Welcome to this morning's edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today.
Amazon Launches Tablet, 3 New Ereaders
Amazon announced four new devices Wednesday: a $199 Android-based tablet, the Kindle Fire, a $149 Kindle Touch 3G, a $99 Wi-Fi-only Kindle Touch and the next-generation, Wi-Fi-only eink Kindle for $79. Following the announcement, Barnes & Noble reportedly cut the price of its Nook Color ereader by $25. (UPDATE: The Nook Color price cut has been in effect in some time, and was not related to Amazon's announcements Wednesday, a B&N rep said.)
Nokia Lays off 3,500
Nokia has laid off 3,500 employees as it downsizes its manufacturing facilities in Europe and the U.S.
HTC Explorer Details Confirmed
HTC has officially announced the latest addition to its Android smartphone lineup, the HTC Explorer, which will be made available in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East in October.
Groupon Launches Groupon Goods
Groupon has launched an online retail site called Groupon Goods, which offers deals on pilates, coffee brewers and LED TVs.
Further News
Best Buy has cut the price of the BlackBerry Playbook to $299.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has revoked a sentence of 10 lashings that a woman was meant to receive for driving in the kingdom, according to a tweet from a Saudi princess’s Twitter account.
Flickr has launched an Android app with Instagram-like filters.
Hipmunk, a year-old travel startup with a focus on flight and hotel search, has released a mobile app for Android devices.
Neiman Marcus is giving away 58 clutches at Foursquare-based scavenger hunts across the nation.
Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff is turning to her Instagram followers to help design her first print ad.