Well, isn’t this a surprise? Without any fanfare, Amazon has posted a listing for a next-generation Kindle Paperwhite . The new e-reader centers on an upgraded display with higher contrast, improved lighting and more responsive touch input. There’s also a faster processor, and the company promises both Goodreads integration and a variant of Kindle FreeTime that encourages young readers. Check out a second shot of the listing after the break. [Thanks, Charles] Developing… Filed under: Amazon Comments Source: Amazon

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Amazon lists next-generation Kindle Paperwhite with new display technology

When Amazon launched AutoRip , we looked at our bookshelves and wished that us readers would get something similar. Fortunately, the company had the same idea, and is now announcing Kindle Matchbook. In short, if you’ve bought one of 10, 000 selected titles from Amazon, you’ll be entitled to snag a digital copy for between $2.99 and nothing. The service launches in October and there’s no limit on when the purchases were made — meaning that you could be offered an awkward reminder of the literature you were gorging back in 1995. Filed under: Tablets , Amazon Comments

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Amazon launches Kindle Matchbook: discounted ebooks for those who own the hard copy

Remember how we’d heard that a British broadcaster is trialing 4K TV ? We have a hunch as to which company that is: Sky now claims that it’s the first UK TV network to have conducted a live 4K broadcast. The firm captured a weekend Premier League match in ultra high resolution using the same infrastructure it normally requires for a live show, with satellites delivering a feed to the company’s Isleworth broadcast center. Commercial service remains distant, mind you — Sky requires both more research and wider adoption of 4K TVs to justify an upgrade. If everything falls into place, though, Sky could have an advantage over rival providers that have yet to venture beyond HD. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Sky

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Sky becomes first UK TV network to broadcast live 4K video

This maglev train’s length of development sure can’t a hold a candle to its speed — it took its creators almost six years to finally give it a test run. The five Lo Series cars zipped along the 26.6-mile track in nine minutes, hitting 311 mph within the first three miles. The reporters on board the futuristic vehicle couldn’t feel or hear any disturbance, except for the odd blown mind. Outside, however, watching members of the public felt a shockwave followed by a deafening roar as the duck-billed train zoomed past. Using results from this trial, the company will be assessing the platypus-like train’s potential environmental impact and looking for ways to reduce its maintenance costs in the future. You won’t be taking a ride on this levitating wonder during your next Japanese vacation, though — — CJCR’s got a few more tests to run before its 2027 launch date. Filed under: Misc Comments Source: The Asahi Shimbun (1) , (2)

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Japan’s Lo maglev train aces first test, zooms past countryside at 311 mph (video)

The thinner our devices become, the less room there is for speakers and other thicker components. Kyocera has a solution, however: it just modified its Smart Sonic Receiver conduction technology for use with conventional, over-the-air audio. The company’s new Smart Sonic Sound device still relies on a piezoelectric actuator, but vibrates against a film to generate as much volume as a regular speaker in a far thinner (under 1.5mm thick) design. The new speaker might even sound better than its traditional counterparts. It delivers full volume and quality in a 180-degree listening arc, and it’s responsive enough to recreate very subtle noises. Smart Sonic Sound is already shipping in LG’s 55-inch curved OLED TV , and Kyocera expects it to reach laptops, tablets and other devices where interior space is valuable. Update: Our colleagues at Engadget Japanese have posted their first-hand look at Kyocera’s speaker technology, complete with a gallery of live photos; we’ve posted two of them here. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Laptops , Tablets , HD , Mobile , LG Comments Source: Kyocera

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Kyocera piezoelectric film speaker delivers 180-degree sound to thin TVs and tablets (update: live photos)

You may not have noticed it yet, but Google is in the middle of sweeping changes to Hangouts that should offer big improvements to image quality and accessibility. The company tells GigaOM that it’s currently upgrading its video chat service to 720p by switching from the H.264 video codec to the more efficient (and Google-controlled) VP8 standard . HD-quality Hangouts should be available soon after Google finishes the VP8 rollout to web users late next week. A sharper picture is just one part of the puzzle, however. The switch to VP8 also sets the stage for WebRTC support, which will let Google offer plugin-free Hangouts in browsers like Chrome and Firefox within the next several months. The search giant will still offer a plugin for holdouts , but they may soon be the exceptions to the rule. Filed under: Internet , Google Comments Source: GigaOM

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Google+ Hangouts moving to HD video soon, going plugin-free within months

Microsoft’s SkyDrive Pro is helpful for cloud-savvy businesses, but its 7GB of storage per person now seems restrictive next to improved offerings from rivals like Box . The company won’t let itself be outdone, however: it just bumped SkyDrive Pro’s base storage to 25GB per user, and administrators can raise that limit to 100GB if they’re willing to pay. There’s some incentives to take advantage of that extra space, too. Microsoft now offers a larger 2GB file cap, automatic versioning for new users and a client view that displays all shared documents. If your employer depends on Microsoft for online collaboration, you should notice the additional storage today. Filed under: Storage , Internet , Microsoft Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: Office 365 Technology

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Microsoft boosts base SkyDrive Pro storage to 25GB, lets administrators add more

Google’s not the only one trying to build self-driving cars , despite the fact that it gets a ton of attention for all those autonomous autos roaming Bay Area streets. Many manufacturers are interested in taking human error out of the driving equation, and now Nissan aims to do so by 2020. That’s right, folks, Nissan Executive VP Andy Palmer stated today that the plan is to sell multiple affordable models of fully autonomous cars by 2020. And, to meet that goal, the company is constructing a facility to test self-driving systems that’ll be up and running in 2014. Nissan’s development timetable falls right in line with some of its competitors , but talk is cheap — time will tell if Nissan can deliver on both its autonomous and affordability promises. Filed under: Transportation Comments Via: Wall Street Journal Source: Nissan

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Nissan to sell multiple affordable self-driving cars by 2020

BitTorrent promised that its Sync Beta service would get an iOS client, and the company is making good on its word with plans to launch the app this week. As with the Android release, iOS users will get to sync files of any size, send content to other mobile devices and back up photos. And if you’re not carrying an Apple device, BitTorrent still has a small treat in store: it’s rolling out a localization update that supports 10 major Asian and European languages. Whatever your platform of choice, you’ll find more details at the source link. Filed under: Cellphones , Storage , Internet , Mobile Comments Source: BitTorrent Blog

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BitTorrent Sync coming to iOS this week

What was promised has been delivered to Xbox-owning Time Warner Cable customers. Today, TWC TV for Xbox 360 is finally available to Xbox Live Gold members, and brings live streaming of up to 300 channels to the console. Once downloaded, folks can find their favorite shows using the app’s program guide and Kinect gesture and voice controls. For now, the service is only streaming live programming, but Polygon reports that Microsoft’s working to add VOD content to the app as well — with no timetable for its arrival, naturally. Still, with the rollout of its latest live TV streaming app, TWC TV is now on iOS, Android, PC, Roku and Samsung Smart TVs . It’s clear that the company’s made spreading the TWC TV love a priority, so let’s hope it starts showing the same initiative when it comes to those negotiations with CBS . Football season’s only a couple weeks away, so the clock is ticking, TWC. Comments Via: TechCrunch

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Time Warner Cable TV app brings live TV to Xbox 360