It's probably one of those obscure issues like, oh, say, blocking Samsung tablet sales.

It's not uncommon to differentiate between "international" and "domestic" rights, strange as it seems.

But consider ...

... can Chinese manufacturers legally produce an export product which is, by Chinese law, illegally badged? (Yes, I know -- "only if it's handbags, clothing, wristwatches, etc. etc.")

Very, very few retailers perform any significant technical service in-house, though if you purchase a house-branded product you might have problems. Most "Name Brand" manufacturers cultivate and maintain their own service networks which can repair their products regardless of where they were purchased.

"[S]tanding behind your team" has an entirely different meaning when you're thinking in terms of draught animals.

... people who thought they were buying a cut-down iPad

... were misled by reviewers who failed to grasp that the Fire is in fact a Kindle, designed and marketed as a content delivery device, not as a laptop replacement.

It doesn't ...

Neither my wife's Kindle Fire, nor my daughter's, nor my own exhibit the supposed "lagginess."

Presumably the phones won't try to connect to WiFi unless WiFi is detected, which can be done in a very low-power manner (think of those keychain WiFi detectors).

It's Complicated

"Haven't they already got a 7" android tablet called the nook color?"

Well, yes, but that's a "reader" and now sells for $50 less. The new higher-priced "tablet" seems to be essentially the same device without the confining "reader" designation.

$79 in the US as others have said, and until recently that was no more "feature-laden" than the current UK offering. Free streaming et al is a recent enhancement.

EE Times' estimate is probably more accurate than the one used for this article.

No cameras on the Kindle Fire, so no worries.

Well, OK, none we *know* of ...

"I have bad memories of those..."

They've improved significantly since then.

I prefer live data

I spend over a thousand dollars a year on real books, mostly hardcover, but when I'm e.g. in the middle of a meeting or on public transportation no library, including my own, is a practical option -- except for the one in my Kindle. Further, with my 3G Kindle I can locate, purchase and use books I don't already have within seconds, something that's proved indispensable on several occasions.

Frightening

I'm far less 'frightened' by those willing to let others subsidize their recreation than by those willing to pay a premium for the iSell family of devices.

Value Added

If, as rumored, the Amazon tablet includes free Amazon Prime membership (meaning, among other things, free streaming of many, many movies, TV shows, etc.) and, of course, if a potential buyer wanted what Prime offers without paying US$80/year for it, then the price is quite low for a 7" tablet.

Having said that, I don't think the Android 2.0 example you gave is much of a competitor, even at closeout prices.

Not your typical beige box

HP wants to be out of the commodity PC business; these fall outside that particular box.

Keyboard

Touchsmart PCs include an onscreen keyboard gadget. Rather large for battery-powered portability, though.

Little to do with background noise

Several decades as an audio engineer have shown me that wherever a graphic EQ isn't behind a locked door, most or all of the controls will be maxed out, even in theaters and concert halls where background noise isn't an issue. Many times I've earned my fees by simply restoring the controls to their proper, usually minimal, levels -- and hiding the EQ behind a panel.

... only to a point

"Not a chart band ... ... - everything was clipped and unlistenable."

The second clause may substantially explain the first. In the end, the public does not base music purchases on meter readings.

Surprising

If 'Joe Public' is perfectly satisfied with Windows why is he posting here about his failed attempts to use Ubuntu?

Cost issue

Considering how many forked out $399 for the original Kindle I doubt the $249 price point will seriously hobble the Kindle Tablet.

Not just motorists

It's not a nice little spiteful war on motorists; it's a nice little spiteful war on capitalism.

Miniseries

"And it wasn't that bad."

For its time it was actually done rather well; simulating on film what Bradbury created in the minds of his readers is likely to be even harder on the big screen than it was on the small.

Penny Wise,

Pound Foolish.

With removable storage going for under US$100/terrabyte, neglecting to keep local backups is the real "Fail" in this situation.

Unintended Consequences

>> "This ruling sim(p)ly says look at MY risk."

A great idea in the abstract, and with regard to driving record, experience and even choice of cars quite reasonable -- and already standard practice in the insurance industry.

But do you REALLY want insurance companies to launch a background investigation into each applicant's life for such other details as you've listed? My extensive selection of fuzzy dice, for instance, is a deeply personal matter.

Condensation - GOT

If the device had been inside the house for long, particularly overnight, the warm, humid air inside it would have released condensation when the lady brought it out to the cold car. Apple ought not to build its products so poorly -- this problem is commonly and easily dealt with in many other electronic products -- but a badly designed device could indeed be susceptible to condensation under the conditions described.