Kindle News: Amazon gives some stats on its GameCircle social platform & Android tablet market share

Another Amazon offering with an added social layer

The normally tight-mouthed Amazon offered a few stats at the GDC conference in San Francisco, in connection with its GameCircle platform, launched last September alongisde the Kindle Fire 2nd Gen and HD models.

  This platform has a social layer for competition between players, which lets "players track how they're doing in games compared to friends," explains Polygon's Christopher Grant, who reports today on Amazon's sudden loquaciousness during a reception for developers and press in connection with its growing game business.

  Aaron Rubenson, director of Amazon's Appstore Initiative, wanted the group to know that, as Grant put it:

' GameCircle-enabled games have 80 percent more revenue per user (RPU) than non-GameCircle-enabled games.  Developers that have included GameCircle support in their games are a third more likely to convert free users to paid, and players are a third more likely to make in-app purchases, Rubenson said '

That's us! It's good news, though, that they'll be letting developers keep more of those payments after some real concerns about how the timing of promotions and "severity of discounts" were not proving beneficial to the creators of these apps.  Rubenson explains that they "changed these terms last year" and the new terms, Grant writes, "guarantee developers their usual 70 percent of the list price, regardless of what price Amazon drops it to..."

  The Free App of the Day doesn't work the same way though.  The guarantee isn't in effect but the developers "are compensated for making the game available."

  Amazon presented data from Localytics indicating, according to Grant's writeup, that Amazon has 56% of the U.S. Android tablet market and 33% of the worldwide tablet market.  That seems very high, but Apple is way ahead of other platforms, including Android, on this (having over 75% of that tablet market), so we are talking rapidly growing market share of a small subset so far, though not necessarily for long, the way Android is doing on smartphones.

  Several monitors of use and traffic on the web with respect to apps use have shown the Kindle Fire with a fast-growing share of the Android-based pack's share, often neck and neck with Samsung.

  On February 13, I posted the following about a January 2013 status report which I'll repeat here.

Is Kindle Fire going worldwide?
In more good news for Amazon, Localytics found that, as I Programmer reports, "Amazon's Kindle Fire accounts for a third of Android tablets on a global basis, even though it is available in only a handful of countries outside the United States."

  Of more interest to me, though, was the quote that I Programmer has from an Amazon rep:

' Localytics goes on to remind us that to date the Kindle Fire isn't even available in Canada, although at the recent launch event of the Kindle Paperwhite in Canada, Amazon’s VP in charge of the Kindle noted that they are working hard to launch the Fire lineup worldwide which should provide a boost for Android developers. '

The Localytics story has an interesting graph from January 2013 that I'll include here:

---

FREE KINDLE BOOKS - NON-Classics Today + Under $1

Kindle Fire News: Kindle Fire HD (7 and 8.9 inch) + Kindle Fire (2nd Gen) get large software updates 7.3.0, 8.3.0, and 10.3.0

Amazon announces software update for the Kindle Fire HD 7", 8.9" and Kindle Fire 2nd generation models

The notice was in a forum post, dated May 27, which I looked for after seeing a reference in a news article to a new feature we've been waiting for: the ability to read Kindle books that contain audio and/or video clips (formerly possible only with the iPad and other iOS devices).

There are a number of new features for each, including some that were introduced with the Kindle Paperwhite, (which Forbes described yesterday as "the consensus best e-reader on the market."

  I'll include the full forum post here (boldface for emphasis and bracketed notes are mine).
  Am also adding UK software pages:

' Initial post: Mar 27, 2013 2:18:39 PM PDT

Kevin G. - Community Manager says:
  Amazon Official

We have a new, free software update available for Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Kindle Fire HD 7" and Kindle Fire (2nd Generation). The software update will be delivered wirelessly and includes several new features and performance enhancements.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9":
* Change your device language - Set your default device language to one of eight languages, including English (U.S.), English (U.K.), German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified).
* Track your reading progress with Time To Read - Kindle Fire HD 8.9" calculates your reading speed to let you know when you'll finish a chapter or book.
* Support for Kindle Editions with Audio/Video - You can now read books that contain audio and/or video clips.
* Print Replica Textbook Enhancements - Scroll through thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to preview pages and jump quickly between chapters, and mark important notes and highlights in your Notebook for easy reference.

Please see the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Software Update page for more information:
  [v8.3.0 here]   [UK software page].

    [XRay for textbooks isn't mentioned for the 8.9" model -- maybe an oversight.]

Kindle Fire HD 7":
* Support for X-Ray for Textbooks - Explore the "bones" of your textbook, and access all the most important terms and concepts, with glossary definitions and links to relevant textbook pages.
* Simplified Chinese Support - In addition to the other languages offered, you can now change your device language to Simplified Chinese.
* Track your reading progress with Time To Read - Kindle Fire HD 7" calculates your reading speed to let you know when you'll finish a chapter or book.
* Support for Kindle Editions with Audio/Video - You can now read books that contain audio and/or video clips.
* Print Replica Textbook Enhancements - Scroll through thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to preview pages and jump quickly between chapters, and mark important notes and highlights in your Notebook for easy reference.

Head over to the Kindle Fire HD 7" Software Update page for more details:
  [v7.3.0 here].   [UK software page].

Kindle Fire 2nd Generation:
* Support for X-Ray for Textbooks - Explore the "bones" of your textbook, and access all the most important terms and concepts, with glossary definitions and links to relevant textbook pages.
* Simplified Chinese Support - In addition to the other languages offered, you can now change your device language to Simplified Chinese.
* Track your reading progress with Time To Read - Kindle Fire 2nd Generation calculates your reading speed to let you know when you'll finish a chapter or book.
* Support for Kindle Editions with Audio/Video - You can now read books that contain audio and/or video clips.
* Print Replica Textbook Enhancements - Scroll through thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to preview pages and jump quickly between chapters, and mark important notes and highlights in your Notebook for easy reference.

The Kindle Fire 2nd Generation Software Update page contains information on how to manually install the update if you'd prefer:
  [v10.3.0 here].   [UK software page].

If you need assistance with one of these updates, please visit the Kindle Help Forums. '

IF Choosing to Manually Download This Version

(instead of waiting for it to arrive via WiFi)
This update automatically downloads and installs for most Kindle Fire customers; however, you can initiate the software update from your Kindle or manually download the software update via USB (some use the excellent WiFi File Explorer PRO app rather than the USB cable hookup).

Again -- before you begin, confirm your current software version:

1. KF: Tap the top of the device -- KFHD: Swipe down from the top of the screen.
     Then tap More.
2. Tap Device, and then tap About.

The instructions for manually downloading -- if needed -- the update via USB are at the software update pages mentioned above.  Most will find it more convenient to have the update arrive via the automated download.

NOTE that when it does arrive, your Kindle Fire will reboot and sometimes it does that twice, so don't be alarmed when it happens while it's idle and you're nearby.


EARLIER posts on Kindle Fire HD

  . Getting non-Amazon apps on Kindle Fires (non-HD Kindle Fires have storage space limitations)
  . More comparisons on iPad mini and Kindle Fire HD
  . Basic Features Comparison Table for iPad mini, Google Nexus 7", Kindle Fire HD 7"
  . Comparison reviews of the Kindle Fire HD 7" and Google Nexus 7" tablets
  . Step-by-step guide for installing a working Adobe Flash player when needed.
  . Google Maps, Street View and other apps on my Kindle Fire, via enabling one device setting
  . Downloading and playing YouTube videos on Kindle Fire HD
  . Using the camera and Video, Panorama mode, Time Lapses
  . App for WiFi file transfers w/o cable.

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle News: Kindle Fire (First Generation) maintenance update v6.3.2. was ready March 8, 2013

KINDLE FIRE FIRST GEN SOFTWARE UPDATE v6.3.2 has been ready at the Amazon Kindle software page since Mar. 8, 2013

This is not a large update like the ones announced March 27 for the 2nd Generation Kindle Fires, and no notice was given for this.  Those without WiFi accessible or turned 'On' won't know it's been ready for awhile.

I just noticed it while writing about the major upgrades for the 2nd gen Kindle Fires this week.

If you haven't received it and you don't want to wait for the automatic download via WiFi
  You can download v6.3.2 at the software-update page (good instructions there).  The last version, v6.3.1, was released in May 2012.

Here's the extremely brief announcement Amazon placed on that software update page a few weeks ago.

'We have a new, free software update available for Kindle Fire 1st Generation that includes bug fixes and performance improvements.  The software update will be delivered automatically via wireless.

EARLIER posts on Kindle Fire v6.3.x
Kindle Fire v6.3 features
READING VIEW feature

Kindle News: Goodreads acquisition, background + interviews. Cloud Reader for Web.

AMAZON'S ACQUISITION OF GOODREADS

When the news hit, The Kindle Chronicles podcast and blog by Len Edgerly posted an interesting story on it right away giving some of the background of Goodreads.


Otis Chandler's announcement for Goodreads and comments from their user base
Goodreads' own announcement and comments from their audience is of course a key read.

  Another essential read is ' "First do no harm:" My interview with Amazon and Goodreads on the future of Goodreads ' by Laura Hazard Owen for paidContent.

One essential point made in the interviews:

' ...[Amazon's] Grandinetti says Goodreads will be an independent subsidiary of Amazon, like Zappos or IMDB. The site will remain based in San Francisco. Chandler remains CEO, reporting to Grandinetti.  Chandler said that Goodreads’ entire team is staying on (and that the company is hiring). To the question of a redesign, he said there is “nothing specific to mention in relation to the acquisition.”'

With regard to a merging of Amazon reader reviews and Goodreads' reviews, Russ Grandinetti [RG] says he thinks there aren't any "specific plans to do that at this time" and that "Our mentality here is to first do no harm, and make sure that if we’re going to do integrations, users genuinely find it to be a big benefit.”

I've liked that I'm never particularly aware that Amazon has done anything to stifle IMDB, Zappos, or DPreview (cameras) insofar as feeling that editorial control or operating styles have been affected in any bad way with these sites that I've enjoyed for some time.

While Chandler [OC] felt that links to other retailers like Barnes & Noble and Indiebound might be retained "if users really want those links," I think that's highly unlikely!, even for books Amazon doesn't have, as they would probably not want a wholly-owned subsidiary to drive traffic to the another store like B&N, which sells the same mainstream books.

A benefit for Goodreads customers, OC said, was the ability to bring a book "into Goodreads and enabling people to just start reading right there from the Kindle Cloud Reader.  We’ve never had a good book preview feature.”

RG said that the international aspect for both Goodreaders and Amazon are "an area of opportunity for both of us to work on."

OC mentioned that, re the public API or applications interface, that "we're not going to shut [the Kobo feed] off."

There's a lot more from the interviews of course, at paidContent's site, so go there to read the rest of it and the comments.

If after reading at the sites linked above, you want to read more reactions to this merging, see this set of news results.


Earlier articles explaining Cloud Reader
. Kindle Cloud Reader arrives
. Reactions to Kindle Cloud Reader

---

Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

  NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$249 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $89 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $199

*OTHER International* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China Japan - Amazon Japan

Kindle News: Kindle Touch back in U.S. lineup + Amazon adds XRAY today to top TV show - how it works. UPDATE

Kindle Touch (w/ audio and Text-to-Speech) returns to lineup in U.S., and Amazon expands XRay feature to its top TV shows

  Eagle-eyed blog contributor Tom Semple discovered that the e-Ink Kindle Touch WiFi eReader has quietly been returned, unseen, to the Kindle Family lineup (it isn't shown in the usual Kindle models header).

  For some months, the International model product page had shown a sign-up box for notices if that model became available again, but now that International or Global model wording has been replaced with "We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."

  In the meantime, the U.S. model, with Special Offers activated (they can be turned off for a small fee) is once again available.  While it is the earlier model without built-in lighting, as the Paperwhite has, the Kindle Touch WiFi has audio (audio books, text-to-speech feature, basic mp3 playing) and double the storage space, the latter of importance to those who want to keep books with a lot of graphics on the device.  This should hold up to 3,000 novel-sized Kindle books (but holding that many slows down the Kindle and isn't really advised) while the Paperwhite holds up to 1,000.

  An audio feature was a requirement in earlier talk of contracts for schools and libraries, and maybe that's another reason for its return.

  The Kindle Touch U.S. is Prime-shipping eligible, and one-day shipping is available at checkout.  The current pricing shown is $99.00, with Special Offers, the only way it comes, new.  Again, that lock-screen display of Special Offers can be de-activated, if wanted, by unsubscribing from these via the manageyourkindle page.  The Paperwhite cost for doing that is about $15, and it's probably similar for the Kindle Touch.

  The Kindle Touch just received a software maintenance update and, in January, it was given a user interface similar to the Paperwhite's, with a choice of cover-images for the home page or the old text-listing (faster and with more books shown on a page).

UPDATE - 3G version of Kindle Touch
Nate Hoffelder of TheDigitalReader located the page for the 3G model, which is available only as a REFURBISHED unit when available, at this time but is described as "Certified Refurbished" and with 3G that is available globally (which means free 3G cellular network access to the Kindle store and to Wikipedia 24/7 internationally).



Amazon expands XRAY feature to its TV Shows video area
Powered by IMDB (owned by Amazon), Kindle Fire HD Tablet users "can discover the names of the actors appearing on the screen and what they’ve been in."

Amazon's press release adds:

' Available today for the most popular TV shows on Amazon, X-Ray will quickly expand to even more shows...  X-Ray for TV is also available as part of the free Amazon Instant Video app on Wii U. '
  ...
  ...Kindle Fire HD...combines an exceptional viewing experience with the unbelievable power of the over 100 million pieces of data in IMDb’s catalog.”
  ...
  ...IMDb Founder and CEO. “Can’t remember where you’ve seen the actor playing Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey?  No problem.  Simply tap on the screen and you’ll see a full filmography, where you’ll realize that Hugh Bonneville was also in Notting Hill.  Our vision is to make X-Ray available on every movie and TV show -- we’re excited to make another big step forward today, and we are working hard to add X-Ray to more TV shows and movies in the future.”

  X-Ray for TV is available starting today on the most popular TV shows from Amazon Instant Video, many of which are also available as part of Prime Instant Video: Justified, Downton Abbey, The West Wing, Sons of Anarchy, Falling Skies, American Horror Story, Grey's Anatomy, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Lost, Glee, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. '

They've really expanded Instant Video (at no add'l cost with Prime-shipping program, which is $79/year or $6.58/mo. in effect).  A few are "day-after-air" TV (I think this is includes some PBS news documentaries).

  Other tablets just don't offer anything similar to the XRay feature when watching movies and TV.  For me, it's a real boon, much as I may complain at times about things they've not included.

How
Here's an earlier blog article on how XRay works when viewing Amazon videos and the Kindle Fire HD.



  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal 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 Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle News: Kindle Touch update v5.3.2.1 has suddenly appeared. Updated info 3/28 on fix.

Kindle Touch Software Upgrade to v5.3.2.1 - an apparent maintenance update that nevertheless appeared on my Kindle Touch with a very long "letter" from Amazon describing all the changes that actually came not this week but on January 8, 2013.

Originally posted March 27, this March 28 blog-info-update includes, a user report today on a couple of glitches that were fixed, and Tom Semple's report earlier, at the bottom of this article, of another problem that was resolved by the software update.

The bug-fix report today, March 28, from a blog commenter:

' I installed update 5.3.2 several weeks ago manually.  My Kindle Touch was stuck trying to finish indexing, causing battery life to suffer greatly.  In addition several games and apps would not open, giving an error message.  After a week or so trying to figure out this behavior (I figured that it was due to the update), I contacted Amazon about the problems. I was told that update 5.3.2.1 was available and should solve the problems I was having. It did! '

  The changes in the earlier huge update January 8 included user-interface features first seen in the Kindle Paperwhite, and it received a lot of comments on the blog article (worth reading) for that as well as in the Kindle community.

  Am glad to see that a swipe up or down in a book still allows a move to the next or previous chapter, for books that have chapter markings, a feature I wish they'd put on the Paperwhite.

  I've enjoyed those new features but usually use the Paperwhite now because of the built-in light which is as enjoyable in daylight as it is in low light situations, but I keep the Kindle Touch for the text-to-speech feature.  Last night I saw a news article that reported this update as if the new interface features had just arrived with this 4th digit upgrade.  That's understandable since the long Amazon letter came with it, as if the update introduced all the new features described that were received over two months ago.
  That's odd, but maybe that was meant for a few who somehow had never received the original v5.3.2 update.

FOR THOSE RECEIVING v5.3.2 AT ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME, here's a repeat of the features
  From the Amazon US update and Amazon UK update pages -
  (bracketed info is by me.)

"The update will be delivered wirelessly and includes an updated user interface and new features.  This update automatically downloads and installs for Kindle touch customers; however, you can also manually download the software an udpate your device via USB cable."

' This software update includes the following new features:

  . A new user interface
  . Whispersync for Voice   [ US only]
  . Enhanced Parental Controls
  . Book Covers
  . Time-to-Read
  . Recommended Content   [ This can be turned off. ]
  . Enhanced book samples
  . Navigate graphic novels, and comics '

If your Kindle Touch has software version 5.1.0, 5.1.1 or 5.1.2, or 5.3.2 installed, you'll either get this wirelessly or you can download it manually as mentioned.

If you have a version prior to 5.1.0, Amazon links you to the earlier 5.1.0 update that must be downloaded and installed before doing the 5.3.2.1 update.

Determine your software version

 
1. From Home, tap Menu and then tap Settings.
 
2. On the Settings screen, tap Menu (the Amazon update page omits a step here) and THEN select Device Info. Your software version is listed under Firmware Version.

"

The Kindle Touch Software update page ( US,  UK ) leads you through what to do, depending on which Firmware Version is showing for your KTouch.


What Was New Jan 8, 2013 -- and what you need to know
Amazon has a page explaining the new features ( US   UK ), including the fact that "Archived Items" is gone, and "Cloud" replaces it, listing all the items or, in this case, Kindle books or newsstand titles you've purchased (including the $0.00 ones) and which can be (re)downloaded to your Kindle at any time.

  It includes fuller descriptions of the new features and also explains that you can turn off "Recommended Content" if you don't want to see it (which entails going to Settings, Device Options and then Personalize your Kindle).

  Other descriptions detail:
  . how to view your book covers or, instead, just a listing
  . how to track your reading progress with Time to read
  . enhanced sample-to-book feature
  . navigation of graphic novels, comics, and children's books


The Kindle Community forums post listed them at athe time, and I'll include that here for easier access in one place (italics and bold-facing added by me):

' * Updated User Interface: We have an updated and streamlined interface for your Kindle.  Archived Items has been renamed to Cloud and appears in the top left of your screen under the toolbar.  All your archived items can be found there.

* Book Covers on the Home screen: View the covers of your books by selecting Cover View in the menu from the Home screen.

* Time to Read: Kindle Touch calculates your reading speed to let you know when you'll finish your chapter or book.

* Recommended Content: We've made it easy to discover new titles with recommended content.  The Kindle Store uses the same personalized customer experience you're used to across Amazon.com, matching our best recommendations to your personal reading habits.

* Enhanced Sample-to-Book Experience: When you buy a book after reading a sample, we will now automatically start the book at your last reading location in the sample and remove the sample from your Kindle.

* Parental Controls: With the latest software update, parents can restrict access to the Experimental Web Browser, Kindle Store, and Cloud.  While the Kindle Store and Cloud are locked with Parental Controls, you can continue to buy books from a computer and send them to your Kindle wirelessly.

* Whispersync for Voice: Now you can switch back and forth between reading and listening without losing your place.  Whispersync for Voice will synchronize what you read on any Kindle platform device with Audible playback on Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Fire, or on Audible apps for iPhone and Android.

* Author Profiles: We've added biographical information and the ability to browse other books by the same author from within your book.  When reading, tap the Menu button and select About the Author.

* Children's Books and Comics: Children's books come to life with Kindle Text Pop-Up, enabling you to easily read text over images.  Comic books can now be read with Kindle Panel View, which allows you to read a comic book panel by panel.

We will be delivering this update over Wi-Fi in the coming weeks.  Customers who prefer to receive the update immediately can manually download and install the software update from [the] kindlesoftwareupdates/touch page ( US   UK )

If you have questions or need help with this update, please head over to the Kindle Help Forum [no announcement in UK forum at the moment]. '

What users discovered about the upgrade in January
1. Kindle books can't be searched before a re-indexing of keywords is done.  This re-indexing will happen automatically and will take quite a bit of time in the background (you can read a Kindle book in the meantime) and will use the battery pretty heavily before it's done.

  *~*Pineapple*~*, a Kindle Forum Pro, writes

' To check for indexing, search on the Home page (Device) for an uncommon or nonsense word like zxcvb and at the bottom of the list will be the number of unindexed books.

To start them indexing:

1. Turn on wireless
2. Restart (Home > Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart)
3. Wait '

Depending on how many books are on your Kindle, it could take hours or a day, but you can use the Kindle while it's slowly re-indexing the books in the background.

Note that the software update file is a big one and it takes longer than usual.  Leave it alone when you see it happening and let it complete.  It may take up to 15 minutes.  I like to plug in my Kindle when manually doing an update, but it's not necessary.  However, it's a good idea to plug it in for the re-indexing that will have to be done and can be quite a battery drainer.

At any rate, the original extensive v5.3.2 update was quite a boon for Kindle Touch owners, and they've apparently added maintenance fixes in this v5.3.2.1 update.

Updated info mentioned on 1/11/12
Users have reported problems with font face selections, and Amazon customer reps have told them they are working on a further update that will fix that.

Added March 27, 2013
My guess is that this update may include fixes for those font face selection problems.  And maybe Tom Semple will find that the problems with downloading of graphic novels have been solved.

Added March 28, 2013
It turns out that Tom Semple's problems with downloading of graphic novels were solved with this.

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Free Kindle books - a few unusual ones today - most free for just a day or so. Updated to re-include March free-book listing links.

Just some free books that caught my eye today

As ever, these are usually very brief promos, with pricing good for just 1 to 5 days, sometimes a few hours.  Check the pricing before clicking on the purchase button.

Free Software and Online Utilities for Writers

Published Dec. 2012, the description reads:
"There is a surprising amount of free software, and online utilities, available for authors and publishers. Here we have collected a handy guide so the busy author or publisher does not have to chase all over the internet tracking it all down. The resources listed here can easily save the reader many hundreds of dollars."

Very short book - 78KB file size
10 customer reviews, with 4.5 stars avg rating


The Self Publishing Toolkit: How to Publish & Sell Kindle ebooks on Amazon

"...personal publishing guide; taking you from publication through promotion...specifically designed with fiction writers in mind—so if you’d rather write than promote, this is the book for you.

You get step by step instructions for:
Creating a Personal Promo Kit (This is a major time saver.)
Formatting Your Book for Publication
The Entire Publication Process (with tips to make it easier)
Building your website (Even if you are non-technical to the extreme.)
Setting up your Blog
Running a successful KDP Select Promotion (Checklists included!)"

"There is also a bonus Resource Guide containing every single link, recommended resource and tool from the entire book. No more hunting through pages of text to find the tool that you need. Everything is right at your fingertips, organized by topic so it's easy to find..."

23 customer reviews, 4.6 stars avg rating



How To Make A Website Or Blog Using WordPress : A Beginner's Guide On How To Create A Website

Published March 20, there are no customer reviews yet.

Description: "This is an e-book for beginners.  It basically outlines what is[sic] takes and the instructions on how to make a blog or website by using the WORDPRESS platform.  Pictures and links to videos also included."



The 25 Weirdest Animals in the World! Amazing facts, photos and video links to the strangest creatures on the planet. (Amazing Animals Series)

A short book, only 64 pages but with images, so it's the file size of a normal sized novel.
"Not just for kids" - per one customer review.

54 customer reviews, 4.6 stars avg rating


CORRECTION
For the entire month of March, I had inadvertently not updated the March free Kindle book lists in the Reference right-column of the website blog, although the March listings link was included in the March 1 blog entry

For convenience, here is the listing of free Kindle books for March at the moment.



  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal 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 Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle Tip: The Free 24/7 3G Access to Wikipedia on all 3G e-Ink Kindles (not generally known), plus Article Mode for that

After reading a couple of Internet news articles this weekend that stated that the 3G E-Ink Kindles of the last two years are restricted, in their 3G cellular network access, to the Amazon store (and having talked to many who don't know that the 3G e-Ink Kindles ALL have free 3G encyclopedia access 24/7 through Wikipedia globally), I thought it was a good time for a reminder.
  In fact, it's probably the first most will have heard of it.

 This includes the first two e-Ink Kindles, Kindle 1 and 2, which had and have only 3G access, and which both have ultra slow access to web look-ups in general (these are both still being used by Kindle stalwarts, since they can read their Kindle books on it, and many see no reason to buy later models) and the Kindle Keyboard ("Kindle 3"), Kindle Touch and Kindle Paperwhite (UK model here) models that have 3G.
  Clicking on the images take you to their respective U.S. Amazon pages.

  In fact, the very first article posted by this blog on March 19, 2009, was a photo comparison of the Kindle 1 vs Kindle 2 accessing the web in their black & white fashion and showing the differences in texture of output in graphics.  At this point, it's a bit of history on models still being used.

  The differences seen between those early models, 2 years apart (2007 and 2009) reflect the number of "shades of gray" used in each.  And that led to the article March 30 that year "Are the Kindle 2's 16 shades of gray a big deal?," which is an interesting look at the differences, and the source was an excellent linked tutorial on what happens when 4, 8, or 16 shades of gray are used.
  Well, a bit of nostalgia.  A lot has happened in 4 years.

  But, MAIN POINT - ALL of the 3G models pictured and still used, including the new 3G Paperwhite, allow FREE 3G access to Wikipedia, 24/7, meaning that if you happen to be on a bus, at the beach, or at the dentist's office and reading, and are curious about an event or fact, you can just look it up on those e-Ink 3G Kindles.  They allow you to SEARCH (while reading a book), or access directly, that Internet encyclopedia at no added cost.  (I'm pretty sure it's only the English version that's accessed even in the rest of the world).   This is in over 100+ countries/areas of the world.

  If you're not reading a book and just want to go look something up at Wikipedia using what's still called the e-Ink Kindle's "experimental web browser" you can just select Menu/Bookmarks -- which takes you to the mobile version of Encyclopedia, which delivers the content at a very decent speed on the 3G models of Kindle Touch and Paperwhite and is not that slow on the 3G Kindle 3 Keyboard.

I consider this a terrific feature, for those who don't have data plans on smartphones, and of course the battery lasts longer if you use the e-Ink eReaders for that, with their larger screens.


ARTICLE MODE - Don't forget that you can use this menu feature on single web page articles.  If you're reading a specific Wikipedia article and you find the fonts too small (usually the case with web articles on a 6" screen), tap at the TOP row of the display to get the Menu.  Press Menu and choose "Article Mode" and the article will be a lot easier to read.
  Hope people find this helpful.

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle News: New, easy SEND TO KINDLE Button for getting website articles sent directly to your Kindle(s) or Kindle-reading apps - UPDATES 3/19-3/21

Amazon announced today (Tues. Mar. 20) a new, easier to use, Send to Kindle Button feature

This one works ONLY when websites put the button on their websites.  They gave no specific Google blogspot.com/blogger.com instructions, but I'm trying it on this site, with the button placed just below the article on any single-article page.

  I'm using Chrome browser but have now tested this button (for this site) with Mozilla Firefox browser too.

UPDATED Wednesday morning through the day and Thursday evening, after some testing of the feature to see if it works for a Google "blogger.com" or "blogspot.com" site like this one.  The gadget site commenters were asking the site reporters why the Kindle button was not on their sites :-)

  UPSHOT:
  With Google's Chrome browser, it works 1/3 of the time for this blog.
  With Firefox, it worked 99% of the time (and lightning fast)
  With Internet Explorer, it hasn't worked for me at all with this type of site,
    even when allowing all 'cookies' and using lower privacy (not a good idea).

NOTE: It works fine on the large organization Washington Post and TIME news sites, where people are more likely to want to use it and they have their own server setups and control.

  For Kindle users, this means that for the big sites that do put on the SendtoKindle button and test it with several browsers, you'll be able to send web articles direct to your Kindle(s) of choice, no matter what browser you're using.
  Amazon has it working with Wordpress blogs.  I suspect cooperation there with Wordpress, while Google blogger.com staff and Amazon may not be working together on this.

  IMPORTANT - This type of feature NORMALLY works only on SINGLE-article pages and NOT on the main page of many articles, which is how it is for all the various SendtoKindle programs. The focus is on a single article you may be reading specifically.
  But I've now received help from a Kindle developer who gave me some code which makes this button work from the Main page as well! when it does work (See 'UPSHOT' above.)
  Mozilla Firefox browser is the star on this one - works lightning-fast 99% of the time even for this Googgle-blogger.com blog -- I've found only one (short) article it could not process.

  You can click on any article's title to get the single-article page if wanted (and to see associated Comments or to add any), but it won't be necessary anymore.

  There can be a long wait for the sent-article.  (You're asked, in the dialog box, if you want to send a copy to your Amazon archives/library, and I chose Yes, so I could test to see the article arrived on the server.)

  There were times when I thought the process hadn't worked but the articles then suddenly appeared on my Kindle Fire.  With the Google Chrome browser on a Windows PC, I was able to get 4 full articles out of 12 tries, while the other tries resulted in only a LINK to the article on the web! and it's likely a Google-blogger/blogspot.com setting, and a Kindle developer is now trying to solve the problem.

  All this is because bloggers have been invited to use the button and the blog's readers will wonder either why it's not on a site or why it may not work consistently on some Google-owned blogsites while there is a plug-in that works for Wordpress blogs.

  One drawback - Pictures come through if they reside on the same server as the blog text.  My images are hosted on my own server at andrys.com or at Google-web image areas.

  So, although other sendtokindle or sendtoreader programs (described in linked articles at the end of this post) will send the images, that's not always the case with this new feature.

  The large newspaper news sites will host pictures and text on their own servers, so won't see this problem, so I'm recommending you try the feature mainly on the sites that use their own servers for everything.

  The new SendtoKindle dialog box.
  The image here shows the top part of the dialog box you get, when clicking to get an article sent to your Kindle.  It'll ask the first time, whether you want the article via "WiFi (FREE)" or "Whispernet" [3G] for which charges may apply - this used to be $0.15 minimum for file size up to a novel-sized document.
  You can change the settings for target devices at the bottom of the dialog box.

  Oddity - My dialog box of Kindle devices to receive an article did not include my Paperwhite! but did include my Kindle Touch and older e-Ink models.   HOWEVER, the manageyourkindle page shows that the articles at my Cloud-archived personal-docs-library do show a Paperwhite delivery option, so that's just a problem with the Send-to-Kindle dialog box in this case.

Here's today's announcement (bolding emphasis is mine)...

' Initial post: Mar 19, 2013 4:01:51 PM PDT

Kevin G. - Community Manager says:
AMAZON OFFICIAL

Sending web content to Kindle is now easier than ever.

We are excited to announce the "Send to Kindle Button", a convenient new way to send content directly from a website to your Kindle.  Customers can check out the Send to Kindle Button today on The Washington Post, TIME, and the popular blog Boing Boing.

Have you ever encountered news, blogs, articles and other content on the web that you want to read but don't have time to do so immediately?  The Send to Kindle Button lets you easily send that content to your Kindle to read later, at your convenience.  Just send once and read everywhere on any of your Kindle devices or free Kindle reading apps for iPhone, iPad and Android phones or tablets.  No more hunting around for that website or blog that caught your eye - just open your Kindle and all the content you sent is right there.  The Send to Kindle Button is also great for those who want to collect content from the web to use in work projects, school assignments, or hobbies.

The Send to Kindle Button is part of a family of Send to Kindle applications that make it easy for customers to send personal documents and web content to read on their Kindle.  To find out more about other Send to Kindle applications for PC, Mac, Chrome, and Firefox, please visit http://www.amazon.com/sendtokindle.

If you happen to own a website and want to add the Send to Kindle Button, you can get it for free at http://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/developers/button or at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/send-to-kindle/ for WordPress bloggers. '

They mention at the product page that Send to Kindle for Apple Safari is "coming soon."


Other methods
I just wrote, 8 days ago, on March 11, a blog article on "How to EMAIL Pictures to your Kindle Fire, and Webpages to your Kindle."

  That article lists several ways this has been done -- one has been the 3rd party SendtoReader option, which is able to send web articles from any browser, to your Kindle device (even from your Kindle device's browser), but while very convenient, the method is a bit more arcane than just pressing a button that's been customized by Amazon for individual browsers, as we have here.

  And I listed, in that article, Amazon's own several other methods listed on their more-general SendtoKindle product page.

Kindle Fire News: Why a Kindle Fire HD? Why price reductions - why not free? Real questions as headlined. UPDATED

Kindle-related news over the last few days

Apologies to Kindle-Edition blog subscribers, as I needed to be away the last few days.  I used my tablet to look at the news and, as far as the Kindle world goes, not much was happening except tons of reactions to the reduction in prices on the Kindle Fire 8.9" HD and what it all means, including the expansion of the tablets to Europe and Japan.

  The reviews of the 8.9" model were similar to what we've read before but far less detailed.  They were actually more restatements of the product page information, so those past reviews, linked, are a bit more informative.  At the end, in response to people in the forums asking whether to get a Kindle Fire HD 7" or 8.9" (if wanting a Kindle Fire HD at all), I'll add links to a couple of earlier blog articles and the earlier basic comparison chart of Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus, and Apple iPad mini, so those are the most popular 7" to 9" models.

BUT, a reaction column that most struck me was one that didn't wonder why the prices are now lower but asks instead when will Kindles (the topic being tablets) become free, and the writer, Beth Bacon, for Digital Book World, asks further why one would get one when the Apple iPad is available, which she considers more fully featured.
  She seems sincere in thinking most wanting a tablet would prefer a pure Android tablet or a Microsoft OS or spend $230+ more for the most basic iPad because, as she explains, Kindle owners would mainly want to read books and Kindle books can be read on an Apple while Apple books can't be read on any other system.

?  Hasn't the general complaint by general gadget writers and news-site commenters been that Amazon's attitude is wholly proprietary and you HAVE to buy a Kindle to read their books?  Yet it's Apple, she points out, that keeps other devices unable to read Apple iStore books.  And this is written as a Plus!

  As many know, you can read a Kindle book on almost every operating system under the sun, which can make words on an LCD screen somewhat hard to read.  You don't need a Kindle at all, to read a Kindle book.

  But what many general gadget reporters aren't familiar with are the many convenient features the Kindle Team has given their devices, and just a few of these are;
  1. Syncing of the reading of a book among all your devices (Apple doesn't even try);
  2. a free, private, password-protected personal webpage for your annotations on all your books;
  3. features that tell you which actors are in the current streaming Instant Video scene you're watching;
  4. the quickly-findable X-Ray'd info on any character or event name in a book you're reading, and
  5. if you choose a Prime Shipping program feature for free 2-day shipments of physical purchases, you also get the now 16,300+ no-fee Prime Eligible instant videos to watch at any time.

  On Friday, before leaving, I did respond to The Digital Books World article, and Bacon was good enough to print it (this is not always the case when a commenter adds some conflicting information).  Here's what I wrote -- not even mentioning the 5 points above! -- plus a correction I'm making:

' Andrys on March 15, 2013 at 8:42 pm said: [to]
Why would anyone buy a Kindle when there are full-featured tablets like Apple’s $500 one or the $900 Microsoft Surface Pro?

Factors include what features people are looking for.  David makes good points about ease of accessibility to the media mentioned.

Others:
1. A microHDMI port out to an HDTV (the Apple doesn’t have this) and people have used it to watch their Kindle tablet videos (even Prime Instant) on hotel HDTVs that way. **

2. A stereo set of speakers that are placed on on each end when watching movies or TV show videos and with Dolby Stereo for unusual spatial qualities and automated frequency emphasis depending on whether it’s speech or music.
  The iPad has two small speakers almost side by side on one short end – no stereo effect during movies unless you put on headphones or use external speakers

3. Amazon allows apps from "unknown sources" (Non-Amazon app stores) and Kindle Fire users can download, direct to the tablet, the popular Dolphin browser which supports the older Adobe Flash Reader still available that can be used easily, despite Adobe’s dropped support for mobile devices using the later Android 4.x systems.

  Because of this, Kindle Fire users can watch free network TV full-episodes like ABC’s entire primetime programs (and some daytime shows) when they missed an episode, as the network TV websites still use Flash for that, and Apple's Steve Jobs disdained running Flash on iOS, depending on sites to use HTML5. ***

4. The 7" size is proving very popular and Amazon’s has Retina-type high resolution while Apple’s iPad mini has lower, standard resolution but costs more.

5. It's like deciding not to bill for purchase of an economy car (giving them away instead) when an advertised-full-featured car is available (and when the fuller-featured car does not have some high-valued features that the less-expensive car does have).

6. There are now many Android app stores, including 1mobile.com, which carries over 200,000 apps, which are directly downloadable and usable for Kindle Fire devices. '

Here's the blog article on how to install non-Amazon appstore apps, which is done with Amazon's own settings option (an option which Barnes and Noble kept off the Nook system so that people have to find risky 'rooted' solutions to get the same features, which is one reason the Nook tablets haven't done as well in market share, in addition to having far less of an ecosystem for tablet entertainment).

In-depth Reviews comparing the Kindle Fire HDs, the Google Nexus and the Apple
Here are what reviews-in-depth reported in comparisons of similar-sized tablets, which found aspects not touched upon by the more superficial reviews citing pure speed or direct access to Google Play (and I would recommend that those who love games most get a Nexus and those who want apps that are compatible with their iPhones get the iPad models)

  1. Reviews of Kindle Fire HD 7 vs Nexus

  2. More on iPad mini vs Kindle Fire HD


Also, I'm placing below, the basic comparison table I put together in September, which has been updated for changing prices (please let me know if I've missed anything in that).

QUICK table of differences in features for price, with Google Nexus and IPad mini

Kindle Fire HD 7" $199 7-inch display 1280 x 800 resolution 216 ppi 16GB storage 1GB RAM Dual stereo speakers   w/ Dolby Plus HDMI-Out to HDTV Front-facing camera, 1.2MP Dual core TI OMAP 4470 w/ Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics core Dual band, 2 antenna WiFi Battery-life claim: 11 hrs Customized Android, does Amazon store w/setting that allows apps from other app stores 50,000 apps + access to getjar.com, 1mobile.com, etc for google-play apps $10 more for a charger if you need one  Older Kindle & smart phone chargers work $15 add'l: no lockscreen ad $229 for 32GB model ($269 for 16GB 8.9" 1920x1200 resolution, 254 ppi) ($299 for 32GB 8.9" 1920x1200 resolution, 254 ppi)

Google Nexus 7" $199 7-inch display 1280 x 800 resolution 216 ppi 8GB storage (up'd to 16GB) 1GB RAM One mono speaker * No HDMI-out to HDTV Front-facing camera < 1 MP Quad core Tegra 3 Basic WiFi Battery-life claim: 9-10 hrs Pure Android and can do direct Google Play store ~600,000 apps $249 for 32GB model

Apple iPad mini 7.9 inch/ $329 7.9-inch display 1024 x 768 resolution 163 ppi 16GB storage 512MB? Per A5 chip specs. TBC. Built-in speakers *   Nov. 2, Apple finally added an 's' to 'speaker' * No HDMI out to HDTV ** Front (HD) & Back (to 1080p) cameras Dual-core A5 Dual-Band WiFi Battery-life claim: 10 hrs iOS 6 275,000 heavily-curated tablet-optimized apps  (Can also run small iPhone apps - any w/ Retina resources can scale w/o pixelating. 450,000 add'l.) 23% & 53% lighter than iPad. Lighter than the other tablets. $429 for 32GB model

  * iPad mini: See Speaker discussion - to be changed when Apple changes its iPad mini specs page.
    Update - On Nov. 2, Apple finally updated their iPad-Mini specs page to show "Built-in speakers" instead of "Built-in speaker" -- something I requested they do since Specs pages are official reference pages.  The speaker grilles are about an inch or two apart, on one short side, and maybe that's why they don't mention 'stereo' after the correction.  The whole thing has been bizarre.  This might be the first iPad w/ two speakers with separate baffles but they can do nothing for movies or videos viewed the usual way, as they are close together on just one side.

    Google Nexus: See Nexus owner forum thread about the speaker.

** Those w/ Apple TV's can do AirPlay Mirroring to them.
   Contributor Tom Semple adds: Apple's new $49 "Lightning" adapter can provide HDMI out.

***Tom Semple adds he uses Puffin app to access Flash video on his iPad.

**** 7" HD Kindle Fire pricing was changed from $249 to $229 on April 11, 2013.

Table updated March 19, 2013, April 11, 2013

For the initial comparison article, I didn't include the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet HD,
which has higher display resolution - but it has no cameras, not even one for Skype (important for family & friends who like to communicate via video chat), and B&N will not allow owners to enable installation of apps from non-B&N sources.  I may do an additional table later though.

---

Kindle News: Paperwhite Software Update v5.3.4 is ready

Kindle Paperwhite Software Upgrade to v5.3.4

The Amazon Kindle Forum has a notice about yesterday's software update for the Kindle Paperwhite (US)   (UK Paperwhite: here; Global Paperwhite: here.)

Amazon Kindle Forum Notice and thread
"Initial post: Mar 14, 2013 9:53:18 AM PDT
Kevin G. - Community Manager says:

' We have a new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates/paperwhite [U.S.]

    [Here's the UK-only software update page]

The software update will be delivered wirelessly and includes general improvements for your Kindle Paperwhite. This update automatically downloads and installs for Kindle Paperwhite customers; however, you can also manually download the software and update your device via USB cable.

If you have any questions or need help with this update, please visit the Kindle Help Forum: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/forums/kindleqna/ref=kindle_help_forum_gd. '

As ever, note that keeping your Kindle connected to a Wi-Fi network will drain your battery faster.  So, once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" - which turns Wireless Off (unless they have finally put the "Wireless Off" and "On" back on the front menu as they recently did for the Kindle Touch recently and removed the 'airplane' icon).

Only if you'd rather not wait - DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.3.4 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  Go to the same for the UK-only page

The reason given was merely "includes general improvements" which normally means "bug fixes" but Amazon doesn't seem to like to detail them.  It can be like an Easter Egg hunt, and sometimes the eggs can't be found but perhaps the lawn is greener.



  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal 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 Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle Tips: Solitaire app updated. Some key Kindle Fire apps. Angry Birds Rio Ad-free, $0.00 for limited time again. NYT's Pogue looks at patents filed by Apple and Amazon to make reselling eBooks, music, movies, apps possible.(?)

Updated Solitaire, Mahjong Solitaire, Spider Solitaire app for Kindle Fire


7 Dragons, the popular creator of Kindle E-Reader and Kindle Fire apps has updated their Solitaire app for Kindle Fire -- a combination of several Solitaire games released in just one app, for $1 as a launch sale, as the permanent price will be $4 later.

  What's new in version 2.3.7

  1) Support for Kindle Fire (Original Edition), Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9".
  2) HD Graphics for Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9".
  3) Performance Improvements.
  4) New Game - Memory Solitaire! '

In fact, FreeCell Solitaire was added after the launch last year.

  Note: This app won't work on other Android tablets, and is available only for the Kindle Fire.

It's very customizable, has Autosave, unlimited Undo, and hints plus optional background music.  There are 19 levels from "easy" to "very challenging."

  An early glitch with a selector button was fixed in an update last year.

There is a lot of detail on the various games and features at the product page.  7 Dragons is also responsible for the 3 Hidden Objects app, introduced a few days ago and getting good feedback.


Angry Birds Rio - AdFree version, $0.00 for a limited time
If you've never played Angry Birds, this ad-free version of Rio would be a good start.  Most seem to prefer 'Rio' to the original version.

  There's also an 'HD' version but an Oct. update seems to have "broken" it for many, and there's been no update to fix that one.


See also Amazon's page of other must-have apps


Amazon and Apple's filings of patents for USED EBooks and other digital-items
These have been much in the news and the patents have seemed to me to be pre-emptive strikes on the concept.  Blog reader Martin J. sends the NY Times column by David Pogue, yesterday, on Reselling E-Books and the One-Penny Problem, and what the patents have to say about how this could be done.

 It's a head-hurting dilemma, like a very tough app with solutions that mainly lead you to new problems to be solved.

  In looking more closely at the language of the patents (which surprised me in Apple wording such as "different than" rather than "different from"), Pogue finds the patents "incredibly broad" and giving "publisher and bookstore a lot of control..."  including "the right to impose a minimum price" for reselling an e-item, dropped limits over time and limits on "the number of times a digital item can be resold..."

  He decides that "The greatest worry isn’t that authors will go out of business.  It is that the resulting used e-bookstores will be so complex and saddled with restrictions, they’ll be ruined before they even open" - based on the many conflicting interests and ends that he and his Twitter readers detail (though he ends the column on a mildly (wildly?) optimistic note.
  Be sure to read it for the many questions being asked.

  Any comments on this situation?

Kindle Fire News: Kindle Fire 8.9-inch tablet now in Europe+Japan and new LOWER price in U.S. - UPDATE

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet U.S. is now $269 and this larger model is now also available in Europe and Japan.

More specifically, worldwide, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet is now available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan

With the expansion of this WiFi 8.9" model to Europe and Japan, Amazon was able to take advantage of the usual economies of scale in production.

  The U.S. 16 GB WiFi version now starts at $269 ($30 lower).
  The U.S. 32 GB 4G cellular network version starts at an incredible $399 ($100 lower)

  (Remember that the $499 iPad has only 16 GB of storage and NO 3G/4G capability.
   Also, Apple charges an additional $130 to get that 3G/4G hardware capability at all,
     making the Apple iPad cost $629 for the smaller 16 GB storage space model,
   and that's before the cost of a monthly cellular data plan for an iPad.

   If you give an iPad the add'l 16 GB that the Kindle Fire 8.9" 4G model already has,
      the corresponding iPad would cost another $100, or $729 total for the 3G/4G iPad,
      compared to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4GB model's $399.)

UPDATE - COMPARISON Charts:
  Kindle Fire HD 8.9" vs iPad
  Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G/LTE vs iPad 4G/LTE


A couple of advisories: If getting the 3G/4G cellular network model, with the $50/year Web data plan for the first year, good enough only for occasional email and text reading when away from WiFi networks (and not for movies), DON'T use the Weather Channel app as it is constantly trying to update info of course, and that particular app is just about impossible to shut down for more than a minute.  Accuweather is said to be workable.

  If you feel you need a normal, larger data plan, AT&T offers it for the Kindle Fire for $30/month, but you would choose that OR the $50/yr, and most people have enough WiFi access not to want the larger 3G/4G access when away from home, office, or store WiFi networks (even my Safeway has one now).
  AT&T and Verizon also have a feature which costs an additional $15 or $20/mo. to let your smartphone 'tether' or provide its 3G/4G to a WiFi Kindle fire, which is what I do for my various tablets, but I hardly ever use it, though it's easy to do and nice when wanted.

For the UK and some areas of Europe, Amazon's LoveFilm is available for video choices, though I've not seen one for Japan yet.  Apps seem available for all the places.  The Japan Amazon Kindle store even has an English-language option.

My blog reports tend to offer caveats rather than just echo the product-page info, and I hope that helps with decision making.

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle Tips: "3 Hidden Objects Adventures" HD app released for Kindle Fire. Amazon sale on Canon cameras, includ'g one I use these days

7 Dragons Inc. releases new Adventures app for Kindle Fire

The 7 Dragons group is one of my favorite app makers since the early Kindle days.  Now they've released an app that has beautiful graphics! and which has a history of high marks by customers at Barnes & Noble, where it is still on a "Launch Sale" at 75% off, for the same $1.00 price currently and with a sales rank of 95 for all the apps at that Nook store, with review comments like:

  "One of the best seek/find games I have ever seen. Awesome graphics. Highly recommend this!" and  "So many options, fun music and great graphics..this is definitely the most fun and challlenging hidden object game I've played yet. I would highly recommend purchasing this!"

  One feature I like is that you can play it with and without hints or a timer.

  7 Dragons mentions that while you need 600 MB of free space on the Kindle Fire to download the graphics involved for the 3 Hidden Objects adventures app, it uses just 295 MB (not 600 MB) after download to hold the "158 beautiful Hidden Objects scenes with 2,382 hidden objects for you to find."

  While 'HD' is in the Amazon product-page title, it's downloadable for the basic Kindle Fire also, but the Kindle HD tablets will display HD graphics.


Amazon's new Canon Powershot (and EOS DSLR) camera sale until March 30
Here's the page for the Canon Powershot sale, while the "Best Deals" including other Canon cameras are seen here.
 
  I was additionally drawn to the 3 Hidden Objects app, which has a "Lost Zoo" adventure, because, as you can see, at the right, that I just recently enjoyed a relatively lush Zoo in Oakland, which I then got a membership for, and have reservations to go to the San Francisco zoo soon and to SafariWest in May.
  The Hidden Objects graphics for "The Lost Zoo" are very similar in look.

   The giraffes in the Hidden Objects adventure were of interest too as I was able to appreciate these creatures almost up close, with a newish pocket camera with a built-in 20X zoom! (Canon SX260) that has excellent image stabilization and really good image quality for a camera that size, and the zoom-in/out flexibility makes it my most-used everyday carry-camera now.  Recently $260 or more, it's $213 for the sale.

  While it's not ideal (slower lens) for fast-moving children indoors, some have said, I've had good luck with it indoors, with moving jazz musicians, and in a short videoclip in that lighting.  The videoclip uses the zoom-in feature.

  For those new to the camera, I recommend using the "Live" mode which is mostly automatic but lets you, with a press on the back control-wheel center button, adjust, live, the brightness/darkness of the final image and matches that to the LCD display image you see.  That also also lets you adjust color strength and a cool/warm tint to your preference on any shot.  Outside of that, I tend to like to use the Canon's spot-meter feature, but "Live" is good for a lot, and it has a night-time hand-held function that works really well.


  So, two interests coincided today, and I decided to blog on both.  (An earlier draft went out inadvertently and seems to not be deletable in the Google Reader feed.)

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button