It looks like Microsoft has the stage all to itself today with a west-coast launch of Windows Phone 8. Google has been forced to postpone its Fall product launch due to the impending hurricane, which is being recording in minute detail across the web.
Not A Good Day
With the impending hurricane threatening a large part of the east coast and New York, Google had little choice but to cancel its launch of the new Nexus 4 smartphone and the expanded range of Nexus tablets. Since most of the information is already out there, a delay won't hurt the company, and with minds on more practical matters, focus and coverage would be limited.
That leaves Microsoft with a free run across the tech press with its San Francisco Windows Phone 8 launch event, assuming they've cleared up from all the rioting last night over the Giant's World Series win. That will come hot on the heels of the Windows 8 launch, that Microsoft managed to pull off in Times Square before the weather closed in.
Social Takes Over
With so much information about the hurricane needing to be dispersed over such a wide area, social media is leaping to the fore. Not only can those in the hurricane's track keep a detailed eye on its progress vita Twitter, but the world is watching on beach-front web-cams and every local news site is doing its best to keep readers informed.
Google isn't abandoning its users though, a mash-ups of Google Maps and the storm track, or more practically, evacuation center information and other details are being put online to help. Those faraway, perhaps on one of the thousands of cancelled flights, are getting help and advice online wherever they are stuck.
Decision makers and the general public are all getting direct data as the weather recon planes and sea buoys measure the surging tides and wave height, and the plummeting air pressure in the heart of the storm. As long as the power holds out, this will be the best recorded hurricane in history.
On a local, state, national and global basis, everyone's actions are under scrutiny. From foolish weather presenters trying to get closest to the storm to the politicians and civil leaders who must manage the response, the next few hours and days won't be a good time to make a public mistake. Stay safe if you're in the direct path, under the threat of blizzards or flooding inland and we'll hope to see you on the other side.
Ahead of Google's big event, we've already seen the new Nexus phone leak out, now a new pair of tablets have been exposed to the world before their bow.
Tablets on the Range
Having just one tablet has officially gone the way of the dodo this week. First Apple breaks with its mono-strategy and brings us the mini model. Now Google is varying its own line with a 3G version of the 7" Nexus (handily leaked by the radio-emissions people at the FCC) and now a 10" model for those who like their tablets supersized, which was revealed after Korean sites starting waving the manual around.
This comes hot on the heels of a U.K. phone store showing off the new Nexus 4 smartphone, all before Google's big event on Monday. I'm sure the company will run the show as planned, pretty much as Apple does, and hope it has one or two real surprises to show the world. As with the Nexus 4, expect these devices to be Jelly Bean powered, while the 10" tablet will have a superb resolution of 2560×1600 for incredible video and image potential.
Tablets Going Places
The 7" 3G model will help users enjoy their tablet-based activities on the go, and increase the pressure for cheaper data rates and multi-device contracts from telcos, as evermore numbers of users take them out and about.
The 10" model will definitely remain an at-home affair for most. Perhaps it will replace the need for second TV sets in bedrooms as users settle in for a night's movie watching or web browsing with their new monster tablet.
Expect the full in-depth details to break out on Monday, along with decent images of the devices. While the 7" may retain the low-cost styling of the original Google Nexus 7, the 10" tablet will probably need some hefty construction to cage and protect the screen, so maybe design partner Samsung will have something special to show off in the vein of Apple's iPad mini and Microsoft's Surface reveal.
Document sharing service Dropbox is improving the photo viewing experience for mobile phone browsers.
Dropbox says users can now view photos via mobile phone “as easily and vividly as you would from your computer.” By visiting the Dropbox site from their mobile phone, users can then select the Dropbox icon, click the “Photos” button and see the photos in their “Camera Uploads” folder in what Dropbox is promoting as a “big, shiny gallery format.” Dropbox photos can also be viewed at full size on a mobile phone and mobile users can flip through photos one at a time.
Enhancing Photos for All Mobile Users
One of the most significant aspects of this move by Dropbox is that the mobile site itself has been enhanced. Thus users of mobile platforms that Dropbox has not yet developed an app for (such as Windows) can now get the same enhanced photo-enhanced experience as users of Dropbbox’s iOS and Android apps.
A new article in TweakTown comments on the importance of the latest upgrade to the Dropbox mobile experience. “Dropbox have moved toward a gallery-style image viewer, which is available to anyone with a mobile device,” states the article. “Windows Phone is included, which is great news as there's no official Dropbox application on Microsoft's mobile OS.”
Dropbox Aims at Photos
Most people with a digital camera or mobile device with a camera installed quickly accumulate a giant collection of digital photos. And photos are also becoming an increasingly important form of corporate content. Recognizing the value of this trove of visual data, Dropbox has been focusing on providing the best photo experience possible as a way to differentiate itself in the document sharing/storage market.
As reported by CMSWire, in April 2012, Dropbox added a new Photos page and the ability to upload those photos from just about any device as part of its Dropbox 1.4 release. The minimalistic layout organizes the photos in a very Flickr-esque way. When new photos are uploaded to Dropbox with Camera Upload, photos are grouped by month, and hovering over them will show the date. Users can see full size versions and share/download them by clicking. As an added bonus, Dropbox is throwing in 500 megabytes of free storage when you upload your first image with the new version.
Additionally, Dropbox will add another 500 megabytes of free storage for every 500 megabytes users upload with Camera Upload (up to three gigabytes extra). Camera Upload will prompt you when a device is plugged in to the computer or if using the newest version of the Android app.
Having proved a success in the U.K., Zeebox is coming to America, partnering with Comcast and other broadcasters. The Zeebox app helps friends use their phone or tablet as a second social screen while enjoying their TV viewing, and creating a potential goldmine in the interactive link between the viewer and content providers and advertisers.
When Boxes Collide
Zeebox launched as an iOS app last year for British users and created a clever link between those watching a show, your social networks and other folks viewing. It helps people to discuss the show, follow various tweet streams related to it, find news about the cast, teams in sports events and so on.
You can also download apps, films, episodes and other content related to that show or channel, and even use Zeebox as a remote control if you have a connected TV set. You can find shows by navigating the channels, checking out what is popular at the time or creating your own "My TV" favorites.
The app now runs on all iOS and Android devices and is available as a web service if you're on the couch with a laptop. Linking to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, it makes for an engaging link between TV and the web.
TV Isn't Dead
Some stats from the U.K. side show that the old tube is still a mighty force in media. 30% of all Internet usage happens while watching TV, 59% of the population now regularly chat through email, Facebook, or Twitter while watching TV, and 57% regularly check out news or shop online while in front of the TV.
Having proved the concept in Britain, Zeebox is now launching in America, with support from Comcast, NBC/Universal and HBO. With heavy promotion coming on NBC it will be hard to miss and if the user base rises as expected, it could become a de-facto standard to rule over any dedicated-service apps that focus on just one set of channels.
With the stickiness of social interaction, the ultimate aim will be clickable adverts that match the content shown on TV and during ad breaks, allowing for interactive breaks and greater chance of a sale, or improved awareness. Why just show a product, when you can offer instant discount vouchers for a there-and-then purchase, or instant links to an app that better shows a product?
Rumors of a mobile phone and Apple TV competitor remained just that, but a range of Kindle devices including a $69 Kindle, a 'Paperwhite' e-reader, and the high-end Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, shows that Amazon is stepping up to Apple.
Even as Apple's iPad towers over the competition, Google, Microsoft and Amazon continue to fight for their share of the $66.4 billion tablet market with devices of their own. Today, Amazon announced an updated version of its Kindle Fire that includes 4G wireless, a lower-priced $69 Kindle, an improved e-reader called the Kindle Paperwhite, and a range of new software features.
There had been a massive amount of speculation that Amazon would totally new products as well. One possibility, which was first put forth by The Verge, is a smartphone that would use Google's Android platform. There was also speculation that a video box might be unveiled, which made sense given some recent moves by the company: Amazon tried to buy box maker Roku earlier this year, according to AllThingsD. And earlier this week Amazon announced an a deal with EPIX that will bring Hollywood such fare as "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 2" to its Prime Instant Video service. Neither of those rumors proved true.
The best-selling item on Amazon, which accounts for 22 percent of tablet sales in the U.S. according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, will sell for $199 for the 7-inch model and $299 for the 8.9-inch model. Both offer 16GB of memory, with 40% faster performance, and longer battery life. Both models can be ordered starting today and will ship on September 14.
Bezos also unveiled a Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless capability. Amazon engineered a wireless modem specifically for this device in order to maintain its 2.2mm thickness. The 4G model is 8.9 inches, and offers 32GB of storage for $499. The data plan, which costs $50 per year, offers 20GB of cloud storage and 250MB of data per month. By comparison, the iPad 3 device and data plan would cost around $959 -- at least according to a slide Bezos showed on the screen. The Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE (try saying that 3 times quickly) can be ordered today and will ship on November 20.
The Fire HD has improved Wi-Fi reception, dual band 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz, as well as two antennas. (That's one more speaker and antenna than the iPad, if you're counting such things.) Bezos claims these Wi-Fi and antenna improvements will make the Fire HD exponentially faster than either the iPad or Google's Nexus 7.
The HD display (which is now 1920 x 1200) has been tweaked so there is less glare. The device also includes dual stereo speakers--the first tablet with Dolby Digital Plus, says Bezos.
The software that's been added to the device is in many ways even more interesting than the hardware, and it shows that Amazon is keenly aware of how people use its devices.
Having sold 3.5 million Kindle Singles, Amazon is going to further boost the mid-length reading market with Kindle Serials. You're delivered all the installments with one payment. New updates are added as they become available. Bezos mentions, twice, that Charles Dickens' novels were serialized originally. There are at least eight titles to kick things off, all will be $1.99.
Targeted specifically to parents, Time Limits allows them to control the amount of time kids spend using different aspects of the tablet device. Specific limits can be set for the amount of time spent watching videos, using apps, or reading books. And there are different profiles so that you can set limits for multiple children. There is also a color-coded "Free Time" mode so that a parent can easily see when the device is being used by children.
When Amazon released the Kindle Touch it also revealed X-Ray as a feature that let readers look at the "bones of a book" by tapping on the text to see background info on characters, historical figures or topics and other information--with rich data sourced from Wikipedia and elsewhere. Now it's revealed X-Ray for Movies, which similarly lets watchers peep beneath the skin of a film. When you pause a movie, X-Ray will serve up data like actor biographies, info on the cast and so on--basically all the stuff that makes us curious while we watch a movie, and which we then go and Google later. This data is sourced from IMDB.
It's also expanding X-Ray for books with a special Textbooks power, aimed at students. When you tap on text in a textbook, X-Ray brings up additional reference data that'll help with studies.
Amazon's Whispersync was pivotal for its Kindle e-readers, enabling zero-cost downloading of text content, as well as seamless syncing of your current reading position no matter where in a book you were and which of your devices you're reading it from. Now Amazon's enabled Whspersync for Voice, leveraging its ownership of the Audible audio book brand. It syncs your position in a book no matter if you're reading it or listening to the voice performance of the text--perfect for reading the book at home in the morning, and continuing to listen to the text while driving. It's simply clever "chapter marking" in both digital files--text and audio--but its impact for readers may be significant.
Whispersync for Games is a similar progress-syncing channel, routed through Amazon's cloud services, which lets you keep track of where you get to in a game. Essentially it's a cloud hook that snags the position you've got to in a game, so if you reinstall the app or run the game app on a new device you don't have to play through all your earlier levels.
Upgraded email options, a custom Facebook application, and built-in Skype with improved resolution are a few of the ways Kindle Fire HD owners will be able to take advantage of the Wi-Fi and dual antennas.
Audiobooks are no longer separate from reading with this feature that highlights the text in the book while it is also being read aloud as an audio book.
Bezos opened the event today by unveiling the Kindle Paperwhite, an e-reader with a vastly improved screen and front-lighting. The contrast ratio is improved 25%, according to CEO Jeff Bezos, and the screen has 62% more pixels (no raw data just yet). It's very thin -- 9.1mm -- and 7.5 ounces. There are multiple fonts and more control of the size of the type. One interesting new feature: Time to Read, which shows not just the number of pages, but how much time, in minutes, you have left in the chapter or book.
The basic version of Paperwhite will cost $119, and there is also a 3G cellular version for $179. Both can be ordered today and will ship on October 1.
Highlight: The Kindle Paperwhite's battery will last eight weeks even with the light on, according to Bezos.
Amazon managed to both upgrade the Kindle's specs and lower its price. New fonts, crisper text, faster page turns and $10 less than existing model. Ships on September 14. It's amazingly cheap, but not free just yet, Farhad.
Windows Phone developers now have a new online home, courtesy of Microsoft. The technology giant has unveiled the Windows Phone Dev Center, which it calls an evolution of the retired App Hub Developer Portal.
Top to Bottom Redesign
In a post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Microsoft describes the Windows Phone Dev Center as being “redesigned from the ground up.” In addition to streamlined menu options and links on the front end, on the back end the site sits on top of a more robust and scalable infrastructure.
Beyond changes to site layout and infrastructure, Microsoft is expanding the reach and payment opportunities for developers, who in the near future will be able to register in four times as many countries or regions, and get paid in three times as many as what’s possible today. Microsoft is also in the process of tripling the number of consumer storefronts for developers to sell their Windows Phone apps.
The Dev Center also now supports PayPal and allows developers to enter a unique price in each country or region. Furthermore, Microsoft is promising to provide the ability to add and manage in-app merchandise and track sales in the next version of Dev Center.
There are also other changes besides those to the site’s financial capabilities. For example, Microsoft has streamlined the account signup and submission processes and integrated Dev Center more with Microsoft Advertising’s pubCenter, so it’s possible for developers to create a pubCenter account and ad units from the same place they manage their apps.
In addition, Microsoft says it has improved features such as reports and analytics, beta testing, and portal integration with MSDN.
Windows Phone Readies for ‘Ramp-Up Year’
Although Windows Mobile/Windows Phone shipments only represented a small portion of worldwide smartphone shipments in Q1 2012 as reported by IDC, the research group said 2012 should be “considered a ramp-up year for Nokia and Microsoft to boost volumes.” During Q1 2012, there were 3.3 million global Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile smartphone shipments, representing 2.2% of the market. Although the Windows Phone market share dropped from 2.6% in Q1 2011, total phones shipped grew a healthy 26.9%.
Windows Phone 8 Nearly Complete
Although Microsoft has not said whether the Windows Phone Dev Center will immediately be compatible, Microsoft should have the smartphone version of the Windows 8 operating system done in the next few weeks, with Nokia expected to announce new devices for a coordinated launch later in the year. One of the major aims of the new OS is to help Microsoft get back into the smartphone race.
Developers can use Windows Phone Dev Center for Windows Phone 7.5 or earlier apps. Microsoft says it will “fine tune and optimize the site and infrastructure in the weeks ahead.”
Ahead of 
Having proved a success in the U.K., Zeebox is coming to America, partnering with Comcast and other broadcasters. The Zeebox app helps friends use their phone or tablet as a second social screen while enjoying their TV viewing, and creating a potential goldmine in the interactive link between the viewer and content providers and advertisers. 
Kindle Fire HD 