Amazon's First Tablet Will Attack The Nook, Not The iPad (AMZN, AAPL)

Anyone expecting Amazon to release a tablet computer that will compete with the iPad might want to dial back expectations.

A source close to the company tells us that Amazon is launching at least one tablet later this year, but it will be an advanced e-reader with a color screen and some apps -- more akin to the Nook Color from Barnes & Noble than the iPad.

This matches what a developer told CNET earlier this month: Amazon is set to announce a 7-inch tablet "any day now," but it will likely have a low-powered chip and no camera.

It's focused on the Nook Color because that's where the Kindle is most vulnerable.

Now, this doesn't mean Amazon won't develop a full fledged tablet down the road. But for now, it's going to focus on controlling the e-reader space it has defined for the last three years.

See also: Here's Everything We Know About Amazon's Secret Tablet So Far.

Please follow SAI: Tools on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Amazon Is Getting Ready To Ship 4 Million Tablets By The End Of The Year [REPORT]
• The Best Android Tablet You Can Buy Gets Super Fast 4G In Two Days
• This Is Amazon's New Way Around Apple's App Store Subscription Rules

Amazon's First Tablet Will Attack The Nook, Not The iPad (AMZN, AAPL)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/yDCE5TWMJ3U/dont-get-too-excited-about-amazons-ipad-killer-2011-7

How To Prevent Another Spam Attack From Google+ (GOOG)

Google's servers for Google+ ran out of space this weekend, causing users to be bombarded with repeated notifications e-mails.

By default, Google+ will e-mail you when there's activity on you account, just like Facebook does. Even when everything is working fine, that can still get annoying if you're a popular person on the young social network.

Here's how to turn e-mail alerts off:

• Click the "Options" gear symbol on the upper right corner of your screen. Select "Google+ Settings."

• Click the "Google+ tab" and scroll down to the "Receive Notifications" section.

• Uncheck the activities you don't want to receive notifications for. (We suggest unchecking all of them to avoid another spamming incident.)

Here's a screenshot of the notifications settings:

 

Please follow SAI: Tools on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Your Google+ URL STINKS -- Here's How To Make It Awesome
• This Clever Chrome Extension Makes Google+ Even Better
• Facebook Takes A Passive-Aggressive Slap At Google+

How To Prevent Another Spam Attack From Google+ (GOOG)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/Qe0i-BgltTo/how-to-prevent-another-spam-attack-from-google-plus-2011-7

Steve Jobs Made Fun Of Google Today, But Didn't Attack Facebook (AAPL, GOOG)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs took advantage of his opportunity to whack rival Google today, mocking that the iPad had 65,000 apps available for it, and Google's new Android Honeycomb OS only has about 100.

But Apple did NOT attack its new rival Facebook today by releasing a social networking app, as had been rumored.

Instead, Apple actually announced a tiny partnership with Facebook: It's one of the sites you'll be able to automatically upload video to from the iPad's new iMovie app.

Read: 15 Features Apple Must Built Into iOS 5

Join the conversation about this story »

Steve Jobs Made Fun Of Google Today, But Didn't Attack Facebook (AAPL, GOOG)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/lCZRpCPujfE/apple-facebook-google-ipad-2-2011-3

Now Is The Perfect Time For Amazon To Attack Netflix (AMZN, NFLX, AAPL)

It appears that Amazon is finally about to attack Netflix with a subscription-based video streaming service.

Screenshots posted over the weekend suggest that Amazon is designing, testing, or ready to roll out a service for its Prime members, which could be expanded later.

That's smart -- now's a great time to do it.

In this post, we'll explain:

• Why now is the perfect time for Amazon to attack Netflix.
• What Amazon needs to do to be a serious threat.
• What Amazon's attack could mean for Netflix.

Why now is the perfect time for Amazon to attack Netflix: It's far enough into the streaming era that Amazon wouldn't have to build out a DVDs-by-mail rental service

Only about one-third of new Netflix subscribers pick the new streaming-only plan, Netflix reported in its earnings material last week. But that percentage will grow.

And streaming is already bigger than DVDs in "hours of entertainment delivered," according to Netflix.

Sure, Netflix will have an advantage over Amazon with its DVD library for many years. But there is no sense in Amazon building out that infrastructure to compete. (Especially because of all the new states Amazon would be forced to start charging sales tax in, a big no-no.)

Plus, there really isn't much competition in the subscription-based streaming business

Everyone and their uncle offers new releases on-demand, including Amazon itself.

But subscription-based streaming seems to be a nice, unique business model for Netflix, even if it means lower quality titles, old movies, obscure documentaries, etc. Apple and Microsoft haven't made a move here yet. And Hulu Plus is much more focused on TV stuff (and is much more limited that Netflix).

So Amazon is in a good position to be a strong no. 2 in this market.

And Netflix has big lead, but it's not insurmountable

Sure, it has 20 million subscribers. But not 100 million.

Most people in the U.S. still don't stream videos to their TVs. Arguably, most people in the U.S. will someday. So it's still not nearly too late for Amazon.

And besides Apple, Amazon arguably has the best brand recognition to do this. Especially with all the credit cards it already has on file; one-click commerce; Prime members; etc.

View more at Business Insider

Now Is The Perfect Time For Amazon To Attack Netflix (AMZN, NFLX, AAPL)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/daCrPixC18o/amazon-netflix-2011-1