Archive for January, 2010
Sunday, January 31st, 2010 42 views
What do Stephen King, Hilary Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oprah Winfrey have in common? Apart from being a bit scary of course. The answer is that they have all, in different ways, provided good publicity for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.
Oprah Winfrey was first. As long ago as 2008 she announced that the original Kindle was her “favorite new gadget”. She also interviewed Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO and founder, on her show and gave the Kindle a glowing testimonial. Amazon’s marketing team must have been ecstatic.
Worl best selling author, Stephen King, wrote a special novella – “Ur” – to mark the release of Amazon’s updated reader, the Kindle 2, in February 2009. The plot, without giving the story away, was centred of the Kindle itself and what happened when an English teacher bought a Kindle for himself after breaking up with his girlfriend. King read an extract from the book live on stage at the official launch of the Kindle 2. More good publicity for Amazon.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his role as Governor of California, introduced a program to make free digital textbooks available in Californian schools. The program, which has several stages, was first introduced in August of 2009. It appeared that, in the case of digital textbooks at least, the future had arrived quicker than many people expected it to. At the end of the day, if Arnie thinks that they’re a good idea who’s going to argue with him?
Also on the subject of education, the New Democratic Leadership Council, a Washington think-tank of which Hilary Clinton is a member, released a white paper entitled “A Kindle In Every Backpack”. The paper outlined the benefits of introducing electronic books and e-book readers into the in the U.S. education system. Whilst the report acknowledged that other devices could be employed the fact that the Kindle was not only referenced at various points within the document, but even included in the title, was fantastic publicity for Amazon.
The above examples are no more than four snapshots of the kind of exposure the Kindle reader has benefited from. During 2009, the Kindle generated a great deal of publicity, mainly for itself but also for e-book readers as a whole. It’s not too hard to understand how the Kindle has managed to achieve a 60% share of the e-book reader market in America.
There are now a lot of companies with their own e-book readers on on offer. Whilst many of these include technical specs which, in some areas at least, outperforms Amazon’s Kindle, there just doesn’t seem to be the same buzz about any of them that existed, and to a large extent still exists, around the Kindle. It really is difficult to imagine where the Kindle Killer is going to come from – unless it’s the next Kindle upgrade itself of course.
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Saturday, January 30th, 2010 41 views
The organisers of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, being held in Las Vegas have, for the first time ever set aside a dedicated area for e-book readers. It’s hardly surprising – there are at least two dozen different manufacturers displaying e-book readers at the event.
The heightened level of interest, both from the public and from electronics manufacturers is no big surprise. After all, 2009 was a bumper year for e-book readers. And there’s every indication that 2010 will be even better.
There&rsquos little doubt that a great deal of the credit for this heightened awareness of e-book readers in 2009 should be given to Amazon&rsquos Kindle reader. The Kindle 2.0 launch in February, swiftly backed up by the launch of the larger DX version in June, created a great deal of publicity for e-book readers in general and for the Kindle in particular.
The Kindle rapidly went on to become Amazon&rsquos number one selling product and, during the festive season of 2009, the Kindle became Amazon&rsquos most gifted product ever. Kindle book sales had been running at 35% of all book sales (where a Kindle edition existed). On Christmas day 2009, for the first time ever, Amazon sold more Kindle books than traditional books.
The market for both e-book readers and e-books had been firmly established and now looks likely to enter a period of exponential growth.Currently, Amazon has a 60% share of the American market and Sony has 35%. Clearly there are plenty of other manufacturers who want their slice of the pie. On the face of it, they will have a difficult time considering the dominant position of Amazon – but the market is new and developing rapidly. Rapid expansion seems probable in the near future and the right product at the right time could change everything in an instant.
Apart from electronics manufacturers, there are other parties who have a vested interest in the growth and development of the e-book reader market. Third party manufacturers who produce various accessories – reading lights (e-book readers are not back-lit), covers, chargers, screen protectors etc. – are also benefiting from a market that, as little as a year ago, was simply not in existence. At the moment, Kindle accessories are, understandably, dominant, but as new readers begin to make inroads in the market these will, no doubt, also be catered for.
This is going to be a very successful year both for e-books and e-book readers. Next year’s Consumer Electronics shows will certainly incorporate a dedicated e-book reader section – but it will probably be somewhat increased in size in comparison with 2010.
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Friday, January 29th, 2010 54 views
Golf is the sport of kings, or so they say. At the very least, you should have a good amount of money to buy the equipment and pay club dues for the golf courses. The basic theory pertaining to the game is simple. Knock a ball using a stick so it goes in the hole. No game is ever so perfectly simple, though. Golf is usually enjoyed on open-air courses, with targets hundreds of meters away from the tee, and studded with hazards to make any progress exciting. Needless to say, novices need as much assistance as possible to have a positive experience with the game. Golf Buddy Pro GPS.
Golf GPS systems are the latest tools to help you to impress your golf buddies. These helpful devices are stuffed with a wealth of knowledge perfect for the weekend duffer, the US open player, and everybody in between. You can find many GPS-based devices, like watches and plain positioning modules, but these are designed only for golfers using a course. They aren’t much use on a driving range: a golfer doesn’t need GPS when driving balls from one location.
Golf GPS systems are designed to do their jobs out in the open, so as as result they come with independent power sources. You are likely to play for a few hours on the golf course, particularly with all the discussion time, so you need a gadget which comes with a long battery life. A GPS system is only of value when it’s on, after all. They are normally the right size to slip into a large pocket, or to be clipped to the waist.
LCD displays are an important aspect of golf GPS systems. The display image differs with every new model and manufacturer, but they are similar in the way they offer facts and numbers useful to someone playing golf. Consequently, they are appropriately large, high-resolution, bright and anti-reflective, which helps you read them even out in the open under the bright sun. Golf Buddy Pro GPS.
The data available to these golf GPS systems is the technology responsible for making these devices possible. The most basic downloadable data is simply coordinates which mark the holes on golf courses. More sophisticated data packages will give you aerial and satellite photos that allow you to see hazards behind the bushes, so you are able to plan ahead and select the correct club. Different companies produce particular data packages, so a person who is going to acquire one of these needs to find out the type of detail they want. You should be aware that several manufacturers also call for subscriptions to download the data packages, while others will not.
Equipped with course coordinates and GPS functions accurate down to centimeters, Golf GPS systems can analyze distances to and from hazards and holes. This information could help you plan your route, select the perfect club, and come in under par for a rewarding time on the green. More advanced applications of GPS technology can offer you your shot yardage, weather reports, and more. Remember to look at the complete capabilities of any model prior to paying for it, since all golf GPS systems are not designed to be equal. Golf Buddy Pro GPS.
When it comes down to it, skill shall still be the prerequisite of enjoying a successful golf experience, but golf GPS systems can be almost as useful!
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Thursday, January 28th, 2010 61 views
We live in the world where the progress is advancing with rapid strides. It seems that the first computer appeared several centuries ago, but in reality, it was not so long ago. We can’t imagine our lives without all those household appliances we use every day. We cannot imagine our lives without Internet and all great opportunities offered by it, we couldn’t give up mobile phones and mp3 players – all this has become an inalienable part of our lives. However, did you ever think of where it all came from and how it was made?
Rapid prototyping is a process of a layer-by-layer production of 3D models of any product elaboration process. This process has several other names known mostly to those who are into RP: solid freeform fabrication (SFF), 3D printing, additive fabrication, 3D modeling, layer-by-layer manufacturing are all the names of one and the same rapid prototyping process.
What is rapid prototyping process actually meant for? The main advantage of this technique is the creation of a potential product model. This form is usually needed to study and foresee possible reaction of the customers on the product under investigation, it also gives an opportunity to calculate the profitability of the potential merchandize, which becomes obvious from the popularity of the product, which can be foreseen as it has been already mentioned.
The word &lsquorapid&rsquo can often be misinterpreted. It does not mean that the process is carried out fast. It usually takes from several hours to several days to create the prototyping model, because due to the disadvantages found in the process, the model is redone several times, after elimination of all minuses.
Rapid prototyping technique helps to fulfill accurate models, without any additional treatment like tooling. RP machine receives a signal from a computer, which by means of a special application creates an RP model. This model is cross-sectioned. It means that the virtual image consists from imaginary layers casted off by a program; these layers are removed by the computer are layered by the machine, which creates a rapid prototyping model building up layers by means of a laser technology.
The model can be created from a large diversity of materials. The most applicable materials are rapid prototyping wax, RP powders and liquids, metals, paper and other material. Due to the layer-by-layer technology, RP machine creates shaped model without additional need to improve them.
Specialists of different professions like medics, engineers, surgeons, dentists, architects and artists, presently use RP technology. This technology helps them to understand the mechanism of work of different equipment used in their sphere.
Having so much advantages, rapid prototyping technology or solid free form fabrication is a really great innovation setting up the interconnection between producers and consumers.
Are you aware that rapid prototype can solve lots of tech problems about your business? Learn more about what rapid prototype is and how rapid prototype services can help to meed your technical needs.
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