Monthly Archives: February 2016

Device Deals: Kindle, Fire, Nook and Kobo

Posted on by

fire_6_2How about an e-reader for Valentine’s Day? Kindle, Nook and Kobo are all having special deals on devices just in time for gift-giving.

Amazon: 

Until February 13, 2016, Amazon has all most of their Kindle and Fire devices on sale.  Want a $40 Fire Tablet? A Kid’s Bundle? A new Paperwhite? Amazon is also featuring a number of bundles which include the device and the accessories together. All of these are available at reduced prices.

Barnes and Noble:

Do you have an old Nook that has seen better days? Barnes and Noble is offering you $50 towards a new Samsung Nook for you a trade-in on your old device. Offer is good until March 5, 2016 and terms and conditions apply. You can find more details here.

Kobo:

And, if you have been wanting a new Kobo ereader, this is the perfect time. Through February 14, 2016, you can get the Kobo Glo HD e-reader for  just $109.99. Free delivery is included.

Which do you think is a better gift? A box of chocolates or an e-reader? 🙂

Daily Links and Deals: Watch All Of This Year’s Super Bowl Ads Now

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Sunday, February 7, 2016:

Watch All Of This Year’s Super Bowl Ads Now (Previously TV) – Now that that’s taken care of, all you have to tune in for is the halftime show and the Puppy Bowl!

Let’s help this psychotic Smart Home kill its owner (The Verge) – What’s your biggest fear about a smart home? Now, let’s deal with that….

French Spelling Changes, 26 Years in the Making, Cause a Fracas (NYT) – Once again, I am extremely grateful we decided not to have a language academy in the United States.

How To Start Fresh And Stay Safe With A New Device (Techcrunch) – How to properly back up and wipe a device before you pass it on to someone new.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes books in the Rachel Scott Adventure Series for  $1.99 each.

Some pundits are predicting that people will be scrambling to purchase the Amazon Echo after today’ Superbowl ad airs. Here’s your last chance to get one before the rush. 🙂

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is  The Football Fan’s Manifesto by Michael Tunison for $1.99.The Romance Daily Find is To Win Her Love by Mackenzie Crowne for 99 cents.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes I Never Had It Made:  An Autobiography by Jackie Robinson for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: How to watch Super Bowl 50 for free on almost any device

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Saturday, February 6, 2016:

How to watch Super Bowl 50 for free on almost any device (CNET) – Possibly useful for Sunday, LOL?

A Fine mess: how not to assert your copyright in the YouTube age (The Verge) – As more and more people are creators, we are going to see more and more of these kinds of issues.

I almost managed a week using only my iPad… but one thing held me back (The Next Web) –  And this is why the PC and the laptop aren’t dead yet….

Twitter’s timeline will soon show tweets out of order (The Verge) This is going to be a big problem for a lot of people.

Review: 2 low-cost Windows 10 laptops challenge the Chromebooks (Computer World) –  I love my Chromebook, but they don’t do everything.

The Internet Archive Opened an Online Malware Museum (Motherboard) – Who wants to see really old malware from the 80s and 90s.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes books from The Huntress/FBI Thriller Series for  $1.99 each.

You can also find refurbished TIVO systems priced from $29.99 to $89.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Chaos and Moonlight by A.D. Marrow for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer for $2.99. And Until February 19th. you can buy two romance themed novels and get one free.

And, thrugh February 14, 2016, you can get the Kobo Glo HD e-reader for $109.99 (includes free delivery).

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The One You Fear by Paul Pikington for $3.99

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Library Corner 2-5-2016

Posted on by

Library corner imageHere is this week’s roundup of library news:

US Library News:

Public libraries vital role in digital empowerment (Digital Libraries Hub) – Infographic about the digital services libraries supply to communities.

New/Updated Resource Guides For Three Public Health Topics in the News (Infodocket) The Flint water crisis, the Califormia methane gas leak and the Zikka virus health risk are all matters of extreme interest right now.

Beyond Books: Why Some Libraries Now Lend Tools, Toys and More (US News & World Report) – The Library of Things: there is more than books, music and films available at your library now.

What happens when libraries are asked to help the homeless find shelter (Washington Post) – We are demanding a lot more of our libraries. Are the social services they are being asked to provide interfering with the libraries’ core mission?

California: First class of LA library’s online high school completion program earns diplomas (My News LA) – What an amazing idea for a Library Program!

International Library News:

Australia: Inside the NSW State Library’s $72m digitisation program (IT News) – How a 188 year old library struggles to preserve and access its content in the digital age.

Dubai to build Dh1 billion library shaped like a book (Gulf News) – Designed to hold millions of books, the library and culture center is intended to bridge the learning gap in the Arab world.

Policy and Privacy:

Designing for the Library Website (Michigan University Library) – There’s an specific set of goals and challenges in designing a library website.

OverDrive Local Content Lets Libraries Upload, Grow Their Local eBook Catalog (The Digital Reader) – As more and more people are publishing, the ability to add local authors to a library’s catalog is a necessary function.

Both LYRASIS and DuraSpace Boards Approve “Intention to Merge” But Deal Not Final (Infodocket) – LYRASIS and DuraSpace both provide important services to libraries,  archives and museums. They are seeking feedback from member organizations.

The IFLA Position on Public Lending Right (2016) (IFLA) – Public Lending Rights (PLR) don’t apply to ebooks and don’t exist in a lot of countries. Can we balance the rights of authors and users?

Copyright:

Europe’s top court mulls legality of hyperlinks to copyrighted content (Ars Technica) – One change in EU copyright law could threaten the Internet as we know it.

Reference and Statistics: 

New/Updated Resource Guides For Three Public Health Topics in the News (Infodocket) – Updated information on the Zika virus, the Lead in the Flint, Michigan Water supply crisis and the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas (Methane) Leak.

Reference: Facts and Stats About the Black Population in the United States (Black History Month 2016) (Infodocket) – Resourcesfor Black History Month

Digital Collections:

MSU Library, Yellowstone park launch ‘Yellowstone Collection (Montana University)

Plan to Digitize 32 Years of PBS NewsHour Programs (1975-2007) and Make Them Available Online Announced Today (Infodocket)

Idaho: Attorney General Makes Catalogue of Opinions, Annual Reports Available to the Public (AG.Idaho.gov)

Database of classical works now freely searchable (Cornell Challenge)

About once a week, I post links to digital-related library news articles and information about digital collections available online.  I also post other links of interest about the digital life daily on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Germany’s fixed-price laws extended to e-books

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Friday, February 5, 2016:

Yahoo Games Has Passed Away at Just 13 (Wired) – I remember a time when this was *the* place to go for online gaming.

Would you buy smartphone service from Comcast? You may get the chance (Ars Technica) – Can you hear the cable jokes now?

What If Twitter Died? (reCode) – For those of us who don’t use Facebook? Oh, dear….

Maryland Attorney General: If You Don’t Want To Be Tracked, Turn Off Your Phone (Motherboard) – Does this mean digital ubiquity equals a 1984 type of surveillance state?

Germany’s fixed-price laws extended to e-books (The Bookseller) – Publisher get to set the price for ebooks in Germany.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes A Noble Masquerade (Hawthorne House Book #1) by Kristi Ann Hunter for $1.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is  Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll by Fred Goodman for $2.99.     The Romance Daily Find is The Smitten Collection: Smitten, Secretly Smitten, and Smitten Book Club by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, Diann Hunt for $4.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is ‘Til the Well Runs Dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma for $2.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Discovering Pride by Jill Sanders for $3.99.

Google is having a Classics Flash Sale with best sellers up to 70% off.  The  Red Hot Romance Deals and the  Get Ready for Deadpool sale, featuring up to 78% off Deadpool comics, are still continuing.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Bookstores, libraries offer ‘blind dates’ to match readers with romantic novels

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Thursday, February 4, 2016:

Bookstores, libraries offer ‘blind dates’ to match readers with romantic novels (Chicago Tribune) – Would you try a book, sight unseen, based on only a few words?

66% of Aussie downloaders also pay for Netflix like services (Torrent Freak) – Yes, maybe it is an issue of the poor availability of content.

Google seemingly kicking standalone ad-blockers from the Play Store (9 to 5 Google) – Turns out, this actually a unique situation and not a statement against ad blockers in general.

Google experiments with e-books designed for your phone (Engadget) – Oh, look! More “evolving” ebooks.

Freeloaders, beware: The Wall Street Journal isn’t letting you read for free in Instapaper now, either (Digiday) – The WSJ is getting really serious about its paywall.

Deals of the Day:

On Amazon UK there is a Romance Sale with ebooks from 99p.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes Cat’s Cradle: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut for $1.99.

As one of Today’s Deals, Amazon has a Lenovo ThinkPad 11E 11.6″ Ultraportable Business Notebook, Intel N2940 Quad-Core, 128GB Solid State Drive, 4GB DDR3, 802.11ac, Bluetooth, Win10Pro via Woot for $199.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Engagement Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get You Everything You Want in Life by Cindi Leive, The Editors of Glamour  for $1.99.  The Romance Daily Find is Bearing It All: A Highlander’s Beloved Novel by Vonnie Davis for 99 cents.

Have an old Nook you want to replace? B & N is offering $50 towards a new Samsung Nook when you trade-in your old device. Offer is good until March 5, 2016 and terms and conditions apply. You can find more details here.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela (with a foreward by Barack Obama) for $2.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes What Do Women Want? by Daniel Bergner for $1.99.

Google is featuring a selection of Red Hot Romance Deals as well as a Get Ready for Deadpool sale, featuring up to 78% off Deadpool comics.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Low-Income Americans Face Internet Access That Is Slow, at Risk of Disruption

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Wednesday, February 3, 2016:

Amazon’s rent-a-Buddhist-monk service causes controversy in Japan (Mashable) – I know Amazon sells everything, but… really?

Amazon Brings Its Virtual Assistant Alexa To Older Fire TV Devices (Techcrunch) Alexa is coming to the Fire TV.

App Fatigue (Techcrunch) – Are there just too many apps?

Low-Income Americans Face Internet Access That Is Slow, at Risk of Disruption (ReCode) – How you access the internet is very dependent on your income level.

Kindle Update v5.7.2 Adds Open Dyslexic Font, New Home Page (Screenshots) (The Digital Reader) – Your Paperwhite and Voyage e-reader home screens are getting an update!

Deals of the Day:

On Amazon UK, The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living, by Russ Harris is  £.99 today.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes  Twin of Ice and Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux for $1.99 each and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard for $2.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard for $2.99.  The Romance Daily Find is Tough Love: Back to Buckhorn by Lori Foster for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is also the Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard for $2.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu for $2.99.

Google has a selection of Limited Time Deals with prices starting at 99 cents.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Reading Fast and Slow – Observing Book Readers in Their Natural Habitat

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Tuesday, February 2, 2016:

Reading Fast and Slow – Observing Book Readers in Their Natural Habitat (DBW) – This is an interesting piece on how different individuals read different books.

Evernote Will Shut Down Market, Its E-Commerce Effort, On Wednesday (Techcrunch) – Unsurprisingly, Evernote is closing down its swag shop.

16 million Americans have no wired broadband access, not even at 4Mbps (Ars Technica) – Look at these numbers. This is why the FCC has so many concerns about this

Bluetooth wireless range and speed are getting better (Computer World) –  Like wi-fi, bludetooth is an integral part of the Internet of Things – and our future.

Deals of the Day:

If you are in the UK, Amazon.co.UK  is featuring Mortality by Christopher Hitchens for £.99 as one of the Kindle Daily Deals.

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes A Desperate Fortune by Susan Kearsley for $1.99.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Steelheart (Reckoners Series #1) by Brandon Sanderson for $1.99. The Romance Daily Find is Power Play by Tiffany Snow for $1.99. Their 500 Under $5 sale is also still available.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The Passage by Justin Cronin for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links and Deals: Following Apple’s Move, Samsung Rolls Out Ad Blocking To Android Devices

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Monday, February 1, 2016:

Following Apple’s Move, Samsung Rolls Out Ad Blocking To Android Devices (Techcrunch) – A welcome, but not unsurprising addition for Samsung phones.

From the Editor’s Desk: Android, airlines and what’s to come (Android Central) – It used to be that you were incommunicado during a flight. Not any more!

Shelve paperbacks in favour of E-books in schools? (BBC) – A look at where ebooks fit in the classroom.

Homeless People Lose Internet Access Over Illegal Downloads (Torrent Freak) – Disturbing story. Given the fact that  ISPs can now be held liable for infringement, we will probably be hearing more stories like this.

I bought my mom a Chromebook Pixel and everything is so much better now (The Verge) Great article that points of some of the benefits of the Chromebook.

Deals of the Day:

If you live in the UK, Amazon UK has Katherine by Anya Seton as a Daily Deal for £.99. (It is $9.99 here in the US, so it is a good deal!)

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deal includes The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Pachett for $1.99.

The Fire HD 10 is available for only $179.99. That’s a savings of $50.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is 31 Days by Marcia Gloster for $1.99.

B & N also has a great selection in their 500 Under $5 sale.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Dry A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs for $1.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Strong Enough by M. Leighton for $1.99.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.