Google rolls out its new Buzz feature and all we can say is this: don't even THINK of calling your new text-to-speech chat feature "Buzz Out Loud." Because we will come for you. Also, the Nexus One gets phone support ... for shipping questions only. Sad trombone. And Toyota can't catch a break. Poor Toyota. --Molly
Stories Covered[]
Top Stories
Google to Add Social Features to Gmail
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/technology/companies/09social.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-is-set-to-launch-twitter-clone-for-gmail-2010-2
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/02/09/live-blogging-googles-gmail-announcement/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000057-248.html
Google Launches Phone Support For The Nexus One, Lowers ETF By$200
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/08/nexus-one-phone-suppor/
Android 2.1 With Multitouch Headed To MotorolaDroid
Other Stories
Macworld Expo 2010 Caters to Apple Fans -- Without Apple
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/macworld-expo-2010
Prius recall is on and it’s a softwareproblem
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota9-2010feb09,0,2598342.story
Panasonic does not plan fix for reported black level increases, CNET removes editors’ choice from the series.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10449939-1.html
Microsoft denies Windows 7 battery problem
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10449395-56.html
Kickers and Science
Quantum trick for pressure-sensitive mobiledevices
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8504373.stm
Stay home, let Texas Robot attend thatmeeting
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10382617-1.html
Study toasts beer as being good for your bones
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6180B120100209
Voicemail[]
Mac has some Droid tips
Erica in Chicago on license plates
Emails[]
Hi Tom and Molly, glad you are both together again.
If you like google translate you should check “translation party” a site that will translate and English phase to Japanese and back over and over again.
For example see what “hey mollly, let’s go grab some dinner” would
become over an iterated universal google translation:
http://translationparty.com/#6422059
That would be fun!
Cheers,
Alex, designer from Rio
Hi there BeMoTo,
I’ve been meaning to write in about this for a few days now, but I kept assuming someone else would bring it up first! I’m a day behind, so maybe this was brought up on Monday’s show after all.
Anyway. This is the real background of the Amazon ebook pricing thing from what I’ve been told by friends in the publishing industry. Basically, it’s all Wal-Mart’s fault. Wal-Mart is the country’s largest bookseller (believe it or not), and their policy is to match their competitors’ lowest price point. This means that when Amazon prices a Kindle book at $9.99, Wal-Mart’s policy is to sell the hardback at $9.99 (if the two are released at the same time, which is also why authors fight to delay ebook release dates).
Since Wal-Mart doesn’t want to take a loss like that, they will frequently decide simply not to carry a book rather than sell it for under $10. Wal-Mart, for good or evil, is the biggest bookseller in the country. Not having their book at Wal-Mart hurts publishers (and authors) much more than taking lower profit margins on Kindle books. (Which they do under the agency model.)
So if a publisher can get their Kindle pricing up to a level where Wal-Mart will sell the paper copies at that price, they make more money overall even if they’re making less from Amazon.
Love the show,
-Jess in Brooklyn
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