Ereader, Netbook Or The iPad

The Kobo e-Reader is a great value eBook reader for those on a budget or those who don't want to spend a lot of money on first generation products. It has no 3G connection, but you can download via a USB connection or Bluetooth. While Kobo has a relationship with Borders, you can download from any source that supports ePub, PDF and Adobe DRM formats. It comes with 1GB of storage on board, (enough to store 1000 books) but you can add more via an SD Card and 4GB of storage these days is really cheap. The 6 inch E-ink display is adequate for most reading.

A nice touch about this e-Reader is that it leaves the book's cover on the screen when in rest mode. With a quilted vinyl back and the option to change the covers or skins, it really gives a nice feel bringing the electronic device close to a real book in appearance and handling. It will be available from Borders this summer for an expected price of $150 - a bargain, especially for students.

The VTech FLiP is the first e-reading system designed for kids. It comes with a color screen, touchscreen technology, Qwerty keyboard and is a fun interactive way for parents and kids to read together. Kids can listen and learn words as the animated story plays. There will be additional animated books to purchase, all downloadable just as with the Kindle.

The Flip eReader is expected to sell at $59.99 this summer and comes in pink and blue for boys and girls.

Here is an interview featuring Walt Mossberg (from the Wall Street Journal), David Carr (new York Times) and Michael Arrington (TechCrunch) on the Apple iPad. In my previous postings at http://www.businessissuestoday.blogspot.com I predicted the iPad would be a game changer right after its launch, while many were predicting otherwise. Those of us who have been in the industry for some time perhaps have the vision to see how this fits into the market; attractive to various demographics. Who knows, may be kids might learn how to read again using this gadget without doing several things at once.

In a distinct move to catch up with the iPad, Amazon has acquired a company called TouchCo which makes touchscreens. Who said the iPad was not a game changer? Apparently a lot has been written about the iPad being no more than a bigger iPhone. Well, it's clearly going to be the new multi-media, ereader and communications device that not only challenges the Kindle, but also netbooks and laptops. When a company like Amazon has to acquire a tech start-up to even just maintain its leading position in a market sector it created, well that means they know Apple is on to something big...very big!

For more on Amazon's acquisition and the possible Kindle 3, go to my Blog: http://www.businessissuestoday.blogspot.com

The big announcement at Mac World 2010 was the now much talked about iPad but the much lesser reported news was the new A4 chip inside. The 1GHZ A4 chip is not Intel but the first chip ever from Apple. The A4 is a System-on-A-Chip or SOC, which integrates the main processor with other functions like memory controller on a piece of silicon. This is exactly what Intel is trying to achieve with its Moorestown Atom Processor. However, Apple is already there and has achieved a product with a 10 hour battery life performance, which in itself has far reaching implications for Apple's product range going forward.

Rumor has it (as reported by Techcrunch), that a new tablet is being designed by Apple for release in June this year, with a much larger screen - 10.6" or more. A touchscreen of that size starts to rival a laptop or even possibly replace your MacBook. As I talked about in my last article, it is easy to see the practicality of hooking up the iPad to a docking station with a full sized keyboard. A multimedia tablet with multi-touch screen and OSX applications - now that's a compelling device for around $1000. If you add Bluetooth, that means you can add a mouse and a whole world of connected devices. If Apple adds a built-in camera, that brings video conferencing and Skype as well as other VOIP communciations making the iPad a communications device.

So, why upgrade your MacBook when you can get everything in an iPad, let alone bother with another device such as a Kindle or ereader? It's going to be an exciting year for Apple!