Author: Nancy Raskauskas, Senior Editor

Fujitsu Releasing Color e-Paper!

Posted by | May 12, 2010 | , , |

Fujitsu’s Electronic paper, currently used on most e-readers such as Kindle and Sony, is a type of display that attempts to mimic the appearance of ink on a sheet of paper. The screens are often flexible and use very little power because energy is only required when the image is being written to the screen. Once written the image remains without the need for a power supply. Fujitsu is now coming out with a new e-paper screen that they say will be easier on the eyes and has several improvements over the older prototypes. It will be on exhibit at the company’s Fujitsu Forum exhibition in central Tokyo this week. The screens should be out to the Japanese consumer later this year. The latest model features a 7:1 contrast ratio – a threefold improvement over previous models – and a page turn speed of 0.7 seconds based on an image size of 1,024×768. If these new screens are all that they are projected to be, it could mean a revolution in e-reader technology. For a history of Electronic paper, go here :...

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Google+Verizon Tablet

Posted by | May 12, 2010 | , , |

Although neither Google nor Verizon has released no specific details, The Wall Street journal today reported that a tablet made by Google and to be hosted by Verizon is in the works. This was published after the paper had an interview with Verizon’s chief executive, Lowell McAdam. Verizon has come out with full support for Google’s Android OS. “What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?” Mr. McAdam said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We’re working on tablets together, for example. We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.” Mr. McAdam further acknowledged that Verizon has some catching up to do in the field. Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle and the new iPad presently use AT&T as host. “They were able to get out of the box faster,” Mr. McAdam said. Verizon has been handicapped by its CDMA network technology, less common ( and despite what they say less dynamic) than AT&T’s GSM, but the executive said his company will have devices ready to show early next year once its new network is in place. McAdam says that Verizon promises much higher speeds for transferring video, for example, in their new network which it says will be running in 25 to 30 cities by the end of the year....

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SKYPE OFFERING 5-WAY VIDEO CALLS

Posted by | May 6, 2010 | , , , |

Internet calling service Skype plans a public “beta” test of a group video chat function that will allow five people to simultaneously participate in a video call . The free feature  launches next week, but Skype Ltd. plans to start charging for it along with some other upcoming features in the next three to four months, according to  Neil Stevens, general manager of Skype’s consumer business segment. He says that group video chat will  be available first to those who use Skype on Windows PCs. A Mac version should be out later this year. Skype  already offers such free services as the ability to make voice or video calls and send instant messages to other Skype users. Users pay for other services such as making calls from a PC  to a landline or cell phone. Skype is also expanding its monthly subscription offerings to include calls to both cell phones and landlines in more than 170 countries. As of now, subscription plans include one that allows calls to over 40 countries, but they only to  landlines. The suspected reason behind this is that it is generally cheaper than routing calls from the Internet to cell phones. Skype plans to unveil new subscriptions that let users choose which (of 170)countries they want to call and whether they want to call landlines and cell phones or just one of the two claiming that...

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HP Pays $1.2 Billion for Palm

Posted by | May 5, 2010 | , |

Palm, who released the PalmPre hoping it would trump the iPhone  and went bust, has been up for sale for quite some time with no takers. That is until now when, to the surprise of us all, it has been sold for $5.70 per share ( a total of  $2.1 billion ) to the 3rd largest computer company in America. Why would they invest in such a deal that noone else would touch? Here is the skinny as posted in the company’sHP News Release: HP and Palm, Inc.  today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors. The combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets. Palm’s unique webOS will allow HP to take advantage of features such as true multitasking and always up-to-date information sharing across applications. “Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,”...

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Announcment: Google to Launch e-Bookstore

Announcment: Google to Launch e-Bookstore

Posted by | May 5, 2010 | , |

The Wall Street Journal , Google will begin selling e-books in June or July 2010. Chris Palma, Google’s manager for strategic-partner development, announced the timetable at a Book Industry Study Group-sponsored panel entitled “The Book on Google: Is the Future of Publishing in the Cloud?” Google has been making references to its plan to start it’s own bookstore for years  now but has never defined its strategy. The new service, called Google Editions, will let users buy digital copies of books they discover through its book-search service but will also let book retailers of all sizes sell Google Editions...

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