Amazon Kindle App Store Download Terms Restrict Developers

Posted by Editor on Jan 22, 2010 in Amazon Kindle, Tablets

Engadget and Daring Fireball point out the Amazon’s recently announced app active content store is going to make it nearly impossible for developers to add any sort of internet connectivity without incurring hefty download fees. So let’s see, 16 shades of gray, limited motion and no connectivity. Fuuuun.

We were wondering how Kindle’s impending active content (read: apps) would be harnessing that free Whispernet bandwidth. As it turns out, there’s just a smidgen allowed for gratis. According to the terms laid out by Amazon, there’s a 70 / 30 revenue split, with that smaller percentage going to Bezos and co. “net of delivery fees of $0.15 / MB.” The price tiers is a little simpler: apps can be free if their download over 3G is less than 1MB and they use less than 100KB per month, per user.

Apple Works with AT&T and Verizon on Tablet Carrier Deals

Posted by Editor on Jan 22, 2010 in Apple, Tablets

Some new reports from Gadgetcrave and Fox News on the all-important carrier deals being worked on by Apple for its iPad/iSlate/tablet computer.

It’s Friday, January 22 and in this young year of 2010 that can mean only one thing: we’re going to have to end off the week with one more Apple tablet rumor. Sorry. The tablet is likely to be carried by AT&T. No surprise there, since that’s where the iPhone’s been [stuck] all along. The second part of the report is where it gets somewhat interesting: Fox states that Verizon may also be carrying the tablet. The report cites sources at both Verizon and AT&T as confirming that they’ll split the duty of covering the tablet. It then goes on to clarify that both companies are currently in discussions with Apple and that a final deal has not been negotiated with either.

So will it be Verizon? AT&T? Or both? A lot of frustrated iPhone users would likely welcome a switch to a new carrier, since there are a host of complaints about AT&T’s coverage and handling of the phone (tethering, anyone?) The AT&T part isn’t surprising, given early reports that the tablet would rely on HSDPA, a feature used by AT&T that, according to company spokesman Mark Siegal, “effectively doubles the speed of our 3G network.” Besides, AT&T is already a high-profile partner of Apple, as the carrier of choice for the iPhone.