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Amazon to Introduce a 9" Android Tablet this Fall

Vantage Point said:
Glare vs e-ink. This is well known and understood. Focusing through a layer of glass is one thing, but the bright/contrast, and the potential glare from the background makes the eyes work harder. Keep in mind that for a reader, many users may be looking at it for hours at a time. I know because I am one of those people that has problems with eye strain.

Anyway, you can google the topic yourself and you will see why. Of course you should get what you like. When the problem becomes real you will know.

Here's one from ZDnet
It's long but the verdict is "The iPad appears to be adequate for light daytime indoor reading, but fails miserably as an outdoor reading device"
Click to expand...

this is a long-running debate that i don't think will be settled based on the opinion of zdnet. the poster asked because the medical community has not reached a consensus.

i prefer the kindle for long reading sessions. but, the ipad isn't so bad, especially if you are reading in a well-lit area for less than three or four hours at a stretch. i have never found glare to be in issue with the ipad. of course, this is my personal experience.

the consensus among users: some people have issues with the glare. others don't. get what you want.
 
If I were Amazon I would work in tandem with HP, or be the first licensee of the Web OS.
 
I'm excited about this! I've had an iPad before and while a great device, it's still a little too heavy for book reading IMO- but it had great web surfing, email, and apps. It'll be great if Amazon can create a lightweight device that has great battery life and a great screen. Coupled with their Kindle service and Android's appstore, this could be a big contender. With my HD Eyesight cam on my Imac, I won't care about the exclusion of a front facing camera for video chat. However, Amazon's exclusion of a front camera may be an issue for some. To be competitive though, Amazon should keep the price below Apple's since technically, they aren't offering the same amount of usability as the iPad offers.

Amazon needs to be careful here- a less than stellar product or too high of a price will ruin a chance for the adoption of their tablet. Buyers will expect big things from an Amazon tablet. If they come out without a great product and an aggressive price point, they may ruin all future buyer's thoughts towards future Amazon tablets. We'll see how Amazon decides to do things. Here's hoping they do things right!
 
how2style said:
Again, as long as it is priced right.

I'm hoping for a max MSRP of $295.
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No way it will be $295 and have the same or similar specs to an ipad. The kindle DX is $379 and it is just a glorified e-reader.

Apple has and will have, for some time to come, the upper hand on price to feature ratio.

Heck didn't samsung or somebody have some tablets and didn't launch them because they couldn't compete with the iPad?
 
Consultant said:
Let's see, Apple already beat Amazon in music, so Amazon wants to cry some more?
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I highly doubt Amazon ever "cried" in the first place. Amazon beat Apple to the e-reading business.

I would have to see what this looks like as well as the pricing before I consider buying. As someone already said, there's the refurbished first generation iPad option for $349, which will probably be comparable to the pricing of this tablet.
 
nostaws said:
If I were Amazon I would work in tandem with HP, or be the first licensee of the Web OS.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. I think Amazon should do things expressly by themselves. The touchpad isn't what people want- as seen by mediocre adoption. Plus- WebOS is too young- it doesn't have nearly the robustness of Android. A thin, lightweight device that has great screen for reading, web surfing, email, and apps, great battery life, and a great price point is what will bring big adoption rates. The the Android will take care of web surfing, email, and apps. It's Amazon's job to create a device that has a great screen, battery life, and IMO I think the biggest need in a tablet that hasn't been reached- is light weight.
 
I have an Android phone; but if/when I get a tablet it'll almost certainly be an iPad. I can't see Amazon and others pulling their apps off iOS, so there likely won't be any significant advantage to an Amazon tablet versus an iPad, and Android apps in general just haven't impressed me - other than Google's core apps (the voice navigation beta is way cool).
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the Kindle updates, the e-ink is great but maybe it won't look like something from 1995
 
FroMann said:
Looking at the Kindle, I am interested to see what Amazon can do in Tablet design.
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honestly, i don't expect much. i think steve is stepping on their neck with the app store requirements and they are just trying to get out from under him. they had tremendous commitment to the kindle project because it really went to the heart of their business, and as jeff said, he is a passionate reader himself.

the tablet? positioning against apple, and to a lesser extent, nook. i doubt their heart is in it.

the next kindle, on the other hand, will probably be pretty spiffy. the new nook e-reader is the first one i have been impressed by, so they will have to up the bar in order to surpass it. finally, a decent challenge to their e-ink dominance! let's see how they respond :)
 
nostaws said:
No way it will be $295 and have the same or similar specs to an ipad. The kindle DX is $379 and it is just a glorified e-reader.

Apple has and will have, for some time to come, the upper hand on price to feature ratio.

Heck didn't samsung or somebody have some tablets and didn't launch them because they couldn't compete with the iPad?
Click to expand...

you're probably right. I guess I see it as:

iPad> Amazon Tablet > BN Nook Color

$500 > ? > $249

I hope to see it as an improved NC, rather than a sub-par iPad. It will assuredly lack features that the iPad can boast, so I feel a comparison with the iPad will result in a loss for Amazon.

However, if they are smart and market it as a premium e-reader/tablet, they could captivate a larger audience than if they market it as a tablet (that will be inferior to the iPad and possibly many others in the category).

So in that regard, I am hoping for a NC+ $50 worth of "stuff".. = $299

I know, it is unlikely. But I'm an eternal optimist.
 
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Vantage Point said:
Anyway, competition favors the consumer
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Until it becomes a race to the bottom.

nostaws said:
No way it will be $295 and have the same or similar specs to an ipad. The kindle DX is $379 and it is just a glorified e-reader.

Apple has and will have, for some time to come, the upper hand on price to feature ratio.

Heck didn't samsung or somebody have some tablets and didn't launch them because they couldn't compete with the iPad?
Click to expand...

Microsoft and HP.

Can't you buy anyncrappy Android tablet and use Amazon's services?
 
MrWillie said:
Until it becomes a race to the bottom.
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Agreed. Cheap and crappy products benefit no one.

MrWillie said:
Can't you buy anyncrappy Android tablet and use Amazon's services?
Click to expand...

Apple's success, in part, is due to its captive audience. iTMS and the App Store are pre-installed front and center and well integrated. I suspect that Amazon would want this kind of user experience for their device too.

B
 
wordoflife said:
I hope Amazon makes it cheap. I'd buy it (though it is an Android tablet).
I just can't justify spending $500 right now, since I know I probably won't use it much.
Click to expand...

Then why would you buy it at all, if you won't use it?
 
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Vantage Point said:
THX1139 said:
Do you have a link to an actual medical report, or are you making this up? My mom once told me doing something was bad for my eyes but I didn't stop doing it and I can see fine.
Click to expand...

Glare vs e-ink. This is well known and understood. Focusing through a layer of glass is one thing, but the bright/contrast, and the potential glare from the background makes the eyes work harder. Keep in mind that for a reader, many users may be looking at it for hours at a time. I know because I am one of those people that has problems with eye strain.

Anyway, you can google the topic yourself and you will see why. Of course you should get what you like. When the problem becomes real you will know.

Here's one from ZDnet
It's long but the verdict is "The iPad appears to be adequate for light daytime indoor reading, but fails miserably as an outdoor reading device"
Click to expand...

Lots if people spend all day looking Zt computer screens and device displays. That it is hard to read all day on an iPad is not anything based on reality. It was started as guesswork before the iPad came out. I spend hours reading on my iPhone a day.

E-ink is nice but reading a digital screen does not cause eye strain for most people relative to an e-ink display.
 
the only part I don't understand is "will compete"

none of the others have been able to compete, not sure why a retailer would be able to.
 
bigjohn said:
the only part I don't understand is "will compete"

none of the others have been able to compete, not sure why a retailer would be able to.
Click to expand...

Some competing tablets have been good hardware devices, but do not offer a complete experience. They assume that the user is an experienced computer geek who will take the time to find and set up the services and features that he or she wants.

Amazon should be able to offer some core features right out of the box, particularly books and music, and probably movies. And a lot of people already know how to order stuff from Amazon.

And here is a perhaps useful real world example. A fellow commuter told me today that she won an iPad 2 and asked me some questions about it. She has a computer at home, but does not even have iTunes. She has a fighting chance of making her iPad usable with a little guidance and the apps that come with the device. I think that she would have a harder time with an Android tablet. If Amazon does it right, I think that users like her would find an Amazon tablet to be relatively easy to use. We shall see.
 
As long as Amazon is playing...

I would love to see an apple product with a kindle style display. I like the kindle display concept but hardcore computer user that I am it is underpowered and under-featured. I am starting to think all these backlit LCD displays are damaging our collective eyes. My eyes at least are definitely suffering from years of looking at backlit displays.
 
This actually makes a whole lot of sense, and could be the competition everyone else has been trying for.
 
Get Apple Out!

Porchland said:
And the Kindle app for iPhone STILL has a link to go around Apple to buy e-books.
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When I buy Kindle Books I'm buying them for all of my computers & devices. I always want to go straight to Amazon to make these purchases. To me it makes no difference whether I'm on my iPad, my Mac, my iPod Touch or our Android cell phone. Why should Apple get a 30% cut for an item that may never be used on an Apple product.

The iTunes App Store is nice, but since it is the only method to purchase programs for the iPod Touch, iPad & iPhone. This one source may make some things easier, but it cuts down choice to one source. This to me is the leading reason to jailbreak your Apple iToy device.

To me there is no comparison between the Apple iBooks & the Amazon Kindle books. The Apple iBooks will only work on the Apple iToys lineup. They won't even work on my Mac. And I still have my Android phone for eBook use that Kindle supports but not the very closed iBook ebook system.

Apple says that they are a hardware company. So let them have their single hardware source if they must, but leave the software & other stuff alone. I may have downloaded well over 200 apps for my various iToys plus over 50 iBooks, but only a half dozen of these are paid for apps. My money still goes through different channels for software & with Amazon for the paid for ebooks.
 
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