Toshiba to Launch eBookstore

Toshiba will soon launch its own bookstore using Blio software (first demo’d at the Consumer Electronics Show) offering the ability for 3D color interactive charts, embedded movies, and links to the web without leaving your book.

The Toshiba Book Place will launch “in the coming weeks” and the software will be pre-loaded on Toshiba laptops with some sample free books. The site will also allow text-to-speech to “read aloud books,” and even background music specific to the book. It also provides highlighting, annotating, note taking, hyperlinks, etc. and it simulates realistic page turns. Follow the link and click on the demo.

Source: Toshiba via electronista

Kindle Gets Better Book Previews

Amazon is improving it ability to let users sample the eBooks in its Kindle store from most mobile devices.

“In the past Amazon has required readers to send a sample section of a book to a device before it could be previewed. The new service will show an e-book directly in the browser,” said The New York Times. The feature will be available in the coming weeks.

Amazon also launched an Android eReader app on Tuesday and added audio and video capability to Kindle apps on Monday.

Source: Amazon and The New York Times

JL Audio Uses Eclipse Displays

When Eclipse left the aftermarket early this year, many retailers were left with unusable Eclipse demo displays.
So JL Audio has come with a plan to re-use those displays for JL Audio car speakers and amplifiers. Dealers can outfit the displays with a JL Audio sign and a subwoofer box that is tuned for the JL Audio 12W3v3 driver. They can also get a trim piece that will suit the JL Audio XD400/4 amp to the display. The products are offered to JL Audio dealers under standard terms.
Source: JL Audio

First FLO TV Car Kit from NAV-TV

NAV-TV is offering the first FLO-TV car kit to let a factory dashboard screen work with a FLO TV car tuner, it said.

The $299 Barracuda kit for GM vehicles can now be hard-wired to a FLO TV tuner so the user can watch 20 channels of mostly live TV on the car’s dashboard screen, even while the car is in motion. Users change channels via the steering wheel controls.

The new capability requires a software download via USB to the Barracuda that originally went on sale last October to permit in-motion video on the car’s screen. It also unlocks the car navigation so users can input an address while the car is motion. Additionally, it can link a rear vision camera or FLIR night vision camera to the factory screen (see second video below).

For FLO TV, users must also purchase a $400 Jensen FLO TV tuner and a subscription. The tuner system receives ABC, Disney, ESPN, FOX News, CBS Mobile, Nickelodeon and other programming.

The Barracuda does not work with FLO TV from a phone or a personal TV; it works with a car tuner exclusively.

Source: NAV-TV

Alarms Etc. Promo: How to Add Store Traffic

Here’s a no-cost way to get more feet in the door.

Alarms, Etc. launched a promotion with Groupon on Monday that offers a steep discount on an iPod kit ONLY if a certain number of customers buy the item.

The Tampa, FL-based store put up an installed Scosche iPod kit (FMMOD02) on the Groupon/Tampa web site, offered at a 50 percent discount or $60. The deal runs 4 days through Thursday and Alarms Etc. has already met its minimum by getting 11 orders. The store’s website traffic has quadrupled since Monday and the phone is ringing off the hook, said owner Joe Cassity. He expects to sell 25 or 30 by the end of the deal and to make money while he’s basically won free advertising and exposure at no charge. (Alarms Etc. also worked out a special deal with Scosche beforehand on the FM modular kit offered).

“We’re not trying to make a profit on the ticket, even if we just break even, one more customer walking in our door holds a lot of value,” Cassity said. Plus he’s moving beyond the 18-24 year-old male demographic by positioning the 3-store Alarms Etc. as an iPod integration specialist. “So we’re reaching a different demographic,” he said.

Groupon’s strength is it permits consumers to join up to get a group discount on a product or service offered locally. The customer knows the deal only goes through if enough people sign up to meet the retailer’s minimum.

“We contacted [Groupon] after reading about their website and its effects on merchants business levels featured in an American Express Blog….. I wasn’t sure if Groupon would be a good fit for our business until I started subscribing to their newsletter myself and saw some merchants selling as much as $10,000 dollars in gift cards within a 24-hour period. After that I said, WOW what do we have to do to gain that kind of exposure,” said Cassity.

Stores in each market are permitted to run one promo every 60 days on Groupon, Cassity said.

Read about Groupon in TechCrunch and The New York Times

Source: Alarms, Etc.

January Looks Good For iPhone at Verizon

In the strongest indication yet that Verizon will soon get the iPhone, Bloomberg is reporting that Verizon Wireless will begin stocking the phone in January, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

The deal would bring the iPhone to the largest U.S. wireless carrier and end AT&T’s exclusive distribution for the iPhone—something AT&T has enjoyed since June 2007.

Verizon customers could buy 3 million iPhones a quarter, UBS AG analyst John Hodulik told Bloomberg. Verizon has almost 93 million customers in total. “Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends,” said Hodulik. “It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.”

Verizon Wireless is also building out a 4G LTE network and plans to unveil new 4G devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, it has said in the past.

By expanding to additional wireless carriers, Apple is making the iPhone more competitive with Android and BlackBerry devices that are available from multiple carriers.

Apple has sold more than 50 million iPhones since the device launched in 2007. The iPhone 4 sold more than 1.7 million units in the first three days after its June 24 debut, setting a record for Apple.

Source: Bloomberg

Hulu Adds Hulu Plus

Hulu announced a new paid tier of its video web site Tuesday called Hulu Plus. It’s an ad-supported subscription service that provides access to full seasons of shows on Hulu for $10 a month.

The service will be available on the Apple iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and the 3rd gen iPod touch in addition to the PC at Hulu.com. And it will also work on Samsung Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.

Hulu Plus will soon support the PlayStation 3 and it will add support for the Xbox 360 early next year. Sony and Vizio TVs and Blu-ray players will be compatible with the service this fall, said PCMag.

Source: PCMag

Cisco Tablet for Businesses

Cisco Systems entered the tablet PC market with a device aimed at business users.

The lightweight, 7-inch Cius runs on Android and provides video conferencing, WiFi and high speed wireless connections, said Reuters. It is billed as a “collaboration and communication device for enterprises.”

Cisco said, the 1.15-pound Cius is “designed to more securely connect employees on-the-go with the right people in real-time, and to provide those workers with the ability to access and share the content they need from any place on the network.”

Other features include access to a desktop PC, HD Video, email, web browsing and Android apps. It will also have a front-facing and a rear-facing camera and allow users to produce, edit and share cloud-based content, said TheStreet.

Source: Cisco, engadget, Reuters, TheStreet

The Photo via TheStreet shows the tablet in a desktop docking station.

B&N to Stock More eReaders in Full Boutiques This Fall

Barnes & Noble is preparing to expand the number of eReaders it carries and set up full eReader boutiques within its stores this fall.

On a call with analysts today, the bookseller also said it has gained a 20 percent share of the eBook market after launching its digital bookstore only a year ago, making it the second largest U.S. eBookstore and it believes its Nook to be the fastest selling eReader on the market.

Sales of the new $149 Nook WiFi are already outselling expectations, as is the original Nook, it said.

Chairman Len Riggio revealed the bookseller plans to expand the current Nook display you see when you enter a store into a full eReading boutique that emulates Apple’s retail stores. “What you’ll see in our stores this fall is a bigger presentation of reading devices than you currently see in the single counter…that it will be more like a boutique…. and remember, as more readers come into the marketplace, we will try to create the same type of excitement one sees in the Apple stores…you will see a fully stocked department with reading devices of all sorts; a full department.”

The company told analysts repeatedly that it will use its advantage of owning 1,400 bookstores to help sell the Nook. It also said it will compete with newcomers like Google because its eBookstore is product- and OS-agnostic and now works on over 400 devices.

The bookseller expects to grow its eBook share to 25 percent by 2013, as it pushes its agenda of “a Barnes & Noble bookstore in every pocket,” on as many devices and operating systems as possible.

B&N’s eBookstore is now the second most downloaded app on the iPad and “more amazingly” is the 17th most downloaded app on the iPhone, said the company.

Over the next 3 years digital eBooks will be a $3 to $5 billion revenue opportunity for the company, it said.

Also, the bookseller reported that once a customer buys a Nook, his spending with B&N increases 17 percent in revenue and 70 percent on a unit basis.

Digital sales will account for more than 100 percent of B&N’s growth over the next several years so the bookseller is investing very heavily in its Nook and eBook strategy. It will invest $140 million in digital books and eReaders in the next 12 months. Part of that expense is converting books to eBook format and working with newspaper publishers to convert their content to digital.

B&N said its sales of the Nook at Best Buy help it reach a new customer. Best Buy’s print circular alone reaches 90 million homes and the retailer is installing B&N’s eBook software on devices it sells.

B&N also plans to begin stocking more products apart from books including toys and games and some electronics devices. It is expanding its foray into sales of used products and recently added used DVDs and CDs. It will add peer-to peer capability for selling used goods on its website this fall.

The announcements were made as the bookseller presented its fiscal Q4 2010 results (ended May 1, 2011) showing a larger-than-expected net loss of $32.1 million as the company spent heavily on the Nook and eBooks. See Reuters for more financial information.
Source: CEoutlook with reference to Reuters.

Kindle App Gets Video, Audio

The Kindle eReader may not be able to play video embedded in eBooks, but the Kindle app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch can now do just that.

Amazon announced an update to its Kindle apps that adds capability for audio and video clips embedded in an eBook. The first books to take advantage of the technology are Rick Steves’ London by Rick Steves and Together We Cannot Fail by Terry Golway.

Separately, the Kindle will become available at airport shops through HMSHost, which operates airport shops and which will sell the Kindle in bookstores in six airports, said the AP.

The Kindle will be available at Simply Books stores in the following airports: Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta; John Wayne in Orange County, California; Charlotte/Douglas in Charlotte, N.C.; Salt Lake City; Dallas Fort Worth; San Diego; George Bush airport in Houston; Miami; Tampa, Fla.; and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Source: Amazon, AP

Photo: Kindle for iPad via techshout

8 Smartphone Apps for Drivers

Consumer Reports picked useful apps for motorists in its August issue including 8 apps listed below:

Car Finder. Price: 99 Cents. Phone: iPhone. Car Finder uses your phone’s compass and GPS to mark your car’s position when your park and then guide you back to it later. It works in parking lots or city streets, but because it relies on the phone’s GPS signal, it won’t work in an indoor garage.

aCar. Price: Free. Phone: Android. Once you set it up by entering maintenance-schedule information from the car owner’s manual, aCar reminds you when your car is due in the shop. It also reminds you when it’s time for your car’s annual inspection, and tracks fuel mileage and costs.

DriveSafe.ly. Price Free or $13.95 Phones: BlackBerry and Android; coming for iPhone, Palm webOS. With the premium version DriveSafe.ly reads e-mail and text messages aloud while you drive and can send a response message saying you’re unavailable. The free version has a limit of 25 words per message. The premium version can handle messages of 500 words.

iWrecked. Price: Free Phone: iPhone. The simple program takes you through a list of what to do after a car crash, including taking photos of the scene and getting contact and insurance information from other drivers. It will also dial 911 and locate the nearest police station, taxi, or tow-truck service to assist you.

RepairPal. Price: Free Phones: iPhone, coming soon for Android. RepairPal helps you find a repair shop and get estimates. If you break down, it will locate a tow truck. After you enter your car’s make, model, and other details, it will give a range of estimates in seconds. It also helps keep records and gives service reminders.

Magellan RoadMate, Navigon Mobile Navigator, TomTom Price: $70-$80 Phones: Magellan and TomTom: iPhone; Navigon: iPhone and Windows Mobile. Consumer Reports said these navigation apps stand out compared to the others. All are easy to use and have features found on better portable GPS navigators. And all let you route to an address from your phone’s contact list. But they’re relatively expensive and require a separate mount, and most new smart phones already come with free navigation capability.

Source: Consumer Reports

Hundreds Report Car Radio Problems with new IPhone OS

We’re not saying our story was completely wrong Monday about iPhone 4 compatibility with car radios, but it turns out there are plenty of glitches being reported by users of iPhones running iOS 4 who try to link up with their car radio.

Over 200 consumer complaints are posted on the Apple discussion boards from users who find their car radio fails to work properly once they plug in an iPhone updated to iOS 4.

Radios from Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Kenwood, Clarion, Panasonic, Honda, Nissan and Mercedes Benz were cited among others. Users are getting “device incompatible” messages when connected to an updated iPhone in some cases. Some Alpine radios are said to scroll too slowly. A user complained a JVC radio stops playing music after an initial few seconds, and another said a JVC radio produced an error message, “Cannot Play.” Another user said a Pioneer radio stops playing after 5 seconds. All worked fine before the user upgraded his phone.

A user named Mikesnow wrote: ‘It’s the iOS 4.0 that is messing it up, I have a 3GS and work at a Car Audio Shop and 100% of every model of every manufacturer does not work with the iOS 4. Some of these radios were just released less then a month ago built specifically for iPhones, and after the update to OS4 they no longer function. Same phone, same radio, different OS different results. Sony’s will just sit there frozen with iPod displayed on the screen. Pioneer radios will display “searching” then after a few mins give Error-19. Kenwood’s flash “Searching”….forever. Alpine’s display “Device Error:” the Alpine that’s made for iPhone and Pandora never recognizes the phone or iPod even if you have the Pandora Alpine link app running. JVC displays “Searching” forever…’

A second user named biggjerry wrote ‘upgraded to iOS 4 a few hours ago. Went to my car and plugged it into the USB port of my Pioneer stereo and it says ‘Not compatible.’’

JVC, Pioneer and Alpine all said performing a hard reset on the phone solves the problem in many cases. “As you know, Apple tests our units before it confirms them to be Made for iPod or Works with iPhone – so any issues that consumers may experience are on the side of Apple since they updated their OS system…” said Chad Vogelsong, JVC’s GM of marketing.

Pioneer director of marketing for car electronics Ted Cardenas, said, “Currently issues seem to be related primarily to the automatic pairing of the Bluetooth A2DP profile with various manufacturer’s products including Pioneer. Apple is aware of the issue. Regarding the USB error message, this is simply a communication error that is resolved by fully shutting down the iPhone (v4 or older running iOS4) and re-starting. Once completed, the USB connection functions fine from that point forward.”

Alpine also said the problem is with Apple software and not authentication chips in the radio. Alpine gave us this statement: “We have received some calls about some Alpine units having glitches when used with the iOS4. Since each user has his or her own set-up, each case needs to be evaluated separately so a “blanket” solution is not applicable. However in some cases, we have found that performing a “hard” reset on the iPhone alleviates the problem. This is done by pressing and holding the top and Home buttons simultaneously for 8-10 seconds, ignoring the red slider bar that pop up on the screen, until the screen goes black. Then, the iPhone can be turned back on by pressing and holding the top button.”

One vendor noted that the iPhone 3G also created buggy car stereo connections and an update was issued by Apple within a month, which solved the problem.

It was not clear if the new iPhone 4 creates car radio glitches or only iPhones upgraded iPhones to iOS 4.

Next time we’ll check the Apple forums first.

Source: CEoutlook

Samsung Galaxy S from Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Etc.

Verizon Wireless announced it will offer a version of Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone to be called the Samsung Fascinate this summer, joining several other carriers who announced support for Samsung’s top-of-the-line Android phone over the past few days.

Samsung’s Galaxy S, with a 4-inch AMOLED multi-touch display, WiFi and 5 MP camera will be called the Captivate on AT&T, Vibrant on T-Mobile and Epic 4G on Sprint.
Verizon’s version will have 3G mobile hotspot capabilities for up to five WiFi devices and it will ship with a 16 GB microSD card. No word on an exact release date or pricing.

Other Fascinate features include Android 2.1, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, V Cast Music with Rhapsody and 2GB internal memory expandable to 32 GB.

T-Mobile begins selling the Samsung Vibrant July 21, for $199 with a two-year contract. Pre-orders start July 1 at RadioShack stores only, and you get a $50 gift card after the purchase. T-Mobile is sweetening the deal with a 2GB microSD card pre-loaded with Avatar (movie) and The Sims 3 (game). Additional perks include a 30-day free trial of MobiTV, said PCWorld.

Sprint’s Epic 4G will be the second Sprint phone with 4G capability (offering speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G). The device gets a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a front-facing VGA camera.

Source: Verizon, PCWorld
Photo: Samsung Fascinate via SlashGear

Apple Sells 1.7M iPhone 4′s

Apple said it sold more than 1.7 million iPhone 4′s through Saturday, June 26, (over a three-day period), making it the most successful product launch in Apple’s history.

CEO Steve Jobs also apologized to customers who “were turned away because we did not have enough supply.”

Apple typically sells 1 million iPhones during the first week of launch, says Business Insider.

Separately, iSuppli said the iPhone 4 costs $187.51 to produce in terms of its component costs. The most expensive component is the new 3.5-inch screen at $28.50.

“Over the years, the iPhone has generally tended to hover in the $170 to $180 cost range because Apple seems to be trying to hit some kind of budget,” Kevin Keller of iSuppli.

The estimate doesn’t include costs labor, shipping, advertising, software development or patent licensing.

The iPhone 4 sells for $199 and $299.
Source: Apple, iSuppli

BMW will Read Back Email Messages

BMW will offer the first factory sound system we know of that will “read back” your email as you drive. (The Ford Sync, for example, only reads back text messages, not email).

BWM will offer the capability starting in September on 2011 BMW models, but only when used with certain BlackBerry phones through Bluetooth.

The car maker will also allow BlackBerry music streaming through the car’s sound system as well as hands free calling and “reading” aloud text messages through Bluetooth.

For the email function, lucky 2011 BWM owners can use the iDrive controls (on models with Assist, Bluetooth and on-board navigation) to select the emails they want “read aloud” via text-to-speech. At present the BlackBerry Pearl 3G is the only RIM phone to support the feature although BMW plans to enable other phone makes in the future says cnet, pointing out that a BMW YouTube video demonstrating email uses an iPhone (See below).

Kenwood said it will offer email/text text-to-speech next year in aftermarket radios. Azentek has also promised the feature in a $2,700 Atlas Car PC but has failed to ship the unit after several delays and has not responded to numerous CEoutlook attempts to contact the company.

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-tech-blog/

Source: cnet

Navi on Phones up 44%

Here’s the latest stats to show just how fast GPS navigation is moving over to phones. comScore says the number of map users on mobile devices was up 44 percent for the 3-month period ending in April compared to the period last year. A total of 33.5 million people accessed maps on a mobile device during the period. “With summer travel season upon us, we expect even more mobile users to access both maps and location-based local search to help them navigate and find geographically relevant information,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior VP of mobile.
Also, people using mobile devices want to access their maps via an app versus a browser. During the period, 26 percent of smartphone users got their maps from an app and 19 percent from a browser.
Source: comScore

Are Car Radios Ready for iPhone 4?

UPDATED! If you were one of the Apple fans last week who snagged an iPhone 4, will your new phone work in the car with your radio or iPod kit?

The simplest answer is that audio and charging will work just fine but the ability to fully control the iPhone from the radio may be lost in some cases.

Early reports from suppliers testing the iPhone 4 say if your radio or kit bears the Works with iPhone (WWI) logo you most likely get control over the iPhone 4–where the song tag info appears on the radio screen and radio knobs control the iPhone 4.

Also if your radio already offers iPhone video capability, it may be compatible with iPhone 4 control.

The reason is an authentication chip is required for iPhone 4 control and if your radio or kit has the WWI label or is iPhone video capable then it has the chip.

Clarion and Alpine said their radios tested so far seem to work with the iPhone 4, but they are still in the evaluation process. Alpine said, “To this point we have tested some but not all head units and have experienced no problems.”

Jensen (Audiovox) is also still testing. A spokesman said, “We are compatible with the iPhone 4, but Apple has some issues to work out. ”

iSimple (Aamp of America) just released new versions of its GateWay car kit so that it can control an iPhone 4 and is offering an upgrade for existing GateWay kits. Owners of the older kits can get a $30 authentication chip for the update.
Also iSimple just published a list of its current products that work with the iPhone 4:
HubVolt (IS42) and HubVolt FC (IS46) chargers
GateWay with PXAMG IC upgrade
SoundByte (PXDP and related SKUs)
TranzIt (IS77) FM transmitter kit
WiFli (IS713)
JamKast iP
OmniWire

Note: Owners of an iPhone 3G, 3Gs or iPod touch can also upgrade to the new iOS 4 so they must also pay attention to compatibility issues with their car radio or iPod kit.

Source: CEoutlook and iSimple
Photos: iSimple GateWay and authentication chip add-on for GateWay

Plastic Logic Cancels Pre-orders

It’s been a cruel spring for eReaders. First iRex goes bankrupt, then the bottom drops in pricing, and now Plastic Logic has canceled pre-orders for the QUE and is delaying yet again. Blame it all (or much of it) on the iPad says iSuppli, confirming what we all knew.

Plastic Logic told its customers, “We’ve been working hard to bring the world’s first product based on plastic electronics technology to market — and have decided that delaying the device a bit longer will result in a better product for you. With that in mind, we need to let you know that since your unit will not ship on June 24 as planned, our automated ordering system has automatically cancelled your order….. We continue to be excited about the potential that our thin, light and shatter-proof ProReader will offer to business users everywhere, and hope we can count you among the first to experience this groundbreaking device.”

No new target date for the QUE eReader has been given. This is the QUE’s second delay. It was originally due for release this spring but in March, Plastic Logic said consumers would have to wait until summer.

The QUE offers a 10.7-inch screen at $649 (WiFi, 4GB) or $799 (WiFi +3G, 8GB). It will be sold through Barnes & Noble as well as online.

Source: Engadget

Apple Offers Advice on iPhone 4 Glitch

Apple CEO Steve Jobs responded to problems with dropped calls on the new iPhone 4 in a reply to an email from Ars Technica.

Users began reporting the glitch after the iPhone 4 went on sale Thursday. Jobs response was, “Just avoid holding it in that way,” and “All phones have sensitive areas.”

Also Engadget received a statement from Apple stating, “Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

Source: Ars Technica, Engadget

iPad Officially Impacts eReaders: iSuppli

iSuppli has officially answered the question we all wondered about since the iPad was only a rumor late last year—“will Apple’s iPad kill the standalone eReader. “
In iSuppli’s view, the answer is, the iPad has relegated the standalone eReader to a niche product. “The longer-term future of eBook readers is likely to be more niche that initially expected,” said analyst Jordan Selburn.
Meanwhile, iSuppli blames the iPad for the recent price cuts by Barnes & Noble and Amazon on their eReaders. The resulting low prices on the Kindle ($189) and Nook ($199), place these devices at about the break even level with the cost to make them. In the short term, the low prices could attract customers, but in the long run, the tablet will win out.
The future of eReaders depends on whether upgrades will make them more competitive with the iPad (iSuppli said iPad, not tablets in general). One such upgrade is a color display, but that is at least a year off, said iSuppli.
Another note is the Nook uses 50 percent more parts than the Kindle as it has two screens and because its Android OS and use of WiFi require more parts. The E-Ink display is the highest cost component for each device, accounting for 28 to 32 percent of material costs for the full device.
Source: iSuppli

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