Tag: jeff bezos (Page 2 of 2)

      Kindle gets another price cut

      October 7, 2009 /

      Jeff Bezos with a Kindle 2.Amazon is cutting the price of the Kindle once more, this time hoping for a holiday rush. When the Kindle 2 launched it was $359. It dropped to $299 in July and has now cut another $40, bringing the world’s most famous e-reader to an almost reasonable $259 ($199 and we’ll talk, Bezos).

      With the price cut also came news that wireless download capabilities have been added internationally in 10 different countries. That’s a big update for a feature that was previously only available stateside. The updated wireless also comes with a carrier change, from Sprint to (gasp!) AT&T. Yes, AT&T will be handling wireless communications for the internationally capable device in the US and abroad, which makes me wonder, does AT&T want to bury itself under a mountain of complaints? Of course, there are so few Kindles in the wild compared the newly VoIP over 3G enabled iPhones that this is probably a molecule in the vast ocean of AT&T’s wireless demands.

      Digital Media, News

      Amazon Enters The Accessories Market

      September 20, 2009 /

      Amazon Basics.Amazon’s seen some relative success in the electronic hardware market (though how much success they just won’t say) and it looks like the company would like to see a little more. The online everything store is launching its own line of electronics accessories called AmazonBasics.

      So far the site only has storage media and cabling, but you can also find guides for everyday setup and a troubleshooting. Amazon is also showing off new “Frustration-Free” packaging that supposed to be “easy to open and easy to recycle.”

      The site, on the other hand, is probably frustration-inducing for companies selling marked up cables through Amazon. Those guys just won’t be able to match the $8 HDMI cables without compromising their precious perceived quality. Amazon must see some pretty nice cash down the line to be willing to fleece old partners like this.

      News, Storage

      Amazon eBooks: Killing a Kindle Near You

      June 16, 2009 /

      Jeff Bezos with a Kindle.A couple days back I made a post about what it would take for me to get a Kindle. I’m looking for cheaper access to ebooks on more devices, and according to Jeff Bezos, I should be getting one of those wishes in the near future.

      At a conference this week, Bezos laid out his plan for Amazon’s Kindle brand in full detail.

      The device team has the job of making the most remarkable purpose-built reading device in the world. We are going to give the device team competition. We will make Kindle books, at the same $9.99 price points, available on the iPhone, and other mobile devices and other computing devices.

      The good news, obviously, is that we’ll start to see ebooks on more portable and more versatile devices. The Kindle App for the iPhone is a great example of this, bringing the books to a device you’ll have with you regardless, not requiring you to lug something like a Kindle around.

      As for bad news I can’t help but wonder, what’s the lifespan of the Kindle? Bringing ebooks to devices that have more features than the Kindle means one thing – the Kindle is going to die. Purpose-built devices have been disappearing for decades as consumers look for that all-in-wonder device. Cellphones, portable gaming systems, digital cameras, and digital camcorders have now all been wrapped up into one device. We went from word processors to computers to laptops to laptops with built in fingerprint readers and webcams and anything else you can imagine. Purpose-built devices are a dying breed, at least for the consumer-level use, and particularly in the case of the Kindle.

      Unfortunately, Bezos’ $9.99 price point is still too rich for my blood. I rarely buy books at that price, and for the new releases I’ll splurge on, I want more than a restrictive file format to show for it. As Amazon’s eBooks get more popular and become available on more devices I know prices will go down, but I doubt Amazon will loosen restrictions.

      Apps, Mobile, News

      Color Kindle is Years Away

      May 30, 2009 /

      Color Kindle concept.As soon as the Kindle hit the market, people started talking about a full color version, but according to Jeff Bezos, they’ll have to wait. Years. He can’t say how many.

      I’m not entirely surprised. The e-ink screen technology doesn’t directly adapt to a color format, which means developing a new display medium for the device. We all know how long that can take. Most concepts for such a display are just that: concepts. Perhaps the best one from Philips is still FAR from production, particularly in something like a Kindle.

      Bezos has also reconfirmed that Amazon will not release any specific sort of sales numbers for the Kindle. It’s obviously not because they don’t care. I guess they just don’t want us to know.

      News

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