Tablet Rumors: Microsoft, HP and Motorola

The tablet rumors were flying this week. It appears Microsoft won’t ship the intriguing Courier according to Gizmodo, which quoted a Microsoft media spokesman as saying; “At any given time, we’re looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them… The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.” The Courier raised eyebrows for its cool form factor with dual screens with a touch/pen based interface and also because it seemed lumbering Microsoft was going to act nimbly in the hardware space for a welcome change.
Thursday, TechCrunch reported HP will nix the Windows 7-based Slate PC shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January in favor of an Android-based model.
Some are also wondering if Motorola is heading into the tablet arena.
Sources: Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Light Reading Mobile

Bookeen WiFi eReader Due in June

Bookeen is just about to ship two eReaders it showed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January including its first WiFi eReader, the Orizon, to ship at the end of June and a new version of the Cybook Opus to ship May 7.
The Orizon will offer Bluetooth as well as WiFi and feature a 6-inch multi-touch Sipix screen at $250. Shipping next week is the non-connected Cybook Opus $199 eReader that has new quick start technology. The unit gets you reading within 15 seconds of turning it on and its Boo Reader software improves the battery life to 15 days. It has a 5-inch E-Ink screen, stores up to 1,000 titles in its 1GB of memory and it accepts a microSD card to hold 8,000 books. It has an accelerometer to switch from landscape to portrait and comes in seven colors including black, silver, blue, red, pink, green and orange.
Bookeen sells eReaders through Newegg.com, BooksOnBoard, J&R, Buy.com, PCMall, PC Connection, Beach Camera, B&H, Frys.com, Overstock.com, Academic Superstor, and JourneyEd.
Source: Bookeen
Photo: Cybook Opus eReader in seven colors

Kenwood $150 Navi Rebate; CD-less Car Decks Ship

Kenwood is reprising its summer rebate programs of the past two years with a mail in rebate this year on three in-dash navigation units using Garmin technology. And it has also begun shipping its first CD-less head units.
The rebates will range from $100 to $150 and run from May 1 through August 31. The DNX9960 typically at $2,000 suggested retail price will get a $150 rebate; and the DNX7160 at $1,500 and DNX6960 at $1,200 each get $100 rebates.
Also Kenwood has just start shipping its first CD-less radios which were originally shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The KIV-BT900 at $500 suggested retail price has a built-in 3-inch color TFT display to show album art and song and artist info. iPod/iPhone video content can also be sent to rear seat screens. The CD-less deck also has built-in Bluetooth by Parrot, 512MB of on board flash memory, USB, and it works with iPods, the iPhone and Zune. A step down KIV-700 ($450) has the same features with the exception of optional Bluetooth via an add-on module.
Source: Kenwood Electronics
First photo on main page: DNX9960 Above photo: KIV-700

Scosche Shows First Protoype 12V iPad Kit

Yikes! Is this the first iPad kit for the car? Scosche is showing its retailers an iPad kit prototype (see below) that may be ready for the market this summer. Do we need car radios after this? The iPad becomes your center for music (Pandora, satellite radio or your own iPod library) and then there’s GPS (delivered via cellular on the 3G version of the iPad). Kind of mind boggling.
The kit is a double DIN blank chassis that fits where the radio might go. The chassis has a USB slot and an audio in jack. The iPad plugs right in with a special cable from Scosche. Then a mounting plate snaps on the chassis to hold up the iPad. Looks simple.
This is just a prototype at the moment. The kit is not in production. Scosche is gauging dealer interest but could be ready to ship this summer. We guess SoundMan Car Audio would be interested.

Source: Scosche

Cartronics Wins Pioneer Build-Off

The winner of Pioneer’s 4th annual Build-Off was Cartronics of Santa Rosa, CA, which outshone the installs of about 11 other retailers using Pioneer’s high end Stage 4 car electronics. Cartronics’ vehicle was a Chevy Camaro. Marty Barry (left) and Dan Berry (right) accepted the trophy and an award of $10,000.
Source: Pioneer
Photos below of the Camaro installation with Pioneer Stage 4 components

Sony TVs with Google to be Announced in May

Sony Corp. is expected to announce new TVs May 19 or 20 that use Google software and Intel chips to allow viewers to access the web from the TV, says Bloomberg quoting two sources familiar with the matter.
The new TVs will likely use an Atom chip running a new version of Android called Dragonpoint. Also Logitech is developing a keyboard for the TV, which could double as a remote control, said the report.
Sony is attempting to win back TV market share it has lost to Samsung and Intel is trying to migrate its chips to devices other than PCs. Sony now ranks third in the TV market that’s led by Samsung and LG.
Source: Bloomberg via SlashGear
Photo: Sony Bravia NX800

iPad 12V Install Lures CNN, Alpine

We checked back with the iPad installer at SoundMan Car Audio in Santa Clarita, CA. whom we showed carving out a Toyota dash for an iPad install. SoundMan’s first 12 volt iPad video received 850,000 hits, and resulted in visits to the shop from CNN, KTLA5 (Los Angeles TV station) and Alpine Electronics engineers, it told us. There’s a third video (see below) on the topic as SoundMan had some issues with the first install.
Is there really a market for installing iPads in cars? SoundMan’s installer Doug Bernards says he doesn’t know. “I get a lot of people saying they are going to send their cars in. Haven’t done any yet, but people are asking for price quotes.”
And those Alpine engineers? “They wanted to get some of my ideas for products for the future. It sounds like they may go into the area of Internet enabled units but I don’t know if that’s for the new cars or aftermarket.” Truly we don’t know what those Alpine engineers will produce but we do know what Bernards suggested: an Android-based radio that could make use of Android apps. We like it!
Maybe SoundMan Car hasn’t gotten any iPad installs from its video but it certainly got publicity. People are stopping by to look at the car, said Bernards.
Note: He combines the iPad with a standard $29 Apple iPad dock with a line out to get a clean analog audio signal. The dock also lets you hook up a charger for the iPad. He’s working on a digital audio signal.
Source: CEoutlook
SoundMan Car Audio iPad Video Part 3 with Doug Bernards:

NPD: Nook vs. Kindle Note

The NPD Group has added its thoughtful reply to the report this week in Digitimes that said Barnes & Noble Nook shipments exceeded Kindle shipments in March: the Nook accounted for 53% of the eReader shipments from suppliers during that period. NPD notes that it would take about that many eReaders to supply the recent launch at Best Buy, so don’t go writing off the Kindle just yet. See the blog from Stephen Baker, VP industry analysis at NPD.
Source: Digitimes, The NPD Group

Sony’s Dash Finally on Sale

The latest gadget for the countertop—the Sony Dash—goes on sale today after making a small splash at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The $199 chumby-like Internet-in-a-box device is meant for a room where there’s no computer, like a kitchen. Or it can be used as an alarm clock that wakes you up to your info/videos/music. It uses WiFi to deliver select Internet sites at a glance, so you get quick access to YouTube or weather, sports or stock widgets on the opening screen. Or users can get Netflix or Slacker or CBS programing and over 1,000 free apps from chumby. There’s a traffic app from NAVTEQ so you can size up your commute and a Cozi app that works as a family calendar for syncing everyone’s calendars. Information is “pushed” to the device (updated automatically).
The Dash, with a touch screen allows multi-tasking so you can play Pandora while using the device to follow a recipe from the Internet. CNBC and Martha Stewart and Dr. Oz will be providing Dash Apps. Martha Stewart’s “Dinner Tonight Recipe of the Day” app comes preloaded on the device as does Dr. Oz’s health tips. In turn, the Dash will be getting some publicity on Dr. Oz, Martha Steward, CNBC and other TV broadcasts.
A buyer for Crutchfield said, “I think this will be pretty popular, especially for use in the kitchen or bedroom.”
Source: Sony

HP’s Palm Buyout Goes Beyond Smartphones

By Amy Gilroy
Fresh from its announced $1.2 billion buyout of Palm, HP hinted it wants Palm’s technology for more than just smartphones. HP, which makes 1 out of every 5 PCS shipped, plans to use Palm’s smartphone OS in many products, said HP exec VP of the personal systems group Todd Bradley in a conference call late Wednesday.
Could we see tablets, netbooks and notebooks running Palm’s webOS—famed for delivering full multitasking on a smartphone before Apple’s iPhone? Bradley seems to think so, claiming, “We see further opportunities beyond smartphones into additional connected form factors.” Through the deal, HP also gets a jump start on an app store for its products as Palm already operates a functioning app store with about 2,000 apps.
Analysts were quick to weigh in last night on the vast implications of the HP/Palm deal announced Wednesday afternoon. IDC said, “The purchase by HP is arguably the best exit strategy the beleaguered Palm could have asked for. For HP, the purchase is a modest risk at establishing a firm position in the fast growing smartphone market, acquiring an OS, and diversifying its connected mobile device strategy.”
iSuppli said any company that wants to be dominant in computing must gain a foothold in the wireless world with apps and ecommerce, which is what HP will be acquiring through Palm.
But smartphones are also an important part of the deal. Palm has a great operating system on its phones, which iSuppli says is better than the iPhone’s OS. But Palm only had a 1.5 percent share of the smartphone market in Q4 last year with little growth, while the greater smartphone market is skyrocketing, with growth of over 35 percent. The idea is that HP’s deep pockets and global scale can help leverage Palm’s technology.
HP expects to close the deal in the third quarter.
Source: CEoutlook
Photo: Palm’s Pre smartphone offers the coveted multitasking capability

HP Reaches Agreement to Buy Palm

In what can only be seen as great news for smartphone-maker Palm, Hewlett-Packard is planning to purchase Palm for about $1.2 billion, said the companies.
The deal would help the struggling Palm while buying HP a greater foothold in the smartphone market.
Palm’s smartphone OS on the Palm Pre and Pixi series phones launched to a promising reception last year, but sales soon flagged. Despite the coveted multi-tasking capability of its phones, Palm’s sell-through in the most recent fiscal quarter was down 15 percent over last year and the company reported a $22 million net loss.
HP’s executive VP of the personal systems group Tom Bradley said, “Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing… and HP intends to be a leader in this market.”
For its part, Palm said it was thrilled with by HP’s “vote of confidence in Palm’s technological leadership,” according to chairman and CEO Jon Rubinstein, who is expected to remain with the company.
Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger expected before July 31.
“HP brings a worldwide foot print, money, and engineering to the deal and Palm brings the carrier relationships, a solid, but young OS and a brand that has value…But the real question is can HP be sexy enough. Can they go from being a Susan Boyle to Beyonce,” said Larry Reich president of Digital Age Communications, a veteran CE consultant. The deal could curb Android’s rapid takeover of the smartphone market and also reach into other product categories like tablet PCs. “I also think it’s a knock against Dell. Dell is putting all its eggs in the Android basket. I think it hurts Android because they lose the biggest player in computing. Nokia is floundering; RIM is running as fast as they can to become modern with 6.0 and RIM may be the next big acquisition,” said Reich.
Apple has about a 17 percent share of the world smartphone market and is facing increasing competition from the large number of Android based phones hitting the market.
Source: HP

Garmin Bids on Raymarine

Garmin is back to trying to purchase UK-based marine electronics supplier Raymarine, reportedly for 15 pounds ($22.8) per share. But U.S. journalists are forbidden from downloading the news release, due to SEC regulations so we’re referencing a story in UK-based Motor Boat & Yachting. The deal values debt-laden Raymarine at the equivalent of $19 million dollars. The report says Raymarine is struggling with about $137 million worth of debt and has received numerous purchase bids, but Garmin’s is the highest.
Apparently Garmin believes boaters are not going to be relying on their smartphones to navigate so marine electronics might be a solid investment. Garmin announces its first quarter earnings on Wednesday, May 5 next week. But the GPS-maker’s fourth quarter earnings showed marine electronics revenues were up 2 percent for Garmin or $34 million for the period ended in December 2009.
The news apparently sent Raymarine’s stock soaring 130 percent on Wednesday. Garmin and Raymarine had been reported to be in talks late last year that failed to reach a deal.
Source: Motor Boat & Yachting and Garmin

4th Gen iPhone Expected June 7

We’ve refrained from commenting on Gizmodo’s found next-gen iPhone prototype that was left in a bar by an Apple employee (by accident?) and then found by one or more folks who sold it to Gizmodo for $5,000. The site derived millions of hits from the adventure but the real fourth generation iPhone is expected to be released June 7 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Business Insider says the iPhone will likely resemble the one Gizmodo got its hands on, with a second front facing video chat camera and squared off case.
Source: Business Insider via FierceWireless

Bill Would Curb GPS Trackers

GPS tracking devices have been getting some publicity, but maybe not quite the right kind. A bill is pending in the Georgia Senate to quash the abuse of GPS tracking devices; something to think about if you are planning to track your spouse and you live in Atlanta.
In an effort to crack down on stalkers and stop angry boyfriends from slapping a device on someone’s car, Rep. Kevin Levitas is pushing a bill in the GA. state legislature which would make it illegal to put a GPS tracking device on a vehicle in a public place, reports MyFOX ATLANTA. The bill passed the House and is awaiting Senate approval.
Source: MyFOX ATLANTA

New iPad Add-ons on Way

By Amy Gilroy
As the iPod spawned a $1.2 billion accessories market, you can be sure its grandfather, the iPad, will get its fair share of docks, speakers and clever add-ons. Nearly a month since the iPad launched, most of the third-party accessories offered for the tablet are still just cases and screen protectors, but suppliers are working on docks and more.
Altec Lansing will offer speakers in late summer designed for use when the iPad is sitting on your lap. After all, when an iPad is placed on a counter or desk, you can just attach a pair of computer speakers and prop up the tablet with Apple’s $29 dock/stand. So the opportunity comes when you are sitting down with iPad, maybe sharing the device with someone on either side of you, said Altec VP marketing and product management Bernice Cramer. Maybe a sleeve with flat speakers built in? Cramer is not saying.
Klipsch is looking at a device that can convert the iPad into a remote control for content on your computer, or on an external hard drive, or on an iPod. It’s also mum on details.
iHome says it will offer its first iPad docking accessories in the fourth quarter. It doesn’t want to tip its hand on the functions but the prices will range from $59.99-$199.99.
There are some road blocks for iPad accessories at the moment. There’s no Works with iPad program in place yet and Apple isn’t saying when it will begin (we asked).
Could iPad accessories match the iPod/iPhone market in sales? iHome says, yes, “but it will take a while due to the price point,” says Ezra Ashkenazi president of SDI Technologies, which sells the iHome brand.

Source: CEoutlook

Sirius XM Gets NASDAQ OK

Good news for Sirius XM fans. You will want to know that the satellite radio company, whose stock was trading below $1 for many months, and therefore faced delisting on the NASDAQ, is now officially in compliance with NASDAQ standards. NASDAQ has advised SIRIUS XM that it will remain listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market. Whew! At last check the stock was trading at $1.14 per share.
Source: Sirius XM
Logo via ceoworld.biz

End of Recession for Cellphones

iSuppli pronounced the end of the recession for the cellphone industry after a great fourth quarter and predicted sales of phones will increase 11.3 percent this year to 1.3 billion units world wide. (See update below for North American figures)
Despite the world slump last year, cellphones racked up world shipments of 1.15 billion down slightly from 2008’s 1.2 billion. However sales were increasingly strong with each consecutive quarter last year. “Given the recovery of the market in the final quarter of 2009, and with Europe, Latin America and the Middle East/Africa regions doing exceptionally well during the period, the recession can be said to be officially over for the cell phone industry,” said iSuppli senior analyst for wireless systems Tina Teng.
During Q4, Nokia remained the market leader with a 38 percent share in shipments followed by Samsung with a 21 percent share. LG followed with a 10 percent share, with Sony Ericsson at 4.4 percent and Chinese supplier ZTE with 4 percent.
Source: iSuppli

UPDATE: Cellphone shipments for North America should bounce back to 182.1 million units in 2010 from 172.7 million units in 2009, said iSuppli.

Sony Shifts Ad Strategy

Sony is changing its advertising tune, focusing on a few select products rather than trying to pitch most of them. Taylor Swift appears in a 30-second TV spot for the Cyber-shot SDC-TX7 digital camera, in just one of the star-graced commercials Sony will launch this year in a $100 million campaign. “Niche is the new tactic,” says Forbes.com, as Sony tries to battle Apple, Nintendo, Microsoft and Amazon on different product fronts. Personally I think Sony should dust off its old “Sony No Baloney” campaign.
Source: Forbes.com

More on Ultimate/Best Buy Suit from BBB

Now the Better Business Bureau is weighing in on Ultimate Electronics’ ads claiming that it has lower prices than Best Buy.
Best Buy recently sued Ultimate because of the regional chains’ advertising campaign that says, “Every day we shop Wal-Mart and Best Buy then adjust our prices to beat theirs, so you know we have the lowest electronics prices period.”
Best Buy’s lawsuit says the ads “are literally false because Ultimate’s prices are frequently higher than Best Buy’s for the same items,” according to The Denver Post.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
In turns out the Better Business Bureau is also wary of Ultimate’s claims. It issued a statement saying it has given Ultimate an “F” rating for its ad campaign and for unanswered consumer complaints.
“Lowest price claims should generally not be trusted unless they can be proven or are backed by some kind of ‘meet-or-beat’ guarantee,” said BBB Denver president and CEO Dale Mingilton. “Ultimate Electronics never provided anything to our office that substantiates its claims and that is the main reason for their F rating.”
Along with seeking several damages, Best Buy’s suit asks for the judge to order Ultimate Electronics to discontinue and destroy all challenged advertising and to create new, accurate advertising.
We asked Ultimate for a comment but have not yet heard back.

Sources: The Denver Post, BBB of Denver

JL Audio’s Shopatron Heating Up

JL Audio says its retailer program with Shopatron has been gaining steam over the past nine months, with one retailer claiming it sold $14,500 worth of JL Audio product in close to one month under the program.
Audio Logic Car Audio, Hollywood, FL was able to bring in $14,000 worth of JL Audio business in a short period using the Shopatron program, said JL Audio president Andy Oxenhorn. The store president Mike Dixon, said it was actually $14,500 in just about one month and he did $40,000 in JL Audio business under the program last year.
Under the program, Shopatron oversees fulfillment for sales on JL Audio’s web site. It does this by arranging that the closest JL Audio dealer is offered the sale. The only catch is that dealers must log on with Shopatron and check for Shopatron leads. If they don’t, the lead goes to someone else.
JL Audio says it is the first car audio/audio company other than Panasonic to use the Shopatron service. “It’s been about a year. We’re learning…so far I’ve been pleased. It was a little slow at first but our sales from Shopatron have been doubling lately,” said Oxenhorn. JL Audio also pays for keyword searches. When someone does an Internet search for “subwoofer,” for example, JL Audio’s web site comes up in a top slot in the search results. Jeremy Dawson of JL Audio said, “We’ve seen a 7x return in online sales revenue from our investment in Google AdWords since we started using the program. This combined with the implementation of ship-to-store functionality has definitely boosted sales.”
Oxenhorn reminds retailers “You have to play. You have to go online in the mornings and check the bids. Some haven’t gotten in the habit of doing that yet.” Under the program retailers “bid,” stating they have the product in stock. The Shopatron service then automatically gives the sale to the closest retailer stocking the item. You’re not bidding on price, just registering that you have the product in stock.
The catch says, Audio Logic’s Dixon is that now that more retailers are using Shopatron, he’s winning less of the bids. ”I was winning bids from Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas. I’m in South Florida. All you have to do is be the closest dealer [to the purchaser] and have the product in stock.” Dixon says he goes on line to check bids two or three times a day.
“At 1:30 eastern time they close out all transactions and find the closest to the end consumer…we box it and ship it to the customer and twice a month we get a payout from Shopatron,” said Dixon. Margins are MAP (minimum advertised price) minus a small percentage for Shopatron. “From a dealer’s standpoint, if you walk through the door, I’d spend quite a bit of time handling each customer. For me to go online and put in a bid and pack a box, and get paid close to MAP, I’m ecstatic.”

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