iPad vs Kindle

On the surface, Apple’s soon to be released iPad and Amazon’s already available Kindle appear to service the same market: eBook readers.

Amazon’s Kindle is available in two varieties. There’s the smaller screen US$259 6″ (15cm) Kindle, and the larger US$489 9.7″ (25cm) Kindle DX. Both have the same feature set, so the US$230 price difference just buys you more screen real estate. I’ve listed the prices there in US dollars because that’s what Amazon will charge you for them even though you’re shipping them to Australia. As such, depending on how the currency conversion goes, the price of the Kindle may fluctuate on a daily basis.

The local iPad prices have finally been set in stone. Pricing for the WiFi-only models starts at $629 (16GB), $759 (32GB) or $879 (64GB), while the 3G and GPS equipped version costs $799 (16GB), $928 (32GB) or $1,049 (64GB). As yet, unlike the iPhone, no carrier has said they’ll sell the iPad on a phone-style contract basis, but data plans have popped up starting at $20 for a 30 day expiry period. That’ll get you 1GB of usage from Telstra and 2GB from Optus. At the time of writing, Vodafone had yet to commit pricing, but it’s not a great stretch to suggest they’ll fall somewhere in line with Telstra and Optus anyway.

In the Kindle’s favour, the cost of the device includes lifetime wireless data access for browsing and buying books from Amazon’s Kindle bookstore. Pick a title, and pretty much anywhere in Australia it’ll be sent to your Kindle for quick and easy reading. In the US, the Kindle also offers limited web browsing, and will shortly offer Twitter and Facebook compatibility, but the “International” model doesn’t offer web browsing, so it seems unlikely we’ll get Twitter or Facebook either. The Kindle uses an e-ink solution that mimics the look of real paper — to a certain extent — and uses very little power. Charge your Kindle up, and it’ll last a number of weeks.

The iPad, on the other hand, uses a more traditional LCD display, as you’d find in a notebook or netbook. This has the downside that power consumption is much higher, but it’s readable by itself without any external light source. It’s also a much more capable device, somewhat akin to — but not quite like — a notebook or netbook. It doesn’t come with free lifetime data, but then what you can do with that data is far more wide reaching.

The iPad is somewhat akin to an iPod Touch with a touch of Frankenstein to it, and as such most iPod Touch/iPhone Apps will run on it, save those that need phone or camera functionality. It’s a more complete device in that it’ll handle a lot of simple computing tasks, but only one at a time. Like the iPod Touch/iPhone, there’s no multi-tasking capability out of the box, although the promised 4.0 iPhone software update due later this year may deal with some of those woes.

The iPad’s likely to be more expensive than the Kindle for the foreseeable future, although the difference between the Kindle DX and iPad 16GB isn’t that great after currency conversion and GST are taken into consideration. The Kindle hits the eBook market quite hard and with focus, and if all you’re after is an eBook reader, it’s the one to beat in single use terms. There are plenty of competitors in the wings. The iPad’s an eBook reader, but also quite a bit more, and it’s priced somewhat accordingly.

Remember when tech did one thing well?

Well, forget about it. It’s abundantly clear that, for better or worse, tech gear is going to be loaded with as many features as possible, whether or not they serve a useful purpose. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t, but there’s no shortage of multi-purpose devices.

The most obvious upcoming example of this would have to be Apple’s iPad, but here in Australia we’ll have to wait a while to properly assess how well or poorly it handles the multi-function job of ebook reader, music player, web browser and portable Street Fighter IV machine. Apple announced mid-April that the originally touted “late April” release date was going to slip to late May, because it had sold so well in the US. We’re even meant to be happy about this. The official statement from Apple reads:

“We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason—the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far.”

Yeah, whatever. Some companies are just plain weird.

The iPad isn’t the only converged device on the block, however. The most obvious tech area where converged devices play is in home modems and routers. The combination of router and modem’s something that most vendors have offered for some time, and there’s an emerging trend to add even more functionality to the router, including USB ports for sharing printers or files, VoIP compatibility and even inbuilt displays to give to an instant health check of your network and Internet connection.

Telstra’s also just taken the wraps off its latest converged device, the T-Hub. Looking rather like an iPad on steroids, it combines a DECT wireless phone and base station with a Tablet-style device that can be used for making calls, keeping up with social media contacts, texting and photo display.

It’s a neat idea, and it’s certainly capable of a lot more than a standard phone handset is, but at the same time, it encapsulates the dangers of converged devices. Yes, it’ll do a lot. But it’s limited only to Telstra customers who also have BigPond accounts. It’s limited to the applications that Telstra’s got pre-loaded onto it, and naturally Telstra applications predominate. Quite how well it’ll handle complex Web pages, such as those with forms or Flash is entirely unclear.

Finally — and this is the real catch of a converged tech device — it’s a putting all your eggs in one basket style device. If it goes awry, as tech is wont to do, then there goes your phone line. Your photo frame. Your easy Net tablet.

That’s not to say it’s a bad buy per se. It’s worth balancing the convenience of a converged device — fewer boxes to manage, a single interface to deal with — against the issues that it may introduce if things go wrong, or if you work out that there’s a feature that it doesn’t do as well as a dedicated device may have.

2010 Technology Trends

2010 is upon us and unfortunately, the decade of the ‘noughties’ has passed quicker than any of us could have anticipated. I mean, wasn’t it just yesterday that we were scuttling around trying to protect ourselves and our computer systems from the Y2K Bug? Amazingly a complete decade has passed since the now laughable problems of Y2K. In that time, huge strides have been made in the area of electronic gadgets and technology, especially when it relates to the Internet. I have compiled a short list of technology trends that are expected to hit us in 2010. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a ‘things to look out for in 2010′ kind of list so read on:

Increased Use of Cloud Computing Technologies

Cloud computing is most likely a term that you have heard bandied about in magazines and technology programs. The average computer user will not know what it is, but basically it is a term that is used to describe a cloud of services that any business, person or entity might use to share information between people and computers. These services include things like data storage, computer power, file back ups, telephony, messaging and more.

In 2010, major tech companies plan to move forward with cloud computing initiatives and so it is very likely that businesses will also latch onto and make the most of what cloud computing can provide them. IBM, Cisco and EMC have all spoken publicly about boosting what they offer in the way of cloud computing.

A Switch from Netbooks to Smaller Mobile Devices

Netbooks skyrocketed in popularity over the past 3 or so years. Netbooks are said to be popular because of their mobility (they are extremely lightweight), their simplicity and the speed within which they can connect to the Internet. The downside to Netbooks, is that although quite small, they are not as portable as a PDA or mobile phone. 2010 is expected to introduce devices that will overtake Netbooks in popularity. These devices will be smaller than Netbooks yet slightly larger than PDAs. The Apple Tablet is one product that will be launched and various manufacturers are planning PC versions of the Apple Tablet.

The Availability of 3D Technology in the Home

Home entertainment manufacturers are planning to make 3D technology increasingly available in the home. An increasing number of 3D movies were released in 2009. These 3D movies will soon be offered on DVD and Blu-Ray for home audiences. Enjoying this technology and making the most of it will most likely require consumers to purchase 3D capable TV screens, along with the 3D versions of DVDs. Keeping up with this trend will require a considerable financial investment, so only you and your family can decide whether it’s worth it.

Considering a Mac?

Mac computers are the popular computers made by Apple Inc. The Mac brand has been on the market for many years now. It has a long history of competition with IBM and Microsoft corporations. In fact, it was one of the first ever personal computer brands in existence. The Mac computer has evolved in the design of its hardware as well as in the advances of its software. Mac is one of the most distinct brands in personal computing.

Apple provides a huge range of Mac desktop and laptop computers. More recently they offer small netbook-like computers as well. The Mac that you choose will basically come down to your purpose for buying the computer and how you will use the computer on a daily basis. Some of the most popular models are Mac Pro, Mac Mini, the MacBook, the iMac and the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is a fairly new model. It is tiny in comparison to your average laptop and it is described as being ultrathin and ultraportable with a processor that pushes the limits.

The important thing to know about a Mac computer is that a Mac is a Mac. Unlike PCs, Mac computers are only made by Apple. When you purchase a Mac laptop or desktop, you can know that all parts and all aspects of that computer were developed and manufactured by Mac. PCs are a lot different. You can have a PC monitor, keyboard and tower all created by completely different companies and they will all work together mostly without problems. Only you can judge which of these set ups you prefer and which is more beneficial to you as a computer owner. If you want brand integrity and assurance about who is behind the product you are using then Mac is the company to buy from.

Apple retail stores exist in major cities all around the world. If you have an opportunity to visit one of these stores they can provide you with a great opportunity to test and check out the Mac that you are thinking of buying. Most Apple stores are highly interactive and allow you to actually use and play around with the display equipment provided in the store. In addition to this, Apple has a great web site that is very resourceful and full of well laid out information that is easy to find.

As with all purchases, ask around and talk to people that are already using a Mac computer to find out what type of experience they have had using it. Ultimately you have to make the decision for yourself because you will be the one using it on a daily basis. However, if a product has a reputation for having flaws or errors, it is great to learn of this before buying rather than after you have spent huge amounts of money.