You can now watch a low resolution video of the Kindle presentation on YouTube. I haven’t checked it out yet, but I have been told it was a well done presentation.
Category: Links
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HP TouchPad Go Details Galore
Derek Kessler has a nice run down of the 7″ version of the HP TouchPad, one that we will probably never see. Of note is this bit from Kessler:
>The IPS screen retains the 1024×768 pixel count, but scales it down from 9.7 inches to 6.95 inches.
I’d think that would have made for an excellent reading screen.
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T-Mobile Also Files Brief in Support of Samsung Against Apple
Florian Mueller:
>T-Mobile just submitted an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in support of Samsung against Apple with respect to a possible US-wide preliminary injunction […]Good luck getting the iPhone.
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‘Purpose-Built’
Paul Stamatiou on the Kindle Fire:
>The original Kindle was purpose-built: create an amazing digital reading experience. The Kindle Fire’s MO seems to be create an okay experience for apps, the web, books, movies, music and of course Angry Birds.It’s an interesting question that I don’t think any one short of MG Siegler can answer right now: did Amazon integrate the “content consumption” experience well enough to allow consumers to forgive the assumed hit that one takes to readability of the non e-ink screen?
Secondarily, and more to Stamatiou’s point, does the broader focus of the ‘Fire’ make the device poor?
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Amazon Silk
Amazon Silk Team on the new browser that will be running on the Amazon Kindle Fire:
>Each time you load a web page, Silk makes a dynamic decision about which of these subsystems will run locally and which will execute remotely.
It’s damned clever and might just be *the* thing that we remember five years from now. Be sure to watch the video, the part talking about how fast web pages will load if those pages are already on Amazon’s network is key.
Amazon has just given every web developer a way to make incredible fast and targeted sites for the Kindle Fire. That’s clever. That’s a company that gets it.
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Kindle Fire
7″ tablet with WiFi for $199. Pre-order now and ships on November 15th ((I’ve got my pre-order in.)) but what is most interesting is this bit of marketing text from Amazon:
>Kindle Fire uses IPS (in-plane switching) technology – similar technology to that used on the iPad – for an extra-wide viewing angle, perfect for sharing your screen with others.
Did you notice that they mentioned the iPad by name? That signifies one thing about Amazon — the same thing that has always kept them successful: they acknowledge their competitors and respect them. Amazon could have said it is a better screen than tablet X — instead they acknowledged that, yes, the iPad screen is pretty nice and our is similar. Well done.
I haven’t touched one, but even at that I think there is an argument to be made for buying this over an iPad — I just don’t know what that argument is quite yet.
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Samsung Takes Android Patent License From Microsoft Rather Than Wait for Motorola
Florian Mueller:
>By taking a royalty-bearing license, Samsung recognizes that Android has intellectual property problems that must be resolved with license fees, and reduces to absurdity the idea that Google is going to be able to protect Android after the acquisition of Motorola Mobility.Mueller also notes that Samsung has over 100,000 patents worldwide, a quarter of which are U.S. patents — none of which offered them protection in this instance. What Google does with Motorola should be pretty interesting, but it is looking more and more like something that was done just to make a “splash”.
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Let Us Pay
Marco Arment:
>If the free-update offer still stands when TextMate 2 ships, I will not take you up on it. I’m buying TextMate 2 as a new customer at full price.[I am right there with him](https://brooksreview.net/2011/03/fragility-free/).
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Instagram 2.0 Filters
John Gruber on the dulling of Instagram’s filters in the 2.0 release:
>That’s the bottom line: they made Instagram less fun.I agree, the most obvious change (to my eyes) is with the ‘Kelvin’ filter which used to make the picture hideously orange. I’d welcome back the mandatory borders if it meant we were granted use of the old “better” filters.
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Facebook Fixes Logout Issue, Explains Cookies
Nik Cubrilovic:
>Facebook has changed as much as they can change with the logout issue. They want to retain the ability to track browsers after logout for safety and spam purposes, and they want to be able to log page requests for performance reasons etc. I would still recommend that users clear cookies or use a separate browser, though. I believe Facebook when they describe what these cookies are used for, but that is not a reason to be complacent on privacy issues and to take initiative in remaining safe.Sounds like they are now removing any cookies that could identify the user, but are leaving cookies that identify a browser. Read the full post for the explanation as to why. This is much better than nothing and faster than I expected them to respond.
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More Than 1/3 of U.S. Android Phones Run on 4G
This isn’t that interesting of data, what would be far more interesting is the number of owners with 4G capable phones that actually use the 4G service. Kim seems to state that the usage is 36.6 percent, but if you read the article it looks like that is the amount “owned”.
From what I have seen and heard, most Android users with 4G phones tend to turn off the 4G radios to conserve battery life. This is likely the reason Apple has shied away from 4G data on iPhones and iPads.
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Amazon Item of the Week: An Aesthetically Pleasing USB Hub
I purchased this [Belkin 7-port USB hub](http://d.pr/HZ81) at a local Apple store a while back and absolutely love it. It looks fantastic, feels good, and most importantly does its job. I can’t speak to the speed of of the hub because I never test these things beyond the “it feels fine” test.
I will say that I love the look of it and the shape is very handy as you can see here in my home office:
[
](https://f3a98a5aca88d28ed629-2f664c0697d743fb9a738111ab4002bd.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/20110923-IMG_6603.jpg)*As always buying this item will directly support TBR. Thanks*
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Gowalla 4 and Loss of Personal Milestone Data
Garrett Murray on the new Gowalla 4 app:
>I think this is a terrific idea, and I think it’s something relatively unique in the check-in app space.
>But it’s not what I want.
It’s not what I want either and I will be switching over to Foursquare for now. Gowalla is great and I love the app, but like Murray said: “it’s not what I want.”
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Facebook Defends Getting Data From Logged-Out Users
Facebook has responded to the debacle over the weekend with regards to the company installing cookies that persist on a users computer after they log out, Jennifer Valentino-DeVries has the story:
>“The onus is on us is to take all the data and scrub it,” said Arturo Bejar, a Facebook director of engineering. “What really matters is what we say as a company and back it up.”
Facebook claims the data they keep is for security and ease of logging back in, after a user has logged out. I don’t doubt that this is true, but such a thing does not make this a ‘best practice’ where, nor instill trust.
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Run Your Own Race
Seth Godin on racing and competition:
>If you’re going to count on the competition to bring out your best work, you’ve surrendered control over your most important asset. Real achievement comes from racing ahead when no one else sees a path–and holding back when the rush isn’t going where you want to go.
This applies to so much more than just physical races like swimming. If you read the above quote (really you should reads his entire post) then you have to think about some tech companies that failed, and truly continue to fail, in grasping this concept.
Companies like:
– Microsoft
– RIM
– MySpace
– Aol.
– Nokia/Samsung/HTC/Motorola
– Ebay
– HPThere’s many more, those are just a few that pop into my head.
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Can You Sign Up for Spotify Without Facebook?
Darren, a Spotify employee:
>Unfortunately you will need a Facebook account to access Spotify from now on, unless you already have an account set up.
That is lame.
[via Craig Grannell] -
Netflix Secures Streaming Deal With DreamWorks… in 2013
Brooks Barnes and Brian Stelter:
>Netflix will begin streaming DreamWorks films starting in 2013.
A good grab for Netflix — but studios need to get a clue. These deals need to happen quicker — more than a year out? That’s crazy.
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Facebook Disconnect
Brian Kennish created a new Chrome plugin:
>Facebook Disconnect blocks all traffic from third-party sites to Facebook servers, but still lets you access Facebook itself.I’d say that is a must have for any Facebook user.
UPDATE: [This plugin](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jeoacafpbcihiomhlakheieifhpjdfeo) is a bit more robust in blocking many other services.
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Logging Out of Facebook is Not Enough
Nik Cubrilovic on the recent spat of Facebook privacy issues:
>With my browser logged out of Facebook, whenever I visit any page with a Facebook like button, or share button, or any other widget, the information, including my account ID, is still being sent to Facebook. The only solution to Facebook not knowing who you are is to delete all Facebook cookies.
He says he first noticed the problem in November of 2010. In case your didn’t know the standard practice is to delete the sites cookies when you logout of something — Facebook just modifies those cookies from what Cubrilovic found.