Amazon is said to be planning to launch the most affordable Kindle Fire HD ever. At $99, this is sure to capture a lot of people's interest and with the price that it will be sold, Amazon does not aim to make a huge profit out of selling hardware but they do aim to be the number one content provider through sale of e-publications.

According to the source, the Kindle Fire HD will be a 7-incher and the same TI processor that other Kindle variants have. It will provide big savings compared to the present Kindle Fire HD's price, which is $199. Its nearest rival, the Asus Google Nexus 7, might really have to come up with a good promotion to compete with the planned 50% off of the Kindle Fire HD.

Although rumors about this tablet are rife, Amazon denies that it is conceptualizing a cheaper Kindle. However, it could actually become reality in the near future, since the prices of tablet parts are going down because of high demand for such products.

Source:  Techcrunch

A man who was a candidate for a skull-replacement operation was recently fitted a 3D-printed replica skull that was scanned and patterned for accurate measurement. An astounding 75% of his skull was replaced and the prosthetic has special holes and textures for cells and bone to cling and grow into.

This breakthrough is a very important step for people who need reconstructive bone surgery. The company that made the prosthetics was Oxford Performance Materials and confirms that these 3D-printed prosthetics will also be useful in other body-part replacement operations.

Many people will surely see the benefits of this biotechnological breakthrough. Who would have thought that digital printing may actually be used to advance Medicine and Science? Furthermore, 3D printing is slowly gaining ground in many different industries and sometime soon, the cost of using such kind of technology will already be very affordable. When that time comes, many will already be able to pay for limb replacement or other body part-replacement procedures.

Link: news.com.au

HP joins the tablet-manufacturing bandwagon and another Android tablet will hit the market under the name of Slate 7. It will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, instead of the webOS, which just goes to show how Android has totally killed smaller operating systems and has left a lot of companies with no choice but to switch to their platform.

The Slate 7 (for 7 inches), priced at $169 is a lot more affordable than its closest competitor the Asus Nexus 7 and it features a dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor that clocks in at 1.6 GHz with 1 GB memory. It has 8GB internal and an expandable storage using a microSD card. It has front and rear cameras and its audio is powered by Beats.

Although it has a lower resolution display as compared to the Asus tablet and it is a good entry-level tablet for those who don't care to update their operating systems each time. It also comes with an HP application that allows you to print-an excellent value for the price.

A developer preview of the Ubuntu mobile OS has been introduced and some Android phones may actually be used to try the new mobile operating system. However, before doing so, be forewarned that installing it on your Android phone will wipeout all of your data so it is better to perform a back-up before experimenting on this open source system. Some of the devices that it supports are the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 as well as the Galaxy Nexus.

It is also important to note that since the OS is new, it is not without flaws and it is expected that it will not function as optimally as well-established mobile operating systems in the market. Ubuntu Touch will entice open-source enthusiasts and some already report that it is quick and is better than what they had thought. Again, remember to back-up if you want to try to experience it.

Link:  Ubuntu

A petition that seeks to make the administration to review the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and legalize cellphone unlocking has breached the target number of signatures of 100,000 on February 21, 2013. It can be recalled that a consumer from San Francisco started disseminating the petition online on January 24th to seek the help of the White House in reversing the decision to limit the use of a locked device to a particular carrier.

The petitioner argues that the changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act decrease the value of the devices when resold, as well as the choices for consumers to select their desired devices and networks. Since the petition has earned its 100,000th signature, the WH will not be compelled to review it, explain the reason for it and make possible recommendations, if only necessary. It may or may not result to legalization of unlocking or total scrapping of the petition.

More info: WhiteHouse.gov