New Kindle said to be due end September

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

[...]

Yes I gave the kid the wifi password but without my help she won't know how to access the screen. (Care to guess who got on line after the adult went to bed.)

Not even.
If you know what you're doing, you can get the WiFi password over ethernet.
Or directly from View Wireless Properties... it is A.Mazing how many people are blankly unaware how easy it is!


Or just connect to the neighbor's (unsecured) WiFi.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Not even.
If you know what you're doing, you can get the WiFi password over ethernet.
Or directly from View Wireless Properties... it is A.Mazing how many people are blankly unaware how easy it is!


Or just connect to the neighbor's (unsecured) WiFi.

Alas, my neighbors don't have wifi. If they need the internet, now they borrow their kid's smartphone. Note my neighbors are older and without Google translate I can't talk to them.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Does anybody still believe that adding components like an SD slot would bear on the retail price of a device? If anything, they save the manufacturer money, and that’s not really a thing consumers need to worry about (yet, still many seem to do)...

Right. Even "cheap" smartphones and tablets have a micro-sdcard slot. Can't believe it costs them much of anything. Yet not having one is an excuse to get consumers to fork out more money to buy more on board--overpriced--storage, something Apple does and Samsung seems to be following suit.
Amazon was all about consumers buying cloud storage, but since they started featuring downloading movies on tablets, magically the sdcard storage is back on their tablets, even on the $49 tablet device. So there can not be much if any cost involved there. The advantage to users is inexpensive additional storage and the ability to hack/root their devices more easily.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Rizla

That won't happen. Amazon has progressively and successfully closed off their e-readers.

I was thinking an sdcard slot might make it possible. They run on Linux, so should be hack-able.

[obs20]

I was thinking of getting a paperwhite fo reading under low light conditions but for $50 this makes more sense.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

That is where Underground comes in.
Free apps.

(Or Freetime unlimited if they're younger.)

Yep


FreeTime

• FREE -- FreeTime
• PAID -- FreeTime Unlimited --> $4.99/mo -or- $2.99/mo (w Prime)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Does anybody still believe that adding components like an SD slot would bear on the retail price of a device? If anything, they save the manufacturer money, and that’s not really a thing consumers need to worry about (yet, still many seem to do)...

Does anyone still believe that manufacturers won't pass the costs down to the consumer?

Originally Posted by conan50

I was thinking an sdcard slot might make it possible. They run on Linux, so should be hack-able.

I don't see why an sdcard slot would help. You still need to gain root access in order to modify or extend the system.

I suppose it is *possible* that the sdcard handling might introduce additional vulnerabilities which could be exploited by a jailbreak... seems unlikely, and I'm not sure if that counts, though.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Does anyone still believe that manufacturers won't pass the costs down to the consumer?



I don't see why an sdcard slot would help. You still need to gain root access in order to modify or extend the system.

I suppose it is *possible* that the sdcard handling might introduce additional vulnerabilities which could be exploited by a jailbreak... seems unlikely, and I'm not sure if that counts, though.

Really they pass down the costs. Wow I didn't know that. I thought they were generous and sold everything below cost.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by conan50

Right. Even "cheap" smartphones and tablets have a micro-sdcard slot. Can't believe it costs them much of anything. Yet not having one is an excuse to get consumers to fork out more money to buy more on board--overpriced--storage, something Apple does and Samsung seems to be following suit.

Something I learned over the past few years, thanks to all the manufacturing updates from various Kickstarters: Adding a hole of any kind to a device, or letting something open and close, when you could otherwise just glue it closed, adds not only to the design and manufacturing cost and time, but also most significantly adds to the support costs of the device, from addressing issues when the wrong thing ends up in the hole or when users otherwise break something or do something the designers didn't anticipate.
Hackers who willingly take the risk of doing unsupported stuff are not the bulk of consumers.

So even if there was no cost to the slot itself, say if there is already an sd slot in the device for it's own use, the cost of exposing it to the user and supporting the various things a user might stick into it, will absolutely raise the cost.

Now, as for the price that manufacturers charge for the expanded built-in memory....that's horrible, don't get me started.

[DuckieTigger]

@ApK: exactly, especially with the better than average CS that Amazon provides.

[Gazella]

[SCION]

Hhmmm, another new Paperwhite so soon. Could this be a bigger one?

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Gazella

Would CS really know now?

[conan50]

Originally Posted by ApK

Something I learned over the past few years, thanks to all the manufacturing updates from various Kicktarters: Adding a hole of any kind to a device, or letting something open and close, when you could otherwise just glue it closed, adds not only to the design and manufacturing cost and time, but also most significantly adds to the support costs of the device, from addressing issues when the wrong thing ends up in the hole or when users otherwise break something or do something the designers didn't anticipate.
Hackers who willingly take the risk of doing unsupported stuff are not the bulk of consumers.

So even if there was no cost to the slot itself, say if there is already an sd slot in the device for it's own use, the cost of exposing it to the user and supporting the various things a user might stick into it, will absolutely raise the cost.

Now, as for the price that manufacturers charge for the expanded built-in memory....that's horrible, don't get me started.

9 out 0f 10 times people put cases on the devices and there is no opening or easy access to the sdcard. I know that I have to remove all my cases to get to the sdcard slot.
Glued cases are why you can't replace batteries and why landfills are filling up with too much tech that could be used otherwise.
Again, then why is Amazon releasing a $50 tablet with an sdcard slot along with its other new tablets?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by conan50

9 out 0f 10 times people put cases on the devices and there is no opening or easy access to the sdcard. I know that I have to remove all my cases to get to the sdcard slot.
Glued cases are why you can't replace batteries and why landfills are filling up with too much tech that could be used otherwise.
Again, then why is Amazon releasing a $50 tablet with an sdcard slot along with its other new tablets?

Because an SD card on a tablet fulfills a real and significant need.

By which I mean you must include an SD card slot in order to appeal to prospective customers -- the average consumer wants expandable storage on their multipurpose tablet.

Very few e-ink ereader owners care about SD card slots. Although the ones that do care sure make a lot of noise.
Sales are telling, though.