The surprising thing is that even though the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ starts at a full $200 cheaper than the starting price for the Apple iPad ($299 vs. $499), the specs on paper are actually very, very comparable.

Display

The iPad has a slightly larger 9.7-inch 2048×1536 display, but the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ isn’t that far behind with its 1920×1200 panel. In fact, at 254ppi, the Kindle Fire HD has a touchscreen that’s only a touch less pixel-dense than the 264ppi iPad.

Dimensions and Weight

Because they have similarly-sized displays, it’s not surprising that the physical dimensions are pretty close too. The Kindle Fire HD is 164 x 240 x 8.8mm, while the iPad is 185.7 x 241.3 x 9.4mm. Similarly, the weight of the Kindle Fire HD is 567 grams, which is a little lighter than the 653g iPad.

Performance Specs

The new iPad is powered by a dual core Apple A6X processor running at 1.5GHz, while the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ has a dual-core TI OMAP 4470 1.5GHz processor. They both have 1GB of RAM too. Based on this, the actual performance for the average consumer should be roughly comparable.

Storage

The starting point for the both tablets is at 16GB. The Kindle Fire HD can get bumped to 32GB, as can the iPad, but it’s only the iPad that can go even further with 64GB of storage. Of course, you’ll have to pay more money for that too.

Wireless Connectivity

Both tablets are available in your choice of WiFi-only or Wi-Fi plus LTE. If you need to stay connected, either tablet will do the job.

Camera

While both tablets have a front-facing camera (1MP on the Kindle Fire HD, 1.2MP on the iPad) for video chats, only Apple’s tablet has a 5MP rear camera. This isn’t a huge deal–the Nexus 7 doesn’t have a rear camera either–but it could be an important differentiator for some people.

OS and Apps

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is powered by a modified version of Google Android, but it does not have access to the full Google Play Store. You can only go through the Amazon Appstore, which limits your options. At the same time, some people might prefer the Amazon-ified OS over a more conventional Android interface, since it is simpler and more geared toward media consumption. The iPad, of course, is powered by iOS and comes backed by Apple’s gigantic App Store. If you want tablet apps, not much can compete with Apple’s juggernaut at this point.

Price

As mentioned at the top, this is really where the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ beats the new iPad by a long shot. Starting at $299, Amazon’s tablet is only a little more than half the price of an equivalent iPad. Considering that the core guts are so comparable, it may be hard to justify the Apple tax on the iPad, but it is arguable that iOS is superior and there are more iPad apps.

For my part, if you’re choosing between these two and you’d rather buy into the Apple ecosystem rather than the Amazon ecosystem, it might make more sense to consider the $329 iPad mini instead. It’s not as powerful as its bigger iPad 4 cousin, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper too.

The post What’s Better: Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ or New Apple iPad? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Actual reality can be confusing and overwhelming, and that’s why we oftentimes turn to the Internet for help. IBM is taking that to a new level with an AR mobile shopping app. The example given is when you’re cruising down the cereal aisle and you don’t know which one you want to buy.

When you take out your smartphone or tablet and launch the yet unnamed IBM shopping assistant app, it uses the camera to recognize the different products on the shelf. Then, the app will “instantly display recommendations and offers based on their specific preferences.” The demo here, for instance, shows that one of the cereals is “low in sugar” and that you get a half-gallon of milk for free when you buy this box of cereal.

The superimposed information that pops up in the app is hardly random either. It’s supposed to tap into your buying history, as well as looking at things like price, consumer rating, and environmentally friendly packaging. You can pre-set the characteristics that are important to you and then you can use the app to pan across a shelf of products. The app will then highlight the item that best matches your preferences.

“The idea of standing in an aisle in the supermarket and having your mobile device point out the gluten-free cookies you need can be a real time saver,” said project leader Amnon Ribak. “This has the potential to completely change the shopping experience from one of hunting, reading, and searching to simply picking up those products you prefer.”

I imagine the future of this could be integration with Google’s Project Glass.

[Source]

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A new system being developed by the European ShopInstantShoe consortium to be installed in shoe stores, will allow you to get shoes custom-fitted to your feet, and that too on the spot.

So what’s this all about, you ask? In the future, you might enter a shop which has the ShopInstantShoe system installed. An employee there will take measurements of your feet using a specialized tool and the collected data would be fed into a computer.

And then, as usual, you will select a pair of shoes which looks appealing to you in your size. The uppers of these shoes will be made of a material that is a composite consisting of leather fibers and filaments of Nitinol, a shape-memory alloy.

The selected shoes will be placed in a special “Shoptool” machine which by now would have received your foot measurements from the computer. Using the data, the Shoptool will heat and mold the uppers of the shoes to the shape of your feet. The shoes will hold the shape indefinitely due to the presence of Nitinol.

And there’s no need to buy the finished shoes if you didn’t like them after wearing. They will give the shoes the Shoptool treatment again which will give them their original shape.

But unfortunately, the system is being developed for women only at the moment. That’s because they are the ones who are constantly facing foot problems due to fashionable but improperly-fitting shoes.  We are expecting the system to include men’s shoes as well sometime after the system is launched.

The post Instant Shoe Machine Could Be From The Jetsons appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Barcodes? Who needs barcodes? A new scanner has been developed by Toshiba Tec that can recognize the various objects that you place in front of it, including a variety of produce. What this means is that the cashier doesn’t have to look up the code for that honeydew, banana, or orange. The camera-based scanner just recognizes it and charges you accordingly.

The scanner can also be used to recognize conventional barcodes on the various other items that your supermarket may carry, but the primary application here is for fresh produce. This can make the checkout process a heck of a lot faster, especially if the cashier isn’t familiar with all the product codes or can’t tell the difference between a Fuji apple and a Mutsu apple.

What helps is that the camera blacks out all the background information, eliminating all that distracting information that may otherwise interfere with the object recognition. Then, the software can better see the subtle differences in color, gradient, and so on to differentiate between the different produce items. Toshiba says that it will develop a growing database that can then be sent to the supermarkets directly.

[Source]

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Interestingly enough, the mobile version of Bing Deals isn’t exactly being optimized for Windows Phone 7. Instead, they’re catering to iPhone and Android with m.bing.com; maybe there’s a WP7 app for that instead. They say you need an HTML5 optimized device.

I don’t see how Bing Deals is all that different from all the other daily deal aggregators out there (hello referral income), but I guess you could say that it sorta beat Google to the punch?

[Bing Blong]

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Nova Electronics Mall

Since Taiwan is home to so many computer and electronics companies, you would assume that it could be a shopping Mecca for all the gadget geeks of the world. While I wouldn’t quite put the host city of Computex on par with the legendary Akihabara region in Tokyo, Taipei is no slouch when it comes to buying some cutting edge technology.

You could try to find some stuff at the major shopping malls and department stores, but you’ll likely overpay and not get the latest and greatest in the world of tech. For that, you’ll need to venture elsewhere. Let’s explore some of the best tech shopping areas in the city of Taipei.

NOVA Electronics Mall

Located right across the street from Taipei Main Station (accessible via bus, train, or subway) is a mega complex known as NOVA. This multi-floor shopping center focuses on all sorts of technology and gadgets.

Looking for a new smartphone? You’ve got it. Want the newest Sony Vaio or Asus Eee PC? They’ve got that too. Many of the models are not even available overseas yet. The best part is that Taiwan uses the same style wall plug as North America, so you don’t have to deal with any messy adapters.

NOVA may appear to be one giant store, but it’s actually comprised of several smaller stores. Beyond the ones that sell consumer electronics, you’ll also discover shops for accessories, components, and small doo-dahs.

Camera Street

Perhaps you are more interested in digital photography and digital video? Just a few blocks west of NOVA, you’ll discover a few streets that are loaded with nothing but camera stores.

They sell the camera bodies, both point and shoot and digital SLR, but the bigger draw is with the array of available accessories. Just about any adapter, lens, cap, filter and more can be found in these shops. They’ll also sell you cases, tripods, monopods, bags, and batteries, among countless other things. No matter how rare, there’s a good chance that at least one of these shops will not only sell it; they’ll have it in stock for a reasonable price.

Shopping in Taipei

Kuanghwa Market

Also known as Guanghwa, this area is accessible via the Metro blue line. Get off at the Zhongxiao Xinsheng station and walk north toward Civic Boulevard.

Near there, you will find three or four blocks loaded with electronics and computer stores. These shops are not only on the street level, but also in lower levels and second floors. I found that the prices and selection were generally better here than at NOVA, but the stores visually appear sketchier by comparison.

As before, the shops are loaded with all kinds of accessories and peripherals, as well as core equipment. There are keyboard covers, screen protectors, portable drives, different mounts, digital cameras, and so much more.

Behind the fruit market that you’ll be able to see from the corner is a newer building. This is the real Guanghwa Market, replacing the trailer-like structures that had previously filled the space. These niche stores sell just about every kind of electronic product and component imaginable. While there, visit the bakery on the first floor, a few steps away from the electronic gun store. Just follow your nose.

More Taiwanese Selection

Yes, you can find Japanese brands like Sony and Panasonic, but Taipei really is the place to go for Taiwanese brands. Check out the products by HTC, Acer, Asus, BenQ and others… and don’t forget to load up on those accessories too.

Shopping in Taipei

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