Technomaly » Tech

Kindle Price Cut?

markracz — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:51:18 +0000

As most of you know by now (and some probably pushed the appropriate “buy” button), Amazon cut the price of the Kindle e-reader from 259 to 189 dollars last week. Some say it’s a response to the Barnes&Nobles move, which also dropped the price of the Nook e-reader, from 199 to 139 dollars. And, of course, it all comes down to Apple, as always; the new iPad has a built in e-reader and Apple could easily mesmerize the bulk of the e-reader market by offering this technology alongside all the features the iPad already packs.

So what, you might say, they’re still cashing in huge profits, as the manufacturing process of e-readers is cost effective (that means cheap). Not really. The people over at iSupply, a company that takes gadgets and breaks them into pieces (cool job) to know how much it costs to build them say that Amazon and Barnes&Noble are not making any money of their e-readers because their new trimmed down prices are equal to the production costs- corporations not making a profit, that’s weird. Well, it’s not, because the move aims to sell more e-books and the money supposedly lost by the price cut of the e-reader will be gained by a huge increase of book sales. It’s a move similar to a historical marketing stunt made by King Camp Gillette, who sold razors at a small price, but the razor blades were extremely expensive.

So don’t hope for a price cut also for the e-books. You’ll end up paying more for your e-reading experience overall, even if the actual device is apparently cheaper. And yes, it’s the same model like the one with the cheap console and increasingly expensive console content.

Via : http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/24/kindle-amazon-nook-technology-ereader.html?boxes=techchannellighttop
Also: Kindle @ Amazon.com

Israeli Roboticists Design Wall-Crawling Robots

Nex — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:39:35 +0000

If the idea of metallic exoskeletons crushing human skulls under foot in the battle scarred wastes of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles no longer instills fear in your all-too-fleshy human bits, the roboticists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University would like to invite you to their new nightmare: Robots that climb walls.

Now some of you may be watching this video, thinking, “Wow! That’s pretty ingenious! That electromagnetic robot would be really useful on metal surfaces, and that one with the glue and tread system would work anywhere!” You’d then mince away, giggling to yourself as your mind fills with practical, world-changing applications for these clever machines.

Of course, that would make you a filthy ‘bot sympathizer. When the metal ones start crawling in your windows and stabbing your portly security guards in the face, don’t come crying to me. Or Sam Waterston.

We tried to warn you:

Source: Make

Waterproof, Washer/Dryer Resistant USB Drive?

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:00:53 +0000

The Kingmax corporation claims to have made “the world’s lightest, thinnest and only water-resistant and heat-resistant USB flash drive.” Well, from this photograph taken by an owner, it’s certainly smaller and thinner than a key. As for it’s waterproofery/dryability, I also have no idea. But, out of the 59 reviews of the product on Amazon.com, 29 of them are five star reviews, so this drive must be doing something right.

It could also easily be doing something wrong, as 13 of the 59 reviews are one star. That’s a terrifying swing – half of reviewers claiming this drive’s the best thing ever, and one quarter of reviewers warning that this drive is the devil. In either case, the idea of a flash drives I could forget in my pocket during my yearly clothing wash is intriguing as all get out.

Source & Photo Source: Amazon.com

Flashlight Watch Fixes Your Entire Life

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:03:07 +0000

It’s my flashlight! *SLAP* It’s my watch! *SLAP* It’s my flashlight AND my watch! Stretched Chinatown references aside, check out this sweet Stanley LED flashlight watch. It’s perfect for when you’ve dropped your actual flashlight and need to find it!

It costs $58, comes in an adorable miniature toolbox, and can be purchased from the website “Watch Brando.” Hey ma, you paying attention? Get me this for my birthday. That’s right, ma – I have no respect for money.

Source & Photo Source: Dvice

The Best of the Worst of the Decade

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:00:47 +0000

One of my favorite aspects of the New Year is looking back at the year before and discussing why it sucked. What can I say, I’m a sucker for schadenfreude. Its especially fun when the end of a decade rolls around, as you get the added fun of declaring the last ten years crappy. Well, several “Worst of the Decade” lists have hit the internet, so rather than clutter up this series of tubes with another one, I’ll just direct your attention to the lists that are worth your time. Consider this your guide to the Best of the Worst of the Decade list!

Gizmodo has the mother of all Worst Tech of the Decade lists, with a visual guide to 50 gadgets that stunk up the aughts.

The Huffington Post, as a non-tech blog, has some pretty mainstream choices. Some are good, some are a little baffling (The Zune, really?).

Laptop Magazine has a fascinating look at both the best and worst tech of the last decade. Broken down by year, it gives you two of the best and two of the worst releases of that year, so you can really see the gap between good and bad.

Nuffy.com has some tech and non-tech stuff on their grammatically incorrect “The Most Stupid Products of the Decade” list. I’ll give them the Segway, but the donut burger? C’mon. Genius.

Don’t have time to read through all these lists? I’ll give you a few of ‘em for free. Everyone hates the Segway, the CueCat and the Twitter Peek.