CrunchGear |  |
- Pebble Smart Watch Raises Over $3M On Kickstarter After Asking For Only $100K
- Asus Announces A Ridiculous Solution For Its Flawed Transformer Prime Android Tablet
- Press-On Polarizers Let You Enjoy 3D Movies Without Wearing Ugly Glasses
- Sprint’s $199 Galaxy Nexus Launches On April 22 With $40 Google Wallet Credit In Tow
- Roku Launches In Canada With Over 100 Streaming Channels
- The New iPad To Launch In South Korea And 11 Other Countries This Week
- Txtr Fights Amazon/Apple With iPhone/Android eBooks For The Rest Of Us
| Pebble Smart Watch Raises Over $3M On Kickstarter After Asking For Only $100K Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:21 AM PDT  A ‘smart watch’ that connects to an iPhone or Android to display information that appears on your phone seems somewhat of a no-brainer, but until now few convincing efforts have appeared. Now, a team has developed the “Pebble” project to do just that, and they have clearly untapped a latent need for such a watch amongst smartphone users. After asking for $100,000 on Kickstarter to create a few thousand devices, they’ve raised well over $3 million over a month before their stated goal. Indeed, Pebble raised $1 million in its first 28 hours. The Pebble is a slim, water resistant, scratch resistant, watch with an e-paper display. This display means it has a 7 day battery life (charged via USB) and is also easily visible in daylight just like a Kindle display. LCD displays would eat up way more power, so the e-paper aspect to this is very much part of this very clever take on a smart watch. Connecting via Bluetooth to the phone, the Pebble interfaces with the phone via a iOS or Android app. Alerts can be customised for emails, notifications or messages and the Pebble people claim the watch will run apps to cover cycling, golfing or running, and use its accelerometer to monitor your activity, just like the Nike Fitband. Alerta, the company behind the Pebble, also makes the inPulse smart watch which is a full color LCD screen watch, so it has experience in this arena. You can back the project in a variety of ways, but you can get an actual watch (basic black) starting with a $115 pledge. Could the white Pebble become the next must-have device? We’ll see, but it’s on its way. Check out Jordan Crook’s interview with Pebble Founder Eric Migicovsky here.
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| Asus Announces A Ridiculous Solution For Its Flawed Transformer Prime Android Tablet Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:11 PM PDT  The Transformer Prime is a fantastic example of a product rushed to market. It was as if Asus was trolling consumers and yelling “First!” The tablet launched with a host of problems, many of which Asus fixed over the weeks following its release through a constant stream of updates. But some issues, like the poor GPS capability, were seemingly addressed through placebo updates. Asus was even caught removing the spec and feature from the Transformer Prime’s product page. Then, just weeks after the Prime hit the market, Asus announced a new family of Transformer tablets as if the Prime never existed. But the biggest insult just happened today. Asus finally announced a solution to the poor performing GPS: A massive dongle that happens to use the same port as the Prime’s keyboard dock, preventing owners from using both at the same time. At least it’s free. As I explained before Asus is still new to consumer electronics. Up until the Eee PC line, Asus sold just computer components. Even in this post-Eee PC era, Asus still doesn’t know how to properly handle a potential blockbuster product like the Transformer Prime. The Transformer Prime was doomed from the start. Asus flubbed the launch with constant delays. When it did launch, it was very hard to find. Then, when early adopters finally got their little bundle of joy, the company was slow to respond to serious issues. In fact the tablet launched with so many bugs that it’s questionable if Asus even tested the tablet prior to shipping. Now, over four months after owners started complaining about nearly nonexistent GPS functionality, the company announced a fix that involves a massive GPS dongle. Owners can sign up for one today, but there’s still no word when the accessory will ship. The offer expires on July 31st. Thankfully for Asus, the Transformer Prime has been anything but a blockbuster product. A court document from a few weeks back indicated that Asus had only sold 2,000 units during the first two months it was available. Had the Transformer Prime lived up to the hype and sold as if it was a legitimate contender, this GPS issue could have snowballed into an antennagate-type nightmare.
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| Press-On Polarizers Let You Enjoy 3D Movies Without Wearing Ugly Glasses Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT  The Stix project is just a concept now, but what a concept it is. It’s essentially a way for glasses-wearers to enjoy 3D movies without having to put on oddly-shaped and potentially ugly 3D glasses. The Stix peel off a piece of backing plastic and fit right on your real glasses. When you’re ready to face the real world again you simply peel them off. Lucy Jung and Daejin Ahn designed the concept because Lucy found herself having to wear her contacts when she went to the movies. She writes on Yanko: I had to wear contact lens to go to a 3D cinemas cause it was really uncomfortable to wear two glasses at the same time (I'm sure people who have done it all felt the same). I also thought mobile screen protector films were a great material which won't damage the glasses. The product is obviously still in prototype stage and, although it’s cool, I wonder how many movie houses actually care if their four-eyed patrons don’t like the big, goofy glasses for which they charge a premium.
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| Sprint’s $199 Galaxy Nexus Launches On April 22 With $40 Google Wallet Credit In Tow Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:40 AM PDT  If they haven't already done it, Sprint customers in need of an upgrade should make it a point to circle April 22 on their calendars. Not only has Sprint chosen that day to launch their eco-friendly LG Viper, the nation's third largest wireless carrier has just confirmed on Twitter that the Galaxy Nexus will be available for $199 (with contract) that same day. As far as the device's hardware goes, hardly anything has changed since it launched on Verizon late last year. Rumors of a slightly snappier processor have been shot down — the Sprint Galaxy Nexus retains the 1.2GHz dual-core chipset seen in its cousin, as well as the 32GB of internal storage and super-fast 5-megapixel rear camera. Going for the Galaxy on Sprint does have a few advantages though, especially if you've chosen to dive headlong into Google’s ecosystem of services. Google has arguably had a closer relationship with Sprint than most other wireless carriers here in the States — Sprint is still the only carrier to provide considerable integration with Google Voice, and Sprint's Nexus S 4G was the first device to officially get Google Wallet support. Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus seems to keep that tradition going strong, as anyone who activates Google Wallet on their GalNex within seven days of purchase will get a $40 Google Wallet credit on top of the standard $10 that comes pre-loaded. Between these two devices and HTC's Evo 4G LTE, Sprint has got a hell of an LTE portfolio in place. Sadly, there's still no sign of that much-anticipated LTE network (outside of Kankakee, Illinois anyway), so those of you looking to take the plunge will have to putter along on 3G for a little while yet.
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| Roku Launches In Canada With Over 100 Streaming Channels Posted: 16 Apr 2012 06:54 AM PDT  Roku just landed in the great white north. The tiny little streaming box launched in the UK a few weeks back and now it’s hitting Canada along with over 100 channels of streaming goodness. The Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS should hit retailers in the coming days for $89 and $109 CAD, respectively but are available for pre-ordering now. This launch is the last part of Roku’s announced international expansion. The company is no doubt looking for other potential markets but Roku is notoriously methodical in its launch schedule. Roku is a mainstay in the US set-top box streaming market. With all the models costing under $100, they’re a great bet for those that want an easy way to put Netflix on their HDTV. However, along with Netflix, Roku has a very large selection of additional streaming stations including Amazon Video On Demand, Hulu Plus, HBO Go and a bunch of other smaller, more niche stations. There are over 450 stations in the US market although likely due to regional restrictions, only around 100 available in Canada at launch. This includes Netflix, Crackle, NHL, MLB.TV, Flickr, and Rdio and 94 more, which is still a very good selection.
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| The New iPad To Launch In South Korea And 11 Other Countries This Week Posted: 16 Apr 2012 06:06 AM PDT  Apple took to the wires this morning to announce that the new iPad will hit 12 countries later this week. Along with South Korea, this coming Friday the new iPad launches in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St. Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. Then, the following Friday, it hits Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand. For better or worse, the new iPad will carry the suggested retail price of $499 USD and up. The iPad 2 will also be available at its new $399 price and might be the best bet in the majority of the markets just now getting the new iPad; only the North American markets have LTE data capabilities anyway. These new markets will help the iPad extend its global dominance in the tablet wars. The iPad is far and away the most popular tablet on Earth but generic Android tablets have no doubt found a home in developing countries thanks to their generally lower price and wider availability. But that won’t stop the Apple machine. Cook & Co. will systematically roll out new products worldwide on Apple’s quest to be a trillion-dollar company.
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| Txtr Fights Amazon/Apple With iPhone/Android eBooks For The Rest Of Us Posted: 16 Apr 2012 04:01 AM PDT  While Apple, Amazon and competition authorities globally tussle over book pricing, a fleet-of foot startup is quietly building an alternative platform others would do well to check out. txtr is one of the largest independent eBook platforms in Europe. The Berlin based startup began back in 2008, deciding, as one did back then, to bring out an eReading device called the “txtr reader”. I actually saw some of the early units. However, as colleague John Biggs noted in 2009, there wasn’t much point in doing devices without a store. And so they’ve since switched pretty successfully to a BtoB business model, backed by large investor 3M. Now they are cleverly expanding around into the nooks and crannies so far unpopulated by the 800 pound gorillas, and have their own iPhone and Android apps to prove it. Today it’s expanding its relationships with publishing companies across Europe, Asia and North America. Its txtr eBook store is now pre-installed or prominently featured on mobile devices from brands such as ASUS, Acer, Samsung or Toshiba. It’s also on iPhone/iPad. Similar to Amazon's multi-device approach, with various Kindle apps complementing its own dedicated e-Reader, txtr employs what it calls its "buy once – read anywhere" strategy (up to 6 different devices per eBook purchase) and targets Apple iOS, Android, PCs running Windows, as well as web and dedicated e-Ink based eReaders. They do deals with publishers and sell the whole platform (or parts of the technological infrastructure) plus content to hardware manufacturers, telecom companies and ebook distributors. Txtr is also now entering direct relationships with publishers including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Hachette UK, the Cloudary Corporation from China, Immatériel, the sole independent distributor of digital books in France representing 250 publishers, Diogenes Verlag from Switzerland and WPG Uitgevers from the Netherlands. More international deals are on the cards. The idea is to cover not just books from large publishers, but small independent presses, specialty publishers and self-published authors. It’s also signed an agreement with Next up is a launch in Denmark with two of the leading Danish publishers, Gyldendal, Rosinante&Co and Lindhard go Ringhof. This will bring the total number of countries in which txtr operates local language eBook
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 4/17/2012 05:17:00 AM
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