Amazon plans on releasing a 9" tablet this Fall

WSJ reports that Amazon will indeed release a tablet to compete with the iPad this fall.

The article continues to say that the tablet will run on Andriod (duh!) and will have a 9 inch color LCD screen (nice!). That sounds perfect for my digital comic books! There will not be a camera, but should have hopefully has all the other bells and whistles (browser, app store, etc).

The only question I have is:

Is it really gonna cost $500? Tom'sGuide thinks so. "the Amazon tablet is likely to be considerably more expensive and hit the $500 mark for a Wi-Fi only version."

Depending on the price, I think their new tablet really makes a lot of sense.
Amazon actually creates a product that I think finds the perfect niche. How many consumers will realize it, I'm not sure.

I am of the crowd that thinks an iPad is a bit too much. Its a little too flashy for my tastes, has a little bit too much of the "hey, look at me!" vibe going on. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple and I think the iPad is an amazing device, but at $500, its just too much. And since it is such a nice product, I can't really treat it the way an e-reader can be treated. I would have to be so careful not to scratch the screen or the casing. Yea, I can get a case for it and a screen protector, but that's the point! I don't want to HAVE TO get all of those things.

The Kindle has no versatility. It's black and white. But it's great at what it does: read digital books. But that's it. I was silently hoping for a Kindle Color, like the Nook Color.

I wanted to like the Nook Color. I wanted to buy the Nook Color. But it just seemed to lag a little too much, and I learned that the NC works best if rooted. I'm not opposed to jailbreaking/hacking items, but I like products that are good enough without tweaking. So for now, I'm staying away.

So if the iPad is too much, and the Kindle and the Nook Color is not enough, then Amazon has a real good chance of capturing the sweet spot, they fill the gap.
Again, as long as it is priced right.

I'm hoping for a max MSRP of $295.

(image from Google images)

Should I get the new MacBook Air?

I've been looking forward to getting the new MacBook Air for a while. I've wanted a sleek, portable, lightweight and attractive laptop for even longer. Ever since the days when Sony's Vaio was the only one out there. I settled on the 13" unibody aluminum MacBook when it first came out, bypassing the MBA since it lacked an optical drive and was hundreds of dollars more expensive than the MacBook.
Now that my MB is more than just a few years old and the MBA dropping to a nice $999 entry level price, I'm very intrigued. Rumor has it that it will have an even lower price point, but no one is sure that will happen for us in the US. Well, if it does, that just makes it a no-brainer, doesn't it?!

Nah, I'm just not sure if it makes enough sense. I'm not convinced that its anything more than an accessory for me at this point. Granted, I would use it more than the iPad (if I owned one), but I don't really need it, do I?

Let's see.

Pros:
- Backlit keyboard, at least according to Macrumors (my MB was one of the first ones, so it lacks the backlit keys. Grrrrrr..)
- the ultimate Ultraportable (PC World has a great piece on this new class of laptops that is to take the world by storm)
- new, so a product of envy (until it becomes "old" when the newer one comes out)
- I just love Apple product so much!

Cons:
- $1000ish out the window
- that's it.

Other factors:
- I've wanted to partake in the yearly Apple Back to School promo, where every Mac purchased nets you an iPod touch, so I waited on it. When they finally announced it this year and said that the promo is that you get a $100 iTunes/ App Store card instead, I was bummed. But that $100 GC should still net me about $70 on eBay! Plus the $50 off for the discount, that means I get a $999 MBA for around $879+ taxes/etc.
- I sold a 16GB iPad2 that I got as a gift, and intended on spending the proceeds towards another Apple product. If I don't get the MBA, it will be hard to announce that I sold a gift and simply pocketed the cash. Plus, if I don't do anything specific with the $, it will feel like I lost an iPad..
- Getting a MBA could render my current MacBook obsolete. I could just sell it though..

It really does just come down to a matter of money. Yea, the economy sucks. Yea, we're in a recession (are we? still??) Yea, saving is important. But is it SO important that I should deprive myself of a shiny new toy? I just don't know yet.

I told myself, and my lovely adorable girlfriend that I will wait for the final specs of the MBAir to come out before deciding, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get one no matter what. It will just be a matter of whether or not I sell my current MacBook, since having two Macs seems wasteful.

What I would REALLY love, is if the new MBA was like the Asus EEE Pad, the tablet that's also a laptop. Think: iPad with a detachable but form fitting keyboard!
O wait, that's already been done.

But maybe it will be better if it's OEM and not a third-party add-on! And I'd rather it be a MacBook that's got a touch screen with apps, rather than simply a iPod touch plus a Mario Super Mushroom. I like apps and all, but I enjoy the full functionality of a regular ol' computer.

Sigh.. Just a few more hours to go, a MacBook Air review is probably on the horizon!