Review: Kindle Oasis (2017)

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

2017 marks the 10th year anniversary of the Kindle eBook reader which is truly one of the revolutionary inventions of our time.

Amazon's Kindle ushered in the era of eReaders, which have made it possible to simulate the visual quality of paper on an electronic device capable of carrying thousands of books and documents but which is thin and surprisingly light.

The early Kindle was a beast by today's standards. It tried to do too much. It came with a QWERTY keyboard, a web browser and probably an e-mail client. This was at a time when smartphones were BlackBerry devices and not iPhones, so you get the idea.

Click to read more ...

Amazon Prime video app finally comes to Apple TV with 4K UHD content

Amazon today announced the Prime Video app is available on Apple TV 4K and previous generations of Apple TV in over 100 countries.

Prime Video customers now have even more ways to stream award-winning and critically-acclaimed titles including Amazon Original Movies, Prime Originals and Hollywood blockbusters and TV series on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV. Amazon’s library of 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) High Dynamic Range (HDR) titles are available on Apple TV 4K.

“Amazon Prime Video is one of the most eagerly anticipated apps to come to Apple TV, so we’re excited to bring all of that great content to customers,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The Sports tab in the Apple TV app makes it even easier for fans in the US to track the teams, games and moments that are important to them. With these exciting updates, plus our growing collection of 4K HDR movies on iTunes, we continue to deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience to Apple customers.”

Click to read more ...

Microsoft and Qualcomm aim to make good on 'Windows on ARM' with slew of 'Always Connected PCs'

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The pipe dream for personal computing has been Windows PCs running on super efficient processors that can enable devices to last for days, not just hours. We've had the original Surface RT devices, which were unable to run Win32 apps. There have also been various tablet-first 2-in-1 devices running on ARM procesors but they never delivered on the promise of longer battery life or acceptable performance. This is about to change in a big way.

Microsoft and Qualcomm kicked off these new generation 'Always On' PC's during Qualcomm's Tech Summit in Hawaii today. Designed to last for up to 20 hours on a battery charge and featuring Windows 10 S (upgradeable, of course, to Windows 10 Pro), devices like HP's Envy X2 and ASUS' Novago are expected to be the hot new ultraportable segment in mobile computing.

Click to read more ...

Large Fitbit OS update brings new apps and functionality to Fitbit Ionic

Whiile it is a reliable and stylish fitness tracker, the Fitbit Ionic may have seemed anemic as a smartwatch. That's changing today thanks to the new Fitbit OS update. we're now seeing apps for home automation, entertainment, news and much requested clock faces. I am currently installing the update with a Windows 10 PC connected directly to the Fitbit Ionic using the companion app. I'll post impressions as soon as I've spent some time with the new OS.

Available throught the Fitbit app on Android, iOS and Windows, the update adds more than 60 apps now available across a wide range of categories, 100+ clock faces, and enhanced performance.

Fitbit is also introducing Fitbit Labs, a Fitbit Research initiative that will bring innovative apps and intelligent clock face experiences to users to motivate and drive behavior change, and help accelerate the company’s pace of innovation.

Additionally, Fitbit is partnering with Deezer, the world’s most dynamic, diverse and personal music streaming service, to provide international users the ability to listen to music directly from their wrist with Fitbit Ionic in 2018.

Click to read more ...