Amazon appeals directly to authors in ongoing e-book dispute

Despite sounding like a rogue militant organization from G.I. Joe, Hatchette is actually a book publishing group. Tame as that may sound, Hatchette is currently engaged in a high-stakes game of Chicken with a juggernaut in the book sales world: Amazon. It’s all part of a long-running dispute between book publishers and “the everything store”; even the book titled after Amazon’s moniker was involved in the dispute. It goes like this: Amazon wants to price its e-books one way, and publishers want things another way. While the negotiations occur, Amazon pushes back by slowing delivery of physical books by publishers involved in negotiations or, sometimes, carrying limited stocks intentionally so the books are unable to be ordered. Another tactic Amazon’s now employing in the dispute? Appealing directly to authors. With cash.

Amazon’s promising select writers “100 percent of the sales price of every Hatchette e-book we sell,” Amazon executive David Naggar said in a letter sent to a group of authors, acquired by The New York Times. The letter allegedly also promises to suspect previous tactics employed by Amazon in the ongoing power struggle.

If nothing else, the attempt shows that Amazon’s willing to work negotiate with the parties involved. Authors Guild president Roxana Robinson points out that this tactic could serve to drive a wedge between authors and their publishers. “This seems like a short-term solution that encourages authors to take sides against their publishers,” she said.

Hatchette and Amazon aren’t offering statements. Brad Stone’s The Everything Store is available once more on Amazon.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Reed Saxon]

Filed under: Handhelds, Amazon

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Source: The New York Times

Uber won’t gouge you as much during disasters

Folks who have nabbed a ride from Uber during major snowstorms in New York City know all too well about the car service’s price gouging during those events. Now, the outfit is capping rates during disasters and “relevant states of emergency” in the US, donating commissions from those surge trips to the American Red Cross. Fares will vary between locales, but prices during a state of emergency will remain under the three highest-priced, non-emergency days of the last two months. If you’ll recall, the app-based service calculates rates based on periods of high demand and low driver availability, jacking up pricing to match and ruffling a few feathers in the process. “This policy intends to strike the careful balance between the goal of transportation availability with community expectations of affordability during a disaster,” said Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Uber

Blocks’ modular smartwatch concept is ambitious to a fault

As one of the Blocks smartwatch team reminded us today, modularity has played an integral role in modern computing. A desktop PC is only a collection of components, after all, which can swapped out and upgraded based on what you need from that particular machine (a process Razer hopes to simplify with Project Christine). Recently, Google and others have been working out how to bring the same level of customization to the smartphone. With smartwatches and fitness trackers a burgeoning tech category, both in terms of consumer interest and product development, the Blocks team see no reason why wrist-worn technology can’t benefit from being modular, too. They’re in the process of creating such a gadget and today we caught up with them at a London event, hosted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, to talk about their progress and check out an extremely early prototype.

The puzzle of plastic above may not look like much (and it’s far too big to be considered wearable), but it’s been a successful proof-of-concept device. With it, the Blocks crew have confirmed their design is viable, in that all the components can communicate freely. They’re now working on miniaturizing everything so it’s wrist-friendly, though the finished product won’t look anything like the colorful, 3D-printed mock-ups we saw today, or early renders Blocks has shared previously . Instead, it’s going to have a more refined and premium appearance. Hopefully, something like:

It’s easy to grasp the potential of a modular wearable like Blocks. If you wanted insane battery life for example, you could turn the whole band into a secondary power source. Simple fitness tracking could be done by one link containing a gyroscope and accelerometer, while another housing a heart rate monitor and blood oxygen sensor could offer richer analyses. Similarly, outdoorsy types could pair a GPS module with one packing an altimeter, thermometer and barometer. Modules with SIM-card slots and cellular radios, RFID and NFC chips, cameras and microphones — all useful features alone and in combinations. And then there’s anything third-party module-makers dream up.

Software is obviously a big part of the equation, and while a platform for Blocks was being developed in-house, the team are currently experimenting with Android Wear. The final call is far from made, however, as Wear immediately cuts iOS users from the potential customer pool. That’s a pretty big deal when what you’re building is, in most use cases, a smartphone companion device. The company is also considering separate operating system modules, so Blocks hardware could run on various platforms.

One key benefit of Google’s OS is support for different screen shapes. The plan is for Blocks to have several display options, including round, square and band-like faces, in OLED and e-ink variants (though stock Android Wear doesn’t support the latter). These display modules will also run the rest of the show, each accommodating a processor and other necessities, a Bluetooth chip and the primary battery. Naturally, they’ll be the most expensive.

The Blocks crew have a lot to refine, but they hope to be ready to seek crowdfunding this fall, with delivery well into the following year. A basic package with all the functionality of your standard smartwatch is expected to be $200-250/£150-200, and a premium tier with additional modules a little pricier at $300-350/£250-300 (bear in mind these are rough estimates). The concept itself is pretty sound, in the same way a modular smartphone looks to be a viable, albeit niche proposition. However, there’s always the chance of thinking too big. Doing too much. Blocks is attempting to create a hardware platform from scratch, both building modules and hoping to attract others to do the same. Multiple face designs, display technologies and even operating systems complicates the situation further, not to mention the need for compatible apps and third-party developer support. Needless to say, it’s an ambitious undertaking.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile

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Source: Blocks

Dubai’s beating the heat with Mall of the World, a massive climate-controlled city

Dubai is hot. Summer temperatures can easily exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and desert conditions can mean weeks without relief. The city is already home to a slew of all-weather venues, such as Ski Dubai, the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort, but the UAE’s latest project could bring comfort to millions of residents and annual visitors. Mall of the World, as the complex is to be named, will include 20,000 hotel rooms, making up some 100 hotels and apartment complexes, the world’s largest indoor theme park, an 8-million square foot mall and a 3-million square foot “wellness district,” with doctors and inpatient facilities for medical tourists.

With nearly 4.5 miles of temperature-controlled streets with ceilings that can open during the mild winter, complete with trollies, escalators and all the shopping you could hope for, residents will never have to step outside. Underground parking will accommodate some 50,000 cars, and a variety of cultural venues will attract locals and those living outside, alike. It’s an ambitious project, and an opening deadline has yet to be named, but if any city can pull off such a retail mecca, it’s Dubai.

Filed under: Household

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Via: Verge

Source: Dubai Holding