Schools Won't Use The Kindle Until It's Handicapped Accessible

Topic: Technology News

Two major universities, Syracuse and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have decided not to use the Kindle DX as a way of distributing textbooks to their students. This is a big blow to Amazon's hopes for their reader, and one that's been applauded by the National Federation of the Blind. They dislike the Kindle because it cannot be used by blind students. As long as that is the case, they say, universities should not adopt the device for widespread use.

The National Federation was careful to mention that they see a lot of promise in E-Reader technology for blind students. Text-to-speech functionality could easily create a reader that is useable by those with disabilities, but the Kindle DX was not manufactured in this way. While universities are still free to approve of the Kindle as one way to distribute books to students, the Americans With Disabilities Act makes it impossible for it to be the sole method.

Posted on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:37:18 CST | by Robert Evans

Logitech To Acquire Video Conferencing Company LifeSize For $405m

Topic: Technology News

Today Logitech announced that it has agreed to acquire privately held LifeSize Communications of Austin, Texas for $405 million in cash.
LifeSize offers high definition (HD) video communication solutions, with more than 9,000 video conferencing customers across 80 countries in large enterprises, small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and public healthcare, education and government organizations.

Logitech must be doing really well. They are now expanding into new business areas regularly. Read more

Posted on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Blockbuster To Rent Movies Via SD Card

Topic: Technology News

An old, lumbering giant takes a shaking step forward into the future today. Blockbuster, king of the VHS and DVD era, is trying to move into the digital age by creating a series of kiosks capable of loading movies onto SD cards. Customers will be able to 'rent' DRM-loaded movies with a set expiration date, claims Fast Company. These kiosks will be marketed for smartphone and laptop viewing, so expect to see a lot of them in airports soon.

So, will this latest move help Blockbuster to compete with the growing success of streaming movies (like Netflix's Watch Instantly option) and services like iTunes? I doubt it. Blockbuster will be charging a lot, in the neighbourhood of $4 a film. That doesn't come close to being a competitive price, yet another sign of Blockbuster's inability to get with the times. They're going to have to get used to lowered profit margins; the business has changed.

Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:49:41 CST | by Robert Evans

Kindle for PC Now Available As Free Download

Topic: Technology News

Today Amazon announced the availability of Kindle for PC, the free application that lets you read Kindle books on your PC.
The U.S. Kindle Store currently offers more than 360,000 books, including New Releases and 101 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically $9.99 or less.
Kindle ebooks can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch and PC.

Kindle for PC features Amazon’s Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. Whether you read Kindle books on a Kindle, Kindle DX, or one of the free Kindle applications, you can always have your reading with you and never lose your place. With Kindle for PC, you can read some on your PC, read some on your Kindle, and always pick up right where you left off.
Read more

Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Free WiFi For the Holidays

Topic: Technology News

You know what readers? You've all been really, really good this year. So good, that I think you've earned an early treat. Just this once, I'm going to let you all open a Christmas gift early. No, you can't open the one from Aunt Shirley yet. Here, try this one. It's from Google, and it's small but it doesn't feel like socks.

Oh man! It's free Wi-Fi in 47 separate airports from now until January 15, 2009. This'll go great with the free WiFi they're also giving out to all Virgin Airlines passengers this holiday season. This is definitely a very clever bit of image marketing on Google's part, but that doesn't mean I'll be any less grateful for it. I just got back from a two week trip to Europe, and I spent a good sixty hours of it in airports. Free WiFi at any of them would have been a very welcome blessing.

Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:08:55 CST | by Robert Evans

Electronic Arts Acquires Social Network Games Maker Playfish

Topic: Technology News

Today Electronic Arts announced it has acquired Playfish, a creator of social network games. Playfish will operate within EA Interactive, a division of EA focused on the web and on wireless.

EA has acquired Playfish for approximately US$275 million in cash and approximately $US25 million in equity retention arrangements.
In addition, the sellers are entitled to additional variable cash consideration, up to a maximum of US$100 million, contingent upon the achievement of certain performance milestones through December 31, 2011.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:38:13 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Slacker Radio Launches For Android

Topic: Technology News

Just in case Pandora wasn't good enough for you, Slacker, Inc. (one of the best names for a company ever) has just announced the launch of their Slacker Radio app for Android. Users with Android smartphones can now download the app from the App Market. Like most other custom radio apps, Slacker is 100% free to download and use.

Slacker Radio sets itself apart from the herd by offering several cool features not seen on similar applications. Artist biographies, album reviews, and song lyrics are available to users at a glance, and the app also contains the ability to 'peek ahead' and preview music. The app also lets users totally ban artists and songs from their station.

Posted on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:14:11 CST | by Robert Evans

Windows 7 Sales Eclipse Vista By 234%

Topic: Technology News

If you ever needed more proof of how awful an operating system Vista was, this is it. The NPD group has just sent out a press release stating that the first few days of Windows 7 sales have been 234% higher than the first few days of Vista sales were. Revenue was also much improved. Total dollar sales are up 82% from Vista to Win 7. The reason for the disparity between sales growth and actual revenue growth is being attributed to the early discounts on pre-sales and Microsoft's failure to heavily promote the Ultimate edition of 7.

I've been using Windows 7 for the last two weeks and, I have to say, it's a solid OS. That said, I think these numbers owe more to the piss-poor nature of Windows Vista than they do to the strengths of Windows 7. I'm beginning to wonder if Microsoft's grand strategy might be to release awful operating systems in order to make their decent releases seem exceptional. But that's probably crazy-talk. Probably.

Posted on Fri, 6 Nov 2009 06:46:04 CST | by Robert Evans

Verizon To Offer Prepaid Wireless Service For Laptops

Topic: Technology News

Folks who want the option of having mobile wireless broadband access without the cost or commitment of signing up for a contract now have a new option. CNet reports that Verizon will soon begin to offer prepaid wireless services. These new services will come bundled with a VZW USB760 and will be available for laptops running Windows, Mac, or Linux.

One day of pre-paid access will cost you $15 and get you up to 75 MB of data. That's enough for a fair amount of browsing, but if you need more there'll also be a weekly plan available for $30. That one comes with a 250 MB data allotment. The largest prepaid option is the monthy plan, which costs $50 and gives you 500 MB of data.

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:33:53 CST | by Robert Evans

Google Dashboard Launches

Topic: Technology News

If you're anything like me, you use a lot of Google products on a daily basis. I frequently make use of Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, and Picassa, and I've also got a YouTube account that I use every once in a while. Switching between different pages to access all of those different things can be a pain in the ass at times. That's why Google's launched their new Dashboard service.

Google Dashboard allows you to connect to and display information for all of the Google products you use on a single page. From one central area you'll be able to check your messages and chats received and sent, change your account settings for every product you use, and view any updates and changes that have occured. Mind-blowing and paradigm-shifting? No, not really. But that doesn't stop it from being useful.

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:49:28 CST | by Robert Evans

Google Commerce Search: To Ease Your Holiday Shopping

Topic: Technology News

Once again, Google's come up with something to make a traditional pain in the behind less of an agony. Their latest new service isn't nearly as awesome or convenient as Google Voice, but it still helps to simplify what was once an annoyance. Google Commerce Search launched today, with the stated goal of simplifying holiday shopping for consumers and online retailers alike.

A good search service that returns pertinent hits is a crucial part of any e-retailer. Plenty of websites have awful search engines that keep customers from stumbling upon great deals and finding the products they really want. Google Commerce Search is a program that applies Google's search engine to whatever online store you happen to be browsing. It allows shoppers to search by category, price, brand, or any other attribute you can think of.

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2009 04:59:06 CST | by Robert Evans