We may not have been entirely convinced by the Kindle DX, but it looks like there’s no shortage of would-be buyers still interested in the large-scale ebook reader. Amazon are currently warning of 4-6 week delays for the Kindle DX, which they blame on “heavy customer demand”.
Amazon UK have begun listing the HTC Hero, offering the latest Android smartphone in unlocked, SIM-free form. The dual-band HSPA (900/2100MHz) device is priced at £429.99 ($712) and expected to begin shipping on July 15th; SlashGear was at the Hero launch last week, and you can check out our hands-on video after the cut.
Amazon’s plans to roll out the Kindle ebook reader range in Europe has hit a snag, after talks with German carriers broke down over pricing disagreement. According to German WirtschaftsWoche, Amazon were unable to reach what they believed to be a fair price with local carriers such as Vodafone and T-Mobile.
The plus side to Amazon’s attempts to differentiate ebook hardware and content is being able to read content on more than one device. However, when one arm of the company is pushing customers to buy more Kindle hardware, and the other has cautious publishers insisting on layers of DRM, confusion is bound to happen. According to Gear Diary’s Dan Cohen, that confusion is already upon us: he’s spent his weekend and several long calls with Amazon customer care trying to figure out how many times he can download ebooks he’s purchased, and being told different things by different employees.
Samsung’s TL320 digital camera has finally begun shipping, after being made official back in February. A 12.2-megapixel point-and-shoot, the TL320 (aka the WB1000) distinguishes itself with a neat pair of retro dials that indicate charge and memory card status, together with using OLED for its 3-inch HVGA resolution preview screen.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has reconfirmed his intention to put the retailers ebook titles on more devices, together with opening up the Kindle ebook reader range to more formats. The recently launched Kindle DX, which we reviewed last week, adds native PDF support; Bezos did not name specific file types, but it seems possible that future updates or new devices may be able to read other types of ebook file.
After Palm’s big moment last weekend, Apple once again seized the headlines with their WWDC 2009 keynote on Monday morning. We showed up to liveblog the whole announcement, expecting a new smartphone, and the company delivered in the shape of the iPhone 3G S – twice the speed, twice the storage, and the same styling as the iPhone 3G – together with a launch date for iPhone OS 3.0. However, Apple weren’t content with just that: they also brought along a new MacBook Pro range complete with integrated batteries; check out our video unboxing and first-impressions.
When we reviewed the Kindle DX yesterday, we stopped short at ripping the ebook reader apart; after all, Amazon want it back, and probably in one piece. RapidRepair have had no such qualms, however, and promptly set to their own Kindle DX with a screwdriver.
Amazon’s Kindle DX was announced back at the beginning of May, but it’s taken until now for the first of the oversized ebook readers to reach buyers’ hands. The Kindle DX begins shipping this week, promising more E Ink real estate, more memory, and more file-type support on top of the Kindle 2’s existing Whispernet wireless and other features. Is bigger necessarily better? SlashGear put on our reading glasses and set to finding out.
The differences between the Kindle 2 and the new Kindle DX are obvious: a 9.7-inch E Ink monochrome display dominates the front panel, offering around 2.5x the space of the smaller ebook reader and squashing the QWERTY keyboard into tic-tac tininess at the bottom. Amazon has obviously worked hard to minimize the screen’s impact on the overall chassis, with mixed results. It’s a scant 0.02-inches thicker than the Kindle 2, at 0.38-inches, with a metal back-plate lending stiffness, but the left-side page controls have been dropped.
Make sure to click through for the full review, photo gallery and unboxing/walkthrough video of the Amazon Kindle DX.
We’re hearing that Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus accessory is beginning to ship from Amazon, with preorder customers receiving emails telling them their Wiimote add-on is on its way. The MotionPlus dongle, which clips onto the base of the Wii’s controller, went up for preorder back at the start of May, priced at $19.99; it brings with it greater motion recognition accuracy.
SlashGear Japan
