Lifestyle

In case you hadn’t noticed, Google’s Android OS has a lot of momentum right now. With eight Android smart phones available in the U.S. this holiday season—most of them new–there’s a lot of excitement around this open and highly customizable platform. But there’s a difference between the stock Android interface on devices like the new Motorola Droid ($299.99), and others like the HTC Hero and Droid Eris (Sprint and Verizon) and Motorola CLIQ (T-Mobile).

That difference is a custom user interface that delivers more screens for you to customize and smarter ways of managing contacts and tapping into your social networking feeds. HTC calls its experience Sense, while Motorola dubs its service Motoblur. But what kinds of features do these skins on steroids offer, and how do they compare to the stock Android 2.0 OS? Read on to find out:

Plastic Logic announced today that their large-form eReader, the Que proReader, will be sold in Barnes & Noble stores and online at bn.com, just like the Nook. Though the Que might not get to share the Nook’s fancy display kiosk, book-browsing customers will get a chance to see, touch, and play with both in the store, which should help drive sales. The other B&N allied eBook device, the IREX DR800, will so-far only be sold at Best Buy.

Will the bookstore atmosphere be more beneficial to the other two devices, or will Best Buy’s gadget-lover lure prove the biggest boost? We won’t have to wait long to find out. The Nook and the IREX will be out by the end of the year, and Plastic Logic will debut the Que at CES on January 7th.

With weeks to go before we kick off the holiday shopping season with Black Friday, Lenovo announced two affordable notebooks in its IdeaPad U Series (that’s “U” as in, “ULV” or ultra low voltage): the 11-inch U150 (starting at $585) and the 15.6-inch U550 (starting at $650).

Both notebooks have 16:9 1366 x 768 displays, wireless-N,  optional 3G, 1.3-megapixel webcam with face recognition, and can accommodate Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Both have VGA and HDMI output, headphone and mic ports, an Ethernet jack, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader, but the U150 has two USB ports whereas the 15.6-inch U550 has three. In the case of the 11.6-inch U150, one of those USB ports double as an eSATA port.

The differences between the two begin with design.

Lenovo announced three new Windows 7-powered IdeaPad laptops today – the U150, U550, and Y550P. The first two emphasize portability and long life, but the Y550P’s focus is power. Sporting Intel’s new Core i7 processor (which includes Turbo Boost technology), up to 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce 240M Graphics chips are responsible for processing all images sent to your computer?s display.
Learn Moregraphics card, the Y550P is looking to capture the hearts of gamers and multimedia mavens. Lenovo claims that this is the most powerful laptop with Core i7 inside.

The 15.6-inch system incorporates a 1366×768 HD display and the option for including a Blu-ray drive. Though we often find laptop speakers lacking, the promise of an integrated sub-woofer is intriguing, as is the automatic theater quality audio/video optimization.

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So we got in an NSB/NSS messenger bag and sleeve from Case Logic. It comes in a Brake Light Orange that reminds me of nothing more than Northern Exposure, and its puffed-up, feather-down-vest appearance* just reinforces the reference.

But hey, it’s really comfortable to sleep on.

No, really. We’ve been calling it the Sleeping Bag, and that’s what it looks like: a sleeping bag for your laptop. I can’t exactly say I’d want to sleep on it while I had my laptop in there, but it’s quite comfortable—and convenient—as a makeshift pillow if you’re in the airport or taking an afternoon nap in the office.

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Following the lead of Sony and Barnes & Noble, whose PC software allows users to read eBooks on their PCs, today Amazon announced Kindle for PC. This free software will allow consumers with Windows XP, Vista and 7 to read Kindle books on their PCs. As with the iPhone app, Kindle for PC will sync bookmarks and the last page read on any book in your Kindle library. Users will also be able to view notes and highlights made on the Kindle and Kindle DX.

Announced during today’s Windows 7 ($74.99) event, the software has some nifty features only available on Microsoft’s newest OS. It will take advantage of Jump Lists and Windows Touch technology for zooming in and out with a pinch of the fingers. Future releases will also enable the ability to swipe pages to turn them.

For an advance peek at how the software looks and runs, check out our hands-on video:

Like food guru Alton Brown, I am not fond of unitaskers. Whether I’m dealing with the gadgets in my kitchen or in my office, it irks me to juggle too many devices that do just one thing. I’m only happy if the device in question does that one thing really well. It has to do that thing so well that I’ll be unwilling to settle for the lesser experience in a more convenient gadget. And, if possible, it needs to not cost a lot.

Looking over the current eReader market, I can see companies trying their best to make their unitasking devices seem attractive to a consumer base that often favors convenience over the best experience. Just look at the millions of people who own iPhones – or really any smartphone. So how do you convince people to buy a device that does one thing?

When Barnes & Noble officially announced the $259 nook eReader it became clear that the bookseller’s tactic was to pack as much of the experience of buying and reading books into the device as they could. The Android-based reader has two screens: a narrow color touchscreen below a 6-inch E Ink screen. The small strip of touchscreen utilizes the same touch technology as the iPhone and serves as both a control center for the reader and a portal to the Barnes & Noble eStore plus other exclusive content.

Read More: The nook one-ups the Kindle on several fronts…

It feels like a new eReader is announced every month or so these days. The market that languished for years is now booming with new devices and a growing number of content sources. Perhaps eReaders are finally having their iPod moment.

Today Barnes & Noble is set to announce a new eReader — perhaps the rumored Nook device the NYTimes and Wall Street Journal leaked — which will be the third one attached to their eStore. Just a few weeks ago we got a glimpse at the IREX reader, a 3G-enabled device that will allow instant access to the B&N eStore. Earlier this year Plastic Logic announced their partnership with the bookseller and recently the large-screen device got a name: the Que.

B&N is certainly looking to one-up Amazon in the eReader department. Not only will they have three devices, but each has at least one feature that makes them compelling and will hopefully increase usability. Because they were developed by (different) independent companies, the readers aren’t locked to just the B&N eStore. With the EPUB format gaining more ground and more content distributors (Google Books and over 200 participating bookstores), consumers have more choices and publishers have more options. B&N still has the edge, as over-the-air purchases will likely be limited to their store.

Update: the nook has been officially announced. Not only will it have 3G connectivity through AT&T but also integrated Wi-Fi and a color touchscreen navigation panel.

Confused by the ever-growing eReader market? Check the table under the jump for an overview of the devices, their capabilities, and (most importantly), their price.

Liliputing’s Brad Linder came across something interesting on the ASUS support site this weekend. On the software download page for the Eee PC 1008HA there are three choices: DOS, WinXP and Linux. Yep, Linux.

Amongst the downloads you’ll find Linux source codes, but we’re not sure yet which distro or distros of the OS they are. Brad suspects Moblin and invites intrepid Linux devotees to download and compile the code to check it out.

Could it be that the Eee PC is returning to its roots and ASUS will start releasing systems with Linux installed once more? Though there have been complaints about higher return rates for netbooks that come with Linux, there’s been a lot of development over the past two years to make distros more user-friendly. Plus, we’re coming up on the Eee PC anniversary — maybe celebrations will include the unveiling of the 1008HA running something other than a Windows OS?

Time will tell. But hey, as long as we’re being retro: how about a return to netbooks with SSDs instead of traditional hard drives?

Today I had the distinct pleasure of scoring an interview with the only tech journalist in the world. The only one who matters, anyway: Walt Mossberg Mosspuppet. With the release of Windows 7 imminent and Apple tablet rumors/developments swirling again, we thought it would behoove us to get the opinion of an expert on such important matters as: Steve Jobs’ performance at the 9-9-09 event, how Windows destroys families, and fisticuffs with Michael Arrington.

Check out the full interview on video below: