Onyx BOOX Afterglow 2 e-reader

onyx afterglowWhile I love my tablets, I really don’t like reading on them for any length of time. I had been looking for an e-ink e-reader that runs Android, has the Google Play Store and is capable of running the Scribd app. I had seen a few that looked interesting but weren’t quite what I wanted.  When I found the Onyx BOOX AfterGlow 2 at Amazon for $129, I decided to take the plunge and get one. The Afterglow 2 has a frontlight, runs Android 4.2 and comes with the Google Play Store installed on the device. It can read multiple file types, including ePubs, Mobi, and PDF files. It has physical page turn buttons and is even capable of text-to-speech (currently the languages are English and Polish).

Right now, I am keeping it in a JAVOedge Universal eReader Book cover  that actually fits pretty nicely. (This is the cover that didn’t fit the Fire HD 6 I bought a few months back.) I will be doing a full review after I have played with it for a bit, but, in the meantime, here are a few pictures:

onyx box

In the box…

The apps page showing Google play. Note the shadows at the bottom where the frontlight is.

The apps page showing Google play. Note the shadows at the bottom where the frontlight is.

In the Javoedge cover

In the JAVOedge cover

 Stay tuned for the review!

Last minute Holiday gifts for the e-book lover

Wrapped Holiday GiftsWell, we are almost out of shopping days for the holidays. If you are still wracking your brain for a gift for that e-book reader or techie in your life, here are a few ideas for last minute gifts.

How about a device stand? While some cases and covers have a built in stand, many don’t have that feature. This is an example of a adjustable e-reader and tablet stand that fits both e-readers and tablets.

Another great gift is a portable battery charger. These are available as something small and  lipstick-sized or something larger that is capable of charging two smartphones.

If you need to connect a device on the go to charge or share data, a USB cable is one of those modern necessities. And they come in every color imaginable! You can choose small and flat for the traveler  or something made for multiple device connections. There are cables that are retractable or USB drives that come as key chains.

Audiobooks are very popular right now, making a set of ear buds another of those must-have items for everything from the phone to the e-reader or tablet. You can even buy travel cases for them. I have to confess, I carry a set in not only my purse, but in each of my bags for my Chromebook and e-reader.

In fact, they even make USB Travel Charger Kit that has a wall charger, a USB cable and a set of ear buds in a clamshell case.

Because we use our phones, tablets and e-readers so much, touch screen gloves are almost becoming a necessity, too. Because of their popularity, you can now find them available in anything from eco-friendly bamboo to fine Italian leather.

Gift Cards

Generally speaking, gift cards can seem like a very impersonal gift. To the e-book or e-music lover, however, a gift card makes a great gift. People who have e-readers tend to be avid readers and gift cards are a great way to say to someone, “Buy some books that make you happy!” They are also a fantastic accessory to give with a new e-reader or tablet. That way, the recipient can download something that they will enjoy, right out of the box.

You can find gift cards to go with all the major e-reader brands:

Remember, you can also send a gift directly from any Amazon, Barnes and Noble or iBook page. [I cannot figure out how to gift a book from the Kobo site directly without buying an e-gift card. If someone knows how, please let me know in the comments. :)]

Kindle covers for under $20

One of my Oberon Design Kindle covers

One of my Oberon Design Kindle covers

When I bought my first generation Kindle in May of 2008, I paid $400 for it. I bought myself a beautiful hand-made leather cover by Oberon Design that was one of the higher end covers available at the time. I bought a similar Oberon cover for my Kindle Keyboard. Over the years, I have found some fascinating one of a kind boutique covers for the Kindles I’ve owned.

But now, as Kindle prices have dropped (the basic Kindle is only $79), I am opting for less expensive covers. My criteria has become is price, ease of use and protection of my Kindle. (Okay, I am also guilty of just switching the covers out for variety.)

While there are a lot of expensive covers out there, there is also a nice selection of covers available for under $20. There are such a variety to choose from in style, design and color. These also make great gifts to go with that new Kindle.

Note: Prices can fluctuate, but all of these prices were below $20.00 except where noted when this was written. 

Covers and Cases:

MarBlue Vassen for Kindle Case, Black (Fits Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle and Kindle Touch) Low-profile and durable, this one reinforced the feeling of “book.”

Nupro Kindle Cover Simple and lightweight.

Fintie Kindle Paperwhite SmartShell Case Clamshell with sleep/wake feature. Also comes in slip-in and folio styles and color choices.

OMOTON Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Case Cover Lightweight with a sleep/wake feature. Great color choices.

Moko Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Case  I have this case myself. It is the one currently pictured in the header here on the blog. It is very slim, snug fitting cover. Plastic clamshell with vinyl design and sleep/wake feature.

MoKo Cover Case for Kindle Paperwhite My husband and I both have this case for our Paperwhites. There’s a nice flap for paper storage that I use a lot when at the doctor’s office and it has the sleep/wake feature .

Sleeves:

Sleeves are a great multi-purpose solution. Most can be used for various brands of e-readers and tablets. Durability ranges from soft material to heavy padding, so you can choose a custom design and still find just the right level of protection for your needs. There are also large selections of new sleeves on sites like etsy.com and eBay.com.

Bear Motion for Kindle – Premium Felt Sleeve Case for Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Voyage This one is super lightweight.

PUNCHCASE By Leslie Hsu Ace Zip Around Cover This is a fun cover and has several more expensive design choices as well.

The Macbeth Collection Reversible Medium Sleeve for e-Books (MB-MD2OP) These are reversible and only $8.99!

BUILT Neoprene Sleeve for 8-inch e-reader or Tablet, Black These are very substantial. I have a variety of them: some have zippers, some have Velcro closures. They also fit so many devices that they are a must have item Built also makes a nicely styled Neoprene Envelope. 

And, if you are a DIYer, there are even books and patterns to sew or crochet ereader covers.

Skins:

For some people, skins are an acquired taste or depend on the device itself. I have a rugged case for my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet that I love, especially because you can’t use magnetic covers on the Note devices. However, I put a skin on one of my basic Kindles and hated it. But, I ‘ve noticed that the people who like skins, REALLY like them.

Marware SportGrip Silicone Skin for Kindle Paperwhite This is pre-made silicon skin that adds protection and color to your device.

Decal Girl Skin Kits This kit has a thin silicon skin in pieces that you place on the Kindle. There is a wide variety of designs available. You can also get skins for everything from your Wii controler to your Nook.  This is great for the DIYer.

And finally, here is a final cover for only $1 more: Just $21.00.

BUILT Kindle Slim Folio Cover for Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite, Urban Camo There have been articles written about having a survival Kindle with all your prepper references pre-loaded onto it. If this one isn’t perfect for that, I don’t know what is. I may give in and buy this one before the end of the day myself, LOL!

Note to Readers: I plan on doing posts on budget covers for the Fires, Nooks, iPads and Galaxy tablets. 🙂

Black Friday E-Sales: Kobo, OReilly, Google and more

DCUSA.Gallery10.TargetBlackFriday.WikipediaI have already covered the Amazon and Barnes and Noble holiday sales in previous entries. (Amazon has added 40 free apps for this weekend.)Here are some links

Nathan from The Ebook Reader has done some nice roundups of the other sales:

At the Kobo Store:  Deals include a Kobo Aura for $99 and up to 75% off bestselling books.

At the O’Reilly Store: Deals include 50% off ebooks and videos.

At Google: Deals include 75% off popular e-books (and Amazon is price-matching!).

And for the online traffic report: Best Buy’s website was down this morning when I checked (more details here). Walmart.com and NewEgg were running a bit slow for me this morning. And it’s not even Cyber Monday yet! Happy shopping!

Have you seen anything on line today that you just couldn’t resist?

Image via Wikipedia

2014 Black Friday deals at Barnes and Noble

bnsaleBarnes and Noble has put their Black Friday deals up on their website. They are offering a variety of goodies; some are available online, others are in-store only.

The big doorbuster in-store item is the the Nook-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″ for $129.99. There are also signed editions from authors such as E.L. James, Donna Tartt, Neil Gaiman and more. These are labeled while supplies last and you can enter a zip code to find a store near you.

Available online, there are a number of 50% off items, including educational toys and games, activity kits, gift books and DVDs. There are also some buy one, get 50% off one items.

Barnes and Noble is also offering a 30% off one item coupon which can be used online or printed and used in-store. Nook books and devices are excluded from the offer.

The Black Friday weekend sale runs from November 28 to November 30, 2014.

 

 

 

 

2014 Holiday Shopping: Kindle Plus Kindle Unlimited Bundles

happy thanksgiving kindleI had this blog post ready to go yesterday about Amazon’s holiday promotions which included various Kindles bundled with Kindle Unlimited subscriptions. I was surprised when I found out this morning that they had reduced the prices even more on the bundles! The price updates are in red.

First, Amazon is bundling sales of its Kindle and Kindle Fire Devices with 6 months of their Kindle Unlimited subscription serve for a savings of about $40. According to the promotion page, there are currently 4 choices:

  • The basic touchscreen Kindle with six months of Kindle Unlimited for $ 99 $79.
  • The Fire HD 7  with six months of Kindle Unlimited for $169 $139.
  • The  Kindle Paperwhite  with six months of Kindle Unlimited for $149 $129.
  • The Fire HD   with six months of Kindle Unlimited for $129 $109.

Amazon.com is also offering $40 off if you purchase Prime with a new Fire HD tablet. The offer seems to exclude the Fire Kids Edition: That device’s product page does not show the Prime banner. The Fire HD 6, 7 and 7″ HDX are all on sale today for an extra $20 off.

And finally, if you really wanted one but thought the price was too high, Amazon has reduced the price for the unlocked, 32Gb Fire Phone.  You can now purchase one for only $199. The deal includes a year of Amazon Prime. You can still get the AT & T version for 99 cents with a two year contract.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

A Head Start on Black Friday Deals

kindle_fireIf you like to shop online and are ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping, Amazon has already started their Black Friday deals sales. New lightning deals are now appearing every 10 minutes. You never know what you are going to see in these sales- last year I saw a trolling motor for a boat as a lightning deal! 🙂

There are also some very good deals in electronics, including a Kindle Fire HDX 7″, HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 64 GB – Includes Special Offers (Previous Generation – 3rd) for only $219 and a Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE Wireless, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 64 GB – Includes Special Offers for only $199. (That one is pretty tempting!) The 32 GB version is only $179.

There are also deals on tablets, desktops, musical equipment, audio and fitness gear, so there’s a lot to choose from.

This year, the Brick and Mortar stores will be starting deals as early as Thanksgiving night for the Black Friday sales. What do you think of the idea?

 

Barnes and Noble offers print, e-book bundles

bnsyncE-book aficionados have long been asking for for e-books to be bundled with the sale of a paper copy. Barnes and Noble is fulfilling that wish–at least for the holiday season. With the new B & N Sync Up! promotion, customers can purchase a paperback at a B & N store then get the e-book for $4.99. There are over 70 books to choose from, including bestsellers such as Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander,  Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees and the Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  Eligible titles will be marked with a “B & N Sync Up!” bookmark.

The program offers a  great value because the purchaser can either keep both copies or give one away as a gift. Details of how the program works are available here at Barnes and Noble.com.

This is a special offer for the holidays, but the web site does not list the begining and end dates for the promotion. It is live on B & N now.

 

 

A deal on e-book Westerns

max_brandIf you or someone you know is an avid reader of e-book Westerns, Amazon has a great deal going on you may be interested in. Until October 23, 2014, you can choose from 201 Westerns on sale for only $1.99 each. Authors include some of the greats in the genre: Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, Max Brand, Ernest Haycox, Will Henry,  Cotton Smith and many more.

 

 

Daily Links: Kobo downloads, Bendgate, more

From the Digital Reader, How to download Kobo books (including the ones they don’t want you to).

Apple apologizes for IOS 8.0.1, from Mashable and then denies the “Bendgate” problem, fromRecode.

From The Next Web, Google’s latest Chrome build has a hidden game that to play offline.

Cosmixology celebrates Nation Comic Book Day by giving away 25 free comics, from The Digital Reader.

From The Ebook Reader, How to export and edit those Kindle notes and highlights.

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.