The HBO Go streaming app has been available on Android since it launched last year, however despite a steady flow of updates and even Android 4.0 support, until now it hasn’t supported Android tablets. That changes today, however for now at least the only one on the list is Amazon’s Kindle Fire, while other tablet owners will have to fall back to their browser and Flash streaming workarounds for access. There’s a press release and quick video trailer promoting the launch after the break, while Fire owners who are also HBO subscribers (and satellite / cable TV subscribers, of course) can grab it for free on Amazon’s Appstore now.

Continue reading HBO Go launches for Kindle Fire but continues to avoid other Android tablets

HBO Go launches for Kindle Fire but continues to avoid other Android tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If it’s the end of a financial quarter, there must be another chronicle of the iPad swelling Apple’s money pile and its tablet competitors trying in vain to chip off more for themselves. And with 11.8 million shipped by Cupertino out of 18.2 million slates total, that’s pretty much the case — with a minor shuffle of those “other guys” the only other tidbit. To wit, Amazon’s Kindle petered into third spot only a quarter after trumpeting its ascension to number two, and Samsung displaced it as distant runner-up with sales of 1.1 million tabs. The most wide-eyed in the Korean maker’s camp might point to Apple being topped in the rate of 3G / 4G tablets sold, but with eight times the sales of WiFi models, we doubt Apple’s number-crunchers are losing any sleep over it. Per usual, the full report can be seen in the source link.

Apple lords over tab market in Q1 2012, Samsung bumps Kindle in scuffle for scraps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. consumers with an e-reader or tablet are more likely to read and buy books than those without an e-book compatible tech device, a new infographic suggests.

An infographic released by Infographic Labs cites a Pew study finding that those who read paper books average 15 books each year, while e-book readers read about 24.

As for which tech devices are most popular, the infographic shows that Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the bestselling e-reader-capable device, followed by Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Sony’s eBook reader.

However, the Kindle Fire trails significantly behind the iPad, which takes 68% of the tablet market share compared to the Kindle Fire’s four percent.

For those of you who own an e-reading device: Are you reading more books because of it? Let us know in the comments.

Image via Infographic Labs.

More About: amazon, e-books, e-reader, e-readers, infographics, ipad, kindle fire

If Amazon’s video store is going to compete with the other online sources like Hulu and Netflix, getting on as many platforms as possible is key and it made a major expansion today by launching on the Xbox 360. The app launched on the PS3 back in April, and just like that version, this one includes access to Amazon’s video on-demand and Prime all-you-can-eat subscription based streaming. Unique to the Xbox 360 app is support for the console’s Kinect peripheral and its ability to recognize control by gesture or voice, plus a brand new feature for Amazon — a queue. The Watchlist (for now only available on the Xbox 360, Kindle Fire and via the web) lets customers preselect programming they’re interested in for easy access on the devices later, just like Netflix’s implementation, however Amazon’s VOD store means access to newer and higher profile content is just a click away. There’s more details in the press release and video after the break, or you can just check out the app on your console right now (if you’re in the US and have Xbox Live Gold, of course — even if you don’t have Prime, there’s a one month free trial offer).

Update: Major Nelson also posted availability of other apps and a free XBL Gold preview weekend, as Antena 3 launches in Spain, MLB.tv in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Muzu.tv in Australia and New Zealand. June 1st through June 3rd, XBL Gold access will be “unlocked”, letting Silver gamers in U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile play for free and access the Amazon, IGN, Manga Entertainment and Muzu.tv apps.

[Thanks, AtillaG!]

Continue reading Amazon Instant Video streaming is now live on the Xbox 360

Amazon Instant Video streaming is now live on the Xbox 360 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Despite amassing something close to a billion users, Facebook has mainly stayed true to the startup mantra of staying focused on a few core things. In this case, that has been promoting openness and sharing among friends and, increasingly, the world at large. Such was the case for its rival Google at the launch of the search company’s IPO. Since then, however, the company has launched a pair of operating systems powering handsets and tablets around the world, a digital media store selling everything from apps to books, and its own social sharing service (at least twice).

With the vast capital infusion that comes with an IPO, Facebook has an opportunity to expand far beyond its own site and Like buttons that now line up in a row next to sharing buttons using Twitter and Google+. The company certainly has no love for Google and has kept Apple at arm’s length, but it has had a strong partnership with Microsoft, which made a financially shrewd $240 million investment in Facebook back in 2007. Windows Phone would be a poorer experience were it not for its tight Facebook integration. The giant social network would gain from entering the device market or spinning its own version of Android as Amazon has done, but there would also be significant challenges to striking out into its own ecosystem.

Continue reading Switched On: Facebook’s ecosystem dilemma

Switched On: Facebook’s ecosystem dilemma originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 May 2012 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon is keeping its pace of expanding Amazon Prime’s video collection every few months, and today it’s Paramount’s turn to swell the ranks. Instant Video is getting ‘hundreds’ of Paramount’s movies, including both relatively recent movies like Nacho Libre and Mission: Impossible III as well as back catalog titles like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Clear and Present Danger. As always, the movies are watchable anywhere you’ve got broadband, and they don’t add a premium to the $79 yearly Prime subscription. Just be prepared to explain why you’re watching Urban Cowboy on your Kindle Fire at the airport.

Amazon adds ‘hundreds’ of Paramount movies to Prime, signals a Clear and Present Danger to free time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As spring reaches full blossom, it’s not just the flowers that are beginning to show — so are the new slates heavy hitters teased back at CES. So, what does that mean? It means it’s high-time that we cast a fresh glance over the tablet landscape, took in a deep breath of slate-infused air and exhaled a hearty Engadget tablet buyer’s guide. We’ve been running the smartphone equivalent for a little while now, so we thought it only fair to give the now-mature tablet category one of its own. We’re going to look at the main categories of fondleslabbery and carve out what we think are the finest offerings on the market right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for something big, small, just good enough or so powerful that it could replace your laptop: we’ve collected our favorites and shepherded them safely into this one humble guide. Of course, if you want to cast your net a little wider, you can always check out our tablet review hub, but if you struggle with indecision, head on past the break to see what’s hot right now in Tablet Land.

Continue reading Engadget’s tablet buyer’s guide: spring 2012 edition

Engadget’s tablet buyer’s guide: spring 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Certainly it’s no great shocker that Amazon’s got plans for a new e-reader and tablet later this year. Nor should anyone be particularly surprised at the prospect of a front-lit reader from the retail giant set to compete directly with the latest Nook offering. Reuters, however, claims to have some insight into both, courtesy of an anonymous source. Apparently the aforementioned reader is set for a July launch, arriving in the customary Wifi and 3G varieties. The tablet, meanwhile, is set for a release “closer to the holiday season,” according to the source. Amazon, E Ink and the like naturally refused to comment on the matter.

Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobo is the underdog trying to scrape points while the e-reader heavy hitters of Amazon and B&N duke it out. The Vox was the Canadian outfits response to the Nook and Kindle Fire, but despite a similar price tag, our e-reader expert found that its last-generation hardware was no match for the big boys. That said, plenty of people must have bought them so tell us; how has it been? Do you regret shunning the other two for it, or does it have hidden charms that we didn’t see first time around? Let us know in the comments below.

How would you change the Kobo Vox? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those of us who’ve been eying the Kingston Wi-Drive but have been disappointed with the iOS-first emphasis can rejoice, as a new firmware update is expanding access in a big way. At a minimum, anyone with a web browser can now stream music, photos and videos to their heart’s content once they’re linked to the drive over WiFi. And if you’d rather use a native app, any Android 2.2 or later device is now an option instead of having to turn to one of Apple’s gadgets or the Amazon Kindle Fire. Future Wi-Drives should have the firmware loaded from the get-go. The apps as always remain free, although you’ll need to spend a minimum of $50 to join the club with a drive of your own.

Kingston Wi-Drive update opens access to web, Android aficionados originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you’ve got yourself Kindle Fire and a house full of young, impressionable children. What to do? Have no fear, update 6.3.1 is on its way, bringing with it parental controls like password protection for purchases, content disabling in the library and the ability to block access to the device’s Silk browser. The world will be a safer place once the update starts rolling out over the air in the next few days.

Amazon tablet update brings parental controls, lets kids play with Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a Kindle Fire owner, you can now get the latest free update to version 6.3.1. It features parental controls, some neat sharing features and more practical movie rental times.

Not sure which version you’re currently running? The Amazon website tells you how to check:

“If you are not sure what software version you’re running, tap the Quick Settings icon, tap ‘More,’ then tap ‘Device.’ If your System Version is ‘Current version: 6.3.1,’ you are running the latest software. If your System Version is ‘Current version: 6.3′ or earlier, follow the instructions below to take advantage of all of the features available for Kindle Fire.”

The new version’s software upgrades lets Kindle Fire users easily share passages from their favorite books by highlighting the text, clicking “share” and adding a note, then simply posting it to a social network. When you rent a movie on your Kindle, the rental period now begins when you watch the film, not when you download it. Also, your personal documents can be stored in the Amazon Cloud and easily accessed from stored Docs content library. Check out some other key updates added:

• Book Extras: Powered by Shelfari, Amazon’s community of book lovers, Book Extras makes it easy to see supplemental material about the book you are reading — without leaving the book. View descriptions of characters, a glossary of common terms used in the book, information on the authors and common locations referenced in the book, and more. To view Book Extras within your book, tap the bottom of the screen to bring up the options bar, then tap the menu icon and select “Book Extras.”
• Print Replica Textbooks: Students can buy thousands of print replica textbooks to read on their Kindle Fire and save up to 60% off the list price of the print textbook. Print replica textbooks maintain the rich formatting, color and layout of the print editions. They also have additional features, including notes and highlights, zoom and pan, linked table of contents, real page numbers, Whispersync of notes, highlights and furthest page read.
• Reading View for Amazon Silk: With Reading View on Silk, the content you’re interested in is elevated above the clutter in a reading-optimized, single screen view (even for multi-page articles). The full page is still available in the background, allowing you to easily toggle back to a traditional view to see other interesting features on the page.
• Additional Enhancements: Faster re-connect of Wi-Fi after your Kindle Fire has been asleep, and general performance enhancements.

Are you looking forward to these updates? Are you already used them? Let us know what you think in the comments.

‪Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Bosca78‬

More About: ereader, kindle fire, software updates

The iPad is once again the undisputed heavyweight champion of the tablet world. Apple’s “magical” tablet re-asserted its dominance of the market following a period that saw both the launch of the latest model and a drop-off in sales of its chief competitor, the Kindle Fire. As a result, the iPad now accounts for 68% of the tablet market, according to figures from a market-research company.

International Data Corporation (IDC) said worldwide tablet sales for the first quarter of 2012 numbered 17.4 million units. In its quarterly earnings call Apple said it had shipped 11.8 million iPads (both the current model and iPad 2), accounting for 67.8% of the market. That’s a big jump from the holidays, when 54.7% of all tablets sold were iPads.

The holiday season, of course, was when the Kindle Fire made its debut at the rock-bottom price of $200. The Fire instantly burned through market share, becoming the second-place tablet with 16.8% of the market. This past quarter, though, sales clearly weren’t as robust, and the Kindle Fire’s share fell to just 4%, in third place.

So who’s the new number two? That would be Samsung and its Galaxy Tabs, which recently launched the second generation of the tablet line. Rounding out the top five tablet manufacturers are Lenovo at No. 4, and Barnes & Noble in the fifth spot. The common denominator with tablet success is competitive pricing, IDC says.

“It seems some of the mainstream Android vendors are finally beginning to grasp a fact that Amazon, B&N, and Pandigital figured out early on,” Tom Manelli, IDC’s mobile research director, said in a press release. “Namely, to compete in the media tablet market with Apple, they must offer their products at notably lower price points.”

IDC says Google has gotten the message as well, and the search giant plans to release its own tablet, co-branded with Asus, at a price that will compete directly with the Kindle Fire. The tablet is expected to run a “pure” version of Android, IDC says.

How will Windows 8 tablets, when they arrive this fall, change the picture? IDC has no idea, but the tablets running Windows RT, based on ARM processors, will be the ones that take on the market, as opposed to mobile-computing devices like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.

What do you think Apple’s renewed supremacy over the tablet market? Have your say in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, 4FR

More About: amazon, apple, ipad, kindle fire, tablets, trending

Research firm IDC predicted there would be a steep drop off in tablet shipments during Q1 of 2012. Following the surge of sales during the holiday season, a fall of 34 percent, while certainly staggering, is hardly surprising. But there’s bad news: shipments failed to meet even those bleak predictions. Shipments fell by 38.4 percent, thanks in large part to Android slates stumbling dramatically. After a reasonably impressive holiday season, IDC expected Android would continue to make inroads in the market. Instead, the number of units moved dropped drastically, allowing Apple to not just maintain its position at the top of the heap, but assert an unquestionable dominance not seen since the early days of Honeycomb. After accounting for 54.7 percent of all tablet shipments in Q4 of 2011, the iPad opened up an impressive lead, claiming 68 percent of the market in Q1 of 2012. What’s more, after catapulting to the number two spot by shipping 4.8 million units at the end of last year, Amazon fell to number three — accounting for only 4 percent of tablets shipped, a precipitous fall from 16.8 percent last quarter. That’s good news for Samsung, however, which reclaimed its place as first runner up slate wars. For more, check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading IDC: Apple makes big gains in tablet market, Android stumbles

IDC: Apple makes big gains in tablet market, Android stumbles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did you miss late March’s $139 Amazon Gold Box Deal on the refurbed Kindle Fire? Well, the retailer is giving you another chance, bringing back the deal for today (May 5th). It’s the same discount as the last go-around — namely, $30 off the standard price for the refurbished Fire — and Amazon still certifies and reseals it. It’s even throwing in a one-year warranty for good measure. Also like last time around, there’s a limit of five discounted Fires per customer, so don’t get too grabby.

It’s back! Amazon’s $139 refurbished Kindle Fire deal returns for one more day originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink Holdings made a loss of over $25 million last quarter, despite supplying its backlight-free panels to popular e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Why the poor showing after ten quarters of solid money-making? The company’s accountants blame “off-season effects” and “inventory adjustments” by customers, which may simply be corporatese for “the screens aren’t selling so well.” Overall revenue tumbled 63 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and the outlook remains “conservative” — although it’s hard to believe that everyone suddenly wants to stay indoors and stare at pixels.

Sun stops shining on E Ink Holdings: company reports first loss in two years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink Holdings made a loss of over $25 million last quarter, despite supplying its backlight-free panels to popular e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Why the poor showing after ten quarters of solid money-making? The company’s accountants blame “off-season effects” and “inventory adjustments” by customers, which may simply be corporatese for “the screens aren’t selling so well.” Overall revenue tumbled 63 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and the outlook remains “conservative” — although it’s hard to believe that everyone suddenly wants to stay indoors and stare at pixels.

Sun stops shining on E Ink Holdings: company reports first loss in two years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s Kindle Fire has taken 54.4% of the Android tablet market, leaving the number two in the category — Samsung Galaxy Tab — in the dust, according to comScore.

The Kindle Fire, introduced in November, nearly doubled its share over the last two months, comScore reports. Meanwhile, Galaxy Tab, which had a 23.8% share in December, is now down to 15.4%.

Motorola Xoom, the number three in the category, commanded 11.8% of the market in December and has now dropped to 7%, according to the report.

One notable omission: Barnes & Noble’s Nook. ComScore says it considers the Nook an e-reader rather than a tablet. Here’s the full list:

Though Apple’s iPad still has the lead in the tablet category, a recent study by IDC shows that Android-based tablets, led by Kindle Fire, are catching up. Apple had 61.5% of the global market in the third quarter of 2011, but that share fell to to 54.7% in Q4 2011, largely because of the success of Kindle Fire.

IDC estimates that Amazon moved 4.7 million units in Q4. Compare that to 15.4 million units for Apple’s iPad.

In Apple’s latest fiscal Q2 filing, the company disclosed that it sold 11.8 million iPads. Amazon does not break out sales for its Kindle products. However, the company on Wednesday reported a 34% jump in revenues for its first quarter. Amazon Kindle is the best-selling item on Amazon’s site, according to the company,

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More About: amazon, android, ipad, kindle fire, tablets

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It’s no Apple-sized quarter, but you’d need to be on HGTV’s Million Dollar Rooms a handful of times over to scoff at Amazon’s Q1 2012 earnings. After reporting $177 million in net earnings last quarter (on $17.43 billion in revenue), the online sales behemoth has today registered $13.18 billion in net sales — proudly reporting that said tally was up from the $9.86 billion in its Q1 a year ago. Excluding the $56 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales would have grown 34 percent compared with first quarter 2011. As for operating income? That checked in at $192 million (compared to $322 million Q1 2011), with the outfit noting that the “unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter on operating income was $4 million.” Net income also sank 35 percent from $201 million a year ago, but it still left Amazon with $130 million more in the bank than it had just three months ago.

It’s important to note that the outfit didn’t have “the holidays” here to help out, but it’s still a bit worrisome to investors when profit margin shrinks. Focusing on more positive things, CEO Jeff Bezos noted that Amazon has “over 130,000 new, in-copyright books that are exclusive to the Kindle Store,” again reminding the world that Amazon Prime members can “borrow them for free with no due dates.” We’re also told that the Kindle Fire remains the top, most gifted and most wished for product across its entire store, while pointing out that the North American sales segment was up 36 percent from Q1 2011 (reaching $7.43 billion). Our overseas comrades — specifically, Amazon’s UK, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Italian and Spanish sites — accounted for $5.76 billion in sales, up 31 percent year-over-year. Worldwide media sales saw a 19 percent uptick to $4.71 billion, while global electronics and “other merchandise” saw sales grow a whopping 43 percent to $7.97 billion. Notably, the company continually banged on unfavorable exchange rates, so if you’re looking for a place to heap blame… well, there you go.

Continue reading Amazon’s Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion

Amazon’s Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen some pretty clear indications that the Kindle Fire was rapidly gaining market share among Android tablets, and ComScore is now out with a new report that indicates it recently crossed a big milestone. According to the research firm, the Fire’s market share in the US fully doubled from December to February, with it standing at 54.4 percent as of the end of the month. Counted together, the Galaxy Tab family sits in second at 15.4 percent, while the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer come in at 7 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Of course, the Kindle Fire isn’t quite your ordinary Android tablet, so this is likely better news for Amazon than Google. In addition to that, ComScore also looked at the browsing habits of tablet users, and unsurprisingly found that larger screens tended to lead to more content consumption, with 10-inch tablets boasting a 39 percent higher consumption rate than 7-inch devices. You can find all the numbers at the source link below.

ComScore pegs Kindle Fire at more than 50 percent of the US Android tablet market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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