Tag Archives: Kindle

Daily Links and Deals – Why Amazon is the king of innovation: Kindle’s clout

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daily_links_1Today, a look at the Kindle’s role in making Amazon the most innovative tech company. Also, how the Chromebook with Android might be an unbeatable combination, a different look at fair use, and stories on how we use information and the internet’s favorite book. In deals, savings on Rosetta Stone software, Micro SD cards and $10 off the Fire for Kids bundle.

Daily Links for Monday, May 23, 2016:

How to find wisdom in the age of information (The Next Web) We hear a lot about information overload. But how well do we incorporate that information into our lives and what’s the relationship between mere information and actual wisdom?

Chromebook + Android apps = Trouble for Windows PCs (ZD Net)  If you haven’t tried a Chromebook, this may sound like hyperbole. Both if you live most of your life online (browsing, cloud storage), you’ll find very few things you can’t do with one. Adding Android apps would make for an unbeatable connection.

What is the Internet’s Favorite Book? (Priceonomics) From the Hunger Games to Harry Potter. everyone has an opinion on their favorite. What’s the collective’s opinion?

Fair Use Needs To Be Protected & All Abusers Need To Be Punished (Torrent Freak) For all the stories we hear about copyright takedowns of material that is genuinely fair use, we forget that there are people out there abusing the process too.

New subscription service Circle Go lets parents manage kids’ devices outside the home (Techcrunch) As our children are getting more and more tech at a younger age, setting limits on tech use outside the home may be really important.

 I salvaged my shattered iPhone with a ‘Band-Aid’ screen cover (Engadget) Well, at least temporarily….

Why Amazon is the king of innovation: Kindle’s clout (ZD Net)  An argument that Amazon is the most innovative tech company around and why.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes The Lost Concerto by Helaine Mario for 99 cents.

In Today’s Deals, get up to 65% off Rosetta Stone Power Pack sets. There are also some deals on several brands of Micro SD cards. For a limited time, you can also get $10 off the Kindle for Kids Bundle.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is over 70 Jughead comics for 99 cents each. The Romance Daily Find is River Rising by Dorothy Garlock for $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire for $1.99. The Extra Daily Deal is The Ending Series: The Complete Series by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue for $2.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes The Book of Strange by Michael Faber 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, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Last Minute Mother’s Day Ebook Gifts

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mom_tattooHappy Mother’s Day!

If you still need an last minute e-book gift for your mom, here’s a few ideas:

Send an ebook as a gift

Has mom been talking about a new book she just can’t wait to read? Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks all let you buy a specific ebook as a gift. Look for the “Buy as a Gift” button on the book detail page.

Give a subscription

You can give an all-you-can-read subscription to Kindle Unlimited as a gift. It costs $9.99 and is available for gifting in 6,12,and 24 month membership terms.

The Scribd service also offers a gift subscription option.  You can select from three terms: 3 months for $25, 6 months for $50, or 1 year for $99. Scribd lets you an print out the e-card and hand-deliver it yourself.

For audiobook fans, what about a subscription to Audible?  The service features over 180,000 audio titles. Gifts are available in 3,6 and 12 month memberships. And, if there is a specific book you have in mind that you’d like to give, you can also choose to gift an individual book.

Give a gift card

If you are not sure what mom really wants, gift cards make an awesome choice. I always ask for these so I can buy books! 🙂 These are great because they work for buying both print and ebooks. So where does your mom like to shop?

If Mom has a Kindle, how about an Amazon gift card? You can send them via email or print it out an home and present to mom in person. You can even put your baby picture on it – she’ll love it.

If mom loves her Nook, a Barnes and Noble  gift card is a great gift. The cards can be redeemed online for ebooks and web order in the store.

Itunes Gift Cards make a fantastic gift if you are centered in the Apple Universe. You can get them in a range of denominations, they are available at retailers  almost everywhere or you can buy them online. And, they work for everything: apps, music, books, TV and movies or Apple music.

For Android lovers, Google Play Gift Certificates are a very versatile gift. They can be used for apps, music, books and movies from the Play store. They are available in denominations from $10. Plus, you can buy them online or pick them up a local store when you are on your way to take mom to brunch. 🙂

(Sorry Kobo fans! Kobo US does not seem to be offering the option to send a book or buy a gift card on their website.)

Daily Deals for Saturday May 7, 2016

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kindle-381242_1280In Today’s Deals for Saturday May 7, 2016:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes five books in J. R. Rain’s Vampire for Hire series.

In Today’s Deals, Amazon is still offering-ink Kindles at $20 off regular prices on the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle for Kids bundle.  This deal was supposed to end yesterday, May 6, 2016, but it is still going. 🙂

The are also still running the promotions on Fire tablets. The 7″ Fire (normally $49.99) is only still only $39.99. Amazon is also offering savings on the Fire HD 6 (8GB and 16 GB versions) and the Fire HD 10 is $50 off for a limited time. There are also still deals on pre-owned Fire tablets.

And, yes, I am also still seeing the option for 5 payments of $58 for the Kindle Oasis pre-order. Current delivery date is June 1, 2016.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is A Paris Affair by Tatiana de Rosnay for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is Cries in the Night: A Denver Heroes Novel by Kathy Clark for 99 cents.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Soundtrack  is a B & N exclusive until May 20. You can also pre-order Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Soundtrack (vinyl) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens Soundtrack Laser-Etched Edition!  (also vinyl)  See the site for details and release dates.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child for $2.99.

And, you can still get $20 off the Kobo Glo HD.  Free shipping is included.

The Kobo also has a monthly special 3 for 2 deal features books by  Grace Burrowes. The special runs until the end of month of May.:)

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Breaking a Legend: A Kavenagh Legends novel by Sarah Robinson for $2.99.

(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.)

New Kindle Oasis official

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oasisAmazon has officially announced its new Kindle Oasis. The device will cost $289.99, includes the special leather battery charging cover and will begin shipping on April 27, 2016.

Now, for the details. According to the Amazon press release, the Oasis is:

All-New Design–The Thinnest and Lightest Kindle Ever

The new Kindle Oasis is unlike any Kindle you’ve ever held. With an incredibly thin display and an ergonomic grip, Kindle Oasis weighs just 4.6 ounces and is just 3.4 mm at its thinnest point–30% thinner on average and over 20% lighter than any other Kindle. To achieve this, Kindle Oasis has a featherweight polymer frame that is plated with metal by structural electroplating–this makes the device incredibly light while ensuring it has the strength and rigidity of metal so it is resilient enough to take anywhere you want to read.

Designed for Comfortable and Extended Reading

Kindle Oasis is designed for extended reading sessions–with an entirely reimagined shape, Kindle Oasis shifts the center of gravity to your palm, to rest in your hand like the spine of a book so that the device feels balanced for one-handed reading. Effortlessly turn the page with either the touch display or physical buttons. Oasis is comfortable to read on with either hand–a built-in accelerometer detects whether you are reading with your left or right hand, and automatically rotates the page and page turn buttons to match.

Dual-Battery Design Delivers Months of Battery Life–Our Longest Ever

Kindle Oasis introduces a new dual-battery system–as soon as you connect the cover to Kindle Oasis, the battery in the cover begins recharging Kindle Oasis automatically. The battery in the cover uses a custom cell architecture that optimizes power and energy while keeping an incredibly small and light form factor and delivering months of battery life. You can charge the device and cover simultaneously while both are snapped together and plugged in. Plus, a new hibernation mode minimizes power consumption when your Kindle is inactive.

The included charging cover is made of high-quality leather and is available in black, merlot, or walnut. The cover opens like a book and fits closely around the bezel, waking Kindle Oasis when opened and putting it to sleep when closed. Twelve magnets form a secure and solid attachment between the device and cover, while ensuring it is easy to detach when you choose to read without the cover.

Next Generation Paperwhite Display

Kindle Oasis features the latest generation high-resolution 300 ppi Paperwhite display for crisp, laser-quality text. A redesigned built-in front light features 60% more LEDs for our brightest Kindle display ever and leverages new cylindrical diffractive patterns to increase the consistency and range of screen brightness for improved reading in all types of lighting. The new Paperwhite display on Oasis is the first Kindle display designed using a ground-breaking 200 micron display backplane that is as thin as a single sheet of aluminum foil, but is robust enough for you to throw in your bag and take with you on-the-go, combined with a custom cover glass engineered from chemically-reinforced glass.

Most of this information (save for the shipping date and price) had already leaked online. You can find more detail on the device here.

Comparing the Kindle Oasis to the previous Kindle models, this one is thinner, lighter, has better LED lighting and a totally unique design. Here is the chart comparing the features on the various models:

Oasis_comparison

Click = big

There is evidently quite a bit of interest in the Oasis.  Already, I am seeing “Due to popular demand, some configurations will ship after April 27th. See the latest shipping dates at checkout” listed on the item page.  I am also seeing an offer to purchase this for 5 monthly payments of $58.00,  but I am a prime member, so I don’t know if everyone sees that offer. It will be interesting to see if this sells out. Hint: Don’t delay too long if you are interested.

I will be back later with some thoughts about the new device, including talking about some of the features some of us were hoping for but didn’t get.

So, does this model interest you?

Amazon called to say “update”

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phone_640I’ve been talking a lot here on the blog about the critical update Amazon has been rolling out for the older Kindles. I’ve talked about the e-mails (here), the Web messages (here), the snail mail (here), and even the the fact that Snopes.com addressed the rumors surrounding the update. There’s been no doubt that Amazon wants to make sure its customers install this critical security fix.

Today, however, Amazon took it one step further. We actually got a recorded phone call at the house from Amazon reminding us that we need to update our Kindles in order to keep accessing the Kindle libraries and Amazon’s servers. The recorded message, which was repeated twice, re-iterated the instructions on the Kindle update page and emphasized that Amazon customer service was available any time to offer assistance by calling 1-866-321-8851.

The recording instructed us to please disregard the message if we had already updated within the last few days. (We had done all of ours over the last few days.)

[Please insert Adelle “Hello” joke here.]

Did you get a phone call about your update?

Amazon nags via snail mail, too….

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In today’s snail mail:

kindle update mail

They are postcards sent to my husband and me reminding us that our kindles need a critical update. Postcards? From Amazon?

The irony: I tried to update one of my older e-ink devices yesterday, and for some reason, the update failed. I followed all the directions, but nothing happened. I am trying the others tonight, then calling Amazon tomorrow to try to pin down the problem (if necessary). I will post an update after I call. If I have to manually update all these Kindles, I am not gonna be happy…. 😦

How did your updates go?

Are you being nagged to update your Kindle?

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A few weeks ago, I posted about a notice I got from Amazon to update my  older e-ink Kindles. Amazon was quite clearthat the update needed to to be done by March 22 in order to continue accessing kindles services.

Given the fact that it’s tax season, I haven’t gotten around to updating mine yet, although it is on the agenda for this week. But Amazon has definitely noticed that fact that I haven’t done it yet. Every time I go to Amazon.com, the site is reminding me that I still need to perform the necessary updates.

When I go to the Kindle page, I saw this banner ad:

kindle-software-update_hqp_355x70._CB294667646_

And if I click on the Amazon home page, this is the message I see:

kindle-update_2

Amazon has emphasized to customers that if this critical update is not done by March 22, we will not be able to download it by Wi-Fi and will have to up date our devices manually. Obviously, Amazon is not shy about nagging to remind us that we need to get this done.

Amazon is also being more specific about what will happen if you do not complete the update in time. Now, when you go to the update page (here), they have added the message that you will see on your Kindle if you don’t complete the update on time.

I suspect that Amazon is really, really trying to make sure customers get this done. I’m sure that they’d also like to avoid the influx of customer service calls from people needing to be talked through a manual update.

Okay, okay, Amazon! I hear you! I’m doing it….

How about you? Have you updated your Kindle yet? Are you being nagged?

 

Daily Links and Deals: The psychological tricks Amazon’s Kindle plays on you

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daily_links_1Daily Links for Saturday, March 12, 2016:

Publishing Heavyweights Petition White House, Congress To End Cuba Book Embargo (NPR) – The idea that we are withholding books from Cuba is shocking to me….

Movieswap aims to be a huge crowd powered streaming service (TorrentFreak) – I can’t wait to see how the movis studios react to this one….

The psychological tricks Amazon’s Kindle plays on you (Alphr) – How seductive are the little extra things a Kindle can do?

Saturday Diary: Actions speak louder … (or, a bibiliophile trades books for bytes) (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) – A die-hard print reader embraces e-readers.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals includes Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade Book 1) by Jennifer Estep for $2.99.

Are you ordering a new Samsung S7? As part of Amazon’s Today’s Deals, the Deal of the Day has an offer to save 50% or more on Samsung Galaxy S7 cases.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is a selection of Downtown Abbey inspired books, including Snobs by Julian Fellowes for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is A Billionaire Between the Sheets by Katie Lane for $1.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Hunting Eve Eve Duncan (Book #17) by Iris Johansen for $2.99.

Kobo is offering a Kobo Glo HD e-reader for $109.99 with free shipping. Ongoing Kobo ebook sales for March include:  The Keep kids and teens reading over March Break for $3.99 or Less – valid through March 14th. Through March 31st, you can find Fabulous Fiction at $4.99 and Under and Buy Any Four Archie Comics For $9.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich for 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.

Update Your Kindle… or else!

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Kindle 1If you have a older, pre-2012 Kindle that you haven’t updated recently, Amazon is letting customers know that it’s time to do something about that.

This morning, I received an email from Amazon reminding me that I have devices that need to be updated.  Now I am being told that unless I update them, I will no longer be able to “continue downloading e-books and using Kindle services.”

According to the email,

If you do not update the devices’ software by March 22, 2016, you will no longer be able to access Kindle services or get the update via Wi-Fi or a wireless connection. To resume access, you will need to manually update the software on each of your Kindle devices.

Note that you WILL still be able to update your Kindle after that date. You will just need to manually download and install the update.

The frustrating thing about the email is that it doesn’t indicate which Kindles need the update. I have two first-generation Kindles that I am not using right now. The devices are currently being stored with batteries removed until to decide what to do with them, so I assume that they are included. However, I also have a DX and Kindle Keyboard which I will now have to double-check to make sure they are up to date.

A lot of people have given or loaned older Kindles to family and friends. Since this is a critical update, you may need to check too make sure the devices are running the most recent version of the software. People who have modified or “jail-broken” their devices may have a problem going forward.

You can find instructions on how to update your particular Kindle model here. If you are not sure if you need to update, there are also links on the page for checking the software version for each model Kindle.

Did you get a notice to update?

Device Deals: Kindle, Fire, Nook and Kobo

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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? 🙂