A Kindle World blog: November 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

Firmware update 2.3 - Undocumented improvements

From the Amazon Kindle forums, an interesting thread on undocumented or unofficial improvements noticed by Kindle owners.

Here are some of them, with the writer's name in italics after each:

1. The Notes and Bookmarks pages now have 6 entries per page rather than 5, saving some time paging through -- Twenty Haglund
Reachable via the Menu button.

2. Navigation is faster, with the 5-way button's speed-up of cursor movement -- Betty J. Reed.

I've seen this one mentioned in other threads, most often noted when moving the cursor to a word for an inline-dictionary lookup.

I've also received email saying that web-browsing seems sped up, but there was nowhere to go but up, with that :-)

3. Kindle placed in Landscape mode is more stable for one writer's treadmill -- S. Dunham.

4. New column width options similar to those for the DX were added without comment by Amazon -- Twenty Hagland
Changeable using the "Aa" font-key.

There are normal edge to edge lines with almost no margins, as before, but now people can choose to make the column narrower, similar to the width of a newspaper column and easier for some people's eyes to scan quickly. This is more important for the very wide DX but nice to have for the Kindle US and Kindle Int'l.

There are a couple of remarks on this thread re battery life but they're either not identified by U.S. or International models and the session life described is less than advertised for the older Kindle U.S., or a Wireless:Off situation is described when savings for Kindle 2 In'tl is a Wireless:On feature.

The Gomoku game has been a hidden feature for some time, which I've seen Bufo Calvin and other authors mention in their books.

If you've noticed any others and want others to know about them, please add them to the Comments area or to the Amazon forum thread that is linked above. Thanks. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009

KindleWiki - Getting faster Kindle access to it - Updated

Since all International Kindle owners with wireless access in their countries get free 24/7 Kindle access to Wikipedia, this is a tip on how to do it more easily than with the traditional way. (See Updates.)

FIRST -- a one time set-up,
unless needing to 'reset' the Kindle after a memory freeze (it's a computer),
. Click on Menu button
. Click on 'Experimental' option
. Click to get 'Basic Web'

You'll probably see a 'Bookmarks' page.
Don't bother with it, even if 'Wikipedia' is listed.

. Click on Menu button again
. Click on "Use Basic Mode"

After this, you shouldn't have to go through that again. But it's how you get into 'Basic Mode' (or 'Advanced Mode' if needed -- which is usually for password log-ons or when javascript is required -- but Wikipedia doesn't need either one).

"Advanced mode" (which we're avoiding for Wikipedia) translates web colors to various shades of gray and tries to emulate the width of a web page -- but it is quite hard to read translated colors on e-ink's 16 shades of gray. Instead of vivid black, you get words that are grayish and harder to read. That's a reason I try to stay in Basic mode - and it is faster access also.
There are no color-translations to be done, no routines to convert words to tiny characters to squeeze them all in to emulate a web page.
Basic Mode keeps the text larger, blacker, and it wraps (or reflows) text as needed.

For those with Kindle web-browsers enabled:
A drawback when web-browsing complex, multicolumn pages: you have to read the left column material first, but that's not a problem with Wikipedia pages.
So it's best to be in Basic Mode for it.

"Basic Mode" will show at top middle while you're browsing Wikipedia if you have set it up.
It COULD be the default Internet-setting of your new Kindle and that'll save you the above steps.

SEARCHING WIKIPEDIA
* Turn on the wireless to access the Internet.*
Normally, people would press the Menu button and go to 'Experimental' and then go to the "Bookmarks" page (which is likely on the Kindle International model, even in countries with the web browser disabled currently) and then they would click on Amazon's pre-set 'Wikipedia' link on that page.

However, you'd then need to type in the Search term, and that keyboard is not optimal as web browser input :-) and there are too many steps involved.

TIP: If I see a word, name, or phrase in a book or article I'm reading and want to know more about it, I can (1) search the book for that or (2) put the cursor in front of the word to get the inline-dictionary summary definition.

Normally, we just type out a word or phrase for a search.

But there's another way and I use it often. (This tip works with Kindle (U.S.), Kindle (Global), and Kindle DX.)

I start a "highlighting" process on a word or phrase of interest in a book or article by clicking in front of the word(s) w/the 5-way cursor -- but instead of ending the highlighting at a certain point in the usual Kindle way, I end it with a Spacebar-press and that copies the highlighted word(s) into the search-box that comes up when pressing the Spacebar at that point.

When doing this: instead of opting to 'find' the result in my book or periodical, I can choose from the other options in that bar, which include 'Wikipedia' as the search-location ( I love this.)

Here are the steps.

1. Begin to highlight the word or phrase that you want to search, by pressing down the 5-way button where you want to begin the copy of the search-word(s).

2. 5-way to the right, and when you get to the last character to be highlighted, be sure to NOT press the 5-way button down to end the highlighting of the name.

3. Instead, press the space bar. That'll bring up a search field at the bottom.

4. Your now-highlighted word or phrase is pasted into the search bar.

5. "find" is the default Action shown (at the right) to be done by the Kindle -- and that finds instances of the search-phrase in the book.
But that's not what we want in this case.

Instead, 5-way to the right until you see the Action wanted, which is 'Wikipedia' for this topic, and then click on the 5-way while 'Wikipedia' is highlighted.

Tip 2:
Anything you highlight, copy and paste this way, you have the option of searching for in Wikipedia

Caution: The Kindle doesn't search substrings. You need to search a full word. Searching just part of a word won't work. But I can usually find a word that works.

TIP 3:
After browsing Wikipedia search results and reading the one(s) you want,
press the 'BACK' button to return to the list of results and then press 'BACK' button once more to get back to the page you were on before the search.

You should be back at your book or article.

I hope this helps! To US & Canada folks, a fun, stomach-filling Thanksgiving Night.

UPDATE1
11/28/09 at 3:06 AM (Original posting 11/26/09 at 3:24 PM))
To make your access probably several times faster, if images are not necessary:
DISABLE IMAGES by doing the below while browsing a webpage:
. Click on Menu button
. Click on 'Settings' option
. Go down to "Disable Images" and click on that.
Remember to go back and "Enable Images" when you want them though.

UPDATE2
11/28/09 at 3:06 AM (Original posting 11/26/09 at 3:24 PM))
For Wikipedia lookups, the Kindle 2 and DX automatically take you to http://en.m.wikipedia.org.

Some other mobile units use http://mobile.wikipedia.org, which has no images and makes sure that sub-categories are links you have to click, rather than included on the page as happens with the Amazon Kindle's choice.
I prefer the Kindle's inclusion of other pages, even if that takes longer to load, since then you can page through them instead of moving the cursor to the link and clicking and then waiting for each page-set. Load-times for just one section at a time will be faster with the mobile.wikipedia.org choice over the default Amazon choice that loads pages for all the subcategories at once (but I prefer the latter).

When you try to do a new bookmark for the alternate Wikipedia, the Kindle feels it's the same one and will do it only if you allow it to overwrite the Wikipedia bookmark that is already there. I wouldn't do that though.
Disabling images if you need speed will be fast enough (for me). Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Kindle PDF Convert to Kindle action now working - Update2

Update2 - 11/26/09 at 1:44 AM PST (Original post was 11/25/09, 3:15 AM.)
After getting my first tweet of a successful conversion (from Victor Vogt ('okieopie'), it seemed it has taken a lot less than 3 days to fix or enable the 'Convert' request for Kindle2 PDFs requested in subject field of an email.

So, to confirm this, I sent 'Droidmaker' (section 1), as it is a tough conversion to do, and it came back almost immediately, CONVERTED, and converted unusually well. This PDF book has photos and multiple columns, with info boxes off to the side of the body. Photos were placed at the top of a page where appropriate rather than dropped anywhere on the page as converters usually do.

(The actual PDF displays accurately on the newly updated Kindle 2's, but since each page is crammed with text, photos and extraneous boxes, the text has to be tiny on a 6" screen ... so it's a good test AND evidence of some intelligent converting. I had tried a couple of months ago using MobiPocket Creator and Calibre, never with particularly good results for this book). By the way, this is a very good book, and it's free from the author currently, normally $35.

Upshot: The conversion request-process has been Enabled! Thanks to Alfonso for communicating with the Engineers and writing up the ticket to get this done.

Update1 - 11/25/09 at 2:48 PM PST (Original post was 3:15 AM this morning.)
A Kindle Specialist named Alfonso took my question today and said he checked with the server people on it and it resulted in his writing up a ticket to have it resolved. He said it'll take about 3 days and in some way we'll be told when it's fixed. Very helpful rep.

In the meantime, the Kindle Support U.S. #, 866-321-8851, is being picked up first by non-Kindle-specialists today, and he hoped we can get back to direct transfer to Kindle people to cut the time spent repeating our questions.

Re the new firmware update reported and followed yesterday, this is a quick note. Both Len Edgerly and I have followed the new instructions to request conversion of a PDF to Kindle format for our Kindle 2's, but both of us received full PDFs back, unconverted.

Here's the quoted section we followed:

' * Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address. '

[ Excellent. We'd keep the original to check layout and use reflowed text for a copy that we can mark up or annotate, be able to use the inline-dictionary for, and search the Kindle for the content within that PDF. ]

I sent the attachments using the word 'Convert' (with capital 'C') in the Subject field of the email and I sent them to both the @kindle.com address and the @free.kindle.com address

If anyone has had this Convert-request work for them, let us know.
In the meantime I'll try to reach someone at Amazon for clarification. Thanks. I suspect Amazon just forgot to enable the feature on the servers.

NOTE - Finding the "Update Your Kindle" option on the Kindle 2 and DX
Some have not been able to find the Kindle settings to update their Kindles manually for the update (instead of waiting for the automated one which could take weeks to reach your area) -- Be sure to press the Kindle's Menu button and click the 5-way button on 'Settings 'and THEN, press Menu again to get the option to update the firmware (after you have transferred the firmware-update in your Kindle's root- or top-level directory, which is where you'll see the folders for 'documents,' 'music,' etc). Thanks to Malcolm for drawing my attention to the vagueness of the 'root' word.

PDFs viewed on the Kindle 2
My experience with the new PDF reader capability is that it works very well with most of my PDFs -- but any PDFs, such as camera manuals, done with several columns of graphics will need to fit a lot of material in one page and these are then prepared by the vendor in a font size so small that they're not highly readable on a 6" screen, even when in landscape mode. Those are good candidates for conversion to Kindle format, with information searchable quickly and highlighting possible, even if the layout won't look the way it does in the printed manual. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Amazon finally adds native support for PDF, increases battery life - Update5

(You can skip to Update 1, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, or Update 5 by clicking on one of them.)

Amazing. I'd been waiting for this, and the last shoe to drop would be support for ePub. Since they own Lexcycle, who makes Stanza, which focuses on ePub, it should not take long to make that decision as it'll be key this coming year.

Amazon adds native PDF support to Int'l Kindles and boosts battery life 85% in that model 85%. They will also upgrade existing Kindle 2's to varying degrees.

' "Kindle, already the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product on all of Amazon.com, is now even better" with 85 percent more battery life and a built-in PDF reader," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "These two significant enhancements are available now."

Amazon also announced today that previous purchasers of the new Kindle will also receive the 85 percent battery life improvements with wireless on, and native PDF support via a firmware update automatically delivered via Whispernet wireless.

Native PDF support will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle via an automatic Whispernet wireless firmware update." '

The language is somewhat confusing. They mention "previous purchasers of the NEW Kindle" getting the firmware update while the native-PDF support "will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle" via the Whispernet update.
I suspect the Kindle 1 won't be included in the native PDF support.

There's no mention of the battery improvements for older Kindle models.

I'll be looking at this further.

UPDATE 1. - 11:06 AM. (Original posting 11/24/09 at 10:47 AM)
Here's much more info at the Amazon Kindle Updates page. I've added emphases in bold or italics for items affecting older models for the U.S.

' Kindle Version 2.3 Highlights
The latest update brings several improvements to Kindle (Global Wireless), Kindle (U.S. Wireless), and Kindle DX devices.

Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle (U.S. Wireless)

* Built-in PDF reader: Your Kindle can now display PDF documents without losing the formatting of the original file. Send PDF documents directly to your Kindle (via your @Kindle address) or drag and drop PDF files from your computer to your Kindle (when connected via USB). Learn more.

* Longer battery life for Kindle (Global Wireless): You can now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks.
[ Does not include older U.S. Kindle 2. ]

* Manual screen rotation: The Kindle screen can now manually rotate between portrait and landscape views so you can see the entire width of a web page or magnify the page of a PDF file. The page-turn buttons work the same in either orientation, and the 5-way controller movements are switched to match the orientation. Learn more.

* Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
[ Excellent. We'd keep the original to check layout and use reflowed text for a copy that we can mark up or annotate, be able to use the inline-dictionary for, and search the Kindle for the content within that PDF. ]

Kindle (U.S. Wireless) and Kindle (Global Wireless) users can go to Archived Items on their Kindle and download the Kindle User's Guide, 4th Ed., which now documents all the features of Kindle Software 2.3.

Kindle DX
* Better cropping of PDF files: In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen.

* Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.

* View pages longer: We've extended the time before Kindle DX switches into screensaver mode — from 5 minutes to 20 minutes — giving you more time for reviewing your content.
[ Also excellent. ]

Here's the page and section for getting the update manually if you don't want to wait for the automatic updates.

Well, *I'm* jazzed !

UPDATE 2 - 12:15 PM. (Original posting 11/24/09 at 10:47 AM)
Kindle forums are reporting that the PDF enhancements really work well, with the landscape option and margins-handling improvement having very good effect.
HOWEVER, those who are using screensaver- and font- "hacks"
1. will have to uninstall them before being able to do the update
2. will not be able to re-install them with the new firmware update until the authors of the unofficial improvements (erroneously called 'hacks') can make them work for the new firmware version.

UPDATE 3 - 8:42 PM. (Original posting 11/24/09 at 10:47 AM)
A Screensaver re-install fix was announced, at MobileRead Forums, by jyavenard, who has updated the packager to create firmware for Kindles with version 2.3, linked the packager with additional instructions for those providing unofficial improvements, and has already repackaged and linked to the screensaver enhancement for Kindles using the new firmware update -- Kindle 2 U.S., the Kindle Global, and the DX.

Re the alternate, darker font sets by Ted Inoue, it will take some time for him to run through the various sets but he's planning on it.

UPDATE 4 11/26 - 10:29 AM (Original posting 11/24/09 at 10:47 AM) -
(Am not changing official posting time for this one.)
Alternate Font Sets for firmware update v2.3
These work for v2.3.2, v2.3.3 and v2.3.4 as well.
Edge777 at MobileRead forums has posted links to font files he made for alternate darker font sets that work with the new firmware update. Ted Inoue will be working on his very popular set as well.

UPDATE 5 11/30 (Original posting 11/24/09 at 10:47 AM)
Ted Inoue has completed the updating of all alternate font-sets from his popular series, and you can see the descriptions and download links on his site. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Monday, November 23, 2009

Delays for Sony, BN Nook and even Apple tablet - Update

Nook

I must have browsed 100 stories this week about the Nook's unavailability for the Holidays because it sold out quickly. If you order one today, the Nook won't be shipped until January 4.
The inference is that if you ordered one some time ago you might receive yours probably in time for the holidays. The delay is reported in stories about how amazingly successful the Nook has been and that as a result, only limited numbers of high-volume Barnes & Noble stores may have Nooks by, or shortly, after Nov 30, and even they will have a limited supply.

One tv reporter opined that Barnes and Noble seems to be encouraging a stampede to their stores for the promised very few Nooks. In the meantime B&N is offering an "elegant Nook holiday certifcate" that would reach buyers by December 24 and which could be gifted to someone as a placeholder until the physical Nook reader is shipped.

Gizmodo's John Herrman is the only online writer who's pointed out the obvious:

' Nobody has any idea if the Nook is actually any good yet, but no matter: It’s the perfect Christmas gift, in theory!
...
Granted, it’s a little worrisome that Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders before letting reviewers have their say, so maybe this enforced waiting period is a good thing. At any rate, it’ll be January — well after we’ll have run B&N’s Android-powered ereader through its paces — before anyone else will be able to get one. '

In Gizmodo's accompanying graphic, the bottom panel looks very bright compared to the vendor ads (just as the Amazon Kindle background looks almost white in most of the Amazon ads). I wondered how distracting the bottom screen might be and how easy it is to turn it off while reading a book or whether you need it 'on' for book navigation. Someday we'll find out.

CNet's David Carnoy pointed out that "...the company hasn't shipped a single unit yet" and that B&N spokeperson Mary Ellen Keating read the article and added she hopes people will opt for the holiday certificate "that can be wrapped and given to the recipient.." Can be wrapped? What a strange week.

Commenters mention that in a "big Chicago store" B&N will get 12 units though he says the first wave would be January 4.
Keating did add that B&N is "on track to ship devices that were preordered prior to today by the holidays."

Another commenter said that user guides are normally available in advance and are the only method of finding out how an e-reader might function (several of us learned about the Kindle DX's current inability to annotate PDFs, via the availability of the user's guide online). But B&N will not be releasing the User's Guide until the Nook itself is released with the guide installed.

Sony Insider Edition 7" wireless e-reader delayed too
This was all over the news just before the Nook delay stories.
Another problem in Sony's case is that the wireless will be only to the Sony store and that they are not set up to release this unit in Canada or anywhere else outside the U.S. next year but the price is $399 to the Nook's and Amazon's $259 for the 6" models.

It's puzzling that they both rushed in to vie for the holiday buying season because of e-reader popularity right now but that both (even the hardware and electronics-savvy Sony) did not properly estimate production needs.
Some have mentioned that tbe lawsuit against B&N by Spring Design, maker of "Alex" (a dual-panel e-reader shown to B&N and the topic of several earlier non-disclosure oriented meetings with B&N), may be an unmentioned factor in the delays.

Apple may have a delay on its highly-anticipated tablet device.
ResellerNews reports rumors that they may not launch a tablet until the 2ndhttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=872447660964013545&postID=5592710242799665376# half of 2010 because they are, per Taiwan's Digi Times, waiting for OLED (organic light-emitting diode) to become available.
Update - Added an information link for OLED.

ResellerNews says that MacWorld's UK editor-in-chief Mark Hattersley has used the 9.7" display and that its resolution so fine that it's said to make HD TV screens "look grey and washed out" Furthermore, these screens don't require a backlight and they draw far less power than traditional displays.

Downside: the OLED panel currently costs $500 (vs the Kindle e-ink display's $68) and accounts for 30% of the device's total cost.

' Apple's 9.7in OLED tablet PC is expected to have a cost of about $1,500-1,700 (based on today's prices)," according to the DigiTimes source. '

That doesn't sound ultra realistic, but Digitimes adds that Apple will also be releasing at that time a 10" LCD panel-based tablet expected to be priced between $800 and $1000.

Most news reports agree that this all leaves Amazon Kindle a bit of an open field during the holiday weeks. On the other hand, people tend to want something they can't have :-). Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Friday, November 20, 2009

Amazon plans Kindle organizer, all-countries web-browsing

Leigh Anne Williams of Publishers Weekly reports that Amazon has said that it intends to enable its experimental browser in every country.

This was from an article detailing how Canadian publishing houses like Harper Collins and Random House of Canada are working to make titles available on the Kindle in Canada.
In a paragraph that followed several quotes from Jay Marine, director of product management for Kindle, Williams wrote:

' One key difference for Canadian customers, however, is that they won’t be able to use their Kindles to browse the Web yet, although they will be able to access Wikipedia. But Amazon says it does intend to enable its experimental browser in every country. In the meanwhile, Canadians will be able to download more than 90 newspapers and magazines with single purchases or with a subscription. '

Marine also talks about wireless coverage in Canada, which is somewhat spotty and explains that if customers in some areas are unable to get a strong enough connection, they can use their computers to download a book and move the book to the Kindle.

The Kindle finally gets library organization or folders?
For newcomers to the Kindle: here's a guide to the basic Kindle organization structure and functions.

A Facebook announcement by the Amazon Kindle account at 1:07 PM Thursday said:

' Kindle Customers, We have heard from many of you that you would like to have a better way to organize your growing Kindle libraries. We are currently working on a solution that will allow you to organize your Kindle libraries. We will be releasing this functionality as an over-the-air software update as soon as it is ready, in the first half of next year. - The Kindle Team '

This Facebook post was greeted with no small disbelief in the Amazon forums where customers had been pleading for this feature for about 2 years with no response from Amazon in that time, and some who wrote that they had called Kindle Customer Service to ask about this yesterday were told it wasn't true. In response to this thread, Amazon Kindle Customer Service posted the same announcement as the one seen on Facebook and added:

' The Kindle team maintains a Facebook and Twitter feed for customers to follow us. Here they are:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazon-Kindle/14408401557

Twitter: http://twitter.com/KindleReads '

At the time the International Kindle was first announced (Oct. 6, 2009), Amazon made a stand-alone Kindle Customer Service Q&A Community forum which they point to only at the right-hand side of the regular Kindle customer forum.

As of Thursday, they added the topic announcement 11/19 Q&A: Organizing Content on Kindle. The topic or thread was added at 6:32 PM PST. The announcement is the same. It's official, folks! Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sony Daily Edition, Nook, iRex, PL-Que Comparisons, Delays

Excellent comparison piece by Staci D. Kramer of Paid Content a couple of days ago that included charts of features for the two current Kindles, the Nook, the iRex 8.1", the Sony Daily Edition, and the Plastic Logic "Que" - (Chart 1, Chart 2) and Kramer's own thoughts on each unit in Slideshow format. Page loading is slow on the charts.
It's interesting to note (and she more or less does) that every unit except the Kindle Int'l and the Kindle DX is not available for customers or reviewers yet despite the looming holiday season.

As an executive editor, she's a generalist but knows her e-readers and gives pros and cons for each in a very balanced report that is fair to each. She is the only one I've seen who refers to the Nook's "unexpected demand" delay-reason as possible hype that works.
I read, with some disbelief today, another writer's report of holding a plastic or cardboard version of the Nook at B&N and saying how good and right it felt, despite its having no innards. Size matters, they say. And definitely colorful slim looks.

On the other hand, the Nook has a promising feature set, especially with file formats, even if the heavily-marketed lending feature is now seen as quite limited (one loan only for each book and only if the book's publisher approves the feature). The indication of future multi-tasking with the 2nd window is a draw.

I did comment at the site that the charts which list features that each does or doesn't have should also have categories for other unique features such as the Kindle's free 24/7 access to Wikipedia globally and the text-to-speech feature. Kramer catches just about everything else and seems impressed most with the iRex and Que, both of which will be somewhat more expensive but also more flexible and catering to the business users most.

NY Times: New Sony Reader May Miss Christmas for Some
Brad Stone of the New York Times reports that Sony is unable to guarantee that the Daily Edition ($399), with wireless to the Sony store and a 7" touchscreen, will arrive in time for the holiday.
Today, Sony will begin taking preorders and advising buyers that shipping will take place between December 18 and the first week of January and the device won't be in physical stores until January.

Steve Haber, president of Sony's digital reading division, said that publishers hate the current $9.99 pricing and are trying to slow down the shift to digital reading but that it's "ridiculous" that they are actually delaying some e-book titles over the dispute.

On October 22, the American Booksellers Association asked the Department of Justice to investigate bestseller price wars. Here is their letter to the DOJ via overnight mail and email.
And here's the varied reaction to that letter. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Qualcomm's 2010-2011 color e-reader

Slash Gear's Chris Davies reports on Qualcomm's mirasol team, which is "now showing off a 5.7-inch display capable of full color and video playback, with minimal impact on battery life. They’ve set themselves the target of having color ebook readers with mirasol panels on the market by the latter part of 2010, and are working with OEMs now to achieve that."

This technology uses
'...tiny flexible membranes that react to electrical charges, overlaid onto a mirrored surface. Light reflected back out through those membranes is refracted so that interfering wavelengths create colors, and because the membranes used are bistable, once they have been set to display a certain color they require virtually no power to maintain it, only if it needs to be changed. The system also needs no color filters, no strong backlighting to be visible in direct sunlight and no polarizing lenses.

Amazing.

They point out that what we see is an overall, non-functioning mockup except that the display panel is an actual, working unit and that they are working with unnamed OEMs on a variety of e-reader devices. The cost is on a par with the cost of current e-reader devices. Battery life is said to be terrific and readability very good in normal light but best in bright lighting. Qualcomm promises an "e-reader with color and video but no battery sacrifice."

More photos at the SlashGear site. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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How non-US Kindle Owners can get Kindle for iPhone app

Charlie Sorrel of Wired's Gadget Lab reports a workaround for International Kindle users to get a hold of the Kindle for iPhone app, which is sold only in the US app store. I missed this one while on that longish vacation.

' Thanks to the iTunes Store option to choose “none” as a payment method, you can sign up for a US iTunes account with nothing more than an e-mail address (not the one you normally use), a real address and a cellphone number. Any free applications are then available to download, and best of all, when you hook up your iPhone or iPod Touch the application just syncs.

... this experiment showsjavascript:void(0) that US travelers will have access to Whispersync via their cellphones whilst abroad... this is limited to the books bought from the Kindle store. But hey, it’s free. If you know how to get it. '

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Canada finally gets the Kindle - late border crossing - Update2

DigitalHome was the first to announce it, though with not much info.

Canada.Com followed and then blogs.canoe.ca included a quote from Ian Freed:
"We know that Canadians are passionate about books and reading, and we’re excited to make Kindle available to our customers there. Kindle enables customers around the world including Canada to think of a book and start reading it in under 60 seconds." I wish it had been a bit more specific to Canada instead of the usual.

Update 2 - Updated the "kindlecountries" file of country-specific Kindle access information extracted from the Amazon page to note countries that have web-browsing enabled and to include Canada in the International Kindle list.

The Kindle will cost Canadians $2 more per book for NY Times bestsellers and new releases, to start, so the wireless deal Amazon got there was not ideally priced for them or for customers, it would seem, though they're right on the border. It did take longer to do at all and likely many will be glad to see it even for the additional $2 per book (plus other fees for the unit, such as import fees, [Update] said to be about $31 + 2-day shipping of about $21, or a total of $311 US].

Some customers in Canada have been using the Kindle under the US-address and gift-certificate workaround favored over the last year (alternate guide linked in TheKindleChronicles Tech Tips), but it's uncertain how long that will be doable.
However, this way they get instant wireless downloads of books wanted and also free 24/7 web access to Wikipedia. I hope that someday wireless-access can cost less so that they also get the web access that Tokyo, HongKong, and Mexico get (though the latter don't have access to the Kindle blogs feature but the RSS feeds can help with that although computer access to those is always easier/faster).

The Canada product page at the International Kindle product page when you click the Canada entry in the pull-down menu, includes the following:

' Because publishers give us eBook rights on a country by country basis, available titles for your country will vary from our current U.S selection. We are actively working with publishers to get the rights to all titles for every country and adding this selection every day.
. . . You'll also find many books for less - over 100,000 titles are priced under $5.99.
. . .
Your international shipment is subject to customs duties, import taxes and other fees levied by the destination country. We will show you these fees upon checkout.

Blogs and the experimental web browser are currently not available for your country. You will have free access to Wikipedia.

Since wireless delivery of personal docs direct to the Kindle, then, is not possible without non-store Whispernet, Amazon links potential customers to an explanation of or guide to how they can receive free conversions at their normal e-mail address (used for correspondence with Amazon).

The Globe & Mail prints all the detail given by Amazon in its country-specific Kindle-page entry, but I'd check the actual page (given above) at any time in case Amazon changes or adds to it, and they do update those pages.

Congratulations to Canadians who have waited for this and will like the ability to quickly download books to the Kindle. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Monday, November 16, 2009

E-books vs physical books - two other factors

John Sledge writes, at Birmingham's Press Register on the 'fading of books' and while there are many articles on the topic, there were a couple of especially interesting paragraphs in this one.
In my recent post about 18 or 19 reasons e-readers (currently, predominantly Kindles) might be chosen over traditional books, I never mentioned storage problems or the weight of books. But the latter can be key for students especially, and storage space has become a problem for some institutions.

After a very heavy book in his library fell on his foot, Sledge has some interesting info in connection with some disadvantages of the physical nature of books. Here's an extended excerpt:

' Medical experts agree that a backpack should come to no more than 10 to 15 percent of a child’s body weight. Anything over that is a recipe for pain and, according to the Children’s Hospital Boston, more worrying issues like spondylolysis (stress fracture) or apophysitis (inflammation of growth cartilage, especially in the heel).
...
In some cases, colleges are making it even easier for students to abandon old-fashioned books. In a recent astonishing development, the State of Florida has offered students within its university system free downloadable textbooks, liberating them from both the staggering weight and cost of traditional college text books. A Kindle weighs some 10 ounces, whereas “Art History” by Marilyn Stokstad is a whopping 11 pounds.
Even though a Kindle costs around $250 compared to about $95 for Stokstad’s book, students can download multiple titles onto the electronic device, saving not only money but also precious storage space in cramped dorm rooms. Given such realities, the trend toward bookless campuses seems inevitable.

Heavy books have also proven to be expensive and troublesome for institutions. According to a 2007 BBC report, the Vatican library (1.5 million books on 37 miles of shelving) was literally sinking under its printed burden. The 16th-century building’s foundations were discovered to be buckling beneath the strain, and in order to arrest the problem, the library was forced to close for the first time in its 500-year history (something not even Hitler had been able to make it do). It is set to reopen in 2010 with, hardly a surprise, more online and digital resources.

One wonders if the straw that broke the Vatican Library’s back might have been a copy of the world’s largest and heaviest book — “Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Kingdom” — which measures over 5 feet wide, has 112 pages and weighs a punishing 133 pounds. This behemoth would tax the limits of any repository, practically requiring its own room. '

Cushing Academy - a follow-up post

This is recent news on the school library with few books, which I posted information on earlier. They were:
1. The initial story
2. The Kindle Chronicles interview with headmaster Tracy

The follow-up story by Worcester Journal Online reports that the school now has 68 Kindles at an average $250 each while showing the library director, Tom Corbin, with a $489 Kindle DX.

' At Cushing Academy, Tracy has removed about 8,000 books from its once 20,000-volume library and is instead focusing library resources on subscriptions to electronic academic journals.

Tracy purchased 18 Kindles for administrators and staff to test out over the summer. After rave reviews, he ordered 50 more this fall. The school recently announced a donation of 100 more e-readers from a former student’s parent. Tracy wants 600 on campus in the coming years, one for each student and teacher. Tracy admits the approach is bold, but he said it will be the norm in a few years. '

It's not your average school...

' Cushing Academy has had steady enrollment in recent years of about 450 students and brought in $26 million in revenue in 2007. The school charges $42,850 for boarding students and $31,200 for day students.

The $100,000 investment this year has increased Cushing’s library offerings from 20,000 print volumes to a 5 million volume online library.

It’s what Tracy calls the “democratization of information.”

“I think eventually every school in the country is going to say, ‘Why do we keep buying these printed books that students are decreasingly using, that are just collecting dust?’” Tracy said.

“The students are going to electronic resources anyway; meanwhile we are warehousing books in these vast buildings at a tremendous overhead. The financials alone will drive schools to say, we can offer far more resources much more cheaply, and give students resources they will actually use.”

Other schools are quoted and they are less enthusiastic about the idea and some good sense is heard from Myra McGovern, director of public information for the National Association of Independent Schools: ' ...she said the technology will supplement, not replace printed text.

“I don’t think it’s ever going to be one or the other exclusively,” she said. ' Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Weekend free books reminder - and Odd News

Fireflies in December - this book averages 5 stars from 25 users rating it, so I thought I'd start with that.

Here is the Direct Link to the most recent free and under $1 books reminder, unchanged from Late October. Click on that to get various lists of free or ultra cheap books and the links to them. It would be difficult not to find something for $0.00.
(Maybe return here later for the odd tidbits below.)

Unfortunately, I need to add now that international Kindle users in Europe and some other countries are in high wireless-cost areas, so Amazon charges about $2.30 for the otherwise free book. For those Amazon customers, I recommend again the following instead

You can download to your computer for later transfer to your Kindle free "mobi" or "prc" format books from feedbooks.com, manybooks.net, fictionwise.com, and as I've often mentioned, any of 30,000 well-formatted books from the Project Gutenberg set. The instructions meant for the Project Gutenberg to Kindle will work for your computer, and you can move the downloads over to the Kindle later.

For those interested in an easier-to-remember shortcut to Amazon's 100 Bestsellers (the majority seem to be free but there are regular-priced ones in the list as well), try http://bit.ly/kbsellers.

A FEW NEWS TIDBITS - SOME QUITE ODD
1. Crunchpad - There are many articles wondering if it's a dead project. Consensus seems to be, from 5 months of silence, that after a rise of expected price from $200 to $300 and then to $400, the parts became even more expensive and this web-only tablet would not likely sell well at $600 or $700. In the meantime, no one at TechCrunch is saying a thing.
At the same time, there are several articles also saying that it would not do well at that price because the currently vaporware Apple Tablet (someone wrote about it as Apple Slate) would do much more and "come in under $1,000." I should hope so; I have no idea why something so pricey would be considered an e-reader killer. But it will no doubt be fun to use.

I'm elated with the Samsung NC10 Netbook which, at under 3 lbs, I carried on my 3-wk vacation (often in a backpack along with my DX), blogging comfortably from Egypt on it and now it can read my Kindle books. With 7 good hours of battery use, I can't see wanting a battery-eating tablet. Unfortunately, the pricing went up on this Samsung model, because it's the only 10" netbook with a non-glare screen - no reflections - and a great keyboard plus excellent screen display with accurate color.

2. NOOK display stands in New York
This is a very promising e-reader, with its added file formats, including ePub, its loaning capability and the WiFi option plus an SD card slot (not to mention people are attracted by the possibly battery-gobbling color LCD navigation screen at the bottom of the unit).

Forum responses from B&N staff confirm that publishers decide which books can be lent out and that any one book can be lent out once only, for 14 days, during which time the owner can't read it (the latter part makes sense). A second loan to another person later can't be done for the same book.

Gizmodo has a story and photo, with their trademark style caption - "The $259 Double-screen Gadget That Stole All The Crappy Kindle Thunder will arrive in November 30" - while showing a Nook stand at 86th and Third Ave.
They updated this with the news from another reader that there was a 2nd stand at Union Square but that "He says the units are not real, however: They are plastic mock-ups." It could be that unanticipated demand for the product affects demo models.

3. Robert Murdoch is still complaining
Recently, Murdoch had complained that the Wall St. Journal saw only 1/3 of revenue from Kindle subscriptions (it's said by an industry insider as mentioned in another blog entry here that the split is 33% publisher, 33% Amazon and 33% wireless-provider -- the latter paid by Amazon).
Now, he's got a slightly better cut and is not happy about that.

' Murdoch, speaking during a conference call, noted that News Corp. gets about $6 to $6.50 for every $15 Journal subscription Amazon sells on the Kindle. "That is not a great deal," he said. "Amazon treats those people as their customers, not our customers." [Imagine the nerve of Amazon.] Murdoch said there will probably be "half a dozen" e-readers of some kind on the market eventually, and News Corp. will be open to deals with the distributors of those devices. "As long as we get a [sufficient] portion of the revenue." '

He's also been threatening to charge iPod and Blackberry users soon. But I haven't read anything on that recently; on the other hand, I haven't been paying attention.

Murdoch has also announced that he plans to block Google search-access to his newspapers once they all go to Pay status. Two interesting and different takes on that (not negative) are at bigmouthmedia and PCAdvisor, UK.

4. Completely off topic - "My Nightmare Interviews with Google"
Reading this gal's experience with the strange questions asked by two interviewers was mind-boggling. They're looking for people fast on their feet, but ... Also, here's a follow-up story: 15 Google-interview questions that will make you feel stupid

5. A maybe useful 'gadget' for a Kindle world:
Massaging backpack relaxes your back.
(The link doesn't work at first. Click on "Try again" and then it does -- very weird.) Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Friday, November 13, 2009

Why choose a Kindle over a physical book? Update5

A student journalist from a university in Bristol, writing an article for his newspaper, asked me that last night in an email, as he is doing a paper on how the Kindle might affect the sale of hardcover books and the publishing industry in general. He wondered:

"What do you think the Kindle offers to buyers that will make them choose it over normal books?"

As a biased Kindle DX owner, I thought about it a bit and here's the response I gave him (reasons for my bias, you could say), although I often choose physical books over the Kindle versions if they're books with beautiful illustrations, as the Kindle is best for text-focused books.

1. Some people just like gadgets.

2. The K2 allows you to carry about 1,500 mainly-text books
The DX allows you to carry about 3,500 and displays PDFs as
originally laid out.
It's the portable-library effect. You know you will always have reading available that suits the mood rather than wishing you'd brought another book or another newspaper/magazine. And to top it off, it's very light to carry around.
3. The in-line dictionary gives a summary definition of any word your cursor is on (and which it has a definition for) on the bottom-two lines and allows you to get the full definition by pressing the Enter key

4. There are 6 size-levels of fonts so you can read at the size most comfortable for your eyes.

5. The visual effect is similar to paper-on-print without glare from LCD or other backlit screens. Easier on the eyes. After my vision has become blurry from too much time at my computer(s), I can go to the Kindle and relax with it as it doesn't shine light into my eyes -- but at night I need a clip-on light (with foam padding where it touches the Kindle) or a good lamp.

6. You now have the option to read purchased Kindle books on your netbook or desktop and to choose the number of words on a line so you can control the left/right margins. It's easier on the brain to read text in slim-column format, although some people like wide across-the-page reading, and we get the option.

7. You can search a book (or the entire Kindle) for a word or phrase and, if you're in the US, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Mexico, or other places being given free 24/7 web browsing where wireless providers give Amazon less-expensive web access, you can search those words/phrases via Google or at Wikipedia if you turn your Wireless 'On'... Amazon places Google and Wikipedia on the search-feature's option-line.

For international Kindle owners in countries with more-expensive web access, the 24/7 Wikipedia access is nevertheless still available (at no added cost) even if normal web-browsing is not.

It's sometimes (humorously) seen as a disguised Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - See xkcd's take on that.

The search most used by me, probably, is of any book I'm reading, for instances of a name, since I forget extraneous characters easily -- and I use this when wanting to search for an incident described earlier. It's my more efficient substitute (to my mind) for flipping pages to try to find something.

8. That 24/7 web browser available to the US and a few other countries allows me to surf mainly-text-oriented websites when outside the home/office and I've a downloadable free 'book' file of mobile-optimized site links to make these easier to find, at http://bit.ly/mobiweb.
It's the only e-reader that offers this normally expensive feature.

That should be used with the speedup-tips (at the cost of fully-emulated wide-web-screens but with better text size than the tiny ones of emulated web-pages). If chosen, disabling of unnecessary images speeds up the experience as does the choice of "Basic Web" rather than 'Advanced" (Kindle 2) or "Desktop" (DX) - The tips are at http://bit.ly/kindleweb.

9. The ability to see all highlighting and notes I've made in the order I made them, on one page, at http://kindle.amazon.com (a private page for customers who have enabled or authorized backup of their book notes).
Here is an actual web page showing some highlighting for a specific book.

The ability to see, on the Kindle itself, lists of highlighting and notes, with links to the pages, identified by location numbers (the equivalent of page numbers, but always assigned to specific paragraphs no matter the size of the font).

10. NY Times bestsellers are cheaper in e-format but especially Kindle format. And older books cost about $5 to $7 while there are about 19,000 free books available from Amazon (which means notes you make to these are backed up by Amazon if you like and are shown to you on the private web page I mentioned).

(Update 2 & 3) International customers in some areas will find the books cost from $2 to $4 more than they do in the U.S. and that there is a smaller selection than for the U.S. Some have changed 'country setting' to get books they want, but found that there was a limit to being able to do that.
This also means the otherwise free Amazon books cost those customers $2.30 or so, and they should concentrate on the free book sources detailed in #11 (unless wanting Amazon server page backup of their highlighting and notes).

11. With the Kindle you can download direct to it (or to your computer for transfer to your Kindle) free "mobi" or "prc" format books from feedbooks.com, manybooks.net (mnybks.net) for direct download to the Kindle), fictionwise.com, and as I've often mentioned, any of 30,000 well-formatted books from the Project Gutenberg set.
Don't forget the usual lists of free-books at Amazon as well as elsewhere.

12. With a 3-minute conversion that I detail at http://bit.ly/milkbooks, you can read any of half-a-million free Google ePub books.

13. If I need to keep reading something (a personal doc, a newspaper article, or a book for which the publisher allows the Kindle's text-to-speech feature), then I can have one of two Kindle voices read the text to me while I am doing something else (cooking, washing dishes, driving the car). See http://bit.ly/ktom for details on that voice.

14. If I need music in the background I can use the feature to listen to music, but it's limited. With the K2 and DX, you hear music in the order it was placed on your Kindle (With the K1, it's entirely random). There is not enough room on the 4-Gig storage device to put much music. But it can be done, though only with mp3's -- you put them into the "music" folder of the Kindle.

15. The Kindle plays back Audible books and also audio-books that are in mp3 format. These will take a lot of room though. Normal text-based printed novels take up only an average 800K of space.

16. I can keep all my camera and other electronics guides on it and never have to (anymore) look all through the house to (maybe) find one.

17. I can save a clipping of the plain-text of an article I'm reading in a newspaper or magazine, in order to transfer it to my computer and edit or send it to someone or just keep it for my records.

18. With the newly released free Kindle for PC app, the entire household can read any Kindle book I bought, on a shared computer in the area.

19. Update 4 - So, how did I miss that we can request no-cost samples of a book before buying? - usually the first chapter, and I use this feature a lot! There is also the feature to Save for Later if unsure about buying but wanting to reconsider.

20. Update 5 - I keep missing the more obvious reasons. Instant download of a book you want (if Amazon has it). All countries with wireless access at all can take advantage of this probably biggest reason that a Kindle book purchase is favored by so many over going out to get a book.
However, the other e-readers have now caught on and are adding this feature, though Amazon's is currently the online e-book store with the overall best pricing and largest collection of books not in the public domain.
So, Amazon has added free Wikipedia access to all with wireless access, globally (unique feature for sure) and has the text-to-speech feature for the brief times you might find that useful.

In connection with all this, Amazon has a policy of allowing the return of a book (for refund/credit) for things like Table of Contents with no links, needed illustrations not included, with no advance warning of that.
You request this within 7 days of downloading a book, via phoning Kindle Customer Service at 866-321-8851.

That's all I can think of currently, but there are other reasons. You can see current customers' more creative uses for the Kindle, which is a more flexible device than described by some gadget sites, at http://bit.ly/kcreative. And [Added later] here's a later thread with answers by Kindle owners to a question by a Kindle-interested husband, "Is it really worth $260?".

No other vendor, so far, has matched Amazon's policy of a 30-day return policy with no re-stocking fee on their e-reader. If the Kindle doesn't suit you, they take it back and refund your money (as long as it's not damaged).

> 2) Do you think that if books become more electronically
> available, will they also be downloaded illegally like
> MP3's?

Sure. Even Dan Brown's new book was wildly distributed for free as a PDF file. Publishers and authors worry about that happening much more if files are sold without some kind of rights-protection.
What is fair to the buyer also is the question.

At any rate, these were the basic thoughts I had for the student.

If you have any others to add for your own choice of the Kindle (or any other e-reader), it'd be great to see them if you want to add them to the Comments area. Let me know if it's ok to add them to the original post in an update later.

OTHER REASONS given in Comments area (not seen in Kindle edition of the blog) with permission for posting in the main section. (Update 1)

"Batman Jr" - who is an Associate Professor at U of Nebraska - writes:

' Taking in combination the ability to adjust the font size, use Text-To-Speech, and the slim profile of the Kindle 2, I find it’s much easier to be able to read while using my treadmill. Increasing the font one level helps my eyes track the text even as I’m bouncing around a bit, having the text read to me as I read seems to help with concentration, and the Kindle is very stable on the treadmill ledge, and much less likely to fall off compared with a “regular” book or magazine. '

A couple of my friends use it for this too. But they have Kindle 1's and don't have the text-to-speech, which would definitely help with concentration. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Lawsuit Could Delay B&N Nook Release

Authorlink.com's headline and Andronica's image and title (on left) with story, duplicate a thought many had on hearing that Barnes and Noble had announced that there would be a delay of the release of the Nook due, they said, to a larger demand than expected.

The earlier story on this detailed several meetings between B&N and Spring over the latter's "Alex" eReader which, as the photo shows, is so similar in concept to B&N's Nook.

B&N stated that the first shipment of the Nook will be made at the end of November, but Authorlink reports that "A U.S. District Court has given Barnes & Noble until the day after Thanksgiving to respond to a lawsuit filed November 2 by Spring Design, Inc ... Barnes & Noble apparently received the Court summons November 6, which would make the response date November 26."

Andronica writes that the court filings state:

' An injunction prohibiting B&N from further use or disclosure of trade secrets – in particular, to prevent any further sales of the Nook and/or any other products using Spring’s trade secrets – is necessary to provide Spring complete relief. '

And they link to court filing and supporting documents and describe the implications of that for the holiday season and longer-term if Spring Design is successful in even temporarily halting sales.

Brighthand is reporting that "Barnes & Noble stores are reportedly going to have demonstration units on the last day of this month, but no units to sell. At this point, it's not clear if B&N stores will have more than demo units this year; all sales may have to happen on the Web.

Those who would like to give the Nook as a Christmas present will apparently have to seriously consider buying it unseen, as devices pre-ordered next month might not ship until too late."

Brighthand also describes the many attractive features of the device which could be experienced if it is ever available for review so that we can see the interface and how well it functions. With the pluses (loaning, WiFi as an option, a good number of compatible devices, a microSD slot), it won't matter to many that it does not have the Kindle's (slow) cellular-network web-browsing capability.

eWeek mentions that one of B&N's eReader contracts (Plastic Logic, in addition to iRex) "will aim its QUE e-reader at the SMB (small- to medium-sized business) and enterprise markets."

Authorlink adds:

' Spring Design first developed and began filing patents on its Alex e-book, an innovative dual screen, Android-based e-book back in 2006. Since the beginning of 2009 Spring and Barnes & Noble worked within a non-disclosure agreement, including many meetings, emails and conference calls with executives ranging up to the president of Barnes and Noble.com, discussing confidential information regarding the features, functionality and capabilities of Alex. Throughout, Barnes & Noble's marketing and technical executives extolled Alex's "innovative" features, never mentioning their use of those features until the public disclosure of the Nook. [That was a day after Spring announced their 'Alex'...]

Alex, with its unique Duet Navigator™, provides the capability for interaction and navigation techniques of the two screens and furthermore utilizes the capabilities of Android to enhance the reader's experience by supporting interactive access to the Internet for references and links. As the first in the market to offer an e-book with full Internet browsing while reading and with easy navigational control via its touch screen, Alex is well-positioned to offer the most dynamic and powerful reading device in the market.

It's amazing to me that Spring has not found a bookseller partner for this. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

"Kindle for PC" beta download - reactions. Update2

During a 23-hour airplane ordeal coming back to the U.S., which was relieved by time with my Kindle DX (placed too close to my tomato juice and coffee), Amazon released the free "Kindle for PC" beta software for download.

Much has already been written on it and I'll summarize what it does (or doesn't do) and link to early reviews of functioning of the features.

A file format that releases the book owner from dependence on the Kindle device
Essentially, this new software that makes it possible for us to read any purchased or free Kindle book on our computers -- whether desktop, netbook or tablet -- upends the argument that if our Kindles are lost, destroyed, and we don't want to order a replacement, it would mean we'd no longer have access to the book we purchased. Now, we have a sure way of being able to read any Kindle book we got from Amazon, whether or not we still have a Kindle.
In fact, people who have never bought a Kindle and never may can also use this app and buy Kindle books for their computers at the usually excellent Kindle pricing offered (though they cost more outside the U.S.).

Shared reading by other household members. (Update)
Note that other household members will be able to read, on a shared computer and at no added cost, any of the books bought by the account holder.
In that case, whispersync should be turned Off, as different people reading concurrently should have different last-page-read markers.

It should also be noted that the computer counts as an added 'device' for the feature allowing up to 6 devices to share a book under one account.

Color
We can read a book in color, if that's important -- not ordinarily, since most books are black text on light background. But if it's a travel or photography book or a book using illustrations or charts dependent on color coding, then this will be extremely useful as a supplementary way of reading the book.

Kindle books don't always have high-resolution photographs, and some will even exclude some photographs (which the publisher should note in the product description and if the publisher doesn't, then it's good cause for returning the book for refund, possible within 7 days of the purchase). But most do include the photographs and usually in the original color.

Flexibility
This is a larger feature than some have noticed in reviews I saw tonight. That an e-reader formatted book can be read on any of your computers, with a Kindlestore registration and purchase, does two things:
While opening up your reading options and making you far less dependent on having or keeping your Kindle, it still protects publisher and author rights, at a time when it's so easy for some to distribute whole books for the taking from anonymous-membership binary download areas. Unlike musicians, who get the bulk of their income from live concerts/performances after CD and mp3 exposure, the book is the end-'Performance' and if that's freely distributed to all out of a love of "cool" things to do (which happens to deprive a writer of income for the work), then it's not helpful to the book scene.

Kindle-user book-annotations shown
Some online writers have noted the currently unrivaled flexibility of this e-reader in its ability to allow you to continue reading on your netbook or iPhone/iPod, or Kindle from where you'd last read on another device. Some have used the touchscreen capabilities of their laptops when using Window 7's new touch-screen feature with any Kindle book though it is not yet working in a very smooth way yet. I'll return to that further down this post.

In addition to the current (largely unknown but excellent) feature of being able to read your annotations (notes and highlighting) for any of your books on a private Amazon web page (if you opted to allow backups of annotations to the Amazon servers), with the ability to "See all your highlights and notes on one page" (offered at the bottom of the first password-protected webpage of notes for a book), the new Kindle for PC software includes an optionally-displayed pane that lists and links to the annotations you've made in the book.

Amazon is working, they say, on a way to add annotations via the Kindle for PC reader, which would make this a much more valuable academic tool. Personally I highlight and add notes often, to reinforce and then jog my memory and to share info I can find easily then, with friends.

Kindle Search feature - missing for now
The Kindle Search feature (giving location-identified results with surrounding context) is not included yet, and Amazon says that's being worked on also. In the meantime, we can use the Ctrl-F or (Find/Search) feature of Windows to find a word on a page -- but it's not a real substitute for the Kindle search of a book).

Reading a book when you haven't brought your Kindle or an iPhone or iPod.
The new application software allows you to read any Kindle book you own, during lunch, while at work, for example, even if you didn't bring your Kindle (well, if your work includes a Windows computer). Amazon has confirmed that it is working on a Mac version and one for Blackberry smartphones too.

Free samples
Free samples from books can be ordered in the way they're ordered from the Kindle.

Kindle periodicals are not included currently
Amazon has limited the reader to books for now, explaining: "Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs are not currently available for Kindle for PC" - all these require ongoing agreements with publishers and authors. Blogs tend to be relatively low-cost but have higher distribution costs because they are not sent or downloaded only once as books are.

PDFs - For Kindle 2's
PDF books are normally converted for the Kindle 2 and not particularly well when they involve complex layout with diagrams or multiple columns and surrounding text. But in this case Amazon should be able to just send the original PDF and it would be readable on the computer.

The system-requirements are extremely modest so that this can be used on older computers as well:

* A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
* At least 128MB of RAM
* Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
* Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows 7
* 100MB of available disk space

Note that this means this won't work on Win 3.1 or a Mac, though they are working on a Mac version which is "coming soon."

Selection of books and International Kindle book costs
Kindle users outside the USA have a smaller selection of books available due to lack of publisher agreements in the other countries.
Unfortunately, 'free' books (for US Kindle-owners) at Amazon will involve a charge of about $2.30 US for international Kindle users living in countries with high wireless-access costs.

Reports from writers who have tried the beta version include:

. Kindle for PC: Game, Set and Match for Amazon - Ed Moltzen for ChannelWeb.Com reports its ease of use and "... a new leader in the drive to make data truly portable and cross-platform."

. Renay San Miguel for TechNewsWorld points out that the quick and small download "sets up an easy-to-navigate Home page for you and automatically archives any previous Kindle purchases." If you don't have touchscreen capabilities on your netbook you'll need to use the Kindle-style "Aa" font button. One book was received in "full-color glory" while another had some color photos in b&w.

. TestDrive by AppScout using a touchscreen laptop (Lenovo). (Update)

. Amazon Leaves Behind its Rivals with a New Version of Kindle - Sidhrath Surana for The Latest News in India reports that it's very easy to use.

. Yardena Arar for PC World under the Washington Post web page, finds it "highly useable" but writes that the app "does not support registration of multiple accounts" (which would not be the same as multiple Kindles under one account).
Adar says that arrow buttons or mouse's scroll wheel can be used to turn pages. There are 10 font sizes available and the page width can be set with a slider - something not doable with Kindle hardware except that with the Kindle DX you are given three choices of left/right margins, which will allow reading to the edges or, at the other extreme, a more newspaper-column type look to the page, but with only one column.

As ever, Whispernet synchonization is for a one-user account when that person wants to read on another device from the last point read with another device. The default setting is Whispersync" is "On" but I turned mine off as I haven't needed it yet, and definitely two people reading the same book should not have that feature turned On.

Adar notes that the menu item "Future Improvements" says that Amazon plans to add both annotation (adding, since it already offers viewing of those) and book-search support similar to the Kindle's.

The "Back" button works in the same way it does for the Kindle 2 and DX. Remember that 1-yr factory warrantied refurbished DX's are available for $399 ($90 less than a new one). The Back button doesn't take you to the previous page but takes you 'back' to any page that linked you to the current one and from which you clicked to 'jump' to the current page.
For example, on the Kindle, if you look up the full detail for a word, in the dictionary, clicking on 'Back' will take you back to the page on which you read the word.

All in all, this is a delightful new capability. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Amazon's official word on US Kindle 2 / Google magazines

Official word on the U.S. Kindle 2 - Chip Brown of SmarTrend writes

' ...Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle Director Russell Baker confirmed [at the Open Mobile Summit] that the company will no longer sell the Sprint Nextel-powered kindle..., according to a FierceWireless article.
The company will continue to support the Sprint-powered devices already in service but is looking to focus its efforts on its GSM-based Kindle e-reader that uses the AT&T (NYSE:T) network, which can be used internationally. Baker said that Amazon decided it was too confusing to sell one that works internationally and another that doesn't. '

This has been clear for a few weeks but it's good that Amazon has finally made a statement about it - especially about the continued support.

Refurbished U.S. Kindle units continue to be sold, however, and might be preferred choices for some who live in areas that have good Sprint wireless access but no AT&T reception.

GOOGLE BROWSING OF MAGAZINES

This feature (older issues and sample ones, from what I saw) now has its own page. This is not a Kindle item but I thought some might be interested.

Article on Amazon's "customer focused" operation
It begins:

' Though it's far from giving the store away, Amazon has responded to the recession by keeping prices low and keeping up its good deals on shipping. Revenue soared 16% for the first half of the year, and the company shredded third-quarter expectations with earnings surging by 69% '

Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Saturday, November 7, 2009

CNet review and some corrections

Here's a new CNet review that is more thorough than most today (after so many e-readers hit the market and very few have been actually really trying them out for functioning before reviewing them). The downsides are explored in this review, and buyers should be aware of them.

I'm linking readers to the review but pointing out a few erroneous statements (which are somewhat common to Kindle reviews) for those wondering about the pros and cons of the the Kindle International 6" reader. Still, the review is much more accurate than most I've read.

According to CNet, the font darkness or screen contrast is now better than it was with the Kindle 2.
Although they say, rightly, that the free websurfing is slower than we'd want but it's doable, they don't understand why Barnes and Noble is not giving this web-surfing capability with the Nook reader. (It's costly.)

Correction 1
On page 2, CNet says that *.txt and *.jpg files can't be natively viewed on the Kindle and that this is problematical. The Kindle does natively view .txt files, and jpg files are read with a 'pictures' folder function though the latter's not that easy to use.

Correction 2
They also say that you'll "need to email" these and other formats for conversion at a cost of 10 cents per file. No, you can email them to be converted and sent to your computer for free and then move the converted files to the Kindle yourself with the USB cable. No cost.
There IS a charge for mailing them direct to the Kindle and that is now 15 cents per file (per megabyte of file). They are right that the Kindle 2 does not natively read PDF files but converts them, which is allright for novels, but not particularly accurate with multi-column text and complex pages with illustration and labels. On the other hand no 6" reader will show these well and anyone needing PDF reading capability should go with the coming Plastic Logic's larger model or iRex's due in December, though they'll be more expensive. They allow annotations on PDFs, which is important for academics and business users.
Update - I should have mentioned that the Kindle DX does a good job of reading PDFs and enlarges them when you rotate the unit. It currently does not allow editing of PDFs but we can convert copies to flowing-text "mobi" or "prc" files for that while using the original PDFs for reading, on the DX, the layout as presented.

Correction 3
CNet writes that "The Kindle is natively compatible with only Amazon's own .azw file format" - what you get from the Amazon Kindle store. This is decidedly not true. It reads, natively, 'mobi' and 'prc' files which you can get and download for free from places like http://feedbooks.net, http://manybooks.net (http://mnybks.net) and as I have said often, this also includes 30,000 well-formatted free "mobi" books from Project Gutenberg.

Correction 4
They also say that you "can't read the huge library of free Google books, but you can, with a simple 3-minute conversion.

Correction 5
CNet's review claims that Kindle's Whispersync does not allow two people to read a book at the same time. This is misleading at best. Whispersync is for people who want to read on one device and continue reading on a second device.
Those sharing a Kindle account can just turn off Whispersync and then up to 6 people sharing that account can read a given book at the same time for the cost of one book.

Despite the above, the review has very good information, otherwise.

(Am still on vacation but reading every now and then.) Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Friday, November 6, 2009

Kindle and Sprint/AT&T coverage / A borrowed Nook? UPDATE

UPDATE 11/6/09 - Original posting 11/3/09.
I have time to do only minimal reading when I get a connection, but I did get on just now and saw a new article re the Nook's problems with more details. I had not read about the more recent meetings between B&N and Spring, which I think is difficult for B&N while trying to release this product. It's from The Examiner. (San Francisco). The newer information described this:

' Court documents state that Spring Design shared its design for its upcoming Alex ereader with a Barnes and Noble consultant on February 17 of this year, five days after both companies signed a non-disclosure agreement. On March 20, representatives from Spring Design met with the head of Barnes and Noble’s software development department, Ravi Gopalakrishnan. During the meeting, Mr. Gopalakrishnan allegedly stated that Barnes and Noble wanted a product that would compete with Amazon’s Kindle.

Spring Design alleges that a series of meetings between the two companies were then held in April and May, with several Barnes and Noble executives in attendance. During one of the meetings, representatives from Spring Design allegedly gave a product demonstration and showed a Powerpoint video of its Alex ereader to B&N.com president William Lynch and B&N CFO Kevin Frain. Spring Design alleges that Mr. Frain warned the company to avoid partnering with Amazon for content, due to the concern that Amazon would steal Spring Design’s idea for its ereader.

Spring Design alleges that Barnes and Noble made contact in July, requesting a summary of Spring Design’s product development. Barnes and Noble then held a meeting with Spring Design’s CEO on October 1 in order to discuss the possibility of revenue sharing for the Alex in the university textbook market. In its court filing, Spring Design alleges that Barnes and Noble “made no mention during that meeting or any other meeting with Spring that it was actually in the process of developing a device with many of the product features contained in the Spring design.” '

I'm still on vacation, this time near Petra in Jordan and won't be back at the main computer for another week and there's not much time to get on, even if I can. BUT I got on tonight and did some reading.

1. A PC World article proclaimed the current Sony Touch Edition superior to the Kindle without knowing that the Kindle has free 24-hr web access to sites everywhere, for U.S. residents, though it is far better to access mainly-text sites, since it is slow otherwise, and the writer assumed one can buy books only from Amazon, which regular readers of this blog know is completely untrue. A Gizmodo reviewer who actually has used the Kindle and the Sony has good detail in his write-up, which I included a link to within an earlier blog entry.

International customers now get Wikipedia free 24/7, which no other e-reader is offering, very useful for students or people who like to look up info.

2. Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader won't exist as an actual useable product until December, and yet some writers consider it preferable to the Kindle, without ever seeing how it functions -- the attraction is based almost entirely on its looks, with a color LCD screen (battery drainer) for browsing books (or ads) below the b&w e-ink reading screen, although the fact that it will read ePub direct is a big plus. The Kindle requires a conversion for that.

Library rentals may be possible, but there is conflicting information from B&N on that. Loans to friends for 2 weeks will be a feature though some publishers have resisted this.

It definitely will not have free 24/7 web access for U.S. residents (and Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico) as the Kindle does (worth at least $30/mo.). Nor will it read books, articles, documents, etc., to you (though some would prefer it didn't).

In the meantime, a company is suing Barnes & Noble for what it considers theft of the color LCD feature, as they showed it to B&N last January and B&N signed a non-disclosure agreement on that.

3. Getting to the first subject of the title, some have worried that our Kindle 2's and DX's will be negatively affected by the AT&T contract but assurances have been given to some customers that Sprint converage will continue for these domestic models. Some comments to forums and to this blog in some of the entries indicate that if AT&T access isn't available in your area it will try to get another connection for you.

A US resident currently in Germany found she could use her web browser there. We don't know if that was intended since wireless rates are higher there.

Others in the U.S. report that AT&T may not be available in their area while Sprint is, and vice versa. When I get back I'll be looking into this. In the meantime, here's one interesting thread with a lot of different experiences reported. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Kindle Mania in DC

A lot of Kindle carriers in Congress. This was posted to Twitter by KindleCovers. Paul Bedard writes:

' Those Amazon Kindle E-readers are popping up everywhere in Washington, a city that likes to be plugged in. Some lawmakers have been seen toting them around and reading local newspapers, books, and even legislation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi uses one. Wyoming Sen. Michael Enzi "loves" his, says aide Elly Pickett. "He is a speed reader and goes through books very quickly, so being able to have 1,500 books at his fingertips at all times is great. He likes the Kindle so much he had his chief of staff get one too," says Pickett.

Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley also has one to read newspapers and staff memos. And, of course, there's already been a Kindle-gate. A recent article in the New York Times implied that political consultant Shayna Englin wasn't paying for books shared by a friend. Authors attacked her, and Republicans made a fuss over it because her hubby, Democratic Virginia Del. David Englin, represents the Alexandria district, where the overseer of intellectual property theft—the United States Patent and Trademark Office—is headquartered. Turns out Amazon allows the sharing of books among up to six Kindles. One author, romance novelist Courtney Milan, even defended Englin in a blog and sent her a Kindle gift card. '

Well, a book can be shared between up to 6 Kindles under the same account, with one person responsible for the $-purchases of all. But it's a great feature for families and for friends who have a lot of trust between them :-) And then there's always PayPal for repayment of non-shared books. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

Friday, November 20, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Friday, November 13, 2009

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Friday, November 6, 2009

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

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