Wacom launches new Bamboo edition tablets

Wacom India Pvt. Ltd. has announced the launch of a new line-up of its Bamboo tablets. The new multi-touch and pen tablets are targeted at those wanting to create personalised digital content like drawings and other forms of art. The new devices will have wireless capability and are aimed at people wanting to store their ideas, thoughts or paintings in a graphic form. 

A hand at drawing, anyone?

The range of tablets includes the Bamboo Fun (medium), the Bamboo Pen & Touch (small) and the Bamboo Pen (small). The pen’s design has been improved from the earlier versions as well. However, it still maintains the 1024 pressure levels that enable users to make accurate cursor movements and handwritten notes. 

Bamboo Paper is available as a free app in Bamboo Dock (which sits on a computer’s desktop). This library of apps also includes games and tools for creating and sharing. A comparison between the three different versions is given below. 

A comparison chart

The Bamboo range is available for purchase from the 13th of October, 2011. The Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch is available for Rs. 13,500, while the Bamboo Pen and Touch is for Rs. 7500 and the Bamboo Pen is for Rs. 5,500. More details about Wacom's new products can be found here.

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Where's the Fire Amazon?

The latest to grace us with its presence is the highly anticipated Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon. What I can’t seem to fathom is why exactly any new tablet that is rumored about and then launched is somehow designated as some sort of iPad killer. It’s ridiculous in some cases and the hype in the industry just now, comparing the Kindle with the iPad, is just plain ludicrous, in my opinion.

Sure the iPad set a precedence for the industry and even I will admit that it definitely is at the top of the list with devices like the Galaxy Tab 750 and Motorola Xoom coming in at second place. I do understand that any new tablet that launches will eat into the overall market share of the “almighty” iPad, but that’s only because the world simply has another option to choose. Comparing the two devices doesn’t make logical sense. The Fire is quite clearly not in the same league even though it has quite a decent set of specs. I would however, choose to compare it with the likes of the HTC Flyer or the upcoming Galaxy Tab 8.9 which could be serious competition. Let’s just leave the PlayBook out of this to save RIM some ridicule about its poor sales figures.

What's all the fuss about?

What does the ‘over-hyped’ Kindle Fire offer that makes it a ‘worthy competitor’ for the big players? Is Amazon’s Cloud service truly that spectacular that it should merit so much attention? Or is it just because a popular brand like Amazon has entered into the fray and the community has been craving new blood? Of course the biggest question is what does all this mean for the Indian consumer? We were denied the official consumption of the Kindle e-Book Reader and had to resort to alternative means for purchase. With that in mind, we need to anticipate the chances of this device making it here just to see if it’s actually worth all the fuss. Although Amazon’s Cloud storage is available to us, it’s quite unclear whether their streaming video service and Amazon Prime will be made available even if the Fire does make it here.

The Kindle Fire is no more than a Dual-Core tablet that will no doubt be speedy and comfortable to use. I am however, looking forward to seeing the rather impressive looking UI in action which is, no doubt, the most customized UI out there apart from HTC Sense. There, I said it. But that’s about it. The lack of a camera, additional storage space and 3G connectivity makes it quite mundane, for lack of a better term. The latter feature makes the Amazon Cloud and streaming service quite redundant in a country where Wi-Fi hotspots are hard to come by and 8GB of space is not all too impressive either. Perhaps a 3G device is in the works, but that’s a big hopeful.

Suffice to say, I’m not totally impressed with Amazon’s new offering. While there’s enough to merit it with competition to the smaller tablets, I believe the iPad has nothing to seriously be worried about. There’s also the question of the ridiculously low pricing which, if it were to be sold here, would surely be a whole lot more. Keeping my fingers crossed, I estimate the Fire to be in the Rs. 15,000 price range where it will compete with the likes of the iBall Slide, the Reliance 3G Tab and the Beetel Magiq. What this specific product has the potential to do is help make future and possibly existing Android tablet prices take a further dip. As it is, devices like the Reliance 3G Tab and Magiq are already priced reasonably enough for most users to afford, and they aren’t ones you can easily ignore either.

I wouldn’t compare the Fire with the iPad, but should the Fire be made available (easily) to us on this side of the big pond, I just might consider the investment.

Motorola Xoom to get Ice Cream Sandwich, no specific date in sight

Since the day Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich was announced, every manufacturer running Android on their devices is in the race to feature the latest OS build on their handhelds. As of now, Samsung is the only company who can officially claim to feature the latest and best Android OS on their handset, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. After ICS was announced, Samsung’s competition has stepped up and said they are working to get the firmware on their devices. These companies include HTC, Motorola as well as Sony Ericsson. However, there is no official word on when this operating software would be featured on a tablet and which tablet would be the first to get ICS up and running on it.

ICS coming to Motorola Xoom

According to a page on Motorola’s support forum, discussing if the Motorola Xoom would be the first tablet to receive Ice Cream Sandwich, forum manager, Matt spoken up. According to a post by Matt, he says, “I don't know anything about if it will be first or not -- have no insight into how other manufacturers do updates -- but Xoom will get ICS. I just don't have any timing to share.”

This is the first real confirmation that a manufacturer would feature Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich on their tablet. However, as the trusted source reveals, there is no official timing given. As of now we have to just wait and watch and hope that this OS comes to tablets sooner than later.

Do you think the Motorola Xoom will be the first tablet to feature ICS? Or will it be the Asus Transformer 2 that will beat them to the delicious dessert? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Amazon now accepting old Kindles in 'Trade-In' program

The Kindle Fire is an amazing e-reader and you want it really bad, however, you already have an older generation of the e-reader and just don’t want to shell out the big bucks to pick up the newest model. Amazon has just announced a solution for this dilemma that is faced by many people by including the Kindle in their trade-in program.

Amazon offering Trade-Ins to get your hands on a Kindle Fire

According to a report by TFTS, Amazon said, “Starting today, Amazon Trade-In adds Kindles and other e-readers to the hundreds of thousands of eligible trade-in items. Amazon is constantly updating the Trade-In Program with new products. Based on customer feedback, Amazon learned that a lot of customers are interested in trading in their used Kindles and other electronics to upgrade to something new.  With the launch of the new $79 Kindle as well as Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire, we expect many customers will be excited to upgrade to one of these new Kindles.”

In the Trade-In program one can get as much as $29.25 for an original version, up to $47.50 for the Kindle Keyboard 3G and up to $36.25 for the Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi. However, these prices may vary depending on the condition of the e-readers as well as accessories included. For more information on the Trade-In program from Amazon, click here.

Kindle Fire due to sell millions, hit with patent suit

Amazon's $199 Fire sparks supply, margin questions

The rock-bottom price of the new Kindle Fire tablet computer is raising questions about Amazon.com Inc's ability to keep up with demand and the device's effect on the company's already razor-thin profit margins. Amazon's billionaire Chief Executive Jeff Bezos unveiled the Fire on Wednesday at a lower-than-expected price of $199. Bezos said Amazon is making "millions" of the tablets, without being more specific. However, he urged customers to pre-order the device early. "When Bezos quipped that people should get their pre-orders in quick, that wasn't just a sales pitch," said Brian Blair, an analyst at Wedge Partners. "That was him warning this will sell out." When the first Kindle came out in 2007, Amazon hadn't made enough and the e-reader sold out in less than a week. That meant the company missed out on sales and got the device into fewer customers' hands, limiting quick adoption.

"I hope they learned their lesson from the last time," said Vinita Jakhanwal, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, which tracks electronic component supply chains. Amazon spokeswomen didn't respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Amazon has lined up about four to five million screens for the Fire in the fourth quarter, which is a "fairly significant" amount, Jakhanwal added. However, the technology that is being used for the Fire's screen has been around for at least a year and already has been produced in high volume, reducing the chances of supply shortages, Jakhanwal said.

It's all about demand and supply

One of the components that was in shorter supply in the first half of 2011 was the 10-inch screen, mostly because of the iPad, according to Bradley Gastwirth of technology research firm ABR Investment Strategy. "This is probably one of the main reasons why Amazon started off at the 7-inch form factor," he said. Still, other specialized components may be in short supply and that could limit how many Kindle Fire's can be made quickly, Jakhanwal said. Other components aren't known yet, according to Wedge's Blair. But he expects a re-run of 2007, with the Fire selling out quickly. Colin Sebastian, an analyst at RW Baird, kept his Amazon tablet sales forecasts the same on Wednesday on concern about potential supply issues. He expects two million to three million units to be sold this year and four to six million next year. Amazon has better data on consumer demand and supply chains than it did in 2007, said Scott Devitt, an analyst at Morgan Stanley. "But the $199 price point could drive heavy demand, so supply issues are possible and something to consider," he added. Part of Apple Inc's success with the iPad and other products was driven by the company's tight control of its supply chain, which ensured it got enough parts before rivals.

"Apple's supply chain, production and distribution capabilities provide a competitive advantage over Amazon, which may find it difficult to produce more than a few million Kindle Fires for the holiday season," said Gene Munster, an analyst at PiperJaffray. MARGINS The Fire's $199 price has Munster and others concerned about profit margins at Amazon too. Amazon always competes aggressively on price, often sucking up losses when it enters new markets. The company is currently branching out in several new areas and its profit margins have suffered. Apple enjoys gross profit margins over 30 percent on the iPad. That's partly because the company offers digital content cheaply to promote purchases of such devices. In contrast, Munster estimated that Amazon will probably lose about $50 on each Kindle Fire it sells.

Anthony DiClemente, an analyst at Barclays Capital, expects Amazon's pro-forma operating profit margin to be 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter, down 160 basis points from a year earlier. Still, Amazon hopes to make up any losses on the Kindle Fire through extra purchases of the company's other products and services made by users of the device. Morgan Stanley's Devitt cites the example of ebooks. The Kindle Fire may increase purchases of digital books, hastening the demise of physical bookstores, he explained. That would "lead to an industry with fewer merchants and thus higher long-term margins," Devitt said.