Amazon introduces next-generation Kindle Paperwhite e-reader

Amazon has announced an update to its popular Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. New features include a higher contrast display, a better built-in light, a faster processor, improved touch technology, and a few software enhancements.

Highlight of the new software features is integration with Goodreads, a book lovers' community thatAmazon acquired earlier this year. This new feature will allow Kindle owners to see what their friends are reading, share highlights, and rate the books they read with other Goodreads users, all from their Kindle.

Amazon is also introducing a new child-friendly mode called FreeTime, that uses built-in parental controls to give parents a way to encourage kids to spend more time reading. It lets parents hand-select books for the kids to read, and hand out achievement badges when they hit reading milestones. A progress report keeps parents updated on total time spent reading, number of words looked up, badges earned and books finished.

New Smart Lookup integrates a full dictionary definition with other reference information about a word, character, topic or book via X-Ray and Wikipedia.

Amazon is also introducing MatchBook, a service that will let customers purchase Kindle editions of print books purchased from Amazon - past, present and future - for $2.99 or less.

The new Kindle Paperwhite (Wi-Fi only) is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.com for $119 and begins shipping September 30.

The new top-of-the-line Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G is not up for pre-orders yet but customers can sign up to be notified when Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G is available for pre-order at www.amazon.com. Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G is priced at $189 is expected to ship November 5.

Earlier this year, Amazon had introduced the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader in India for Rs. 10,999. There's no word on the India price or availability of the next-generation Kindle Paperwhite.

Google Nexus 7 vs iPad mini, Kindle Fire and others

Google Inc. has announced new versions of its Nexus 7 tablet computers. It has better features and a higher price tag.

The new models are available in the U.S. starting Tuesday through Google's online Play store and the following retailers: Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Amazon, Home Shopping Network, Radio Shack, J&R and B&H Photo. A version with cellular capability is coming later with support for T-Mobile and Verizon.

Here's a look at how the new Nexus 7 compares with last year's model and other tablets with comparable screens.

Google's Nexus 7

Price: $229 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $269 for 32 GB. Add $80 for 32 GB model with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1920 x 1200 (323 pixels per inch)

Size: height: 7.87 inches; width 4.49 inches; thickness: 0.34 inch (200 by 114 by 8.65 millimeters)

Weight: 10.2 ounces (290 grams) for base model, 10.5 ounces (299 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera

Battery life: 9 hours

Operating system: Google's Android

ProsAccess to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Google's Nexus 7 (2012 model)

Price: $199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $249 with 32 GB. Add $50 for 32 GB model with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.81 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.41 inch (198.5 by 120 by 10.45 millimeters)

Weight: 12 ounces (340 grams) for base model, 12.2 ounces (347 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: Front-facing, 1.2 megapixel camera

Battery life: 8 hours

Operating system: Google's Android

Pros
Access to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Apple's iPad Mini

Price: $329 for base model with Wi-Fi only and 16 gigabytes of storage, $429 with 32 GB, $529 with 64 GB. Add $130 for versions with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7.9 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1024 by 768 pixels (163 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.87 inches; width: 5.3 inches; thickness: 0.28 inch (200 by 134.7 by 7.2 millimeters)

Weight: 10.9 ounces (308 grams) for base model, 11 ounces (312 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: 5-megapixel camera on back and a low-resolution camera on front, for videoconferencing

Battery life: 10 hours

Operating system: Apple's iOS

Pros
Unmatched access to third-party applications, high-quality Apple software and the iTunes store. High-resolution screen. Available with access to fast 4G wireless broadband networks, starting at $459.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Barnes & Noble's Nook HD

Price: $129 with 8 gigabytes of storage, $149 with 16 GB

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1440 by 900 pixels (243 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.65 inches; width: 5 inches; thickness: 0.43 inch (194.4 by 127.1 by 11 millimeters)

Weight: 11.1 ounces (315 grams)

Cameras: None

Battery life: Up to 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Expandable with microSD card. High-definition screen. Larger-screen version available.

Cons
Selection of third-party applications is small. Lacks cameras and option for cellular broadband.

Amazon.com's Kindle Fire HD.

Price: $199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $229 with 32 GB

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1280 by 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)

Size: height: 7.6 inches; width: 5.4 inches; thickness: 0.4 inch (193 by 137 by 10.3 millimeters)

Weight: 13.9 ounces (395 grams)

Cameras: Front-facing camera.

Battery life: 11 hours.

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store. High-definition screen. Dolby audio. Larger-screen version available, including option for cellular broadband.

Cons
Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. No rear camera for taking video and photos. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Amazon.com's regular Kindle Fire

Price: $159 with 8 gigabytes of storage

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1024 by 600 pixels (170 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.44 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.45 inch (189 by 120 by 11.5 millimeters)

Weight: 14.1 ounces (400 grams)

Cameras: none

Battery life: 8.5 hours.

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store.

Cons
No-frills tablet lacks camera and microphone. Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards. No option for cellular wireless broadband.

Amazon CloudFront and Route 53 add India edge locations

Amazon has announced two new India edge locations in Chennai and Mumbai for Amazon CloudFront and Amazon Route 53. These new edge locations will help lower latency and improve performance for end users in the region.

Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network, that lets users host their websites on Amazon's global network of edge locations to serve dynamic, static and streaming content. Amazon Route 53 is an enterprise-grade DNS service that lets website owners provide end users a route to Internet applications by translating human readable names like www.example.com into the numeric IP addresses like 192.0.2.1.

If you're already using CloudFront or Route 53, you don't need to do anything to your applications to take advantage of these new edge locations - requests from end users will automatically be routed to these locations for the best possible performance. These two sites bring the total number of AWS edge locations to 42 worldwide.

Commenting on the launch, Amazon said in a statement, "Many of our customers have large and growing user bases in India and surrounding countries, and our customers have frequently requested edge locations in India. The locations in India support all CloudFront and Route 53 capabilities, including delivery of your entire website (including dynamic content), live and on-demand streaming media, and security features like custom SSL certificates."

Regional Data Transfer Out pricing for India locations is cheaper than other locations in Asia, but more expensive when compared to United States and Europe.

	United States	Europe	Hong Kong, Korea Singapore	Japan	South America	Australia	India
First 10 TB / month	$0.120	$0.120	$0.190	$0.201	$0.250	$0.190	$0.170
Next 40 TB / month	$0.080	$0.080	$0.140	$0.148	$0.200	$0.140	$0.130
Next 100 TB / month	$0.060	$0.060	$0.120	$0.127	$0.180	$0.120	$0.110
Next 350 TB / month	$0.040	$0.040	$0.100	$0.106	$0.160	$0.100	$0.100
Next 524 TB / month	$0.030	$0.030	$0.080	$0.085	$0.140	$0.095	On request
Next 4 PB / month	$0.025	$0.025	$0.070	$0.075	$0.130	$0.090	On request
Over 5 PB / month	$0.020	$0.020	$0.060	$0.065	$0.125	$0.085	On request

Google Nexus 7 (2012) now available for Rs. 11,999 on Amazon India

Google launched its second-generation Nexus 7 tablet last week with an upgraded 7-inch display that now supports full-HD resolution, sports faster internals and runs Android 4.3.

While it would take some time for the new Nexus 7 to reach Indian shores, there is something to cheer about for us less lucky folks.

Online retail website, Amazon India is now offering the Nexus 7 (2012) variant at a starting price of Rs. 11,999 for 16GB model. The website has also listed the 32GB variant of the Nexus 7 tablet with a price point of Rs. 15,999.

This is a major price cut for the original Nexus 7 tablet that Google started selling in the Indian market through the Google Play Store in March, earlier this year, with a price tag of Rs. 15,999 for Wi-Fi, 16GB variant and Rs. 18,999 for the 32GB variant.

The Google Play Store is still offering the original Nexus 7 for Rs. 15,999 for the 16GB variant and Rs. 18,999 for the 32GB variant.

The original Nexus 7 tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean but will receive the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update as Google has already started rolling it out. It is powered by Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, with a clock speed of 1.3GHz. The Nexus 7 comes with a 7-inch IPS display screen with a 1280x800 pixels resolution. The other specifications of the tablet include 1GB RAM, 1.2 megapixel front facing camera and 4325 mAh battery.

Meanwhile, Google's second-generation Nexus 7 tablet 16GB model has been launched at a price point of $229 which is a $30 increase compared to the original Nexus 7, unveiled a year ago. The 32GB variant of the new Nexus 7 tablet has been priced at $269 which is again $20 more than the original Nexus 7 32GB model's price.

Google Nexus 7 vs iPad mini, Kindle Fire and others

Google Inc. has announced new versions of its Nexus 7 tablet computers. It has better features and a higher price tag.

The new models are available in the U.S. starting Tuesday through Google's online Play store and the following retailers: Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Amazon, Home Shopping Network, Radio Shack, J&R and B&H Photo. A version with cellular capability is coming later with support for T-Mobile and Verizon.

Here's a look at how the new Nexus 7 compares with last year's model and other tablets with comparable screens.

Google's Nexus 7

Price: $229 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $269 for 32 GB. Add $80 for 32 GB model with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1920 x 1200 (323 pixels per inch)

Size: height: 7.87 inches; width 4.49 inches; thickness: 0.34 inch (200 by 114 by 8.65 millimeters)

Weight: 10.2 ounces (290 grams) for base model, 10.5 ounces (299 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera

Battery life: 9 hours

Operating system: Google's Android

ProsAccess to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Google's Nexus 7 (2012 model)

Price: $199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $249 with 32 GB. Add $50 for 32 GB model with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.81 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.41 inch (198.5 by 120 by 10.45 millimeters)

Weight: 12 ounces (340 grams) for base model, 12.2 ounces (347 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: Front-facing, 1.2 megapixel camera

Battery life: 8 hours

Operating system: Google's Android

Pros
Access to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Apple's iPad Mini

Price: $329 for base model with Wi-Fi only and 16 gigabytes of storage, $429 with 32 GB, $529 with 64 GB. Add $130 for versions with cellular capability.

Screen size: 7.9 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1024 by 768 pixels (163 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.87 inches; width: 5.3 inches; thickness: 0.28 inch (200 by 134.7 by 7.2 millimeters)

Weight: 10.9 ounces (308 grams) for base model, 11 ounces (312 grams) for cellular version

Cameras: 5-megapixel camera on back and a low-resolution camera on front, for videoconferencing

Battery life: 10 hours

Operating system: Apple's iOS

Pros
Unmatched access to third-party applications, high-quality Apple software and the iTunes store. High-resolution screen. Available with access to fast 4G wireless broadband networks, starting at $459.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Barnes & Noble's Nook HD

Price: $129 with 8 gigabytes of storage, $149 with 16 GB

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1440 by 900 pixels (243 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.65 inches; width: 5 inches; thickness: 0.43 inch (194.4 by 127.1 by 11 millimeters)

Weight: 11.1 ounces (315 grams)

Cameras: None

Battery life: Up to 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Expandable with microSD card. High-definition screen. Larger-screen version available.

Cons
Selection of third-party applications is small. Lacks cameras and option for cellular broadband.

Amazon.com's Kindle Fire HD.

Price: $199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $229 with 32 GB

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1280 by 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)

Size: height: 7.6 inches; width: 5.4 inches; thickness: 0.4 inch (193 by 137 by 10.3 millimeters)

Weight: 13.9 ounces (395 grams)

Cameras: Front-facing camera.

Battery life: 11 hours.

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store. High-definition screen. Dolby audio. Larger-screen version available, including option for cellular broadband.

Cons
Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. No rear camera for taking video and photos. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Amazon.com's regular Kindle Fire

Price: $159 with 8 gigabytes of storage

Screen size: 7 inches diagonally

Screen resolution: 1024 by 600 pixels (170 pixels per inch)

Size: height 7.44 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.45 inch (189 by 120 by 11.5 millimeters)

Weight: 14.1 ounces (400 grams)

Cameras: none

Battery life: 8.5 hours.

Operating system: Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store.

Cons
No-frills tablet lacks camera and microphone. Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards. No option for cellular wireless broadband.

eBay expands same-day delivery to take on Amazon in battle for local business

eBay Inc unveiled an expansion of its eBay Now same-day delivery service on Monday as the company battles with rival Amazon.com Inc for dominance of the emerging online local commerce market.

eBay Now, which delivers products from stores including Target, Walgreen and Best Buy in as little as an hour, was launched last year in San Francisco and San Jose, California and Manhattan, New York.

eBay is expanding the service to Brooklyn and Queens in New York and to the Bay Area peninsula, between San Francisco and San Jose. Chicago and Dallas will be added later this summer and the service may expand outside the United States in the future, eBay executives said last week.

eBay's expansion comes as Amazon builds more warehouses closer to customers, which will help the world's largest Internet retailer offer faster delivery.

eBay, which does not own inventory and mostly avoids running warehouses, is partnering with retailers to create a network of existing physical stores that will, in effect, operate as mini storage and distribution hubs for online purchases.

"This is eBay's answer to Amazon getting fulfillment centers closer to consumers," said Ron Josey, an analyst at JMP Securities.

Both companies are chasing the latest frontier in e-commerce: the 75 percent of retail spending that happens within 15 miles of home.

This is a $2 trillion-a-year market in the United States that includes products suited to immediate neighborhood shopping, such as cleaning products, groceries, health and beauty items, according to J.P. Morgan estimates.

If eBay, Amazon and other companies can deliver such products quickly enough, they could grab a bigger share of this local commerce market, J.P. Morgan analysts including Doug Anmuth wrote in a recent note to investors.

Google Inc, the world's largest Internet search company, is pursuing the same opportunity through its Google Shopping Express test, which started same-day deliveries in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this year.

Palo Alto Toy & Sport, a Bay Area retailer, is on course to get about 5 percent of its sales this year through Google Shopping Express.

"It's a way to offer more than Amazon," said Miguel Natario, systems administrator at the retailer. "This gives us hope for increased sales."

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is also testing same-day delivery through its Walmart To Go program in a handful of cities.

For retailers using eBay Now or Google Shipping Express, this could help them get online orders that otherwise might have gone to Amazon.

"If you want something quick, it's even quicker than Amazon," said Matt Nemer, an analyst at Wells Fargo. "Amazon doesn't have physical stores really close to consumers, so that's an edge retailers have."

Grouping deliveries
Same-day delivery works best if online orders are grouped together from many different stores in the same area, eBay Chief Executive John Donahoe said.

"No one retailer can do that on their own," he added. "We are a consolidation point to help make the economics work."

eBay Now charges $5 for fast deliveries of online orders over $25, however Wall Street is concerned that the company will struggle to make a profit from the service.

Donahoe said that aggregating as many orders as possible from as many stores as possible in a small area will help.

"You want scale and density," he explained. "If we can consolidate 20 retailers and get 200 or 300 deliveries a day in a single area, it lowers the cost."

eBay currently uses its own couriers, however the company is testing a new approach that uses other couriers, effectively plugging online orders into existing delivery routes.

"We are testing the collaborative consumption approach," Donahoe said, comparing the new effort to Uber, a start-up that matches empty limousines and cabs with people needing a ride.

"At any given moment there's a driver two minutes away from everywhere," Donahoe said. "If we have a delivery person five minutes away from any retailer and five minutes from any consumer you can make it more economical."

This approach has the potential to lower the cost of eBay Now, according to Gil Luria, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

"eBay is paying its own couriers and they may be sitting around for much of the day," Luria said. "If they use outside couriers who are already making other trips in the area, then eBay will only pay for specific deliveries."