Barnes & Noble announced that they are putting themselves on the market.  No, not the tablet market, but the company is selling itself.  So, if you want to buy a bookstore, there is currently one available.  This has renewed the debate of the coming end of the printed word.  I have seen the end coming for newspapers.  I know I get all of my news on-line or via TV.  Many papers have had cutbacks and even closed.  With the success of the Kindle, Nook, and iPad, the next item on the extinction list is the book.  Now, I am a big gadget geek.  If I wasn’t, would I be here writing for JAMM?  However, I love my books in their paper versions.  There is just something cozy about crawling into bed with a good book that would just lose that feeling if I’m holding onto an eReader, and not turning those paper pages.  I stare at a computer screen most of the day, so I want something different when I relax.  I am hoping that the books hold on for a while to come.

What do you prefer: paper or electronic?  Do you like the e-ink screen better than a traditional computer screen?  Is this the end for books?

Today, Blackberry and AT&T announced the new BB Torch.  You can check out the specs here.  The biggest part of this announcement has to do with the release of Blackberry OS 6.  The new OS really focuses on enhancing the social aspect of smartphones.  It talks about improved internet experience, integrated messaging, and a social experience to merge twitter, facebook, and myspace into one view.  Now this is a pretty different shift in focus from Blackberry’s all business approach.  When I think of ‘Crackberries’, it is all about e-mail, e-mail, e-mail.  Our sales and customer support departments have their eyes glued to them at all times.  This is obvious a push by BB to compete with the iPhone and Android.

Personally, I feel like BB is a bit behind, and I don’t know if this change will really cause a big uptick in sales for them.  Of all the users I know on the business side, I would say about 75% of them could care less about social networks and barely use facebook and twitter.  Plus, I doubt any iPhone or Android users are going to want to switch unless there is some revolutionary aspect to this OS.

So, what do you think?  Is Blackberry on the right track to catch the iPhone and Android?  Will this backfire, and find that they have ignored their key users?

Yes, does size matter is an age old question?  However, what I am interested in is smartphone screen size.  I upgraded from a Palm Centro with its 2.25 inch screen to an HTC Incredible with a 3.75 inch screen.  I was simply overjoyed, and the screen just felt gigantic.  Then I saw the HTC EVO 4G and the Droid X with their 4.3 inch screens, and I was definitely a bit envious.  One of my friends at work remarked it would be too big to simply slide in your pocket.  Then I started to wonder when does screen size start to become a hassle due to the issues with carrying the phone around. 

When do we get to mini-tablets?  I still love the bigger screen, but what would be your limit?  Are we there now?  What about 5 inches?

Oh happiness!!!  I LOVE football, and I am obsessive about fantasy football.  I am in a league at work, and on Sundays I am constantly running back and forth to my computer to check my score.  Plus, I get so nervous when I am going to be out of town over a Sunday….what if the internet is down or I run out of time to get my line-up changes in.  Well, now Yahoo! will have their own Android app to give you access to your team.  You’ll be able to make roster changes, set your line-up, and check the scores.  This is so great for me since we use Yahoo! for our league.  No news on price or when it will officially be released (it will be ready for this upcoming season), but I am already sold.  I’d even pre-order it if I could.

Via phandroid

Velocity Android Tablet

 If last year was the ‘Year of the eReader’, then this year is the ‘Year of the Tablet’.  All the biggest new devices will be some sort of tablet or tablet/eReader hybrid.  Honestly, it makes sense as the next device evolution.  You have an eReader that just lets you read books, magazines, etc.  We don’t have much use for a device that just does one thing.  As a society, we are all about convergence, just look at all things our latest smartphones can do:  phone, camera, music & video player, e-mail, web surfacing, games, etc.  Let’s take a look at the latest announcements:

Velocity Micro announces a series of tablet/eReaders known as the Cruz.  The Cruz is designed to focus on the multimedia experience running on the Android OS.  The prices range from $149 to $299.  That’s cheaper than a netbook.  There are 3 members of the Cruz family:  kid-friendly Cruz StoryPad, Cruz Reader, and Cruz Tablet.  The Cruz StoryPad is the base model with the tablet coming in at $299. 

Cruz StoryPad features:

Cruz Reader additional features:

Cruz Tablet additional features:

The Cruz StoryPad and Reader will be available in August, and the Tablet will be available starting Sept. 1.  For me, this sounds like a great item for travel.  When I’m traveling for pleasure, I just want to be able to check my e-mail, and do a bit of web serving.  I would love to give this tablet a try.   With the Incredible, I have already been exploring the Android world.  The main issue I see is how many apps will be available in the Cruz marketplace.  Apps make or break a device. 

Via BGR