Will Amazon buy OMAP?

Texas Instruments (TI) recently announced they were 'defocusing' efforts on their OMAP line of ARM based CPUs (OMAP is their bleeding edge line of ARM based CPUs made for mobile type devices, they also have various lines of industrial ARM based CPUs, but these tend to be based on older ARM architectures). The defocusing has led to rumours that TI want to sell their OMAP devision. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble use OMAP processors for their Kindle and Nook readers respectively. It seems Amazon has been in discussions with TI for a while and they may be a leading contender in an OMAP purchase. This would give Amazon control of their own CPUs, much like Apple has done with its Ax range of CPUs. Amazon could also use the OMAP processor in devices that may come to market such as a smartphone or other tablet. Amazon may also be in discussions with RIM to license Blackberry OS 10 and also in discussion with HP to buy or license WebOS (which HP took control of when they purchased Palm). Currently WebOS is being open sourced. Amazon have already forked Google's Android and removed all the Google sign-in functionality as well as Google's apps and they run their own Amazon app store.

Barnes and Noble introduce eReader

Barnes and Noble have introduced an eReader based on Android (Google's mobile OS). It incorporates 3G and WiFi and has 2GB of memory and can take up to 16GB microSD cards.

The eReader known as the Nook can also "lend" books to other B&N eReaders for up to 14 days at a time.

It retails for $259 and is potentially a Kindle (from Amazon) killer.

AT&T go plastic

Plastic Logic makers of eInk technologies have done a deal with Barnes and Noble to supply their eBook store. AT&T will supply connectivity.

The unnamed Plastic Logic eReader will be in direct competition with Amazon's Kindle which is doing very well.

When will these devices come to Europe? The main eReader available in the UK is still the Sony unit.