15
Oct
2012-10-15_14h10_02

[Rumor] Amazon Is In Talks To Acquire TI's Mobile Processor Business, Puts On Its Big Boy Business Suit

Posted by in Amazon, News

Before we get too far into this, let's point out that this rumor is coming from an Israeli newspaper, so it is easy enough for a company to disavow stories like these. With that disclaimer out of the way: Amazon may be looking into buying Texas Instrument's OMAP business. As we already know, TI has expressed interest in getting out of the mobile game. Not to say they'll stop making processors, but that the focus would be less on tablets and phones, and more on embedded SoCs for a variety of applications (such as automotive, vision, and robotics).

Of course, Amazon uses TI's mobile processors for its Kindle Fire line, which runs a very heavily modified version of Android.

03
Oct
amazon appstore

Amazon Appstore Headed For Japan 'Later This Year'

Posted by in Amazon, Android OS, Applications, News

Amazon, in an effort to continue expanding its services globally, announced today that its Android app distribution service, the Amazon Appstore, is heading for Japan.

The shopping and media giant is now inviting developers to submit their apps and games for distribution in Japan, giving them the chance to participate in a new market with Amazon and "expand their business." Jim Adkins, VP of the Appstore, explained:

Opening our portal to app and game developers looking to reach Japanese customers is an important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally. Many of our existing developers are anxious to localize their apps and games for Japanese consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting for a chance to bring their Japanese content to the Amazon platform.

30
Sep
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Amazon Kindle Fire (2012) Review: For The Budget Minded, A Great Entertainment Device - But Not Much Else

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire, News, Tablet Reviews

According to Amazon, the original (2011) model of the Kindle Fire (KF) captured 22% of the tablet market. Whether or not you believe that figure, it was almost certainly the most popular Android tablet of the year. When compared to the often-times much more expensive tablets on the market, it was easy to see why: the Kindle fire offered 90% of the experience for 50% (or less) of the price.

But that was before the competition hit back. Samsung released the comparable (but more capable) Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 in April, and even with a keyboard and USB adapter, it cost just $250.

21
Sep
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Kindle Fire HD 7-Inch Review: "Real" Tablet Or Not, This Is The Future Of Digital Consumerism

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire HD, Tablet Reviews
Last Updated: September 22nd, 2012

Considering we're a little late to the game on our review of Amazon's newest Kindle Fire, you've probably skimmed through the thoughts of various blogs and news outlets, finding quips like "not a great general computing tablet," or "no match for the Nexus 7's / iPad's performance." And they're right.

The Fire HD is not a good "tablet" in the sense its competitors are (yet), and it's not really a match for the hardware horsepower of its Google-born arch-nemesis, the Nexus 7. But, like I said in my hands-on, comparing the Fire HD to the Nexus is just kind of a mismatch (though you'll read many comparisons in this review, because a lot people are interested in them).

18
Sep
awesome-amazon-mp3-now-matches-your-imported-music-to-its-own-library-and-gives-you-256kbps-versions-plus-a-lot-more

Amazon Cloud Player Now Available In The UK, Premium Storage Priced At £21.99 Per Year

Posted by in Amazon, News

Hot on the heels of its Kindle Fire launch in the UK, Amazon has now made its Cloud Player available to British customers.

Like the U.S. Cloud Player, any purchases made on Amazon's MP3 store can be stored online free of charge. If users want to upload their music library to Cloud Player, they can store 250 tracks for free. Users with larger libraries can pay £21.99 per year for the premium service, which can store up to 250,000 tracks. Songs that have been uploaded can then be played back on any Android phone, tablet, Mac, or PC using Amazon's app or web interface.

17
Sep
kfhd

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 Already Rooted, Here's How To Do It

Posted by in Kindle Fire HD, News

Yesterday, we told you that Amazon's newest Kindles are shipping with locked bootloaders. We mentioned that this probably wouldn't prevent the devices from being rooted, as a method was already in the works. That method has now been confirmed, and root for the Kindle Fire HD is go!

This is confirmed to work on the Fire HD 7, but should work on all new variants that are based on ICS.

First off, this exploit is actually based one that was found on the Transformer Prime in ICS by sparkym3, so full credit goes to him.

Before you get started, you need to download SU:

After you download the file, extract the contents and pull SU from /system/bin/ and SuperUser.apk from /system/app/ and put them in the directory you'll be working from.

16
Sep
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[Weekend Poll] Will You Be Buying A New Kindle?

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Stream Your Music Library On Android, Or Store It Locally?

On September 6, Amazon announced three new Kindles: a 6" non-Android model called the Paperwhite (with or without 3G), the 7" Kindle Fire HD (16 and 32GB), and an 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (16 or 32GB), while updating the hardware and dropping the price of the original Fire to $160. Pre-orders for the new versions went live the same day, and release dates vary anywhere from September 14 to November 20.  The specs show Amazon's commitment to the ecosystem - and to not be undersold by Google:

As David found out, they certainly offer a compelling package at a very accessible price, especially thanks to the ecosystem Amazon has built up around the devices.

16
Sep
kfhd

The Kindle Fire HD And Second Gen Kindle Fire Both Have Locked Bootloaders

Posted by in Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, News

So, you were thinking about picking up a Kindle Fire HD, rooting it, and throwing a ROM on it for an impressive $200 tablet? Turns out that idea may not work out as well as we initially thought: both the Kindle Fire HD and the second gen KF have locked bootloaders. Bummer.

This may not mean that custom ROMs are impossible on these devices, only that it's more improbable.

For those who may not know, the bootloader is responsible for checking the firmware's signature before a device boots. In this case, if it doesn't match what Amazon says it should, then it simply won't do anything.

14
Sep
KT-slate-02-lg._V389394532_

Reminder: The 7-Inch Kindle Fire HD 16GB Is Available Starting Today For $200

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire HD, News

In case you forgot, we thought we'd give you a heads-up that Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD is officially available today - if you want the 7-inch, 16GB version. It's packing a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor, a 1280x800 display with advanced anti-glare tech, and a set of stereo speakers that really do blow away any other slate on the market. For a more complete look at the HD 7, check out our hands-on (with a comparison to the Nexus 7), and our original announcement post.

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The 32GB iteration of the 7-inch, though, won't be launching until October 25th. And the one you probably actually want, the $300 Kindle Fire 8.9, won't be trotting out until November 20th.

10
Sep
amazonappstore

Amazon Will Offer Developers The Option To Sell Physical Items Via In-App Purchases

Posted by in Amazon, News

Well, this is sure to be an upset to the market. Amazon is going to allow developers the ability to offer in-app purchases to consumers for physical items that will be shipped to their homes. It's a little unclear yet if it will be limited to developers with products already on Amazon's website, or if Amazon will merely facilitate the transfer of shipping information. Could developers include in-app purchases of a physical product that they will handle distribution of themselves? That could be a huge boon for independent merchandise sellers, but obviously carries with it some inherent complications.

One of the first partners to offer products will be Activision, selling Skylanders characters.

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