Amazon Kindle Fire Product Review

The Amazon Kindle Fire launch was one of the most anticipated in recent years, creating a lot of buzz within the online community. After a few months while the dust has settled and users are becoming experienced with the workings of the tablet, here are some observations on the device touted as iPad’s 1^st real competitor. With a very pleasing design, beautiful video touch screen with stunning brightness and color contrast, as well as the sturdy build of the device without being too heavy or bulky, the Fire has a lot to offer to anyone looking to economically go mobile with diverse, unique functionality.

Instant Reader

One of the features that sets the Kindle brand name apart from everyone else is its original claim to fame: the ability to instantly download print media from the Amazon store and be able to get down to the business of reading. The Kindle Fire gets very high marks for the ability to enjoy full-color magazines as well as the wide selection of books available on the Amazon site. In fact, for the wide range of content available, including literally millions of downloadable movies, TV shows, music, eBooks & magazines, as well as browsing capabilities, the Kindle Fire ranks very high.

Kindle e-Reader

For an extra price (under $100), you can purchase this tablet that reads like real paper, touting no eye strain or glare, even in bright sunlight.

Kindle Apps

Amazon’s Appstore includes a wide array of free app selections. Because Kindle Fire has capitalized on its former claim to fame as a reader turned mobile device, magazine and newspaper apps are helpful for current print subscribers to browse the most recent edition on the tablet, or in some instances the app provides the ability to purchase a single month or annual subscription (including 90-day trials) right through the app.

Of course, free apps enabling you to access your Netflix, Hulu Plus or Flixter accounts make this device your own personal TV screen. Amazon Prime members also get free streaming capability from Amazon On Demand, plus discounts on all Amazon content.

There are also useful apps available for purchase for a nominal one-time or monthly price, such as Notepad for taking notes, and Calendar scheduling tool.

Cloud Storage

With unlimited free cloud storage available, there’s no need to worry about what your device is currently storing, and a backup of all the content you purchase through your Amazon account is available.

Cost

Definitely a huge positive for anyone who has compared pricing on both the Kindle Fire and the iPad, as well as other available options. Most people agree that the $199 price tag is well worth it for the functionality. Add the eReader for a total price of $278.

Some issues to be aware of:

• The Silk Browser tends to get lower marks for most people until it learns the browsing habits of the user.
• The battery does very well with most functions, but users are advised to keep the device plugged in during streaming, as it tended to drain the battery.
• Kindle Fire can connect to many available WiFi connections so that you can download, stream, access email or browse the web. However, the Fire does not have 3G capability for a truly mobile experience.

With lower price, this device is missing out on some of the functionality that the iPad delivers, such as a larger screen, camera, storage capacity, and the largest App Store available.

About the Author

Ruth Suelemente is a freelance writer who is well-versed on a variety of topics, including a high speed internet and related technologies.

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Barnes & Noble is locked in a vicious battle between people going to their brick and mortar retail stores and the increasing shift to digital content. One of the biggest problem the company faces is competition from within in the form of the Nook e-reader. (Or is it???) This has become such an internal issue that they are considering separating the businesses into separate legal entitities.

On the surface it seems fairly obvious that every ebook purchased on the Nook (or Kindle or iPad) is yet another nail in the store’s coffin. That doesn’t have to be the case. Last weekend I was in the store with my wife’s Nook Tablet and I saw a few children’s books that I wanted to get her. I wanted them for the Nook though, because our daughter loves when we use the “Read to Me” feature. It was such a pain in the neck to see whether each book was available in the Nook store. It all dawned on me that if the two interests worked together it could be a huge boost to both sides. Not to mention the benefits to customers like myself.

A Solution to Their Problem

Offer a significant discount, say 20%, on ebooks purchased from inside the store. This means that if I am in the store, connected to their wifi network and purchase a book or anything else, it will be cheaper than if I do it elsewhere. (Not in the store.) They can make it more appealing and convenient by placing a quick-code on any physical book that is also an ebook. For instance, let’s say the latest John Grisham book is also available on the nook; Place a sign on the display that says “Type in ABC123 into your Nook to get 20% Off“. Then, the physical store where you are at would get a referral/affiliate fee for that transaction. Not to go off topic, but think how much easier this would be using QR codes if they would have included a camera. There are a number of other extensions of this that could drive revenue back to the stores. After each purchase they could send you an alert with a “today only” coupon for a free drink at the cafe or $10 off a $50 purchase. How about giving an in-store only credit to people who purchase $100 of digital content?

Benefits for Everyone

If you think of the previous ideas; there are three stakeholders involved: Nook Owners, Brick & Mortar Stores, and The Nook Store. Ideas like these would have simultaneous benefits to all three parties.

• Nook Owners Save money on the books they want Use their purchases to earn other discounts Get out of the house Brick & Mortar Stores Use the tool that has been bringing people AWAY from the store to pull them back in
• Add more value to Nook owners who are also store visitors Increased foot traffic and impulse purchases A small slice of the growing digital pie
• The Nook Store Increased value proposition over iPad and Kindle (no physical content browsing) An incentivised sales channel Increased impulse purchases

What Do You Think?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the Comments below.

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2012 promises to be an exciting year in the UK. The London Olympics will begin in July and as the smartphone market becomes increasingly important to marketers it is likely users will expect treats and tricks to help them keep up to date with news and perhaps have a go at some of the sporting events themselves. The significance of the ‘London’ brand has already been hinted at with the release of a picture of a new BlackBerry 10 designed for the UK market and code-named ‘London’. So in terms of games, apps and features, what can smartphone users expect to tie in with the biggest event of the sporting calendar that is heading to our shores?

1. VisitBritain app. The focus isn’t just on London for the Games, instead the whole of the UK is expected to get a boost with sporting events taking place at stadia across the country and along with that an influx of tourists and cultural events via the Cultural Olympiad suggesting focus won’t just be in the capital. Manchester Agency Apadami and Hiss Design have created the official VisitBritain tourism app. Exclusively available for Samsung devices – an official sponsor of the Games – the app will help people find events and attractions to see around the country, using the Olympics as a hook.

2. VisitBritain aren’t the only ones with an app. The history of the games using Augmented Reality is explored with ARworks app via Junaio. It allows users to look at venues of the 2012 Games with pictures and stats. It compares them to venues from 1896 including Athens and Sydney and users can track the progress of the Olympic Flame, starting its journey in May. The app also utilises GPS so users can find out about venues and events closest to them. Olympic Navigator is available for both iOS and Android.

3. Those travelling around London will be pleased to know they will still be able to browse the web and use their apps during the Games while using the Underground. Transport for London has announced 120 Underground stations will be fitted with Wi-Fi from July. Users may well be charged for the service and it is unlikely it will extend to tube carriages themselves.

4. Visa’s announcement earlier this year of developments using Near Field Communications (NFC) enabling payments via smartphones and mobile devices suggested the launch will coincide with the London Olympics. The financial firm has approved Samsung, LG and BlackBerry for the new wireless payment method at 185,000 contactless payment terminals in shops. Users pay on a secure SIM and linking it with the Olympics furthers the brand of the UK as an ambitious one for technology. It also makes it easier for tourists to make payments.

5. One of the most frustrating things for smartphone and mobile users is when the networks get clogged. It is still a nightmare trying to send a text on New Year’s Eve. A new piece of kit called SmartSwitch is aimed at network operators who want to reduce network congestion during the Olympics, when thousands of visitors will be online at the same time. The firm behind the kit, Roke Manor Research, says SmartSwitch makes it easier for visitors to use different Wi-Fi connections, reducing the risk of a major shock when they download cell data and risk running a huge bill when roaming. Sending notifications and keeping users up to date with their connection will put them back in the driving seat when finding information when in the UK, they claim.

The Olympic Games have not been held in the United Kingdom since 1948 and technology has progressed a great deal in the intervening years. Back then hardly anyone owned a television set let alone a multipurpose handheld entertainment and communications device. Even in the four years since the Beijing Olympics of 2008 mobile phones have advanced at a rapid pace and this could be the first time that this emerging world of apps and augmented reality could be put to full effect for visiting spectators from across the globe.

OVERVIEW: You will learn how to use Synergy, a free software application to control multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse. These computers can all be running different operating systems.

What Is Synergy?

Synergy is an open source software application used for sharing a single keyboard and mouse between multiple computers. One user can control several computers in the same physical area, with a monitor connected to each. The “server” software runs on the computer with the keyboard and mouse connected and the “client” software runs on the computers that are being controlled. Synergy can run on all of the popular operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX) at the same time. This means that you can move your cursor from your Windows desktop to control a Mac, and a Linux machine without batting an eye.

Why I Use Synergy

I constantly need to use and document applications in Windows, Mac, and Linux environments. This requires me to have at least one machine set up running each of those operating systems. I currently have three laptops on the desk in my office running each of those systems. Synergy allows me to line them up next to each other and use my mouse to bounce back and forth between them as if I was using a single, very diverse computer. The best part of it is that there is a common clipboard that allows me to copy pictures and text from any machine and paste it on any other machine, as if I was pasting from MS Word to PowerPoint on the same computer. (Regardless of which operating systems.) I could also see this being powerful for someone running a computer room at a data center.

Getting Synergy on your Computers

If you’ve read this far, I’m assuming that this sound kind of interesting to you. Well, enough sales, let’s see how to make it happen. Start off by downloading and installing the software on all of your machines. FYI – there are a few different variations of the Synergy software/project available, but they all play fairly well together, so just pick one that you’re happy with.

Windows: Synergy, Synergy-Plus, Synergy KM, Quick Synergy

Mac: Synergy, Synergy-Plus, Synergy KM, Quick Synergy

Linux: Go to your distribution’s Applications installer, then search for and install Synergy and Quick Synergy. (Synergy is the service and Quick Synergy is the GUI that let’s you configure the service.)

The steps differ slightly based on the specific software installed on each operating system, but the concepts are the same. I will include links for each application’s specific instructions below.

Configuring Synergy

Once you have the software installed on all of your machines, you are ready to begin configuring your systems. The biggest decision is which computer will have the keyboard and mouse physically connected. This will probably be based on some sort of unique personal preferences. The computer with the keyboard and mouse physically connected will be the “Server”.

Before you go any further, find the Internal IP Address and Computer Name of all of the machines that you are going to control.

Configuring the Server (Computer sharing its keyboard and mouse)

You need to tell the server which computers it is going to be controlling and where they will be physically located (to the left, right, above, diagonally above, etc.).

Enter the computer names of each machine and place them where they belong. As you can see in the image below, I have three computers set up, with “christopher” in the center, “Laptop” on the left, and “cm-mac” on the right.

The interface will look slightly different on each OS, but they are conceptually alike.

Configuring the Clients (Computers “borrowing” the Server’s keyboard)

Now that your server knows about the other clients and where they are located, you need to tell the clients to allow the server to take control of them.

Select the Use Another Computer’s Keyboard and Mouse option on the client machine. Then, add in the Server’s Internal IP Address. If you set a password on the Server, enter it on each client machine. (Use the Advanced button below.)

Once you have your client(s) configured, click the Start button to give control to the Server’s keyboard and mouse. That’s it! Now, just move your cursor across the edge of your monitor onto the next machine. The cursor will instantly start to move on the client machine and anything that you type will be happening on the client machine. If you want, you can select and copy text on that machine and then move your cursor to one of the other machines and paste it in seamlessly. Pretty cool and simple, right?

See Synergy in Action

The following video shows how to configure Synergy to share a keyboard across Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. It also shows you a simple example of what you can do once you have everything set up.

Alternatives

There are of course a several available options for working with multiple operating systems. I actually do use a few of them when the situation lends itself, but none of them give you the most power and features of each OS all at the same time. Let’s take a look at some of the alternatives and their pros and cons.

What are your thoughts?

What do you do when you need to work on multiple machines and operating systems? Please let me know in the comments. If you have a cool solution, I would love to feature it in a future article.

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Due to the advancement of technology, it has now been possible for customers to hook their TV up to the Internet. Some of these TV/Internet hook-ups include basic keyboards and Internet browsers, but not all of these apps function in this method. They are, however, designed around streaming services and applications; with a built in function that allows the user to scroll the Internet with just a thumb (and a remote).

Internet TV apps are a great way of viewing TV without needing an extra connection, or a special box to connect the Internet.

Internet TV is great for any person who enjoys sharing videos, homemade or YouTube based. The ability to share great videos without having friends and family members stand around trying to look at small screens (phones or computers). Internet TV also allows users to chat on social media sites (such as Facebook and Twitter) while watching movies, without having multiple devices surrounding the couch area.

Samsung Smart TV

Samsung is offering video searches with detailed movie and TV information. They also have to better application offerings than any other Internet TV, with a high variety of 3D streaming.

Wi-Fi: Built with higher models; USB dongle – $80

Sharp Aquos Net

Unlike the other apps, Sharp doesn’t offer the hits like Hulu Plus, YouTube, or Amazon Instant. The application selection is rather narrow as well. The one good thing about Sharp Aquos Net, is the app has a better interface than the other apps.

Wi-Fi: Built for all models

LG Smart TV

LG is known for keeping things simple, and they haven’t stopped at these apps. LG has kept with their traditional style, while keeping it all customizable and have a clean lay out (great for those who like to use their Wii’s). The only downside is the app store has a light content when it comes to searches.

Wi-Fi: USB dongle included

Sony Bravia Internet Video

Sony doesn’t have an app store or a special home page for their content, but what Sony does have to offer, is an impressive stream-able collection. Sony also offers a Gracenote app (much like the Shazam app), that can recognize songs via cell phones.

Wi-Fi: Built with higher models; USB Dongle - $80

“>Panasonic Viera Connect

Panasonic uses a more simple method of pleasing their customers; their method involves using basic tiles on their app much like the iPhone. Panasonic also offers their users a chance to buy physical items, not just apps.

Wi-Fi: USB dongle included

Philips Net TV

The best feature of the Philips Net TV is the capability to allow the user to display their laptop screens on their TVs with no wires. Great for those who keep most of their favorite viewings on their laptop.

Wi-Fi: Built for all models

Technology advancements will continue to impress, keeping customers and tech lovers alike interested in the latest add-ons for phones and TVs. There are thoughts that here in the future there will be just one single device that one can call, view TV, text, write papers, and almost everything without the need of buying separate items.

About the Author

The post is authored by William Taylor. William primarily interest leans towards computer and information science. He is full of valuable knowledge and is ready to help with any question. Visit his site for internet and tv.