Barnes & Nobles NOOK(s) Kindle

In a direct competition to Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest bookseller, today expanded its digital reading offering with the All-New NOOK, The Simple Touch Reader.

As claimed by the company, the NOOK has the following attractive features:

• Best Battery Life Ever – Up to an Incredible Two Months on a Single Charge
• Ultra-Light and Compact for Optimal Portability, Lighter than a Paperback
• Full Touchscreen with E Ink® Pearl Display Technology for Reading Anywhere
• Optimized Display Performance Offers 80 Percent Less Flashing than Any Other eReader for the Most Immersive Reading Experience
• The Most Intuitive, Easy-to-Use eReader for Everyone
• Barnes & Noble Expert Recommendations
• Plus the Most Social Reading Experience with NOOK Friends

What You can Do?

• You can read seamlessly, accessing the NOOK Library and sync the last page read across their NOOK devices and their favorite mobile and computing devices using Barnes & Noble’s free line of eReading software (www.bn.com/freenookapps).
• You can personalize your device with one of Barnes & Noble’s screen savers or transfer personal photos (JPG, PNG, BMP and GIF) to make NOOK your own, and choose from a complete line of exclusive, new NOOK accessories (www.nook.com/accessories). You can also create personalized My Shelves to organize their NOOK Library and group reading content similar to their bookcase.
• Using NOOK Friends, you can check out book recommendations from friends and what they have posted about their current read, swap recommendations, share reading status, favorite quotes, and much more. Through Twitter® and Facebook® integrations, right from your current book, you can tweet the title you are reading, post on their Facebook wall and see what their NOOK Friends “like” on Facebook. With Barnes & Noble’s exclusive LendMe® technology, you can also lend eligible books to your friends at no cost for 14 days, and see and request to borrow friends’ LendMe books.

You can pre-order at www.nook.com and at Barnes & Noble stores for $139,

Kindle books sell more than print books

Did you check out the amazing news from Amazon? Well, kindle books are selling more than the print books. As per Amazon, they “ began selling hardcover and paperback books in July 1995. Twelve years later in November 2007, Amazon introduced the revolutionary Kindle and began selling Kindle books. By July 2010, Kindle book sales had surpassed hardcover book sales, and six months later, Kindle books overtook paperback books to become the most popular format on Amazon.com. Today, less than four years after introducing Kindle books, Amazon.com customers are now purchasing more Kindle books than all print books - hardcover and paperback - combined.”



Now ain’t that something to ponder about. This development really reflects the fact that content is going online from the print. But personally I prefer to read a good old printed novel and relax. What about you?

Cybercriminals on the lookout

The cybercriminals are always on the lookout to find new ways to hack or simply create trouble for you. Despite the strict cyber laws, great security solutions and policing of the cyber highways—these cyber criminals make inroads and break through the barriers. Their level of sophistication, knowledge and understanding seems to be in tune with the technological advancement.

There are threats from the cybercriminals, every time and anytime. Check out Six rising threats from cybercriminals written by John Brandon for ComputerWorld. He has pointed out the following threats:

• Text-message malware
• Hacking into smart grid
• Social network account spoofin
• Cyberstalking
• Hackers controlling your car
• GPS Jamming & spoofing

Out of this, the most I fear is hackers controlling your cars. It is possible and highly dangerous. I hope hope the car manufacturers who are proving the applications look towards creating foolproof security systems that would make impossible for the cyber criminals to break through.

TRAI to get the power to enforce

Check out the story Trai may get more powers, to function as civil court.

Personally, I feel TRAI should definitely get more power because currently it is looked upon as a toothless tiger that the telecom players can play with and ignore its diktat. Just look the way the the private players are ignoring TRAI's decree on not calling customers without using the given number. This move, if it happens, will definitely give TRAI the power to flex its muscles and bring the erring players to task. And it can also help resolve the various issues plaguing the market and the consumers,

But this might give way to corruption too. The Raja corruption saga was about one person having too much power and not being held accountable for the mess (though now he is definitely facing the heat). Whereas it is important for TRAI to have the power, DoT should ensure that the TRAI members cannot play around with the rules to support some and punish some. Everything should be transparent and be available for consumers' consumption.

I sincerely hope that TRAI gets the leash to be an enforcer rather than being a silent spectator.
 

Cloud--To be Single or be Multi tenant

The general confusion about the cloud seems to be the single and multi-tenant concept. In fact, if you look at the SaaS, that aspect can make or break your solutions. In simple terms, think you have a house and you are renting it out to just one person-- so it's a single tenant house. And now think of a scenario-- you have a large house and you are renting the rooms to various tenant---that's a multi tenant house. Same is the case with SaaS solutions, if only one person can use it at a time---it's single tenant; and if more people can use it at the same time, it is multi tenant.

The question that people often ask me is whether single or multi tenant is more beneficial. If you look at cloud, multi tenant wins hands down. More so, in the SMB sector where cost plays a major role.

BrandZ lists Apple above Google

Its ain't surprising that Apple is recognized as the best brand in the world. In fact, many say you can't do without the 3i--iPod, iPad & iPhone. Apple is synonymous of being a cool brand, as well as a brand that you aspire for. And it topped the 2011 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking. Apple is followed by Google and IBM. And Microsft is in the 5th position.

Check out the top 50 brands below: