Dethroning the iPad from its place atop the tablet world will be no small feat. As our own Jill Krumsick documented early this year, Apple has a staggering lead in tablet market share. While competitors Samsung, RIM and Motorola have leveraged their experience and brought considerable marketing budgets to bear, they still find themselves falling far short. Nobody has even made a noticeable dent in iPad dominance.

Source: ChangeWave Research

Many people believe that where so many others have failed, Amazon will succeed. It could be said that Amazon’s current Kindle is already iPad’s stiffest competitor, even though it’s not technically an apples-to-apples comparison (pun intended). While Amazon tends to be tight-lipped regarding exact sales figures, many reported numbers as high as 8 million units during 2010. Compare that to just fewer than 15 million units for Apple, and it sure looks like a solid number two in the market to me. Really, Amazon doesn’t need to depose iPad. There is plenty of room with consumers for both products. The tablet pie will only continue to grow as more users decide to go mobile and leave their old PCs behind. Competition always makes products better, and Amazon and Apple will continue to push each other to innovate.

So what about some specs on this mystery product? According to sources, the upcoming tablet release will feature a 7-inch color touchscreen with a 10-inch version planned for 2012. The tablet does support multitouch gestures similar to an iPad. It is rumored to have a mini-USB port. Alas, no camera for all you shutterbugs out there. However, the real news is that while the device is based on a flavor of Android, Amazon has forked the open-source operating system and created its own version. The interface is branded Amazon and looks little or nothing like the Android interface of other tablets. This would make sense for Amazon, which wants to enter the market on an established platform. Android already has a thriving developer community and a catalog of apps for download. But the Amazon team wants to have more control over their environment, and that is exactly what forking Android does for them. All future releases of the Kindle tablet will be based on this new source code, and if Amazon decides to incorporate later releases of Google’s software, it will be on their terms and behind the scenes.

There are several reasons why this venture into tablet computing makes sense for Amazon. First of all, the Kindle has been a huge success as Amazon’s initial hardware offering. While content remains their primary business, they have found a way to make the hardware profitable as well. Sales for the device continue to top Amazon’s electronics category. Also, Amazon has learned a great deal from the Kindle about streamlining production costs. The entry-level price point for a Kindle has continued to become more attractive, dropping to $114, which is very reasonable for the average consumer. It would stand to reason that the e-commerce giant could expect similar sales from a Kindle-branded tablet device. Rumors abound regarding the expected consumer cost for the upcoming device, but some have it as low as $250. At half the cost of the iPad, it is attractive enough for serious buyers to take a long, hard look before making a decision on any tablet purchase.

Cost is not the true advantage for the Amazon tablet. After all, Samsung and other competitors have already entered the market with prices below Apple. The edge that puts Amazon above the rest is the existing content delivery infrastructure. The success of all Apple iOS products has been largely dependent on the integration of iTunes and the App Store. No other manufacturer has such a massive content network in place to support their hardware…until now. Amazon already has relationships in place with publishers of all media types. They have a massive user base already shopping over their network. And they now have a fully integrated Amazon App Store. Amazon is poised like nobody else to compete directly with Apple at every level.

Related articles:

• Is Amazon’s Knife Sharp Enough to Carve into the Tablet Market?
• Amazon App Store for Android Reportedly Live Outside U.S.
• Amazon App Store Opens to Australia, Canada, Europe, More
• New Amazon Kindle Tablet: A Threat to the iPad?
• Amazon Site Redesign Is Final Puzzle Piece for Kindle Tablet
• Amazon’s Kindle Tablet Won’t Be for Geeks
• How “Open” Will Kindle Tablet Be?
• Amazon to Launch 7? Android Tablet for $250 in November
• Kindle Tablet Thoughts and Wondering What It Means for Kindle 4

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The most important Internet-capable device in your life may very soon be your television. The Web is poised to invade your living room and revolutionize the way we consume media. Companies like Apple and Google have introduced products this year that transform the way we watch television. What these Internet-capable set-top boxes provide is what has always been the promise of the Internet, convenience. Traditional television is clunky and difficult to manage. It requires users to conform to the rules of the content providers. Who today has time to plan their lives around an 8:30 p.m. time slot on Thursday nights? Streaming video allows users control over their television viewing. People want to watch what they want and when they want it. People also want choice. Online video gives viewers this freedom in ways that traditional media can’t. Devices such as Apple TV allow users to stream online video instantly and on their own terms.

The company known primarily for search announced Google TV at this year’s Google I/O. It promises to be a very interesting addition to your living room media cabinet. As with their Android mobile operating system, Google has chosen to focus on the platform while allowing others to create hardware to run its new TV-centric software. Google TV provides streaming services such as Netflix and Pandora along with a TV-friendly Internet browser. You can already purchase devices running Google TV, such as the Logitech Revue or Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player, or even built into a standalone TV, such as the Sony Internet TV.

Apple, on the other hand, prefers to be the master of its own hardware with Apple TV. The Cupertino-based computer giant launched the second generation of its set-top box at their September Keynote. The software/hardware integration allows virtually flawless syncing with iTunes along with your iPhone or iPad. Also, Apple TV is running a version of Apple’s mobile iOS, which means we could be seeing an iPhone-like app store for the set-top box in the near future. This is a long way from the device that Steve Jobs originally called just a “hobby” for Apple.

Apple is in a slightly better position than Google to take advantage of this new streaming video reality. Beyond the obvious advantage of hardware compatibility, they have a history of working with content providers with products such as iTunes and iBooks. Networks are less skittish when dealing with Apple’s closed and controlled ecosystem than they are with Google’s open platform, with its promise of free online use. But Apple and Google aren’t the only players in this market. The Roku Player, while still relatively unknown, beat both of the Internet giants into the market and has a very loyal, if small, following. It also features extremely competitive pricing and a tiered system of hardware choices. And let’s not forget about the stealthy Internet-capable devices that you likely already have connected to your television. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have very quietly positioned themselves to compete in this new space with their gaming consoles. Reports show as many as 21% of Americans already use their video game console to watch television and movies, including streaming online content from providers such as Netflix. In fact, Nintendo has admitted that it sees Apple as its main competitor in the coming years.

With the ever-increasing availability of broadband connectivity, online streaming video has become more and more prevalent. Yet, major networks are already fighting to prevent these new devices from distributing their content. ABC, NBC and CBS have all made moves to block their otherwise free online content from being distributed over devices such as Google TV. However, if we have learned one thing from similar attempts by the record industry and publishers, it’s that the people’s will will be done. Apple and Google have both recognized the need for Internet platforms attached to your television. These channels will reach users across millions of devices that are not traditional computers or laptops as any of us currently know them. Picture a person browsing the Web while sitting on their couch. Perhaps they use a tablet to read online articles, search for the latest episode of their favorite television show from their phone and then use the phone or tablet as a remote to watch the video on the living room TV set. That day is already here and, as always, the technology is simply waiting on the content providers to catch up.

Despite hesitancy from some, it is a fact that streaming Internet video is the future of television. All that remains to be seen is how content providers react to the current trends. The smart ones will embrace the new shift in viewing habits and find ways to extend advertising and other revenue-generating models to online. In this sort of race, it’s very frequently those who act fastest that thrive. It’s also likely that we will see fresh and new content providers that are built on a sleek, low-budget model that is designed specifically for this type of environment. These newcomers will likely thrive in the new world of streaming video. Because of this drastic change in media consumption, marketers will have to act quickly to make sure their brands stay relevant in this space. Without a comprehensive digital strategy, it will be easy to get lost in the noise. Because if there is one thing that the freedom of the Internet also delivers, it’s parity. When everyone’s voice is heard equally, it’s much harder to stand out. Digital presence no longer just means a website, but exposure across multiple web platforms: blogs, social media, search, display ads, podcasting and, yes, online video.

Photo by tanakawho

By now everyone is aware of the anticipated announcement tomorrow by Apple. Rumors are flying and it seems everyone has a “reliable source” that can confirm that the new Apple tablet will have a 10 megapixel camera powered by pixie dust. Wild speculation might be fun, but I will be abstaining in this article. Instead, I would like to focus on my wish list. The below are features that very well may not be included in the final design, but I feel would be invaluable in any computer with a touch-screen tablet form factor.

1. Accessibility to 3G/4G network – The true value of the iPhone is in having a computer available and connected to the Internet at all times. At least that’s the theory; AT&T isn’t exactly the most reliable network in the world. With only a wifi connection, any tablet would be severely handicapped. On the other hand, I’m not sure I’m willing to pay another monthly rate to a wireless carrier for connectivity. The tablet should follow the Kindle model and incorporate free wireless subsidized through content purchases.

2. USB port(s) - Apple will try to convince me that a 30GB hard drive is all the storage space I would ever need. They’ve been trying to convince me that I don’t need storage for years and I’m still not buying it. The ability to connect to an external hard drive is a must. I want to be able to have instant access to all of my media. A possible solution could be a polished streaming app that would allow me to connect to my external iTunes library, but until I see that app a USB port is a must.

3. Ability to pair with Bluetooth keyboard/mouse - 80% of all my interaction with any tablet would be through the touch screen, however there are times that I need to be able to quickly type up an article or create a complicated spreadsheet. In this kind of situation a virtual keyboard is still cumbersome and frustrating. I firmly believe that we will eventually move away from traditional keyboards as an interface device, but we aren’t there yet.

4. Removable battery - This one I can guarantee will not be included. Apple favors longer battery life over interchangeable batteries. Maybe they are right, but that doesn’t stop me from coveting my cake and wanting to eat it too. A removable battery unchains me from electrical outlets for a theoretically unlimited amount of time. Alternately, the internal battery should at the very least be able to stand up to a full day of moderate to heavy use without needing to be charged.

These are just the tippy top of my wish list items for this device. All I want, really, is for Apple to make all of my wildest dreams come true. That’s not too much to ask right? But seriously folks, Apple rarely gives users exactly what they want. In fact, what makes Apple so special is finding innovative solutions to problems that transform the way people think. I’m sure this new product will be no different.

Movies are one on the only things that should be listened to in surround sound. When audio engineers sit down to record the sound track to a movie they spend a lot of time trying to make it feel as if you are immersed in the film. This can be done with little things that make a big difference, a bird chirping behind you, or a car driving by on a busy street passing from front to back. At the same time if this is over-done then it can be just down right distracting. One of the most common mistakes made when hooking up a surround system, just as often by a professional as a consumer, is turning your side and back speakers up too much. This will became more of a distraction then anything else.

Music should never be played in surround sound. If you are watching a live concert on Blu-Ray then you may be able to get away with this, but if there is no video to go with your music then never use the surround modes and under no circumstances should you ever use the BULL S@#* mode 5 CH stereo.When an engineer sits down in a studio with an artist his goal should be (notice I said should) to make as clean of a copy as he can that will also make the listener feel as if the music is being played right in front of them. Stereo is the way to pull this off. When you are listening to music on a stereo set up, it should sound like there is a third speaker in the center playing also. You should hear the main vocals if not directly in front of you, off to one side or the other just slightly, as if they were trying to make it sound like they stand when they are playing live.

This might sound like something that only high-end, high-dollar gear can pull off. It’s not, I have been able to get some stock radios in cars to pull off some amazing stereo effects If you just work with the settings a little and you are listening to a good recording. The recording is the most important part of this process. Most of the brand new stuff I have heard recently is not the best because of the iPod Generation. We have lost a lot in recording quality because, lets face it, we can’t get great quality out of a credit card-sized device. Some of the stuff I like to show off with is music from about 10 years ago. My favorite is Sister Hazels Somewhere More Familiar, look for Starfish at the end of the album. Also you can never go wrong with Counting Crows August and Everything After. For some cool stereo effects with the drums look into Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and their bonus track. Now dust off some of your old CDs, close your eyes, and just listen.

I have owned many video game consoles in my life. The original Nintendo Entertainment System was not my first video game console, nor the last. But like so many gamers who have continued to carry on with childish things into adulthood, this is the system that cemented, for all time, my love of the medium. No other system is remembered with the nostalgia of this one. Emulators abound on the intrawebs for die-hards that, twenty years later, still can’t get enough of Ninja Gaiden or Metroid. I dare anyone to take a poll of 30-something males and tell me how many can recite the Contra cheat code by heart.* Nintendo is a shared experience. Very few American households during the 80s were without at least the basic console. Most had some of the more outrageous accessories as well (The Power Glove was, in my opinion, simultaneously the coolest and most useless of these). Gaming is now mainstream entertainment. Last month Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million copies within the first 24 hours of it’s release. This translated into a staggering $310 million, which makes it the beggest-selling launch in entertainment history. Notice I said entertainment, not gaming; video gaming has officially crossed over. The biggest movie debut of all time? The Dark Knight, which grossed $155.3 million in it’s opening weekend. The biggest book debut? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with a paltry $170 million. True, the video game sold for a higher price than a movie ticket or even a hardcover book, but it’s also worth mentioning that fans are willing to spend the extra money for this title. So now that gaming is no longer regulated to the basement TV set, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory-lane and reminisce about the moment in time when gaming became cool.

The NES was launched in 1985 and revitalized the video game market after the crash of 1983. Designed by Masayuki Uemura, it was Nintendo’s first venture into home gaming; however, Nintendo had a secret weapon named Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto first found success as a game designer with the arcade hit Donky Kong where he introduced us to a diminutive mustachioed hero named Mario. Miyamoto was not trained as a game designer, but rather as an artist and storyteller. He, more than any other person, has shaped and established the world of modern day gaming and his creation, Super Mario Bros., catapulted the Nintendo Entertainment System into it’s status as a pop-culture icon. While there are several reasons why the NES captured our imagination, content, as always, is king and the games for the system are what endeared it to every child who ever played it. Here are a few of my favorites:

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: It’s laughable in retrospect how fun this game was. It wasn’t really a sports game, but more of a puzzler. I can still tell you the number of hops needed before the punch in order to stop Bald Bull in his tracks. The fact that the cartoonish charicture boxers played to every racial and ethnic stereotype imaginable didn’t even phase the twelve year old child glued to the TV. I’m not sure just what it was about the implausible story that captivated us, but it did. And all these years later the young at heart still love this game.

Tetris: Tetris wasn’t invented for the NES, but the world’s most famous console introduced it to a throng of brick puzzle-hungry gamers. To this day this is the NES game my wife proclaims that she enjoyed the most. Tetris was the gateway drug for an entire generation of gamers.

The Legend of Zelda: Designed by the great Shigeru Miyamoto, this is quite possibly the best video game of all time. I still remember the drive home from the store in my parents 1984 Toyota Camry. I remember unwrapping the packaging and the excitment of seeing the gold cartridge. I love gaming, but this is the only game that has ever had the kind of impact on my life that is usually reserved for the higher arts such as literature, or cinema. The immersive world, the etheral music and the challenging gameplay combined to deliver the most amazing gaming experience possible on the platform.? More than any other game, The Legend of Zelda gave us a taste of things to come.

Nintendo changed the world and paved the way for the high-powered gaming consoles we know and love today. Anyone who doesn’t recognize gaming as a force in the entertainment community is deluding themselves. That power is in no small part due to the visionaries that created this classic system and the games that made it the best video game console of all time.

*up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start

For those of you looking to pick up a set of Bluetooth headphones The Bluetrek headset is available at a very reasonable price. Just keep in mind that most of the time you get what you pay for. In this case what you pay for is the Bluetooth receiver and the 3.5mm jack.

If you have a great pair of earbuds ready to plug in and don?t mind tossing the included headphones in the junk drawer, then you won?t be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are more interested in some rocking headphones, best steer clear of the Bluetrek duds?they are mediocre at best. My main complaint with them is not the sound, although it is lacking, but the form factor. The neck loop/cord is cumbersome and the safety clip in back seems cheaply made. I?ve never been a huge fan of the in-ear headphones, so these did not impress me. I know some people swear by the in-ear style, but I find them uncomfortable. Bluetrek themselves seem to view these as a throw away item since the included headset is not even featured in their advertising for the product.

The receiver itself is quite useful. It is built into a mono headset that can be used to answer calls. A mini USB port attaches it to the 3.5 jack that is compatible with any stereo headphones. The 3.5 jack can be unplugged and the receiver plugged into a wall adapter, which is included, or a full-size USB charger for quick laptop charging. Also included is a car charger, which makes charging on the go very convenient. According to the manufacturer’s tech specs claims the receiver achieves a range of 10 meters. This seems accurate, however, the signal becomes intermittent when blocked by even minor obstructions.

Overall, the stereo receiver is well worth the price of admission, just be sure to have your favorite headphone ready to swap out. Check out the specs on the Bluetrek website or purchase them on Amazon.

Most everyone who has an iPhone loves it. But human nature compels us to wish for more. There are some very specific applications and functionality lacking in the native OS. Apple would have us believe that jailbreaking your iPhone makes you a bad person. Personally, I believe that once I purchase a piece of hardware I am entitled to do whatever I want with it. However, part of what makes apple products so unique is the way software and hardware works together in such harmony. So the question remains, is a jailbreak worth the trouble?

Let?s examine jailbreaking and what advantages it offers.

Apple maintains absolute control over the App Store and the applications that are available for download. The single biggest advantage to jailbreaking your phone is several applications that provide desired and some believe necessary functionality. Let?s examine:

1. Categories ? My number one complaint with the current iPhone OS is how difficult the multiple home screens are to organize. The Categories app allows you to put your applications in folders. Suddenly your nine home screens can be consolidated into just two, or one.
2. PdaNet ? AT&T has been promising us the ability to tether since the inception of the iPhone. Given how long it took to come through with MMS functionality, I wouldn?t hold my breath if I were you. PDA Net creates a wireless modem to use in pinch.
3. Winterboard ? Wouldn?t it be nice if when you set your iPhone wallpaper it actually behaved like a wallpaper? With this app you have nearly full control over the customization of your phone. Change the dock, adjust native app icons? No problem.
4. Spotbright ? The new spotlight search feature released with the 3.0 firmware upgrade was handy as an app launcher. Spotbright takes it a step further by queuing your six most recently used applications for easy launching.
5. Cycorder ? Are Those of us still using the 3g iPhone any less deserving of video functionality? The iPhone camera has always had the ability to shoot video and Cycorder unlocks that feature for the rest of us.

All of these features are handy and even downright useful, but don?t be fooled. Jailbreaking isn?t all sunshine and daffodils. With the great new functionality comes a certain amount of bogginess that you just have to live with. Jailbreaking modifies the core OS, it?s major surgery for your phone. Anytime to make these kind of modifications there are bound to be side effects. My phone has been jailbroken twice and each time crashes and sluggish performance increased over the factory settings.

So, is it worth it? I?m afraid you will have to make that decision yourself. Apple maintains that hacking the hardware in this fashion violates copyright law, although most agree that this is an absurd position. And of course, hacking your phone could void your warranty, so do so only at your own risk. For the adventurous among us that do want to give it a try, you can find detailed instructions here.

Photo by Guldfisken

With the release of the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX more people than ever are making the switch to a digital reading device. eBooks have been around for a long time, but what the market lacked was a delivery system. Amazon has endeavored to fill that void.

The Kindle’s price point still remains too high for anyone but technophiles to justify the purchase. While I have no doubt that Amazon is committed to bringing the highest quality product to market, it’s not a hardware shop. Jeff Bezos has turned online retail into a science and he’s done it by making it easy for people to find what they want. What he’s done with the Kindle is slightly more ambitious. Amazon selected a product with little demand, in this case digital books, and created a demand for them.

The book industry is behind when it comes to digital delivery. The music and film industry were/are resistant to digital content in an open web world; how are Putnam, Scholastic and other publishing houses going to handle the transition. Amazon was founded as a book retailer, so they are in a unique position to use existing publisher relationships to help ease the pains of digital child birth. Ideally the Kindle can serve as a transitional platform. It’s closed system makes it a little more palatable for publishers while they implement new digital strategies that take into account the inevitable shift to web revenues.

With sales of netbooks strong and persistent rumors of a new Apple Tablet it is doubtful the Kindle will be able to compete other than as a niche product. The largest advantage Amazon has is a valuable lead in content. The Kindle may never be a household device, but it’s popularity with the digerati has proven that digital books and premium content is a viable business. Amazon could best serve it’s business model by allowing the existing hardware companies to compete for the best reader and focusing on being the leader in digital content delivery.

Amazon has created a tremendous product, but like most products that serve only one function it’s usefulness will likely be short-lived. The genius of Kindle is not the device itself, but instead the method. Bezos created a market where there was none before. This act places him and Amazon among a very select few leaders in the industry that can impose their vision upon the consumer. The Kindle has caused the market to react and users to take notice. No matter the future of Amazon’s eReader, the eBook is here to stay.