« October 2007 | Main | December 2007 »
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, sounds like he has a new idea that will change the world of books (as he has already done once before). This time it sounds like something that could change the whole concept of the book- from a simple, ages old sacred source of knowledge into yet another electronic device.
But here's the catch- it's supposed to be that simple. Amazon designed the "Kindle" to be simple, lightweight, and feel like a book, rather than a notebook computer. It runs quietly, without heating up, and should have long battery life just like a book is accessible at any time. Best of all, using a special technology the Kindle mimes the clarity of a printed book, and the print can also be enlarged for those of us who are approaching far-sightedness.
The Kindle can hold 200 titles onboard, hundreds more on removable media and a limitless amount in Amazon's virtual library. But it isn't being promoted as a device like as much as a service; the "Whispernet" service is based on EVDO broadband service accessible through cell phone carriers, allowing it to work anywhere (not just in Wi-Fi hotspots).
The Kindle itself is expected to cost around $400, with a separate charge for the broadband service. Who knows if this idea will catch on, and when, but it certainly is a bold step Amazon is taking here.
Source: Newsweek
3, Britain's fifth-largest mobile service operator, has released a new phone with built-in Skype capability. British phone users will be able to conduct Skype calls to other users through a dedicated button on the phone's
interface. With this new model 3 is probably hoping to reverse its steady loss of customers over the past few years, and with an estimated 2.5 million Skype users in the UK, they just might be able to lure some of them over with the mobile VOIP option.
Supposedly the Skype service will be free to users under contract or those who fill up their prepay account regularly. However, the SkypeOut option (placing calls at low prices to non-Skype users) will not be offered apparently, for the obvious competitive reasons. According to the Guardian, the phone will reportedly also feature a 2MB and MP3 player with video playback as well.
TechCrunch reports that Skype has an estimated 246 million users worldwide, although only about 70 million of them are believed to be active users. And many of the active users are not paying users, as regular Skype service is free.
In more news, Google has been talking to US wireless carriers Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (as well as Vodafone internationally) about its plans for the GPhone. The way things are shaping out, it looks like Google doesn't want to create one special GPhone, but rather branch out and let the manufacturers use its applications for a diverse selection of devices. Google already has an extensive list of web-based applications, such as Google Maps and YouTube, and with the recent addition of a word-processing and an excel-like application, the Internet giant has put itself more in a position to battle Windows Mobile than Apple's iPhone.
Altogether, it looks like the mobile industry is headed for some serious changes during the next year or so, with VOIP systems like Skype starting to get a foothold in the market, and Google looking to make mobile phones an open platform for developers to build lots of applications on top of.
Initially cell phones were just taking over the conventional photography. The availability of portable printers made it even easier. However, now it is being used to play the car audio as well, and this is not just the ringtones, but full songs, and hundreds of them.
This year USA Track & Field, the national governing body for running, decided to ban the use of headphones and portable audio players at its official races. Jill Greer, a spokeswoman for the 
organization, explained to the NY Times' Juliet Macur that it's actually an insurance issue, with listening to music considered to be a hazard during a road race. Apparently, runners who can't listen to what's going on around them and heed to warnings from others pose a safety issue for everyone.
This shouldn't bother the "pure" runners, though, those that go into a zone and are tuned into every sense of their body during a race. In fact, many of them have praised the ban, claiming that wearing headphones would tune out a runner from the experience of a lifetime, like running in New York today.
However, many of the marathoners these days are recreational runners, not the elite, athletic in-the-zone types. For them, music helps set their pace and is often what gets them through the infamous 20 Mile Barrier, with a little Bruce Springstein or U2 giving them that needed extra push. Some of them have reportedly been using the iPod Shuffle which, besides being extremely lightweight, is also quite easy to conceal from race organizers.
Let's hope that all of today's New York City Marathon participants have a great race, whether it be music-aided or not, and that safety will not become an issue at all.
Source: NY Times
