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    Pentax unveils ridiculously small Q – the smallest interchangeable lens camera in the world

    Gadgets Team
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    Pentax unveils ridiculously small Q – the smallest interchangeable lens camera in the world

    While interchangeable lens cameras have all managed to shrink in size in the past couple of years, they’re still relatively bulky compared to smaller, slimmer point and shoots. Well, that was before Pentax unveiled their Q interchangeable lens camera, which they tout as being the smallest of its kind in the world. We believe that claim – the Q approaches absurd levels of tiny-ness, yet is still able to pack a whole lot of features into its tiny, adorable frame. If it wasn’t obvious yet, the Q can take different lenses through its Q mount (the Q ships with Pentax’s prime kit lens 8.5mm, with 5 more lenses coming by next month) and offers almost the same level of control that’s available in full size DSLRs. While the Q uses a smaller sized, CMOS sensor (1/2.3-inches) than the A-PSC sized ones on proper micro-four thirds cameras it’s still able to deliver 12.4 megapixels worth of image resolution.

    The Q also sports a couple of notable features including the ability to shoot in RAW as well as a couple of other formats, ISO sensitivity of up 64000, a shutter speed range of 30 – 1/2000 seconds and a hot shoe for external flash devices and 3-inch TFT color LCD monitor. You get all of that in a body that measures 98 x 57 x 31mm and barely tips the scales at 180 grams. We’ll get a review up as soon as we get our hands on a unit. The Q will retail for Php 39,990.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Pentax Q/]

    Time to play with the new Sony Xperia PLAY available in the Philippines

    Gadgets Team
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    Time to play with the new Sony Xperia PLAY available in the Philippines

    Finally, the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is in the Philippines and well within the reach of those grubby little gamer hands that are itching to play… with their phones. (We’ll give you a our first impressions REAL soon.)

    Sony Computer Entertainment and leading game publishers have provided top gaming titles preloaded and available for download from the Android Market.  A limited time exclusive agreement with EA Mobile will bring EA SPORTS FIFA 12 on Android.  The game will be available to the device worldwide by the holiday season.  Sony Ericsson has also partnered with Tozai Games to bring the critically acclaimed console hit and gaming franchise “Lode Runner” to Android for the first time.  From November 2011, it will be available exclusively on Xperia PLAY and other Xperia devices.

    A new partnership with world renowned Square Enix will bring much loved titles such as “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” exclusively to Android on Xperia PLAY in November 2011.  Even more hit titles from Square Enix will follow in the coming months.

    The Xperia PLAY runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), which was developed with gaming as one of its strategic focuses.  Coupled with the 1 Ghz snapdragon processor and the Adreno 205 GPU, the phone delivers powerful and smooth graphics at 60 frames per second.  This high-performance smartphone also expresses Sony Ericsson’s human curvature design language, fitting perfectly in one’s hand whether taking calls, surfing the web or gaming.

    The smartphone offers a 5.1-megapixel camera with auto focus and geo-tagging, Google Services, sound recorder, Noise Shield, Sony Ericsson Music Player and also supports conference calls, document readers and document editors.  It also features the Sony Ericsson-exclusive Timescape, an application which allows users to view all communications from one contact such as SMS, calls or emails in one go. It also comes with a car charger, screen protector and leather case.

    “The Xperia PLAY is primarily an Xperia Android smartphone that will have widespread appeal to a number of consumer audiences including casual and enthusiastic gamers,” said Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson General Manager.  “A pre-loaded application will enable users to easily discover and download titles that have been optimized for game play on Xperia PLAY, access recently played games and see information about the games they have downloaded.”

    The Xperia PLAY in the Philippines comes preloaded with the following game titles:  Bruce Lee, Crash Bandicoot, FIFA 2010, Madden NFL 11, Star Battalion, and The SIMS 3 and is priced at Php 19,990.

     

    Apple 4S event video now available online

    Gadgets Team
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    Apple 4S event video now available online

    If you haven’t had enough of iPhone 4S news from last evening’s event, you’ll be happy to know that Apple has put up the whole event on their site to be viewed by everyone with an internet connection (and QuickTime installed, naturally). Now you can see how Tim Cook fared during the event and how well Siri really works. You can point your browsers to this link, and remember, you need to have QuickTime installed to be able to view the whole thing.

    Apple announces iPhone 4S, same on the outside, all new on the inside

    Gadgets Team
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    Apple announces iPhone 4S, same on the outside, all new on the inside

     

    Well, it seems that the stars have not aligned today to give us the iPhone 5, but nevertheless, today’s event in Apple’s campus saw the unveil of the iPhone 4S, and while it’s essentially the same as the old iPhone 4 on the outside, it’s all new on the inside. Let’s dive in, shall we?

    Processor and performance

    The device now sports a dual core, A5 chip that Apple says delivers 7x faster graphics than the old iPhone 4. One of the main advantages of this is obviously gaming – a demo of the new Infinity Blade 2 game was delivered by no other than Mike Capps, the president of Epic Games. The initial reports that we hear was that the device performed perfectly which makes the 4S a great platform for eye popping mobile games.

    Camera

    The new device also sports a new, 8 megapixel sensor for the camera (3264 x 2448, 60% more pixels than the previous iPhone) which the company says allows the device to gather 73% more light than the previous model. Other notable specs for the new camera are 5 element lens, 30% more sharpness and a f/2.3 aperture. The new camera is also pretty fast – the 4S takes just 1.1s to take a photo, and half a second to take another shot. The new camera is also able to take 1080p HD videos.

    Antenna

    Another redesigned part of the 4S is the new antenna – which now intelligently switches between the two antennas between transmit and receive. The new antenna also makes it possible for the 4S to have faster downloads using HSDPA, with the device being able to acheive a 14.4 Mbps downlink, as opposed to the 7.2 Mbps on the iPhone 4. Hopefully Apple has also fixed the antenna issues aka no more grip of death.

    Siri

    Another new feature is Siri – an intelligent personal assistant that helps you get through the day via voice recognition. It seems that Apple has managed to nail this one right on the head – Siri is able to understand questions phrased naturally and respond accordingly – during the Siri demo, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing asked Siri a couple of questions, like what is the hourly forecast and if he needed a raincoat today. Both times, Siri responded intelligently, answering his first query with a detailed weather forecast and a simple “It sure looks like rain today” answer for the second question. Siri is also able to do location searches and other stuff, like placing alarms when you ask her to (“Wake me up tomorrow at 6am”) to finding a great Greek restaurant in Palo Alto (Siri responds by finding 14 restaurants, sorted by rating, through Yelp). Obviously you’re not getting that much data from being offline – it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll need to be connected via the web to be able to use Siri, but from what we’ve seen, it’s more than worth it. Siri will be available in English, French, and German.

    Battery life

    Of course all of these features will have to come at cost to battery life right? Well, not really. Apple’s quoting 8 hours of 3G talk time (which stretches to 14 hours when using just 2G), 6 hours of browsing, 9 hours on WiFi, 10 hours of video and 40 hours of music.

    Price

    The iPhone 4S retails for $199 for the 16GB version, $299 for the 32GB version and $399 for the 64GB version, all on a two year contract in the states, which basically puts it in the same price point with the iPhone 4 when it launched.

    Availability

    No local date as of yet, but it will hit the US, Canada, Austrailia, UK, France, Germany and Japan on the 14th, with the device landing in 22 more countries by the 28th, and 70 countries by the end of the year. Apple is calling this their fastest rollout ever.

    Source: This is My Next, Engadget

     

     

    iOS 5 is coming on Oct. 12

    Gadgets Team
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    iOS 5 is coming on Oct. 12

    Fresh from today’s Apple event is the announcement of iOS 5, Apple’s newest OS for its suite of mobile devices. Like every iOS update, there’s a huge list of improvements to be had, but we’re just going to enumerate some of the notable ones:

    • Notifications come in from the top, you can swipe down and access it ala Android
    • iMessage service, which is basically like BBM for iOS and is coming to all iOS devices
    • Game Center App, kinda like XBOX Live for iOS, lists achievements, has social functionality for you to share for your friends
    • Deeper Twitter integration for devices – say goodbye to multiple sign-in pages, plus you can now share pictures to Twitter from your photos
    • Updated camera functionality – a double tap on the home button allows you to take a picture, volume up button also allows you to take a pic while in the camera app
    • A new, location aware Reminders app, which..reminds you things you need to do depending on your location (if you’re near your bank for example, it tells you to pay the bills)
    • Multiple mail updates
    • PC Free device activation and wireless iOS updates

    All of these nice improvements are coming to all iOS devices come Oct. 12, so mark your calendars!

    HTC acknowledges security vulnerability, promises a fix soon

    Gadgets Team
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    HTC acknowledges security vulnerability, promises a fix soon

    HTC has acknowledged the existence of the security vulnerability that was recently found by the Android Police, and has issued a public statement regarding the matter. The company advises users to stay away from unknown third party app developers for now, until the issue can be resolved with an update.

     

    HTC’s Public Statement

    “HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws. So far, we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.

    HTC is working very diligently to quickly release a security update that will resolve the issue on affected devices. Following a short testing period by our carrier partners, the patch will be sent over-the-air to customers, who will be notified to download and install it. We urge all users to install the update promptly. During this time, as always, we strongly urge customers to use caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.”

    Microsoft’s Zune music players are now officially dead, lives on in Phone 7

    Gadgets Team
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    Microsoft’s Zune music players are now officially dead, lives on in Phone 7

    Ah the Zune. It was Microsoft’s answer to the Apple’s iPod, and many a tech-geek’s device of choice when going against the tide of iPod fanboys. Alas, Microsoft has finally put the last nail in the coffin of the oft maligned device, and have stated on the Zune support page that they will no longer be producing Zune players, with the company stating that they would be channeling their mobile music and video strategy to Phone 7 going forward. What does this mean for current Zune owners? Nothing really – your device will still be supported by Microsoft and will still be eligible for Zune updates, and the company reiterates that it will still honor warranties for the last devices sold.

    Source: Zune Support Page

    Review: Toshiba Qosmio X770

    Gadgets Team
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    Review: Toshiba Qosmio X770

    Toshiba has been making their Qosmio line of entertainment notebooks for years, but it’s only recently that they decided to shift their sights from the entertainment crowd to gaming. Sure, you could say that the Qosmio line has always been capable of serious gaming, but while they did have the specs to run the latest games, it’s only now that they’ve decided to actively cater to the gaming scene. The Qosmio X770 is one of the three new notebooks that they’re offering for the gaming crowd (the other two being the F750 and the F750 2D) and is the subject of our review for today.

    Like any good gaming notebook, the Qosmio X770 is big. It’ll take up about  413 x 274 x 28mm worth of space, and registers a backbreaking weight of 3.34 kilos. It’s equipped with a 17.3-inch full HD display that’s capable of 3D via NVIDIA’s 3D Vision solution. The whole notebook is treated with Toshiba’s new Fusion X2 Finish which the company says repels smudges and prints better than gloss designs. While we weren’t a fan of the somewhat gaudy design (web speaker grills, really?) we would have to agree on the whole repel fingerprints part of the equation.

    Being an absolute behemoth of a notebook, the X770 has enough room for a full size keyboard, complete with a keypad on the left. There’s a whole manner of ports and plugs for those who need them: 4 USB ports, HDMI out, Ethernet, audio and D-sub. A Bluray disc player is also included. There’s a touch sensitive shortcut bar near the hinge that allows you to do a variety of things like turn the 3D effect on/off, control the volume, play media, turn off WiFi and so on. The keyboard feels good and has good travel, though some keys feel a bit mushy to the touch. The keyboard is also illuminated, so people who game with lights off won’t have to type by touch.

    Hardware-wise, the the X770 is a beast. Under the gaudy black and grey hood purrs an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor that’s running at 2.0@GHz. Graphics is provided by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX560M (1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM) mated with 8GB of DDR3 memory. Storage is done by way of a 1TB, 7200RPM HDD and audio is provided by a pair of Harman Kardon speakers with a built-in subwoofer.

    To properly gauge the performance of the Qosmio X770, we’ll be using 3D Mark 11 to get a rough estimate of the notebook’s number crunching abilities. We’ll also be trying out a few games including Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, as well as the open beta of this year’s highly anticipated shooter, Battlefield 3.

    We tested the X770 against 3D Mark 11 using the performance preset (1280 x 720) and got a score of P2245, which is pretty decent, but was far from what we were expecting given the device’s specs and capabilities. Gameplay tests with both Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and the multiplayer beta of Battlefield 3 yielded better results – with Battlefield 3, the Qosmio X770 managed to nab an average of 26 FPS with everything on high and the resolution set to 1920 x 1080, which is actually pretty good, considering the game is still in beta, and we were using unofficial NVIDIA drivers (more on this later). Need for Speed Hot Pursuit fared better, with the device registering an average of 60 FPS with the resolution on 1920 x 1080 with the settings on high.

    It’d be obvious by now, but if you haven’t guessed yet, battery life is dismal. You’d be lucky to get more than an hour’s worth of performance with this particular device. Again, mobility isn’t the point of this device – performance is. Audio performance is top notch, with the built-in subs adding an extra oomph to engine revs in Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and explosions in the Battlefield 3 beta.

    With the device scoring high marks in gaming performance, there still are a few issues that need to be addressed, with two being the most important when it comes to gaming notebooks: driver support and bloatware. Like many other notebooks, the X770 uses a non-generic version of NVIDIA’s GTX560M GPU, which means that the X770 won’t accept driver updates from NVIDIA’s site. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but since the X770 is a gaming machine, drivers updates are critical – both NVIDIA and ATI frequently comes out with updates to their drivers that improve game performance, so it’d would make sense to make driver updates as painless as possible. You can still do driver updates (without waiting for Toshiba to come out with their official drivers), though you run the risk of breaking a few features along the way (Stereoscopic 3D, etc.).

    Bloatware has always been an issue with Toshiba notebooks, but that doesn’t mean that they get a free pass with it. Seriously, nothing is worse than buying a high-end machine and gaming with it, only to be taken out of the action by a pop-up because you haven’t updated such and such.

    When it all comes down to it, should you buy the Qosmio X770? If you’re the type that wants to drop in and play games, the X770 might not be the device to get, especially since you will have to jump through quite a few hoops to get the right drivers running. But if you’re the sort who doesn’t mind mucking around to make things work, then the X770 should be right up your alley. Of course, that’s assuming you’re willing to pay Php 129,990 for it.

     

    What’s Hot:

    Powerful hardware

    Excellent sound

    Full 3D HD performance

     

    What’s Not:

    Heavy

    Pricey

    No direct update from NVIDIA for drivers

    Has quite a bit of bloatware

     

    Bottomline:

    Though the Qosmio X770 is Toshiba’s first real stab at the lucrative gaming market, and to be fair the company has done quite a few things right. If you’re a fan of Toshiba and have the cash to drop, then you might want to consider it.

    Buymeter: 8.2

    Tech Specs:

    • Screen Size: 17.3-inch Full HD
    • Memory: 8GB DDR3
    • CPU and chipset: Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0@GHz)
    • Physical Dimensions: 413 x 274 x 28mm
    • Warranty: 1 year on parts and labor

     

     

     

    Windows 7 finally surpasses XP

    Gadgets Team
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    Windows 7 finally surpasses XP

    With all the talk about Windows 8, it’s easy to forget that one of Microsoft’s most iconic operating systems, Windows XP, is still the company’s best selling OS. Or, more accurately was – Windows 7, also known as the OS that Vista should have been, has now officially overtaken  XP in market share, according to web tracking company StatCounter. Windows 7 has managed to bag 41 percent of the marketshare, with XP sliding just below with 40 percent. MAC OS X is chugging along at 7 percent. It’ll be interesting to see how Windows 8 changes the dynamics of the current stats, seeing as some users aren’t happy about Microsoft’s implementation of the Metro UI.

    Source: ZDNET

    The 2011 Ig Nobel Prize Winners include scientists that invented a Wasabi Alarm

    Gadgets Team
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    The 2011 Ig Nobel Prize Winners include scientists that invented a Wasabi Alarm

    Often times, the best way to spark our interest is to touch on the lighter side of life, and this is what the Ig Nobel Prize is about. The awards are given to recognize accomplishments in the fields of science, medicine and technology that may initially seem bizarre, yet have hidden potential. In fact, the ceremony’s motto is: Research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.

    The most notable Ig Nobel winner with real world applications is in the field of chemistry. Japanese scientists Makoto Imai, Naoki Urushihata, Hideki Tanemura, Yukinobu Tajima, Hideaki Goto, Koichiro Mizoguchi and Junichi Murakami of Shiga University were able to successfully identify the best density of wasabi when airborne, in order to determine how it can wake up hearing-impaired individuals from sleep during an emergency. Their research resulted in the creation of the silent Wasabi Alarm.

    The secret behind the imaginative system is allyl isothiocyanate, a compound in the Japanese horseradish that emits a unique  odor that can be perceived even when one is asleep.“Wasabi odor is useful as a fire alarm to deaf people who failed to wake up with a conventional mode such as sound, vibration or flashing light,” said Makoto Imai, professor of psychiatry at Shiga University of Medical Science.

    Other winners include a group of researchers who stumbled upon an Australian male jewel beetle that likes to get “intimate” with beer bottles, and Mirjam A. Tuk, whose research seems to support that decision making is improved with a full bladder. Several scientists were also honored for”teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations” in response to their mistaken predictions of the world’s end.

    If you’re interested in the complete list of the Ig Nobel Prize winners, visit Improbable Research.

     

    Source: Japan Today, Improbable Research

    NBA 2K12 now available for the PS3, better than current lockout

    Gadgets Team
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    NBA 2K12 now available for the PS3, better than current lockout

    Bummed out about the possibility of no NBA games for the entire year? Well, turn that smile upside down, sports fan, as you’ll be able to dunk basket’s to your heart’s content come Oct. 7 – that’s when NBA 2K12 will be available for sale for PS3 owners for Php 2,799. If you’re not a PlayStation owner yet but still want to play as iconic legends of the sport like Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you’ll be happy to know that you can pick up the PS3 NBA 2K12 Bundle pack for Php 18,798  for the 160GB version and Php 19,798 for the 320GB version. You can even try the game with Sony’s PlayStation Move controller, with the Move bundle that’ll retail for Php 4,499.

    Globe and Proudcloud brings innovation via Startup Weekends

    Gadgets Team
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    Globe and Proudcloud brings innovation via Startup Weekends

     

    Globe and ProudCloud, a Philippine-based web engineering firm is infusing innovation to the local tech scene via Startup Weekend Manila, a 54-hour event where developers, designers, marketers, technopreneurs, and venture capitalists come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startup businesses. The event aims to bring together the right people together, be it entrepreneurs interested in receiving feedback for an idea, developers looking for backers or even company heads looking to pick up a new skill.

    Over 100 participants are expected to join Startup Weekend Manila which will be held on October 21-23, 2011 at the Mint College, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Participants will have the opportunity to be acquainted with one another, pitch startup concepts they are passionate about, and form teams around the most popular ideas. They then refine the ideas and start building product prototypes with the help of their respective mentors, and then present what they have accomplished in the form of a short pitch and demo.

    “Globe is once again pioneering innovation by bringing the Startup Weekend to the Philippines. This global innovation exercise seeks to showcase the best ideas, talents, and resources for future businesses,” said Minette Navarrete, Head of Globe New Business Group. “We encourage individuals who have the passion for innovation to take this opportunity to be part of a global movement towards ideation and technological excellence.”

     

    Detect hazardous chemicals via armband

    Gadgets Team
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    Detect hazardous chemicals via armband

    Maybe it’s all the Fringe TV episodes I’ve been watching that’s got me all paranoid but here’s a neat little gadget that may just save you from being poisoned by odorless gas lest some biochemical warfare take place (ok maybe it really is just the paranoia talking).

    What was once designed for military use can now be utilized by regular albeit paranoid civilians (like myself). The Morphix Chameleon is an armband designed to detect poisonous gases in the air and requires no power or calibration. It can withstand a variety of environments like heat, cold, and tropical conditions.  It can detect several types of gases: Ammonia, Sulfur Dioxide, Phosphine, Phosgene, Iodine, Hydrogen Sulfide, Hydrazine, Dioborane, Chlorine/Fluorine, and a variety of high pH and low pH gases.

     

    Source: Morphtec

     

    Android Police: HTC Android phones have a “massive security vulnerability”

    Gadgets Team
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    Android Police: HTC Android phones have a “massive security vulnerability”

    The Android Police claims that owners of HTC’s EVO 3D, EVO 4G, Thunderbolt, etc. running the latest version of HTC software should be concerned of a security vulnerability that grants any application with Internet access entry to users’ valuable private information.

    The threat was found by Justin Case, Trevor Eckhart and artem Russakovskii of the Android Police. They claim that a set of logging tools included by HTC collects info from users phones, but also opens a a backdoor for hackers, thereby allowing them to access data such as email addresses, user accounts, GPS location, text message data and phone numbers.

    Additionally, the trio also discovered a “suspicious” app named androidserver.apk, which they say essentially allows third parties remote access to the phone. While they cannot confirm its real significance, the app’s mysterious nature is still on their watchlist.

    After discovering this vulnerability, the Android Police contacted HTC on September 24, and after five business days of no reply, they promptly decided to publicly release their findings, as per the RFPolicy. Since this potential vulnerability has reached the public sphere, HTC has yet to release an official statement or promptly address the issue with a critical update.

    According to the Android Police, the list of compromised data includes but is not limited to:

    • List of user accounts, including email addresses
    • Last known GPS location and history of previous locations
    • Phone numbers from the phone log
    • SMS data, including phone numbers and encoded text
    • System logs, which track everything your running apps do
    • System information, including build number, bootloader version, CPU info, running processes, list of installed apps, battery info and status, and network info, including IP addresses.

    To view the complete findings, go HERE

    (Update: HTC has released a statement saying: “HTC takes our customers’ security very seriously, and we are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible. We will provide an update as soon as we’re able to determine the accuracy of the claim and what steps, if any, need to be taken.”)

    The Kindle Fire costs $209.63 to make, Amazon taking a loss for every device sold

    Gadgets Team
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    The Kindle Fire costs $209.63 to make, Amazon taking a loss for every device sold

    We’ll be honest, we’re extremely curious how Amazon’s able to offer their 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire at such a rock-bottom price. It seems that the answer is pretty simple: Amazon is taking a slight financial hit with every device sold. IHS iSuppli estimated that the Kindle Fire cost $209.63 to make. Couple that with the associated shipping and handling cost to get the device to the hands of consumers, then it’s clear that the company is taking a big gamble with the Kindle Fire. To be fair, this is a common strategy for manufacturers to make – when the XBOX 360 and the PS3 came out, both Microsoft and Sony were also took hits, and sold their consoles at a loss, making up for it with licenses from developers to make games for their platforms. It’ll be interesting to see if Amazon’s device is able to stimulate sales of its digital content and physical goods in its store in the next few months.

    Source: Reuters

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