Amazon Ordered Color Kindle Tablets, Expected Before Holidays

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

The problems with the cheap tablets are the screen, the speed, and the service. So high end media is out, reading probably not optimal. Browsing, e-mail, chat, etc should be fine, except for flash. Everyone has to answer the question himself if it is worth spending a little bit more.

Sure, you make sacrifices with speed and the screen at that point (e.g., a $100 tablet's going to have a lower resolution and a resistive screen). HD media viewing on the tablet is definitely out at that price point, but a cheap tablet can (and mine does) have an HDMI port.

You're absolutely right that people have to decide what they're willing to pay for versus what they want in a tablet. My only point was that apps are probably a valuable piece of the puzzle for a potential Amazon tablet buyer -- or at least something they'll look at. For most of the tasks you mentioned originally, a bare-bones tablet will do you just fine (as long as you don't have your heart set on Flash). And if Amazon is aiming for the HD video crowd, those are going to be shark-infested waters.

Incidentally, I read an article tonight about how AT&T is going to allow people to sideload apps on to their Android devices now (without rooting, of course). That means a lot of AT&T devices are going to be getting the Amazon App Catalog -- including any Android tablets on AT&T.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

The problems with the cheap tablets are the screen, the speed, and the service. So high end media is out, reading probably not optimal. Browsing, e-mail, chat, etc should be fine, except for flash. Everyone has to answer the question himself if it is worth spending a little bit more.

Why except for flash?

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Why except for flash?

Flash alone is reason enough for me, also screen quality is extremely important. Additionally I hate spending money on something that looks cheap and is much slower than other, similar offerings. I would rather get nothing. When I buy something I look at what I want (functionality and design) and then try to get the best deal on that. I won't buy something just because it is cheap and may just be good enough, but would force me to make compromises. I would regret that decision every day. To each his own .

Besides, with more than 20 years of experience in China I have learned to stay away from products designed and sold by Chinese companies. (Though this has improved over the last few years). OEM products are fine, of course.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

When I buy something I look at what I want (functionality and design) and then try to get the best deal on that. I won't buy something just because it is cheap and may just be good enough, but would force me to make compromises. I would regret that decision every day. To each his own .

Two months ago I bought the Archos 101 internet tablet and I am happy with it. As it is cheaper than the iPad, I don't know if it is included in your idea of cheap tablets. I wanted flash, and I love the kick stand, it was easy to get access to the Android market, and so far there isn't anything that I wanted to do just to find out I can't.

But I don't understand what you meant with except for flash. Cheap tablets don't play flash?

[stonetools]

What tends to happen to people is that they're satisfied for a while, until they see their friends doing things with their tablets that they would like to do, also. Like play specific games, run specific apps, etc. That's the lesson that Palm (and then HP) learned with WebOS: The size of your app store matters - a lot. It's not enough to have 50,000 good apps if your competition has 300,000 apps, some of which are good.

I will agree that apps are crucial to the mobile device experience. I disagree, however, that app store size is all important. IMO, a well-run, highly curated app store of 50,000 apps may offer a better UX than a sprawling, unorganized mess of a store with 300,000 apps, the majority of which are fart apps, copycats and malware. This is what Google Market has devolved into, and there are even hard core geeks out there who hope that the Amazon App store will be a quality alternative to Google Market.
I agree with you that TM is wrong about people just wanting a cheapo, low power tablet. The average Ipad user does a lot of multimedia on their tablet. Netflix , for example is a must have app for me and others, and I also watch a lot of videos from Itunes, Tedtalks, and other places.And there is gaming.

Mobile gaming continues to be on a tear, and no surprise, it's the biggest single app category in Apple's App Store, accounting for half the downloads of both free and paid apps. According to research data leased by Distimo and Newzoo, during the month of March, more than 5 million games were downloaded by users in the US and six European countries per day.

According to the survey data, these 63 million iOS gamers downloaded an average of 2.5 games per month. The percentage of iPhone owners who play iOS game is between 50 and 75%, and based on the number of gamers playing on iOS devices, it looks as though the iPad alone has started to unseat those devices particularly aimed at gaming, such as the Playstation Portable.

LINK

Not only do tablet owners want to do multimedia on tablets, Amazon surely wants to sell/rent multimedia to them. They have an app store with games , VOD, and movies/TV for sale/rental.
All that to me says that Amazon will be offering a high performing 10" tablet.Maybe they'll offer a 7" device, but that's murkier . I think an Ipod touch device focused on music is likely. Amazon sells mp3s.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I will agree that apps are crucial to the mobile device experience. I disagree, however, that app store size is all important. IMO, a well-run, highly curated app store of 50,000 apps may offer a better UX than a sprawling, unorganized mess of a store with 300,000 apps, the majority of which are fart apps, copycats and malware. This is what Google Market has devolved into, and there are even hard core geeks out there who hope that the Amazon App store will be a quality alternative to Google Market.

I think both attributes are necessary. The app store has to be well-curated, but it's also got to have lots of apps. Obviously, being well-curated isn't a big help if you don't have a lot to offer in the first place.

Originally Posted by stonetools

I agree with you that TM is wrong about people just wanting a cheapo, low power tablet. The average Ipad user does a lot of multimedia on their tablet.

Actually, I think some people might want a cheapo tablet. I'm perfectly fine with mine, for example. My point was more that people who want a cheapo tablet can already get one. And while my tablet can use the Amazon Instant Video store, It's not really a pleasant experience to watch the videos on the tablet. So I think if Amazon wants to sell those kinds of things through the tablet, it's got to be at least Nook Color quality or better. That's a crowded field, I think.

The other thing they can try to do is hit one out of the park and put together an ultra-high spec tablet that surpasses the iPad (like the Xoom, only hopefully better). They could possibly choose to do that, but that's a lot more difficult to do successfully than to release a "me too" tablet and hope for the best.

[stonetools]

They could possibly choose to do that, but that's a lot more difficult to do successfully than to release a "me too" tablet and hope for the best.

Oh, I don't think they'll be just hoping for the best. There will be a powerful marketing campaign touting the "Amazon experience" as "like the Apple experience, but better, and with more value" . Expect to see lots of commercials featuring cute people using Amazon devices and apps to entertain themselves, plan dinner parties , go on vacations, etc.
All this might not dislodge Apple from being NO. 1, but it will make Amazon a strong contender and help Amazon gain market share and mind share.

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

So I think if Amazon wants to sell those kinds of things through the tablet, it's got to be at least Nook Color quality or better. That's a crowded field, I think.

It's a crowded graveyard. From what I've seen, the Nook Color is the only Android tablet to achieve anything close to real success, at least the kind of success Amazon would invest in. New offerings are promising, but that's how it stands. By and large, Android tablets have fallen flat. People didn't buy iPads because they really wanted tablet devices; they bought them because it was an iPad, with Apple's enormous, polished ecosystem right out of the box. They bought the iPad experience.

If Amazon only seeks to topple the Nook Color, they only need to release something marginally better in a similar price range. Combined with Amazon's ecosystem and brand, at that point B&N may as well open the factory doors and run the NC conveyor belt straight into a dumpster. But I don't think Amazon will settle for NC-like success.

Amazon is the only company with the potential capability to back their product in an Apple-like way, using their market clout, cracking the whip and beating Android software development into polished, refined submission. They've already begun with the App Store, weeding out the trash to ensure consumers of their potential device aren't faced with the jumbled mess of the Android Market. Will they do it? I'm a bit skeptical as well, but time will tell.

[stonetools]

More Grist for the mill: a Kindle phone?

The big thing to talk about right now, as far as Amazon and the Kindle goes, is the upcoming Kindle tablet. While we have yet to receive official word from Amazon about things like release dates, technical specifications, or pretty much anything else, the more recently leaked information indicates the potential for more than just the Kindle tablet or even a series of Kindle tablets. We could be looking at a version of the same idea scaled down to a four inch screen to compete directly with the iPhone and/or iPod Touch. Did anybody else see this as a strong possibility in light of the opening of Amazon’s cloud-based music storage service?

Whether one or both comes to be is up in the air yet. It makes a lot of sense to assume that something along these lines is coming, though. Amazon already has a marketplace filled with apps that are made for use on an Android smartphone. Of course many of them will scale up just fine to a larger screen for the Kindle Tablet, but they’ll be best represented on the 4″ screen they were made for. On top of this, the ability to offer a particularly cheap device as part of the new product line will help to ensure a positive reception.

Read more: http://blogkindle.com/2011/05/consid...#ixzz1MuXePfyQ

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by stonetools

More Grist for the mill: a Kindle phone?

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

That's some nice PhotoShop work.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

That's some nice PhotoShop work.

It's real. I saw it on the interwebs.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

Two months ago I bought the Archos 101 internet tablet and I am happy with it. As it is cheaper than the iPad, I don't know if it is included in your idea of cheap tablets. I wanted flash, and I love the kick stand, it was easy to get access to the Android market, and so far there isn't anything that I wanted to do just to find out I can't.

But I don't understand what you meant with except for flash. Cheap tablets don't play flash?

Glad that your happy with the Archos. Yes, cheap tablets are too underpowered to get full flash performance. And no HD video. As for "cheap", we were referring to no-brand Chinese tablets for around $100. In general I would consider the Nook color the best value on the low end. A low price but still a very good screen. Your Archos is comparable, except for the screen, which accounts for the price difference.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's real. I saw it on the interwebs.

I can't say if things have changed since April, but it was definitely fake back then.

[Marseille]

http://news.cnet.com/bezos-hints-at-...0062358-1.html

The tablet will almost assuredly have a color LCD, a fact that Bezos also hinted at in his conversation with Consumer Reports. He said that color e-ink "is not ready for prime time...the colors are very pale" (we agree) but "it makes a lot of sense for there to be a low-power, reflective color display. I think that's something you could build a fantastic product around."

Now I see PQ/Mirasol around every corner, and maybe the bold/underlined portion is just a reference to color eink, but hope springs eternal.