Special Pages - Reports

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Kindle News: Amazon announces more on the eBook pricing settlements. What it means, what's next with Apple's part?

Amazon announcement about "eBooks Settlements"

An announcement came in our emails today and in Amazon's Kindle Forum late last night (Friday, Aug 30, by David A., Forum Moderator), but some don't always see their emails and most don't know about the Kindle Forum, so I'm quoting the info, as written, here (emphases via italics are mine), as their announcements are meant for wider circulation.
' Last fall we notified eligible Kindle customers that they may be entitled to a credit for some of their past Kindle book purchases as a result of legal settlements between several major book publishers and the Attorneys General of most U.S. states and territories.  Since then, two more publishers have settled and these new settlements have increased the amount of the credits customers will receive.

Eligible customers will not need to do anything to receive this credit. If the Court approves the settlements in December 2013 and there is no appeal, a credit will appear automatically in eligible customers' Amazon.com accounts that can be used to purchase Kindle books or print books.

  We will notify eligible customers when the credit is applied to these accounts. While we will not know the amount of each customer's credit until the Court approves the settlements, it is estimated that it will range from $0.73 to $3.82 for every eligible Kindle book that was purchased. To be eligible, customers must have a U.S. billing address and must have purchased a Kindle book published by Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin or Macmillan between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012.

These publishers will provide the funds for the settlement. You can learn more about the settlements at http://www.amazon.com/help/agencyebooksettlements.

We think these settlements are a big win for readers because they will return over $165 million directly to customers and they also impose limitations on publishers' ability to raise eBook prices.

Thanks for being a Kindle customer. '

And this is before any settlement related to the DoJ-Apple case and Judge Denise Cote's 'remedies' to be announced this coming week, as well as whatever happens in connection with Apple's responsibilities with regard to the several antitrust lawsuits brought by a coalition of state Attorneys General and by a Plaintiff Class.

  The July 10, 2013 Wall Street Journal article (written by Chad Bray, Joe Palazzolo and Ian Sherr, with contributions from Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Jacob Gershman) reported on federal judge Denise Cote's ruling that Apple had colluded with five major U.S. publishers to drive up the prices of e-books.

  The WSJ report explains that, "As a result of the ruling, Apple is exposed to "as-yet undetermined damages and opens the door for the Justice Department to take a closer look at its other business lines."

  The DOJ's proposed remedies, including their revised proposal about a week ago, are likely to be met by a somewhat softer approach by the judge, who would prefer to not interfere with Apple's day-to-day business dealings as much as the DoJ proposes.

  Apple's response to the ruling is that they've "done nothing wrong" and they're appealing the ruling.  While the Big5 publishers and Apple have 'explained' that they were working against a monopoly power (Amazon) to make the e-book market more competitive, the WSJ team writes, "... the ruling raises questions about the leverage Apple may have when negotiating future content deals" since they are known to drive hard bargains.  What's important:
' "Under antitrust law, you can not only prevent the unlawful conduct, but also prevent other conduct that can lead to a similar result," said David Balto, former policy director at the Federal Trade Commission.

Because Apple was found liable for violating U.S. antitrust laws, a separate trial on damages will take place in a lawsuit against the company brought by 33 state attorneys general, who are seeking to recover money on behalf of consumers who paid higher prices for e-books.
  Apple also faces a private class-action suit alleging price-fixing.   The private plaintiffs could recover damages from Apple, provided their legal claims are distinct from the states'. '

At any rate, the credits for individual books appear larger than most had been expecting.

REMINDER These are the last two days -- 11:59 pm on September 1 is the ending date -- for the large Kindle Fire tablet discounts available for college students who have, or who join, the Prime membership program for $39/yr, with free access to something like 18,000 instant videos and the ability to borrow one book a month from the 400,000+ Kindle books Prime Lending Library (Link is (http://amzn.to/kprimebooks ), with no waiting times or due dates.


Image credit: readingebooks.net


Related articles
TIMELINE:  Ebook Pricing Wars - what DOJ would have seen.
Also, History of the e-book pricing wars
  and some recent articles:
  DOJ, Apple, and Judge Cote -- status, as of August 27
  Links to the latest stories that were written after the blog article here on August 12 about DOJ recommendations and Judge Cote's consideration of proposals for remedies in the e-book pricing case.
  1. Citing Steve Jobs email, DOJ claims Apple changed in-app purchase to retaliate against Amazon - by Laura Hazard Owen for GIGAOM
  2. E-Books Judge Pledges to Avoid Unnecessary Intrusion Into Apple's Business - by Julie Clover for MacRumors
  3. Apple E-Books Judge Cote Says She’ll Limit Antitrust Remedies - by Bob Van Voris for BloombergBusinessweek
  4. Apple says tempered e-book penalties still go too far - by Joan E. Solsman for CNET.

Judge Cote said that she'll sign a final order spelling out the remedies next week.




Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.
US:
Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229
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 Touch WiFi - $99
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199
Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web
Kindle DX - $379 $299 (Yes)
UK:
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69
Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd
Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi
£109
Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK
£169
Kindle Fire 2, UK
 £129
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK
£159/199
Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129
Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199
Kindle Fire HD 7" - 214.00
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


*OTHER Int'l pages*
Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89
Kindle Keybd 3G - $189
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


France Boutique Kindle
Deutschland - Kindle Store
Italia - Kindle Store
Spain - Tienda Kindle
Brazil - Amazon BrazilRp
China - Amazon China [?]
Japan - Amazon Japan

[College students with Prime membership: discounts of up to $70 off Kindle Fire tablets until just before midnight Sept 1.]


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

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Kindle News: Paperwhite-WiFi gone...Free Android App of the Day a popular word game...Kindle Fire HDs as good Roku-like devices...XFiles creator doing a pilot for Amazon...Alternate case for Kindles...Apple, DoJ, Judge Cote status


A lot of Kindle news in the last two days - brief notes with links to stories

My work laptop (HP) was going down, 'unrepairable' and 'unrecoverable,R' several times a day yesterday, and time is short, so mercifully for readers, these news-bits will be small.

  First, Kindle Paperwhites with WiFi-Only are no longer available at the Kindle Store, and Amazon does not say they'll be back in stock but they have a page for "Used" ones and of course a page for Certified Refurbished ones that carry the usual 1-yr warranties.

  They DO have, in stock, the Paperwhite with 3G wireless in addition to WiFi, which means you can download, without WiFi when near cell-phone networks, Kindle books or browse Amazon or use the Wikipedia website 24/7 at no added cost although the built-in 3G capability will cost an additional $60 usually. (On iPads, 3G capability costs an add'l $130 + data charges.)

  So it seems that Amazon will probably announce in September sometime, not only new generations of Kindle Fires but also of the Paperwhite and probably the basic Kindle.  I'd hope for audio but one would think Amazon might want to also keep the one that doesn't have audio, unless they plan to charge about the same price -- pure speculation on my part.

  For those happy with the current Paperwhite but interested in an alternate case, I'm happy with my blandly plain black, light-weight rooCASE Ultra Slim cover, but was drawn today to one I saw in an article at handbag.com, the Verso Prologue Marbled Blue one, which is at both the U.S. Kindle store and the UK store.  They're available in other colors and patterns and at about 25% off at the U.S. store.  To see other creative covers, click on 'by Verso' for the U.S. and on 'by Lightwedge' for the UK.

  Those who are interested in whatever new Paperwhite or e-Ink Kindles that may be coming should NOT get any of the current cases, as they would very likely not fit any later Kindles.


How to turn your Kindle Fire HD into a Roku box
I've hooked up my Kindle Fire HD tablets (both sizes) to HDTVs via the built-in microHDMI connector and have written about being able to show, on the large TV, anything I'm doing on the Kindle Fire HDs, including web-browsing, Youtube, Netflix, HuluPlus, etc.  I recommended there an HDMI cable that worked on the first try and is viewed as more reliable than most you'll find.

Rick Broda of CNET has an excellent article on how your Kindle Fire HD tablet "can actually outperform a Roku" with a couple of apps he recommends and the cable.

  He mentions the Dolphin browser app (with support for playing Flash) but doesn't include information on how that's done.  It's not difficult though, and I've given a step-by-step guide for using the Dolphin browser app to play flash-video and it's turned out to be a heavily visited article.


XFiles fans may be interested in XFiles creator Chris Carter's new project with Amazon
ScreenRant's H. Shaw-Williams reports on Amazon's commissioning of a pilot from Chris Carter
' for a post-apocalyptic drama called The After, which Carter will write and direct. Other than the fact that it takes place after an an apocalypse, almost nothing is known about the plot, but the pilot will be produced by Marc Rosen and Leon Clarence’s company Georgeville TV, which has been working with Carter on the pitch for The After since last fall. Once the pilot is complete, it’s possible that it will be uploaded to the Amazon Studios site and pitched to an audience vote to decide whether or not it will be commissioned to a full season. '
They'll start casting soon.   There's much more detail at the ScreenRant site.


Free Android App of the day Wednesday, Aug 29, is a popular Word game




4Pics 1Word- What's the Word Init
currently has 264 customer reviews, with an average rating of 4.6 stars.  Normally $0.99, but $0.00 today (Wed., 8/29).

DOJ, Apple, and Judge Cote -- status, as of August 27
These will just be links to the latest and are follow ups to the blog article here on August 12 about DOJ recommendations and Judge Cote's consideration of proposals for remedies in the e-book pricing case.

1. Citing Steve Jobs email, DOJ claims Apple changed in-app purchase to retaliate against Amazon - by Laura Hazard Owen for GIGAOM
2. E-Books Judge Pledges to Avoid Unnecessary Intrusion Into Apple's Business - by Julie Clover for MacRumors
3. Apple E-Books Judge Cote Says She’ll Limit Antitrust Remedies - by Bob Van Voris for BloombergBusinessweek
4. Apple says tempered e-book penalties still go too far - by Joan E. Solsman for CNET.


Judge Cote said that she'll sign a final order spelling out the remedies next week.


Reminder: The Kindle Fires are on large discounts for college students who have or who join Prime at $39/year.




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


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Kindle Fire Sale - Discounts: Student Exclusive: Large savings on Kindle Fire, w/ Student Prime, until 11:59 pm on Sept 1

Student Kindle Fire Discounts up to $70 off with Student Prime membership

I've been mostly away for some other projects, but after returning, I saw that Amazon has a special Kindle Fire tablet discount for students only, but it requires an active student version of Prime, which is $39.

Here's Amazon's announcement.  (The text is straight from the Amazon page, to show exactly what they're offering and what's required.)


Save up to $70 on Select Kindle Fire Tablets: Exclusive Offer for Amazon Student Members

Special pricing is available on select Kindle Fire tablets to Amazon Student members with an active Prime account (six months free or $39/year plan). Join Amazon Student or start your discounted Prime membership to take advantage of this discount.  The promo codes below will become available 24 hours after activation of your account, through September 1.  New members, don't forget to check your .edu email and verify your account. 

How to Take Advantage of This Offer:
1. Place one of the tablets below in your cart.
2. At checkout, enter the appropriate promo code when prompted:
FIREHD89Kindle Fire HD 8.9" for $199
FIREHDSTKindle Fire HD for $149
FIREDEALKindle Fire for $129

If you are an Amazon Student member in a free or paid Prime plan, the discount will be applied to the corresponding item in your cart.
3. Complete your order before this promotion expires at 11:59 p.m. PST on September 1, 2013."

[End of Amazon announcement]


  These are actually very good deals.


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


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Kindle Fire Tips: "Silk" Web Browser gets an Extreme Makeover for Kindle Fire 2nd Generation tablets.(adding info Mon. night)


Kindle Fire Web Browser ('Silk') user interface redesigned with unique readability and more speed

  The Kindle Forum announcement is titled, "Silk Update for Kindle Fire 2nd Generation, Kindle Fire HD 7", Kindle Fire HD 8.9"" so apparently this update doesn't pertain to the original Kindle Fire tablet first sold in 2011.

  (Sad added note: I spent about 4 hours updating this blog entry to add information, explanations, and special tips to help with confusion I saw in forums from some who felt they had lost a lot of features which have been moved to different areas.  The updated draft was automatically saved, but then I did a manual Save again on the WRONG browser tab for this blog and lost all that work.
  Was not home Sunday, must be out for the day Monday and will redo the additions late Monday.

  I first read about the web browser changes in the news Friday morning but there was no evidence of changes on my Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet, and early reports on the main forum were that Amazon's 'Silk' web browser blog had just announced the changes and was doubling as a tutorial on the new look and more intuitive navigation (although some users miss the 'Starter' page).

  For me, the browser changes seemed to come in increments on my Kindle Fire, and owners reported, early Friday, different experiences with the layout.  For instance, I had most of the changes described below in the Kindle Forum announcement (bold-faced emphases in it are mine) but did not have the top-left web-menu, which came in as a part of the changes later that night.

  Apparently, the groundwork was laid with software version [x].4.6 just received in the last week or so.

  Here is the forum announcement, which is essentially an introduction to the blog-tutorial page which gives much more detail, with screen captures.
' What's New?

*Brand new look for Silk - The Silk browser is now better, faster, and easier to navigate.

*Removal of the Starter page - When you open the Silk browser for the first time, you'll see the Most Visited page. From here, you can tap a website you view the most to visit it, or tap the Address Bar to find a website.

*User interface enhancements - Create up to ten tabs for easy tabbed browsing within the Silk browser.  With enhanced Reading View, you can read the web page in a single-screen format that is optimized for reading by removing most graphics, advertisement, or links from the web page.

*New left panel navigation - Use the Left Navigation Panel to access your saved websites, browser history, and downloads from Silk.

*Other performance enhancements.

If you need assistance with this update, head over to the Kindle Help Community. '

That "enhanced Reading View" is terrific.  First, the Reading View alert or icon is now impossible to miss, being highlighted in green alongside the URL or Location Field at the top of the page.
  NOTE: The green Reading View icon doesn't show up until the page is completely loaded, as the software apparently analyzes, where possible, which space with text constitutes a key article you might want to read in larger font and without all the ads and what the developers may decide are distracting links that are inserted (to other articles) and not essential to the article text.
CAVEAT: While the new browser is very smart, it doesn't work well with some pages.  The new Reading View isn't able to analyze correctly some Google-based blog pages (some Blogger and Blogspot.com sites) such as the one you're reading, in either Desktop or Mobile mode when there are dual columns -- one of which is a persistent site-oriented webpage column that is not part of an article.

  With most of the blog articles in A Kindle World, the text-focused Reading View can't differentiate between the article body and the blog title header, and it misses 80-90% of the actual text of the article while grabbing info from a side-column.

  Even if choosing the Kindle Fire's "Mobile" web-browsing View (see the general tablet-Menu's new "Request another view" option which is great to have while viewing a webpage), the Mobile view doesn't work on this Blogspot site yet.**

  What's odd is that the earlier version of Reading View WAS able to read individual Kindleworld articles correctly, identifying and showing just an article's content.

  ** Workaround for this blog:
      For tablet/phone reading of A Kindle World, use the following link:
      kindleworld.blogspot.com/?m=1
so that Google-Blogspot gives you the Mobile version.  You tap on an article's Title to get the individual article's text, and it's VERY readable.
  Ignore the Reading View icon in this case, where you're already in a customized mobile-device-optimized version of the blog.

 I'll write Silk Team feedback on this.  It does well with most websites.

That caveat aside, I now enjoy this browser more than the various ones I've tried on any of my tablets, with the exception that the Dolphin browser used with an old Adobe Flash Player works best for sites with Flash video for now.

  ANOTHER key improvement in Reading View is the ability to change the font size used.  The earlier browser version was a fixed-sized font that generally was still too small for me to read comfortably so I chose to use another browser that would allow me to change the font size while getting good word wrap on that.  Now I'll likely choose Silk browser more often to read articles (and will chooseFF the Dolphin browser when I want to see a web Flash video that might not be compatible with Silk's new, experimental streaming viewer yet).

  To get options while in Reading View
  To get the font options (as well as full/not-full screen and tablet-menu options), press the "||" icon visible at the right edge when in Landscape mode or at the bottom of screen when in Portrait mode.

  Not only can you change the font size to your liking when in Reading View, you now have additional background color options.  As with Kindle books or magazine article-text views, the Reading View mode allows you to view the website article text in Sepia (easier for some readers' eyes) or in white text against black AND even to choose Left alignment (with nicely raggedy right-edges and no big gaps in text spacing or instead choose Right-justified text.  There are also margin adjustments.

  REMINDER: If you'd rather read an article in original layout mode while viewing the surrounding material, you can double tap on the text to get a fixed larger font size, which sometimes will be enough.

The Silk Team ends their blog tutorial with, "Our goal is continuous improvement.  With that in mind, we’d love to hear from you.  Please get in touch and let us know what you think of Silk.  You can reach us at amazon-silk-feedback@amazon.com."


ID-numbers on my tablets for this Silk update.
Because my Silk changes seemed incremental, with some of it not matching the tutorial at first, I took a look at the Settings to check for any ID numbers.  Below is what I found after my updates were complete and the browser layout finally fully matched the tutorial.
  Another Note: I'm also assuming that our tablets should have the latest Kindle Fire 2nd Gen software update [x].4.6 released recently.
App settings
. Lightly tap on "Applications"
. Tap "Apps" to get "App Settings"
. On "Version and Release Notes"
.   I tapped on "App version release-6.1000.512.47A_622704710" to see:
    "Version
     release-6.1000.512.47A
     Last Updated: [Recent date] (1.0.988.1)

SILK settings (mine)
. Lightly tap on "Applications"
. Tap "Installed Applications"
. Choose Filter by "All Applications"
. Go down to "Silk" and click on it
. You then see "Application Details" and, under that,
.     "version 1.0.68.293-Gen5_34034610" (in my case, for both 7" and 8.9")



Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.
US:
Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229
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 Touch WiFi - $99
Kindle Paperwhite 1, WiFi - $119/$139
Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi - $119/$139
Kindle Paperwhite 1, WiFi+3G - $179/$199
Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi+3G - $189

Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web
Kindle DX - $379 $299 (Yes)
UK:
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69
Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd
Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi
£109
Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK
£169
Kindle Fire 2, UK
 £129
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK
£159/199
Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79
Kindle Paperwhite 2 - $169
Kindle Paperwhite 2, 3G - $209
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284

*OTHER Int'l pages*
Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89
Kindle Keybd 3G - $189
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $209
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


France Boutique Kindle
Deutschland - Kindle Store
Italia - Kindle Store
Spain - Tienda Kindle
Brazil - Amazon Brazil
China - Amazon China [?]
Japan - Amazon Japan


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

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Kindle Tip: Really Good Photo Basics Kindle book free again for maybe one day -- on 'mastering' basic camera settings

An excellent Kindle guide to photography basics is free again for today and I JUST saw that it was, because I was looking for it for a friend, for regular price.

I'm repeating the earlier blog details on this, to get this tip off tonight:
A book on the basics of camera settings -- what they mean and how they work together -- is free for a day or so.  Generally the free promos are one day to five, the average seeming to be 2 days while some are free for only a few hours.  This may have been made free earlier this week but, as mentioned, I just noticed it.

  This is a guide to 'mastering' the concepts of aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure, written by AI Judge, whose Kindle books on photography basics get high ratings for clarity.  It's not a book for advanced users who already use these controls with a good understanding of them.  It's for those who depend on 'auto' mode but would like to experiment with more control over their results when they want.

  It's a small book, only 68 pages, but I've downloaded it and it's very well organized, very clearly written and should be a boon for anyone who would like to try a bit more than 'auto' mode on their cameras and it will help in understanding why certain combinations of settings may be optimal for this or that situation.  Focal Length is explained as well.  The Kindle edition of this small guide is generally $5.99 - it's also available in paperback for $12.21.

  And of course, the cost of the Kindle edition is $0.00 today.  I've no idea if it'll still be a free promo anymore on Thursday. Apologies for not looking earlier.



  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 models :
  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

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Kindle Fire Tips: PicShop photo editor for Kindle Fire and Android is Free App of the Day, Tues, Aug 13, 2013. Filters, frames, overlays (and Caveats)


In reply to the blog entry about the HD Camera app (which is about how to use the front-facing camera to take photos of yourself or whatever is behind you), commenter David Silva once alerted us to another camera app he recommended for Kindle Fire HD owners.

  It's the PicShop Lite Photo Editor, by esDot Development Studio, and this "Lite" version is always free.

1.  For the always-free version, there are currently 337 customer reviews, with an average rating of 4.1 stars.

TODAY, the paid version of PicShop - Photo Editor (usually $4.99) is free, for just today -- August 13, 2013.

Product Features

(for both versions)
Full Editing Suite
Filters and Effects
Frames and Overlays
Sketch Mode w/ 8 different brushes
Meme Maker
Speech Bubbles
Text w/ Adjustable Font
Fun Stickers (Hats, Moustaches, Love etc)
Social Integration (Facebook, Twitter, Email)
Customize app with your own personal theme

The "Editing Suite" includes:
Color / Saturation; Brightness / Contrast; Sharpen / Blur; Tilt Shift
Depth of Field; Blemish Remover; RedEye Remover; Auto-Correction;
Crop; Rotate; Flip


2.   The usually $4.99 paid version also has an average 4-star rating, with 1,053 customer reviews currently showing on the actual customer-reviews page. There are a large number of dissatisfied users and a seeming lack of customer support for too many (and no identifiable vendor responses seen) but also over 600+ 5-star reviews.
  Image-quality-conscious photobugs should read the CAVEATS (in red) below also.

The app maker doesn't mention what the differences are, between free and paid versions, but one customer said the "full version" was needed to "unlock" something, another customer wishes she "didn't have to buy [the] full version" to get the rest of it, and one person said it seemed to "taunt" you with things available only in the paid version (although if one likes it, $5 is not a huge price and it has a sizeable number of people who chose it over the free one eventually).

*CAVEATS* - A review today pointed out that any image he saved (even if he made no changes) was badly compressed by the SAVE action and was no longer the clear artifact-free image that the original was.

  He doesn't mention what tablet or phone he was using or if he tried it with another device, but the probability is that it's the method of Saving the image (and maybe a setting somewhere to choose the quality of the saved image but I haven't tried the newest version yet).

  Since it's free today, it's probably worth trying to see if this happens to your images.  You would Save (the changes) AS [another filename], giving the saved-changes file a different name.  Never "Save" an original photo or image by overwriting an existing image but save it with a new name or make sure you have a backup copy.

  There are now many reviews from today's downloads, and many users cannot save changed images to their devices, while others are highly enthusiastic about what it does.  It seems to work well with the Kindle Fire but not with some other devices.  What is disturbing is that the appmaker offers this for free today but doesn't respond to problems voiced over the last half year and should be responding today too.

  I'd like to hear what blog readers here experience happening to their test image when saving changes and what device you are using, if people don't mind reporting on that.


The Product Description from the product page:

PicShop - Photo Editor
Photo editing on your Android device
"Full-Featured Photo Editor for Android
PicShop - Photo Editor features a beautiful design combined with tons of editing options and dozens of filters. With support for HD images up to 8MP, PicShop is great for serious photographers as well as casual.  Post your perfected photos to Facebook, Twitter or e-mail with a single click.
The UI Layer for PicShop is fully GPU accelerated, which translates into extremely low battery consumption, and a beautifully smooth 60hz interface. This app is a joy to use.
Photo Editing Controls
This photo-editing Suite includes Color/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Sharpen/Blur, Tilt Shift, Depth of Field, Blemish Remover, RedEye Remover, Auto-Correction, Crop, Rotate, and Flip."

This editor can of course be used with photos that you transfer to the Kindle Fire HD or to whatever Android device you're using, either via a USB connection to a computer or via the WiFi File Explorer "over the air."




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


Monday, August 12, 2013

Kindle News: Apple/DoJ Lawsuit Judge mulls proposals for remedies in e-book pricing case - Updated


DoJ/Apple case: Judge Cote proposes ways to prevent further collusion and high e-book prices in near future

Judge Cote, to no one's surprise, denied Apple a stay of all proceedings pending its Appeal.

  She further denied "Apple’s proposed schedule for its damages trial, and ordered the parties to finish discovery by the end of December, 2013 with summary judgment motions to be fully briefed by February 28, 2014."

  Apple's lead counsel Orin Snyder received no sympathy from the judge about the "excessively aggressive" schedule.  Andrew Albanese's report in Publishers Weekly is very detailed, and trial watchers will want to read this one.

  The Christian Science Monitor's Molly Driscoll also writes in some detail about all this.

  While the DoJ would like to see the publishers and Apple not just return to the Agency Model and its restrictions on lower pricing in only two years and would prefer that Apple, who did not settle, not be allowed, in the next 5 years, to use the Agency model in that same way (rather than be restricted to only two years).

  Judge Denise Cote doesn't think that latter interval would be necessary but would want separate agreements with individual publishers staggered by months (maybe 6-8 months between) to avoid the kind of collusion noted.

  She added that a monitor appointed by the court that would work with Apple, might not be needed as long as Apple set up a program within the company focusing on antitrust efforts.
' The judge, however, was also unimpressed with the publishers, calling them “unrepentant.”

“None of the publisher defendants have expressed any remorse,” Cote said.

Representatives for Apple and the DOJ will now have meetings to discuss the measures, and Cote has asked for an outline from the two companies on proposed restrictions for Apple sometime this week. '

The Wall Street Journal's Joe Palazzolo explains that Judge Cote made these proposals "during a hearing Friday in federal court in Manhattan, roughly a month after finding that Apple provided five of the largest publishers 'with the vision, the format, the timetable and the coordination that they needed to raise e-book prices' in violation of federal antitrust laws when the company entered the market in 2010."  He adds:
' Judge Cote said she was seeking to impose conditions on Apple that would ensure price competition for e-books without disrupting innovation at the second-most valuable company in the world.

"I have no desire to regulate the App Store," Judge Cote said. '

  A Reminder - The traditional wholesaler arrangement was that the publisher set the Retail or Suggested List Price, and booksellers would pay (guarantee) the publisher 50% of that.
  Now, some of those e-books were set at $26 retail and therefore Amazon paid the publisher $13 while charging $10 for the e-books, taking a loss on those (while taking much better margins on some older e-books).

  Other booksellers could not afford to do the same, but the basic reality is that publishers have no need to charge $26 (!) for an e-book as a retail price. If they set it at even $15 booksellers would pay the publisher $7.50 per e-book sold and take a profit of $2.50 -- no one has to take a loss.

  But this has always been about keeping hardcover, printed books at the higher cost.
 In fact, the publishers had more revenue from the wholesaler method from which to pay their authors but they often obfuscated this, even though at least one publishing house told its authors that with the Agency model the authors would have to take 20% of net profit rather than 25% on e-books.

  The idea has been to keep the hardcover or printbook prices at a higher price level and not to 'devalue' them by allowing e-books to be sold so inexpensively despite the lower cost of producing the the digital versions.  This has been stated often, by the publishers (out loud), but at the same time they also worked to paint Amazon as pricing e-books so low that no other booksellers could do that.  Obviously, that never had to be.  But it's all about traditional printed book pricing and protecting that.

  As with any transition in technology, methods change and pricing along with that.  It's one of those changes in the world order and inevitable battles for survival of older ways.

  Support for the government's case made in the form of Amicus briefs by Kobo (affected badly by Apple's restrictions on in-app links to their store) and by The Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

  Publishers Weekly's Andrew Albanese described the situation.  Publishers Weekly is unusual in that while they are part of the publishing industry, normally aligned against Amazon's pricing mode and their fear that Amazon may eventually be able to set terms less favorable to the larger publishers, their articles are very balanced.  The American Booksellers Association, on the other hand, paints Amazon as the Devil on his worst day and Apple as protective Angel.

  Kobo's retail partner is, ironically, The American Booksellers Association, which is adamantly for the Agency Agreement as it was structured from the start, with its focus on keeping e-book prices high.
  Kobo, though, lost 75% of its new-customer conversions when Apple, in the summer of 2011, suddenly imposed a large fee on the store-linking function in its apps by e-book sellers.  The 30% commission on an in-app book sale would have taken all of Kobo's 30% profit on that sale price.

  The DoJ has proposed that Apple allow the in-app links for the next two years.  Amazon and Barnes & Noble e-book apps would be affected also if Judge Cote decides to go with this.

  The CFA's noted antitrust lawyer David Balto explains why, Albanese adds, the proposed remedy is "not unusual" and is "appropriate" (the details are in the linked article).  The Consumer organization stresses:
'...“the underlying conduct was willful and [Apple] remains unrepentant.” The brief also notes that the DoJ proved “conduct of a sort often prosecuted criminally, that was knowingly orchestrated by defendant’s highest management.”

Failure to take “strong remedial steps” in a case involving such egregious conduct, the brief concludes, would send a message that “antitrust compliance can be an afterthought and that antitrust penalties are merely a cost of doing business.” '

Believe it not, I wrote this blog entry as the 3rd topic for my blog article for today, as I had not posted over the weekend.  As you can see, that would have been an impossibly long entry, but then, so is this one.  I put together bits and pieces of reports I saw but it's not exactly coherent.  If there's anything you'd like clarified a bit more, let me know in the Comments area. Thanks.


Related articles
TIMELINE:  Ebook Pricing Wars - what DOJ would have seen.
Also, History of the e-book pricing wars



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

Amazon to release an Android Console by end of 2013? Web apps can now be submitted to Android app store for conversion.


Strong rumor that Amazon is about to offer its own Android-based game Console

As gameinformer's Mike Futter writes, with more certainty, "Amazon Developing Android Console For Release By End Of 2013"
  Photo credit: luluhypermarket.com and gameworldme.com

Sources with "knowledge of the in-development hardware" approached them with this news that the console will have its own dedicated controller and will "most likely" be available around Black Friday and will of course leverage the titles already available on its platform and its existing relationships with key developers.

Futter points out that its target would be the "affordable home gaming sector" with emphasis, little doubt, on "affordable."  Futter wouldn't be surprised to see "Amazon cut a deal to have their Android gaming technology integrated with key television manufacturers' products."

  Rick Munariz, at the investment site The Motley Fool headlines his reaction, "Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony Have a Problem."

  Microsoft's XBox 360 has been the topselling console in this country for over two years, with the Nintendo Wii U not doing that well against it, and Microsoft is coming out in November with the XBox One, which Munariz expected would be an "easy winner" over Sony's PS4, BUT Sony decided to price its system $100 lower, and then Microsoft alienated many in the "diehard" gamer community with some sudden restrictive policies, though they've backtracked on that a bit, after some tumult.
  You will see some of that community in the vitriolic comments section to the article on Amazon's plans.

  So, now Amazon will enter that fray. Not proprietary, it would still be less attractive for those who wouldn't, Munariz says, give up their Halo 4 or The Last of Us for Candy Crush Saga or Temple Run but then there's the lure, for families, of "free or nearly free" Android games vs $60 console titles.  He adds:
' At least one analyst -- Webush Securities analyst Michael Pachter -- opined earlier this year that the online retailer could give away a year of Amazon Prime to help move the set-top platform that may very well cost less than $100. Amazon is just that brazen when it comes to winning market share. '

  I'm giving this some space here because I've not been interested in games ONLY because when I've tried them they were just too addictive for me, so I decided to opt out before my life was taken over by them.  I do see many on Facebook who are playing Candy Crush Saga a LOT.
  It also occurred to me that other Kindle owners, readers, video watchers may, like me, wonder what this is all about.

  The thinking, re the new Amazon console rumored, is that Amazon would get enough families interested to take a good, tasty or share of the pie.

  "Someone who's zapping away at candy pieces or playing digital Scrabble -- and then using that same platform to stream music and watch video -- isn't going to have as much time to play traditional video games."
  Note that 'reading books' is not an activity mentioned

  I also read this last week that only 50% of iPad users use the tablet for reading books.  But that makes sense; it has a lot of fun, useful apps, and it's just too big, too heavy for reading books.  MANY I know enjoy iPads for everything but reading (though books can look very good on it even if it's heavy for casual reading) but they also own e-Ink Kindles for their time with books.  Easier on the arms and eyes.  More portable too.

  A side note for no reason: iPads, Kindles, and thieves
 An e-Ink Kindle would probably be less likely to be a thief's target on mass transit.  I was startled to read today that a Kindle tablet was snatched from some poor woman enjoying it on a Tri-Rail and they have a video of the guy actually taking it. (Pic at right.)

 While trying to find this again just now, I was surprised to see so many recent news reports of Kindles (and iPads) stolen.


Amazon is adding HTML5 Web-app support for Kindle Fire/Android
Apparently, the selection of apps available will increase quite a bit as a result of this new ease of conversion.  CNET's Don Reisinger reports that now Web app developers will be able to port their HTML 5 programs directly to Amazon's Appstore - no additional coding necessary - and they'll be made available to Kindle Fire and Android user through the Appstore.

  They'll also be able to access Amazon's In-App Purchasing API for JavaScript, to "incorporate the sale of digital goods as well as subscriptions and digital currencies" into their apps.




Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.
US:
Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 *
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 Touch WiFi - $99
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199
Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web
Kindle DX - $379 $299 (Yes)
UK:
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69
Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd
Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi
£109
Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK
£169
Kindle Fire 2, UK
 £129
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK
£159/199
Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129
Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199
Kindle Fire HD 7" - 214.00
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


*OTHER Int'l pages*
Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89
Kindle Keybd 3G - $189
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


France Boutique Kindle
Deutschland - Kindle Store
Italia - Kindle Store
Spain - Tienda Kindle
Brazil - Amazon BrazilRp
China - Amazon China [?]
Japan - Amazon Japan
Kindle Fire HD 7: * $40 off on both 16GB and 32GB models, 8/4/13, for a limited time.



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

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Kindle Fire News: Software Update x.4.6 finally, for HD models and 2nd Gen Kindle Fire available today.

Amazon's product pages are now showing a software update for the Kindle Fire HD 7", 8.9" and Kindle Fire 2nd generation models -- the update avoids glitches with website Flash that had been experienced by a few customers who had received (over the air only) the earlier planned update version [x].4.5


The workaround with Dolphin web browser that many have used for its support of an older, working Flash Player by Adobe (who doesn't support newer Flash Players for mobile devices with Android OS 4.x) was suddenly not working.

  A few blog entries here noted this problem with the planned update (version [x].4.5) which was sent to a few.  Forum regulars and this blog gave a couple of workarounds for that until Amazon's Kindle team could resolve the problems with a newer update, which forum posts by customers reported Kindle Team WAS developing.

  That software update is now here and customers say that Flash pages they've used with Dolphin are again working and, as I said earlier, there was general rejoicing.  Now we can download it manually if we want this new update sooner.

Remember that recently Amazon's Android Appstore apps were being made available to customer Kindles outside the U.S., in almost 170 countries now activated for access to that app store.

ALSO fixed, according to customers at the Amazon forum, are some oddities the "Time [left] to Read" estimates at lower left hand corner of books.

  Am also adding, as usual, UK software pages:
Amazon's new, free software update for Kindle Fire 2nd Generation, Kindle Fire HD 7", and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 are now available at the usual software update help pages:

Kindle Fire HD 7":
Head over to the Kindle Fire HD 7" Software Update page for more details:
  v7.4.6 US/Most Int'l here.   UK software page.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9":
Please see the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Software Update page for more information:
  v8.4.6 US/Most Int'l here   UK software page.

Kindle Fire 2nd Generation Software Update page contains information on how to manually install the update if you'd prefer:
  v10.4.6 US/Most Int'l here.   UK software page.

If you need assistance with any of these updates, you can find help at 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 Nexus1 7", Kindle Fire HD 7"
  . Comparison reviews of the Kindle Fire HD 7" and Google Nexus1 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.




Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.
US:
Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 *
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 Touch WiFi - $99
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199
Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web
Kindle DX - $379 $299 (Yes)
UK:
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69
Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd
Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi
£109
Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK
£169
Kindle Fire 2, UK
 £129
Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK
£159/199
Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$
Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79
Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129
Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199
Kindle Fire HD 7" - 214.00
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


*OTHER Int'l pages*
Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89
Kindle Keybd 3G - $189
  Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB
Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199
KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284


France Boutique Kindle
Deutschland - Kindle Store
Italia - Kindle Store
Spain - Tienda Kindle
Brazil - Amazon BrazilRp
China - Amazon China [?]
Japan - Amazon Japan
Kindle Fire HD 7: * $40 off on both 16GB and 32GB models, 8/4/13, for a limited time.



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