Soft Machine³ - Arts Tech and Other

Kindle adds native PDF reader

“Kindle, already the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product on all of Amazon.com, is now even better—with 85 percent more battery life and a built-in PDF reader,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “These two significant enhancements are available now.”

To read their personal or professional documents, Kindle customers simply email PDFs to their Kindle email address or move them over using a USB connection. Customers that prefer to have their PDF documents converted to the Kindle format simply type “Convert” in the subject of the e-mail when sending documents to their “@kindle.com” address.

Amazon also announced today that previous purchasers of the new Kindle will also receive the 85 percent battery life improvements with wireless on, and native PDF support via a firmware update automatically delivered via Whispernet wireless. Native PDF support will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle via an automatic Whispernet wireless firmware update.

This makes me very sad, because fewer suitable devices in the marketplace means a slower realization of the device’s promise for performing musicians.

The End Of The CrunchPad | TechCrunch

It was so close I could taste it. Two weeks ago we were ready to publicly launch the CrunchPad. The device was stable enough for a demo. It went hours without crashing. We could even let people play with the device themselves – the user interface was intuitive enough that people “got it” without any instructions. And the look of pure joy on the handful of outsiders who had used it made the nearly 1.5 year effort completely worth it.

Our plan was to debut the CrunchPad on stage at the Real-Time Crunchup event on November 20, a little over a week ago. We even hoped to have devices hacked together with Google Chrome OS and Windows 7 to show people that you could hack this thing to run just about anything you want. We’d put 1,000 of the devices on pre-sale and take orders immediately. Larger scale production would begin early in 2010.

And then the entire project self destructed over nothing more than greed, jealousy and miscommunication.

…

And with that, the entire project self destructed.

 

15-inch Vega android tablet incoming! | AllTabletNews

2010 is going to be quite the year for Google tablets. The first Android tablet is already on sale, but there are plenty more planned, and now another to add to the shopping list, the Vega Android tablet: a giant, 15-inch keyboardless computer with 3G and top graphics shoved in. Who needs an Apple tablet?

MICROSOFT’S TABLET: NICE CONCEPT | AllTabletNews

Based on this concept video, I’m beginning to see the appeal of Microsoft’s secret Tablet. They’re not really trying to replicate the multimedia experience that Apple may be doing and others as well (e.g., reading books, playing games, watching movies, etc.), but rather, creating something more akin to a day planner.

Notion Ink Enters Tablet Wars With Android Device | Gizmodo

Notion Ink is apparently readying an Android tablet with a Pixel Qi display—the very same that was rumored to be used in the Apple tablet. Just like at it, it’s like something from our dreams…

… a purported 48hr standby battery life… A-GPS, a digital compass, accelerometer and proximity, and curiously ambient light and water sensors. There’s even a 3.0-megapixel camera with autofocus, capable of recording video.

The MusicPad Pro from Freehand Systems comes pretty close — for $900

UPDATE: This is a not a branded Kindle and the scores are “new engravings”

In addition to its new Kindle offering, the sheet music publisher sells a stand-alone digital sheet music tablet, the MusicPad Pro Plus…  All scores consist of modern engravings rather than reprints.

UPDATE: Apparently this device is tied to their online score site

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Genre: Art Music (???)
Scored For: Piano Solo
Publisher: FreeHandMusic.com
Pages: 775
This title is not available in: China (!!!)
Product ID: 309936
Price: $27.95

This price seems fairly hefty for an elecronic edition; I’d have to see it to determine if the “new engraving” is worth it. I hope they make it easy to choose between their editions and free scores (scores scanned into such as IMSLP.org)

Lacks

• two pages up
• touch
• general touch tablet or eBook reader capability

The “two pages up” requirement is no joke. The left hand page is given no consideration for “turnability” — the right hand page is often laid out specifically to make page turning easier.

This looks like a modification to a version of the Kindle, but apparenty disables the Kindle functionality —  I see no mention of Kindle support, or general “eBook” reader capability.

A very clever device could use a combination of time keeping and video input to allow a gesture like a quick nod of the head to trigger a page turn with no hands. More practically, a foot pedal switch (such as mentioned below) could work well, and bring the cost of the whole affair down quite a bit. A basic eBook reader with a foot pedal switch should be do-able in the $200-$400 range.

• An easy to use sheet music reader in a handy tablet size. • Store your entire music library. • You can easily scan your existing sheet music into the MusicPad Pro. • Allows you to annotate and make color notes directly on the music page. • Simple pull-down menus. • MAC and PC compatible. more product images MusicPad Pro FAQs PDF Brochure (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

_   Buy our newest MusicPad Pro Plus model today,with our new high resolution screen and 4.0 software. Now only $899! MusicPad Pro Plus • Size: 13.3” x 9.9” x 1.8” (just over 4 lbs.) • Easy-to-read, low glare, touch screen • 12.1” TFT LCD back-lit, color display eliminates need for external music stand lighting • Resolution: 1024 x 768 • 64MB Flash memory, 128MB RAM • 64MB Flash memory module • Video out • Audio out • AC power and rechargeable battery • 2 USB ports (1 host, 1 device) • Built-in jack for foot pedal • Store your entire music library • Download over 98,000 digital music scores already formatted for the MusicPad Pro Plus from www.freehandmusic.com • Scan your music library into a computer and then convert • Fully annotative with zoom in and zoom out feature while writing • Add or erase rehearsal marks and notations • Easy-to-read personal on screen color notes • Extensive library of notation symbols • Text annotation via a virtual keyboard • Half-page turn option for look-ahead viewing in portrait mode • Two-page display in landscape mode • Remote easy page turning • Audio Player for MIDI • File browser and quick search • Expanded play list capability • 1-year limited warranty

Google and HTC Working On a Chrome OS Tablet | Gizmodo

Everyone is clamoring about tablets these days—ourselves included—so it’s not too surprising that Google and HTC are set to join the fray. They are reportedly working together on a Chrome OS Google Tablet.

Smarthouse, an Australian publication, reports that HTC and Google have been collaborating “for the past 18 months” and have produced “several working models of a touch tablet,” including one outfitted with Google’s Chrome OS. We wrote why a Google Tablet would be a good idea last month, and with the Apple Tablet discussion reaching a fever pitch, it’s harder and harder to get excited about a Chrome OS netbook from Google.