Sony ups the ante vs. Amazon's Kindle

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If you're into e-books then most likely you love them and hate them at the same time. Not the books themselves mind you, but they way that it's been restricted for you to read them in certain mediums. Amazon is one of the well-known proponents of this as their e-books can only be read through their uber expensive Kindle or the iPhone. It's good news then that Sony seems to be thinking in the opposite way.

We reported on Sony's e-readers a few days ago, the Pocket and the Touch, and we were rather surprised at what the company will sacrifice to ensure they get one over Amazon in this market. First, they decided to make two e-readers--both priced way lower than the Kindle. Second, they slashed the e-book Bestsellers from $11.99 to $9.99. Now, they've totally gone way overboard with the latest news that they will be releasing books on the ePub format!

What's ePub? It's a format that will allow you to read your e-book on a plethora of e-reading devices! Imagine buying a book through Sony and then reading it in the Plastic Logic eReader or the iPhone through Lexcycle Stanza! This is totally the opposite of how Kindle is handling their e-books.

“There is going to be a proliferation of different reading devices, with different features and capabilities and prices for a different set of consumer requirements,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading unit. “If people are going to this e-book shopping mall, they are going to want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store.”

Somehow the gadget book geeks will be taking a second and even third look at Sony's Touch or Pocket as a better and cheaper alternative to Kindle. We know we will!

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Hello Kitty USB and Nick Notebook

Exposing kids to new technology these days doesn't seem to be that hard compared to the olden days. They get to see it both in the cartoons they watch and the people around them. They're basically a goldmine for tech companies if somehow they convince the kids and their parents that their product is best for their child. Below are just two products that will just make your young child giddy with excitement over new technology.

Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition

Since Spongebob Squarepants burst into the scene, the kids who religiously watch his antics on Nickelodeon have increased as time went on. Now some of the kids who used to watch his early shows are either young teens or even parents already. It's a treat to both of those groups that Dell and Nickelodeon is producing the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition.

Designed specifically for kids, the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition sports Nickelodeon's trademark green slime yet is loaded with entertaining and educational content that will also appeal to moms and dads. Designed with kids in mind, the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition is wrapped in an eye-catching, Nickelodeon-inspired slime artwork scheme. Based on Dell’s popular Inspiron Mini 10v netbook, it features a bright 10.1-inch color LCD display and built-in wireless Internet access.

It will be available October 2009 and specs will come shortly before that.

Hello Kitty USB Flashdrive

If you thought Nickelodeon had a big following, Hello Kitty is even bigger! Hello Kitty's fans are even more older and diverse. It's noteworthy to say that she will be celebrating her 35th birthday on November 1, 2009. To celebrate that occasion, Hello kitty and her friends will be immortalized in MIMIBOT fashion.

The crossover collaboration with Mimoco will begin with Hello Kitty® and expand to include SANRIO friends Badtz-Maru®, My Melody®, Kuromi®, Keroppi®, Chococat®, and TuxedoSam™ in MIMOBOT form ranging from 2GB to 16GB capacities. The MIMOBOT flash drives will also be bundled with the mimoDesk™ personalization suite of SANRIO-themed wallpapers, screensavers, icons, and avatars, as well as videos and other digital surprises. The line will be available for purchase at MIMOBOT.com and SANRIO.com, select SANRIO boutiques and other specialty retailers.

More information will be available next month.

Source for the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition
Source for Hello Kitty Flash Drive

What's the Traffic Tweetuation?

Ever had a time where you heard from the news that your way to the office would be clear However that may change as Mobomo just announced that they will be releasing an app for the iPhone 3GS that will allow you to view, search, and tweet traffic conditions in any U.S. city. This is way more better as it is in real-time compared to other services where you need to wait for reports of traffic in your area.

Key Features:

• Leverages iPhone 3.0 OS Maps API to directly embed Google Maps into the application, providing a quick snapshot of all traffic alerts on nearby highways and roads.
• Leverages Twitter Platform so drivers using TrafficTweet can report current road conditions (traffic accidents, lane closures, speed traps and other alerts) to others via Twitter on an interactive map. App users can use color-coded icons to provide the driver with instant feedback.
• One-Click Driver Reporting eliminates need for onerous driver texting as it takes just one click to report speed and two clicks to report a traffic incident.
• Powerful Search Function embedded in TrafficTweet app allows users to quickly search for traffic conditions anywhere in the world.

The good thing about it is that it doesn't depend on proprietary data nor does it refer to driver generated content, but rather it's based more on a community attitude. Think of it as helping your fellow driver in avoiding the heavy traffic you're in right now.

"With the click of a single button, TrafficTweet is really the first way for drivers to, in effect, let off some steam about driving conditions in an easy, safe and productive way that allows other drivers to benefit from real-time updates tweeted by the community," adds Upender. "And by leveraging the Twitter platform so drivers can report conditions of any road or region - no matter how rural - TrafficTweet is truly global from day one."

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Apple Airport Express

Now with blazing 802.11n, the affordable Apple Airport Express is powerful enough to run a home Wi-Fi network, yet small enough to take on the road. Share your wireless network with up to 10 users, print documents, photos, and more from any room in the house to one central printer, play iTunes music through your stereo or powered speakers using AirTunes, and more.

AirTunes takes the music from the iTunes library on your computer and sends it wirelessly to any stereo or speakers in your home. All you have to do is plug an AirPort Express into an electrical outlet near those speakers, then connect them with an audio cable. In iTunes, you can choose which speakers you want your music to play on--in your den, living room, or bedroom.

If you have more than one AirPort Express connected to speakers, you can play the same music on all your speakers at the same time to create a whole-house musical experience. Plus, if you already have a wireless network in place, you can use AirPort Express to add music to its capabilities.

(Source) Amazon

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player

Combined with a My Passport portable drive, the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player is the most convenient way to play HD movies or user-generated videos, listen to high-quality digital music and show high-resolution slideshows of your family photos on your TV. Also works with popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices.

Full HD video playback and navigation - up to 1080p - Experience the spectacular picture quality of HD video and crystal clear sound clarity of digital audio. Use the included remote control to navigate through your entertainment choices using our crisp, animated HD menus. Collect without limits - There's no limit to the size of your media collection; just add more USB drives for more space.

Access two USB drives simultaneously - Two USB ports on the player let you connect two USB storage devices and access them simultaneously. Media Library feature aggregates the content on both drives into one list sorted by media type. HDMI and composite video connections - The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port lets you connect to the highest quality HDTV or home theater.

Additional composite (RCA) outputs ensure compatibility with virtually all television sets. Hassle-free playback of HD movies, home videos, digital music, and photos on your TV

Price:$99.00

(Source)Amazon

Apple iPod touch 8 GB 2nd Generation

The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies--including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics--and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music.

Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.

Price: $214.99

(Source) Amazon

Motorola Morrison Specs Leaked?

After we were able to confirm that Motorola has gone Android OS via the Morrison a few weeks ago, the specs suspiciously appears out of nowhere. Now, we don't have any qualms about leaks because that's where we get some of our unconfirmed news from (yes they're called rumors), but someone in Motorola Inc seems to be happily giving this out as a way to drum up publicity for this phone. Nevertheless, as we mentioned last time, if this is cheaper than HTC (who uses the same OS), then this phone just may be the winner of the Android phone race. Specs below:

• CPU: Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz
• Memory: 256MB RAM
• Flash Rom: 512 MB
• Memory Card Type: microSDHC, Class 6, 32 GB supported
• Display: 320×480 (HVGA)
• Accelerometer: 3-axis, Four-way screen rotation
• Magnetometer
• Proximity Sensor
• Ambient Light Sensor
• Voice Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, W-CDMA 900/(1700 or 1900)/2100
• Wireless Lan: 802.11 b/g, WEP, WPA, 802.11i (WPA2)
• Bluetooth Version: 2.0 + EDR
• Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, GAP, HFP 1.5, HSP, SDAP, SPP
• USB: USB 2.0 High Speed, Micro USB connector
• Headset Jack: 3.5mm, Stereo out, Mic
• Camera Resolution: 5 MP
• Image Capture Resolution (max): 2560×1920
• Camera Features: Autofocus, White Balance, Geotagging, Color Effects
• Camera Digital Zoom (max): 5.4x
• Video Recording Resolution: 320×240 (QVGA)
• Video Recording Frame Rate: 25 fps
• Location Services: Standalone GPS w/ internal antenna, Assisted GPS, E-Compass
• Email Protocols: POP3, IMAP4, Exchange ActiveSync

Surprise, surprise! With the leaked out specs, there's a "possible" release date as well on October 21.

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