Staples to Sell Kindles

Staples today announced plans to offer customers Kindle, Amazon's #1 best-selling, most-wished-for and most-gifted product for two years running. Staples is the only office superstore to carry the wireless reading device in all of its stores nationwide beginning this fall. Interactive displays will allow customers to experience the product before they buy and to learn more about the new generation Kindle which recently launched to rave reviews from the New York Times, Wired, CNET, PC World, PC Magazine, and more.

"Staples is not just bringing this incredible product to our 1,550+ US stores, but we are offering customers a chance to discover first-hand Amazon's revolutionary reading device," said Jevin Eagle, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Staples. "As part of our efforts to offer customers a wide range of top technology products and services at amazing values, the new Kindle is a natural fit."

Kindle is Amazon.com's best-selling product, a reading device that wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight. The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast, is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter, boasts 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, and more -- all for only $139.

Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The Kindle Store now has more than 670,000 books, including New Releases and 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 550,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers. Kindle lets you Buy Once, Read Everywhere -- on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off.

Staples will carry the following new Kindle devices:

-- Kindle ($139.00) -- 6" diagonal

-- Kindle 3G ($189.00) -- 6" diagonal

-- Kindle DX ($379.00) - 9.7" diagonal (available at Staples late fall 2010)

IPad Free App of the Week: U.S. Open Tennis

It's time for the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, The U.S. Open in New York.

Don't feel left out of the action with the U.S. Open IPhone and iPad app for free. The app will give you more than just the scores and draws. Get the order of play for each and every day, behind the scenes interviews, and free streaming U.S. Open radio broadcasts you can listen to. Never heard a radio broadcast of a tennis match? You definitely need to check it out.

If you are attending the Open, the app has tips and info for what you might find on the grounds.

The app is free, take advantage of it.

iPads Now Shipping in 24hrs

Since the iPad’s initial launch on April 3rd and the 3G iPad’s launch on April 30th, customer demand for the product was exceptional and even beat Apple’s expectations.

Up until a couple weeks ago the shipping times for all iPad models stood at 7-10 business days or even more, until recently changing to 3-5 business days. Up until yesterday the iPads shipping time read 1-3 business days and finally today iPads are said to ship “within 24 hours.”

Good news for those who want their iPad and want it now. 

Apple has a music event slated for next week in San Francisco.  No new iPad announcements are expected at this time.

iPad Free App of the Week: Battleship

Just like the classic Battleship game we all used to play in our living room. This time though, my brother can't cheat by moving his ships around when nobody was looking.

A great looking app, decent sound effects, and a tough one-player mode. You have to use Bluetooth to play a two player mode, it doesn't find a random opponent for you online.

From CustomerIn Systems Inc. This app came out on Aug. 18. I love it.

New Kindles Are the Fastest-Selling Kindles Ever

Amazon.com today announced that more new generation Kindles were ordered in the first four weeks of availability than in the same timeframe following any other Kindle launch, making the new Kindles the fastest-selling ever. In addition, in the four weeks since the introduction of the new Kindle and Kindle 3G, customers ordered more Kindles on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined than any other product, continuing Kindle's over two-year run as the bestselling product across all the products sold on Amazon.com. The new Kindles started shipping to customers today--two days earlier than previously announced.

"Kindle is the best-selling product on Amazon.com for two years running and our new generation Kindles are continuing that momentum," said Steven Kessel, senior vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Readers are excited about all that the new Kindle has to offer--50 percent better contrast, 20 percent faster page turns, 15 percent lighter, up to one month of battery life--and a new price of only $139."

The all-new Kindle has an electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces, 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, no glare even in bright sunlight and built-in Wi-Fi--all for only $139. The all-new Kindle 3G with all of these new features plus the convenience of free 3G wireless is only $189.

Early reviews of the third-generation Kindle have been great.