E-book sales dip, but is print really making a comeback?

We’ve all heard “print is dead” a few (hundred) times before, but it looks like print is still kickin’. In fact, it could be making a bit of a comeback. The Association of American Publishers, using collected data from around 1,200 publishers, found that e-book sales dropped 10 percent during the first five months of 2015. The reason? Signs point to a lot of folks being “hybrid readers” these days, opting for a mix of print and digital over one or the other. E-reader sales have also been on the downswing for quite a while. For example, Forrester Research says 12 million of the dedicated reading devices were sold last year — that’s down from 20 million in 2011. Of course, Amazon just announced a $50 tablet that’ll offer easy access to its library, but it also packs in some core slate features. It also looks like those Netflix-like e-book subscription services, like Oyster, didn’t catch on like companies had hoped.

High e-book prices could also be contributing to the dip in sales. After Amazon’s rift with publishers, the retailer handed over pricing and now digital versions are only slightly cheaper (or the same price) than print in a lot of cases. Is print really making a comeback, though? Well, the American Booksellers Association tallied 1,712 member stores and 2,227 locations this year. That’s up significantly over the last five years. Publishers are looking to keep pace as well, investing in distribution to keep copies on shelves to meet the demand. While folks in the e-book business aren’t ready to panic, it’ll be interesting to see if this is a temporary slow down or if consumers really do prefer the physical act of page turning once more. Either way, Sony was a little off with its prediction.

[Image credit: AFP PHOTO / ISAAC LAWRENCE]

Source: New York Times

CatFi Box is the Google Cardboard of smart cat feeders

Last year, Zillians launched a high-tech cat feeder called Bistro that’ll monitor how much food and water your little feline is eating thanks to a smart built-in facial recognition camera. Since then, the company has renamed the product to the CatFi Pro, which is pretty much the same exact thing, except with a different name. But what if you don’t have the $199 or so to drop on the CatFi Pro and you still want to keep tabs on kitty’s diet? Well, Zillians has just come out with a less-functional but still-workable cardboard alternative called simply CatFi Box, which they showed off at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this week. Yep, all you need is a spare Android phone, a piece of cardboard and an Exacto knife to make your very own high-tech cardboard cat feeder. Think of it as Google Cardboard but for your cat. And you know, without that whole VR thing.

To get started, you’ll have to sign up for the beta on the CatFi website. From there you’ll get instructions on how to cut and fold the cardboard, plus links to download the beta versions of the apps. Load the camera-version of the app (dubbed Cam-Phone) to your Android phone, and set it up so that the camera is facing the food bowl. You also don’t technically even need the cardboard structure as it’s just there to hold the phone — as long as you’ve got the Android phone in a stationary position pointing at your kitty’s feeding area, you’re good to go.

A spokesperson tells us that the reason why the camera-side of the app needs to be on an Android phone, is because iPhones don’t allow background video recording. The Android camera app will then transmit any activity about your cat’s feeding to the cloud, which you can then track on an entirely separate app dubbed Control-Phone (this tracking app is available on both iOS and Android). This is the same app that’s used in the CatFi Pro and lets you see at what times and how long your cats eat. The camera also records video of it so you can watch it happen to make sure little kitty is eating her food.

Of course, the CatFi Box doesn’t have the same bells and whistles as the Pro version. It doesn’t have a scale and it won’t have a large reservoir of food and water to draw from. But hey, you can try making the CatFi Box work with automatic feeders or something like the Petzi Treat Cam. And while we laugh at the idea of needing a spare Android phone for it to work and the whole cardboard concept to begin with, it really does sound like a cheap and inexpensive way to track your cat’s feeding habits to make sure it isn’t suffering from any disorders. Unless, of course, your cat mistakes the cardboard box for, uh, something else entirely.

[Image credit: Lead image by the author; second two images by CatFi]

Source: CatFi

The CDMA network variant of the Nextbit Robin is now supported by Sprint

As mentioned last week, Nexbit was exploring Robin support for both Verizon and Sprint as the Robin was originally made for GSM networks only. In response, Nextbit quickly confirmed that a Verizon version was coming, without mentioning its plans for Sprint. Today however, Nextbit finally added Sprint support for the Robin, making it compatible with all four major U.S carriers

The Nextbit Robin cloud-based smartphone was previously only available for Verizon on the CDMA network, however Sprint support is now added giving you the option of a GSM or CDMA variant of the device. You can order the Robin on Kickstarter at the standard price of $349.

Here is the full set of bands the Nextbit Robin is available:

GSM (AT&T and T-Mobile):

• GSM 850/900/1800/1900
• WCDMA 850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100
• LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28

CDMA (Verizon and Sprint):

• CDMA 800/1900
• GSM 850/900/1800/1900
• WCDMA 1700/1800/1900/2100
• LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/7/13/20/25/26/41

Source:Kickstarter

Come comment on this article: The CDMA network variant of the Nextbit Robin is now supported by Sprint