http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazons_kindle_flunks_out_college

Amazon last year launched its Kindle Pilot Program, in which it sold a number of Kindle DX readers to several universities at a 50 percent discount. Students were allowed to use them free of charge, but as it turns out, most college students aren't yet ready to trade in their textbooks for Kindles.

At the University of Virginia, for example, about 80 percent of MBA students who participated in the program said they wouldn't recommend the Kindle DX for classroom use, even though they enjoyed it for recreational reading. And at Princeton University and Reed College, students said they missed the ability to write in the margins, easily highlight passages, or view color charts and graphics, the Seattle Times reports.

"You don't read textbooks in the same linear way as a novel," said Roesner, a 23-year-old graduate student. "You have to flip back and forth between pages, an the Kindle is too slow for that. Also, the bookmarking function is buggy."

The complaints haven't fallen on deaf ears. Amazon last month announced software upgrades that enable Kindle users to sort books into collections and zoom PDF documents.

"The pilot programs are doing their job -- getting us valuable feedback," said spokesman Drew Herdener.

OLPC and Marvell Tag Team Tablet Market

The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) organization announced that it is working with Marvell to develop a series of low-cost handheld tablets based on the Marvell Moby reference design.

"While devices like eReaders and current tablets are terrific literary, media and entertainment platforms, they don't meet the needs of an educational model based on making things, versus just consuming them. Today's learning environments require robust platforms for computation, content creation and experimentation – and all that at a very low cost," said Dr. Nicholas Negroponte, Founder and Chairman of One Laptop per Child. "Through our partnership with Marvell, OLPC will continue our focus on designing computers that enable children in the developing world to learn through collaboration, as well as providing connectivity to the world's body of knowledge.

OLCP's upcoming slate will consume just 1W of power (compared to 5W on the XO Laptop) and feature a multi-lingual soft keyboard with touch feedback. It will be powered by Marvell's ARMADA 610 application processor and able to crank out 1080p full-HD encode and decode. Other specs include 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM, GPS, 3D graphics, and full Adobe Flash support. No big surprise here, the upcoming tablet will be built around Google's Android platform.

No word on when it will launch, only that OLPC and Marvell are shooting for a sub-$100 price tag.

Google Closes AdMob Deal

It's taken over six months, but Google today announced they have completed their acquisition of mobile advertiser AdMob. The deal was in doubt because of a Federal Trade Commission investigation. Just last week, the FTC finally said the deal could go through citing Apple's recently announced iAd platform. It's clear Google is looking to put AdMob to work on all mobile platforms. "We believe that mobile advertising can play a significant role in every single marketing campaign. We’re passionate about the unlimited possibilities in this space,” said Google's Susan Wojcicki.

Apple was in discussions with AdMob when Google swooped in and paid $750 million for the mobile advertising powerhouse. It originally looked like Google might end up with egg on its face as the FTC started making noises about antitrust concerns. Now all is well in the Google-verse, and you can keep enjoying those annoying ads on your phone. Do you think the FTC gave the deal enough scrutiny?

Get Ready to Be Gouged, Verizon Plans on Tiered 4G Data Pricing

We were a little worried that the change over to 4G mobile data standards like LTE and WiMAX would get expensive for consumers. ON the heels of Sprint's announcement that users of the EVO 4G would have to pay a $10 premium for data, Verizon is talking about a tiered pricing model for LTE data when it launches. Instead of allowing "unlimited" plans (5GB data cap), Big Red may instead charge different fees based on the amount of data used.

This might be a good deal for people that only use a little data, but in the future with much faster data connections, who's only going to use a little data? The thing to be aware of is that LTE data networks are expected to be much more efficient at delivering data. Carriers may only incur a half or one-third of the costs per megabyte of data on LTE as they do now. All things considered, we'd be surprised if even the cheap plans are a good deal.

Of course, we won't know how bad of a deal we're getting until LTE rolls out. Verizon is expecting the first round of LTE handsets to be available in early 2011. These will be LTE for data only, much like the EVO 4G uses WiMAX only for data. Verizon expects to be using LTE for voice calls by 2012. How much wireless data do you use in a month? Would you like a tiered pricing structure?

Nexus One for Sale by at Least One Third Party

Google announced last week that the Nexus One would soon be making an appearance in third-party retail channels, and now we've seen the first example of that. An online phone retailer and T-Mobile affiliate called iWireless is now offering the Nexus One, but it's going to cost you. The iWireless price for the Nexus One is $299.95 AFTER 2 year contract discount. By comparison, Google is only charging $179 for customers that agree to a new contact.

Google did say they hoped to get the Nexus One into more retail channels, but they also said people wanted to try the phone in real life. This iWireless deal doesn't really change anything about how people get the phone, other than costing them more. It's possible we'll see the Nexus show up in T-Mobile retail stores. The carrier does not currently have a similar high end Android handset like Verizon and Sprint do.

The only benefit customers on the iWireless site have is the ability to choose more inexpensive plans than the Even More 500 Google requires. But that small savings is dwarfed by the $121 premium you'll be charged.

Seagate Officially Launches Hybrid Hard Drive

We knew Seagate was cooking up a hybrid hard drive that would combine an SSD and HDD under the same hood, but most of the information we had was based on speculation and leaked specs. Things are a bit more concrete now, as Seagate today officially unveiled what it claims is the "world's fastest hard drive for laptop computers."

It's called the Momentus XT and it comes in three capacities, including 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB. These hybrid drives will sport 4GB of fast SLC NAND solid state memory, a 7200RPM spindle speed, 32MB of drive-level cache, and SATA 3Gb/s with NCQ.

"We see the Momentus ® XT drive as a game changer, a product heralding a new generation of hard drives that combine SSD and HDD capabilities so that laptop users don’t have to make trade-offs on speed, cost or capacity," said Dave Mosley, Seagate executive vice president of Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management.

To squeeze the most performance out of its hybrid drive, Seagate has implemented what it calls Adaptive Memory technology. What this does is analyze patterns in how often certain digital data is used and then moves the most frequently used bits to the embedded solid state memory for faster access.

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Pandora's Linux Based Gaming Handheld Now Shipping - Open Source Gaming Goes Portable

In what can only be considered a major victory for the open source gaming scene the fabled Pandora handheld is finally shipping. After almost two years of sneak peeks and disappointing setbacks the first batch of units are finally being massed produced and sent out to paying customers. The end product is the polar opposite of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP in just about every respect. Rather than trying to make a closed down platform filled with proprietary technologies, the hardware and software architectures are completely open and just begging to be exploited.

The device itself will ship with an ARM Cortex 600Mhz CPU running Linux, with a separate 430Mhz DSP core. That might sound a bit underpowered by today's standards, but the developers assure us this makes it the most powerful dedicated gaming handheld on the market. The display features a resolution of 800x480 and its storage needs will be covered off by two SDHC memory card slots.

Anyone interested in buying from the first batch shown above currently has to make their request at gp2xorders@gmail.com, but we expect a proper store page will be in place by the time they reach the second run. The hardware is currently priced around $330 not including taxes or shipping, but we have a hunch you'll probably make that up pretty quick in free games.

It remains to be seen if this can be a serious contender in the handheld gaming space, but it's likely to gain popularity quick with those who are getting increasing frustrated trying to crack DS and PSP firmware.

IDC Predicts 46 Million Tablet Shipments by 2014

Tablet shipments will reach 7 million units by the end of the year and exceed 46 million in 2014, representing a sixfold increase, market research firm IDC reported on Thursday.

Apple's iPad will be the driving force in pushing tablets to the masses, but so too will tablets becoming differentiated from PCs and smartphones, said Suasan Kevorkian, program director at IDC. According to Kevorkian, apps, content, and services designed for tablets will increase the divide between these devices.

IDC's numbers might even be a bit conservative. Apple has already sold over a million iPads, and that was just in the first 28 days, and also before the international launch. In addition, several other players are taking aim at the tablet market, including Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Lenovo, and others, all with different screen sizes and OSes (Android, webOS, and Windows).

HP Expands Worldwide Battery Recall

Battery packs shipped in HP notebook PC products manufactured between August 2007 and May 2008 may pose a potential safety hazard to customers, HP said on Wednesday. The batteries can overheat and pose a fire and/or burn hazard.

HP had already issued a worldwide voluntary recall for the potentially faulty batteries, and has now added several more to the list. Additional models include HP, HP Pavilion, HP Compaq, and Compaq Presario products, over 31 SKUs in all.

If you own one of the affected models, HP will send out a replacement battery pack at no cost. According to HP, less than 3 percent of the notebook PC products manufactured in the above time frame are included in the program.

Full list and validation instructions here.

Netbooks, Ultra-Thins Off to a Strong Start in 2010

If tablets are going to kill off the netbook market, they're going to have to kick things up a notch or three. According to market research firm iSuppli, netbooks posted double digit growth so far in 2010, the result of improved economic conditions around the world.

"Despite the worldwide recession last year, consumers were enthusiastic about notebooks, a trend that will persist in 2010 especially for the market's two fastest-growing segments-the netbook and the ultra-thin notebook," said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at iSuppli.

Netbooks shipments are expect to surge to 34.5 million units in 2010, a 30 percent increase over one year ago, and by 2014, iSuppli forecasts netbook shipments in the neighborhood of 58.3 million. At the same time, ultra-thins are becoming extremely popular and will ship nearly 14.5 million units in 2010, equivalent to a 93 percent increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009.

Netbooks, Ultra-Thins Off to a Strong Start in 2010

If tablets are going to kill off the netbook market, they're going to have to kick things up a notch or three. According to market research firm iSuppli, netbooks posted double digit growth so far in 2010, the result of improved economic conditions around the world.

"Despite the worldwide recession last year, consumers were enthusiastic about notebooks, a trend that will persist in 2010 especially for the market's two fastest-growing segments-the netbook and the ultra-thin notebook," said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at iSuppli.

Netbooks shipments are expect to surge to 34.5 million units in 2010, a 30 percent increase over one year ago, and by 2014, iSuppli forecasts netbook shipments in the neighborhood of 58.3 million. At the same time, ultra-thins are becoming extremely popular and will ship nearly 14.5 million units in 2010, equivalent to a 93 percent increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009.

Toshiba Implements Sony's TransferJet Technology into Notebooks

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

Starting sometime in the second half of this year, Toshiba says it will begin implementing Sony's TransferJet technology into its product lines.

If you've never heard of TransferJet, it's a close-proximity wireless transfer technology offering high-speed transfers of larger files from your handheld gadgets to other devices. The physical transmission layer comes rated at 560Mbps, while the maximum data throughput (think: real-world) is 375Mbps (you can read more about TransferJet here).

Toshiba didn't say exactly what products will be the first infused with TransferJet, nor what kind of pricing premium the technology would result in. The company did say, however, that TransferJet will probably be added to just a handful of models to begin with. And because it has already been demonstrated by Toshiba's UK laptop division, it's a safe bet that we'll likely see this appear on Toshiba's laptop line first.

Image Crdit: electricpig.co.uk

Asus G73 Gaming Laptop Available in the States

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In the market for a gaming notebook? If so, Asus' G73 laptop might be the steal of the year, albeit it's still early. Nevertheless, we haven't been this stoked about an affordable gaming notebook since Gateway wowed us with its P7811-FX machine.

Those looking for battery life first and performance second need not apply. But if you're into desktop replacements, the G73's spec sheet will certainly oblige. Inside the 17.3-inch laptop sits an Intel Core i7 720QM quad-core processor, and that's just the beginning. You'll also find 8GB of DDR3 memory, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 graphics with a 1GB frame buffer, and a 500GB hard drive spinning at 7200RPM.

The G73 also boasts a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, DVD burner, 4 USB ports, VGA and HDMI, an 8-in-1 card reader, 2.0MP, 8-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Ready for the best part? It's available now from Newegg $1,450.

Image Credit: Asus

Asus Eee 1005PE Adds an H, Doubles the RAM

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If you're a fan of Asus' Eee 1005PE netbook, then you're going to love the 1005PE-H model, the company's latest model built around Intel's Pine Trail platform.

Like the original Eee 1005PE, the H variant sports the same 45nm Pineview Atom N450 processor (1.66GHz, 512K cache). But unlike its predecessor, the Eee 1005PE-H boasts twice the amount of RAM at 2GB versus 1GB. It also comes with a bigger 320GB hard drive, compared to the original's 250GB.

The rest of the spec sheet includes a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 screen, Windows 7, and a 6-cell battery Asus claims will keep the netbook running for 11 hours.

No word yet on price or availability, at least not here in the States. So far, this one's only been spotted in France.

Image Credit: fnac.com

Nexus One Sales Off to a Slow Start

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There's one thing Google's Nexus One has in common with every other Android-powered smartphone: it's no iPhone killer. Sure, we could try to sugar coat it, but it's hard to see too much positive in a disappointing first month of sales in which there were only about 80,000 Nexus One units sold. By contrast, Apple sold eight times as many iPhones when the iPhone first debuted.

But the iPhone isn't the only measuring stick. Motorola's Droid, which is also an Android-device, sold about 525,000 units during its first month, according to analytics group Flurry Inc.

"What the Nexus One is really about is a new way of buying a phone," said Chief Executive Eric Schmidt in a recent conference call. "The Nexus One is simply the first of a series of examples where you can essentially purchase a phone online from one or multiple manufacturers and have it just work. We think that's a natural evolution of a particular model."

The problem with Schmidt's statement is the Nexus One didn't "just work" and instead made headlines because of 3G connectivity problems. And then there's Google's termination fees and the $529 asking price sans wireless plan. Existing T-Mobile subscribers can pick one up for far less ($179), but only if they're on an individual plan - those on a family plan aren't eligible for the reduced rate.

So where does that leave the Nexus One? In a tough spot, really. The sales numbers aren't anywhere near where Google would have liked, and that isn't likely to suddenly change anytime soon.