Seoul: Asian technology companies came under pressure on Thursday to slash prices of their tablet computers after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire at a mass market-friendly $199.

From Samsung Electronics to Sony Corp, major Asian tablet makers have ambitious plans to take on Apple, whose iPad is the gold standard in the booming market.

With their me-too type of products priced almost at the same level as the iPad's starting price of $499, none of them have however been able to gain any significant market share from Apple.

New York: Amazon is expected to unveil a tablet computer Wednesday, picking a fight with Apple Inc. and its iPad. The iPad has many challengers, but analysts say Amazon's could be different - it has a chance to be more than a wannabe. Amazon.com Inc. is nearly unique in its ability to sell content such as e-books, movies and music suited for a tablet, just like Apple does. In addition, the "Kindle" tablet could be a reminder, right in the owner's hands, to buy general merchandise from Amazon. Running out of toilet paper? Just add it to your Amazon shopping cart. "In essence, the Kindle is a Trojan horse for Amazon's retail and media brands," said Morgan Keegan analyst Justin Patterson.

Seattle-based Amazon hasn't confirmed that it's launching a tablet, but it's holding an event in New York on Wednesday morning, with its CEO Jeff Bezos speaking. With the iPad, Apple has created a whole new product category of tablet computers. Many have tried to copy its success, but so far, the iPad is the only really successful product. Apple sold 28.7 million of them from April 2010 to June 2011. Analysts at research firm Gartner Inc. expect the iPad to account for three out of four tablet sales this year.

Analysts believe Amazon's new tablet will come in two sizes: one with a screen that's 7 inches on the diagonal, a bit larger than the Kindle e-reader, and one that's 10 inches, slightly bigger than the iPad. They also expect Amazon to subsidise the cost of the tablet, on the expectation that it will make the money back when owners buy things through the tablet. That might allow the company to undercut Apple on price, something other manufacturers have had a hard time doing. Apple's profit margin on the iPad, which starts at $499, is lower than it is for many of its other products, particularly the iPhone.

"Amazon's willingness to sell hardware at a loss, combined with the strength of its brand, content, cloud infrastructure, and commerce assets, makes it the only credible iPad competitor in the market," wrote Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps. Epps believes Amazon can sell 3 million to 5 million tablets in the fourth quarter. That compares with Apple selling 9.3 million iPads in the April to June period.

Two other companies are treading the same path as Amazon, but they don't have quite Amazon's heft. One is Barnes & Noble Inc., which launched a "Nook Color" e-reader last year that's nearly indistinguishable from a small tablet. It has a color screen, runs a version of Google Inc.'s Android operating system and accepts third-party apps. It's also modestly priced at $250. Yet Barnes & Noble sees it first and foremost as an e-reader, not as a springboard into competition with a full-blown tablet like the iPad.

Sony Corp.'s first iPad-style tablet, which started shipping two weeks ago, is linked to the company's online movie and music stores. It's set up to capitalise on Sony's library of PlayStation games as well, but so far, only plays a few of them. However, Sony doesn't come close to matching the breadth of content in Apple's iTunes store.

This year, Amazon started streaming movies for no extra charge to customers who've signed up for its Prime premium shipping program. On Monday, it added TV shows and movies from News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox studio, bringing the total number of streaming titles to 11,000 titles. That's about half of what Netflix's streaming library has. Analysts also see Amazon as a possible bidder for Hulu, the TV-streaming website.

The question is: What unique features can Amazon bundle into its tablet that might compel consumers to choose it over an iPad? There's not that much an Amazon tablet could do that the iPad can't. The iPad can be used to read books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, even if Apple's restrictions now make it harder to buy books directly from these stores. It can be used for general shopping from Amazon. The iPad plays movies and TV shows from Netflix and Hulu, and has access to tens of thousands of applications and games in the App Store.

On the application side, the Amazon tablet will start out at a big disadvantage, just like all the other iPad competitors. It might be able to run tablet apps from Google's marketplace, but both the selection and quality is lower than in Apple's store.

San Francisco: Apple Inc looks set next week to unveil its much-awaited new iPhone, which analysts say will have a bigger screen and work better with remote computing services.

Apple on Tuesday invited media to a "special event" called "Let's talk iPhone" on October 4 at its Cupertino, California headquarters, an unusual location for a company that typically introduces major products at larger venues in San Francisco. The invitation did not have any other details, and an Apple spokesman would not provide further information.

"This is the iPhone 5," ThinkEquity analyst Mark McKechnie said of the event. The new iPhone would be the first major product launch under Tim Cook, who took over full-time as chief executive after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned last month.

It was unclear if Jobs, who is now chairman, will take the stage at the event. Though a good product, the current iPhone 4 could use some improvements, McKechnie said. "We talked about it having a bigger screen, a dual core processor, and probably integrates pretty well with the iCloud."

The iPhone - introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals - remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market. The new model, which some have dubbed the iPhone 5, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera, one source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in August.

Hon Hai Precision Industries Co Ltd and Pegatron Corp of Taiwan will make the new phone, and have been told to gear up capacity for up to 45 million units in total, the source said.

Apple launched the iPhone 4 in June 2010 in black 16 gigabyte and 32 gigabyte versions, and added white ones in April. The company typically refreshes its iPhone lineup during its developer event in June, but delayed the new model this year.

Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones in the third quarter ended June 25, which analysts say helped it vault past Nokia and Samsung Electronics to become the world's biggest smartphone maker. Some analysts are expecting another version of the iPhone 4 to be launched along with the next model. "The new (iPhone) 4 will tackle the prepaid market and the (iPhone) 5 will have the A5 chip that's in the iPad and be faster, thinner and possibly with a bigger screen," Colin Gillis, analyst with BGC Partners said. He cited possible voice-recognition features as well.

Shares of Apple rose 0.6 per cent to $405.66 on Nasdaq early Tuesday afternoon.

The countdown to the new iPhone 5 has begun, and antsy Apple fans want to make sure they are among the first to get the phone.

Last week, All Things Digital reported that the Apple iPhone 5 would be announced on October 4 at a special event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. Sales of the hotly anticipated device are expected to follow a few weeks later. Analysts say there is a lot of pent-up demand for the latest iPhone. And sales are expected to go through the roof. This has made some iPhone fans nervous that they may have to wait even longer if inventory sells out quickly.

In this week's Ask Maggie a disgruntled AT&T iPhone subscriber wants to know whether he will be able to pre-order a new iPhone 5 on Verizon Wireless's network. I also offer another reader some advice on cutting the cable TV cord with a special sneak peek at how I've set up my own online TV viewing.

Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET, offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie's advice. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header.

Dear Sahil,
It's difficult to answer your question since Apple hasn't yet announced the iPhone 5. But according to various reports and rumors, it's expected to be announced next week on October 4. And if these reports are accurate, it should be in stores by mid-October.

Because it hasn't been announced yet, Verizon Wireless hasn't discussed whether it will offer pre-orders for the iPhone 5. But if history is any indication of how Verizon will handle things, its release of the iPhone 4 in February may offer some idea of what to expect.

Then Apple had announced the new Verizon iPhone in mid-January. And the device went on sale February 10. Verizon began taking pre-orders for the phone on February 3, a week before the official launch. All other non-Verizon customers who wanted the iPhone on Verizon were able to begin ordering the phone on February 9, the night before it went on sale in stores.

I can't say for certain what Verizon will do this time around. Demand for the new iPhone 5 is expected to be high. But it will also be available on AT&T. And there are rumors that Sprint Nextel may be getting its own version of the iPhone 5. So even though demand will be high, it will be spread among different carriers, which may lessen concerns about shortages.

To answer your specific question, my guess is that if Verizon takes pre-orders, it will give priority to its existing customers, since that is what it's done in the past with the iPhone and also with other popular new devices. This means that as a customer switching to Verizon Wireless from AT&T, you'll likely have to wait until it goes on sale to everyone.

If you really must have the iPhone 5 when it comes out, and you are worried that either Apple or Verizon will run out of the device in stores or online on the day it's launched, you could sign-up for a Verizon Wireless service now and become a customer. This way, you'd be eligible for the pre-order sale of the iPhone when it's announced. Of course, you'd have to buy and sign a contract for a different smartphone. Then once the iPhone is on sale, you could exchange the phone you just bought.

Of course, this strategy is a bit of a hassle and it has risks. Since we don't know for certain when the new iPhone will be sold, you could get stuck with a phone you don't want and no subsidy to buy the new iPhone. But if you time it right, it could work out for you. Verizon has a 14-day return policy, which means you can return any phone within 14 days no questions asked. But you will have to pay a $35 restocking fee.

Once the 14-day exchange period is over, Verizon is no longer obligated to let you return your phone and to give you a new phone at a discounted price. But the company may make exceptions. When the iPhone first launched on Verizon's network in February, it allowed some subscribers to exchange recently bought smartphones even after the 14-day return period ended. For customers who had upgraded to a Verizon smartphone between November 26, 2010, and January 10, 2011, Verizon allowed people to return their upgraded devices and then get the iPhone for the subsidized price.

But since Apple hasn't announced the iPhone 5 yet, and Verizon hasn't made any announcements regarding the device, it's impossible to know for certain what Verizon will allow this time.

My advice to you is to sit tight and wait until the iPhone 5 is officially announced. Apple and/or Verizon may announce some kind of online reservation system for filing orders. You also have the option of standing in line at an Apple store or at a Verizon Wireless location to get the phone when it first goes on sale. Even Best Buy may get a batch of iPhones. The worst-case scenario is that you don't get the device on the day it launches. But judging from past iPhone launches, I'd expect you will be able to get your hands on one within the first couple of weeks it's on the market.

Dear Craig,
Thanks for reading Ask Maggie and thanks for the nice compliment! I am so happy when readers write to tell me that they enjoy my stories. So thank you for that.

On Friday, I answered a question about whether I thought Netflix was still worth the subscription fee, despite some of the recent changes in the service. And I wrote about my own experience cutting the cable TV cord.

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. So thanks for asking about it! Ever since 2008 when I wrote about Debra James, a woman from Oakland, Calif., who ditched her satellite TV service for online TV to save money, I dreamed of doing the same thing. But to be honest, when James was explaining her set-up, which included buying a new computer and investing in other new equipment, such as a wireless keyboard and mouse, I was intimidated.

Lucky for me, Roku had already begun racking up deals with the so-called "over-the-top" content channels: Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu Plus. These three services, which I pay a grand total of about $25 a month to access, are the staples of my cord-cutting TV viewing. And as Roku signs up more channel partners, I will increasingly have other options.

What I like about Roku is that it's simple to set up. It's easy and intuitive to use. And it's really cheap. I didn't want to buy a new computer specifically for TV viewing. When I first started considering cutting the cord, I tried hooking up my Macbook to my TV. And I quickly realized I didn't have all the right cables. And when I went to the Apple store to ask what I would need to to hook up my laptop to my TV, the salesperson was unhelpful. And I gave up.

But the main reason I didn't want to use a computer as my main connection to TV content was that I didn't want to turn my TV into a big computer screen. I wanted to mimic my existing cable TV experience as much as possible.

Roku made the set-up easy. I simply plugged the device into my TV using an HDMI cable and it was ready to go. The remote control made it easy to navigate the menus. And once I hit play, there was nothing else I needed to do. One of the big benefits of using the Roku box versus a computer is that I don't have to worry about formatting the video to fit the size of my screen.

Of course, there are times when I do use a PC to get some video from online. For example, I watched much of the U.S. Open tennis tournament via my laptop, which I attached to my TV. This worked fine, but there were two things I didn't like about this set-up. For one, I wasn't able to stream the video in HD, and even the quality of the standard-definition video was not great. This was likely because the video stream was meant for the smaller PC screen or perhaps the video capabilities or my laptop aren't that great. The other thing I didn't like is that the video froze and buffered more often than when I view streaming video using the Roku box.

The other added benefit of going with the Roku set-up was that I didn't have to spend much money to get all this easy access. I think when I got the Roku box, it was about $100. Now there are versions available for about $70.

Of course, I could have easily gotten a similar set-up from a new Blu-ray player or a gaming console. But I already had a DVD player, and I didn't want to spend the money to upgrade to a new Blu-ray player. I also don't own a Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, or a Nintendo Wii. And I wasn't willing to fork over the cash to get one of those either.

So for me, the Roku box was the simplest and most affordable way to get access to online TV.

Now to answer the other parts of your question, over-the-air TV has been a challenge for me. I live in an old apartment building in New York City, so I bought an antenna to stick in my window to see if I could get a broadcast TV signal. But because I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and my apartment faces north instead of south, I still can't tune in a signal. But I am able to get basic over-the-air channels when I plug a cord from my TV into my old cable jack. The signal is not in HD, so I am assuming that I am simply tapping into a basic analog cable TV feed that still runs throughout my apartment building.

As for a DVR, I don't really have any need to record shows or movies, since almost everything I watch, with the exception of local news and sports that air over broadcast TV, is on-demand already. I simply use my Hulu Plus, Amazon, and Netflix subscriptions as my DVR/on-demand services.

I know that cord cutting isn't for everyone. Die-hard sports fans or cable-news junkies would probably not be satisfied with what's available via my Roku set-up. But I am not a big sports fan nor do I watch cable news. I get most of my news online or from the radio. I realize as a cord cutter my selection may be slightly limited. But truth be told, it doesn't matter that much to me, since there is still a lot of content I can watch. And I'm much happier paying $25 and getting most of what I want, than paying more than $100 a month and still not being entirely satisfied.