Search Results for nook color

What’s Next for eBooks after the DoJ Settlement?

Today was a big, big day for eBook fans! The Department of Justice agreed with everyone who has been screaming for three years that the “agency model” was unfair, anti-competitive and anti-consumer. They settled with several publishers, though Apple and Macmillan are still fighting the DoJ in court. So, what did the settlement today do? And how will it impact the future of ebooks? Read on for my thoughts! The Settlement: I am going to defer to Wired here, as they quickly had an excellent breakdown of what the settlement states: Terminate its current contracts with Apple within seven days…

Editorials

Not into the iPad? Here Are Some Smaller, Cheaper Alternatives

After a week of record busting sales if you were uncertain before then you should be now. The iPad is indeed the ruler of the roost on all things tablet. Everyone at Gear Diary was thrilled by this model’s updates, and it’s clear that the new HD display, 4G/LTE, 5MP camera graphics upgrade was enough to put sales through the roof and beyond. Reports were 3 million units moved the first weekend and probably double that count since then. This honestly comes to no surprise as the consumer support behind Apple is evident by its sheer volume of sales…

News

Did Android Tablets GAIN Market Share … or Lose It?

If you look at the image above, you might come to the conclusion that Android tablets have made significant inroads against the iPad in the fourth quarter of 2011. That would be an incorrect conclusion, though one that many people are making. There are two problems with the conclusion. The first is that while Apple discloses ‘sales’, Android numbers are a combination of ‘shipments’, ‘% shipment increase from last year’, and ‘estimates’. In other words, real numbers against imaginary numbers. More on this later. The other problem is the idea of exactly what constitutes an Android tablet. I’ll answer with…

eBooks

Gear Diary’s End of 2011 eBook Guide

Did you receive or are you expecting to get an eReader this holiday season? Or maybe you’re planning on using your holiday bonus to finally snap one up! Either way, it’s the end of 2011, and we’ve got a deep bench of ebook readers at a variety of price points, including some fairly recent price cuts. There aren’t too many rumors about updates heading into 2012, so let’s take a look at where we stand, the pros and cons for each store and device, as well as some tips on how to find books from more sources than just Amazon…

Editorials, News

Android Rules Smartphone Roost … But Holiday ‘Wish Lists’ Show Vulnerability

Guess who wants an Android Tablet for Christmas/Hanukkah? (Hint: no one). But we’ll return to that in a moment. This week we got news that put the Android OS at more than 50% market share for smartphone operating systems. This is based on numbers from Gartner, which means that they willingly and knowingly count Samsung’s % estimates’ the same as other people’s ‘shipments’ the same as other people’s actual SALES. In other words, their numbers are a crapshoot. But make no mistake – Android is BY FAR the dominant mobile OS. If you look at the trends in the graph above,…

Editorials

Lies, Damn Lies, and Android Tablet Numbers

Image courtesy of Retrevo I have been on the hunt for over a year for an Android tablet that meets my needs: I have abandoned hope for now that will be anything appealing in the 10″ space, since Android is currently inferior and fragmented for gaming and a non-factor in music production software. But in the 7″ space there are some cool options, yet in spite of trying three different tablets (Galaxy Tab, Acer Iconia and HTC Flyer) and finding that the size is perfect … I haven’t managed to find a device with enough positives that I can accept…

eBooks, Editorials

B&N Pulls 100 DC Comics Titles in Protest of Kindle Fire

I want to root for B&N. They’re fighting for survival, and facing off against a seriously tough market. But their behavior this week makes me think the wheels are coming off a bit at B&N HQ, and that fear and stress, not strategy, are running the show right now. They’ve pulled 100 DC Comics titles from their physical stores (the titles are still available online), all over anger regarding DC’s exclusive deal with Amazon to bring the same 100 titles to the Kindle (Fire and tablet apps). Teleread picked up this report from Bleeding Cool about Amazon’s exclusivity: Well now…

Editorials

When Is an Android Device Not an Android Device?

When the Grid 10 was announced by the ever-reliable Chandra Rathakrishnan last month, it was said to run Android apps but not be an Android device. This was later clarified to mean that it is actually an Android kernel running the show, but thoroughly skinned and possibly even forked to a version of Android incompatible with future Google-backed updates. We’ll see someday, maybe. Now TechCrunch is reporting that Amazon’s long-rumored tablet will be hitting the market in a couple months, running a completely forked Android kernel. This one is apparently pre-2.2 (how far pre is undefined) and has been so modified…

Editorials

To iPad or Not to iPad?

It’s simply the latest variation of that popular topic: is your [thing] better than my [thing], or is it the other way ’round? Wine, or beer? Ford or GM? Tastes great, or less filling? Mac or PC? “Firefly” or “Buffy”? (“Firefly”, dammit!) Yesterday, your faithful Gear Diary team was hashing over the topic of iPad, or Android tablet. As you might expect with a collection of Appleheads, PC mavens, UNIX and Linux folks, and all the rest, it got heated, involved, and nerdly. It started with a friendly discussion between Francis and Joel as to which device Joel might…

Reviews

The Linksys E4200 Max Performance WiFi-N Router Review

A few months ago Linksys announced their new E4200 Wireless N router. Linksys was kind enough to send out a review unit, which I have been using for a few weeks. The dual band router sports both a 2.4 and 5 GHz radio setup and a six-pack of internal antennas to maximize wireless coverage and throughput. Wireless N is pretty much the standard these days, and as you all know the force behind WiFi N is the need for streaming media. With all the new web connected TV’s and streaming media services, the last thing you want is your router…

How to Do It Yourself!

How to Get Zinio “Unofficially” Working on Your Android Device

If you’re like me, and you have been waiting for the official Zinio app for Android, then you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. I like to harass Zinio every once in a while on twitter about the Android app, and they usually tell me that it’s being worked on and to be patient. That’s all fine and well, but in the meantime, since I don’t have an apple device it’s really not worth buying any subscriptions because I have nothing to read them with. Some of the members of the XDA forums found that unacceptable, so they…

News

The Valentine’s Day Gift Arms Race

Let’s face it – by this time if you are still deciding on Valentine’s Day gifts you are pretty much in deep trouble with the object of your intentions. This isn’t meant as gift-giving advice. Nor is it a curmudgeonly rant about the ‘Hallmark Holiday’ – while the card-maker and your local florist certainly profit from February 14th, the celebration has historical ties. No … this is about the seeming ‘arms race’ in gift-giving. Initially I had started pooling loads of images from every email I had gotten over the last month touting the ‘perfect Valentine’s Day gift’, with the…

Editorials

Posts We Loved and Want to Share Again

photo credit: taivasalla As we brace for yet another winter storm here in the northeast (two actually but who’s counting) we can at least take some measure of comfort in knowing that January is finally over. [Now we just have to get through February and the first part of March and maybe, just maybe by then the snow will be gone.] January was a busy month for us. It began with CES 2011 and just kept right on going. At last count we had over 100 CES-related posts and dozens and dozens of other Gear Diary content. January saw the…

eBooks, News

Like Mysteries? Check out MobileRead’s Newest Contest!

(Image courtesy Sherlock Holmes Museum) If you think of yourself as an amateur Sherlock, MobileRead has a great contest for you! They’re giving away an ebook reader of your choice (as long as your choice is a Nook, Kindle, Nook Color, Sony Touch or Pocket Edition)! And if you don’t win the ebook reader, there are 10 runner-up vouchers for $30 worth of ebooks! Sounds great, right? Well, to win, you’re going to need your wits around… From MobileRead: How it works You will have the chance to solve a new murder mystery that inexplicably takes place inside the secluded…

Gift Guides & Round-Ups, Giveaways

Gear Diary’s 2024 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide & Giveaway: Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Feeling unprepared? No worries! Check out our 2024 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for tons of inspiration that’ll make your special someone grin from ear to ear! Whether you’re after something romantic, thoughtful, or that will make their life more comfortable, we’ve got the perfect picks waiting for you. From heartfelt gestures to practical gear, get ready to charm your sweetheart like never before! As always, we’ve got a great giveaway, so be sure to enter!

Gift Guides & Round-Ups

Gear Diary’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Naughty or Nice, We’ve Got ‘Just the Thing’ for Everyone on Your List!

The days are getting shorter, and there’s a chill in the air; where did 2023 go? With another Thanksgiving in the books, it’s clear that the holiday season is in full swing! If you’re looking at a list of people you want to buy gifts for and wondering what in the world might be just the thing, don’t worry; we’ve got plenty of ideas for you in our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide; you might even find something you’d like for yourself!

Gift Guides & Round-Ups

Gear Diary’s 2023 Father’s Day Gift Guide: Plenty of Ideas to Make Dad’s Day Special!

Father’s Day is June 18th, and what better way is there to appreciate the men who’ve been there for you than by celebrating them? Next to giving Dad more time with you, the next best thing you can give him is something that makes his life easier, more comfortable, or more fun. Take a look at our 2023 Father’s Day Gift Guide, and we’re positive that you’ll find the perfect present.

Game Diary, Reviews

Hollow Knight Review: I Underestimated This Game For Years, I Was Wrong

At first glance, you may assume that Hollow Knight is nothing special. The main character is cute, jumps around, and doesn’t speak any English, so this might as well be a Pokemon for all you know. However, engaging with a 2-dimensional world reveals an astonishing amount of depth that belies its simple mechanics and controls. Originally funded on Kickstarter, this has got to be one of the most successful crowdfunded video games ever, and it deserves high praise.

Gift Guides & Round-Ups

Gear Diary’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide: Something for Everyone and Every Budget!

If you’ve got a list of people you’d like to buy gifts for and are wondering where to even start, we’ve got you covered. Our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide has something for everyone and every budget. Many of these items have special holiday pricing, so be sure to click the links to check for discounts if something catches your fancy. So grab a drink, get comfortable, and have fun perusing our mega-guide!

Game Diary, Reviews

Horizon Zero Dawn Review: It’s Not the Worst

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment) is a post-apocalyptic merger of “Zelda:Breath of the Wild” and Transformers. You play as Aloy, a former outcast tasked with solving the problems of the community that ostracised her. The twist that differentiates this product from the pile of open-world, map clearing, objective hunting games is that in this one, the large majority of your obstacles will be in the form of giant machines shaped like animals. These machines are big, these machines are aggressive, and these machines want to kick the tar out of you.

Gift Guides & Round-Ups

Gear Diary’s 2021 Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day is May 9th, and it is coming up sooner than you think! If you’ve been racking your brain for some great gifts that think outside of the jewelry, flowers, and candy box, we’ve got you covered. Whether you need to stick to a budget or the sky’s the limit, there is something for everyone in our 2021 Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Be sure to check out the awesome giveaway at the end!

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