MURMER GADGET

The three digital download destinations were pitted against one another in the Pfeiffer Reports "2013 App Store Maturity Shootout." All three stores were compared in four key categories: search, discovery assistance, an evaluation grid maturity score, and user experience friction. When the overall results for each mobile application store were tallied by Pfeiffer, Apple was the clear top choice, earning a score of 53.1 out of 100. That handily beat Google Play, which scored 40.9, as well as the Amazon Appstore, coming in with a score of 34.1. Pfeiffer still sees a great deal of room for improvement for Apples iOS App Store, particularly in making it a destination where users can more clearly learn more about applications and trends in the market. "Current app stores do not fully reflect the breadth and richness of apps that are out there," the report states. "They work fine if all you are interested in is the next bestselling game. If, on the other hand, you ar...

Amazon has announced a special Kids Edition of the Kindle Fire HD. This is essentially the newly announced Kindle Fire HD in 6-inch and 7-inch sizes but with a special rubber case around it to prevent it from being damaged. If, however, your kid does somehow managed to break it, the Kids Edition comes with a two-year, no questions asked replacement guarantee.  The Kids Edition also includes a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a service meant for kids with age appropriate educational apps, games, books, and movies. The FreeTime mode also blocks access to stores so kids don’t end up purchasing anything. The Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition is priced at $149 for the 6-inch model and $189 for the 7-inch model, $50 more than the standard Kindle Fire HD.