CrunchGear |  |
- DELL STREAK PRO 101DL (An Android PHONE) With Super AMOLED Display To Hit Japan 2012
- Android Phone + Lumix Camera = Panasonic’s LUMIX Phone 101P For Japan
- Sharp’s New Android Phone: Waterproof Body, 4.5-Inch 3D QHD Display, 12MP Cam, DLNA
- Official Flickr App Arrives For Android
- Motorola Finally Comes Through With Xoom LTE Upgrades
- NASA To Invite 150 Of Its Twitter Followers To Mars Rover Launch
- New Humble Bundle Tries Different Pricing Tack
- TCTV: Hands On With The Kindle Fire
- TCTV: Hands On With The Kindle Touch
- 3rd Generation Kindles Get A New Name, Discounted Prices
- Amazon Just Won The Android Tablet Wars With The $199 Kindle Fire
- Amazon Tops 1 Million Kindle Books In Just Four Years
- Amazon Unveils New $79 E-Ink Kindle, $99 Kindle Touch
- Amazon Fires $199, 7-Inch Tablet At Apple
- Live At The Amazon Event In New York City
- Amazon Tacitly Confirms The “Kindle Fire” On Their Website
- Video: Simple Personal Assistant Robot Follows You, Carries Stuff For You
| DELL STREAK PRO 101DL (An Android PHONE) With Super AMOLED Display To Hit Japan 2012 Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:41 AM PDT  And here’s the third phone from Japanese carrier SoftBank‘s fall/winter line-up that deserves a dedicated article: it’s the so-called DELL STREAK PRO 101DL [JP], which the company will start offering to its subscribers in January 2012 (price tbd). And this isn’t an Android tablet but a phone. And judging by the specs, it’s going to be quite a nice one:
Here’s how the phone looks like from the back: Japanese tech news site Keitai Watch reports that there are global sales plans for the DELL STREAK PRO 101DL but that Japan will get the device first.
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| Android Phone + Lumix Camera = Panasonic’s LUMIX Phone 101P For Japan Posted: 29 Sep 2011 03:38 AM PDT  Sharp’s AQUOS PHONE 102SH wasn’t the only cool Android phone to hit the Japanese market today. Local carrier SoftBank will also start distributing the so-called LUMIX Phone 101P [JP] as part of its fall/winter line-up of new cell phones in November. Made by Panasonic, the Android device is designed to be a mix between a phone and a digital camera (and it sure looks like it). Here’s a list of the main specs:
No word yet from Panasonic regarding pricing or a possible international sales plan.
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| Sharp’s New Android Phone: Waterproof Body, 4.5-Inch 3D QHD Display, 12MP Cam, DLNA Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:05 AM PDT  Sharp has been producing quite a few nice Android phones for the Japanese market lately (with a 25% share, it’s the leading manufacturer over here), and today, the company introduced [JP] another great-looking handset, the AQUOS PHONE 102SH. Local carrier SoftBank will start distributing the phone in Japan in December as part of its fall/winter line-up. And there can be now doubt that subscribers can get a real monster with this model. Here are the main specs:
Will this phone ever make it outside Japan? Maybe: back in May, Sharp said they would introduce the AQUOS PHONE worldwide at some point in the future…
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| Official Flickr App Arrives For Android Posted: 28 Sep 2011 04:20 PM PDT  Being an Android user as well as a Flickr user has been dangerous territory for quite a long time now. There’s been no official app, and the third-party ones haven’t been too hot. Luckily for us, Yahoo has finally dropped a Flickr app that not only has their official blessing, but doesn’t suck at all. It’s quite full-featured, not just a photostream browser. You can, of course, look at your own pictures or those of others, and the experience is pleasant and Flickr-y. You can even directly download the full-size images to email or use as wallpaper. The app starts up in your activity stream, though, where your recent favorites and so on are shown. Naturally nobody likes my photos, but I assume more accomplished photographers will welcome the easy access to recent comments and favorites. There’s a nice little camera app in there, too. You can choose different aspect ratios, apply filters (named after places and imperfectly represented in the menu), add details, and send directly to social networks or email addresses. And naturally they go right into your Flickr account as well. Here’s one I took for demonstration purposes. It has the “Java” filter applied. Not an Instagram-killer by any means, but again, Flickr lovers will like it. Unfortunately you can’t add to sets, which would be handy for keeping your mobile shots separate from your “real” pictures. It’s a solid little app if you’ve got the bandwidth for it (you might want to use the wi-fi) and don’t need any of the more advanced features like groups and collections. Hopefully they’ll expand the community portion a little more in the next release. More screenshots and info can be found in the Android Market. The app is just called “Flickr” and is published by Yahoo Inc, in case it doesn’t show up for your search right away.
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| Motorola Finally Comes Through With Xoom LTE Upgrades Posted: 28 Sep 2011 02:24 PM PDT  Xoom users, rejoice! Despite having to stick it out for a few extra months, the 3G version of Motorola’s ambitious 10-incher is finally getting a piece of the LTE action starting tomorrow. Frustrated users may remember that the Xoom was originally slated to get its LTE upgrade some time in Q2 2011, but months have come and gone without a firm release date. The process is (fortunately) still free, and remains the same as the one we heard outlined all those months ago. For those of you who haven’t jumped ship and bought a LTE Galaxy Tab 10.1, you’ll be able to ship your Xoom directly to Motorola, where they’ll perform the upgrade and send the unit back. Motorola says the entire operation should only leave you sans Xoom for about six business days. If you decided to hold off on buying a Xoom until you could get one with an LTE radio pre-installed, your wait is nearly over too — Motorola says those units should start popping up in stores starting on October 23. While I’m glad Motorola finally managed to keep their word on this one, it’s seems a bit crazy that users are only now getting their updates, even when a significant hardware refresh is known to be in the works. By throwing the Xoom an LTE bone, Motorola’s giving their tablet enough staying power to last through the holidays, but who knows how much longer the Xoom will last after that.
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| NASA To Invite 150 Of Its Twitter Followers To Mars Rover Launch Posted: 28 Sep 2011 02:03 PM PDT  While giveaways and “follow us and win!” contests aren’t always worth calling out, this promotion from @NASA is too great to pass up. They’re planning on inviting 150 of their followers to watch the Curiosity Mars Rover launch. Yes, the actual launch, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tweetup will take place just prior to the launch window, which begins at 10:21 a.m. EST on Nov. 25. That is, of course, the day after Thanksgiving, which is a NASA holiday. So activities commence on the 23rd and you can forage around Orlando for spare turkeys. You’ll return for the launch on the 25th, and you’re welcome to stick around for up to an extra 24 hours if the launch is delayed by bad weather or sabotage. Note that this trip is not paid for! You will be invited to the launch and will have a chance to tour the facility and rub elbows with NASA staff, but you’re responsible for your flight and accommodation. What, you think they have room in their budget to put up 150 freeloaders for three nights? Registration opens at noon eastern time on October 5th and ends on the 7th. You have to have a Twitter account to win, which sadly leaves me out. They’ll be releasing updates and registration info with the hashtag #NASAtweetup, so keep an eye out.
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| New Humble Bundle Tries Different Pricing Tack Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:51 PM PDT  If you’ve watched the gaming world at all over the last year or so, you’re probably aware of the Humble Bundle, a charity-orientated promotion where you pay what you want for a few standout indie titles. The few so far have had a great reception, raising millions for charity (EFF and Child’s Play). A new one has just launched with acclaimed strategy shooter Frozen Synapse as the main draw, but there’s a new wrinkle in the pricing scheme. Instead of just having the whole bundle available for any price you want to pay, you receive either just Frozen Synapse or the game plus the Paying over the average (around $4.40 as I write this) will almost certainly be the more popular choice, as it gets you quite a bit of extra content (the excellent Shadowgrounds and its sequel). And what happens when you pay over the average? You raise the average. It’s a nice, soft way of setting a price floor without preventing cash-strapped (or just cheap) people from paying a buck for a good game. The average price has gone up a couple pennies just as I’ve written this paragraph, and when you’re looking at sales in the hundreds of thousands, those pennies start to add up. So far they’ve sold over 30,000 bundles and have raised above $130,000. The sale’s just beginning (it goes for two weeks), so those numbers should rise quite a bit. Head on over to the Humble Bundle site to buy or just check things out. And here’s a video of the games involved:
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| TCTV: Hands On With The Kindle Fire Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:38 PM PDT  The Kindle Fire is the device we were all waiting for and when it arrived it did not disappoint. The Fire is a 7-inch media device that plays well with all of Amazon’s media services including the book store, the video store, and the music store. It includes a web browser and supports Amazon’s own Amazon App Store, a branch of the Android App Store that focuses on apps optimized for this device. Priced at $199, the Fire should arrive in late November and, as Matt notes, it will probably be the break-out Android tablet of this season. It’s not hard to see the appeal – a price point far below the iPads but with all of Amazon’s media services built-in. Here is the upcoming Fire commercial that showcases the product and, more important, explains the monosyllabic name. Kindle Fire brings you Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s cloud-accelerated web browser Product features: 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle Fast, powerful dual-core processor Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows
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| TCTV: Hands On With The Kindle Touch Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:07 PM PDT  The first device Jeff Bezos showed off at today’s Amazon event was the diminutive Kindle Touch, a $99 e-ink device that should be on everyone’s Christmas lists this year. The Touch has an 6-inch, IR-based touchscreen and includes all of the features found in the ne Kindle models including the new X-Ray feature that adds research and information to any book downloaded from the Kindle store. The Touch will cost $99 for the basic model ($139 without “special offers”) and $149 for the 3G model. The 3G model includes free 3G access in 100 countries. A $79 Kindle without a touchscreen is also available. The $79 model is available now while the Touch models will ship on November 21. The Kindle Touch has a simple to use touch screen with audio and built in wifi. Product Features Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less Borrow Kindle books from your public library
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| 3rd Generation Kindles Get A New Name, Discounted Prices Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:23 AM PDT  If Amazon’s new slew of keyboard-less Kindles leaves you feeling frightened and confused, you’ve still got time to pick up one of their soon-to-be classic models. The 3rd generation Kindle (which has been retroactively renamed the “Kindle Keyboard”) is enjoying a bit of a price drop on Amazon.com as we speak. The Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers has dipped from its usual price down to $99, while the spiffy 3G version is currently selling for $139. Given that the newly-announced Kindle with Special Offers is already available for a remarkable $79, only hardcore keyboard fanatics need apply. The new Kindle’s price point was clearly intended to move units like crazy, so one has to wonder why the discount on the previous model wasn’t more drastic. It seems possible that Amazon could slash prices closer to the holiday season in an attempt to own to the eReader market at all price points, but that would likely jeopardize sales of newer models. Amazon could also be running low enough on existing Kindle stock that they’re in no rush to sell through them. Why sell a perfectly good Kindle for something like $50 when warehouse space isn’t an issue and people are more than happy to pay $99? This is all speculation of course, but the point remains: those of you who prefer your Kindles with keyboards may want to head over to Amazon and check things out. After all, who knows how many more they have to sell?
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| Amazon Just Won The Android Tablet Wars With The $199 Kindle Fire Posted: 28 Sep 2011 08:25 AM PDT  The Android tablet electoral races are done. There’s a new mayor in Droidville. But this guy didn’t roll into town with pomp and circumstance. He strolled down Main Street and simply offered more than any other candidate, extolling a plan based on down-to-earth sensibility and affordability. Meet the Kindle Fire. Amazon just unveiled the Kindle Fire, which will, without question, dominate the sub-iPad tablet market for years. Amazon did it right by copying Apple’s formula: tablets do not sell on specs; Amazon barely touched on the Fire’s hardware during its announcement. Instead, Jeff Bezos, doing his best Steve Jobs impersonation, stood tall on the stage and ran through a long list of features that makes the Fire an iPad alternative the world wanted. The Fire runs Android but that’s invisible to the user. Amazon instead built a custom UI on top of an unspecified Android build. This is the right move for most consumers. Android 2.x is not meant for tablets. Sure, some die-hards love it on a slate, but most of those same users will profess that it’s not right for the general consumer. Honeycomb isn’t much better and requires more beefy hardware — a dealbreaker for a company like Amazon looking to undercut the iPad’s price. Then you have Amazon’s massive server capability. Amazon is leveraging its many server farms to pre-render, and therefore, smooth out the overall web browsing experience. Called Amazon Silk, the browser learns users behaviors and starts caching often visited pages for quicker load times. The system intelligently offloads content to Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) that shrinks it to a more manageable size: Flash, images, and all the heavy content. All this is done before the data hits the tablet which makes for, well, a silky experience. Visit TechCrunch a lot? Great, thanks, but the page will load even faster thanks to caching smart of Amazon Silk. Sure, the Fire is a front-end for a bunch of Amazon services, but this back-end processing will allow the $199 tablet to feel like nothing else in its price point. It might even load pages quicker than the A5-powered iPad 2. The Amazon Fire is, in a sense, an iPod Touch. It is hitting the market right when such a stop-gap product is needed. The iPad is clearly a “better” device with better hardware and more functions, but the Fire is $300 less and still rather capable. Likewise, the Fire might not be the best Android tablet, but Amazon has clearly compensated for the lackluster hardware with a fresh interface. Consumers have shown a resistence to non-iPad tablets, but the $500 price point is out of reach for many consumers. A $200 tablet, loaded with Amazon’s media offerings, is the right product to kick start tablets from niche to mainstream. Amazon followed Apple’s lead in launching media services prior to its hardware. Over the last year, the company has invested heavily into streaming video, MP3 downloads and cloud computing. It all makes sense now. By showing consumers that, say, the Amazon Prime Instant Video works well on user’s computers, they’re now more comfortable buying a tablet built around the service. This media content instantly pushes the Fire to the front of the Android line. For the average consumer, the Fire is the perfect low-cost iPad alternative. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon's... Kindle Fire brings you Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s cloud-accelerated web browser Product features: 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle Fast, powerful dual-core processor Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows
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| Amazon Tops 1 Million Kindle Books In Just Four Years Posted: 28 Sep 2011 07:32 AM PDT  Today at Amazon’s press conference in New York city, the company announced the Kindle Fire 7-inch tablet. But that’s not all CEO Jeff Bezos had to say — the Amazon boss spoke on the success of Kindle as a service, noting that four years ago “Amazon had 90,000 books. Today we’re over a million, and that doesn’t include the copyright-free texts.” Bezos mentioned that the only way the Kindle could succeed was to create demand not only for the device, but for the content, also known as e-books. Despite the huge growth of physical book sales in the past 15 years, Kindle sales still outpace them. As you may or may not know, the Kindle has been the best-selling e-reader on the market for the past four years, but Amazon clearly isn’t resting. Bezos also introduced three new Kindle models, all under the $149 price-point. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon's...
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| Amazon Unveils New $79 E-Ink Kindle, $99 Kindle Touch Posted: 28 Sep 2011 07:25 AM PDT  Looks like the Kindle Fire wasn’t all Amazon had planned for us. Amazon has revealed a new line of E-Ink Kindles that looks to bolster their “traditional” eReader lineup. The three new models have taken the stage: the $79 Kindle, the $99 Kindle Touch, and the $149 Kindle Touch 3G. The new super small, non-touch Kindle was announced to appeal to Amazon’s legion of eReading purists. It’s small enough to fit in a pack pocket, and will cost users a scant $79 — customers can order today, and Amazon says it will ship today too. While it retains physical buttons, Amazon’s traditional Kindle keyboard is gone. In order to drive the price that low, the new Kindle also comes packed with Amazon’s Special Offers and their Amazon Local deals service. The Kindle Touch features an IR touch system that’s similar to the one seen in the most recent Nook, and squeezes it into a body that’s both smaller and lighter than the current model. By going touchscreen, the Kindle Touch does away with the classic Kindle design and instead goes for a very unassuming form factor. The Kindle Touch also sports a new feature called X-Ray, which provides “more than just definitions.” It seeks to give users context by providing Wikipedia info without having to switch into a browser. Amazon is going aggressive with the pricing here: the Kindle Touch will go for $99 — a super-enticing price point by any stretch, but one that’s probably going to ensure these things fly off the shelves come the holidays. The Kindle Touch will also come in a global-friendly 3G model which will run $149 — not a bad price considering users get a free lifetime of data in 100 countries. Both units are available for pre-order today, but units will ship starting shipping on November 21. Amazon’s eReader lineup has gotten a tremendous shot in the arm with everything that’s happened today. While the Fire seems primed to take on both Apple’s iPad and BN’s Nook Color line, the new E-Ink Kindles aim to keep the old-school Kindle fans loyal to the brand.
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| Amazon Fires $199, 7-Inch Tablet At Apple Posted: 28 Sep 2011 06:48 AM PDT  Amazon’s not-so-secret project is finally unveiled and is the company’s first real tablet contender. The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s prize fighter in the battle for tablet dominance. But the new LCD-equipped Kindle isn’t in the corner alone. Amazon also took the wraps off of two new, more-traditional Kindles, including a $99 touchscreen model and a stripped-down $79 option. The Fire itself is rather characterless and dull. It looks a lot like the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook (probably for good reason) and features just enough tech to pass as acceptable. There’s a two-point multitouch screen (the iPad has a 10-point screen), and an unspecified CPU although reports place a TI OMAP CPU at the core. There are no physical buttons on the black slate, along with little Amazon branding. The Fire doesn’t have a camera, microphone or 3G connectivity although it does pack WiFi. It’s all about the experience here. The Kindle Fire marks a significant departure from Amazon’s norm. The most notable change is obviously the multitouch 7-inch LCD rather than an e-ink display, but moreover, the Kindle Fire is a complete storefront for the retailer rather than just an ereader. The tablet features apps for Amazon’s Android Appstore, Kindle store, Amazon MP3, and Prime Instant Video. Nearly all of Amazon’s recent news, Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon Cloud Drive, Kindle Cloud Reader, the streaming deals with Fox and NBCUniversal, were in preparation for the Fire. With these cloud services in place, the Kindle Fire is a legitimate iPad competitor. But it’s more than just Amazon apps. Users are free to load apps from Amazon’s Android Appstore including Pandora, Twitter, Facebook, and, most notably, Netflix. The Fire runs a custom OS build that completely hides its Android 2.x underpinnings. Amazon built, without the help of Google we’re told, an experience centered around all of Amazon’s retail and cloud services. This is an Amazon tablet and not just a Kindle. Watch out, Apple (and B&N). Amazon is pricing this model aggressively. Bloomberg is reporting prior to Amazon’s official event that the Kindle Fire hits at just $199 and comes with 30-days of Amazon Prime. It’s been said that Amazon initially planned on launching a 10-inch tablet alongside this 7-inch model but the larger version was pushed back until early 2012. Reportedly, the 10-inch wasn’t going to be ready in time and Amazon choose to launch just the smaller version. It was a smart and timely move, too. Barnes & Noble is said to be gearing up to launch the second generation of the Nook Color within the coming weeks. Had Amazon waited ’till after the new year to launch both, the Nook Color successor might had stolen Christmas and part of the Fire’s marketshare. But as it sits right now, this holiday season is set to play host to a tablet battle royal between the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook Color 2. Check out the official Amazon Fire commercial and images after the break. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep into the long tail by housing them all in numerous warehouses and distributing products from many partner companies. Amazon directly sells, or acts as a platform for the sale of a broad range of products. These include books, music, videos, consumer electronics, clothing and household products. The majority of Amazon's... The Kindle Touch has a simple to use touch screen with audio and built in wifi. Product Features Most-advanced E Ink display, now with multi-touch New sleek design - 8% lighter, 11% smaller, holds 3,000 books Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s Built in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less Borrow Kindle books from your public library Kindle Fire brings you Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s cloud-accelerated web browser Product features: 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle Fast, powerful dual-core processor Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows
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| Live At The Amazon Event In New York City Posted: 28 Sep 2011 06:30 AM PDT  Watch this space because beginning at 10am Eastern/7am Pacific we will be live from the Amazon event in New York City. What are we expecting? The Fire, of course – Amazon’s newest Kindle that will come with a full-color, touch-sensitive screen and perhaps a few other tricks including Prime ebook subscriptions and a more robust and compelling Amazon app store. We’ll update this post during the event, so refresh early and often. 9:57 – Well, it looks like this might be a bit of a dud today, but we’ll grab some photos of the device ASAP. 9:59 – We’re starting up. People are all reading Bloomberg so it’s pretty quiet.
Kindle without touch is $79. Has special offers from Amazon and Amazon Local.
10:27 – Talking about movies and songs. 17 million songs, 100,000 movies. Amazon Cloud Player. 10:35 – Just launched Kindle Fire Tablet. Dual processor. Wireless sync to Amazon Cloud.
“We’re on a better network. All the heavy lifting on the back end. You get optimized content to the device.” They’re calling it split browser architecture. It’s more like client server, but don’t tell them that. Confirms Kindle Fire is $199. “Kindle for movie, web, games, and reading.” 10:53 – Ships November 15, pre-order today.
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| Amazon Tacitly Confirms The “Kindle Fire” On Their Website Posted: 28 Sep 2011 06:06 AM PDT  It won’t be long now before Amazon kicks off their big press conference, where the much-awaited Kindle tablet is rumored to make its first public appearance. We’ve learned recently that Amazon will be calling it the Kindle Fire, and the company seems to have quietly confirmed the name on their website. Let’s try something here: punch “amazon.com/food” into your address bar, and you’ll be redirected to the company’s food and grocery selection. Likewise, “amazon.com/clothes” takes you to their virtual equivalent of a department store. Take a wild guess as to where “amazon.com/kindlefire” leads you. Yep, the “kindlefire” subdomain redirects you to the Kindle store. Coincidence? I very much doubt it — normally, tacking anything onto the end of the amazon.com URL takes you straight to an error page, and other Amazon-owned Kindle names similarly lead to a dead end. Take for example KindleWave.com — Amazon registered the domain name in late August, but amazon.com/kindlewave leads to an error page. The issue of the domain name also seems to have been squared away: Domain Name Wire reports that Amazon has recently purchased the KindleFire.com domain name from its original owner. At time of writing, the URL leads nowhere, but expect that to change shortly. We’ll have more details when the press conference kicks off at 10 AM, but keep your eyes peeled on the Kindle Fire page: something interesting is likely to pop up before too long. UPDATE: Our live blog of the event is getting ready to start, so feel free to mosey on over and see what Amazon is up to.
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| Video: Simple Personal Assistant Robot Follows You, Carries Stuff For You Posted: 28 Sep 2011 05:44 AM PDT  We covered quite a few personal assistant robots from Japan in the past, but none of them were labeled as “personal porters”. But now Professor Gen Endo from the Tokyo Institute of Technology has built a unique prototype of a robot that follows the owner around and can carry stuff for them, too. Owners simply pull the robot with the help of a cord, and the self-propelled, battery-powered robot follows them everywhere. Thanks to a set of 4 wheels (and much like a space exploration rover), the robot can overcome most obstacles in a pedestrian environment. In its current form, the little guy can run for 2,5 hours (5km) on a single charge. Professor Endo says a more refined version could one day help the elderly or people having to rely on oxygen therapy (see above). This video, shot by Diginfo TV in Tokyo, provides more insight:
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