry all that weight, even with the Kindle's limitations.

One of the Lonely Planet executives I talked to after my trip pointed out that printed books have a head start of several centuries.

That's true. I'm dealing with first-generation e-book technology at best.

So for my next trip to a single destination, I'll stick with the tried and true: I'll just carry the book.

Source

Rare Apple I computer sells for $210,000 in London

Its processor works 1,000 times slower than the Apple iPad, but the first ever Apple computer has sold for 425 times the price.

TheAppleI, one of only 200 such models ever made, was sold Tuesday afternoon at Christie's auction house in central London for 133,250 pounds (about $210,000.) It came with its original packaging and a signed sales letter fromSteve Jobs, one of Apple Computer's co-founders and the current CEO of Apple Inc.

When the Apple I was introduced in 1976, it was the only personal computer to come with a fully assembled motherboard, making it ready to use straight from the box - provided the user supplied a keyboard, power supply, and display, Christie's said.

It sold for $666.66 and was available until it was discontinued in 1977.

Bidding on the Apple I came quickly, with the computer eventually going to Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione, who made his offer over the phone.

Marco's brother Francesco Boglione, who attended the auction in person, told The Associated Press that Marco's purchase was a testament to his love of computers.

"The first time I had heard of the idea of a personal computer, it was from Marco,"Boglione said. He bought it"because he loves computers."

Present at the technology auction, which aslo included manuscripts, prints, and science-themed texts, was AppleComputerco-founderSteve Wozniak, who agreed to add an autographed letter to the lot.

He said the auction was a historic moment for his work, especially when sold alongside such other technological greats as an Enigma, the German code-making machine, and writings of British mathematician Alan Turing, considered one of the founders of modern computing.

"Today my heart went out as I got to see things auctioned off like the Turing documents and the Enigma machine - and the Apple I,"Wozniak told journalists after the auction."It really was an important step, (even though) I didn't feel that way when I designed it."

"I'm very delighted for the gentleman who purchased it,"he added.

Boglione said his brother's newly purchased Apple I would likely be returned to working condition - and eventually join a collection of Apple computers.

Inside the auction house Tuesday afternoon, many patrons studied the sale catalog using Apple's iPads and iPhones - a sign of the times, said Christie's Julian Wilson.

"It is a fitting illustration of how computers have revolutionized the world,"he said.

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Apple releases updated operating system update for iPad

Apple released the latest version of its mobile operating system Monday bringing multitasking, folders, a unified inbox and wireless printing to the iPad.

Apple said iOS 4.2 for the iPad, theiPhoneand iPad Touch offers more than 100 new features for the popular devices from the Cupertino, California-based company.

Apple chief executiveSteve Jobssaid the upgraded software, which can be downloaded for free from online entertainment storeiTunes,"makes the iPad a completely new product."

"The iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit,"Jobs said in a statement.

Apple got the jump on its competitors with the launch of the iPad in April but a number of rivals have launched, or are planning to launch, their own touchscreen tablet computers including South Korea's Samsung and Canada'sResearch In Motion, maker of the Blackberry.

Many of the features in iOS 4.2 were already available for the latest versions of the iPhone and theiPod Touchbut not for the iPad.

Apple said iPad users can now switch between applications instantly and run more than one at a time, playing a music program like Pandora, for example, while running another application.

Applications can now be organized into folders with a drag-and-drop feature.

Email features a unified inbox for users with more than one account while"Game Center"lets users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch play against friends or other opponents and discover games that others are playing.

A new feature called"AirPlay"streams music, video and photos wirelessly from the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch to a television set equipped with Apple TV, Apple's TV set-top box.

"AirPrint"allows an iPad owner to wirelessly print documents or photos to AirPrint-enabled printers from US computer maker Hewlett-Packard.

Apple said Monday that 40,000 applications have been created for theiPadand 300,000 for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Apple's iPad to go on sale in S.Korea on Nov. 30

South Korea's wireless operator KT said Sunday it would start selling Apple's iPad on November 30 amid growing competition in the potentially lucrative tablet computer market.

KT, the nation's sole distributor of Apple's iPhone and iPad, said the popular tablet PC would start at 218,000 won (192 dollars) with a two-year contract, rising to 865,000 won with additional features.

More than 40,000 South Koreans have pre-ordered the popular gadget since November 17, a KT spokesman said, adding the company would begin sending out products on November 30.

The announcement comes after South Korea'sSamsung Electronicslaunched its owntablet computerlast week in the domestic market in a bid to get the jump on Apple.

Apple has sold more than 7 million iPads worldwide since its market debut in January.

Samsung Electronics, which has already introduced Galaxy Tab in countries like the US and Italy, aims to sell over a million units globally by the end of 2010.

Global computer and handset makers have scurried to respond to the roaring success of Apple'siPhoneandiPad.

Tablet PCs feature bigger screens than smartphones and have no keyboards, instead employing touch screens or stylus pens.

The global tablet PC market is expected to expand to 30 million units next year from 13 million this year, according to industry data.

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Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Apple iPad

More than eight months after the release of the Apple iPad, fans of Google's Android mobile operating system finally have a contender in the race for tablet supremacy.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is just the first in an avalanche ofAndroidtablets planned for release in the winter months.

The Galaxy Tab is much smaller than the iPad, with just a 7-inch screen. That makes it a breeze to hold with just one hand. It feels more like an oversizedsmartphonethan thetablet computerpacked with powerful features that it is.

The iPad's considerable heft - it's almost twice as heavy as the Galaxy Tab - has made it a hard sell for the on-the-go crowd. Samsung's tablet would be a joy on a bus or airplane as a personal gaming or video device.

It features a superfast 1-gigahertz processor that makes navigating around the device snappy. Its touch screen is extremely responsive and never stutters.

It has front- and rear-facing cameras for video chats, mobile hotspot capabilities and turn-by-turn navigation - all unavailable on the iPad, which has sold more than 7 million units.

The Galaxy Tab is available from T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, with more carriers coming on board soon. I tested a model on the Verizon network.

FOR READERS AND GAMERS

Samsung has brushed the Galaxy Tab with the same technicolor interface it uses on its superb line of Galaxy smartphones.

And when paired with the tablet's super-vibrant display, that interface is a welcome respite from Android's often utilitarian, machine-like appearance.

The Galaxy Tab also has the same widgets Android users have grown accustomed to, like e-mail and calendar notifications.

As an e-reader, the Galaxy Tab is a no-brainer. Its size is almost exactly the same as the latestAmazon Kindle- think of a paperback - and the color screen offers utility not available on the leading single-use e-readers.

Users can download the free Android apps for e-booksellers including Amazon and Barnes&Noble to turn the Galaxy Tab into a full-featured e-reader.

The Galaxy's size makes it a great mobile gaming device, too. You'll get the same suite of games available on other Android devices. I found almost all of them to be a great experience, especially the popular Angry Birds, which really shines on this screen size.

TROUBLE IN THE APPS

The Galaxy Tab struggles a bit, though, if you're looking for a fully realized computing experience.

And Android - historically the less-polished sibling of Apple's iOS mobile platform - struggles a bit on the bigger screen.

The apps available for the Galaxy Tab are the same available on any Android smartphone, andGooglehas been mum on whether it plans to open a separate section of its Android Market for tablet-optimized apps.

This creates a roadblock for developers, who are now in the position of designing one program that will be on screens of several sizes and on devices from several manufacturers.

Even the app for Google's own YouTube video-sharing service feels less than fully featured. When a list of videos is viewed in landscape mode, the vertical list runs the entire width of the device. This is a wasted opportunity to provide more context for the videos in a preview pane on the right or left.

When using the 7-inch tablet, you're seeing the same thing you'd see on your 3-inch smartphone screen, and in many cases that doesn't feel like enough.

And, like other Android devices, the Gmail inbox is still maddeningly relegated to a separate app, keeping it separate from other e-mail accounts.

SMARTPHONE FEEL, IPAD PRICE

There's no doubt, though, that there will be considerable interest in these Android tablets as they roll out.

And the brisk competition should bring down prices for tablets, which are still prohibitively expensive.

The Galaxy Tab retails for a whopping $600 - just $30 less than a comparable iPad.

But while theiPadfeels like a wholly different computing experience, theGalaxy Tabultimately feels like an indulgently large smartphone.

Now, there's nothing wrong with an indulgently large smartphone. In fact, I'll take two, please.

But paying $600 for one - in addition to more monthly 3G connectivity fees - is a hard road to cross.
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SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB

- Carriers: Available now from T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon Wireless; coming soon to AT&T and U.S. Cellular

- Operating system: Android 2.2 (Froyo)

- Price: $400 with two-year contract from T-Mobile or Sprint, $600 from Verizon

- Data plan: Verizon tablet data plans start at $20 per month for 1 GB and go up to $80 for 10 GB; T-Mobile data plans are $25 for 200 MB or $40 for unlimited data each month; Sprint offers 2 GB for $30 or 5 GB for $60.

- Weight: 13.58 ounces

- Size: 4.74-by-.47-by-7.48 inches

- Screen: 7-inch WSVGA display; 1024x600 pixels

- Camera: 3-megapixel rear-facing with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front-facing; 720p video recording

- Storage: 16GB microSD preinstalled, expandable up to 32GB

Source

Nokia admits power problems in N8 top handset

(AP) -- Nokia Corp. said Friday its top N8 model, aimed at making up lost ground in the smart phone market, has had power problems with some handsets not turning on after recharging.

The fault was limited to"a small number ofhandsets"and will be fixed in line with Nokia warranty rules, Nokia spokeswoman Eija-Riitta Huovinen said. She gave no details of whether the problem was regional or how many handsets were affected.

"We've had a lot of positive feedback about the N8. This problem involves really a small number,"Huovinen said.

The N8, which looks like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, features a 12-megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a 3.5 inch display. It is built on Symbian 3, a new version of the Symbian software with photo uploading connections to social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Available also in North America, Nokia's worst market, the N8 was meant to compete with the iPhone that has set the standard for today's smart phones andResearch In MotionLtd.'s BlackBerrys that are the favorite of the corporate set.

More recently, Google Inc.'s Android software has also emerged as a choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.

And the N8 has been beset with problems.

It was unveiled in April with deliveries expected in the summer but Nokia did not start shipping it internationally until the end of September.

The latest fault, though relatively small, comes at a bad time as the fourth quarter traditionally means strong growth in the wireless industry.

"This doesn't help the Nokia brand, that's for sure. The problems have been mounting for the past few years and every little negative headline adds to that,"said Neil Mawston from London-based Strategy Analytics."It's not a great start for their supposed iPhone orAndroidkiller."

Nokia's share price was down more than 1 percent at euro7.41 ($10.11) in afternoon trading in Helsinki.

In September, Nokia replaced its Finnish CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo with Microsoft executive Stephen Elop, a Canadian, the first time the company appointed a non-Finn at its helm.

The choice of a North American executive to lead a Finnish company was seen as reflecting the increasing dominance of U.S. and Canadian companies in the evolution of the top end mobile phone business.

The N8 is selling at European retailers for some euro460-euro600 ($625-$820), and can be ordered on Nokia's Web site for euro500.

Mawston said that in America it has an edge on the latest iPhone in price.

"The N8 is pretty competitive. Very similar in specifications to the iPhone 4 at roughly half the price,"Mawston said."TheiPhoneis roundabout the $650 level and the N8 is about the $300 to $350 level."

Nokiareported a third-quarter net profit of euro529 million, up from a net loss of euro559 million last year, but said it had lost market share to 30 percent in the period - from 34 percent in 2009.

Despite setbacks, it is still the global leader in handsets, including smart phones, selling 26.5 millionsmart phonesin the quarter - up 60 percent on a year earlier. Its closest rivals, Apple sold 14 million and RIM 12.5 million.

Source

Review: Samsung tablet good, but not good enough

(AP) -- When Apple released the iPad in April, it set a high bar for tablet computers. The first real competitor has arrived in Samsung's Galaxy Tab.

With a screen that measures 7 inches diagonally, two shorter than theiPad, the Tab is good - but not good enough.

The Tab is nearly the same size as Amazon's Kindlee-readerbut slightly thicker. It's a bit more portable than the iPad, but has a smaller screen to play with.

For me, at least, this in-between size - bigger and heavier than a smart phone, smaller and lighter than an iPad - made for an in-between experience. It was more engaging than playing around with a phone but less immersive than what I've felt with the iPad.

The Tab, currently available from T-Mobile, Sprint andVerizon Wirelessand coming soon from AT&T, costs $400 to $650, depending on whom you buy it from and whether or not you agree to a two-year contract. It runs Google's Android operating system, which is mostly used forsmart phones.

The Tab I tested, which worked over Sprint's cellular network and Wi-Fi, had a bright and brilliant screen. That makes it well-suited to surfing the Web, watching videos and reading e-books with Amazon's Kindle app.

But when I bought and downloaded an episode of"Law&Order: SVU"fromSamsungElectronics Co.'s online store for TV shows and movies, I found I couldn't quite lose myself in it as I could when watching videos on the iPad. The Tab's screen simply felt more appropriate for media snacking than gorging.

The Tab runs the most recent iteration of Android, version 2.2, which means it can play Flash videos - a trick the iPad and Apple Inc.'s iPhone haven't learned. This came in handy when surfing the Web, as it let me watch videos I usually can't access unless I'm on a computer.

The device has a speedy processor and sensitive touch screen, and it is suited for the typical Android layout of having several hidden home screens that you swipe to see. These home screens can fill up with applications and widgets that let you do such things as check the news or weather.

A number of apps I downloaded from the Android Marketplace looked fine on the Tab's screen, but they don't all magnify to fill up the available space. While the Yelp app and the disturbingly addictive game"Angry Birds"worked well with the larger real estate, others such as Retro Camera were more centered on the screen, surrounded by black emptiness.

Speaking of cameras, that's another feature that the Tab has but the iPad doesn't. There are two on the Tab: a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front and a 3-megapixel camera on the back, both of which can be used for taking photos or video chatting.

I was glad to see the front-facing camera, as one of the iPad's few shortcomings is its lack of a video chat option. The Tab comes with Qik, an app that lets you conduct video chats with others who have Qik or who watch a live video stream on Qik's website. But video chats didn't work so well in my tests. I tried using Qik over Wi-Fi and Sprint's network, but in both cases my friend on the other end looked extremely pixelated.

I thought that having a camera on the back of the Tab would be useful, but it ended up being a throwaway feature - partly because I felt so awkward and silly holding up the clunky Tab to take photos as I wandered around. Thanks, but I'll stick with my smart phone and point-and-shoot camera for now.

The Tab will hold up well to plenty of video chatting or other battery-intensive activities. With Wi-Fi on, I got a little more than six hours of use, including quite a bit of time streaming videos from YouTube. It isn't as good as the 10 hours maximum promised for the iPad with Wi-Fi on, but it's still plenty of play time.

Despite its shortcomings, if you do decide to get a Tab, be prepared to wade through a morass of differing prices and data plans, which vary by carrier. You can get the Tab for as low as $400, but you'll have to sign a two-year wireless service contract (and in some cases you'll have to pay even more to send and receive text messages on it). And if you hate the idea of another monthly commitment or want a no-contract plan, expect to pay much more for the device. Verizon charges $600 for the Tab, and AT&T will charge $650 when it begins selling it on Sunday; neither will require a contract.

Now consider that the cheapest iPad, which has just Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet, costs $499, and the decision isn't so tough.

My time with the Tab was fun, but it just never got me thinking,"I want this."And if somebody was kind enough to give me one, I'd probably exchange it for an iPad.

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Google working on phone with built-in payment tool

Google Inc. is taking another stab at designing a game-changing mobile phone, this time by including a built-in payment system that could eventually enable the devices to replace credit cards.

The new phone got a brief preview Monday whenGoogleCEOEric Schmidttook the stage to kick off the Web 2.0 summit, a technology conference held annually in San Francisco.

Schmidt confirmed that Google has been working on a sophisticated new computer chip and an upgrade of itsAndroidmobile operating system that will include a payment processing tool. He showed off the new phone with the device's name and manufacturer concealed.

Several technology websites have speculated the new phone will be called"Nexus S"and will be manufactured bySamsung ElectronicsCo.

Google unveiled a phone called the Nexus One with much fanfare at the beginning of this year, but stopped selling it several months ago after other similar devices powered by Android hit the market. Samsung already makes several phones that run on Android software and just introduced a new computer tablet called Galaxy that's powered by Google's 3-year-old mobile operating system.

Schmidt declined to address the reports about the Nexus S. He indicated the new phone, equipped with the upgraded version of Android software called"Gingerbread,"will hit the market within the next few weeks.

The new phone will feature a Near Field Communication, or NFC, chip that will enable phones to transmit the payment information of the device's owner to vendors using compatible technology. The transactions will be completed by tapping a physical point, such as a payment terminal or other objects encoded with the information needed to complete the purchase.

Schmidt said the chip will be more secure than the magnetic stripes that carry personal information on credit cards, an advantage that has been greeted enthusiastically by payment processors.

Google intends to forge partnerships with payment processors rather than try to expand into that line of commerce, Schmidt said. Although he expects mobile phones to supplant credit cards, Schmidt said the transition is still a long ways off.

"I still expect to be usingcredit cardsfor many, many years,"he told reporters after his presentation. Ascomputer chipsand mobile software continues to improve, Schmidt envisions the day when phones will be able to alert their owners when they are passing by a merchant with a product or service on their shopping list.

Mobile phones powered by Android have become ubiquitous since Google released the free mobile software two years ago. HTC Corp., which made theNexus One, and Motorola Inc. are among the other major manufacturers that have developed Android handsets. The widespread usage helped Android surge to a 25.5 percent share of the market for mobile phone software, up from 3.5 percent a year ago, according to the research firm Gartner Inc. That ranked Android's software second only to the Symbian operating system, a staple on Nokia Corp. phones, which holds a nearly 37 percent share, by Gartner's reckoning.

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US e-book sales near one billion dollars in 2010: Forrester

Sales of electronic books are expected to hit nearly one billion dollars in the United States this year and to triple by 2015, according to a new report by Forrester Research Inc.

The market research firm said US spending one-bookswas expected to total 966 million dollars this year, up from 301 million dollars last year and to reach 2.81 billion dollars in 2015.

Forrester said the number of e-book readers with dedicated devices in the United States was expected to grow from 3.7 million at the end of last year to 10.3 million at the end of this year to 29.4 million in 2015.

Seven percent of online US adults who read books read e-books, a number that is expected to double a year from now, Forrester said.

A Forrester survey of e-book readers found that 35 percent read e-books on alaptop computer, 32 percent on Amazon's Kindle, 15 percent on Apple's iPhone, 12 percent on a Sonye-readerand 10 percent on a netbook computer.

Nine percent said they use a Nook e-reader from Barnes and Noble, nine percent said they use Apple's iPad, eight percent said they use some other e-reader and six percent said they use a cellphone other than theiPhone.

Forrester also said Amazon's Kindle store"stands to benefit tremendously"from the rise in e-book reading because of its existing relationship with book buyers through Amazon.com.

Fifty percent of people who bought an e-book in the past month have purchased e-books from the Kindle store, Forrester said.

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Kno textbook reader to ship this year

Kno Inc., a California company making a digital textbook reader for students, announced on Tuesday it would begin shipping the tablet computer by the end of the year.

Kno, which has received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, aSilicon Valleyventure capital firmlaunched by Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, said its 14.1-inch (35.8-centimeter) single screen tablet will cost 599 dollars.

The dual-screen version will sell for 899 dollars.

Kno, which is short for"knowledge,"said it was accepting a limited number of pre-orders for an initial shipment that is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

"Kno's extraordinary benefits represent only a tiny fraction of the overall cost of college,"Kno co-founder and chief executive Osman Rashid said in a press release."When you do the math, it actually pays for itself."

Kno said it has been testing the product with students and received a positive response for both the single and dual screen devices.

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Digital textbooks will be sold through the Kno bookstore and cost between 30 percent and 50 percent less than physical textbooks, the company said.

Kno is working with a number of publishers including Cengage, McGraw Hill, Pearson, Macmillan, Bedford, Freeman&Worth, Holtzbrinck, BarCharts Publishing, Kaplan, Random House and University Presses.

"According to the not-for-profit College Board's 2010 report, the average college student spends approximately 1,100 dollars a year on books and supplies,"Kno co-founder and chief technology officer Babur Habib said.

"Kno can reduce that cost while bringing education into the 21st Century, providing students with a far superior learning experience than they have today."

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The Santa Clara, California-based Kno was founded in May 2009 and announced in September it had received 46 million dollars in the latest round of funding from Andreessen Horowitz and other venture capitalists.

Apple launched itsiPadtablet computerearlier this year and a number of other companies have since announced plans to come out with touchscreen devices for reading electronic books or surfing the Web.

The iPad costs between 499 and 829 dollars.

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