Amazon pushes Kindles for classrooms
Whispercast lets teachers and bosses manage a fleet of Kindles, Microsoft's $499 Surface tablet is on back order, and Best Buy dives into the tablet race with its own model.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
Wednesday's CNET Update is syncing your reading assignment:
Amazon has launched a way for teachers to easily push out reading assignments through a Kindle. Today's tech news roundup looks at Whispercast, which allows organizations to manage books and documents synced to a group of Kindle accounts. Everyone the group doesn't need to own a Kindle, but they do need a device with a Kindle app. Classrooms can also order Kindles with custom profiles that block Web browsing or disable purchasing.
In other news, Best Buy is joining retailers like Barnes & Noble and Toys "R" Us by creating its own tablet. The Insignia Flex will have 9.7-inch screen and run Android 4.0. It's expected to cost around $250 when it arrives in November.
Microsoft's Surface tablet is facing shipping delays. The $499 32GB model (without a cover) won't ship for another three weeks. And that's the model you're likely to get if you want a color Touch Cover, which costs an extra $120.
When Surface and Windows 8 arrive next week, Xbox 360 users will also be getting an update that adds Internet Explorer to the system. Xbox Live members can browse the Web and use Smart Glass with a Windows 8 tablet or phone.
LinkedIn is rolling out a new profile design that promises to be simpler to edit. The new layout is also easier to read and doesn't look like a typical résumé.
Aereo is shaking up television again with the ability to watch live broadcast TV -- and record programs -- on any Web browser. (Previously, Aereo only worked on Apple and Roku boxes.) The young service is only available now for New York.
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