Starting this Fall, Staples will officially be carrying all three models of the Kindle line-up. That includes the traditional 3G/WiFi-enabled Kindle, the WiFi-only version, and the larger-than-life Kindle DX. The units will be available in more than 1,550 locations across the country (that means every Staples location, for the record), and you’ll be able to grab the devices for the same price that you’d pay online. That means you’ll get the WiFi-only model for $139, the 3G-equipped version for $189, and the DX will run you a cold $379.
But, to make sure that you’re Kindle doesn’t leave the store all alone, you’ll also be able to get your hands on a wide assortment of accessories. There’s no word on when exactly this will all go down. “Early Fall” is all we get for now. But considering Fall is right around the corner, we probably don’t have too long to wait. Unless you’re wanting the Kindle DX, which will apparently be available in “late Fall.”
Press Release
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) announced today plans to offer customers Kindle, Amazon’s #1 best-selling, most-wished-for and most-gifted product for two years running. Staples is the only office superstore to carry the wireless reading device in all of its stores nationwide beginning this fall. Interactive displays will allow customers to experience the product before they buy and to learn more about the new generation Kindle which recently launched to rave reviews from the New York Times, Wired, CNET, PC World, PC Magazine, and more.
“We are excited that such a great company and brand as Staples will be offering the new generation Kindle to its customers”
“Staples is not just bringing this incredible product to our 1,550+ US stores, but we are offering customers a chance to discover first-hand Amazon’s revolutionary reading device,” said Jevin Eagle, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Staples. “As part of our efforts to offer customers a wide range of top technology products and services at amazing values, the new Kindle is a natural fit.”
Kindle is Amazon.com’s best-selling product, a reading device that wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight. The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast, is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter, boasts 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, and more — all for only $139.
Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The Kindle Store now has more than 670,000 books, including New Releases and 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 550,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers. Kindle lets you Buy Once, Read Everywhere — on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off.
Staples will carry the following new Kindle devices:
Kindle ($139.00) – 6” diagonal
Kindle 3G ($189.00) – 6” diagonal
Kindle DX ($379.00) – 9.7” diagonal (available at Staples late fall 2010)
“We are excited that such a great company and brand as Staples will be offering the new generation Kindle to its customers,” said Steve Kessel, Senior Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “Staples will be offering its customers a great experience with Kindle — the ability to think of a book and be reading it in less than 60 seconds, read on a screen that is easy on the eyes even in bright sunlight, carry thousands of books with them wherever they go in just 8.5 ounces — all for only $139.”
Staples will also carry a full assortment of Kindle accessories. Kindle is part of several new exciting technology products available from Staples in time for the 2010 holiday season. Staples will announce their full line-up of top tech products and other great savings for the season later this fall.
Customers can take advantage of Staples’ extensive technology offerings year-round as well. Staples makes buying technology easy as one of the leading retailers of computers, printers, software, ink and toner. In addition, at every U.S. store, Staples EasyTechs provide customers with a wide range of technology services such as new computer set-up, hardware and software installations, data transfer and security, and repair and troubleshooting. Visit www.staples.com/techservices to learn more.
About Staples
Staples, the world’s largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.
LG, at this year’s Dealer Days, has officially pulled the curtain off their tablet device. In the same vein as their Optimus line-up of Android-powered smartphones, they’ve just confirmed to the world that there is, indeed, an Optimus Pad. The tablet device is primed to take on the likes of Apple’s iPad, and Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab, even if the specifications are few and far between.
The sign that promotes the device itself seems to hold all of the information we have on the device right now. LG says that it’s running Android (which is no surprise there), and that it will be remarkably thin and light. Furthermore, it’s apparently going to have “many firsts.” We’re not exactly sure what that could mean, but considering the tablet market is still relatively fresh in its “features” department, LG might have a few surprises up their sleeves. There’s more information coming, apparently, and considering IFA is just about to kick off, this bit of tablet news from LG is a good sign. Hopefully.
Apple’s annual iPod event is 24 hours away, and we’re counting off the minutes before the traditional SlashGear liveblog. We’ll be firing up the servers over at http://live.slashgear.com/ in time for the event to begin at 10am Pacific, but if you believe the rumors it’s not just iPods that we can expect. In addition to talk of a new, much smaller iPod nano, plus a camera-toting iPod touch, we’ve also heard about a possible new online iTunes service.
The exact nature of the online iTunes system is unknown, with predictions ranging from a straightforward, linkable web presence for iTunes media to a full blown streaming media service that might allow users to offload their content to the cloud. A new version of iTunes seems likely as well, to accommodate whatever changes have been made.
As for the iPod nano, from various leaked accessories and components we’ve built up a pretty reasonable picture of what the new, square PMP might look like. It seems Apple may have decided to junk the click-wheel in their sixth-generation, moving instead to a touchscreen UI. The fourth-gen iPod touch, meanwhile, is most likely to see one or more cameras: a front-facing camera – allowing it to make FaceTime calls with the iPhone 4 over WiFi – seems inevitable, and there have been rumors for over 12 months now that Apple would add a rear-facing camera too.
Perhaps not quite fitting in with Apple’s guitar illustration for the event invitation, but rumored all the same, is a new Apple TV freshly dubbed the iTV. That, claim insiders, will be smaller, run a version of iOS and focus on streamed rather than downloaded content; they’re also predicting a $99 price tag and a far smaller chassis. Running iOS would allow Apple to push an App Store for the iTV, while there’s also the suggestion that they’ll allow iAd-monetized video content and use the iPad as a huge remote control.
We’ll be kicking off the liveblog tomorrow morning, Wednesday September 1st, with the Apple keynote scheduled to begin at 10am in San Francisco (1pm New York or 6pm London). Join us at http://live.slashgear.com/ and make your voice heard in our live commenting system!
As far as cameras and camcorders go, there seems to be a hard push for the consumer market. Of course, consumers buy things, so if you can shove all your HD recording into a small package, why not market it to the mainstream market, right? Canon doesn’t want to forget about the “prosumer,” let alone the professional market, and that’s exactly why they’ve brought the XF100 and XF105 into the limelight for a few minutes here. All of the great tech found in a big, shoulder camera, but without all of that big, shoulder mounted necessity.
The manufacturer has just recently officially announced the pair of high-end camcorders. And while it may look like another huge camera for the professional market, Canon is actually boasting that both of these camcorders are the smallest devices to ever support the broadcast quality MPEG-2 Full HD recording codec. You’ll be able to do all your full HD recording at 50Mbps and 4:2:2. Pretty impressive numbers for a camera that only weighs 1KG.
The cameras feature customizable controls, which are easily accessible, and there’s built-in LCD and XLR inputs right there in the handle. Unfortunately, there’s no exact word on when the cameras will be made available, but Canon suggested that the early months of 2011 is probably right around the time we should expect them. No word on pricing yet, either. They will be shown off at IBC in Amsterdam, though, as well as Photkina in Cologne, Germany, so we’ll probably get more details about them around that time.
So it’s just around the corner. What are we going to see? Some new iPods? A revamped Apple TV? Updates to iTunes? iOS 4 for the iPad? A fix to your heartbreaking antenna problem? New, brightly colored iShoes? Or all of the above? It’s hard to say, but luckily Engadget will be covering Apple’s latest event live with up-to-the-minute coverage. As usual, we’ll be providing the best liveblogging in the business, so you can just kick back with a cool drink and enjoy the show.
Tune in at this URL at the times below on Wednesday, September 1st for all the action!
07:00AM – Hawaii 10:00AM – Pacific 11:00AM – Mountain 12:00PM – Central 01:00PM – Eastern 06:00PM – London 07:00PM – Paris 09:00PM – Moscow 02:00AM – Tokyo (September 2nd)
The Pogoplug keeps getting updated, and there’s not a single bad spot in sight. This time around, with a brand new firmware that’s being pushed out to the devices right now, the pink box will officially support plenty of features that the company previously made official over the last few months. One of the most exciting ones: cloud printing!
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the Pogoplug now supports printing. So, if you’ve got your mobile device that can access the Pogoplug’s home server interface, then you get your printing on. And considering most of those mobile devices can access full documents, even ones stared in a Dropbox or on Google Docs, you’ve got plenty of options out there for your printing needs. Printer side, you’ll need an HP or Epson-manufactured device from the year 2005 or newer to get your printing on. The firmware upgrade is rolling out right now, so get ready.
As for that previously announced 802.11 b/g/n wireless adapter, the company has come clean that the device is now shipping. And, surprisingly enough, so is the Pogoplug Biz model, which is focused on the whole Enterprise market. For your reading pleasure, we’ve included the press release below.
Press Release
Pogoplug Gains Two New Products and Enables Web Printing!
A series of new Pogoplug features and products go live today!
Today we are delighted to begin rolling out a new firmware update to our customers that activates a number of new features we have announced in recent months, including our new cloud printing feature. In addition, both the Pogoplug Wireless Extender and
Pogoplug Biz are now shipping.
The print feature that we announced at the beginning of summer allows users to print from iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and any other Internet enabled device from anywhere in the world! The setup is simple; all users need to do is plug any HP or Epson printer made since 2005 into a USB port on the Pogoplug, or if it’s a network printer, simply have it on the same network as the Pogoplug. The firmware update begins rolling out to Pogoplug users today, and all users should have the update by the end of the week.
Our newest product, the Pogoplug Wireless Extender, allows users to place the Pogoplug anywhere in their homes where there is wireless internet access, without having to connect it to a network router or wired Ethernet port. The Pogoplug Wireless Extender begins shipping today.
Pogoplug Biz is an all-new version of Pogoplug specifically for businesses that gives business owners all the great features from the original Pogoplug, along with business specific features like customizable emails, a custom look and feel, file download and access statistics, and multiple users.
If you haven’t already, order your Pogoplug Biz and Wireless Extender now!
We’re actually surprised it’s taken that long for Sony Ericsson to join China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA bandwagon (potentially 554 million accounts!), but as the old Chinese proverb goes: “it’s never too late to fix the fence, even if you’ve already lost a few sheep.” The new Ophone 2.0 handset in question is the A8i, which bears much resemblance to the oh-so-popular Xperia X10 (also available in China) except for the smaller 3.5-inch touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, CMMB mobile TV feature, and the seemingly missing Timescape plus Mediascape apps. No prices announced just yet, but we’re told that both the “Titanium Black” and “Shiny White” editions will be heavily subsidized when they come out in October.
Hitachi has grown to be one of those companies that’s focusing a lot on technology of the future lately, and we don’t have a problem with that at all. Especially when they’re making movies like Minority Report come to life. This time around, though, they’ve managed to create the same kind of touch panel that devices like the iPad and iPhone use, but with a bit of a twist.
When it comes to touchscreens, resistive panels let you use pretty much whatever you want, because instead of utilizing the electricity in your skin to make actions happen, it actually uses “pressure.” Meaning you’ve got to put some effort into making a resistive screen do what you want it to do. However, it does mean you get to use stylus devices, or use your fingers tucked away nicely in an insulating material like a glove. Overall, though, capacitive touch panels have become the focus of mainstream consumers, based on their ease of use.
Hitachi must see some market in a capacitive touchscreen that will let you use a stylus, and even your gloved hand, because that’s exactly what they’ve done. The stylus is actually a synthetic-resin pen, but the panel itself will allow owners to use it by a myriad of methods. You can use multi-touch if you want, that syn-resin pen, or even your gloved hand, without ever having to switch devices. The panel is able to fully detect both conductive materials and insulating materials seamlessly, by converting the input information to capacitive. What’s better, though, is that a normal controller chip can be used for the whole thing, so more money doesn’t have to get utilized for inclusion of special chips.
Hitachi, who loves to show off their future tech, plans on showcasing the display at this year’s Createc trade show that takes place in Japan from October 5th to the 9th. As soon as we get to see more of it, you will to, so stay tuned.
Back in June, things got pretty exciting in the eReader market. There were price drops happening all over the place, especially as some major players in the market started showing off new hardware at cheaper price points. And then in July, Amazon managed to throw in a new model of the Kindle into the mix, and successfully kept both models under the $200 mark. But back in June, when the price wars were getting under way, a couple eReaders were left in the dust. Primarily, the Kobo eReader and the Aluratek Libre.
But apparently that’s all over and done with, because the two eReaders have finally received the price cut they so aptly deserve, courtesy of Borders. While the new prices aren’t quite reflected on their website (as of the time of this writing), reports suggest that the eReaders have been dropped to $130 (for Kobo’s eReader), and $100 (for Aluratek’s Libre). That means the Libre is the first “mainstream” eReader to make it that low in the price bracket.
The Kobo eReader and Aluratek Libre are good enough eReaders, and have been generally well praised, even as they stand amidst the competition from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The price drop is coming well after the price wars, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t make them relevant. Especially if you’re in the market for a new eReader, but you don’t want to spend over a certain amount.
If you have a favorite console, one aspect of that favoritism usually has something to do with the controller you have to use every day. People love their PS3 controllers, Wii remotes, or Xbox 360 controllers. If you’re a fan of the latter, but find yourself playing a lot of the 2D fighting games that are available in Microsoft’s LIVE Arcade, then you’ve probably noticed that the D-pad could still use a little bit of work. According to a reliable source talking to Joystiq, apparently you’re about to get your wish.
The source tells them that the Redmond-based juggernaut company is currently working on releasing an updated Xbox 360 controller, with a slightly tweaked D-pad. The said part of the controller is supposedly going to be rotated 90-degrees, which will subsequently raise it by a quarter of an inch. With that increase in stature, it will get easier to utilize, and therefore it’s apparently specifically targeted at fighting game fans.
There’s no word on whether or not Microsoft will have this new controller be a replacement for the current version of the controller, or if it will be an accessory fighting game fans will want to pick up in their spare time. Considering the rumor suggests this new controller is targeting a specific gamer, we’re betting that it’ll just be an accessory. Unless of course everyone starts loving it; then we wouldn’t be surprised to find it slipping inside retail boxes eventually.
[Update] Well, fancy that. Not too long after posting this, Major Nelson of Xbox came forward and made the controller all official and what not. And yes, it’s an accessory in of itself, but it will be sold only with the new Play & Charge Kit that’s releasing on November 9th of this year. The total package will retail for $64.99, and it features a matte silver controller, with the revolutionary new D-pad that can switch on the fly, depending on the game you want to play. Nelson demos the controller on video, so check it out below and let us know what you think.
