Barnes & Noble’s Nook: More Than the Basics

 

DON’T WRITE OFF Barnes
& Noble’s Nook (bn.com) as
just another e-reader. @is is
no thoughtlessly slappedtogether
oEering—it’s the
bookseller’s attempt to capitalize
on all the mistakes it
believes Amazon has made
with the Kindle, in the form
of a better product at the
exact same price.
In the Nook, all of the
things you’d expect—Wi-Fi,
an online bookstore, the
ability to mark notes—are
paired with unusual features,
such as a touchscreen, a color
navigation display, and a way
to lend e-books to friends.
Its $259 price is important
at a time when e-readers are
trying to break into the
mainstream. @ough Amazon
popularized e-readers,
rivals such as iRex, Plastic
Logic, and Sony are trying
to muscle in. Sony oEers
three diEerent models, with
progressively better features
and larger screens. @e other
two companies are vying for
customers with deep pockets,
oEering a magazine-style
experience on screens the
size of computer paper.
In contrast, the Nook is
geared toward the average
user. It isn’t a high-priced
business tool, and it isn’t
feature-deXcient, either. But
it does give the e-reader
market a kick in the pants.
Here are just a few of its
most intriguing features।
Big Battery, Decent Storage
BARNES & NOBLE claims that the Nook lasts ten days on a charge.
It’s not clear how the company arrived at that calculation and whether
Wi-Fi was on for the duration, but it’s safe to say that you could
take this device on a long flight. As for storage, the Nook’s 2GB can
carry up 1500 e-books, same as the Kindle.
Powering the Nook is Android 1.5. Users can stop reading on the
device and then resume on select BlackBerry and Motorola phones
with a free Barnes & Noble e-reader application. I also like the ability
to load photos onto the Nook to serve as screensavers.
Touchscreen Navigation
NOT ALL OF the Nook’s screen
is touchable. The top portion is
a regular E-Ink display, but the
bottom part is like the touchscreen
of a smartphone, allowing
you to navigate menus and
giving you a virtual keyboard for
typing in your notes.
By including a color touchscreen,
the Nook stands out
next to the bland gray hues of
other e-readers. When you
browse through your library,
the e-books scroll by in a way
reminiscent of the iPod’s Cover
Flow feature. The Nook also
works as an MP3 player.
The Form
THE NOOK MEASURES 7.7 by
4.9 by 0.5 inches, giving it similar
dimensions to the Kindle
(Amazon’s product is a little
taller and wider, but slightly
thinner). The actual screen real
estate, however, is the same 6
inches after you account for the
navigation touchscreen.
Accessorize!
IT’S NOT UNHEARD of to throw a
cover on an e-reader to make it more
book-like, but the Nook is getting
fancy with contributions from Kate
Spade New York, Jack Spade, Tahari,
and Jonathan Adler (pictured). With
Nook in hand, you just might become
part of the newest fashion trend. 

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V3 Gaming PC Avenger

 

v3 Gaming PC is a new boutique startup that was created by employees who previously worked at Vigor Gaming. V3 Gaming tells us they're working with vidia on its 3D Vision compliance, and by the time you see this review, it's likely V3 Gaming wiLl be selling systems with 3D Vision Surround capabilities. At press time, V3 offered three systems: the Avenger, the Convoy, and me Crave-with me Avenger being the top-of-the- line model. Our Avenger is certainly a luxury build, as it features two Zowc GeForce GTX 480s in SLl and a Zowc GeForce GTS 250 for dedicated PhysX processing. Other lavish hardware includes an Intel Core i7-980X running at 4GHz, two 80GB Inrel X-25M SSDs in RAID 0, 6GB ofDDR3-2000 RAM, and an Antec Twelve Hundred case with a black vinyl wrap that both proteas and adds to the look of me system. V3 Gaming points out that you can remove the vinyl wrap and paint the base chassis if you prefer to mod me exterior of the system. We found that the darkness of the black vinyl exterior, which is nonreflective, en­hanced the appearance of the blue light­ing effects inside the case. There are blue LEDs in the three 120mm fans in the front of the case, me two 120mm rear exhaust fans, and the 200mm fan at me top of the case. The mass of lights created a dim blue haze over the syscem interior, Cable routing was smartly done, and we like mat me builder covered some of me brighdy colored cables with electrical tape . V3 Gaming performs both me over­clocking and RAID setup as a free ser­vice. The Avenger sent to us featured an Asus PGX58D-E motherboard with a GGbps SATA interface, and with the Intel X-25M RAID 0 setup, me sys­tem was able to deliver a 308.4GMbps transfer speed in me Physical Disks test of SiSorrware Sandra 20 I 0 Lice. The Avenger was a strong gaming PC, with 81. 7 fps in Dir 2, 10G.97fps in Far Cry 2, and 42.4fps in STAL.K.E.R.: Call OfPripyar. Our only qualm with the Avenger was the amount of heat coming from the graphics cards. We would have expect­ed a fan on the side panel near the graphics card, but V3 Gaming opted not to use one. And when we put our hand on the Avenger's side panel, we could feel that the whole side panel was warm. That being said, we didn't experience any overheating issues during our benchmarking or burn-in tests, and V3 Gaming backs every sys­tem with a three-year warranty. Performance of me Avenger was top­notch, and we like that V3 Gaming offers overclocking free, a practice mat some boutique builders have gone away from. We also expect that V3 Gaming wiLl offer a wider variety of systems in the near future

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HP buys Palm

 

 

HP, one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, has bought smartphone manufacturer Palm for $1.2 billion (around £800 million), paying £3.80 per share. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors at HP and Palm and is expected to close by 31st July, pending shareholder and regulatory approval The deal will also see HP inherit Palm's estimated £270 million of debt, which will be paid off using Palm's cash assets.

Rumours surrounding the struggling smartphone maker were swirling long before HP formally announced the acquisition. In fact, ever since the Palm Pre smartphone received a lukewarm market reception, industry pundits have said it was a target for acquisition. Reports suggested the company was working with Goldman Sachs to find a buyer.

The firm's critically acclaimed WebOS mobile operating system was seen as Palm's prized asset and heavily influenced HP's decision to go ahead with the acquisition. HP said the combination of its "global scale and financial strength" with Palm's webOS platform "will enhance HP's ability to participate more aggressively" in the smartphone and connected mobile device markets. HP is no stranger to the smartphone market, having produced a variety of Windows Mobile-based iPaq smartphones for business users, which weren't particularly successful While the deal provides a lifeline for Palm, it remains to be seen whether HP can take two fairly unsuccessful smartphone business units and reinvigorate both companies' offerings, enabling them to compete on a global scale. The major competition for HP and Palm will come from Apple's hugely successful iPhone and the rise in popularity of handsets based on Google's Android operating system. Both are relative newcomers, so it will be interesting to see how Palm manages to compete with HP's backing. Brian Humphries, senior vice­president of strategy and corporate development at HP, said HP plans to "double down on webOS" and intend to "scale it across multiple connected devices". Palm chairman and CEO Jon Rubinstein said he was "thrilled by HP's vote of confidence in Palm's technological leadership" and said the computer manufacturer was "the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of web OS". During the conference call following the acquisition's announcement, Todd Bradley, executive vice-president of HP's Personal Systems Group and the man tasked with overseeing Palm's integration into HP, There have been suggestions that HP will drop Windows 7 from the HP Slate, a Tablet PC unveiled by Microsoft's Steve Ballmer earlier this year, in favour of webOS. A report on TechCrunch.com claimed that the decision had already been made because of disappointment with the performance and usability of Windows 7 in a touchscreen-only environment. These suggestions haven't been confirmed by HP, however, and it's not even clear if the HP Slate is still coming to market. However, it's unlikely that HP would release the Slate with webOS instead of Windows 7, as the two platforms have such widely different hardware requirements. HP chief executive Mark Hurd later announced that webOS would be making its way to both slate form factor devices and - somewhat bizarrely - web­connected printers soon after the deal has been closed, but didn't mention the Slate's fate. The move to webOS on the company's Tablet devices would, in many ways, make good sense: one of the major reasons Apple's rival iPad slate has proved so popular is because of its custom-built streamlined operating system. For every user who bemoans at its limitations there are 10 who are happy that it is fast, attractive and just works. In contrast, HP's original decision to use Windows 7 would result in a more flexible - but more complicated - device. Of course, if H P can afford to develop two different slate platforms, there's no harm in that. Windows-based tablet PCs haven't enjoyed much success in the past, though, and, even with Windows 7's specific touchscreen optimisations, it's still an operating system primarily designed for keyboard and mouse inputs. Palm was one of the earliest smartphone manufacturers and has one of the most complex corporate histories ever. Palm originally created the Palm Pilot PDA and was acquired by US Robotics in 1995. US Robotics was bought by 3Com in 1997 and spun Palm off as its own entity in 2000. Palm then split itself in two: PalmOne became the handset manufacturer, while Palm Source was responsible for maintaining the operating system. To further complicate matters, several key members of the Palm board of directors left in 1998 to set up Handspring, a Palm OS PDA manufacturer. Handspring was purchased by PalmOne in 2003 and then, in May 2005, PalmOne bought all the rights to the Palm name and once again became Palm. In recent times, the company has struggled against rivals such as Apple, HTC and BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion.

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BEST OF OUR BLOGS

gearlog

A Gamer's Keyboard
PC gamers, especially those who have trouble with multi-button key
presses, perk up your ears. Microsoft has unleashed the SideWinder
X4 keyboard ($59.95 list). With some keyboards, pressing multiple
keys simultaneously (to execute a special move, perhaps) causes a
problem where not all the key presses are recorded. The unreported
key presses are called "ghosts," since the computer doesn't see them.
The SideWinder is built differently, so that garners can press up to
26 keys at once and the computerwi!J recognize each key. Besides
anti-ghosting, this SideWinder lets players manually toggle from
standard mode into one of two gaming modes, automatically switch
profiles, program macro keys, and record macros during a game. It
also offers backlit keys and quick·access media keys.-TroyDreier

SECURITY WATCH

New Chrome Security Features
Google has announced a number of security enhancements that are
being implemented in Chrome. One such feature is Strict·Transport·
Security, an HTTPresponseheaderthatasitecansendtoabrowser
to tell it only to communicate with the site via HTTPS. This should
provide extra security against snooping, although it's not bullet·
proof. Another is the post Message API, a method of embedding gadgets
in Web pages with rich communications capabilities to other
page code, but retaining better security than previous methods
allowed. Al l the major browsers implement it.-Larry Seltzer

GOODCLEANTECH

Honda Unveils Solar
Hydrogen Station
Honda has announced a striking
solar hydrogen station
prototype that wifl let fue l·cell
electric-vehicle owners fill
up at home overnight. The
integrated unit is designed
to fit in a common household
garage, and can produce
enough hydrogen (O.5kg) via
an eight· hour overnight fill to
power daily commuting of up
to 10,000 miles per year for
the Honda FCX Clarity and
other fuel·cell vehicles. Honda
hopes the new Solar Hydro·
gen Station will combine with
upcoming "Smart Grid" energy
systems to let users fill up without
storing hydrogen and with
lower C02 emissions, thanks to
off·peak electrical power. No
word yet on a price or release
date.-Jamie Lendino

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The iPad: A Must-Have?

"magical" device. That's what I t ried to look at t he iPad in the context

Apple chief executive Steve of all t he questions I received on Twitter, as

Jobs ca lled t he new iPad. well as the general confusion I still see swirlAnd

Apple execs said it so ing around t his tablet. It's not a replacement

often that I began to imag- for the iPhone or iPod touch, nor wil l it supine

pixie-dust falling from the ceili ng of t he plant your go-to laptop. Steve Jobs wants it

Verba Buena Art Center, landing gently on to sit in the middle. I can see t hat. The device

our throbbing skulls, slowly but su rely lull - feels like middleware.

ing us into the belief that Jobs and company It's really not for phone calls, has no physi -

had introduced something otherworldly. cal keyboard (you can buy one as an acces-

Even hours later, I'm having trouble sort - sory) or a mouse. And once you handle t he

ing out my feel ings. I saw t he demos, heard iPad, you quickly realize t hat it's way too big

t he words and even had some hands-on for any pocket. The iPad's size alone ensures

time with the iPad. It is gorgeous. But I'd say t hat this won't enjoy iPhone-like ubiquity. At

it is more practical than "magical." about 9 inches and 1.5 pounds, you'll take

Smoke and Mirrors?

Steve Jobs' assertion that the existing 75

million iPh o ne and iPod touch customers

already know how to use this device

runs counter to the idea of magical. Magic

is something we don't understand and can

scarcely believe. Like Jobs said, we know

t his product.

When I t ried it out, I spent zero time figuring

out how to use it. The iPad works exactly

like an iPhone, for heaven's sake. Nothing

enchanted about that.

< 2 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010

it out when you' re on the couch, riding the

t rain, and probably on the airplane.

This Reader Won't Save Publishing

I tried readi ng The New York Times on t he

iPad, complete with embedded video. It

was nice, but not revolutionary. This device

has zero c hance of saving the publishing

industry. Like any digital platform, it offers

an evolutionary possibility to beleaguered

pr int publications, but I saw nothing t hat

made me say, "This is it!"

As expected, the iPad is a readi ng device.

The iPad works exactly like an iPhone, for

heaven's sake. Nothing enchanted about that.

I have to say that the execution of the enti re

e-book experience, from t he f lipstand cover

to the iBook store,looks great. As I "flipped"

t hrough a book on the iPad, I kept comparing

it to my Kindle, which is not as easy

to do as you might think. In a nutshell, t he

iPad's gesture-based page-turning is simply

awesome.

Other Nice Features

The nearly- full -size vi rtual keyboard was a

pleasant su rprise, not only because Apple

included it, but because it seems to work

so well. Forget thumb -typing; t his device is

too big for that, but when I set it down on a

table, l was able to type quite nicely.

The biggest story here may not have been

what you can do on the iPad o r even the

excellent $499 entry-level price. For me it

was Apple's under-the-hood innovation. As

I predicted, Apple introduced its own chip,

probably using its internal PA Semi team

to build the do-it -all A4. ln my brief handson,

I typed, browsed the Web, checked out

photos, read books and watched full-screen

video. It never hiccuped.

What's Missing

Apple didn't deliver on every wish. There's

no camera, a surpr ising omission for somet

hing I sti ll think is aimed at people who like

to create. Something else Apple left out of

the iPad: Verizon! Apple has doggedly stuck

with AT&T, an announcement that produced

t he only audience groan of the whole event.

(For more on this, see Sascha Segan's col umn

on page 40.) But t he biggest disappointment

for me is the lack of a sty lus.

Apple did show off an updated "Brushes"

app, which lets you use your fingers to pai nt

and d raw professional-level art. That's nice,

but t he artist in me wants a d rawi ng implement.

Other t hings t he iPad is missing, such

as a camera, will eventually be added.

Reaching a Verdict

My perspective may change once we put

t he iPad t hrough the ringer. Gaming looked

good in the demo, but what kind of restr ic tions

will Apple be putting on these apps?

And the rated battery life is o nly under

optimal situations (and how wil l that rated

life hold up a year or two from now?). As

for durability, I'd say it's about as durable as

any other Apple product, but if you drop it

face down on concrete-well, that could be

a different story.

Bottom line: If you feel like there's a hole in

your life and you've identified it as t he space

between your smart phone and your laptop,

t he iPad is the product for you. For t he

rest of us, who have done t hings li ke invest

in an Amazon Ki ndle and more traditional

netbooks, t he decision may be much, much

tougher.

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Netflix Boxes To Bulge With More Content

We’ve been watching Netflix’s growth with interest

going back to January 2002’s CPU

and we’ve definitely had our eye on the new Wi

Fi-packing Netflix Player by Roku ($99.99) for

its ability to stream Netflix goods (10,000 movies and TV initially) to a TV. Now,

there’s even more reason for excitement. Tim Twerdahl, Roku vice president of consumer

products, reportedly told Forbes in early July that Roku is lining up content from

“big-name” providers besides Netflix, although he wouldn’t say who the providers are.

Twerdahl did add the first shipment of the device sold out in three weeks. Nice.

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Apple Places Massive Order With Samsung

In addition to recent rumors that

it will gift the iPhone 3G and iPod

touch with the ability to remotely

control a user’s iTunes library in

the home, Apple also recently leapt

to the top of Samsung’s pecking

order by reportedly ordering 50

million 8Gb NAND chips from

the company’s memory division in

early July. Reportedly, the chips

will find a home in new iPhone

3G models. According to Digitimes,

Samsung thus told its customers

residing lower down on the

company’s priority list that it plans

to reduce NAND chip supplies

starting in July

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