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Amazon Kindle Fire Just Hijacked Android
Amazon didn’t hide the fact that Android powers the Kindle Fire — and allows it to access Amazon’s Appstore for Android — but the message is clear. This is not an Android device; this is an Amazon device.
As John Gruber noted on his blog, the only mention of Android on the Kindle Fire product page is in reference to the Amazon App store.
A True Android Market Alternative
When Amazon launched its Appstore for Android in March, some wondered why Amazon would bother creating an alternative to the Android Market. Now the reason is clear: it allowed Amazon to provide access to apps on its own devices.
Amazon will vet app submissions, just like Apple, and ensure that Kindle Fire users have access only to the apps that work on their device. And while we’re sure that Android hackers will be busy rooting the Kindle Fire, a la the Nook Color, we’re equally sure that Amazon will take as many precautions as it can to keep the device untouched.
The Appstore experience on the Kindle Fire is completely customized, as opposed to the free-for-all Appstore APK for Android devices. And, unlike regular Android — which can exist without the Android Market — Amazon’s approach is much more akin to the way the App Store is built into iOS.
In short, the Amazon Appstore is a fundamental part of the operating system.
A Fork or a New Skin?
Amazon is not the first company to use Android for its devices, only to customize the UI and add its own App Store. Practically every major phone manufacturer has some variation of its own Android UI skin and Barnes & Noble has taken the liberty of hiding most of the Android elements from the Nook Color.
Still, Amazon’s customization of Android goes above and beyond re-theming the interface. Amazon has created its own apps for email, video playback (using Amazon Instant Video), music and books. The Kindle app, while similar in appearance to Kindle for Android [Android Market link], is slightly tweaked and looks distinct in its own right.
Amazon is using Android 2.3 as its base, not the tablet-specific Honeycomb, and we expect that the company has taken the opportunity to optimize 2.3 specifically for the Kindle Fire’s hardware.
Likewise, instead of applying tweaks to the basic Android web browser, Amazon chose to build its own: Amazon Silk. Silk operates both server-side and on the device itself, and is tuned to deliver content quickly and efficiently.
On nearly every Android device I have used, even those which are disguised not to look like Android (like the Nook Color), Android elements still creep into the system anyway. That’s not the case with the Kindle Fire, as it looks like Amazon has taken every step possible to fully customize the interface.
For this reason, I consider what Amazon is doing a fork — that is, taking the software in such a different direction that it no longer conforms to its original guidelines. It is, perhaps, the first true fork of Android. Because much of Android is covered by the Apache license and not the GPL, Amazon won’t even have to commit most of its changes back to the main Android branch. It also means that Amazon can choose to deviate from the official release cycle, focusing on customizing or adding functions to Android 2.3, rather than adopting Ice Cream Sandwich.
We expect Amazon to start courting Android developers to make customized Kindle Fire-specific versions of their apps.
source : mashable.com/
Twitter Revenue to Hit $400 Million By 2013 [STUDY]
“Since their debut in April 2010, Twitter’s Promoted Products have proven successful in the U.S.,” Williamson said in a statement from eMarketer. “Marketers have shown solid engagement rates with Twitter advertising — in some cases better than those on Facebook — despite Twitter’s relatively smaller audience.”
Twitter has 100 million active users compared to 800 million for Facebook.
The growth estimate for Twitter in 2011 is downgraded from eMarketer’s previous prediction of $150 million in revenues in January, a function of Twitter’s slower-than-expected rollout of various ad initiatives, including a self-serve ad platform and ad sales offices abroad. Twitter just created a sales staff in the UK– its first foreign office — this month, which is why 96% of Twitter’s ad revenues will come from the U.S. this year, eMarketer predicts. The researcher says that by 2013, 88% of revenues will come from the U.S.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Shawncampbell
source : mashable.com
7-inch Toshiba Thrive Slated for December Release
Toshiba is launching a 7-inch version of its Thrive Android tablet in December.
"This is a seven-inch tablet done right," said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "The Thrive 7-inch Tablet is the first seven-inch tablet in the U.S. market to offer a true HD display that when combined with the selection of ports, premium audio, and a better, more robust Android experience make it a great choice for on-the-go consumers looking for a no-compromise tablet."
According to Toshiba, the device will sport an LED backlit AutoBrite multi-touch display with a native resolution of 1280 x 800, and incorporate Toshiba's exclusive Adaptive Display and Resolution+ video enhancement technologies. To round out the entertainment side, it will also include stereo speakers tuned with sound enhancement technologies from Toshiba and SRS Labs.
The company added that the device will be lightweight and easy to carry, weighing only 0.88 pounds and measuring just under half an inch thin (0.47 inches). The device will also be easy to hold, as it will sport Toshiba's "stylishly" durable and slip-resistant (rubberized) Easy Grip finish.
The Thrive 7-inch Tablet will be available in December at major U.S. retailers, e-tailers and ToshibaDirect.com. So far actual availability and pricing is unknown, so stay tuned
source: http://www.tomshardware.com/
DROID 4 In The Works, Codenamed Maserati
It should come as no surprise that the next Motorola Droid is already in the works. While the company hasn't announced anything official, rumors indicate that the company has codenamed the device "Maserati" which is supposedly derived from the name of the famous Italian sports car brand Maserati GranTurismo. That said, the Droid 4 sounds extremely "fast."
So what are the specs? Again, there's nothing official, but rumors point to the typical DROID slide-out QWERTY keyboard (but sans the D-pad again), a screen somewhere around 4 to 4.3-inches, a removable battery and possible 4G LTE support. And as with the previous three DROID models, this fourth-generation installment will reside on Verizon Wireless.
Unfortunately, that's it in regards to new information. The current Droid 3 smartphone sports a dual-core SoC clocked at 1 GHz, a 4-inch qHD (540 x 960) TFT display, 512 MB of internal memory, 16 GB of on-board storage, a microSD card providing 32 GB of even more storage, an 8MP camera, Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" and more. That said, consumers will see superior specs in the Droid 4, possibly even Nvidia's Tegra 3 "Kal-El" SoC (that's just a guess) and Google's Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" OS.
With the holiday season just around the corner, it wouldn't be surprising to see this phone rear its head before the end of the year. If not then, perhaps during the Mobile World Congress 2012 event in February.
sourece: http://www.tomshardware.com/
So what are the specs? Again, there's nothing official, but rumors point to the typical DROID slide-out QWERTY keyboard (but sans the D-pad again), a screen somewhere around 4 to 4.3-inches, a removable battery and possible 4G LTE support. And as with the previous three DROID models, this fourth-generation installment will reside on Verizon Wireless.
Unfortunately, that's it in regards to new information. The current Droid 3 smartphone sports a dual-core SoC clocked at 1 GHz, a 4-inch qHD (540 x 960) TFT display, 512 MB of internal memory, 16 GB of on-board storage, a microSD card providing 32 GB of even more storage, an 8MP camera, Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" and more. That said, consumers will see superior specs in the Droid 4, possibly even Nvidia's Tegra 3 "Kal-El" SoC (that's just a guess) and Google's Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" OS.
With the holiday season just around the corner, it wouldn't be surprising to see this phone rear its head before the end of the year. If not then, perhaps during the Mobile World Congress 2012 event in February.
sourece: http://www.tomshardware.com/
Comment inShare3 Sony’s New PSN Terms Of Service Prevent You From Joining Class Action Suits Against Sony
Version 12 (September 15, 2011) of Sony’s new online services terms of service agreement (PDF) states, on page 18:
Any dispute resolution proceedings, whether in arbitration or in court, will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class or representative action or as a named or unnamed member of a class, consolidated, representative or private attorney general legal action, unless both you and the Sony entity with which you have a dispute specifically agree to do so in writing following initiation of the arbitration.
Just thought you should know that in order to play games on their service, you’re being required to give up a very relevant method of legal recourse. I actually was about to sign up for a new PSN account, but I think I’ll hold off for a while.
I don’t want to get too deep into this, but the news is making the rounds and it seems to be just the latest shady way in which Sony is manipulating the law and the rights of others to their own liking. Their handling of the Geohot case was repugnant, and while they’ve worked hard at making things right for those affected by the PSN and SOE hacks, their response to that too was less than admirable.
Shenanigans in license agreements and terms of service are nothing new. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be disturbed when Sony makes us agree not to sue them before we can play our games.
You can opt out of the updated arbitration process by actually mailing in a document saying you want to. Simply send a letter to this address containing your name, full address, PSN account number if applicable, and a clear statement to the effect that you do not wish to resolve disputes through arbitration:
ATTN: Legal Dept
6080 Center Drive, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Be advised that you must do this within 30 days of agreeing to the terms.
taken from techcrunch
Any dispute resolution proceedings, whether in arbitration or in court, will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class or representative action or as a named or unnamed member of a class, consolidated, representative or private attorney general legal action, unless both you and the Sony entity with which you have a dispute specifically agree to do so in writing following initiation of the arbitration.
Just thought you should know that in order to play games on their service, you’re being required to give up a very relevant method of legal recourse. I actually was about to sign up for a new PSN account, but I think I’ll hold off for a while.
I don’t want to get too deep into this, but the news is making the rounds and it seems to be just the latest shady way in which Sony is manipulating the law and the rights of others to their own liking. Their handling of the Geohot case was repugnant, and while they’ve worked hard at making things right for those affected by the PSN and SOE hacks, their response to that too was less than admirable.
Shenanigans in license agreements and terms of service are nothing new. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be disturbed when Sony makes us agree not to sue them before we can play our games.
You can opt out of the updated arbitration process by actually mailing in a document saying you want to. Simply send a letter to this address containing your name, full address, PSN account number if applicable, and a clear statement to the effect that you do not wish to resolve disputes through arbitration:
ATTN: Legal Dept
6080 Center Drive, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Be advised that you must do this within 30 days of agreeing to the terms.
taken from techcrunch
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