Amazon Ships Kindle Fire A Day Early

Amazon.com Inc. started shipping its Kindle Fire tablet Monday, kicking off its expansion into the tablet market a day earlier than it had said it would.

Amazon's $199 tablet is the latest in a series of devices to challenge Apple Inc.'s iPad. The online retailer is betting its lower price and vast library of digital content will make its offering more compelling than rival gadgets from Hewlett-Packard Co., Research In Motion Ltd. and others.

"Kindle Fire quickly became the bestselling item across all of Amazon.com, and based on customer response we're building millions more than we'd planned," Amazon Vice President David Limp said in a statement.

The company didn't give details on why it changed the shipping date. A spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment. "Like any other business, you want to underpromise and overdeliver--I think that's essentially where Amazon is right now," Caris & Co. analyst Scott Tilghman said. "Given that their (business) model is to ship products to customers, the sooner they can get the product in customers' hands, the better."

Amazon's library of digital content, which Fire users can access, is seen as an advantage for the product. Customers get a month free of a service called Amazon Prime, which offers streaming movies and TV shows, and free e-books for limited periods on Kindle devices as well as unlimited two-day shipping for physical goods bought on Amazon.com. The service normally costs $79.

Amazon also said its new Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G e-readers will begin shipping on Tuesday, six days ahead of a previously anticipated Nov. 21 launch.

Amazon's Kindle Touch is priced at $99 and the Kindle Touch 3G at $149. Apple's iPad starts at $499.

Apple fixes iPhone battery problem with software update

Apple issued a software update to its latest mobile operating system on Thursday in a move to fix widespread problems with the battery life of the iPhone 4S.

The software update, iOS 5.0.1 also adds multi-tasking gestures to early versions of the iPad and closes a security loophole that could have duped users into loading malware onto their iPhones and iPads through Apple’s App Store.

Complaints about the disappointing battery life began popping up immediately after the release of the iPhone 4S last month, which Apple acknowledged in a statement last week.

“A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices,” Apple wrote. “We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life, and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.” The software update was the first one issued by Apple that was pushed to users over the cellular networks, rather than requiring them to sync up their devices with their laptops.

Google bans phone application used in spying

A controversial mobile phone application, which helps a cell phone user read the text messages of others secretly, has been removed from sale by internet search engine Google. Google said the application, called SMS Secret Replicator, violated its terms, The Independent reported on Friday.

Once installed on a mobile phone, the Android phone application automatically creates carbon copies of incoming text messages and forwards them to a selected number - prompting fears it could be used by jealous lovers and even work colleagues to snoop on private messages.

Jealous lovers are encouraged to secretly set up a password-protected application on their partners' phones and set it to forward text messages to their own, the paper said. 

"The app is unique because there is no visible icon or shortcut to access it, so once it's installed, it will continue to monitor without revealing itself," the developer DLP Mobile was quoted as saying.

Its chief executive, Zak Tanjeloff, said the application was "certainly controversial but can be helpful to people in relationships where this type of monitoring can be useful".

The app's creators have given it the slogan "nothing is secret". Google confirmed it had suspended the application.

RIM Said to Plan Tablet for November to Take on Apple's IPad

Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, plans to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPad, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans.

The device will have roughly the same dimensions as the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen, said the two people who wouldn’t be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The device will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology that will allow people to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry smartphones, the two people said.

RIM is racing to come out with a product to rival the iPad in the fast-growing market for devices that bridge the gap between smartphones and notebook computers. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, last month said it sold 3 million iPad tablet computers in 80 days after they debuted in the U.S.

RIM rose $1.45, or 2.6 percent, to $57.15 at 12:18 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading, reversing an earlier decline of as much as 2.5 percent. The stock had dropped 18 percent this year before today, as Apple had climbed 22 percent.

Uphill Battle?

In the tablet market, RIM will have to demonstrate how its device can stand out against products including the iPad, which has attracted buyers because of its integration with Apple’s iTunes service and many software applications, or apps. More than 225,000 apps are available for Apple devices, the company said in June. RIM said in April it had more than 6,000 apps.

“With the success of the iPad, RIM faces an uphill battle,” said William Power, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., who has a “neutral” rating on the stock. “RIM really has yet to demonstrate that it can roll out touchscreen technology to match the leaders in the space, most noticeably Apple.”

RIM’s tablet will capitalize on the BlackBerry’s e-mail capabilities and the phone’s popularity with corporate users, one person said. The tablet will be closely integrated with the smartphone’s e-mail system and will have similar security for messaging, the person said.

The RIM tablet will also have front- and back-facing cameras for videoconferencing, Rodman & Renshaw’s Kumar said, citing sources at suppliers in Asia.

“I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game,” he said, saying that innovation by Apple, RIM and other competitors will increase the size of the tablet market.

Hewlett-Packard Co., which bought smartphone maker Palm Inc. this month, said it plans to produce a tablet device that runs on Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system. Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. said this month it plans to introduce a tablet computer in the fourth quarter that runs on Google Inc.’s Android software. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said yesterday the software company plans to increase its focus on tablets.

HTC will bring HTC Sense to Windows Phone 7 and Android 3.0

While Microsoft has long said they want to standardize the user experience of Windows Phone 7, HTC has said today that they plan to bring HTC Sense to their upcoming WP7 devices, skinning the smartphones like they have Android devices.

Additionally, HTC is moving forward with the Sense UI for Android 3.0 (Gingerbread).

Says Drew Bramford of HTC about the Sense UI for WP7: "We won't be able to replace as much of the core Windows Phone experience, but we will augment it."

In regards to Android 3.0, Google is rumored to be creating a user experience that will negate the need for extra skins, making Sense, MotoBLUR and TouchWiz, among others, useless.

Google, however, will likely not prohibit UI skins for 3.0, whereas Microsoft has been a bit more staunch on their stance.

Intel Ties With Nokia, Worries Arise About Wintel

It was declared by ARM today that Microsoft will be licensing the IP architecture of the commonly known processor of its unit. There have been speculations that this move is a reply for the decision of Intel, which earlier said that it is working to launch Meego along with Nokia, the world’s biggest handset maker.

With today’s announcement, questions are arising about “Wintel”, the unit that both created together. This is clear, as on one hand where Microsoft is tying up with other manufacturers, like VIA, AMD and Cyrix; Intel has been backing others including Mac and Linux.

It has been reportedly said that earlier Intel revealed that the decision of launching Meego with Nokia, was a result of the annoyance that seeded due to the lack of support from Microsoft regarding the Atom platform. Nothing much has been said and the reason is unclear regarding Microsoft’s decision of not taking up Windows 7 for Intel’s need.

Both the Companies, have always avoided interfering with each other’s decagons after this, as both are aware that if anyone does that, it would be equally bad for both.

After the combination of Intel and ARM, Microsoft needs to be more vigilant, as the two major opponents in the mobile market for Microsoft i.e., Android and Apple already have the ARM hardware license.

Four Ways IPv6 Will Save the Internet

The Internet will run out of Internet addresses in about 1 year's time, we were told today by John Curran, president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). The same thing was also stated recently by Vint Cerf, Google's Chief Internet Evangelist.

The main reason for the concern? There's an explosion of data about to happen to the Web - thanks largely to sensor data, smart grids, RFID and other Internet of Things data. Other reasons include the increase in mobile devices connecting to the Internet and the annual growth in user-generated content on the Web.

Why a New Internet Protocol is Needed

Currently the Web largely uses IPv4, Internet Protocol version 4. Each IPv4 address is limited to a 32-bit number, which means there are a maximum of just over 4 billion unique addresses. IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol and uses a 128-bit address, so it supports a vastly larger number of unique addresses. Enough, in fact, to give every person on the planet over 4 billion addresses!

John Curran from ARIN, the non-profit responsible for managing the distribution of Internet addresses in the North American region, told ReadWriteWeb that of the approximately 4 billion IPv4 addresses available, all but 6% have already been allocated. Curran expects the final 6% to be allocated over the coming year.

This is largely an issue that ISP (Internet Service Providers) and telecoms carriers need to deal with. However content service providers, including large-scale Internet companies like Google and Facebook, also need to ensure that the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 takes place. Curran explained that a content company like Google (for example its YouTube operation) will need to work with its ISP to transport the content via IPv6 as well as IPv4.

This transition is happening "slowly," says Curran. But he warns that "deployment is where we're behind."

Google, Facebook & Others Making Good Progress

John Curran told us that large carriers like Verizon and Comcast have announced trial IPv6 activity. Curran also noted that new Internet of Things initiatives that use sensor networks, power grids, RFID and similar technologies, are being directed to use IPv6 and not IPv4.

There is also solid support from the big Internet companies. Curran said that Google has already put the majority of its services onto IPv6. Declaring its support for IPv6 on a special webpage, Google states that "IPv6 is essential to the continued health and openness of the Internet [and] will enable innovation and allow the Internet's continued growth."

In June, Google held a Google IPv6 Implementors Conference. At that event, Facebook announced that it had begun to use IPv6.

In his opening remarks to the conference, Google's Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf urges ISPs to move to IPv6, so that a "black market" for Internet addresses won't occur.

The bottom line is that IPv6 is a much larger platform for the coming Internet of Things. So one way or another, the move will have to be made.

Seagate Announces Momentus XT Solid State Drive

Seagate today announced it is now shipping its Momentus XT, touting it as the world’s fastest 2.5-inch laptop PC hard drive to distribution channels, VARs and system builders, in India. Combining SSD-like performance with the massive capacity and much lower cost of HDDs, the Momentus XT drive features Adaptive Memory – a new technology from Seagate that learns and optimizes the drive’s performance to each user by moving frequently used information into the flash memory for faster access. The Momentus XT solid state hybrid drive boots up to 100 percent faster than traditional 5400RPM drives, the mainstream spin speed for laptop PCs. Adaptive Memory technology uses algorithms designed to learn and anticipate the users’ needs.

In India, the Momentus XT drive is now shipping in capacities of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB at MSRPs of Rs 6,800, Rs 7,400 and Rs 8,100 respectively.

Hitachi to unveil its image search tech

TOKYO, JAPAN: Hitachi is likely to showcase its image search technology at the Hitachi uVALUE Convention 2010 at the Tokyo International Forum in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo on July 22 (Thursday) in celebration of the company's 100th anniversary.

This application represents the next generation in search technology.

Recently, Hitachi America announced that its newly developed visual Q&A site, GazoPa Answers, is entering beta testing. GazoPa Answers lets users to ask questions visually using photos and drawings. GazoPa Answers allows users to ask questions by uploading images or drawings.

Users can search for answers using GazoPa's similar image search engine, and they can also ask other users to provide answers to questions through an online community. GazoPa Answers integrates GazoPa's similar image search technology.

The other revolutionary technology that will be unveiled at the uVALUE convention will be on location based services.

The Hitachi uVALUE Convention 2010 is based on the theme of Dependable Technologies for the Next 100 Years : Accelerating Innovation of Society and Business Through Collaborative Creation. Hitachi has held this event, including its predecessor IT conventions, since 1999.

At the exhibition venue, Hitachi will showcase safe, reliable, comfortable and convenient services and solutions for homes, stations and other settings based on the theme Making Cities Smarter Through Social Innovation. Besides, Hitachi will exhibit smart grids, cloud computing and other innovations that will support its ambition.

Dell Overtakes HP in India

For as long as we could recall, (five years to be precise) HP was leading the PC sales in India when it came to the organized market. It has been consistently selling more PCs than any Indian or foreign company - until now.

HP's Indian dream run has been cut short by Dell who sold more computers in India than HP for the very first time. That's right! According to a report in the DNA, Dell sold around 3.53 lakh PCs in the June quarter compared to 3.31 lakh by HP.

Dell's growth is remarkable considering it was trailing HP by over 1.5 lakh units in annual sales just a year ago. Not long ago, research firm IDC had also noted that HP fell behind Dell in the notebook sales department as well. When Dell first arrived in India, it was using a Direct To Home method of selling its products. However, Dell quickly realized that for it to make any mark in the Indian market it will have to trudge the "traditional" sales path wherein Dell products would have to made available in stores as well. Soon after Dell arrived in India stores, its cut throat pricing vis-a-vis other brands seems to have worked wonders.

In India, Dell now has a market share of 14.3 percent in the overall PC market last quarter, followed by HP with 13.4 percent and Acer with 11 percent.

While HP might be left behind in India, on the global front, Dell still plays second fiddle to HP. Until 2006, Dell was the world's no.1 PC maker until HP overtook it. Bad news followed when Acer pushed Dell to the third place a few years later. Dell has managed to pull itself back though and has now regained its world no. 2 spot by pushing Acer down the order.

Facebook hits 500m user milestone

Social network giant Facebook has registered its 500 millionth member, the firm has announced.

The site, which launched in 2004, has gained around 100 million new users in the last six months.

Facebook said the number was "an important milestone" and added that it was "humbled and inspired" by the stories of its users, which it is asking people to share on the site.

Stuart Miles of tech blog Pocket Lint said its success was down to "word of mouth".

"There are so many people online and so many people wanting to share with each other's friends - it's like a snowball," he told.

"It started off small, rolled and rolled, then all of a sudden not just your immediate circle of friends are on it but loads of people are, and they're all evangelising about why you should be on it too.

"The next milestone, which will probably be 750m, won't take as long - the more you have the more it spreads, like that snowball."

Mr Zuckerberg recently said that the site was "almost guaranteed" to reach one billion users.

However, the site has also had its share of problems. It recently came under fire for making repeated changes to its privacy settings and thousands of people threatened to boycott it in May 2010. Despite the controversy, most people were not put off.

As Facebook has grown, many of its competitors have shrunk or disappeared. MySpace, owned by News Corp, was once the poster child of social networking.

However, Facebook raced past it in 2008. MySpace currently has around 65 million unique users.

Another competitor, Bebo, has also faced difficulty. In June this year, its owners AOL announced sold the site just two years after it bought it for $850m (£417m).

The company said it was unable to provide the "significant investment" it needed to compete with its social networking rivals.

One site that appears to be growing alongside Facebook is Twitter.

Measurements of Twitter traffic are notoriously difficult as many users do not interact with the service through the website. Instead, they use desktop software and mobile phones. However, it is estimated to be approaching 200m users.

Black box inventor dies

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: David Warren, the Australian who invented the black box flight-data recorder 54 years ago, has died at the age of 85, Defence Force officials said Wednesday.

He started working on the idea of recording pilots' voices and instrument readings after investigating the crash of a Comet in 1953. The Comet was the first commercial jet aeroplane.

The black box was dismissed as a worthless invention by Australia's Department of Civil Aviation and it was not until a British aviation official saw it in 1958 that Warren was given the money to develop it beyond a prototype.

The black box - so named not because of its colour but because it was a magical idea - is now compulsory equipment in most airliners.

In 1960, Australia became the first country to rule that all airliners should carry a flight recorder.

Warren, a Sydney University graduate, is survived by his wife, four children and seven grandchildren.

Nokia makes fun of iPhone 4 reception issue

The reception issue with Apple iPhone 4 seems to have given a shot in the arm for its rivals, which are bitten hard by Apple's surging sales. And Nokia, the de-throned king of smartphone market seems to be cashing on the opportunity.

As iPhone4 users are complaining about reception issues while holding the smartphone in some position, Nokia Conversations, the Nokia's official blog on Monday sought to make fun of Apple's suggestion to iPhone 4 users on defining positions to use the phone, indirectly though, without even mentioning the iPhone 4.

Apple had sold 1.7 million units of the new iPhone, since its global launch last week. However, the reception issue had created some sort of a tension for Apple, which even issued a clarification in that regard.

Indirectly referring to this clarification, the Nokia blog said "We’ve been looking around and noticed there are many ways to hold your Nokia device. Whether you’re left-handed or right-handed, there’s no shortage of ways to hold your phone."

Further, the blog mentions four defined ways of using cell phones. However, it concludes by telling that Nokia users can ignore all the defined ways of holding a mobile phone. Hold the Nokia devices in any position and still there won't be any signal degradation.

“The key function on any Nokia device is its ability to make phone calls. One of the main things we’ve found about the 1 billion plus Nokia devices that are in use today is that when making a phone call, people generally tend to hold their phone like a…. well, like a phone. Providing a wide range of methods and grips for people to hold their phones, without interfering with the antennae has been an essential feature of every device Nokia has built,” the blog boasted.

Tweeting car

NEW YORK, USA: Online blogging is a trendy communication tool not just for tech-savvy humans. Now your car can also send messages on Twitter and have more followers than even singer Lady Gaga and US President Barack Obama.

The car that can tweet is AJ, a future model of Ford Fiesta, which is a test bed for company engineers exploring the possibilities when an automobile is connected to the internet and all of its concomitant services.

"It's getting pretty dark; time to put the headlights on," was a typical entry posted by AJ when a team of engineers drove the car to California for an exhibition in May, The New York Times reported.

Followers also learned when AJ’s mood was "joyful" when "there's no traffic, and it's not raining and it's enjoying a winding road", said Joe Rork, an information technology architect with Ford.

Rork recalled the journey during a presentation in Manhattan and explained how AJ was sending the messages on its own.

The software behind AJ was an application called the "Auto"matic Blog. It tapped into the available data on the car, including telemetry information, like location, speed, acceleration and braking.

It also gleaned information from windshield wipers, steering input and GPS data and correlated it with live information culled from the Web.

AJ's software could combine, say, real-time traffic notices about congestion with its current situation (stop-and-go braking) and weather forecasts (storms ahead) and then send a Twitter entry like, "Stuck in traffic; not looking forward to next 50 miles, either."

Apart from Twitter application, the engineers also ran the location-based Foursquare software, through which the car could automatically check the team in at restaurants and tourist spots along the way (and send pictures).

The car is also being tested with a programme developed by University of Michigan students called Caravan Track, which allows a group of travellers to be automatically apprised of their friends' locations and conditions along the way.

Ford is already on track to add smartphone applications, including a Twitter feed, to its Sync-based cars later this year, the daily said.

It has also announced that it will enable other phone applications to connect to its cars, allowing third-party software program to use a vehicle's built-in controls, like buttons on the steering wheel, to control programmes, including music players running on connected Android phones.

The tests with AJ were a natural extension of this strategy to see what's possible when the car is connected and online all the time, according to Rork.

Since mainly off-the-shelf hardware was used, including a high-speed cellular data connection, a Wi-Fi router and a Dell computer running Windows 7 in the trunk, any car could be turned into a Twittermobile, Rork said. ©IANS