Special Pages - Reports

Friday, September 30, 2011

Free Kindle Books (9/30) - 60 + Lower-cost discounted ones from forum alerts + Kindle discussions +Amazon deals

Sept. 30: Afternoon - 60 newly-free Kindle books



Today's Kindle Daily Deal
That link will bring up a new book each night at midnight.

Today's is Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, 284 customer reviews, 4.3 stars
Thursday's price: $3.99
Friday's discount: $3.00
Friday's Kindle Daily Deal Price: $0.99



TEMPORARILY-Free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is constantly on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted as they appear in Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a very popular, unfiltered daily set of release-alerts by Joyce.  The eBooks can become no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.


If, on this Home page listing (in orange), you see "MORE" books available,
* CLICK at the bottom to get the REST of any long listing of free books *


' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:

This is my second attempt to post the freebies ... due to a glitch with Amazon, I had to delete my first thread.

Unimagined: A Short Story

Crystals of Consequence

In the Image of Grace

The Girl in the Lighthouse (Arrington)

Common or Garden Dharma. Essays in Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. I

LZR-1143: Perspectives

  MORE... ( 54 more books: Click on "MORE" just below.)
*****

A look at what the new Kindle Touch 3G offers - some differences

KINDLE TOUCH 3G
Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display, 3G Works Globally

Notes about the new Kindle Touch 3G
The product page presentation begins with the feature that differentiates this device from the Kindle Touch (WiFi only):

  "Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees."

  "Kindle Touch 3G uses the same wireless signals as cell phones, so you don't need to worry about Wi-Fi connections, passwords or internet charges.  Unlike cell phones, with Kindle Touch 3G there are no monthly fees or commitments — Amazon pays for Kindle Touch 3G's wireless connectivity."

This model also comes with WiFi, local network access.

As with the older Kindle 3 with 3G (now called the Kindle Keyboard 3G),  it has Text-to-speech (TTS) , can read audio books and play mp3's, including podcasts

All Kindles can borrow from public libraries now.

I'll be pointing out only differences between the older and new model offering 3G, as it's easy enough to see what Amazon offers by just going to the Product page for the Kindle Touch 3G.  I very much recommend readers take the time to slowly go over that page.



UPDATE - Amazon Kindle Team has made an official response to this question.  The Kindle Touch 3G has a more limited use of its 3G connectivity in that the 3G has been enabled for connection only to the Kindle Store, to download books and periodicals, and to access Wikipedia.  The experimental web-browsing feature isn't enabled for 3G but can be used via WiFi.  The Kindle Keyboard 3G   (UK: Kindle Keyboard 3G), will still have its 3G enabled for the experimental web browser.

  Click on the link above to read the statement by Kindle Team.

Points to keep in mind, on this touchscreen Kindle:
You can tap  ("no need to swipe") to turn pages, so Amazon points out you can hold the Kindle in either hand.

   Speed. Even the Kindle Basic ($79 to $109) has been praised (it's already shipping) for its noticeably faster page turns and speedier processes in general, over the older keyboard models.

  A new feature named "X-Ray" is available on the new Touch models and Amazon explains it this way:
  "Explore the 'bones of a book.' With a single tap, see all the passages across a book that mention ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics of interest, as well as more detailed descriptions from Wikipedia and Shelfari."

  They reiterate that Amazon is providing "free cloud storage for all Amazon content" (meaning content you purchase from them -- music, video, as well as books).

  Battery Life:  Amazon used to base battery life on a rational 1 hour per day usage, but ever since
Barnes and Noble decided to base theirs on only 1/2 hour per day usage, and columnists picked up BN's results without looking at what daily usage it was based on,  Amazon has now changed its basis for
calculations, to match the 1/2 hour per day that Barnes and Noble apparently feels its users spend on books.
  So now, 2 months between charges  (with Wireless Off)  is claimed rather than 1 month.

  Also see Kindle Customer Service advisories on best battery maintenance practices.

  (I'm a Barnes and Noble card-carrying paid-member and am enjoying a NookColor, but this battery usage thing is for the birds, and I don't mean Angry ones, just BN's idea of disinterested ones.

  Content formats supported:  This isn't different from before, but it's often been said by people who don't know much about the Kindle, that the Kindle supports only Amazon's one format.  Here is the actual list of formats supported (this hasn't changed) :
  Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion


I'm really glad that Amazon is keeping the Kindle Keyboard models active, as there are many who still prefer even a clunky physical keyboard to a touchscreen one. The Kindle 3 (Kindle Keyboard) has been known for its beautiful screen contrast, moreover.

Amazon has more to say on the special features in the lower portion of their page, which may receive less views, so I'll add some of it here

New Touch Experience - EasyReach
"Amazon invented a new type of touch experience that eliminates the fatigue caused by continuously swiping to turn the page, and that allows readers to hold Kindle with either hand while still turning pages comfortably  

  Page turns and other navigation with this model:

    Tapping on most of the screen area will page forward,
        the most common action done when reading;
    tapping in a narrow area near the left edge of the device turns to the previous page; and
    tapping on the top part of the screen brings up the toolbars for further options."

Customer Fonts - as with Kindle 3 model:
  "... hand-built, custom fonts and font-hinting to make words and letters more crisp, clear, and natural-looking  ...  improving legibility at small font sizes where few pixels are available..."

Support for Non-Latin Characters
This hasn't changed since Kindle, but it bears repeating here:
  ... Kindle Touch displays Cyrillic (such as Russian), Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Korean characters, in addition to Latin and Greek scripts.

Full Image Zoom
(I miss this feature in reading normal books on my NookColor and it's said that the Adobe DRM format
for ePub has something to do with the limitation on that unit, which is otherwise very capable.)
"Images and photos display crisply on Kindle Touch 3G and can be zoomed to the full size of the screen."

Real Page Numbers
Again, many still don't know about this newer feature, which is on Kindle 3's as well.
  "Easily reference and cite passages or read alongside others in a book club or class with real page numbers.  ... we've created algorithms that match specific text in a Kindle book to the corresponding text in a print book, to identify the correct, "real" page number to display.

  Available on tens of thousands of our most popular Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions.
  Page numbers are displayed when you touch the top of the screen.  (On the Kindle 3, it's done by pressing the Menu button.)

Carry and Read Your Personal Documents
Few know about this feature, which is getting even more support now.
  "You and your approved contacts can e-mail documents – including Word, PDF and more - directly to your Kindle and read them in Kindle format.  Delivery via Wi-Fi is free; there is a small fee for delivery via 3G - see details.

NEW TO KINDLE 3 AND NEW E-INK KINDLES
  "Your personal documents will be stored in your Kindle library on Amazon and ready to download conveniently anywhere at any time. You can add notes, highlights and bookmarks, which are automatically synchronized across devices along with the last page you read using our Whispersync technology."
  (Nate Hoffelder (and Felix Torres) had first noticed this by viewing the ManageYourKindle webpage source code and noting variables for pdocs and archiving.)

  ALSO, as has been true for well over a year, "You can read your PDFs in their native format AND convert them to the Kindle format so that it reflows like a regular Kindle book"

Personal Kindle Book Lending
  Besides public-library lending, already mentioned, "each eligible book (eligibility determined by the publisher] can be lent once for a period of 14 days."  [Publishers have held B&N to the same personal-lending rules]

Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers
  This applies onlly to the "Special Offers" Kindle models, in this particular case the $149 Kindle Touch 3G.
Special offers are received on the unit, which also has sponsored screensavers seen only when not reading.
  Examples:
• $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
• Save up to $500 off Amazon's already low prices on select HDTVs
• $1 for a Kindle book, choose from thousands of books

Audible Audiobooks
As with previous models, you can listen to Audible books with the Kindle Touch 3G (as well as play mp3's).

DECISIONS
For those who are having a difficult time deciding on which of the many Kindles to get, be sure to see the "Compare Kindles" table on that product page, which comes with images of each model.  I haven't had time to give the WiFi-Only version of the Kindle Touch a thorough look yet, but the two devices should be the same except for the 3G module

  
If you have any questions on what you see in that table, please feel free to ask here, and you can also visit the Kindle Community forums where there is always help from other customers 24/7.



For daily free ebooks, check the following links:


Temporarily-free books - Non-classics
USA: by:
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK: PubDate   Popular

What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care
Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3
Most Popular Free K-Books
U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):
   Top 100 free
UK-Only:
   Top 100 free
USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):
  99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,
  99c Calendar,   99c Converter

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Clarification needed from Amazon re Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi's 3G-experimental web browsing feature or omission - Update

KINDLE TOUCH 3G/WIFI - Is free 3G web browsing now disabled?  Or is it just a product page error?

That's an important question for many in the Amazon Kindle Forums currently and in comments to this blog, as people are trying to make decisions on which model to purchase and that would be based on features or lack of features.

NOTE:  See follow-up posting on this with added update.

 In the product page wording for Kindle 3 (Keyboard) 3G/WiFi and for Kindle 4 Touch 3G/WiFi - Amazon's  presents the older keyboard Kindle (3rd Generation) as still having free 3G web browsing -- but on the product page for the new Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi (4th Generation), there is wording that indicates that free 3G web browsing is not enabled for the Kindle 3G Touch.  That wording is probably inaccurate, but we can't know, and it is Amazon's official presentation of features for the new Kindle.

  Since that would be a huge change from what has been true for years 2007 until September 2011, it's unlikely that Amazon would make that kind of change without saying something about it.

  Forum members have asked Kindle Customer Support about this and received reassurances that nothing's changed.  I'll include Kindle Customer Support's replies as reported by Kindle forum members and show the gist of the conversations there.  People just need to know which situation is true.

  Wording on free 3G experimental web browsing has been somewhat ambiguous for a year on the product pages for each country for which that is officially enabled.   The 3G pages for those countries  have said that this feature is available via WiFi.  However, it has never said "available ONLY on WiFi" and the feature HAS been available.  I've no doubt Amazon would want or need to discourage indiscriminate use of the 3G web browsing, and I think that's why it -has- been ambiguous.  Their entire business is based on clear communications, and they usually do well on that.

Below you'll see the stance taken by a few Kindle customer representatives today when customers called them - the gist of it is that 3G experimental web browser is active and is one of two methods.

 However, worse wording was found today by "mrb" under the "Battery Life" section of the product page for the Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi
' Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, downloading content, and web browsing (browsing available only in Wi-Fi mode). '
  That is definitely the first time I've seen the word "only" used on a product page in connection with a 3G Kindle model and WiFi and web browsing.

EARLIER, I had responded to a number of forum posts, with the following, having closely watched Amazon wording in the last year (since June 2010):

  "I'll point out one thing.  I'm sure they ARE de-emphasizing and discouraging [possible overuse of] 3G web browsing, but for the last year, the K3 descriptions for each country where free 3G web browsing IS allowed has always had this sentence without the word "also."  It has been just a declaration it's available via WiFi."

  And that's what the customer reps have said today in response to many called. 
  However, that written wording by Amazon on its product page would have had to be approved by someone and it can't be ignored when making a purchase decision.  I have asked Amazon about this as well but received no answer at this point.   I had explained I'd need to write about this as questions were coming in.

Here is the second page of just one of the Kindle forum threads today, this one showing the pro and con gist of the forum discussions and the alert by 'mrb' about the unusual, more definite, product-page wording that now includes the word "only"
' Posted on Sep 28, 2011 6:49:01 PM PDT
Brian Staff says:
I am wondering about this too, but after studying the language, I think you're reading too much into it.

"Kindle Touch 3G's experimental web browser is based on WebKit. It's easy to find the information you're looking for right from your Kindle Touch 3G. Experimental web browsing is available via Wi-Fi."

I think the intention here, is that if you want to browse the web, then you need to do via WiFi...(or 3G)

Here's hoping a good reviewer can confirm that before I place my order...

-------
Posted on Sep 28, 2011 6:49:36 PM PDT
dorsie says:
Shouldn't someone call Kindle CS first to verify before everyone cancels their orders? 1-866-321-8851

-------
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 28, 2011 6:52:54 PM PDT
Kindle booklover says:
I disagree. If it was available via both methods, they wouldn't have listed only one of them.

-------
Posted on Sep 28, 2011 7:00:23 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 18 hours ago
Kindle booklover says:
Sorry, folks, but I think this clinches it. The webkit description on the current (k3 3G) page is worded differently. In my opinion, the wording change for the new one is very deliberate and does means browsing will only be thru WiFi.

Kindle Keyboard:

WebKit-Based Browser
KindleKeyboard features an experimental web browser based on WebKit to provide a better web browsing experience. Now it's easier than ever to find the information you're looking for right from your Kindle. Experimental web browsing is FREE. (my caps)

WebKit-Based Browser Kindle Touch 3G's experimental web browser is based on WebKit. It's easy to find the information you're looking for right from your Kindle Touch 3G. Experimental web browsing is available via Wi-Fi.

-------
. . .
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 12:18:02 AM PDT
triplesss says:
I want web browsing via 3G! I'll cancel my hasty order for the Kindle Touch.

-------
. . .
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 7:42:47 AM PDT
Bryan L. Wheeler says:

Has anyone called Kindle Customer Support and asked them about this change in wording? Honestly, the free 3G service was never really meant to be used for any kind of serious web browsing, even if  "serious web browsing" to some only meant simply checking emails, etc...
. . .
Amazon obviously has had to cut a few corners to bring these newest devices to market as competitively as possible. I appreciate the vast improvements made to these new Kindles, and understand (and appreciate) why certain corners were cut to make them affordable, and appealing to as many customers, new and old, as possible.

So far, Amazon hasn't really made a truly bad decision in its steady march towards eReader domination. I think Amazon knows what it's doing, and I think Amazon knows all too well that, in the long run, "free" 3G service for web browsing is not all that important (or practical) to the vast majority of its Kindle e-ink device customers. :)

-------
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 7:50:18 AM PDT
triplesss says:
I just called KCS and a lady insisted (as I questioned her familiarity with Kindle Touch) "...we are trained in this...." She says the experimental Web browser is available via 3G and/or wifi. Her explanation was that the descriptor was applicable as well to Kindle Touch without 3G and that was why it cites the wifi capability.

-------
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 29, 2011 7:54:36 AM PDT
Bryan L. Wheeler says:
That's kind of what I figured, but it's nice to have it clarified.

-------
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 10:31:21 AM PDT
T. Roberson says:
I RECEIEVED AN OFFICIAL REPLY FROM AMAZON!

I emailed Amazon support yesterday, concerned about this apparent downgrading, here is the reply:

"Hello,

I'm sorry for any misunderstanding.

On Kindle Touch you can access experimental features including Text-to-Speech, MP3 Player, and the experimental web browser.

Thus, I can assure you that web browsing is available in Kindle Touch 3G like normal 3G kindle key board.
. . .
Sowmya.R"

So there you have it, web browsing is certainly available on the Kindle Touch 3G over 3G, just as on the previous-generation ("Kindle Keyboard 3G"). The OP should close this thread to end further confusion.

-------
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 29, 2011 10:35:33 AM PDT
Kessa says:
Also, I called them today (twice - the 1rst time, I forgot to be specific & ask if it you can use the Experimental Browser through just the 3G & not need to use the wi-fi). They did say that yes, you can use the 3G Experimental Browser on the Kindle Touch 3G. =)

I am glad that we both contacted them, the more the better I feel. LOL!

-------
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 12:42:45 PM PDT
mrb says:
If you read the charging specs for the 3g touch you will find this:
A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, downloading content, and web browsing (browsing available only in Wi-Fi mode).
Apparently you can only use the browser in Wi-Fi mode

-------
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 29, 2011 1:32:11 PM PDT
Kessa says:
I see that - obviously, KCS was wrong. =)

-------
. . .
In reply to an earlier post on Sep 29, 2011 2:08:08 PM PDT
Kindle booklover says:
I'm gonna say it--I told you so! (You everyone, not mrb.) I worked as an editor for a long time and wording changes like those in the webkit description are done very deliberately to subtly indicate a change that they don't want to advertise openly.

-------
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 2:12:50 PM PDT
Last edited by the author 46 minutes ago
Sophia Burns says:
I thought so too... guess I won't switch after all then. Hope they won't take it away from the KK... it's one feature I probably won't ever need... but it's SO good to have! '


So, it would appear that this was possibly or probably an error made on the product page for Kindle Touch-3G/WiFi and if that's so, then the wording should be changed, as it's Amazon's official presentation of the product and features that are the basis for purchases.

  Customer support responses can't supersede what Amazon itself writes, as we make buying decisions on those pages, and the transaction acts as a type of Agreement.  It just must be an error by the writer(s) for that page.

  However, if the error turned out to be in not advising Kindle Customer Support, then customers would  need to hear about it before deciding which Kindle to buy.  The Kindle Keyboard 3G/Wi clearly allows the feature, while it's not clear by the actual product marketing page what the situation is for the new Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi.   Actually, it IS "clear" but I think the official product page wording must be wrong, considering what so many Kindle Support reps are saying in rather firm ways.

I hope that Amazon will do something to clarify this, as buying decisions are being made by everyone.

Update - The Amazon UK table of free 3G web browsing in some countries (61 or so) is now using the words "Kindle Keyboard" rather than the Kindle 3G model.
 But they are not slated for the Kindle Touches at the moment (usually true when a new model is released).

Kindle Basic - 4th Generation, the User's Guide is online

KINDLE 4 BASIC USER'S GUIDE IS NOW AVAILABLE

The PDF and Kindle versions are both available at the top of the Kindle Documentation page.

This is for the Basic Kindle, 4th generation, without Touchscreen or Keyboard, $79 with Special Offers, and $109 without Special Offers.


Here are a few notes I took:

The Basic Kindle with no touchscreen or keyboard does have Previous and Next page buttons on both sides of the Kindle (as in past models), which makes it possible to hold it with one hand.

My favorite button the 'Back' button, and there's one here, on the left (bottom) and now a "Keyboard' button next to it, which will bring up a keyboard not unlike the diagram that is displayed when you press the "Sym key" on earlier Kindle 3's.

  You can select alpha or numerical characters, one by one, for input. Very slowly, of course, but this is a model for those who don't do much typing while reading and who want the smallest, lightest e-reader.
   Home and Menu buttons are there as well.  The familiar 5-way controller is in the center of the row.

The Kindle "can be charged via connection to a computer."
The Kindle power adapter is sold separately.  This is a first.  One way to keep the price lower, I guess.  But, what was that about Amazon Kindle customers not requiring a computer ?

Dictionary selection will be done with a click of the center of the 5-way controller and selecting "full definition" and ending with another center-click.

To view page numbers when they exist in a book, press the Menu button -- That means they have not made this optional for showing/hiding... a menu press is still needed to see page (and location) numbers.


I like that you can set the current local time, which was new with Kindle 3.

Despite the painful mode of inputting words or even phrases, the social network features such as Twitter and Facebook are available for sharing notes and highlights.

The Basic Kindle CAN highlight and annotate (slowly) PDF files (a newer feature they haven't given the DX Graphite (which costs $379 and was born 2 months before the Kindle 3, which uses the same Pearl screen).

Under Battery Safety the Guide reiterates:
" Your Kindle is not shipped with an AC adaptor. Your Kindle should only be charged using the USB
cable included with the device, or another USB cable approved for use with your Kindle, with
a compatible USB charger or USB port that meets the following requirements: USB-IF Battery
Charging Spec, Rev 1.2."

That's it.  It's a very short User's Guide, which points you to Amazon online Help pages  for more details.


Product Specifcations
Model Number — D01100
Display — 6" diagonal display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, 16-level gray scale.
Size — 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches by 0.34 inches (165.75 mm by 114.5 mm by 8.7 mm).
Weight — 6 ounces (170 g)
Storage — 2GB internal storage, with approximately 1GB available to the user.
Power — AC power adapter (sold separately) and rechargeable lithium polymer battery.
Connectivity — USB 2.0 (micro-B connector). 802.11b/g/n wireless modem in Kindle with
international wireless.
Operating temperature — 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C).
Storage temperature — 14°F to 113°F (-10°C to 45°C).
Wi-Fi — 802.11b/g/n




For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics
USA: by:
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK: PubDate   Popular

What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care
Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3
Most Popular Free K-Books
U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):
   Top 100 free
UK-Only:
   Top 100 free
USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):
  99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,
  99c Calendar,   99c Converter

Kindle software update v4.01 ready for Kindle 4 No-Touch

The Kindle No-Touch/No Keyboard $79-$109 Model is available right away and here's a software update for it already

Software v4.0.1 update for the Kindle 4 NoTouch/NoKeyboard model is already ready for download as an option.  What it does is allow you to have e-Ink refreshes on every page, as the default is to not have it refresh on each page.

  Both the Nook and Kobo Touch devices do not have e-Ink refreshes (aka black flash page-turn) on each page.  While that can be nice, others have found that the less frequent black flashes are more disconcerting when you're not used to seeing them (you can ignore something regular) and others did not like the dimming of the fonts that occurred with subsequent page turns.  So, now there will be an option.

  "After your Kindle is updated, it will have a new "Page Refresh" option within Kindle Settings for turning on/off page refresh on every page turn.

  I was not here last night and have not done info-pieces for the new e-Ink models, but will have those tomorrow.  In the meantime, all are pre-orderable but the other 2 new models are not available until Nov. 21 while this simple Kindle 4 with almost no features except WiFi, reading, lightness, is shipping.

 Any searches for words, or any instructions needing typing such as location number or typing the first alpha character for a title look-up, will require use of an on-screen keyboard-diagram via which you can use the front bottom controller to "select" each character one by one.  It also has no audio and therefore no speakers :-), which further means no text-to-speech (TTS) but not many seem to use that feature. Me? I'd pay the $20 additional and get the abiility to use other tools if/when I want.

However, it's only 6 oz's, is therefore very light and very small and may be good for those who never plan to do searches or much keyboard input. For some, size is very important, in snug purses, pockets, etc. Truly portable even if not my own preference.



Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Free & Low Cost Kindle Books (9/29) + Newly Discounted Books Alerts + New-Kindle discussions + Amzn Deals

Sept. 29: Morning - Interim posting, just the Kindle Daily Deal for now and updated pages for discounted-book alerts at the forums + various ways to find the free non-classics without seeing "peeks" or previews or chapters only...

No free books noted yet, and I'm focusing later today on sorting out info on the somewhat confusing assortment of new e-Ink Kindles and new features, since I wasn't here last night.  In the meantime, we do have answers to some of the questions that have come up.



Note: There have been quite a few Comments and Questions/Answers between those commenting to the New-Kindles posts the last two days.  I've answered with what I know so far, while others have chimed in with interesting information.  If you want to read about the things that have been brought up, see:

1. New Kindles - Intro Day (23 comments)

2. Kindle Fire - a bit more (12 comments)





Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)

The Saint, by Oliver Broudy, 45 customer reviews, 4.4 stars
    Daily Deal until the end of Thursday 9/29:
      Wednesday's Price: $1.99
      Thursday's Discount: $1.50
      Thursday's Daily Deal Price: $0.49 (75% off)

An Amazon Single (short) "Part profile, part travelogue, The Saint is an 85-page tale of true adventure ... author Oliver Broudy takes on a writing assignment that will change his life, following James Otis--a collector of Gandhi-related memorabilia and wealthy devotee of the great Mahatma--to India and beyond."



LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) forum thread:
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME includes a caution that it's not a book promotion thread for authors or for posts about indies or free books either.  "The thread is for discounts and price drops that many readers, especially Emily Bronte], find from publishers."
  Sept. 27-29



Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners.

Ongoing popular discussions
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles


Amazon's own ongoing listing of LIMITED-TIME OFFERS - Promos
  Amazon sorts these by Bestsellers first.
  I've added a by Low-to-High pricing.

Editors' Picks: $1.99-$3.99   thru' September
Free contemporary books: subsets
Filters out excerpts, chapters, previews
US:  by Last 30+ days  Sept 2011
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK:  by PubDate   Popular

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Kindle Fire - a bit more (which means quite a lot of things) - Update2

A QUICK LOOK AT THE KINDLE FIRE

I'll add to this blog article later.
Now that things have settled down some, here are some additional facts on the Kindle Fire 7" tablet (isn't it odd this is not just another Rumor story and that Amazon actually announced this?)

  Except that there's no SD slot nor functional USB port (except for cabled access), what it IS able to do, otherwise, has exceeded my own expectations for a speedy $200 device.

  First I was glad to see it was a dual-core processor instead of the almost insane-sounding single-core processor suggested in the earlier hands-on that Tech Crunch had and that the screen resolution is 1024 x 600 resolution at 169 ppi, with IPS (in-plane switching) technology (it should be beautiful on this size screen), AND anti-reflective treatment (which works well for the NookColor I have)

  It's not even a pound, at 14.6 ounces.

  Unlike the 6 GB storage guessed earier during the Tech Crunch hands-on that was given, it's 8GB internal, enough, Amazon says, for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
  As mentioned before, it could be that Amazon was lowering expectations when Tech Crunch received that unit.

  Most of us would like 16-64 gigs but the Cloud technology focus along with Amazon's Silk web browser feature that lets the Cloud do half the work in presenting your content promises a Cloud-accelerated experience on the Web.

  Adobe FLASH player is directly supported. (Most know that a primary tablet doesn't support it.)

Update1 The image at the right is from Engadget's photo gallery yesterday, and I was struck that, taken from the side, the image is very solid, with all the overhead lights.  Normally these won't photograph well from that angle. {End Update1]

The Speakers are top-mounted for once, so maybe we can hear the content rather than let the desk absorb it.   Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX) is supported, as are DOC, DOCX, the usual image files, and non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VPB.

  The warranty is 1-year Limited (will need to look at what that means). Optional 2-year extended warranty.

  *BUILT-IN EMAIL* app "that gets your webmail (Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, AOL etc) into a single inbox." You can import your messages and contact lists from other email accounts. Additional email apps are available in the Amazon Appstore.

  FREE PRIME TRIAL for one month. That gets you 10,000+ commercial-free  movies and tv shows (not the most current ones) and free 2-day delivery on Amazon orders.
  It's $79/year after that, something under $7/month.  Students are eligible for Prime, at half that price, currently.

  Amazon offers now over 100,000 streaming videos, including NEW releases and current TV shows (for a price of course but it has been less expensive than most places that do single item sales).

  Amazon has 800,000 book titles at $9.99 or under as well as there being over 2 million free, out of copyright, pre-1923 books also available to the tablet, as many know.

 They now have over 1000 "beautifully-illustrated children's books" (NookColor had the lead on that one).

  FREE CLoud Storage for your Amazon digital content. That's for all books, movies, music and apps purchased from Amazon. 5 gigs of cloud storage for each customer, globally, have come free for some time -- it's about $1/mo. more for each gig beyond that.  Amazon digital purchases never count against the maximum storage selected. So, of course they're banking on customers buying more from Amazon.

Extra Durable Display
Amazon calls this  their "state-of-the-art" Kindle Fire display -- "chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, making it extra durable and resistant to accidental bumps and scrapes.

Amazon's Whispersync technology -  "automatically sync your library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across your devices."

On Kindle Fire, Whispersync extends to video.  Start streaming a movie on Kindle Fire, then pick up right where you left off on your TV - avoid the frustration of having to find your spot.  Here is more information on Kindle Whispersync

Update2 - CAVEAT - 3G:  Although the iPad did not have a cellular network 3G model for a few months when it was first released, Amazon Kindle users are used to being able to access the Net with free (very slow e-Ink-style) 3G web browsing and that has worked well for me for Net lookups when out and about.  I don't do data contracts for my phone as it's not worth it for me.

  This first Amazon tablet, like the first iPad, also does NOT have 3G network access. So if you are not near a local WiFi network, you won't be able to access the Net, much less that Cloud and its Amazon Silk browser service.

  You saw above how many videos or books will fit on the device locally -- 80 apps plus "10 movies" (that could NOT be at HD size though) "or 800 songs or 6,000 books" -- you would view those without a Net connection

  However, you will also be able to store your videos on Amazon's Cloud storage and redownload them as needed for offline viewing.  While there is basic storage given for any customer, it's "only" 5 gigs/yr but any movie, music or books bought from Amazon will get free storage that doesn't count against storage limits.

  At one point they offered unlimited storage (in a year) for all your music received from anywhere, in addition to storing other files within the max) for $20/yr and I wouldn't be surprised if they make similar offers for the Kindle Fire.
  I'll keep a watch on those, as usual though, to make sure people are aware of that type of promo.  While Kindle users had little reason to care about music or video storage, that'll be different for the tablet. [End of Update2]

Will look over more carefully the other new devices and update the pages on this site also.

Attached is the usual footer that shows what types of book-buying deals exist at Amazon -- and the Kindle 3 keyboard models and the larger DX Graphite are still for sale and in-stock, for those who don't want touchscreens.



Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   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.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

FROM Live event - the Four New KIndles



Preliminary information - a lot of it, on product pages for these new Kindles (links below)
Videos are at the pages along with the usual voluminous information.

ALL prices are, first, with "screensavers" (meaning "Special Offers")
 (Amazon's front page omits 3G touch Kindle 4.)

  NOTE: An added $30 to $30 gets a Kindle with No Special Offers or ads on screensavers.  But as someone mentioned, one special offer was $200 off even Mac laptops at Amazon.  See the product pages.

THE NEW KINDLES
Kindle 4 NoTouch
  NO touchscreen, no audio - Controller at bottom -- $79 w/screen-offers, $109 w/o (Shipping now)
CAUTION To do searches or to type anything, you'll need to click through an onscreen keyboard and select each letter. No $20 saving can be worth that kind of pain, BUT it is smaller and lighter, so those wanting only passive reading and lightest pocketable mode might go for this.

Kindle 4 Touch, WiFi
  Touchscreen, WiFi, audio, etc. -- $99 w/screen-offers, $139 w/o

Kindle 4 Touch, 3G/WiFi
  Touchscreen, 3G, Wifi, audio, etc. -- $149 with w/screen offers, $189 w/o

Kindle Fire
  An amazing assortment of unusual features that are sped up by Amazon's Cloud feature.
  MULTI-touch despite early reports from TechCrunch - $199 Period :-)



The all new web browser, why is it so much faster?
From the the About Amazon Silk webpage with video (definitely for tech-heads), here's the opening paragraph:
' As you’ll see in the video below, Silk isn’t just another browser.  We sought from the start to tap into the power and capabilities of the AWS infrastructure to overcome the limitations of typical mobile browsers. 

  Instead of a device-siloed software application, Amazon Silk deploys a split-architecture.  All of the browser subsystems are present on your Kindle Fire as well as on the AWS cloud computing platform. 

  Each time you load a web page, Silk makes a dynamic decision about which of these subsystems will run locally and which will execute remotely. 

  In short, Amazon Silk extends the boundaries of the browser, coupling the capabilities and interactivity of your local device with the massive computing power, memory, and network connectivity of our cloud.'

EXCELLENT Gizmodo article on Amazon Silk browser.  And, as they did often in the live blogging, they use the word "awesome" again.



From live event today - tweeted sporadically. Use 2nd link for better reading -- Just a few thoughts that stood out while watching the feeds.  Not really worth clicking on these.

Sorry for the link mixups earlier today.

http://twitter.com/kindleworld
   or
tweetree.com/kindleworld

The second one has the images from Gizmodo during the event, as they were doing them.

These are just notes I made to the page at the time, while reading & tweeting:
$149-$199 Kindle Fire with fast web browsing because the Cloud caches portions of it for you. Switch from your Kindle Fire to your TV and back.

Comments at Gizmodo tended to be about how awesomely fast and capable it was.  The entire contents of Amazon digital are available to the Kindle Fire (didn't say which portions of it were for x number of $)

Kindle Fire delivered Nov. 15
The Kindle-Touch models, November 21
Basic Kindle No-Touch/No-Keyboard ready now
All are availble for pre-order

Prices with special offers as quoted during live event
Amazon Kindle $149 - FREE 3G (and WiFi) with touchscreen (W/o special offers, $189)

Kindle $99 - Touchscreen with WiFi - (W/o Special Offers, $139)

See That Kuo! to see just how accurate his report against the trends was the day before.
Kuo was the only one to say Touchscreen Kindles were being announced
Details in his tables are still of interest.
He also had said the Kindle Fire would be $199, more likely, than $250-$300.

Glad it has a dual-core processor rather than the single-chip mentioned earlier.
It's also great that they didn't just call this "The Kindle" -- that seems reserved for the wee $79 one that has no touchscreen and no keyboard, and is meant for passive-reading most, although you can use an onscreen table to 'select' your alpha characters (Ouch!)

See Amazon's page
  and their short video on it there, to learn more about how new Fire browser, Amazon Silk, works using "raw computational horsepower of Amazon EC2

Free Kindle Books (9/28) - 4 + Newly Discounted Books Found by Forumners + Amzn Deals

Sept. 28: Morning - 4 newly-free Kindle books (afternoon)


Marysvale
, by Jared Southwick, 37 customer reviews, 4.8 stars, $0.00

Sounds like a fantasy/horror-thriller, although it's not listed that way.  Readers seem to really enjoy it


The Symphony of Leif, by Paul Y. Csige, 13 customer reviews,, 4.9 stars, $0.99

"The Symphony of Leif" is a fictional novel but is loosely based on a year I spent at a Scientology boarding school when I was a young boy."
"Catcher in the Rye' meets 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' in contemporary times." -- Kathleen Istudor, Screenwriter



Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)

Farewell, by Eric Raynaud (Author), Sergei Kostin (Author), Richard V. Allen (Foreword), Catherin Cauvin-Higgins (Translator),
18 customer reviews, 4.2 stars
    Daily Deal until the end of Wednesday 9/28:
      Tuesday's Price: $7.99
      Wednesday's Discount: $7.00
      Wednesday's Daily Deal Price: $0.99 (88% off)

The story of "Vladamir Ippolitovitch Vetrov, a promising technical student," who joined the KGB to work as a spy.  ...after some "murky incidents," he was given a desk job as an analyst and turned to alcohol.  "...needing redemption, he offers his services to the (French) DST.  Thus, Agent Farewell is born.  He uses his post within the KGB to steal and photocopy files of the USSR's plans for the West..." This book was written after the release of the film L'Affaire Farewell, starring Willem Dafoe.
  "...Kostin and Raynaud provide groundbreaking insight into the man whose life helped hasten the fall of the Soviet Regime."
  An interview with Sergei Kostin is at the product page and includes many interesting photographs of secret agent Vetrov.



LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) forum thread:
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME includes a caution that it's not a book promotion thread for authors or for posts about indies or free books either.  "The thread is for discounts and price drops that many readers, especially Emily Bronte], find from publishers."
  Sept. 27-28



Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners.

Ongoing popular discussions
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles



Newly free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is constantly on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted as they appear in Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a very popular, unfiltered daily set of release-alerts by Joyce.  The eBooks can become no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.


If, on this Home page listing (in orange), you see "MORE" books available,
* CLICK at the bottom to get the REST of any long listing of free books *


' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:

Dead Reckoning
Author: Ronie Kendig
Genre: Romance - Suspense - Action - Adventure - Military

*If this book was previously offered, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to find that information. But, I'm sure there are some Kindlers that might have missed or newbies that would like to "one-click. *

DESCRIPTION: Dead Reckoning is the story of a young woman anxious to abandon the crushing effects of her father's espionage career only to find herself tangled in the very web of mystery and intrigue that consumed his life. Underwater archeologist Shiloh Blake is consumed with passion for the water and inflamed at the injustices of life, blaming her secret agent father for her mother's death. When her first large-scale dig traps her ...

  MORE... ( The rest of this plus 3 more book listings follow:
  Click on "MORE" just below.)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

AppleInsider predicts Kindle E-Ink eReader announcements Wed. also. - Update

E-Ink Kindle 4 also?  AppleInsider thinks so.

AppleInsider's article was unexpected.  While I (and many others) have been hoping for a new eInk eReader release, no other electronics site has said anything about the eInk model, much less two.

Tucked away under the headline,"Amazon Kindle, tablet lineup will test the water for bigger form factors in 2012" are statements that Wednesday's announcements will include release information on "two new Kindle e-reader models" as well as the 7" Kindle tablet.

  AppleInsider's Josh Ong posted the article at 5:44 PM PST, the page says, and after noticing the wording, I waited to see if other gadget news sites would have something similar.

  I didn't find any.  Also, the AppleInsider often cites Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as telling them what he knows but without a link, as there's no website involved.

  Ong writes last night (Monday) that Kuo "has detailed three new products" to be announced on Wednesday at Amazon's media event. Also see Update

 So, here is what Ong has written, based on what Kuo tells AppleInsider -- the information that Kuo has, differs some, Ong says, from what TechCrunch's MG Siegler has.  Ong opens right off with:
' Online retailer Amazon is set to release two new Kindle e-reader models and an aggressively-priced 7-inch media tablet on Wednesday, as the company feels out the market in advance of larger 10.1-inch and 8.9-inch tablets planned for next year, according to a new report. '

Well, that's quite a statement.  Comments section is focused on the Amazon tablet and no one has mentioned the e-readers that Kuo gives more details for, further into the story and which I'll repeat here (even if it turns out he's wrong -- it's just too interesting not to pass along.


FIRST, AN INTERESTING BIT ON THE TABLET, QUITE DIFFERENT FROM TECHCRUNCH'S
   While Siegler prepared us for the possibility the Amazon tablet will be $300 rather than $250, Kuo has other ideas.  All along, Amazon would have had to be thinking of managing expectations, I thought today, when Siegler's price estimate went up in his TechCrunch column.

  Here's Kuo on that:
' According to a channel check by Kuo, the bill-of-materials for the device is expected to be $180.
  Amazon may choose to price the device at an aggressive $199, Kuo said.  That's cheaper than the $250 price that an earlier report had suggested. '

  Ong also says that despite what TechCrunch has reported re Kindle Fire launching the 2nd week of November, Kuo "expects the device to launch in late September..."


TWO E-INK READERS?
And the key information for those of us who are interested in continuation of the Kindle e-Ink eReader line, with whatever improvements they have in mind, heres what Kuo is telling AppleInsider as of yesterday, or what would be called the "money paragraph" *IF* Kuo has strong basis for his information:
' In addition to its much-anticipated media tablet, Amazon will also release two new versions of its popular Kindle e-reader, Kuo noted.  The low-end version, codenamed Tequila, may cost as little as $99 and will feature a Freescale i.MX515 processor with an integrated controller that should provide "better system design and lower cost."

The high-end Kindle, which is codenamed Whitney, will sport the same processor, while also including features missing on the Tequila, such as touch controls, 3G connectivity and a speaker.  According to Kuo, the Whitney will not arrive until early October because of a "more complicated design and assembly." '

For Kuo's expectations on how many units Amazon will ship, of the tablet and the two e-Ink readers, by the end of 2011, as well as other descriptions, see Ong's full story.  The figures are high.

A commenter to the story writes he's heard these rumors.  But there are no other reports like this out there as of this morning (early Tuesday).

  If you hear more either way, on that or on Kuo as a reliable analyst, please let us know in the comments area.

REMINDER: I have *NO* idea at all whether Kuo's information has strong basis behind it, but his info seems quite trusted by AppleInsider.  His information is based on "industry contacts" and "supply chain sources."


Update - Also note that after discussing the 10" tablet expected in early 2012, Ong references Kuo on something else that's very interesting:
' The company is also reportedly preparing an 8.9-inch tablet with an "amazing form factor" for release in the second half of 2012, though suppliers are said to be having a tough time meeting Amazon's requirements for the device. '

I imagine that might be the hybrid dual-screened (back-to-back) e-paper/LCD screen that many have said is an actual work project at Amazon for next year.



For daily free ebooks, check the following links:
Temporarily-free books - Non-classics
USA: by:
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK: PubDate   Popular

What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care
Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3
Most Popular Free K-Books
U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):
   Top 100 free
UK-Only:
   Top 100 free
USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):
  99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,
  99c Calendar,   99c Converter


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

Free Kindle Books (9/27) + Newly Discounted Books Found by Forumners + Amzn Deals

Sept. 27: Morning - 2 newly-released Kindle books so far


Age Smart
:
, by Jeffrey Rosensweig and Betty Liu, 10 customer reviews, 5.0 stars, $0.00

Each reviewer gives it 5 stars.
"It’s not about staying young, but aging well." -- Midwest Book Review

"Rosensweig and Liu, a finance professor and a business journalist, respectively, offer a “holistic approach to aging smart..." "...based on staying productive, staying active, and staying young in body and mind..."



True Detective (Nate Heller), by Max Allan Collins, 9 customer reviews, 5.0 stars, $1.99

Each reviewer gives it 5 stars. Amazon.com interview with the author is on the product page.
"Max Allan Collins is the author of the Shamus Award-winning Nathan Heller historical thrillers; his other books include the New York Times bestseller Saving Private Ryan and the bestselling CSI series.  His comics writing ranges from the graphic novel Road to Perdition, source of the Tom Hanks film, to long runs as scripter of the 'Dick Tracy' comic strip and his own innovative 'Ms. Tree.'"



Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)

West of the Tularosa, by Louis L'Amour, 1 customer review, 5 stars
  by someone who loves his books in general but hasn't read this one
    Daily Deal until the end of Tuesday 9/27:
      Monday's Price: $5.59
      Tuesday's Discount: $4.60
      Tuesday's Daily Deal Price: $0.99 (82% off)

From the product and editorial description: "A collection of classic L’Amour stories, restored to their original magazine versions"
Amazon description: "...self-described "troubadour, village tale-teller, man in the shadows of a campfire"--a storyteller for all times."



LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) forum thread:
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME
  Sept. 26-27



Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners.

Ongoing popular discussions
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles



Newly free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is constantly on the lookout on behalf of forum members.
  Just two this morning: See 9/27/11 - morning. ( Link: amzn.to/kfree0927 )



Amazon's own ongoing listing of LIMITED-TIME OFFERS - Promos
  Amazon sorts these by Bestsellers first.
  I've added a by Low-to-High pricing.

Editors' Picks: $1.99-$3.99   thru' September
Free contemporary books: subsets
Filters out excerpts, chapters, previews
US:  by Last 30+ days  Sept 2011
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK:  by PubDate   Popular



Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   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.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Amazon Kindle Tablet and BN Nook forces poised at High Noon, ready to Fire

TECHCRUNCH'S MG SIEGLER GETS THE WORD AGAIN

MG Siegler got the news today, and from the time he first posted the mock-up you see at the left, done by a compatriot, TechCrunch has replaced the lead image of the mockup with a more descriptive one.

  He writes that the Kindle name is now "Kindle Fire" - with the idea, I guess, that this will spread like wildfire, or a person buying it will be "afire" with Amazon's latest kindling of interest in reading and digital information in general. :-)  Now that'll include streaming of video and audio through its own (but outsourced) tablet.  Someone had earlier guessed the name "Aspire" but that would have left it always short of a goal, so that must have never really had fans.


Outstanding "off-topic" detail
Ryan Block, from gdgt.com writes that Amazon's Lab126 group which develops the Kindle eReader, decided not to take on the tablet project, "in favor of continuing to work solely on next-gen E-Ink-based devices."  (Computer-bound feet doing a happy dance) Yay!


Quanta and the RIM Playbook
So, Amazon turned to Quanta (which Digitimes has been correct about in saying, some time ago, that Quanta was producing the 7" Amazon tablet).  RIM had originally outsourced much of the hardware design and production of the Playbook to Quanta, which builds and sometimes helps design, Block says, hardware for name brands.

  Block's story is that the development process made a shortcut by using the RIM PlayBook as their hardware template.  He says it's meant as a 'stopgap' measure, with the Spring tablet to be The One, and most have agreed that Amazon itself has as its main focus its own larger tablet which isn't due for months.  He mentions a slow processor for the current, smaller one.

  Even then, the Kidnle Fire won't be ready to ship, Siegel says, until the second week of November, from what TechCrunch has learned.

Lowering expectations as a strategy?
  But then Siegel's now much-read original article in early Sept., describing what he had, in hand, had said this 7" tablet  likely did NOT even use a dual-core processor, only a single-core one!  I had hoped out loud he was definitely wrong on that one!, and it appears he was, somehow.  Siegel reports today it has a dual-core processor after all.

  I've been hoping Amazon has been leaking information that would cause gadget sites to underestimate the 7" tablet, but it's nevertheless definitely *modest* in aspirations and in what is on it, which will keep the cost lower.  The sense is that it's entirely utilitarian and there's nothing snazzy about it whatsoever.

The Ease of Use thing
I'lll add a thought -- re its not being a normal 'open' Android system -- of course it's not.  Amazon wants a controlled, easy to use interface for an audience that wants ease of use, above all,  and a bare Android device would require 25/7 customer support without letup.

  With the stock Android, I browse the web nicely with the really interesting but discontinued Entourage Pocket Edge (rooted and on version 2.2.1 and with a dual-screen setup that is a lot of fun),  but then I need to call an app like FREEdi to get the YouTube videos which this now basic Android tablet then presents in full-screen, although not with the beauty of the NookColor's smaller YouTube displays -- but NookColor's tended-garden has a controlled, easy-to-use interface, even if it's a bit buggy.  I'm looking forward to what B&N does with NookColor 2, said to be announced within a month.

 The first-generation NookColor does have a single-core processor, I read, but the NookColor 2 will almost surely have a dual-processor chip -- and a $350 model is also due from B&N, which means (in my mind) a larger, more capable, second tablet or one with 3G access in addition to WiFi. 

As I say, the online bookstore e-forces are almost at the top of the hill, ready for battle :-)

Back to Amazon:
   Giving thanks skyward, I am glad to add that Siegel says the KTab he held is
' much better than the PlayBook because the software is better and, more importantly, the content available is much better. '

  In addition to Amazon's own custom version of Android, it uses the Amazon AppStore of course.  While I've found it pretty good (and generally helpful to new users),  Siegel says that Amazon has "been rounding up the big app makers to get them on board for the Fire launch, I'm told."

Movies, TV, MP3s, colorful magazines tailored to the 7" form factor
  I mentioned yesterday that Amazon signed a deal with 20th Century Fox for streaming of movies and tv shows, a service "which will be a key part of the Fire."

  The big magazines are on board too, Peter Kafka says, except for TIME, which won't be ready "in time" but then TIME still hasn't done a subscription arrangement with Apple either.
  Kafka also mentions that Amazon is already a 'huge partner for many of them, as a marketing platform for their ink-and-paper titles.  Hearst and Amazon shared a press release earlier this month, which noted that "Amazon will become Haerst's single-largest third-party seller of PRINT subscriptions for its magazins via digital channels."

 Siegler adds that industry sources say publishers have tailored some of their titles for the 7" tablet that Amazon will be introducing on Wednesday.  Some publishers have, of course, already done this for the NookColor.  The National Geographic magazine that's on  that 7"NC  is just stunning and is the main reason I really like it, although I enjoy the very portable color web browser too, despite having no highlight, copy or paste tools!


Other details, from Siegler:
  . No email client, but, he points out, you'll be able to get one from the Appstore or -- as I do -- use my regular web mail on the browser.
  . Uses a TI dual-core OMAP chip - the same chip used inside many newer Android devices. &He 'guesses' the clock speed (why 'guess' with his sources?)  at 1.2 GHz, and if he's correct, that "would make it significantly faster than the NookColor, which uses an 800 MHz OMAP chip."
      BUT the NC2 will be built on top of "Gingerbread" (Android 2.3), he hears, which will put the NC ahead of Amazon in that regard.

  As has been said, NookColor 2 team is lined up and ready, after maybe learning from almost a year on the first model (though their NC updates do not confirm this idea or maybe their goals have not been high).  Still, NookColor 2 should be formidable, but I will stress, their e-device customer-service is definitely not, while Amazon's has been superior.

Whispers
Siegler *now* says that he hears floating whispers (reminds me of the TV Series LOST!) that the price could be $300 with Amazon's Prime program and $250 without it.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   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.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Free Kindle Books (9/26- morn') - 8 + Newly Discounted Books Found by Forumners + Amzn Deals

Sept. 26: Morning - 8 newly-released Kindle books on Sunday so far


The Other side of Wall Street
: In Business It Pays to Be an Animal, In Life It Pays to Be Yourself
, by Todd Harrison, 50 customer reviews, 4.2 stars, $0.00  (25% the size of a novel)

"...pulls back the curtain on Wall Street." -- Martin Dunn, former Editor-in-Chief, New York Daily News
"Harrison is a brilliant trader with a poet's heart" -- Diane Galligan, Managing Editor, Yahoo! Finance



Pumpkin Cookbook
, by Gooseberry Patch, 2 customer reviews, 4 stars, $0.00

Timely. :-)   20 pumpkin recipes



Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina, 152 customer reviews, 4.4 stars
    Daily Deal until the end of Monday 9/26:
      Sunday's Price: $7.16
      Monday's Discount: $5.67
      Monday's Daily Deal Price: $1.49 (79% off)

"Oliver Sacks meets Getting Things Done." --- Cory Doctorow, co-editor of Boing Boing
The brain sciences ... "...developmental molecular biologist Medina...employs an appealing style" -- Reed Business Information - Elsevier



LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) forum thread:
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME includes a caution that it's not a book promotion thread for authors or for posts about indies or free books either.  "The thread is for discounts and price drops that many readers, especially Emily Bronte], find from publishers."
  Sept. 25-26

ALSO, New,
Joan Long says:
Now, for a limited time, you can get language teaching apps for Spanish, Italian, French and German. These active content apps are now at a special price of .99 each. Just search for 24/7 Tutor in the Kindle store. There are vocabulary and basic phrases in each language. Look at the screen shots for a better idea of what they do. I highly recommend them, especially at this special price.




Other current forum threads that might interest someg
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners.

Ongoing popular discussions
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles



Newly free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is constantly on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted as they appear in Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a very popular, unfiltered daily set of release-alerts by Joyce.  The eBooks can become no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.

' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:

15 Expert Lessons for Retirement Planning (Collection)
Author: Steve Weisman
Genre: Business - Investing

DESCRIPTION: Everything you need to know to build a financially secure retirement, starting today! These 15 concise, expert, easy-to-use mini-guides cover every aspect of retirement financial planning! Systematically reduce your retirement risk... save more wisely... protect IRAs and 401(k)s...assess where you stand, and what Social Security will and won't deliver... decide when to retire... budget and plan for life after retirement... and much more!

  MORE... ( 7 more books: Click on "MORE") just below.
*****