11
Jun
amazonappstore

[Rumor] Amazon May Be Ready To Launch Its Appstore In Europe Very Soon

Posted by in Amazon, News

So far, Amazon's Appstore, which competes with Google's own Play Store on Android apps, has been stuck within U.S. borders. A report from All Things D, however, says that may be about to change soon. The online retail company, the site says, is preparing to launch in Europe. No details on when beyond "later this summer" were available.

All Things D speculates that this might herald the arrival of the Kindle Fire, however it also rightly points out that launching a device in a new country is more complicated than launching a software storefront. We're a little skeptical that an international launch of the Appstore will mean the Kindle Fire is heading to our friends across the pond.

09
Jun
kindlefire

[Deal Alert] Get A Free Voucher For $30 Off A Kindle Fire, Plus $5 Amazon Instant Video Credit

Posted by in Deals, News

Potential Kindle Fire owners, pay attention! Amazon's offering a free $30 voucher code towards the purchase of a Kindle Fire to anyone who asks right now. As a bonus, once you order your Kindle Fire, you'll receive $5 worth of Amazon Instant Video credit. Pretty sweet deal!

2012-06-09_15h43_14

The current list price for the Kindle Fire is still $199, so this voucher will bring it down to the extremely palatable price point of $170. The voucher is incredibly easy to order, too, and costs nothing, so even if you're just considering purchasing the device, go grab the voucher now. Worst case, you never use it.

29
May
io

The Ultimate Google I/O 2012 Preview

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Rumors
Last Updated: June 27th, 2012

Google I/O is coming and it's time to get excited! It's like Christmas in June! It will be here in just a few short agonizing weeks - and we need to prepare. There is background information you need to know, rumors you should have in mind, and past announcements and acquisitions that need to be remembered. Google always leaves little news breadcrumbs for those that pay attention, and I pay attention. Fanatically.

This post will be part news recap, part rumor roundup, and part speculation. The last time I did this went pretty well, and now it's time for another look at what the little elves at Google HQ are working on.

03
May
kindlefiretiny

Update Rolling Out For The Kindle Fire (6.3.1), Brings Additional Parental Controls

Posted by in Kindle Fire, News

If you have a Kindle Fire and kindergarteners, Amazon is currently rolling out an update for you. Firmware version 6.3.1 is heading to devices as we speak and brings extra parental controls with it. Now, parents can enable a password on purchases to prevent accidental money drains, block specific content libraries, so your kids don't see your naughty books, and even disable the Silk browser so your children don't discover the internet at large. This alone will save you thousands in psychiatric bills.

2012-05-03 16h13_40

It's a small update, but if you have little ones, it's important. Especially since tablets and ereaders are more often shared devices.

02
May
image

[Update: It's Back] Great Gold Box Deal: Certified Refurbished Amazon Kindle Fire With Full Warranty And Free Shipping - $139 For One Day Only

Posted by in Amazon, Deals, Kindle Fire

Update 5/2/12: The deal, which was extremely popular last time around, is back for another 24 hours. Here's the updated link.

If you've been waiting to pick up a cheap Android tablet, but the $200 price tag on the new Kindle Fire seemed a little steep, you're going to love today's main Amazon Gold Box deal. For one day only (or rather about 21 hours as of this writing), the Kindle Fire can be had for only $139 ($60 off) with free shipping (in fact, it's eligible for Prime).

Sure, it's the certified refurbished version which normally costs $169, but at this price, it seems worth it.

22
Apr
DSCN0353

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review: The Best Cheap Android Tablet Around

Posted by in Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Reviews
Last Updated: April 30th, 2012

While we're all waiting around for the Galaxy Note 10.1 to arrive and blow us away with its S-Pen powers on a Photoshop-equipped tablet, Samsung has set a couple new tablets loose on the market. Headlining on price, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 competes head-to-head with the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire. This tablet's advantage: Android 4.0. At $250, it's the cheapest way to get the full Android experience.

When we first heard about a $250 7" Android tablet, it wasn't from Samsung, but ASUS. Since then, ASUS has grown suspiciously quiet on the subject of its cheap tablets (perhaps because of a change in plans?), but Samsung has taken up the mantle.

10
Apr
31d15_amazon_apps

Amazon Releases Appstore SDK And In-App Purchasing API

Posted by in Amazon, Development, News

In a step to make the Appstore an even more viable alternative to Google's Play Store, Amazon is now rolling out a new feature for developers to make more money: in-app payments.

The Play Store has had an in-app purchasing system for a while now, which allows developers to make some extra money off of their apps with things like in-game currency, subscriptions, upgrades, etc. Up to this point, developers haven't had a way to offer the same features (or capitalize on them) with the Amazon Appstore. Thanks to this new API, however, devs will be able to better market their product on the millions of devices that depend exclusively on the Appstore for their go-to app market (like the Kindle Fire, for example).

28
Mar
KO-aag-apps._V166939197_

Kindle Fire Software Update Version 6.3 Rolling Out Now, New Root Method Already Available

Posted by in Kindle Fire, News

Amazon started pushing an update to the Kindle Fire yesterday, bringing software version 6.3 to the device. The update brings several new features/enhancements to the supercharged e-reader, including:

  • The ability to share passages and notes directly from books
  • "Book Extras" brings additional information, including description of characters, glossary of terms, information about authors, and more
  • Personal document archiving  for easy retrieval
  • Print-replica textbooks for students
  • New "reading view" for Silk removes images and other distracting content for easy reading
  • Movie rentals now officially start when you begin the movie, rather than when you rent the movie
  • ...and more.

Like past updates, this one brings many new features - but it also breaks root on the device.

05
Jan
eric_schmidt

Rumour: Google To Launch 7-Inch Nexus Tablet In Late Q1 2012

Posted by in Android OS, News, Tablets

Late last year Google chairman Eric Schmidt commented to an Italian newspaper that "in the next six months [Google planned] to market a tablet of the highest quality". His statement generated much speculation primarily over whether Google planned on releasing a self-branded "Nexus" tablet or whether they would merely partner with a device manufacturer, such as Motorola, Samsung, or HTC.

According to a rumour from Taiwanese electronics daily DigiTimes, Google may be preparing to launch an "own-brand tablet PC...targeting Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire". Naturally, Google Taiwan has already released a statement indicating that it has "never heard about plans of launching an own-brand tablet PC".

23
Dec
ZE8M3

[Exclusive] How To Easily Root The Amazon Kindle, Regardless Of Its Software Version

Posted by in Amazon, Development, Exclusives, Kindle Fire, News
Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: Justin has repackaged the Kindle Fire root app apk, removing encryption and open sourcing the file.

Update: BurritoRoot may not work on version 6.0 firmware. If you're having trouble, update your firmware and try again.

On the historic date of December 20th, 2011, Amazon pushed out software version 6.2.1 to its Kindle Fire. The update was fairly minor -- its main additions had to do with improved scrolling and WiFi passwords -- but it brought about one devastating change: it broke all previous methods of root.

Seeing the issue, our own Justin Case got right to work; and after a night's worth of coding, with a group of fellow devs helping him through the testing process (namely, Vashypooh, Trevor Eckhart, and IOMoster), he developed a new method to root the Kindle Fire -- a method that works not only on software 6.2.1, but on all currently known versions of the Fire's OS (future updates make break this).

Page 3 of 512345