A Rain Gauge Deal for all of us in Atlanta

As I look out my window, I see a familiar sight.  At least it has been familiar the past few days or more.  Rain, rain, will you ever go away.

A chance for all of us in Atlanta to have a little fun, with the Fall expected o be a little wet.  Head on over to weatherconnecion.com and score a P0320 rain gauge from P3 International.  All for the low cost of $14.99.  This gauge will show current and accumulated rainfall totals.  The easy to read LCD display can even been seen from a distance.  And there is no mess, because this gauge is self emptying and maintenance free.

It weighs less than a half a pound, and is constructed to be durable, and reliable.  Get one and compare the rainfall totals of your backyard with those of Ken Cook and and Glenn Burns on the local news.

Amazon Starts Selling "Private Label" Electronics Items

Proving they have strong ties with manufacturers, Amazon.com is now offering "AmazonBasics" for sale on their site.  AmazonBasics are Amazon branded consumer electronics items.  Now customers can buy blank CDs and DVD's and a variety of cables for your home computers and theater systems.

These products will be value priced to compete with other low cost retailers.  Amazon will also ship these items in Frustration-Free packaging, meaning simple packaging in recycable boxes.

Look for Amazon to start offering more products with an Amazon label on them.  MP3 players, netbooks, and external hard drives are good candidates.

Coming Soon: Garmin nuvi 1690

Garmin International, Inc. and AT&T this week announced a new GPS system that could change the way we look at GPS systems.  The Garmin nuvi 1690 is being billed as the newest in PND, a portable navigation device.  This device, which will be released later in 2009 will be equipped with Garmin's nuLink!, which through AT&T's network will allow customers to have wireless service through their nuvi. 

Purchasers of the Garmin nuvi 1690 will receive 2 years of nuLink! service.  This service will allow customers to search Google Local Search for information on weather, restaurants, shopping and local events.  Also use of Garmin;s Ciao service will allow users to create a portal to social-networking sites on their nuvi 1690, with the ability to track location of friends and family on a map, or use Real Time flight status, handy for those airport pickups we all love.

As an added bonus, the nuvi 1690 will have Bluetooth capability and a built-in mic and speaker for placing and receiving phone calls by using the nuvi's touchscreen.  Combine all of this with updated maps that have traffic sign and lane information, this one device will be the "go to" device for everything you can possible do in your car.

The Lost Symbol a Hit on Kindle

The eagerly awaited arrival of Dan Brown's new thriller, The Lost Symbol took the Kimble Store by storm minutes after it's launch.  Almost immediately, The Lost Symbol was number 1 on the bestseller list, and the Kindle Edition was number 1 as well. 

 The Lost Symbol is expected to remain on top of the bestsellers list throughout the rest of the year, including the important holiday season.  What makes the Kindle edition so attractive is its $9.99 price.  That is 67% off the regular hardcover price of $29.99, and delivery is immediate to your Kindle as soon as you order it.

 Amazon has promised Kindle owners the $9.99 price for bestsellers and they kept to their word with this release. 

 

Kindle expert Stephen Windwalker of http://thekindlenationblog.blogspot.com/ makes the claim that the Kindle Edition of The Last Symbol is outselling the print edition on Amazon.

This doesn't surprise me at all.  Owners of The Kindle and popular devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch would be prime candidates to download a release like The Last Symbol soon after release.  I agree with Windwalker that print sales will catch up to and ultimately pass Kindle edition sales as we get into the holiday buying season.  Still, it's quite a coup for ebooks, the Kindle, and continued $9.99 new releases in the Kindle Store.

Forbes Column Wrong about Netbooks

Forbes' columnist Lee Gomes dedicated his recent column http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1005/technology-intel-atom-chips-digital-tools.html to taking netbooks to task.  I don't know anyone who goes netbook shopping and doesn't know what to expect.  Yes, the Atom processor is slow, and won't run Windows Vista, but I don't know anyone trying to use Vista on it.  It will run Windows XP fine, and as a bonus it will run Windows 7 beautifully.

A netbook should be easy to carry around, quick to boot up and have sufficient battery life.  That is all I expect out of my netbook.  It doesn't need to play games, or be able to edit video.  Mr. Gomes maybe doesn't know what netbooks are primarily used for.  The #$300-500 cost is justified, and with millions and millions of netbook users, manufacturers are doing something right.