Golfers had TigerGate---the tale of the horny golfer --- to keep their office water cooler talk hopping, and now gadget geeks have GrayModoGate --- the tale of the drunken Apple engineer. I usually go to US Weekly for my gossip fix, but not anymore. I’m all about the tech blogs these days. There is no logical reason for me to be writing about this topic- other than the fact that I can’t stop thinking about it.

To summarize, a prototype of the next generation walks into a bar, gets lost, gets found, gets sold, gets dissected, gets published, and then, to top it off, its temporary home gets raided by the cops.

Gizmodo has literally opened Pandora’s Box and, as a result, has to deal with the wrath of Apple’s legal team. I’m sure that there will be some very valuable leadership lessons learned here.

From Apple’s perspective, I think that they should have thought a little bit more about their reaction. It would strike me that raiding the home of one of your biggest evangelists ---or at least the guy who speaks to all of your biggest evangelists --- is not smart. Clearly, this is not going to leave a lasting bruise, but it is, as Jon Stewart pointed out, a little 'big brother'esque.

I’m not saying that Gizmodo is in the right here, or the victim. Quite the opposite, I think that paying $5,000 and prematurely letting the cat out of the bag is a little sleazy. Additionally, I have a hard time arguing that the interest of the public was served (which is what the Gizmodo lawyers are 'allegedly' doing). This would be arguing like arguing that the public good is served when the paparazzi stalk Tiger. Sure, we may like seeing pictures of him in a hoodie at a sex rehab center, but that doesn’t make it right.  Some things are private: whether private from a corporate perspective or a personal perspective. And as long as the public isn’t harmed by corporate secrets, they should remain so.

And we’re not in the clear either. We’re the ones who pay for the tabloids and we're the ones who derive pleasure from finally hearing about the future from someone other than Steve Jobs. And then we blog about it.

Okay, so it’s been awhile. I’ve been busy. . . busy forgetting that I had a blog that I should update. I think I was waiting for something big to happen. And then I was waiting for another month after that big thing happened to actually write about it.

So here’s the big thing: the iPad.

The iPad is many things. Actually, it’s everything. It’s your TV, your library, your ‘computer equivalent’, your stereo...and once you start adding in all the apps... In truth, its applicability is hampered only by the creativity of the user. If you don't think it's gamechanging, it's because you haven't thought about it enough. Alright, so now that I've got the obnoxious, condescending part of this post out of the way, I need your help. 

The iPad is a lot of things, but here’s what it’s not: protected. If ever there were a device screaming for a protective case, this would be it. So I’ve spent the last two months working on developing one. I’ve got the aesthetics of the cover down, but I’m looking for your advice with the functionality of it. After many meetings with product engineers and manufacturers, I am left with the following quandary: either I can design it to maximize its functionality as a case that can be used as a typing stand or I can design it to maximize its functionality as a case that can be used as a tv/viewing stand.  In order to do both, I would have to sacrifice the simple elegance of the cover and at the same time undermine the pure beauty of the iPad and I’m not willing to make that sacrifice.

What would you rather see? A case that facilitates your ability to type on the iPad or a case that serves as a perfectly angled viewing stand? I’m all ears!

Are you ready for the answer? You've probably been sitting on the edge of your seat since the last post, wondering about this game-changing ereader factoid. Get ready, it's coming. . .

First let's go over why we buy books- not why we read books, but why we buy them.

1) To read them
2) As gifts
3) To put them on display in our bookshelves and pretend that we read them.

On the Kindle, why do you buy books? Right now, you can't give a Kindle book as a gift to a friend. You can give them an Amazon gift card, but that's as close as you can get. You also can't display your Kindle books on your book shelf as a testament to your erudition. So that leaves us with *reading*. You buy Kindle books to read them. Period. End of paragraph.

With that established, let me present you with two scenarios. Scenario 1: you buy an ebook for around $10, read it once, like it, and then it sits on your Kindle. You can't lend it to a friend, you can't put it on your bookshelf. It just sits there. Scenario 2: you download a book for free, read it, like it and after a period of time, it disappears from your ebook (unless you download one of Google's free public domain books and then it's yours). For the majority of your ebook purchases, which scenario would you choose?

Right now, for Kindle owners, the second scenario does not exist. However, for future Sony ereader owners, it will. Not only will Sony ereader owners be able to download Google public domain books for free, they will also be able to wirelessly download books from their local library for free. Free and easy. Easy and free. That's a game-changer. Period. End of post. 

 Are you up to date on what is going on in the ebook/ereader world? Here's a brief rundown:

- Plastic Logic announces that its ereader, which is due out in 2010, will have a 8.5 x 11 inch touchscreen, ATT 3G wireless connectivity, support the ePub format (via the Barnes & Noble bookstore) and cost around $299.

- Sony will round out its ereader fleet with the 'Digital Reader Daily Edition," the most impressive of the three Sony ereaders. With a 7-inch touchscreen, 3G wireless connectivity, and a $399 price tag, it is sure to give Amazon night sweats. Sony's other two readers will be smaller and less expensive, but will not have the 3G wireless connectivity. 

- Apple, oh Apple. It denies rumors, then it leaks them, then it denies them. . . the rumor mill/blogosphere consensus seems to be that they are coming out with a tablet computer that will support ebooks. . . . we'll see.

If ereader sales are going to reach the expected 30 million/year by 2013, it should follow that the Kindle is going to have some competition. I suppose this argument works better the other way round, but no matter. The world of digital media is poised to explode.

One fact, which I omitted from the above rundown, makes the explosion all the more likely. If you can figure out what it is, let me know. If you can't, tune in for the next post!

The people who already own Kindles and iPhones will realize how superior reading on their Kindle is to reading on their iPhone. The comparison will be made and 'Kindle reading' will crush 'iPhone reading.' Alternatively, the people who don't own Kindles and download the application to their iPhone are just putting themselves on the Kindle-buying launching pad. They may not be in the market for a Kindle right now, but come Christmas. . .

At first, it struck me as product suicide, now it strikes me as brand brilliance. Kindle owners, you have been played.

General Background:

When introducing a product upgrade, there are two basic problems:

1) Your current customers, the early adopters who were devoted to you from the beginning will feel wronged and demand compensation (like when the iPhone 3G came out).

2) Anyone who recently purchased the older version will just return it if they are able.

The Facts:

1) Amazon sells out of the Kindle in November 2008, putting it in a 10-12 week back order.

2) The Kindle is Oprah's favorite new gadget. On October 24th she has Jeff Bezos on her show and he offers $50 off to Oprah viewers who purchase the Kindle before November 1, 2008.

3) The number of Google searches that included the word Kindle jumped 479% on October 24th (Oprah/Kindle day).

4) Amazon has a special Christmas return policy that lets you return anything purchased after November 1st, 2008 for a full refund, as long as you return it before January 31st, 2009.

5) The company went radio silent on Kindle 2 until the first week in February.

6) Amazon introduced the Kindle 2 on February 9th, 2009.

7) Amazon tells current Kindle owners that if they order by midnight on February 10th, they will receive first priority on the Kindle 2.

My Speculation:

1) Amazon decides to push as many Kindles out the door before their November 1st special holiday return policy starts. Oprah loves her Kindle, they know that, why not offer her viewers a discount? At that point Bezos probably knew how many Kindles they had in stock and he probably knew they were going to sell out well before their Kindle 2 was introduced, so why offer a $50 discount? While it is hard to say no to Oprah, it is easier to say yes if it means that people would flock to buy them before the offer expired on November 1st and the special holidat return season started. Amazon could sell their soon-to-be obsolete inventory and not have to worry about holiday returns or getting stuck with useless Kindles.

2) Amazon waits until after their holiday return window has closed to announce the Kindle 2. If they released the news for the Kindle 2 before January 31st, their November sales revenue numbers would take a hit as the last of the November Kindle purchasers took advantage of their holiday return policy and traded in their model for the newer version.

3) By placing the Kindle on backorder for 12 weeks, Amazon builds an unnatural demand for the Kindle, making the Kindle seem almost unattainable.

4) Then at the Kindle 2 press conference, Bezos tells current Kindle owners that they will be first in line to receive the Kindle 2 if they place their orders before midnight on February 10th. If they hadn't been sold out of the Kindle for so long, a promise like this would seem irrelevant: "so you are telling me that I if I purchase one, I'll get one?" That's an awesome deal Amazon, awesome. I buy something, you send it. Talk about exceptional customer service. . .

So, in sum, Amazon doesn't ship any Kindle during the Christmas season, but they do accept orders and build demand. They (i) turn just having the ability to buy their product into 'good customer service,' (ii) don't have to worry about throwing a bone to the early adopters and (iii) don't have to deal with any excess inventory on the original Kindle because by the time people know about the Kindle 2, no one who owns a Kindle 1 would fall into the return window time frame.
Kudos to Bezos. He played us like a bunch of puppet bookworms. Now, on to placing that order for the Kindle 2. . .

Gut reaction to the Kindle? Do you remember?
When I started using the Kindle for the first time, my imagination went into overdrive: this was the end of books, the end of magazines, the end of libraries, the end of paper. No paper!
So, maybe my intuitions aren't spot on, perhaps I have a tendency to exaggerate, but the Kindle does bring visions of Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World to the forefront of your mind.
The noteworthy aspect of the Kindle, however, is not necessarily the physical gadget created by Amazon, but rather the E-Ink technology behind it. The Cambridge, MA company is responsible for developing the ‘electronic paper' technology used not only in the Amazon Kindle, but also in the Sony e-reader. In the coming years, I think that this is the technology to watch out for: just think of the implications of such an invention, particularly when they are able to master the ‘paper' part of ‘electronic paper.' Imagine what you could do with something that was flexible and light like paper, but capable of transmitting endless amounts of information? Combine that with Google Latitude and you've got Harry Potter's magic map, but better.

So, while librarians probably don't have to start looking for a new profession just yet, perhaps the days of 20 pound text books are coming to a close.

Where can you see this technology going?

Ever since my nursery school teacher told my parents that I had to stop sneaking out of the classroom during nap time to see my older sister in the classroom next door, I knew that report cards were not something to be taken lightly. 

While I strongly encourage feedback from customers, and find all of it, positive and negative, invaluable, I didn't anticipate receiving the thoughtful, helpful reviews that I have been via my Amazon storefront.  I have posted my favorite review below.

If only my nursery school teacher had put as much time into her review of my performance as a four year old, she may have noted my exceptional ability to socialize with a more mature crowd and not just my inability to fall asleep at 11am.

Amazon Review:

I finally found it! The perfect Kindle cover...., December 9, 2008
By sb-lynn (Santa Barbara, California United States)

I have been on a mission to find the perfect Kindle cover. I have done reviews on a couple of near-misses, but nothing that has really grabbed me so far.

And then I found this cover, and took the chance and ordered it. I got it today.

Positives:
1) It's very pretty - it's not leather, but I like this more. It's rich looking and elegant.
2) The inside is a beautiful lime green satin, and it feels plush and provides excellent padding.
3) There are little pockets in the inside cover perfect for notes and papers.
3) The Kindle is very secure in place, yet it's easy access to the back control switches.
4) The cover folds completely back - so you can easily read the Kindle with one hand, with the cover firmly in place.

Negatives:
1) If you hate frogs, this cover probably isn't for you. (Though there appears to be other bobarra covers available.)
2) This cover may appeal more to women, then men, but it's actually fine for anyone.
3) It's not leather, and the material might get dirty - but that doesn't bother me so much since that could happen with any fine book. In fact, the material turns out to be a big plus.

(So you can see, these barely qualify as negatives, but they might for some people.)

Here's the thing for me, and the real selling point - reading the Kindle with this cover most simulates my reading experience with an actual book. I forget that I'm holding a digital e-Reader, and instead feel like I'm reading a book with a beautiful cover. It makes the whole reading experience so much more pleasant.

Highly, highly recommended.

(http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B001HX94QK/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1)

When I was 23 and a little stressed over my lack of a five year plan, much less a life plan, I took a very long aptitude test in the hope that I was a few lego-blocks away from finding my life's calling. Administered over the course of three days, the test measures everything from your hand-eye coordination (average) and your sensitivity to tones (above average), to your memory (can't remember) and your reading comprehension skills (I thought that was the memory test). Aside from the fact that I am fairly certain I'm tone deaf, I think that the test was pretty accurate.
In the debrief/results meeting, the test administrator gives you a report that outlines the professional areas that you should avoid at all costs (accountant) and the ones that you should consider pursuing (small business owner). While I'm not sure what it was about my tonal-sensitivity superiority that led them to believe that I would be adept at running a small business, apparently I am adept at listening to positive feedback.

Perhaps 'small business owner' is just the default suggestion that they give when they can't come up with enough specific career paths, but something struck a cord. At 23, I may have been slightly lost, but I didn't need to take an aptitude test to tell me that I had a very healthy obsession with handbags, I just needed an aptitude test to tell me what to do with it.