Apple seeks e-book pricing plan for tablet

Apple is in secret last-minute negotiations with book publishers over a new e-books pricing scheme for its highly anticipated tablet computer, putting it in direct competition with Amazon, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Apple wants publishers to create two new price points for e-books of best-sellers: $12.99 and $14.99, with some titles offered at $9.99, according to the report. As it does with iPhone apps, Apple is negotiating for a 30 percent take on the sales price, with publishers getting the other 70 percent, the Journal reported.
The move would put Apple in an open battle for the e-book sales crown with Amazon, which has slashed the prices of titles for its Kindle e-book reader, offering some best-sellers for free. Amazon has also announced the release of a software development kit for the Kindle, which will allow developers to build and eventually sell their own applications for the device, apparently opening a new front with Apple and its iPhone.
Apple and Amazon representatives did not immediately respond to request for comment.
When Apple allowed Amazon to develop a way for iPhone users to get access to Amazon's library of e-books, it appeared the company was ceding the mobile computing e-book market to Amazon. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has dismissed the e-book reader and market in general, declaring in 2008 that "people don't read anymore." However, Jobs is notorious for dismissing a new product or concept right up until the day Apple ships a similar product.
Apple has also been rumored to be jockeying to get a variety of media on the device, including TV content magazines, newspapers, music, games, and video. Publishers such as the New York Times Co., Conde Nast Publications, and HarperCollins Publishers have reportedly been approached over content deals, as well as TV networks such as CBS and Walt Disney over monthly subscription deals for the device, which is expected to be unveiled at an event Wednesday in San Francisco.
However, at least one books publisher isn't likely to be very welcome at the event. Terry McGraw, the chairman and CEO of McGraw-Hill apparently jumped the gun a bit during a CNBC interview, confirming that a device would be revealed Wednesday and that college textbooks would make an appearance on it. He also revealed that the device would be based on the iPhone operating system--the first named source offering actual confirmation of the operating system and specific content for the device.

news.cnet.com

Toyota halts sales of eight models

After issuing 6.5 million vehicle recalls over the past few months, Toyota on Tuesday took the further and dramatic step of halting sales of eight models until it gets a handle on whether they are exhibiting uncontrolled acceleration and, if so, why.
Production is being halted on the 2009-'10 RAV4, Corolla, and Matrix; 2005-'10 Avalon; 2007-'10 Camry; 2010 Highlander, 2007-'10 Tundra, and 2008-'10 Sequoia. Five plants in Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and California will be affected.
Toyota has been racing for months to get in front of whatever engineering issue may exist and the public-relations nightmare it is creating.
Dealers began fitting revised accelerator pedals on 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles after a September recall that was the largest in company history. Earlier this month Toyota also began retrofitting a throttle interrupt mechanism on many Camry, Avalon, and Lexus models, a mechanism that would be phased into all Toyota corporation vehicles by the end of 2010. And a few days ago the company issued a new recall on 2.3 million cars to correct a part in the throttle linkage that may wear prematurely and prevent the throttle from returning to idle.
When reports of uncontrolled acceleration began surfacing last fall, the company advised owners of many models to remove floor mats as a temporary solution until dealers could fit a revised accelerator pedal that supposedly would not catch on the flooring. But ABC News has recently surfaced a number of reports of uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota cars whose floor mats had been removed.

Days before iTablet-palooza, the rumor hits keep comin

Gizmodo

With just days to go before Apple is likely to unveil a long-expected tablet device, rumors continue to circulate over its details. As the buzz continues, we wanted to wrap up what we have heard recently.
You want 3G with that? Sources inside both AT&T and Verizon once again say that an Apple tablet will be compatible with not just one or the other, but both networks. The source from Verizon claims that it will work automatically with Verizon's WiFi hotspots and switch seamlessly to EVDO when out of range. Whether such a service would work the same on AT&T isn't known, but that company did boast to Fox that it has "the largest network of Wi-Fi hotspots in the country."
Further rumors peg Qualcomm as the supplier of the 3G chip for the tablet. Apple may build separate versions, one with HSPA+ chips for AT&T and most other carriers, and another with EVDO chips for Verizon and other carriers using the CDMA standard. Alternately, Apple may even include a chip recently designed by Qualcomm that's capable of connecting to either network.
Buy one dock connector, get one free. Sources for iLounge say that the tablet will have not one, but two dock connectors—one on the horizontal bottom, and one on a vertical "bottom." This would allow the device to be docked in either landscape or portrait orientation while charging. This way, the tablet could perform different functions—playing video or reading books, for example—while set in a single charging station.
The tablet will also have generously sized antennas, if the "long rear stripe" of plastic along the back—which breaks up the device's metal casing—is any indicator. That should offer better reception that the small antennas on the iPhone, and may enable 802.11n compatibility.
Mom? Am I coming in clear? This rumor isn't necessarily new, but MacRumors seems certain that the tablet will have a front-facing camera. A recent Wall Street Journal report suggested it may be used for facial recognition, a sort of biometric auto-login, but it could easily be used for iChat videoconferencing or posting gratuitous self-portraits on Facebook.
What's in a name? "iSlate," "iTablet," "iPad." Al these are possible names, and would be in line with Apple's now 12-year-old habit of adding an "i" in front of the name of its products. Macworld UK rehashes trademark office filings suggesting that Apple is trying to separate "iPad" from Fujistu, which used to make a portable POS device for retail stores. However, analysis of the filings reveal that Apple's objection is because the name is so close to "iPod."
What if Apple drops the "i" altogether, and goes with something like "Canvas?" Anything's possible.
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket... or perhaps on a tablet. It appears HarperCollins isn't the only publishing company being associated with Apple's upcoming tablet. A BusinessWeek report says that McGraw-Hill and Hachette Book Group are in talks with Apple to bring an assortment of textbooks and trade publications to the tablet in digital format. The availability of educational material could make the tablet a shoe-in for the education market.
John Wiley & Sons titles may also make an appearance as well. "We have had ongoing conversations with Apple about their interest in including educational content," Peter Balis, director of digital content at Wiley, told BusinessWeek. "We will continue to support their efforts in whatever iteration it takes next week."
At what cost, iTablet? A recent ChangeWave survey suggests that, sight unseen, 18 percent of survey respondents are likely to buy one if Apple announces one in the coming days. However, consumers would have the strongest demand for an Apple tablet at a price between $500 and $700.
RBC analyst Mike Abramsky agrees that Apple would have a hit on its hands if it can introduce the tablet at $600. His model predicts Apple would sell 5 million tablets in 2010 at that price, but sales would drop to just 1 million if the price were $800. Going off the deep-end, Abramsky imagines that if Apple sells the tablet for $500, they could move as many as 10 million units in its first year.
Let's be realistic, though. The iPhone costs $600 at full retail. It seems unlikely that Apple would sell a much larger tablet at the same price. It will probably cost less than a MacBook, but chances are good that it will cost more than an iPhone. Even a top-end iPod touch costs $400, and that's without cellular radios, GPS, camera, compass, and other hardware. Apple might not include all that hardware, but a $700 or $800 price seems more likely.
: http://arstechnica.com

Week in tech: Chrome OS, HTML5, China, Ubuntu 10.04a, and Firefox 3.6

It was a busy week as controversy continued to rage over the Google-China dust-up and Mozilla released a solid new version of Firefox. But first, Google.
Ars sat down with the engineering director of Google's Chrome OS project to talk about the past, present, and future of the project. There's a lot of good detail about the relationship between Chrome and Android, the genesis of Chrome OS, and much more.
The Google/China story has enough legs to qualify as a "centipede" at this point. After saying that it would no longer censor Chinese search results and that it was ready to pull out of China, Google also admitted to being the victim of a sophisticated cyberattack that went after more than 30 companies. The Chinese government responded harshly.
The Ubuntu development community pushed out the second alpha version of Ubuntu 10.04. It offers a few new apps and drops HAL in favor of DeviceKit. Check out our hands-on for the scoop on 10.04.
Firefox 3.6 was released this past week. We tested it extensively and found that its incremental improvements combined with a lot of developer-friendly features to make for an extremely solid release.
Ever wanted to know more about quantum computing but were afraid to ask? Check out our definitive guide to quantum computing. It covers the basics of qubits, two-qubit systems, and a primer on quantum physics 101 so you can wrap your brain around the topic.
As the e-book reader wars heat up and we await the unveiling of the Apple tablet, Amazon tried grabbing a bit of the spotlight by announcing a new royalty program for the Kindle. Authors can now earn up to 70 percent from each e-book sold, with a couple of catches.
Looking to make a love connection online? Data from popular dating site OKCupid reveals what kind of photos draw the most attention, and the results may surprise you.
The FTC recently filed a complaint against Intel over its business practices in the CPU market. Intel finally got around to posting its response this past week, and it's a doozy. Highlights include some damning comments from AMD execs made during the middle of the past decade.
Carbon sequestration has been touted as a way to deal with the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Researchers have developed a copper complex that is capable of reacting with carbon dioxide at a slightly elevated electric potential. The process turns the carbon dioxide into a usable byproduct which can be recycled and reused for this purpose multiple times.
Akamai's State of the Internet report reinforces the United States' reputation as a broadband sluggard. The average broadband speed in the US is 3.9Mbps, placing the country in 18th place. Topping the list? South Korea, with an average speed of 14.6Mbps.

:arstechnica.com

Motorola Backflip

On Wednesday, Motorola introduced its latest Google Android smartphone to the world, the Motorola Backflip. Scheduled for a global release at the beginning of Q1 2010, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said the device would be available in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America but would not disclose any carriers. Oh gee, it couldn't possibly be AT&T, which announced five upcoming Android smartphones, including one from Motorola, could it?


The Motorola Backflip is a quad-band GSM phone with support for the 850/1900/2100MHz 3G bands (coincidentally, AT&T's 3G bands), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. The smartphone's design is really what sets it apart, however. At first glance, the Backflip looks like a sleeker, smaller version of the Motorola Cliq, but instead of a slider design, the phone opens up like a book. In addition, in its closed state, the full QWERTY keyboard is located on the back. For those concerned about durability, Motorola said the keyboard is strong enough to take a beating and keep on clicking, but of course, that remains to be seen.

Another unique feature of the Backflip is the trackpad, which Moto calls Backtrack, located on the back of the display (when the phone is open). It works just like a traditional trackpad, allowing you to navigate through menus, flip through photos, scroll through the home screen panes, and more. It's certainly an interesting twist, but we're not completely sold on it. You can also interact with the smartphone through the 3.1-inch HVGA touch screen.

: cnet.com

HP Mini 5102

As the sequel to one of our favorite all-around Netbooks, the HP Mini 5102 has some pretty big shoes to fill. It wasn't HP's choice in components that we liked about its business line 10-inch system--after all, most 2009 Netbooks shared a very uniform set of parts--it was the overall design and build quality of the Netbook we liked

With a body made of aluminum and magnesium alloy, the 5101 felt significantly more rugged than many of the plastic Netbooks it was competing with, and its excellent keyboard layout made typing a breeze. The new version, the 5102, offers only minor cosmetic tweaks, but also more configuration options, including a touch screen.

That means you can create a fairly compelling Netbook using HP's online configurator, but it'll also be an expensive one, as anything above the baseline adds significant cost. At a time when HD displays are becoming the norm, our $424 review unit has only a standard 1,024x600-pixel resolution 10-inch display, along with a single-core Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, and 1GB of RAM.

With the competition (including HP's own Mini 311 line) regularly offering HD displays and Nvidia Ion graphics for very reasonable prices, we would have liked to see the Mini 5102 make some bolder steps with its new version. As it is, this sequel to our favorite 2009 Netbook feels like just that--a 2009 Netbook.

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Nokia takes on Google with free navigation app

Nokia is making its navigation service free to all GPS-enabled Nokia devices in a move that will help the company better compete in the smartphone market against the likes of Apple and Google.

Starting Thursday, Nokia users will be able to download for free the client that enables GPS phones to get Ovi Maps and Navigation, as well as, various city guides on their phones. Nokia has been offering the maps and navigation service for more than two years. After its acquisition of Navteq announced in 2007, it enhanced the service by adding turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation. And it added premium content from partners, such as Lonely Planet.

Previously, customers could only access the basic maps for free. Turn-by-turn navigation and city guides had cost extra.

But that all changes Thursday when Nokia begins offering these services for free. Initially, the free service will be available for 10 of Nokia's phones, including the Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia E72. Eventually, the software client will be available for all Nokia GPS-enabled phones. And starting in March, the company will begin shipping new GPS Nokia phones with the software and maps for the service pre-installed.

Taking mobile navigation to the mass market
Personal navigation devices, such as ones made by Garmin and TomTom, have become big hits with consumers. And now personal navigation is gaining popularity in mobile phones, thanks to GPS-enabled handsets, and applications such as Google Maps. Approximately 27 million people worldwide had GPS navigation on their mobile phones at the end of 2009, according to the research firm Canalys. Nokia estimates that by offering the service free on its phones it can boost that figure to 50 million.

"We think this will transform the mobile navigation market overnight by providing consumers with an out-of-the-box experience," said Tero Ojanper?, executive vice president of services for Nokia. "I'll admit it wasn't the easiest process getting this service in the past. But now we're moving from the early market to the mass market."

While Nokia still leads the world in overall cell phone sales, it's been losing ground over the past couple of years to new competitors such as Apple and Research In Motion in the high-end smartphone market. Competition will likely intensify in 2010 and beyond as manufacturers flood the market with a steady stream of new smartphones using the Google Android operating system.

Consumers are attracted to the new breed of smartphones, because of all the mobile applications that can run on these devices. Maps and Navigation powered by Google are key applications on these devices.

Taking on Google
Nokia sees personal navigation and location services as a major differentiator, setting its phones apart from its competitors and adding value for wireless operators. Specifically, Nokia executives believe that its mapping and navigation services are superior to Google's own Google Maps and Google Navigation, which are preloaded and offered for free on many popular handsets, such as the iPhone, the Motorola Droid, and Google's own NexusOne.

For example, Nokia's Ovi Map service offers navigation in 74 countries in 46 languages. And it can provide traffic information in more than 10 countries, as well as detailed maps for more than 180 countries.

Ojanper? said that creating and maintaining a dynamic mapping and navigation service is not easy. He said the company is continually updating its mapping content and it specifically looks at 250 different attributes to collect data using cars driving around various cities around the world to verify information is correct.

"Google offers free car navigation in one country," he said. "We offer it in 74 countries. We are truly global where others are not."

Another important differentiator for Nokia is the free access to the Lonely Planet Travel guides.

But Ojanper? also said that Nokia's service is better for wireless operators because the service and application consumes far less bandwidth than competing mapping navigation services, such as Google Maps and Google Navigation.

Ojanper? said that the technology Nokia uses to serve up its maps is 10 times more network efficient than Google's method. Nokia uses what's called a hybrid vectorizing mapping method, which allows users to zoom in and out of the map without downloading the same map multiple times. By contrast, Ojanper? said that Google's technology requires that a new map be downloaded each time a user zooms in or out of the map, which increases the amount of bandwidth needed to use the service.

For this reason, Ojanper? said he believes that wireless operators will want to work with Nokia to sell its phones and make the Ovi services available on their networks.

This sales pitch could be particularly useful in the U.S., where Nokia has a weak presence and only offers a handful of devices with subsidized price tags through a wireless operator. For several years, Nokia has sold most of its high-end phones in the U.S. directly to consumers. But in a market where someone can get an iPhone subsidized by a carrier for $99, it's difficult to sell a $500 unsubsidized phone.

That said, the new free mapping and navigation services could finally give wireless operators a reason to sell Nokia phones. It could also give consumers a reason to buy a Nokia phone, even without a subsidy. A personal navigation device can cost between $200 and $300, which makes a $500 unsubsidized Nokia phone look pretty good.

Ojanper? said Nokia plans to continue selling its phone directly to consumers but its primary focus will be to target wireless carriers in U.S. market.

Regardless of which channels Nokia chooses to sell the phone, one thing is certain. The company will have to spend some money marketing Ovi Maps and Navigation to the mass market. At this point, anyone with a computer is familiar with Google and is likely familiar with Google Maps.

Nokia's Navteq and Ovi brands are relatively unknown in the U.S., so the company has a lot of work ahead of it.


news.cnet.com

Microsoft Confirms Internet Explorer Vulnerability [Security]

Microsoft has confirmed a vulnerability in several versions of Internet Explorer that it should have been used in Chinese attack on Google and other companies. The vulnerability exists in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8, but have been the attacks seem to target only the Internet Explorer 6-contained systems on the information in the description of the vulnerability on the Microsoft website.

The vulnerability is not valid as a reference pointer in Internet Explorer. It is subject to certain conditions for the invalid pointer can be accessed after an object is deleted. In a special attack, try to access an object is released, Internet Explorer can be done to allow the execution of code from remote locations.

Microsoft is currently working on a patch for vulnerabilities in the probability that the patch cycle, the patch will be released generally resolve as a fix.

The confirmation page patch lists several mitigating factors, but the safest option is now moving to a different web browser, at least if no patch is needed to protect the computer system vulnerability.

On Call: Android's biggest flaw

In a few months, operating system, Google Android has come a long way to go. We have seen a steady stream of new phones and new updates to the Android Market has increased and the operating system took center stage at CES, 2010.

Since September, I welcomed these developments. I like Android and the idea of openness and choice of the client he represents. Thus, as the operating system expands and enriches the world of mobile phones, I was a little opposition. I will continue to work to identify gaps separate Android phones - that's what I get paid, and it does not mean that I have iPhone Fanboy, - but I also give, where appropriate.

Take, for example, one communication. During the week I spent with the phone, I admire her dress a little. It is very fast, the screen is beautiful and provides new features android family. But even with all this good, which is currently the phone lacks some important features (see our review for full list). And what's this lack of opportunity to illustrate the major disadvantage over Android's.

So far I have reviewed six phones Android, and each of them was a completely different experience. On the design front, as expected - it was partly the reason for Android - and although I do not always agree, I'm okay with manufacturers to add their own layers of interface, as HTC or MotoBlur Sense.

With regard to the functions, however, the lack of uniformity rather disturbing. Each device has its strengths its functionality, but I have not found the phone Android, which brings together all these forces in a single device. Just look at the list of devices with Android past five months. Along with each phone, which I have listed the important features it offers. If I did not include the feature next to the device, we can assume it does not give such an opportunity.

Nexus: Here you will find options for mounting the camera and flash interface options Home Screen, double-click zoom, as well as enhanced voice control. Debut with Android 2.1.

Motorola Droid: Perspectives synchronize calendar, the options for mounting the camera, and then double-click zoom. He debuted with 2,0 Android, which combines several other improvements as a single e-mail address in the box and search text messages.

Motorola Cliq: synchronized with Outlook Calendar and schedule together, these two personal meetings and the work includes editing capabilities included. Debut with Android 1.5.

HTC Droid Eris Hero: Editing options include proposals, support for Flash Lite web browser, Pinch and multitouch-Zoom, synchronizing Outlook calendar and schedule together. Debut with Android 1.5.

Samsung Voice II: synchronization of calendar, Outlook, camera flash and editing capabilities, and improved Media Player. Debuted with Android 1.5

Samsung moments: Bring your calendar synchronization Outlook, Flash, and combined graph. Debut with Android 1.5.

As you can see, there is not an element of the list above, which are on all devices. If I want to pinch and zoom, I choose if I want to synchronize the calendar of Outlook, I have a choice, but if I want to as I have no choice. This situation may change in the near future, but now I can not have it all. And I want it all that Android device, which gives me everything.

The list also highlights the second fault of the OS updates. Currently, Google does not require, when carriers upgrade if you find yourself with a number of fairly mixed OS versions from 1,5 to 2,1. I understand that in the absence of such conditions reflects the spirit of Android, customers do not have to wait for months to update the OS, if they each received yesterday. I urge manufacturers and carriers to ensure a more concerted effort to these updates quickly.

Android is not perfect, I want a better Media Player, there is no native file manager, the options for hands-free calls are limited, and you can store applications in memory. But even these flaws, which I am sure will change over time, are dwarfed by landscape feature, it's all at stake. Hopefully we will see a more cohesive as time passes. There are so many things to talk about Android already, it can do better.