Q&A: Kindle Tips: The Kindle's "Real page numbers"

QUESTIONS: DO YOU HAVE ANY?
  If so, add them to Comments area and I'll either reply with an answer or do blog entries on some.  I'd like to start a Question Bag in any case.

Q: I don't see real page numbers in my Kindle books. Shouldn't they be there now?

A: That depends on several things:
  1. Are you using a Kindle 3?
   I have no idea whether Amazon will upgrade older Kindle software for Kindle 2 and DX's to have these.  I would think they'd be included eventually.  Amazon often takes 6 months to get to the old Kindles with updated software and it's been longer than that for some changes that should have been added to the DX Graphite at least.  The Kindle 1 with its different type of screen probably would not be updated, as the added calculations could slow down more that slower model.

  2. Is your Kindle 3 using Update v3.1 ?
Press Menu button, then Settings, and your software version no. will be at the bottom right.   If by now, you don't have v3.1, I'd call Customer Support at 866-321-8851 but if you're outside the U.S., try Call me, which is able to call back people in several countries but provides an email form if your country is not on the Call-me list.  Ask them to help you with it, if a manual download (rather than automated) is required at this point.  Sometimes, they can send one to your Kindle, if the update should have been sent earlier.

  If you're comfortable with using your Kindle's USB cable (that is part of your power cord), to download an update and put it on your Kindle, see this blog's article on software update v3.1 for information on how to do that.

  3. If you have Kindle 3 with v3.1 software, have you tried pressing Menu button?
  That is the only way to see the real page numbers.  Amazon decided to keep the location and real-page numbers out of the way and showing only the percentage of the book you've read so far.  Press Menu and you'll see the page number *IF* Amazon has added them to that book..

  4. Most Kindle books don't have page numbers yet.
  Amazon is adding page numbers to books and they definitely prioritize them.
The books must be matched to a specific printed edition and its ISBN #.
  If a book has been processed by Amazon to add real-page numbers, this information will show up in the product page's Product Detail (you need to scroll down a bit to see that).

  In their original announcement, they said they've "“added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books.”"

  They've continued adding them at a fast pace, from what I read a couple of weeks ago, and they include the usual publishers and also university press books.

  5. NON-Amazon books definitely won't have them, as Amazon can't calculate page numbers on books they don't have on their servers.

Amazon wrote the following in a Kindle Post Daily over a month ago.

' We created algorithms to match the text of print books to Kindle books and organized all of this in the cloud, using our own AWS platform.  The results of this work are stored in Amazon’s Simple Storage Service, where we track the complete history of every page matching file we’ve produced.

  We even found a way to deliver page numbers to books that customers had already purchased – without altering those books in any way, so customers’ highlights, notes, and reading location are preserved exactly as they were.

  Some other e-bookstores have added virtual “page numbers” to e-books, but we’ve found that these approaches can be confusing and often inconsistent – they don’t map to the page numbers in physical books, and in some cases they don’t account for title pages, blank pages, and other nuances that we see in print books.

' [ Andrys' note here: Sony and iBook page numbers don't map to print-book pages. ] '

... We want you to lose yourself in the reading, so page numbers are only displayed when you push the menu button... '

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Language Trainer Kindle Apps On Sale at Half Price Until May 11

Saw this at Amazon's Facebook page: "Save 50% on Language Trainers from 24-7 TUTOR and brush up on your Spanish, French, Italian, and German."

Below are two examples (See the page with the full set.)

24-7 Spanish - Basic Phrases  (A Language Trainer) by 24/7 TUTOR (Kindle Edition - Feb. 15, 2011) - Kindle Active Content - $1.99  (Regular price: $3.99)

  

24-7 French - Basic Phrases  (A Language Trainer) by 24/7 TUTOR (Kindle Edition - Feb. 23, 2011) - Kindle Active Content  - $1.99  (Regular price: $3.99

  

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Amazon offers $25 Gift Card with purchase of 3G Kindles for Mother's Day

Two images of text seen at Amazon's Kindle pages last night:



Amazon announces $25 Gift Card with Purchase of
a Combo 3G Cellular Wireless-and-WiFi Kindle

Amazon has made an entire page for Mother's Day ideas for gifts.  But here's something new.

I was surprised to see the new $25 Gift-Card offer in a pink-purple band and in the less colorful ad-box tonight (see above) on the Kindles product page -- with word that Kindles that have both cell-phone wireless capability and local WiFi network access (home/office/cafes) and which are therefore more expensive, will include a $25 gift-card for the Mothers Day holiday if one follows the steps there.  That last part is important.  The gift-card has to be included when adding the Kindle order to the cart.

  Be sure to read the underlined "details and terms" for the $189 6" model -- I'll point out a couple of them here.

  NOTE: The 3G capability is also part of the larger 9.7" Kindle DX Graphite model, so the $25 gift-card offer applies to that as well.  See the "details and terms" for that one if interested in that model.

This is, in essence, a $25 credit offer on both the 3G models but without "special offers and ads" as part of the Kindle as they are with the $114 deal (which has no 3G capability).

First: some important points cited in the 'details and terms" that you should be sure to observe if interested in the offer:

When adding a '...Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6")' or the Kindle DX (Free 3G, 9.7"), you'll need to include the "$25 Amazon.com Gift Card described in the promotion when adding the order to your Shopping Cart" by either selecting the $25 gift card offer on the applicable Kindle product page or by adding the Gift Card from its own product page (which I think is strange).

For gift-card terms and conditions, read www.amazon.com/gc-legal

Promotional offer limited to one Gift Card per customer.

The promotion is valid from 11:00 4/27/2011 to 23:59 5/8/2011.
  "Amazon reserves the right to cancel it at any time."

Does not apply to orders placed with 1-Click...

Much more at the linked "details and terms" for each model, as linked above.
I haven't seen any mention that this is limited to the U.S. but it may be.

The Kindle3 3G/WiFi at $189 minus $25 gift certificate = $164
  (usable for a case or a couple of books, say)
  See 3G or WiFi?  What does each do?

The Kindle DXG at $379 minus $25 gift certificate = $354

I've seen one question quite a bit on forums and customer-review comment areas in the last few days: Why would one want the 9.7" DXG model?

  The DXG model is expensive, but I prepared, almost a year ago, some
Questions you should ask yourself if interested also in the larger Kindle
but not sure which one would work better for you.

  Also, Reactions to DXG by tough Mobileread Forum folks


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Kindle Pictures Feature. .2 Free Tools that Convert Images to Kindle format.

Kindle 3 and Kindle 2 with same screen-sleeper
UTILITIES FOR PUTTING PHOTOS (not Screensavers) ON A KINDLE, USING THE RIGHT FORMAT
  (Windows utilities, though the first one can be done via a website.)

(Update/Correction: I fixed an E-nki site link to bring people to the right site!).

As Kindle owners learn quickly, Kindle screensavers (really, screensleepers) are not officially replaceable by our own images (unless one uses a 'hack' and that can be problematical in a few ways although some find it worth doing...and re-doing with each Kindle software upgrade).

  I don't recommend it, and only the computer savvy should tackle it; even then, there are disclaimers by the utility makers that your warranty can be voided if a problem occurs during installation.  It's not super-difficult but no one is going to be responsible for anything going wrong on it, so I don't get into the details.  You can always google kindle screensaver hack to see what's involved.  I personally don't think it's worth it.

 And now the latest Kindle (with Special Offers and ads) shows Amazon had a specific reason for not offering "screensavers" that could be customized by the Kindle user.

It'd be nice if Amazon were to offer customizable screensleepers for their higher-cost Kindles without ads, at some point. (The sad dream that never dies.)

Your Photos on your Kindle in the Pictures Folder - a Kindle Feature
In the meantime, Kindle owners CAN put favorite photos or illustrations on the Kindle in a special Pictures folder, and I've found that many don't know this is possible.

  The instructions for this are in the Kindle User's Guide (which is placed by Amazon on each Kindle during first wireless sessions and is also available for your computer in PDF format -- see Kindle User Guides at the Amazon help pages).

  Remember that Kindle books or files can be Searched for words like "pictures" and sometimes that makes it easier to find a feature.

  A Kindle customer posted step-by-step instructions at the Amazon Kindle forums.  In reply to an earlier post on Feb 9, Anthony Hansen wrote (slightly modified) :

' If you would like to add photos to your Kindle 2, it's pretty easy to do.  Here are a few short steps to getting some pictures onto your Kindle.

1. Connect your Kindle to your computer with the Kindle USB cable.
2. Go to the file folders for your Kindle on the computer and add a new folder called `pictures' (without the quotes).
3. Within the new `pictures' folder that you just created, create other folders which will be used to store your pictures.  The names of these sub-folders should describe what type of pictures will go into the folders.  These sub-folder names are what you will see on the Kindle's `Home' page and are the photo albums that you will put pictures into.
4. Add pictures into the newly created sub-folders (albums).
5. Safely remove your Kindle from the computer.
6. Go to the `Home' page on your Kindle and press Alt & Z keys together (alt-z) to see the photo albums.
7. Go down to the photo album that you want to view using the 5-way button [or the Kindle-1's mercury-like rolling column-cursor] and then select the album to view the pictures.

That's it.  This should take no longer than five minutes to do depending on the number of pictures [you're] adding '

KINDLE IMAGE CONVERTER

This is a nicely easy-to-use tool that converts almost any image you have (size does not matter much) to a Kindle-compatible black & white version in the right size and orientation for the Kindle display.  It works for 6" Kindles and the 9.7" Kindle DX's.

It does convert 'up' to larger sizes rather well, to my surprise, but sharpness and clarity will be more likely when you send a larger photo to convert 'down' (and something to remember if doing this for the larger-screen DX).

  It's also very fast, even using the method as seen in the image of the webpage above, uploading a photo to the website for conversion -- probably the way to do it for Macs.

  But the link below the uploaded filename field is for a download of the executable (a Windows file), which means you can have the tool on your Windows computer and do it without uploading the file to the webpage.

  If you decide to try it, let us know how that works for you.


E-NKI MANGA, COMICS, AND GENERAL BULK IMAGE CONVERTER FOR KINDLE
I haven't had a chance to try this one.  E-nki describes it this way:

"E-nki is an image processor designed for latest Kindle.
  "It converts common image documents (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP) into optimized PNG files for e-ink displays, and more important, you can convert your compressed archives directly. (CBR and CBZ too!)"

  There is also a link to the FAQ, which does answer questions not addressed on the main page.  E-nki is a downloadable file and there's no web-style conversion tool.

On what, specifically, the utility does:
1) Converts pictures to grayscale
2) Tries to remove white borders
3) Resizes pictures while maintaining the aspect ratio
4) Rotates the pictures

  Author E-nki is on vacation but checking mail, so you can send questions to the e-mail address given at the webpage.

  As mentioned, I haven't tried it.  So, it's not a recommendation but a suggestion.  If you can, let us know (in the Comments area) what you think if you try one or both of the tools mentioned here.
  The feedback and useful info (and some raves) on SendtoReader (to Kindle) were very helpful.

As ever, when you enjoy and regularly use a free utility, support the software developer with donations if they feature a donation-method.  That tends to support improving the product and time giving user support.  That includes the popular Instapaper, which itself is used in a few other tools.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

New Kindle TV Ad airs tonight How it differs from previous ones.

LATEST TV KINDLE AD AIRING TONIGHT

In this latest tv ad -- click on the image at left to see the video on YouTube (unless you're reading this on a Kindle-edition blog, which doesn't do video) -- Amazon is introducing the $114 Kindle "with Special Offers" and ads by saying "from $114" at the end.

 They're not showing the special offers or ads on the Kindle in this ad, as it's presumably an ad for any of the Kindles.

  A viewer going to the Kindle product page will see the $114 model shown side by side with the $139 model, with the higher-priced 3G model mentioned below them and can tell at that point, in most cases.

What they're doing this time is talking a bit about what the Kindle can do, using a gal who just loves her "real" book and a guy who's enjoying his own "real" book too, via Kindle (nicely done).

 She tells him what a paper-based book can do and he shows that the Kindle is pretty good with those features, including bookmarks, but then she shows him how great it is to, with much ado, physically make a dog-ear-fold bookmark on her paper book.  He just smiles in a mild way :-)

  No heavily 'better than thou' bits or people jumping on precarious places while holding their Kindles but just a conversation about a paper book and a Kindle book.

  No cute animations with cardboard backgrounds that leave many wondering what on earth a Kindle is and is it a toy for kids. :-)

I'd love it if they showed the Kindle feature of Searching for a character's name in a book and seeing all the linked pages where it shows up or if they showed how easy the dictionary feature is, with a summary-definition showing, when the cursor is on a word, and then the expanded definition with "Origin" of the word when you press the 'Return' or 'Enter' key, ending by pressing the 'Back' button to return to your spot on the page you were reading.

  For one thing, I miss those features when reading paper books now.

  I imagine there'll be lots of different reactions though :-) ??


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

FREE Kindle book - Student Travel Guide to Europe, 2011

Let's Go Europe 2011 - Normally $21.95, FREE currently

Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide (Kindle Ed.), is authored by Inc., Harvard Student Agencies whose Kindle books with more specific European locations cost between $9.66 - $9.99.  They're providing this Kindle book for $0.00 right now, on what is likely a temporary 'price.'

  Released in January 2011, it has 9 customer reviews with 4 stars out of 5. It's quite large (at 1,232 pages), as most Kindle books that are mainly text average less than 1 meg, and this one is about 3 megs and will take longer to load, which indicates it has more than the usual number of images. Product description:

' From Portugal to the Ukraine, from Norway down to Greece, Europe is a lot to take on.  Luckily, the student adventurers behind Let’s Go Europe 2011 know that any traveler can handle it — with a little help.  Whether whipping through London, Barcelona, and Prague in five days or spending a leisurely year abroad, travelers get all the info they need from Let's Go.  Their wit and irreverence can brighten even the drabbest Renaissance museum — if travelers didn’t take their advice to skip it.  From German beer halls to Roman ruins, Let's Go Europe 2011 is the ticket to adventure. '

  CAVEAT The two Kindle book reviews I see (the rest are paperback reviews) say it's well worth downloading as a free book, but is written by Harvard students for other students and one reviewer thinks it's mainly for students with money to spare -- I used to go on the $5/day books :-) And the paperback version had less information on hostel locations than a couple of people wanted.

On the other hand, another reviewer says:

' However, to be honest, the listings for stuff like accommodations and nightlife are just UNBEATABLE, so I'm willing to deal with the flaws in order to get those recommendations.

  I was trying to keep to a budget, so maybe I'm biased, but when I opened the Lonely Planet and Frommer's guides in the bookstore, their idea of "cheap" was like...65 euro a night. Even the "shoestring" book was borderline. That's just not the sort of budget I'm operating on.
  Let's Go, on the other hand, listed hostels and cheap mom-and-pop places that got me through most of Western Europe on 20 euro or less a night. No complaints about those prices. '

  Some think the writing is fun while others find it geared toward those who look for drinking places.  The maps and even some icons are said to be very hard to read on the Kindle (I recommend viewing these in Landscape mode, which may handle better some bad layout problems mentioned.)

  For $0.00, it's worth a look.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Kindle News Roundup: NYReview of Books Kindle Ed., More on rumored Samsung/Amazon tablet; Kindle for Android Update; Amazon Germany's Kindlestore opens; publishing in Amazon.de Kindle Store

KINDLE NEWS THIS WEEK

New York Review of Books
This excellent resource is finally available in a Kindle edition.  The New York Review of Books reviews "...the most engrossing new books and the ideas that illuminate them."  There's a 14-day free trial and you can unsubscribe during that time.

Kindle for Android
The Kindle for Android app has been updated to tailor it for tablet-computers, with enhancements that take advantage of the larger screen. New features include
  . the Ability to pause, resume download at any time
  . enhanced word look-up capability (for Android-based phones and tablets)
    with built-in dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions.

Amazon.de Launches German Kindle Store
Amazon's press release says that the Amazon.de Kindle Shop will have the Largest Selection of Any E-Bookstore in Germany.
  It launches with "650,000 titles, 71 of 100 Spiegel bestsellers, and over 25,000 German-language titles with thousands of German classics downloadable for free only on Kindle.  Top German and international newspapers and magazines are also available for single purchase or subscription including Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Handelsblatt and Die Zeit."

 Also, Amazon announced yesterday that authors and publishers worldwide are now able to make their books available in the Amazon.de Kindle Books store in Germany, using the (kdp.amazon.de) Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service.

  "German-language authors and publishers can utilize the new German KDP website to make their books available in Germany, Austria, the U.K., U.S. and over 100 countries worldwide. The popular KDP 70% royalty option, which allows authors and publishers worldwide to make more money on books sold to Kindle customers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, is now also available for books sold in Germany and Austria. Additionally, publishers can now receive their payment in either Euros, British pounds or U.S. dollars. For more information and program terms, please visit kdp.amazon.de."

MORE on that Rumored Kindle Tablet via Samsung
Peter Rojas, who wrote the article this week about the probability of a Samsung-built Amazon tablet, was the co-founder and former Editor of Engadget and is now co-founder of gdgt.com.  He has very good connections in the industry and, while there's always the small chance he can receive bad information, his sources are probably more solid than the usual.

Also, on November 5, 2010, I wrote a blog article about the rumor of an Amazon Android tablet being quite strong because Computerworld's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, aka cybercinic, had quietly included in a column the following:

' Sources at Amazon tell me that the company will indeed produce a mass-market Android tablet.  I can't tell you its size, pricing, when it's expected to ship, or anything else of substance.  The one thing I do know is that, like the Kindle, it will run Linux with a Java-based interface.  In short, this new tablet Kindle, let's call it "KinTablet," will run Android. '

 Some have said that Amazon would not want to upset its OEM partners by releasing a 'competing tablet' but Kendrick feels it would not be so much a tablet built to compete but "would be intended to extend the company’s retail operation into the next logical space."

  To speculation or hopes that this would be a particularly mighty tablet, ZDNet's James Kendrick writes, "Amazon’s intent would not be to produce a state-of-the-art mobile device" but would instead "be designed to have the Amazon retail system completely ingrained into a decent, economical tablet.  Amazon's own Android Apps store would probably be 'curated' (as Apple's is and B&N plans to be, for Non-rooted NookColors), but in effect, competing with Google's Android market, which is 'open' but also leaves non-computer-intense customers to their own security measures and is disorganized and confusing to many.

  In another article, about the Kindle with special offers and straight-out, large ads on its screensleepers and on the bottom area of the Home screen of book titles, Kendrick writes:

' If only 1 percent of ... Android activations resulted in a Kindle customer, that is over a million new customers every year for Amazon content.  That’s a conservative number, but the size of the Android market is huge.  Most Kindle app users probably buy multiple ebooks from Amazon...it’s no surprise that Amazon is selling so many ebooks..."

"So this ad-supported Kindle reader will probably get more devices in the hands of new customers, but that’s not the real story.  I wonder if this is Amazon’s first baby steps into developing its own ad network for its future mobile devices that it is probably working on.  I firmly believe Amazon is about to disrupt the mobile space by entering into the mobile space with a tablet device, and take Apple on directly.  An ad network would be another piece of the ecosystem to go head-to-head with Cupertino. '

I wondered the other day if Apple's sudden lawsuit against Samsung (a supplier for Apple), for look & feel concerns, might be explained by this rumored tablet partnership with Amazon.  I wasn't the only one wondering out loud.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Is Samsung building an Android tablet for Amazon?

AMAZON TABLET -- by SAMSUNG?? - gdgt.com staff
Peter Rojas, a staffer at gdgt.com, writes about the "open secret" that Amazon is working on an Android tablet.

  He even says he's "99% certain they are having Samsung build one for them."
 
  The Galaxy tablet is not doing that well with reviewers or with sales, though some really like it, so I hope it's either not true or that Amazon sets higher standards for them.

  BUT it would certainly explain the sudden lawsuit Apple filed against Samsung this week for look and feel (rounded corners on a rectangle, among other things -- maybe even words on a screen).  I'd thought it was odd that Samsung seemed that much of a threat to Apple -- but Amazon & Samsung?, probably.

 Rojas adds that, unlike Barnes and Noble, Amazon would use the tablet for more:

'...as a platform for selling music (see that cloud locker they just rolled out?), video (you can bet Amazon Instant Video will be a big part of this), and apps from the Android app store they just launched (which is the biggest indication of all that they've got something in the works).  You probably wouldn't have something as open as a regular Android tablet (at least not without hacking it), but I think most users would accept the trade-off if it meant a much lower price of entry.
. . .
  ...they have shown with the Kindle that they can produce a great product and then expertly tie that product into a content platform.  I'm not sure I can stress how non-trivial an accomplishment this is, especially for a company that's mainly known as a retailer. There are full-fledged consumer electronics companies that still haven't figured this stuff out. '

He thinks a tablet might be out no later than this summer although that seems off the top of his head.  A commenter to the gdgt.com site writes (and I agree) that while the stars are aligning, as he puts it, for something like this,  he hopes Amazon waits until Google "cleans up Honeycomb" - their Android operating system that was designed FOR tablet devices but has been very buggy.

In that Comments area, Rojas -- in his responses --  treats Samsung's role with the tablet as a certainty.

' I can't say specifically why Amazon partnered with Samsung, because I don't really know, but my guess is that Samsung was able to make it attractive enough from a financial standpoint and Amazon probably felt like they could deliver an iPad-quality tablet.

  Should also mention that this may be something neither party ever confirms publicly. '

Well, I guess they WILL confirm it if they actually release one together :-) -- or he's saying it would carry the Amazon name and not Samsung's and would not be touted as built by Samsung (which would be odd).


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

More on Kindle Lending Library - How it would work. Reactions & Analyses

QUESTIONS AND SOME ANSWERS ABOUT THE COMING KINDLE LENDING PROGRAM

For basic details of the library lending program, see the original announcement, with the more important portions (in my mind) bold-faced.


ZDNet - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes had a larger reaction than seen in most columns, most of which just reported details of the announcement with mild surprise. It begins with  "This is big. Huge. Massive."
Kingsley points out (emphases mine):

' Amazon has built up a massive digital ecosystem, ranging from books and music and audiobooks to streaming movies and Android software, and this move adds another feature to that ever-growing machine.  And best of all for the end user, it’s something that they can take advantage of without having to buy a specific reader since it works with the Kindle app or desktop software.  Amazon is using this to further cement the Amazon brand into people’s minds (and what better way to win over the love of readers than to make it easier to get books from a library?), and establish the Amazon Kindle ebook format as a dominant format, while at the same time showing the competition who’s boss. '

New York Post - Garett Sloane
Garett Sloane at the New York Post reports:

'[For example]...at the New York Public Library, if a member orders an e-book, others wait on a list until that digital version is free again.

That list can get awfully long.  Yesterday, the most popular title at the NYPL was Harlan Coben's mystery novel "Caught," with more than 275 people on the waiting list. '

New York Times - Julie Bosman
Julie Bosman reports that "...the New York Public Library said last month that e-book use in its system was 36 percent higher than it was one year ago."

  As so many have reminded us, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan still don't allow their e-books to be available in libraries, and HarperCollins (Murdoch) would allow use of an e-book only 26 times before it would have to be re-purchased by the libraries.  That hasn't gone over well with librarians.


From the Comments area of the blog entry on Amazon's announcement
  - a statement by an Overdrive manager
Commenters to this blog have pointed us to interesting articles, one of them a post by Overdrive's' manager for content sales, Karen Estrovich (this link often gives a database connection error). On her Overdrive blog, she clarifies for the company's partners how this would work for them. (Emphases mine.)

' The Kindle Library Lending program will integrate into your existing OverDrive-powered ‘Virtual Branch’ website.

Your existing collection of downloadable eBooks will be available to Kindle customers.

[AB here; Within the context of her statement to Overdrive's partners, this would actually mean "downloadable titles" rather than ebooks in specific format. ]

  As you add new eBooks to your collection, those titles will also be available in Kindle format for lending to Kindle and Kindle reading apps. Your library will not need to purchase any additional units to have Kindle compatibility.  This will work for your existing copies and units.

A user will be able to browse for titles on any desktop or mobile operating system, check out a title with a library card, and then select Kindle as the delivery destination. The borrowed title will then be able to be enjoyed using any Kindle device and all of Amazon’s free Kindle Reading Apps.

The Kindle eBook titles borrowed from a library will carry the same rules and policies as all our other eBooks.

The Kindle Library Lending program will support publishers’ existing lending models.

Your users’ confidential information will be protected.

The Kindle Library Lending program is only available for libraries, schools, and colleges in the United States. '

MY INTERPRETATION of this varies from others' I've seen
Caveat: It's only my interpretation and nothing more, but I think it has a good basis.

' Estrovich is writing to partners who have OverDrive-powered ‘Virtual Branch’ websites for the Overdrive library e-books program.  This is important to an understanding of what she's describing.

The existing collection of a partner's downloadable titles will be available to Kindle customers.

  When the partners add new ebooks to their collections available for loan, those titles will be available in Kindle- and ePUB formats for lending.  No one will have to, to my mind, convert from ePUB to Amazon's mobi format, as some have written -- for the reasons given below.

  This indicates strongly that the titles in Amazon Kindle/mobi format will be available from Amazon's servers directly once the requirements are met for the loan of a title to a Kindle customer.

  It's the only way Amazon would be able to (1) synchronize between the various Kindle/compatible devices and (2) back up annotations for a customer.  This would be done via matching the server's usual Amazon-formatted e-book and the copy on the customer's Kindle.

  The partners' libraries will not need to purchase any additional units as the partners are purchasing TITLES from a publisher via Overdrive, and the partners can decide which format a customer will get, depending on the customer selection of "destination" device.  Again, no conversion would be needed.  Amazon wouldn't be using ePUB-formatted books that are transformed, nor would ePUB books be affected.

  Most important, this would mean the partners' existing copies and units would continue to work, as-is, totally unaffected.

  The reason is that the Kindle ebooks would be handled (and sync'd and backed up) by Amazon servers.  The delivery of the Kindle format books to Kindle customers would not affect the ePub books in the overall collection one iota.  The e-books that Overdrive partners offer will be available in both formats.

 There would still be DRM involved in the library loan but probably Amazon's DRM rather than Adobe's.  I think that Amazon resisted partially because they don't want to pay Adobe for their DRM process when they have their own (and apparently they don't want to switch to ePub).

  This would be a better solution than most had expected. '

An analysis by Mike Cane
Peter Brantley, of Internet Archive --
in his "Reading 2.0" at posterus.com ("Musings on the publishing revolution" -- reposts most of a typically colorful and on-point analysis of the Kindle vs ePub battle by Mike Cane.

Brantley's alert asks "Does kindle library lending obviate the market need for epub as a format?"
and Mike Cane's title is the more provocative: "Kindle Library Lending: ePub Is Dead"



Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

11, 000 Local Libraries in Kindle Lending Library - Amazon did it quietly.

AMAZON TO LAUNCH LIBRARY LENDING FOR KINDLE BOOKS

How did the libraries keep it quiet?

I had wondered if they would do this but how could they keep it secret?

From their press release today, the whole thing:

'   Customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 local libraries to read on Kindle and free Kindle reading apps.
  Whispersyncing of notes, highlights and last page read to work for Kindle library books

SEATTLE, Apr 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)-- Amazon today announced Kindle Library Lending, a new feature launching later this year that will allow Kindle customers to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 libraries in the United States. Kindle Library Lending will be available for all generations of Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

"We're excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps."

Customers will be able to check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. If a Kindle book is checked out again or that book is purchased from Amazon, all of a customer's annotations and bookmarks will be preserved.

[ No, they would not let anyone else see our annotations and bookmarks, as it would be handled just as it is now, with annotation records kept in our own Amazon area.  That takes a lot of programming beyond the norm in the ereader world.]

"We're doing a little something extra here," Marine continued. "Normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're extending our Whispersync technology so that you can highlight and add margin notes to Kindle books you check out from your local library. Your notes will not show up when the next patron checks out the book.  But if you check out the book again, or subsequently buy it, your notes will be there just as you left them, perfectly Whispersynced."

With Kindle Library Lending, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle and Kindle books, including:

. Paper-like Pearl electronic-ink display
. No glare even in bright sunlight
. Lighter than a paperback - weighs just 8.5 ounces and holds up to 3,500 books
. Up to one month of battery life with wireless off
. Read everywhere with free Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone
. Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
. Real Page Numbers - easily reference passages with page numbers that correspond to actual print editions

Amazon is working with OverDrive, the leading provider of digital content solutions for over 11,000 public and educational libraries in the United States, to bring a seamless library borrowing experience to Kindle customers. "We are excited to be working with Amazon to offer Kindle Library Lending to the millions of customers who read on Kindle and Kindle apps," said Steve Potash, CEO, OverDrive. "We hear librarians and patrons rave about Kindle, so we are thrilled that we can be part of bringing library books to the unparalleled experience of reading on Kindle."

Kindle Library Lending will be available later this year for Kindle and free Kindle app users.  To learn more about Kindle go to www.amazon.com/kindle. '

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Kindle Tips - How to reverse an image's white on black and vice versa

REVERSING AN IMAGE'S FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND COLORS
  This tip is for making a 'negative' version of an image on the page and is useful when there's text involved that is hard to read in its given white on black format or when reversing an image would make something in it clearer to you.  It's not something that most will ever want to do, but it was necessary in my case when I could not read the white text on black background in a Kindle book.

 The image-examples at the left (you can Click on them to see the larger versions) are from a book in which this situation came up too often.  Apropos of nothing except to identify the source of the examples, the Kindle book that presented this problem a few times is "Lost Ate my Life, a book which only LOST TV series fans could enjoy.

  This book often presented an image on a page which had tiny white text on a black background, to highlight that it was text being quoted from a forum discussion.  The person who did the layout made the image so small that it was totally unreadable and it was driving me crazy.

  I remembered that highlighting a sentence or a larger segment reverses the text foreground and background, so I tried highlighting an image to see if that would do the same to an image.  It does.  This works on Kindle-2 and Kindle-3 (UK: K3) models.

  When you do a highlighting of a segment of a Kindle book page, you arrow to the beginning of the area you want highlighted and then you Click the 5-way button to begin the highlight.   After that beginning-click, the straight, vertical line that is your Kindle cursor becomes a slanted vertical line, indicating that your highlighting begins there.

  If you then move that cursor to your right you'll identify what is to be highlighted and you'll see white text on black.  Then you would normally click the 5-way button again to End the annotation or highlight, but we don't normally want a permanent highlighting when reversing an image so we press the "Back" button instead, to cancel the highlighting process after viewing the image.

  (ADDED TIP: Actually highlighting an image {finishing the highlight process instead of cancelling it} makes an "annotation" that shows up in the Menu option "View Marks and Notes" just as a bookmark on that page would, with the text that follows the image given as context.)

  You use this useful annotations feature to do the same for an image.
  1. If an image is at the top of a page, normally you'd cursur-down to get to it faster, as the default cursor location on a new page is at the top.   So, cursor down to get to that image.

  2. Your cursor MAY go into the center of the image and give you the option to zoom it (showing you a tiny magnifying glass.)

  3.   Move the cursor to the left of the image using the 5-way button, unless your cursor already just went to the left of the image, which happens also.  You then see a straight, vertical line.

  4. Click the 5-way button.  The cursor line then slants, indicating you are beginning your highlighting.

  5. Then use your 5-way button to go right one step.

That will highlight the image and reverse it.

  6. When you're finished viewing the reversed image, press the "Back" button to cancel the highlight unless you want the Kindle to show that image-page as a highlighted, annotated section that you get to with via the Menu (button) selection to "View Notes & Marks" feature.

  There are other ways to do it, going backwards but this is the easiest way.

Hope some will find this useful on rare occasions!


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Experiments w/ Beatles 50 Fabulous Years book & a mobile scanner. Update

Testing a Flip-Pal mobile scanner on my Kindle.

The one-day sale on the Kindle DXG ended at midnight last night of course, but I suspect there'll eventually be another sale on it.  In the meantime, I used mine today as an item for testing to see what kind of job the Flip-Pal mobile scanner, which I received this week, can do.  Better than expected.   The Flip-Pal is a very portable scanner, which scans photos or documents in place -- in albums, magazines, etc.

  Clicking on the image at the left will get you the larger, clearer version.   Many have asked whether Kindle books include photographs and, if so, what to expect in quality.

  I also wanted to see how effective its scanning is, relative to the drawbacks of taking photos close up and doing screen-captures, the latter not displaying what the screen looks like to us in ambient light and showing only a screen-capture 'gif' file.  I use these images in the blog quite a bit, and that's why I'm writing about it.

  Other Kindlers may be interested in the Flip-Pal's capabilities, as it averages 5 stars out of 25 reviews so far.

  Most of us have snapshots going way back, for which we've lost the negatives or we don't want to fuss with them.  And some are glued onto pages in albums, so taking them off and putting them back on later can be a drag.

  I didn't think of doing a scan of a Kindle screen itself until today.
It's difficult to get a good, representative photo of the e-reader screens, and even this type of scanning doesn't get the text as well as it might, as the text display in 'real' life actually looks etched and is thinner, sharper, and darker, but it gives an idea and doesn't warp the image the way taking a photo with a camera close up can.

  The photos in this book on the Beatles, The Beatles: Fifty Fabulous Years, look as good on the Kindle 3 (UK: K3) also, but of course they're smaller on the K3.

  More details about the scanning are at the PBase page if anyone's interested in other aspects of this easy-to-use portable scanner.

  You can get a free Sample of the Kindle book, which is generous with photos, to get an idea of what the photo quality can be on a Kindle, though many publishers don't use higher-resolution photos in their e-books.

Images in Kindle books
As mentioned, forumners have asked about the quality of photographs, in general, in Kindle books.  This varies widely, depending on the person's expertise with image files and with Kindle formatting, but many use lower-resolution images because earlier Kindles didn't handle images that well.
  The new Kindle 3 screen (August 2010 - Pearl display) does.  High resolution photos are denser and will take longer to load though, so some might wonder if their Kindle just froze if the photograph is a bit too dense.

  The Kindle 2 display is not bad, but the newer Kindle 3 screens have considerably more contrast.  The Kindle 1 uses only 4 levels of gray while the Kindle 2 and 3 models use 16 levels.

  Here's a page of what that means to your eyes when viewing photos with only 4 levels of gray or 8 (previous e-Ink Sony) and those with 16.  Of course, color images are in the millions of shades, but the Kindle display is an e-Ink one and uses only black and white, with shades in-between displayed by combining those.

  The Beatles Kindle book itself is a fun read, but it's not a long book although superfans of the Beatles find it quite good, judging from reviews.  However, the print version (twice as expensive) has a DVD with videos and interactive menus, while the Kindle-edition of course does not.

Update - Found another book about the Beatles, pre-Beatle days, and receiving raves from long-time Beatle fans for new information.  This one is only $2.99.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Kindle DX Graphite GOLDBOX Special Today Only - $299. Non-US also

GOLDBOX KINDLE DX GRAPHITE $299 TODAY ONLY

GOLD BOX LINK for the Kindle DX Graphite $299 TODAY for US customers
*BUT*  NON-USA can also order this for $299 today at the regular product page.
              *ENDED*

That's a screenshot at the left from my DX Graphite.
 
Here's an image showing the relative sizes of the DXG and Kindle 3.

This is on sale today only "(or until they're all gone)" ...

I don't know what this means for Amazon's larger-model, whether they're replacing it or not.  Since they're de-emphasizing 3G these days, as they pay 3G phone data charges, maybe they're planning a WiFi only DXG but I have absolutely no real idea.  Am just speculating.  As I've said, I personally prefer 3G because I can use that anywhere to access the Net for lookups.

It's a beautiful piece though, and I personally use it for PDFs hard to read on my smaller Kindle.  Here's a picture of my previous DX when I took it on a 3 week trip to Egypt & Petra because I needed to look at detailed diagrams of places we were visiting and because it's easier to read.  This shows it on my airplane's breakfast tray.
  This is a page of thumbnails of the previous DX to see the less contrasty screen which still shows how pages look on a Kindle of that size i portrait and landscape mode.

Below I've linked some initial blog articles on the Kindle DX Graphite when it was released.  It has the Pearl screen so is similar to the Kindle 3 but the text stands out even more so though it's hard to show this in photos for some reason.

. Graphite DX: Day 1 reports
. Reactions to DXG by tough
   Mobileread Forum folks
. A guided tour - of the older DX w/less contrast but a good slideshow of features.
. DX or Kindle 2? - I pointed out the pros and cons of the DX vs the 6" Kindle and these still apply.

Hope that helps somewhat.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite non-Goldbox page

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

More Amazon quotes on $114 KindleSO. Controversial analyst thoughts.

MORE QUOTES FROM AMAZON REPS AND OTHERS
Read the first article for the earlier Amazon quotes including their response on the hope for a "free Kindle."

There are a few interesting quotes not mentioned yet that will answer a couple of questions and also an article that actually encourages Amazon to put ads into e-books.

Another columnist thinks this Kindle model is "the future of gadgets."
The controversial columns do invite comments and feedback at their linked pages.

PC Magazine's Don Costa has a few quotes in his story:

' Current Kindle users will not be able to upgrade or participate [in] the offers program, although Kindle representatives did not rule this out in the future.  "I wouldn't want to speculate on future implementations," said Grandinetti.
. . .
Screen saver ads could change and update over time, though the frequency of those changes will, Grandinetti added, depend on customer feedback.  The program is launching with relatively few advertising partners because, up until now, the Special Offer program was a confidential project within Amazon.
. . .
Since Special Offers isn't available with any other Kindle model, those initial ads may be seen by relatively few consumers.  Amazon execs, however aren't concerned. Grandinetti said Amazon obviously does its best to predict scale and is "confident advertisers will be able to reach a large group of people this way."
. . .
"Our goal is to make the device as available as possible," Grandinetti says. "I think $25 is a lot of money these days." '

Here's one from CNet's David Carnoy

' "If we do a great job with the special offers--and that's our intention--people are going to feel pretty excited about the option and having access to it," Grandinetti says. '

Business Insider's Dan Frommer:

' Grandinetti also tells us that the company is not trying to jam ads in e-books, at least not in the forseeable future.

"We're pretty skeptical" that people would want that, he says.  Like a paper book, the idea behind the Kindle is for it to "disappear" while you're reading.  So a jarring ad that interrupts that experience isn't something that Amazon is looking to do, he says. '

ANALYSTS - ARE THEY IN TOUCH WITH MANY DEDICATED E-READER OWNERS' THOUGHTS?
From my read of various forums, the reception is mixed, with some looking forward to it and some not, to put it gently.

Edward C. Baig
USATODAY's Edward C. Baig writes that

' [Forrester analyst James McQuivey] doubts there will be many customers put off by the new model. “Who is going to object to buying a cheaper Kindle just because the screensaver has a Buick ad,” he asks? '

Jared Newman calls for ad-supported e-books
Macworld's Jared Newman feels that "Ad-supported e-books are where it’s really at."

But Amazon doesn't agree, though they did get a patent for ads in e-books a couple of years ago (in case publishers want it, I suppose), but many authors would not like it either. 

' Amazon has no plans to stuff ads inside e-books, says Amazon vice president of Kindle content Russ Grandinetti.  Grandinetti told Business Insider that the company is “pretty skeptical” that ad-supported e-books are something people would want. '

Newman thinks that's "too bad" and adds, "If e-books could be had for cheap—or even free—in exchange for the occasional ad, I’d download them by the dozen."

He gives many reasons why he feels this would work better, and you can read them at the article.

I read a posts from a few forums last night that said that if the choice was between a $7.99 e-book with ads and a $12.99 e-book, they'd chose the former ... in other words, the idea here is that the reader gets a choice, but I do think the danger is that it would then eventually cost more to get an ad-free book than it does now.  At any rate, a provocative column by Newman.

Dan Frommer
Business Insider's Dan Frommer makes a spirited defense of the ad-supported model, calling it "the Future of Gadgets." Anyone interested should follow the link to read the whole thing there.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

> 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

An Amazon answer to the free-Kindle? question More on $114 Kindle 3

WHAT'S THAT ABOUT AN EVENTUALLY FREE-KINDLE TOUTED IN THE ONLINE NEWS?

Microsoftoffice2010forums.com reports that when asked if the Kindle would ever be free (do they ask this about any other electronic reader or tablet??)

' “It’s not possible.  The economics don’t work,” Jay Marine, a Kindle director said in an interview.  “At $114, we think it is the best deal for a consumer electronic.  We sell a lot of consumer electronics, so we should know it’s a good deal.”

What if it were tied to other offers, like Amazon Prime, which costs $79 a year and offers free two-day shipping and access to free streaming movies?

“I don’t know how to do it.  I would not get your hopes up,” he added. '

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette carries the report from the NY Times' Claire Cain Miller, and I'm referencing that one because the New York Times is limited in access for most these days ... ALTHOUGH (I'd forgotten) that clicking on a link to the NYT from a blog will allow you to read the article even if you've reached your max at NY Times for the month... but it DOES count against the first 20 in a month, so I'll forego that for now.

  Select paragraphs:

' By selling ads that will show up next to digital content, Amazon is laying further groundwork that could enable it to someday sell tablet computers that would compete with Apple and Google Android tablets.
. . .
"This is really about having a Kindle that's more affordable," said Jay Marine, director of Kindle at Amazon.
. . .
Readers will also be able to get discounts through their Kindles.  Amazon will open the offers to advertisers, but to start, the deals are all from its site, like $10 for a $20 Amazon.com gift card or 50 percent off a Roku streaming player from Amazon.  By entering the daily deal business, Amazon is competing with Groupon and with LivingSocial, the group-buying service in which it is an investor.  Mr. Marine said that Amazon's service was separate from LivingSocial's.
. . .
An Amazon tablet could tie together the seemingly disparate parts of the company's business, Mr. McQuivey said, including e-commerce, e-books, video and audio.

"I can so easily see them selling a tablet in the future at a dramatically reduced price," he said.  "To me, this is a way for them to test that out and to start talking to advertisers."

When asked whether the new Kindle was a move toward a tablet, Mr. Marine said, "I don't want to speculate."  He also declined to say when the Kindle would have a color or touch screen...
. . .
...Craig Bierley, director of advertising and promotions for General Motors's Buick division... Because reading books is an intimate experience, he said he hoped people might pay more attention to the ads.

"The Kindle for many people is really a centerpiece of their entertainment, so their level of engagement with the device, and hopefully with the advertisers on it, will be higher," Mr. Bierley said. . . .

Bobby Calder, chairman of the marketing department at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management... books are one of the last ad-free zones, and by showing ads on an e-reader, Amazon risks alienating some users, he said.

"There's been research that shows that if you put an ad in an environment where people are highly engaged, that kind of intrusiveness can really backfire," he said. '

Read the information I left out, at the Pittsburgh Gazette.

The next quote is an especially interesting one because it answers some questions I saw in the last day.

' People could buy the less expensive Kindle and then avoid the ads by turning off Wi-Fi.  Mr. Marine said Amazon did not think customers would do that because they would value the offers on the new Kindle, which is now available for order and expected to ship May 3.

"We think the response is going to be really positive because it doesn't touch the reading experience," he said. '

I noticed these quickly before looking very far.  Also, there've been quite a few comments to this blog re the impact of the announcement for the commenters, and it's interesting, varied feedback, so I responded to it all and some of you may be interested in reading the reactions in the comments area for that story.

I'll have more on this...


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
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'Lower Kindle 3 pricing with...' deals being offered... Ads. My thoughts. Update

Amazon's press-release is being distributed by many online newspapers and blogs of course, and at this point I can't say it's that much lower (!) for the ads you will agree to see. I'll show below what the press releases say so you can find out about this sooner than later, and I'm adding a few thoughts here.

  First, they are essentially Kindle display advertisements that are being offered, and for that you spend a bit less for your Kindle.  I wish it were a better deal, but some will want to see special deals on their Kindles, I guess.

"Amazon Introduces New Kindle Family Member: Kindle with Special Offers for $114"

' $25 less for the same #1 bestselling latest-generation Kindle plus special offers and sponsored screensavers '

  What about our own personal screensavers???  Is this why we have not been offered that BASIC feature that other e-readers have ?   Why are personal screensavers not at all encouraged (as an Amazon feature rather than making loyal Kindle users search for workarounds that they have to redo with each software update) to go along with the screensaver (screensleeper) ads?

Special offers in the initial weeks include:
  . $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card,
  . $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store, and
  . a $100 Gift Card with a new Amazon Rewards Visa Card

There is more in the larger quote below from the body of the press release.

NOTE: There is no corresponding $25 lower price for the Kindle 3G model that is $189.  I guess they're not encouraging use of the 3G wireless that way so now the difference between the lowest-priced Kindle and the 3G model will be $75 rather than $50.

"Amazon also introduces "AdMash" - the new free Kindle app and website where customers vote for the most attractive sponsored screensavers. "

  I repeat:  What about our own personal screensavers???  Will those EVER be addressed?  Here's the rest of the press release, although I omit marketing paragraphs that most have seen on all the marketing and product pages

' SEATTLE, Apr 11, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ:AMZN)-- ... Today, Amazon introduced a new member of the Kindle family - Kindle with Special Offers for only $114.   Kindle with Special Offers is the same #1 bestselling Kindle, plus special offers and sponsored screensavers.

  Kindle special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen.  Learn more about all three latest-generation Kindle family members--$114 Kindle with Special Offers, $139 Kindle, and $189 Kindle 3G--at www.amazon.com/kindle.  Kindle with Special Offers is now available for pre-order to customers in the U.S. and will ship on May 3.

"We're working hard to make sure that anyone who wants a Kindle can afford one," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO.  "Kindle with Special Offers is the same #1 bestselling Kindle - and it's only $114. Kindle is the best deal in consumer electronics anywhere in the world."

  Buick, Olay (Procter & Gamble), Visa, and Amazon.com Reward Visa Card (Chase) are sponsoring the first series of screensavers specially-designed for Kindle's high-contrast, no glare electronic ink display (for screensaver examples, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers).
  Examples of deals that will be delivered directly to Kindle with Special Offers devices in the initial weeks include:

  * $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
  * $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
  * $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
  * $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
  * Free $100 Amazon.com Gift Card when you get an Amazon Rewards Visa Card (normally $30)
  * Buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with your Visa card and get $10 Amazon.com credit
  * 50% off Roku Streaming Player (normally $99)

To make sure customers don't miss any of the offers, a full list of active offers will be available from the menu of Kindle with Special Offers at any time.

  Note that this Kindle with special-deals advertising is a new "device" being marketed for the lower pricing.

' Amazon is also introducing "AdMash" - the free Kindle app and website where customers choose the most attractive and engaging display advertisements that will become Kindle sponsored screensavers.  Kindle's sponsored screensavers are specially-designed display advertisements that take advantage of Kindle's high-contrast, no-glare electronic-ink display.

  Before these advertisements can be presented to Kindle customers, they are first previewed by customers using AdMash.  Users are presented with pairs of sponsored screensaver candidates and asked to select which one they prefer.  Screensavers with the most preferred votes qualify to become sponsored screensavers.  The AdMash Kindle app will launch in the coming weeks - for a preview, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers.

In addition, Kindle with Special Offers customers can give Amazon hints on the style and types of sponsored screensavers they would like to see.

  From the Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.com, customers can use Kindle Screensaver Preferences to indicate whether they like to see more or less screensavers that include elements such as landscapes and scenery, architecture, travel images, photography, and illustrations.

  Together, AdMash voting and Kindle Screensaver Preferences help Amazon present sponsored screensavers that customers find attractive and engaging.  For screenshots of Kindle screensavers, AdMash and Kindle Screensaver Preferences, visit www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers.
. . .
"The opportunity to offer custom-designed Kindle screensavers was a natural fit for
Kindle with Special Offers includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling product in the history of Amazon.com:

  * Paper-like Pearl electronic-ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
  * 8.5 ounce body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
  * Up to one month of battery life with wireless off eliminates battery anxiety
  * Kindle Store with over 900,000 books - largest selection of the most popular books
  * Seamless integration with free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android-based devices.

Learn more about all three latest-generation Kindle family members--
  $114 Kindle with Special Offers,
  $139 Kindle,
  $189 Kindle 3G --
at www.amazon.com/kindle.  Advertisers and agencies interested in learning more about Kindle sponsorship opportunities can contact kindle-sponsorships@amazon.com. '

I couldn't help adding a bit of editorial stuff in there and omitting a paragraph that actually says that the deal is a good fit for Buick because of the "unique device surrounded by a community of intelligent, passionate people" - Whaaat?  Amazon, yes we are..therefore, that sentence is not ideal, shall we say, in the press release.

I understand you're there to make a profit and not a loss for your shareholders, but I do wish you had not made the lower price only $25 less for the advertising, even if the advertising of deals is something probably many won't mind, I think, and some always want to know about when they're available.  Will it stop there?  With the Buick ads, I would guess no. Then the price should be lower.

I love my Kindle as a quiet refuge away from the advertising that surrounds me. But people will still have the choice of paying the usual $139 while the price remains at that level.

Update - After thinking on it more, I'll add that
  1. at least it is not (at this point) going into our Kindle books, and
  2. some who want a 'magazine' feel might like the ads :-)


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. 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.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!