Up, Up And Away

Amazon and Google are not only trying to pave the way for our future technology when it comes to mobile devices, they are also introducing other technologies of the future.

Drones, which once used to be a figment of our imagination and science fiction, are now getting closer to reality in the public domain. The military have used drones for some time now for high-tech missions and have used them to great success.

There has been a growing debate about robot technology and whether we should feel a bit uneasy at human-less vehicles but they will soon be here, and we’re sure they’ll be here to stay.

Amazon and Google have released news that they have bought out drone makers Titan Aerospace, which means they are looking to invest a lot of time and money into making high-tech drones for the public.

Amazon already has big plans for the drones as they plan to make them fully automated, GPS equipped and unmanned so they can deliver small packages from the warehouse to the home within 30 minutes. This incredible move would mean the ‘human’ would not be needed – clever if it works.

Google also has plans for the drones, only their reasoning is a bit more profound. They have explained that the drones could help bring internet access to millions of people, as well as being able to help solve other problems. Google say these will include things like disaster relief and damage to the environment (e.g.  deforestation), which could be revolutionary.

Unmanned aircraft is an incredible piece of technology and the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky all use them to some degree to help with the filming of their programs and commercials. So, it is clear to see the benefits and versatility of this kind of technology.

Companies, like Google and Amazon, are always looking at new directions for technology and we think, especially in Google’s case, we should be welcoming this kind of technology with open-arms.

But, what do you think? Should we be welcoming unmanned technology or should we reconsider relying on them?

Amazon Look To Burn The Competition

With a lot of focus recently towards Apple and its new iPhone, we have decided to turn our attention to Amazon and what they have to offer – The new Kindle HDX.

We live in a very tablet-centric society at the moment and Amazon has upped their ante with regards to the Fire tablet we all know and love. They have introduced two new models, the 7-inch and the 8.9-inch and both come with a brand new, high-resolution screen that change their brightness in accordance to the ambient light.

That’s not all either, both come with a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor at 2.2GHZ (better than a lot of laptops) and are 34 per cent lighter than their predecessors. Arguably the most successful Android tablets on the market, these powerhouses cram in both power and pixels, which is good for those of you who want to continue using the Kindle for your reading hobby.  In fact, they are also packed with a special reading mode to allow you to read on your new tablet for up to 17 hours. That’s a lot of reading!

The 8.9 inch Kindle HDX comes with a rear-facing camera too and has been installed with a small photo editing app, so you can tweak the brightness and contrast of your favourite snaps. Amazon has paid attention to its previous success with their Kindle’s though and the design has near enough stayed the same. The soft rubbery back still remains as does a very similar interface, so if you have had a previous model, you’ll fly round this one too.

One of the Kindle HDX’s key features that has been praised as one of its major selling points though is their ‘May Day Button’. This allows 24-7, 365-days-a-year technical support should you need it and also utilises a one-way video chat. Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, has also said that they are aiming to respond to requests in 15 seconds or less. Impressive!

If you want one though, you will have to wait just that little bit longer. The 7-inch model is available for pre-order but will not be shipped until October 18th. The 8.9-inch; November 14th.

What also might be good to know is the 7-inch will cost around £200 and the 8.9 inch will be under £350.

Amazon expands Appstore to China

Amazon has become the first Western company to offer paid Android apps to consumers in the world’s largest smartphone market.

Amazon has attempted to capitalise on the expanding mobile economy  in China by beating Google, who remains limited to only free Android apps, this means Amazon’s Appstore for Android is now accessible to  200+ international markets.

The move into China is a great move for Amazon and is part of their strategy to dig deeper into the country’s phone market; a market of around £17.6 billion. Amazon controlled just 3% of this market before offering paid apps, so it still has a lot to conquer.

After originally opening to the US consumer market in March 2011, the store has expanded to countries all over the world. This store promises user experience which is rooted within the company’s expertise of e-commerce.  It also highlights a series of automated marketing features which broadens Amazon’s well-known product recommendation engine into mobile software merchandising and a Bestseller’s section. These additions are aimed at improving consumer discovery.

The software screening and merchandising processes of Amazon guarantee China’s consumer market and developers a safe and secure experience.  A huge emphasis is on home grown firms in China including social networking website, Sina Weibo and video-sharing site, Youku Todou.

Over the past six months, Amazon has already begun improving its presence in China by launching the Kindle Store. They have remained silent on their expected launch of the Kindle range in the country but it does let us know that the introduction of its Android Appstore means that they will soon be ready to offer consumers devices that are more than capable to run its applications.  

Amazon’s intentions are quite clear. By investing in the Chinese consumer market and improving on their current 3% that they shave in the market, they are aiming to become closer to key competitors Apple, who already have a major presence in the country. Apple actually has over 17,000 outlets in China selling their products and the country is Apple’s second-largest market. Amazon has quite the distance before they can be on the same playing field, but expanding their paid apps for Android is a good start.