Citigroup analyst says 500,000 Kindles were sold in 2008

While it could possibly have something to say on the matter at its big event next week, Amazon has so far been mum on the total number of Kindles sold, which has prompted folks like Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney to do their own digging / speculating to arrive at some hard numbers. Apparently, Mahaney was able to determine that Amazon sold about 500,000 Kindles in 2008 by examining the company's agreement with Sprint, which seems to be a reasonable enough conclusion, although things get decidedly more speculative from there. According to Mahaney, the Kindle will be a $1.2 billion business for Amazon by 2010, assuming that the rate of adoption is similar to that of the iPod at the time of its introduction, and assuming that each Kindle user buys at least one book a month -- two pretty big assumptions, to say the least. As you might have guessed, Mahaney also has a bit to say about the seemingly imminent Kindle 2.0, which he speculates will be thinner and longer than the current model, won't boast a color screen or a touch screen, and possibly cost as low as $300. As they say, stay tuned.

Filed under: Handhelds

Citigroup analyst says 500,000 Kindles were sold in 2008 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

T-Mobile G1 firmware RC33 (also known as "not Cupcake") trickles into reality

Odds are there's not a lot of point in checking your own G1 for the update at this point -- it's just in the hands of a select few so far -- but T-Mobile has confirmed that firmware 1.1 / RC33 is just around the corner with some unspecified pre-Cupcake features and fixes in the mix. At this point, at least one inordinately lucky recipient has reported that the phone now supports Google voice search like we've seen on other platforms; don't get us wrong, that's cool and all, but we're still waiting for our virtual keyboard. 'Bout ready to go whip up some batter and bake it ourselves, if you know what we're saying.

[Via TmoNews]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile G1 firmware RC33 (also known as "not Cupcake") trickles into reality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

The Daily Roundup: here's what you might have missed

	Video: Hacker war drives San Francisco cloning RFID passports Think of it this way: Chris Paget just did you a service by hacking your passport and stealing your identity.		Crackulous released, promises to bust iPhone app protection scheme If Apple's sat back and let the iPhone hacking community do its thing in peace (well, relative peace) so far, this little gem just might be what the doctor ordered to stir up the crap.
	Elton John's Swarovski-encrusted charity iPod nano Taking his cue from the classy 'n' sassy Swarovski crowd, the players are bedazzled in the aforementioned crystals, and are available in black, green, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, or yellow.	Other news of import Real life Halo Warthog goes for a test drive Eee PC 1000HE with 9.5 hour battery seeks friends, pre-orders Tesla can't get funding, postpones plans to build new factory
	LG BD300 Blu-ray player review It's taken over two years and we've finally came to a point where a standalone player easily out classes the PS3 as a Blu-ray player.		Helio Ocean 2 Review Now that we've spent a few days comparing it to its predecessor, check out some of the the highs and lows of this new handset.
AT&T and DirecTV launch partnership, offer up quad-play bundle FCC Acting Chairman acknowledges seamless DTV switch isn't happening, sets open meeting for February 5		But wait, there's more: T-Mobile lets you buy with four easy payments Motorola's LTE trial is a go in Swindon, UK

The Daily Roundup: here's what you might have missed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Elton John's Swarovski-encrusted charity iPod nano

Out to give the rumored MySpace MP3 player a run for its money, Elton John has launched his own iPod nano lineup, raising money for a charity close to his hearts and our own -- the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Taking his cue from the classy 'n' sassy Swarovski crowd, the players are bedazzled in the aforementioned crystals, and are available in black, green, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, or yellow. Available at Goldgenie and Selfridges, the 8GB version is going for £399.99 while the 16GB model will set you back a cool £449.99. Be sure to jump on this soon, as each color is only offered in a limited edition of 100. And if that weren't enough, Goldgenie is throwing in "Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits CD" with every order. More pics after the break.

[Via Pocket Lint]

Continue reading Elton John's Swarovski-encrusted charity iPod nano

Filed under: Portable Audio

Elton John's Swarovski-encrusted charity iPod nano originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Smartphone videogame market explodes in 2008; dumbphone market wounded, but struggling on

With the economy lodged so firmly in the toilet we're always glad to see some sort of good news on that front, so check out the latest numbers from comScore that show the market for downloadable time-wasters on smartphones grew by a massive 291 percent in the period between November of 2007 and 2008. That's thanks in large part to the iPhone and its App Store, with sales on that platform alone accounting for 14 percent of all mobile game downloads and nearly one third of all iPhone users reporting they'd downloaded at least one game. That compares quite favorably to non-smartphone users, of whom just 3.8 percent have downloaded a game, driving that market to decline by 14 percent since 2007. Overall the mobile gaming industry bucked recessionary trends, grew a healthy 17 percent, and will now be shopping in the husky clothing section.

[Via PHONE Magazine]

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds

Smartphone videogame market explodes in 2008; dumbphone market wounded, but struggling on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Crackulous released, promises to bust iPhone app protection scheme

If Apple's sat back and let the iPhone hacking community do its thing in peace (well, relative peace) so far, this little gem just might be what the doctor ordered to stir up the crap. Crackulous -- available now in beta form through Cydia -- claims to be able to strip the protection off most apps downloaded from the App Store, meaning that just a single user needs to take the plunge and buy a target app once to get it busted and into free circulation. You need a jailbroken iPhone to get Crackulous loaded, naturally -- you'll see Apple make a Windows Mobile-powered device before you'll see Crackulous in the App Store -- but seeing how PwnageTool is dead simple to use, this puts most users just a couple graphical tools away from foolproof piracy and the golden opportunity to take a few hard-earned bucks out of a programmer's pocket.

[Via Funky Space Monkey]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Crackulous released, promises to bust iPhone app protection scheme originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Video: Stimulant's XRay mobile app brings SecondLight to any 'ol Surface

When Microsoft demonstrated Surface we were impressed. Then, when they later showed off SecondLight, we were even more impressed -- and then were sorry for anyone who had made the considerable investment in one of the earlier, singularly-lighted tables. We're feeling better now (thanks for asking) after seeing a video demonstration of XRay, a mobile app from Stimulant (who earlier blended a Wii Balance Board with a Surface) that provides similar functionality; letting you effectively see secondary images on the touch-table. The app relies on the ability of the Surface to detect where the phones are, communicating that position to tell them what to display and in what orientation. First up was the iPhone, as seen above, but the app has apparently already been ported to Windows Mobile and Android, meaning most-anyone can get in on the action -- assuming they have both a smart table and smart phone. A-ha-inspired video included below for your '80s flashback amusement.

Continue reading Video: Stimulant's XRay mobile app brings SecondLight to any 'ol Surface

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Stimulant's XRay mobile app brings SecondLight to any 'ol Surface originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch