GSlusher

Apple Again Leads Sentiment for Technology, But HP, Amazon and Google Gain Ground

Tom B. wrote : "AMZN is a one-trick pony stock, already well past "nose-bleed" altitudes."

I guess, if you call selling nearly every non-perishable item except cars and major appliances "one-trick." I probably missed your intended meaning, though.

"Win 7 is somewhat less inadequate than Vista ..."

That has to be the best description I've read. I may steal .... er, "borrow" the phrase.

Who Will Come Out Ahead from e-Book Success in College Classrooms?

A few obstacles remain before the Kindle & its ilk can be used for textbooks. The most expensive texts are not history, literature, language, and the like, but math, science and engineering, where texts can easily cost $120-150. Those texts depend heavily upon graphics--diagrams, drawings, photographs, charts & graphs, and equations. They make extensive use of color. The Kindle is no better for that use than, say, an etch-a-sketch. Even if they solve the color & graphics problems (which will dramatically increase the size and cost of ebooks), there will remain usage problems. Typically, a student will look at a chart/drawing/photo/di... WHILE reading the relevant section of the text. Textbook editors are usually careful to make this easy by putting the graphics on the same or facing page as the related text. Flipping a Kindle back and forth from page to page will probably be unsatisfactory. It will probably dramatically increase the time required to read technical texts.

There are many possibilities that could enhance learning--interactive charts, dynamic equations that the student can manipulate, VR-type diagrams, where you can rotate an object and zoom in and out, etc. However, the usage problems need to be solved. It might require a larger screen, roughly the size of a 15-17" laptop. In that case, one might as well use the laptop.

FWIW, I've read a lot of technical texts, both as a student at MIT (three degrees in mechanical engineering) and as an instructor in undergraduate and graduate engineering courses.

Amazon: A Kindle Under Every Tree?

Three reasons, I would suppose (though I agree with your conclusion):

1. Larger, higher-resolution display, so it shows more of a page.
2. Cell-phone connection to get books, though getting them through Amazon's web site wouldn't be too inconvenient, as long as one has Wifi available.
3. Longer battery life, as the display itself doesn't require power unless you're changing a page.

A quibble: there is no such thing as an "iTouch," despite what some lazy columnists write. Apple sells the "iPod touch." It's like calling a car a Toyrolla.

Edit: as I recall, the Kindle also plays audiobooks.


On Nov 21 08:59 AM mollytjm wrote:

> why would anyone buy the Kindle for that price when they can get
> an iTouch that does the same thing and about a zillion other things?
> And the reading experience is terrific on it. audiobooks are wonderful
> too.
> i think this article must be an ad or something.

E-Reader Wars Heating Up: Apple May Have Edge with Younger Generations

From the article: "Despite the company’s refusal to release sales numbers, Amazon’s Kindle appears to be the sales leader in the U.S."

That's as blatant a non-sequitur as I've read recently. "We have absolutely NO data, but we'll make a wild-assed guess, anyway."

Betting Apple's New Netbook Is a Big iPhone

On Apr 22 12:27 PM UrbanBard wrote:

> I'm less inclined to think a big iPhone is coming than a pocketbook
> addition of the iTouch.

What "iTouch"? There is no such thing. Apple sells the iPod touch (note the lowercase "t"). If you want people to take your comments seriously, at least get the device's name correct.

Also, you should have "edition," not "addition."

> in a very acceptable devise ...

It's "device," not "devise," which is a verb.

Discovery Hits Amazon with Infringement Suit Over Kindle

raytayzmd wrote: "well, uhh -- a laptop is "book-shaped"...so are netbooks...so, in other words, Discovery COULD claim to own a patent on any method of electronically transferring text and graphics to laptops and netbooks??"

I'm not an attorney, but, since laptops were around before the patent was filed, the patent couldn't cover them. (I bought my first Mac, a PowerBook 100, in 1992--and it was being phased out at the time.)

I expect that the more important parts of the patent may be those relating to the distribution system.

Kindle: The Two's No Greater than the One

The IP attorneys are a bit behind the times, which shouldn't be surprising. In 1976, Ray Kurzweil (who graduated from MIT a year after I did) debuted the Kurzweil Reading Machine that could scan a book, newspaper, magazine, letter, etc., do OCR, and then speak the text. It was designed for use by the blind. Needless to say, such devices are much more sophisticated (and smaller) now. Of course, even before Kurzweil, there was an older technology, e.g., "parent-reads-book-to-...

What's New With the Kindle 2?

Not necessarily. Kindle books are cheaper only when compared to full retail (that's the comparison Amazon uses to hype the Kindle) or Amazon's regular price for new books--and, sometimes, they're not even cheaper than that.

Do a bit of digging and check the prices of books from Amazon Marketplace (used or even new). They're often cheaper than the Kindle version.

Then, there's the little fact that you can't sell a Kindle book when you're through reading it. Buy a used book, read it, then sell it, even to your local used bookstore. Heck, you can even donate it and take part of the cost as a tax deduction.


On Feb 09 03:29 PM raytayzmd wrote:

> ...what is often overlooked in the price analysis is that Kindle
> books sell considerably cheaper than paper -- not to mention savings
> in shipping charges...if you're an active reader you recoup your
> initial cost in probably less than 25 books.

Amazon's Kindle Is No iPod

Re: Cost
Kindle books actually cost MORE than regular printed books because one cannot sell a Kindle book. Most of the books I buy are used and significantly below the price of new books. When I'm through with them, I can sell them and recoup part of the cost. I couldn't do that with Kindle books.

That issue isn't as serious with iTunes Store music because even used CDs usually cost more than the few tracks that I want cost at the iTunes Store.

Which CEOs Have the Best and Worst Approval Ratings?

Jakw: While the approval rating of "Congress," as an institution, is quite low (in part because the Republicans keep blocking the process), the ratings of INDIVIDUAL Representatives and Senators by their own constituents (the only ones who matter) are usually pretty good, much better than President Bush's. Do your homework.

Music Downloads: You Can't Regulate One Industry and Leave Another Alone

Interesting that the author admits to behavior that, in some countries (e.g., the US), may be a crime punishable by fine and/or jail, not to mention a civil tort. (When you download via Bit Torrent, you may also be "publishing" copyright files because of the way Bit Torrent works.)

As for playing iTunes Store music on devices other than iPods, Fred seems to be behind the times, ignorant or deceptive. One can LEGALLY burn CDs from a "playlist" on iTunes, including songs purchased through the iTunes Store, as has been the case since the iTunes Store was opened.