If you've been avoiding Harry Potter books until you could beam them onto your Kindle, Amazon has some good news for you -- assuming you're paying $79 per year for their Prime service, that is. Today's update is chock full of Potter Kindle news, Proview settlement rumors, iOS 5.1 jailbreak progress and much more, so let's dive right into this Thursday, May 10, 2012 edition.
Rumor: Proview Rejected $16M Settlement for iPad Trademark
The Next Web is reporting that Apple and Proview are in "serious negotiations" to resolve the issue of the iPad trademark in China, with Cupertino apparently jotting a figure of $16 million on a piece of paper and sliding it across the table, only to have it rejected by the nearly bankrupt Proview. So how much does Proview want? $20 million? $50 million? If you guessed $400 million, you win the non-existent prize -- that's the reported amount it would take to appease the company's creditors, including eight Chinese banks. That amount is still a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 billion lawsuit they filed in the U.S. earlier this year, which was recently dismissed by the court. Certainly sounds like Apple and Proview are on opposite ends of the financial spectrum for now...
Amazon Brings Harry Potter to Kindle Owners' Lending Library
Amazon today announced that all seven Harry Potter e-books will be coming to the Kindle on June 19, where they will be exclusively offered to Amazon Prime members through the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, rather than being sold directly to the public. PaidContent reports that the exclusive license from Pottermore likely cost Amazon a pretty penny, but the publisher dismisses concerns that the deal may cannibalize their existing sales. "The way the deal is structured means that any lost sales are more than made up for," explains Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne. "Yes, some people will borrow from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library and therefore not buy, but Amazon is paying us a large amount of money for that right, and I believe it's a commercial deal that makes sense." And that's only the beginning -- "new partners and new platforms for the [Pottermore] site" are promised in the next few weeks, but Apple's iBookstore won't be among them, at least not yet. "We're having conversations with Apple, but there is no date, no agreement," the CEO concludes. "Would I like to be working with Apple? Absolutely."
Hacker Jailbreaks All Devices Running iOS 5.1
The cat and mouse game was bound to wind up in the hackers' favor sooner or later, but it seems that iOS 5.1 has successfully gotten a jailbreak on a new iPad, just as iOS 5.1.1 rolls out this week. According to Cult of Mac, Chronic Dev hacker pod2g followed up his recent success with an untethered jailbreak for his iPhone 4 running iOS 5.1 by doing the same for his third-gen iPad, but notes there's still plenty of work to do getting it ready for public consumption. The good news, however, is that the jailbreak will work on all devices running iOS 5.1 -- and that includes the iPhone 4S as well as the new iPad. The one exception is the latest 1080p-capable Apple TV, which already has a tethered jailbreak solution and appears to be "several weeks out" from a proper untethered solution.
JibJab Media Introduces Beep & Boop Game for Kids
We're big fans of the JibJab Jr. Books app for the iPad, which is why our interest was piqued immediately to hear the company has a new app available, this time aimed at the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch. "Beep & Boop turns learning good behavior into a game your kids will love," explains JibJab co-founder Gregg Spiridellis, who along with his brother have five kids between them. "You reward positive behaviors with BEEPS and discourage negative behaviors with BOOPS. It's way more convenient -- and fun -- than a sticker chart!" Best of all, the app is absolutely free and available for all devices running iOS 4.2 or later. Hit the link and start taming those little ones with Beep & Boop!
MP3tunes.com Files for Bankruptcy
The long, strange saga of MP3.com finally comes to an end with the bankruptcy of MP3tunes.com, the music locker service founded by Michael Robertson. Cnet notes that the website was essentially "sued out of existence" in 2007 by EMI, and the legal costs involved in fighting the suit have finally taken their toll. "Four and a half years of legal costs and we're not even out of trial," Robertson explains. "Mp3tunes has no choice but to file. This is what they do. The labels engage in multi-year legal battles and put small companies through hell for years." The bankruptcy likely means a final verdict may never see the light of day -- ironic, considering the proliferation of cloud locker services aimed at music from the likes of Google and Amazon.
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