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Will the Kindle Fire threaten to burn the iPad?

Here's the holiday question everyone will be asking: now that Amazon has an Android tablet that can play movies, games, music, and color e-books for less than half the price of an iPad, is Apple's tablet in danger this holiday season?

In short: no, not yet--at least, that's my opinion.

However, I would expect Amazon's super-Kindle to be one of the most compelling tablet purchases next to Apple's own iPad, and the reason has to do with comfort. Here's why.

Brand recognition Amazon has a big thing going for it with the public's identification with the Kindle. However, Apple's iPhone/iPad recognition is even bigger. Amazon's branding alone will comfort the tablet-apprehensive and lead more people to consider color tablets as e-readers.

Price This is obvious, but the Kindle Fire's barn-burning price of $199 is $300 less than an entry-level iPad, which could be a huge factor for cash-pressed shoppers--or any shopper, really. We don't know the full extent of what the Fire can do, yet, but its apps, games, media playback, and portability could offer up more than enough value for the dollar for many.

Changing the definition of tablet Amazon will likely continue what Barnes and Noble started with the Nook Color: labeling tablets as evolved e-readers rather than laptop alternatives. It's a fine point, but $199 is more of a gadget impulse buy than the computer-level $499 start price of an iPad. If Amazon's Fire succeeds, then in a year or two we may be defining tablets in terms of a different price expectation.

However...keep in mind these considerations, too, which still play in Apple's favor. … Read more

FliteHub at crux of programmable cloud, advertising

This week, cloud-based advertising company Flite will be launching FliteHub, an ad component marketplace allowing brands and agencies to include applications directly in advertisements.

According to Flite CEO Will Price, advertisers can use FliteHub to "program" their ads via application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable deeper integration and dynamic updates based on metrics, location, or other criteria. For example, if a movie studio wants to push an ad that includes showtimes, theater information, and ticket purchasing, it can easily adjust it to better target customers in real time.

Display advertising remains one of most profitable Internet businesses, with … Read more

Retailers offering discounted PlayBook tablets

Let the BlackBerry PlayBook sale begin.

Best Buy's Canadian Web site and Staples were the first retailers to offer steep discounts on Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet. Staples is selling the low-end 16-gigabyte model for $299.99 after a $100 discount and another $100 mail-in rebate. Best Buy, meanwhile, is selling the same model for $399.99, but throwing in a $100 store gift card.

The discounts were first identified by BGR, which also reported that Wal-Mart is offering the tablet for $250 in an unadvertised sale.

The new prices mark RIM's and the retailers' latest effort … Read more

Sony Playstation Move Navigation drops to $14.99

The Playstation Move Navigation is Sony's companion controller for its Move motion controller (think of as sort of Sony's version of the Wii Nunchuk controller except that it's wireless).

Because you can just use a standard PS3 controller for navigation, it's not exactly a must-have accessory, especially when you consider its list price of $39.99. However, Amazon is now offering the Sony Playstation Move Navigation Controller for $14.99, which we think is a pretty good bargain, especially if you're a Prime member and can pick up the free two-day shipping.

What do you … Read more

RIM sitting on 800,000 PlayBooks, report says

Research In Motion has a backlog of roughly 800,000 PlayBooks, The Guardian is reporting.

Citing an analyst from Fubon Securities, the U.K. publication reported today that RIM's supplier, Quanta Computer, had shipped 1.5 million PlayBooks to RIM in the first half. But RIM has only shipped 700,000 Playbooks--including 200,000 from the past quarter--to its retail partners.

The massive stockpile at RIM is another illustration of the struggles the BlackBerry-maker has faced in selling the tablet. It also adds a wrinkle to how the company plans to reduce the inventory. RIM has acknowledged … Read more

Cost2Drive estimates fuel cost for road trips

Recently, I took a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles to drive the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid. When I told friends that I'd driven over 5 hours one-way just spend even more time driving when I got there, the question I got most often was, "Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just fly?"

Had I known about the Cost2Drive Web service and iOS app at the time, I'd have been better equipped to answer that query.

After entering a starting address, ending address, and a make, model, and year of a vehicle, Cost2Drive … Read more

With QNX phone, RIM must avoid PlayBook mistakes

Research In Motion will have to learn from the mistakes of the PlayBook tablet if it wants to see any success with its next generation of BlackBerry smartphones.

With disappointing sales and plunging profits, how could the company not feel the urgency to rush out a phone using slick its new QNX software? But that would be a bad idea. As the PlayBook has shown, rushing out a product only leads to more criticism and a poor reception.

"They got to get it right with QNX," said Mike Walkley, an analyst for Canaccord Genuity. "They're better … Read more

RIM to cut prices on BlackBerry PlayBooks

After a disastrous first few months, Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet will get a price cut.

During the company's second-quarter earnings call today, RIM Co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis said the company would start up several programs to drive PlayBook sales, including an incentive program for businesses, as well as rebates and deals for existing BlackBerry customers. Lazaridis didn't spell out how much of a discount the company would be offering.

RIM is looking to drive demand for the tablets after an extremely weak start. The company reported shipping only 200,000 PlayBooks in the fiscal second quarter, … Read more

PlayStation 3 price drop

Netflix launches a video streaming channel for kids, a Chrome extension called Google Related shows content tied to the currently viewed page, and Sony drops the price of all its PlayStation 3 models by $50.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Five reasons to cash in on the PS3 at $249

With both PlayStation 3 models dropping $50 in price, now may be the right time to pull the trigger on the Sony console. While it may not have had the best launch in the history of video games, we think the PS3 has ripened into an entertainment and media hub well worth your hard-earned cash. Believe it or not, the PS3 is now less than half of what the 60GB version cost back in November of 2006.

Not sure if now is the right time to consider a PlayStation 3? Allow us to present five reasons why we think it'… Read more