Daily Archives: April 10, 2016

Names, features, wishlists and new Kindle rumors

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voyageThe tech world and the ebook aficionados have been buzzing with speculations on the upcoming new 8th-generation Kindle that was announced by Jeff Bezos himself last week.

The Digital Reader, Teleread and the eBook Reader all have great articles on both the speculation and the rumors about the new device, including the name. There are also a number of threads on Mobileread, KBoards and the Kindle forums discussing the new new device’s potential features.

So, here’s a brief synopsis/roundup of some of the speculation at this point:

Kindle or Tablet: Since Jeff Bezos said that this was going to be the eighth generation, most people assume that this device will be either an e-ink Kindle or possibly have a Liquavista color screen.

Screen size: The screen size for the device is unknown.

Name: Kindle Oasis – According to Mobileread, a page spotted on Amazon Japan (no longer available) indicates that the device will be called the Oasis. Now, there’s a lot of speculation as to what exactly that name refers to. Some are suggesting that it means the new device will have be waterproof. Others are suggesting that it implies a Liquavista color screen.

Features:  There’s been a lot of discussion on possible features for the new Kindle. There has also been some talk about a new basic Kindle. This would not be the first time Amazon has introduced more than one new product at a time. Bezos indicated the new Kindle will be “top of the line,” a position the Kindle Voyage now inhabits. Since the new device is apparently not called the Voyage 2, we can only assume the new model will add a number of new features.

Some of the possibilities are:

Better front lighting – Some of the early Voyage e-readers had problems with the front lighting and from what I read on the forums, some people are still not happy with the way the device looks now.

Waterproof – Since Barnes & Noble and Kobo both have waterproof readers, some think that this is a natural next step for a new Kindle feature.

Page Turn Buttons – Not everyone is totally happy with the haptic feedback on the Kindle Voyage. There’s still a call for device with dedicated physical buttons for turning pages.

Bluetooth – Initially, Bluetooth seemed an odd feature to add in an e-ink type of Kindle. However, a Bluetooth keyboard could be paired with the device for easier notetaking. Bluetooth would also allow for the use of a hands-free page turning feature.

Text to speech – The Kindle keyboard was the last Kindle with text to speech functionality. While all the Fire tablets are capable of text to speech, it’s one of the most requested features to be brought back to the Kindle line.

Battery Case: I have seen iterations of ideas on these cases: Some ideas suggest a thinner Kindle with the battery in the case. Others suggest speakers and Bluetooth integration in the case for either text to speech or audio book use. Still others are suggesting a solar powered case coming in the near future.

Who’s going to buy one?

While obviously no one knows for sure until we hear the details about the new Kindle, people seem to be falling into several distinct categories when discussing the possibility of a purchase:

  • I will definitely buy the latest Kindle that comes out.
  • I am trying not to be tempted (but may or may not cave when I see it)
  • I will buy one if it has ________. [Fill in the blank with a feature]
  • My current Kindle ______ works just fine. [Fill in the blank with a Kindle model]

In the meantime,  Amazon has slashed prices on its current lineup of e-ink Kindles and some of the Fire Tablets. Are they clearing out inventory to make way for the new models? The continued price cuts on current models, particularly the seldom discounted Voyage, seem to be further fueling the speculation.

So how about you?  Have you heard any other good rumors or have a feature to speculate on? Is there a special feature on your personal Kindle wishlist?Are you waiting with bated breath for the new device announcement?Do we have a pool going for the news release?  How does Tuesday or Wednesday sound?. 🙂

Daily Links and Deals: How music streaming service exclusives make pirating tempting again

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daily_links_1In today’s stories, we look at music streaming exclusives’ effect on the streaming industry, the tablet market and the future of the Nook. In today’s deals, $2 genre Kindle books, a Samsung 65-inch TV, colored pencils and continuing deals on Kindle e-ink e-readers and Fire tablets.

Daily Links for Sunday, April 10, 2016:

Are you a bad boyfriend? These techies can fix that for $70 a month (Guardian) This is one of those digital life things that makes me shake my head. Would you use this? Or want to be on the receiving end of it?

The tablet market is 100 million units smaller than expected. What happened? (ReCode) What’s the driving factor for these changes? Price? Upgrade cycles? Competition from devices like the $50 Fire?

How music streaming service exclusives make pirating tempting again (The Verge) Yes, streaming is the future. But this exclusivity thing has got to go.

YouTube Copyright Claim Strips Audio Out of Conference on Surveillance Overreach (Motherboard) Um… Calling youTube’s system mere broken may be an understatement.

Google Fiber drops its free basic tier in Kansas City, replaces with $50/m 100Mbps plan (9 to 5 Google) The free is gone, but the new plan sounds like a pretty good deal.

B&N Outsources Nook Functions to Indian Tech Company (The Digital Reader) I missed this story the other day, but it does not bode well for Nook lovers.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes George R.R. Martin’s Dreamsongs: Volume I for $1.99.

In Today’s Deals, a Samsung UN65J6300 65-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV, $2 kindle books and Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils for your coloring books! And, I don’t play, so I probably need someone to explain the purpose of this Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Standard Edition Golf Laser Rangefinder to me…. Does it help you choose which club to use?

Those Kindle and Fire deals are still available: You can still save on the Fire HD 6, the pre-owned Fire tablets, and the great  Kindle Deals for customers with Amazon Prime. The 16 GB version on the 7″ Fire is back up to its original price of $$69.99! I’m still recommending the 16gb HD6 for only $20 more as the better value if you prefer a higher resolution.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks for $1.99.

There are still several Kobo several promotions available for a little longer. ♥ Through April 11, get 3 ebooks for the price of 2 (terms and conditions apply). You can get free shipping on any Kobo e-reader through April 13, 2016. And, until April 18, select Romantic Times winners & nominees are on sale for under $3.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash.

(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, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.