We have heard a lot in the past about how technologies such as the Internet have helped make the newspaper industry’s business models obsolete. After all, who needs a newspaper when you can get the latest news on the Internet or better yet on a Kindle. HP has watched these companies struggle and has decided to lend a hand with HP Photosmart Premium Internet Printer. This is a cool printer that comes with a bunch of applications that let you print tickets, news, and all kinds of things easily from the web. It also offers its own API and lets you write enhancements for it. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get up every morning and have your RSS feed content printed for you on your desk? That’s exactly what you can do with HP Photosmart Premium.

The device also can connect to your iPhone and let you print content easily from your gadget. That’s another reason for news publishers to be optimistic about this gadget. HP Photosmart Premium is certainly a capable device that is trying to offer an alternative to consumers who are not very comfortable with Kindle yet. But will it succeed? More importantly, will it slow down Amazon Kindle’s momentum?

For a company that prides itself in being innovative and forward looking, this printer seems to be a backward move. While it’s great to have the ability to easily print things from the Internet without going through a hassle, the future lies with Kindle and e-paper devices. HP is smart to use iPhone to sell more of these, but unless HP Photosmart Premium can make papers disappear, it’s not going to be anything but a short-term gadget. There is probably a greater need for this device in the business segment, but the consumer market can and will adopt digital paper technologies much faster. HP Photosmart Premium seems decent enough to gain some market-share, but it won’t be a “game changer” as some have claimed.

A lot of people who I talk to complain about the fragility of their Kindle. Amazon Kindle is a very cool gadget, but it’s so easy to damage it as well, especially if you take it with yourself everywhere. Thankfully, there are many cool cases that can protect your Kindle against the elements, bumps, and scratches. What you don’t want to do is leave things to chances by not investing a bit money to protect your gadget. If you are looking for a shock-proof, water resistant, or anti-scratch case for Kindle, here are 10 cool cases you should consider:

1. OCTO Messenger Bag for Amazon Kindle 2: if you are going to be on the move with your gadget all the time, this is a cool Kindle case to consider.

2. Kindle DX Cube Carrying Case Bag: available for both Kindle and Kindle DX, this case protects your gadget against bumps.

3. Kroo Reversible Sleeve for Amazon Kindle: protects your gadget against bumps.

4. Hard Nylon Carrying Case for Kindle: scratch, bump proof, and water resistant case for Kindle.

5. Neoprane Cute Pocket Carrying Case: another cool case that protects your Kindle against bumps and scratches.

Kindle has been around for a while now. We have already had 2 generations of Amazon Kindles in the past couple of years, and the device has come a long way in the process. At the same time, when you see what a certain other company has done with its own gadgets, it’s hard not to be jealous. Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world, but you don’t have to be a genius to realize that. All you have to do is take a look at what it has done with its iPod and iPhone product lines. A while ago, Apple realized that it’s much better to focus on the software side of things to have success in the long run. To its credit, Amazon has also started to focus a bit on software (e.g. Kindle app for iPhone). But we still haven’t seen any indications that Amazon is planning to follow in Apple’s footsteps to develop a SDK of its own.

A Kindle SDK would go a long way towards making Kindle a top gadget for a very long time to come. Unfortunately, the current Kindle code is not anything that would excite programmers. There have been many Kindle hacks and small little 3rd party extensions in the past, but Amazon has not made it easy for programmers to develop their own enhancements for Kindle. It’s understandable that Amazon wants some degree of control over its gadget, but Kindle will never be truly great without a SDK. Who knows what kind of apps people will come up with once they have access to some sort of software development kit.

Let’s hope Amazon does take the chance and trust its community to take its device to the next level. Apple did.

Your take: what enhancement would you develop for Kindle if you had access to an iPhone-like SDK?

People may be staying in lines to get their hands on iPhone 3G S, but that doesn’t make iPhone 3G S the top gadget to own these days. iPhone 3G S is a very capable device that comes with many new features. It has gotten a big boost from iPhone 3.0 OS as well, but one can argue that you can still manage with your old iPhone 3G. That hasn’t stopped people from talking about iPhone 3G S non-stop in the fast few weeks. In reality, Kindle DX is still the gadget to own for father’s day. Kindle DX gets the nod over iPhone 3G S as it helps you read more often (something a lot of us don’t don enough). Besides, you don’t have to deal with wireless plans and upgrade issues. With that in mind, here is my question for you:

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I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people make a complete brick out of their Kindles by dropping coffee or water on their gadget. As great as Kindle is, it’s not exactly designed to handle liquid accidents too well. If you are paying $360 or $490 for a Kindle, wouldn’t it be nice if you had some sort of protection in place to make sure your Kindle doesn’t die on you. TrendyDigital WaterGuard Waterproof Case is a cool add on for Kindle DX that protects you gadget against liquid accidents, dust, fog, and everything in between. It’s designed specifically for folks who are worried about exposing their gadget to liquid.

With TrendyDigital WaterGuard Waterproof Case, you don’t have to worry about taking your Kindle to a beach. It’s solid enough to protect your Kindle against the elements. What I liked about this case was the fact that I didn’t have to take my Kindle out of it to use it. Everything is accessible so your gadget is protected at all times. You can also wear your Kindle DX around your neck or shoulder with the adjustable strap.

Ultimately, I would use this case as my full-time case. It’s designed for special occasions. But since you don’t have to spend a fortune to get your hands on one of these, you can’t afford not to get one of these for your Kindle. It certainly beats having to look for a refurbished Kindle once you have damaged your gadget.

Google has been shooting for world domination for years now. Google is not afraid to go after Apple to challenge iPhone or challenge Microsoft in the netbook market. So it’s not a surprise that Amazon expects a fierce challenge in its potential showdown with Google in the near future.  No wonder Amazon’s blood is boiling with Google expanding its Book Search service to provide even more content to its visitors. Under a deal between Google and Authors Guild, Google has the exclusive rights to orphan works. It’s no surprise that Jeff Bezos doesn’t like it one bit:

We have strong opinions about that issue which I’m not going to share … But, clearly, that settlement in our opinion needs to be revisited and it is being revisited.

Amazon is not the only company that is concerned with Google’s deal. Google needs to pass a few legal hurdles to get its hands on these books. And if Google has the exclusive rights to these books, how is Amazon going to digitize “all the books in the world?” Perhaps Amazon is more worried about Google selling books than its deal with Authors Guild. Google is wandering into Amazon’s territory, and you can expect Amazon to play even more offense in the future. Google may not be a direct threat to Amazon in the e-book market just yet, but any company that has discounted Google in the past has lived to regret it. Besides, when companies play cat and mouse, consumers win!

Your take: should Amazon play more offense against Google?

You know what they say. Be careful what you wish for. Since last year, I have been talking about the need for Amazon to offer alternative pricing plans to consumers. The more choices we consumers have, the better off we are. It seems Amazon did consider introducing such a subscription plan and decided not to go in that route (for now). Here is what Jeff Bezos had to say:

We’re willing to offer choice and if customers want , I don’t see any difficulty with doing that, but I like the cognitive simplicity of the current model

While that’s great news coming from Jeff, I doubt many people would be interested in paying $60 a month for a wireless plan. You are easily going to pay more than $490 [Kindle DX's current price] in your first year. Many have complained about Kindle being too expensive, but I doubt they’ll be complaining now that Jeff is putting the subscription model on the table.

I do believe that Amazon will eventually go into that route. The one time fee model will only get Amazon so far. The company is expected to introduce a lot of new features with Kindle 3.0 next year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that device came with a subscription plan. As Amazon attracts more Kindle owners, it is going to have to charge to keep Sprint satisfied with the whole deal. Considering that people use their wireless service to do all kinds of things on their Kindle, Amazon needs to find a way to reduce the load on the network and offset the costs. Introducing a wireless and subscription fees is one way to do that, so don’t be surprised if Amazon moved in that direction by the end of 2009.

Your take: would you be interested in paying $60 a month for a Kindle wireless plan if Kindle was offered to you for free?