Amazon's additional Kindle book deals for November ... Black Friday page has Countdown (current) deals ... Amazon Local coupons-feature ends Dec. 18 ... More on e-book pricing situation ... Free Kindle books for November. Updated.

Some Amazon changes

Amazon is ending, on December 18, its Amazon Local feature and app for locally-focused coupons.  Amazon Local was launched in 2011 with the help of Living Social.

  According to MarketWatch, ...the site and app will cease offering deals on Dec. 18, and the daily email featuring deals ceased Friday, though deals that customers have purchased or buy through Dec. 18 will be honored after that date."

  BusinessFinanceNews adds:

... [Amazon] also [had] bought stake in ... “LivingSocial” for $200 million.  [Living Social] ... recently cut its workforce by 20% and shifted its focus to long-term deals.  Amazon has 30% stake in the company, which was once valued [at] $1 billion.  It fell $242 million by 2014 end.  According to GeekWire, Amazon recorded a $169 million write down on the investment.

  'From October 30, 2015 until December 18, 2015, you can continue to purchase deals at Amazon Local as usual,' Amazon announced.  'All purchased vouchers will not be affected by this change and remain valid according to their terms.'

Special Kindle Daily Deal page offering: Up to 85% off selected Kindle books for November
  Amazon's own daily deals remain, of course, and the current "Kindle Daily Deal page" is also featuring a big special for the holidays.  As seen in the article image, Amazon's offering Kindle books at "up to 85% off" -- this is similar to its (now removed) "Big Deal").


REGULAR Monthly Kindle books offered at between $.99 to $3.99 [Updated to correct amounts]
This is the ongoing MONTHLY Kindle books deal of books offered at $.99 to $3.99.  The image and book links in this paragraph will take you to this particular monthly feature for November 2015's Kindle books, a feature which differs from the Special Kindle Deal page offer seen above that's for November as well.

  Amazon had a good quarter report with a big boost in sales and, possibly in connection with the premise of the article I saw last month in Observer, they're offering more deals than before on Kindle books.

  Side Note: E-book pricing and sales:
  The title of the Observer article (which references a Wall Street Journal article) is "Do E-Books Earn More Money at Lower Prices?" and it points out that while the large publishers who re-negotiated contracts that allow them to set the prices, the WSJ reports that they "reported declining e-book revenue in their latest reporting periods.
  "The new business model for e-books is having a significant impact on what [the big] publishers report," said one publishing executive.  "There’s no question that publishers’ net receipts have gone down."

  The Observer mentions that "more writers are producing more books and making more money than ever before. A lot of that increase has occurred outside major publishers, though."  And they remind us of Amazon's rare look "into its data around prices and e-book sales.  The Amazon Books Team posted on the Kindle Forum, writing:"

"For every copy an e-book would sell at $14.99, it would sell 1.74 copies if priced at $9.99.

  So, for example, if customers would buy 100,000 copies of a particular e-book at $14.99, then customers would buy 174,000 copies of that same e-book at $9.99.  Total revenue at $14.99 would be $1,499,000.  Total revenue at $9.99 is $1,738,000."

.
REMINDER -- NOVEMBER'S FREE Kindle books
November'sfree Kindle books (contemporary or non-classics)
    October 2015  November 2015.
    Also, all currently free non-classics sorted by:
    Publication Date   Bestselling    High ratings

A reminder: On the first 2-3 days of the month, the current month's free Kindle books listing will have many that are chapters for a book, or shorter works, and some Not-"family-safe" content that can creep in there when Amazon is asleep.  In that case, check the previous month's free Kindle books offerings ("October"), which is sorted by most-recently published first.


BLACK FRIDAY PAGE starts up again, quietly
Black Friday (US, UK, and Canada) is already back, in the form "Countdown to Black Friday," with some special deals daily until the usual official launch day.  In the UK and Canada, it's more subtle, but the "Black Friday" page shows current deals that will be changing.


Here's a bit more on Amazon Flex that I meant to include earlier in the previous article.  A cousin in San Francisco had a very similar positive experience to the one described below in this Geekwire article
  Re the Under-1-hr free delivery for Prime members from restaurants
"After I placed my order, I could watch my delivery rider making his way across town on a real-time map. I received an automated text message about two minutes before he arrived."
. . .
"It wasn’t until after he left that it dawned on me the impressive feat Amazon had accomplished. It usually takes about 20 minutes for a restaurant to prepare a carryout order, and the restaurant I chose is about a 12 minute ride from my apartment — up an infamous hill. That leaves just 5 minutes of wiggle room for my order to be able to show up within 37 minutes like it did."



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Amazon news: Kindle for iOS v4.12 ... Amazon Cloud Drive v1.2 ... AT&T increases data cap. Also, Things to know: Clarification of Prime Rule changes a couple of months ago ... Manage your Prime acct page ... Amazon Video compatible devices. UPDATED Prime-sharing info 10/15/15.

These are some items I'd noted that probably aren't widely read but should be of some interest to users of Amazon devices and to Prime members.  Most are links to information for those interested, and I've filled in some basic details given in a response to CNet questions.

It had not been clear who can share or what content in Prime Sharing.
I've updated Prime-sharing information below.  (originally posted 10/14/15)

LINKS for new info:
1. What's new in Kindle for iOS v4.12

2. Android and Kindle app for Cloud Drive, v1.2 adds file and folder deletion from the device finally.

3. AT&T Increases Data Cap In Face Of $100 Million FCC Fine.  This should be of interest to those who bought Fire Phones or tablets with cellular network access and have contracs with AT&T.


Manage your Prime page
I didn't know there was a page for managing your Prime membership but ran across it recently.  This briefly describes each Prime membership feature and offers quick access to each, with control over aspects of some of those features shown on the 'Help' pages for each feature.

Amazon Prime Rules - the actual changes that occurred earlier and were or are misunderstood by some.
There was initial misunderstanding as shown in Techcrunch's article at the time -- this is included just to show what some were unhappy about due to some misreading, but I made a comment at the bottom of the article, clarifying what actually was changed, rather than what was described in the article.  What they did change was previously having prime-shipping shareable with 4 other people in a 'household' (the latter interpreted widely by customers) while video-streaming was NOT shareable at all.

  Households
Now they've made a Households feature or category.

 This is comprised of up to six members.
  • Two adults, each with their own Amazon account.
  • Up to four children, who don't need Amazon accounts in order to be a part of the household

  Within this feature is "Family Library" -- two accounts can be linked and their books *shared* on your Kindle and "other compatible Amazon devices and media apps."

  Probably more important for some is that another adult household member without a Prime account can share another adult household member's eligible Prime benefits now, including video streaming.

  Another customer confirmed the added benefit.  I still see some misunderstanding in this area.  What they did remove was multiple-sharing of *free-2-day shipping*, which is now available only to another adult member of the Prime member's household (both must share one credit card each and therefore must really trust each other), although Amazon is "grandfathering in" those already sharing Prime under another member's account.  Once any of those people leave the 'household' the slot for someone sharing the benefits disappears.

  What I explained in two Comments to the article:

' Andrys Basten · Blogger at Kindleworld
Actually, my understanding had been that all along, "Amazon previously allowed anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription to share its shipping benefits and a few others, [BUT *NOT*] including Prime Instant Video access, with up to four other “household” members."

In other words, they could share the free 2-day shipping benefits with up to 4 others sharing the same household (and street address, although I don't think the latter was strictly monitored) but they could not share the Prime Instant Video with anyone at all.

The recent addition of the "Amazon Household" feature allows the Prime Instant Video to be shared with another adult in the household now [and, it would appear, up to 4 children in that household].'

and

' First, with 'Household' they =added= the perk of being able to share a Prime Instant Video benefit with another adult in the same household.  That's new.  There's no scaling back on that particular benefit.

Updated info 10/15/15
CNET received responses from Amazon to the initial brouhaha over what was felt to be a downgrade of Prime benefits.

' For instance, Amazon Households requires the two adults on the account to be able to share credit cards -- a change made to let those users share purchased television shows. However, having shared credit cards may not sit well with dorm roommates or distant friends.

Despite the concerns raised, [Amazon spokesperson Julie] Law said the changes were not made for financial reasons. "It was how do we allow people to share more of their benefits -- particularly Prime Instant Video -- among a family," she said.

She added that Amazon doesn't actively seek out people skirting the rules on their memberships. So, not only are those grandfathered accounts still active, but also users who have shared one account log-in with multiple family members will likely still be able to do that without getting a nasty call from CEO Jeff Bezos.

"This change isn't related to those types of outliers," Law said about people using their accounts fraudulently. "This change was related to our most active Prime shoppers...It's something we wanted to offer our customers for a long time." '

See more at cnet's full article.  [End of updated info]

  Similarly, for about 7 years+ they've allowed (although publishers dislike this) people to have their Kindle devices under another person's account, in order to share the Kindle books in that account, and in that case, the guest device could then order as well, with the acct owner's credit-buy setup -- so 'trust' between members sharing was a large requirement there also, which discouraged sharing between people who aren't at least close friends.

  One might have access to the other adult household member's credit cards with 'Household' sharing program but for a second adult in that household -- the trust thing matters and they're less likely to use the other person's credit card without permission.  The video publisher streaming contracts are much tighter than the ebook ones (which are already quite tight). Amazon has had a history of trying to find ways to make sharing somewhat easier than publishers want but not so blatantly easy that the publishers would object and withdraw their content. '

The Consumerist, usually hard on Amazon, had a good article explaining that Amazon was NOT 'cracking down" on shared prime and described what the changes actually were and the probable reason(s) for it.


Amazon Video compatible devices page - Just one more useful reference page.


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Amazon News Roundup: Amazon 'Flex' delivery coming. Early reactions to new device line details. Yr 2014 and 2013 HDX 8.9" tablet availability (US and UK). Amazon halts sales of Google and Apple streaming devices from Amazon and its Marketplace vendors, citing incompatibility problems with Prime Instant videos. New Echo feature to control garage-door opening and closing. Updates1 and 2 , 10/3/15

'Amazon Flex' begins in Seattle
Amazon is hiring everyday or 'average' people who can do 2, 4, or 8 hr shifts (and even 12 hour ones) on days they choose, delivering packages for Amazon, described by reporters as similar to the Uber system.

Drivers must be over 21, pass background checks, have their own car, and an Android phone (iPhone won't work for this at this point).  Amazon's offering $18-$25/hr.

While it's been launched only in Seattle at this point, they plan to expand this service soon to (in alphabetical order) Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, New York, and Portland.

The original order shown is: New York, Miami, Portland, Ore., Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Chicago and Indianapolis.
  Interesting idea.

  The illustration they use is for Prime Now, which is a current service for 1-2hr service for Prime members.

  I wonder what happens, on 2-hour or 2-day service, when an average person (not an employee) doesn't feel well and calls in (or doesn't call in), sick.  But they must have thought of that.  People can apply to provide Flex delivery at flex.amazon.com


Early reactions to new lineup of tablet and streaming-tv
(Note that the original or first (main) post about the new Yr 2015 Amazon devices was updated several times,
  and if interested in that, you can read the continuing updates at the original blog article.

For updates for this News Roundup that you're reading, see Update1 and Update2.

  1. From mainstream articles, a couple of points made that might not have been clear in early reports.
    Wired: "Amazon Has 6 New Devices — And an Actual Plan for Hardware"

' ...Next to the carousel-filled, dark-on-dark interfaces Amazon’s built before, Fire OS 5 is a refreshing and desperately needed change. Now, you get a light background and a grid of content; your favorite stuff on one page, your recent stuff on another, all your movies on another yet. It feels usable, really for the first time.
  ...
On the TV side, the Fire TV has been maybe the best set-top box on the market since the day it came out. (Or at least since whatever day it finally got HBO.) Now, with Alexa, the voice search should be even more useful.

  And not only do the new set-top boxes offer 4K streaming, they use a better kind of video encoding (called HEVC) that uses less bandwidth to stream video. That means you’re more likely to get a high-definition stream, even when you have a bad connection...

  ... When Amazon does its job well, it makes finding and consuming stuff easier than anyone else. '

    The $99.99 Fire TV box now uses Amazon's cloud-based personal assistant Alexa (the voice for the Echo device), which will allow viewers to check the weather, look up sports scores and play music by request.

  Amazon said that Fire TV viewers could soon also control home appliances through Fire TV, a function available on that Echo, which has been able to regulate thermostats and lights -- and today it was announced that the Echo will also be able to let you know if your garage door is open, without having to go outside.  Of course that requires a gizmo for it:

  SIDE item - New Echo feature, using Alexa (which means it'll come to the FireTV also) :
  The new Echo feature - Garageio Garage Door Controller - announced today

' Garageio is a simple and convenient way to control and monitor your garage door--without needing to replace your existing opener. With the Garageio Smart Garage Controller, and the new Garageio Alexa skill, you can now check if you left the garage open (and close it) using just your voice. ...

  To get started, install the Garageio controller, enable the Garageio skill using the Alexa App, then ask "Alexa, ask Garageio to begin setup." Next, connect Garageio to Alexa by following the instructions in the Alexa App and ask:

- "Alexa, ask Garageio if any of my doors are open."

- "Alexa, tell Garageio to close my door." '

  2. First reactions in Kindle customer forum
    This one on the Fire 10.1" tablet is the first discussion I've seen on the Kindle forums of any of the new tablets.  Pro and con.
    Update1
    And here's the second discussion, this one about the $50 Fire 7" tablet.

    Also, as of about 6pm on Oct 2, Amazon began posting customer reviews on the product pages for these new tablets.
    The product page customer reviews for the $50 Fire tablet is topped currently by a very honest, blunt, and also hilarious review, another one below it that has good pros and cons, and a third one that is mostly a very-informative video review that shows what the tablet display is like, for videos, and for text, as well as giving example of the this $50 tablet's functioning.  [End of Update1]

  3. Re the new dedicated game controller for the Fire TV, it was noted in a couple of articles that Apple had insisted that developers use the Apple TV remote for its new unit rather than a dedicated controller.

  4. Amazon has made readily available the higher-resolution and speedier Yr 2014 HDX 8.9" Fire Tablet and even the Yr 2013 one (!) -- the latter is the one I still use daily after two years -- while the UK seems to have both the Yr 2014 HDX 7" and 8.9" tablets available.

    I have no idea whether this is until they run out (they were unavailable for a bit after a huge 1 day sale just before the announcement).

    For the Amazon links to these earlier-Kindle pages whenever you need them, you can always see this blog's current Kindles table, which itself includes links to the OLDER tablets table.

  NOTE: Those earlier or older Kindles have higher-resolution and speedier chips but are more expensive, but they are also ON SALE today, I just noticed, probably for a limited time, the way Amazon works.  The prices had been reduced for these but they were further reduced today.  At these lower prices, they can be a good deal for those preferring higher resolution and a somewhat faster experience.

The new Yr 2015 devices have been shipping the last 3 days, so we'll get a closer look at these.  I saw one tech-site review yesterday that lamented that these budget-oriented models are not as fast as the more expensive ones of previous years.  Notice their expectations seem to be the same as for much more expensive tablets.


Amazon halts sales of Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast
Bloomberg reports that

' The Seattle-based Web retailer sent an e-mail to its marketplace sellers that it will stop selling the Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast since those devices don’t "interact well" with Prime Video.  No new listings for the products will be allowed and posting of existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29, Amazon said.  Prime Video doesn’t run easily on its rival’s hardware. '

See the Bloomberg story for more details and an analysis of what it means for Amazon and consumers who've looked to Amazon to buy these.

Update2 ... Adding an interesting set of points from the Amazon Kindle Forum on this, although there is obviously the danger for Amazon that it is sending paying customers to Google Store, benefiting Google more than Amazon in the long run:

' HJ Leonard says:
Keep in mind that Apple and Google refuse to sell the Amazon equivalents in their stores, too.  It's just another step in their battles.

  T. J. Hawkins says:
Not only do they not sell the Amazon equivalents they do not allow the Amazon video app on their devices.  So anybody who bought one thinking they could watch their prime video... well I guess you are just going to have to pay to buy it in the Google or Apple store or else subscribe to an alternative like Netflix.

It's true that Neither Google Play or iTunes are available on the Fire either.  But when you buy a product from a company you will likely expect that the companies services will work on that product. If I bought something from Apple I would expect iTunes to work on it.  If I bought something from Google I would expect the Play store to work on it.  So Amazon would be completely brainless if they continued to sell a product that Prime Video did not work on.

That's why I prefer Roku. Both Amazon and Google Play work on it. iTunes doesn't of course since Apple will never allow their service to work on any streaming device except an Apple product. '

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Rumored new Amazon devices materialized today. 4 new Fire tablets (ALL with MicroSD slots !) and 3 new powerful FireTV devices. Added tablet and firetv comparison table links. UK pages added to Global List. Misc Updates 9/22-10/3/15

AMAZON ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW TABLET DEVICES
  I'm highlighting the things you should know and I'll follow up later today with updates on the new offerings.

Note that ALL the new 7" 8" and 10" tablets have MicroSD slots that allow you to expand the total storage capacity by 128 GB.
  And the TV Fire Stick now comes with a voice remote.

  The UK new Kindle info pages are linked to on the Global Listing page.

FIRE tablet - $49.99
  "This is a groundbreaking new tablet for under $50. The new Fire tablet includes a quad-core processor, 7" IPS display, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 128GB of expandable storage, exclusive Amazon features and services, and access to the world's best content ecosystem -- all for just $49.99.  Customers can also choose to buy Fire as a six-pack for less than $250. "

  The businesswire quotation:

' Introducing Fire -- Setting an Entirely New Standard for a Tablet under $50
The best display on any tablet under $50, almost 2x more durable than the latest generation iPad Air, and 2x more processing power than Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite

  Fire OS 5 “Bellini” features an updated user interface, adds hundreds of new features and platform enhancements, and provides instant access to Amazon’s vast content ecosystem of more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps, and games

  Includes Amazon Underground with unlimited access to over $10,000 in paid apps, games, and even in-app purchases that are actually free

  Prime members get instant access to a lending library of hundreds of thousands of books, over a million songs, free photo storage in the cloud, and tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes—all at no additional cost. '

I WILL add now that I have been following all the rumors that used actual government approval data sheets, and the speaker in these IS a mono one, and the storage space rumored was 8 GB and that's what it is, with 5 GB used for system files.
  With everyone using the Cloud to move things onto and off their devices, these are choices made to lower the cost for those who need to budget.

  HOWEVER, even this $50 model has a 128GB MicroSD slot.  I bought, during an Amazon sale I blogged a couple of weeks ago, a 64 GB Sandisk Ultra MicroSD card for $19.95.

Amazon's pricing on Sandisk cards (these have been reliable for me) tends to be attractive.  Here is a page showing Sandisk MicroSD cards, with ratings shown and reviews accessible.  And here's a page with ALL MicroSD cards, sorted by average customer rating.
  Note that the Sandisk cards are currently priced $5 to $20 lower than if bought with the tablets.

  Display resolution is somewhat less than the current 7" HD model's for Year 2014, but that difference won't be particularly noticeable to most, and this is a no-worry tablet at only $50 when a family has younger folks who want to just read, play games, or watch free streaming videos.

  Note the quote above that Amazon's offering a "6-pack" of these $50 tablets for the price of 5, or $250, useful for families or organizations -- and still less than one iPad Pro, it's been noted.


Fire HD 8 - $149.99 and Fire HD 10 - $229.99
  "These new tablets are designed from the ground up for entertainment with a stunning 8" or 10.1" widescreen HD display, an incredibly thin and light design, quad-core processor, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio, front- and
rear-facing cameras, and microSD card support providing up to 128GB of expandable storage..."

  The Businesswire quotation

'Introducing the All-New Fire HD: Powerful Tablets ... stunning HD display with over 1 million pixels, fast quad-core processor, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio, front- and rear-facing cameras, expandable memory via microSD, and almost 2x more durable than the latest generation iPad Air—all of this for just $149.99 for 8” and $229.99 for 10.1”

The best entertainment experience on a tablet with Fire OS 5 “Bellini,” which features an updated user interface, adds hundreds of new features and platform enhancements, and introduces exclusive features like On Deck, Activity Center, Mayday Screen Sharing, and more

First tablets with Amazon Underground built-in, delivering a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games, and even in-app items are actually free—including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs, and more '

The display resolution in both the 8" and 10.1" tablets is not as high as that used in past HD models, with price apparently being a main consideration for families as well as a slimmer, lighter weight tablet.


Fire Kids
" Last year, we introduced Fire HD Kids Edition at $149 -- and parents and kids alike loved it. Today, we're making it even more affordable." [$99.99]
  Businesswire quotation:

' Introducing the All-New Fire Kids Edition -- Built from the Ground Up for Kids, Now Under $100
New Fire Kids Edition comes with an all-new Fire tablet, a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a kid-proof case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee—if anything happens, simply return it and we’ll replace it for free -- no questions asked

Kids now get access to over 20,000 age-appropriate websites and YouTube videos  -- all hand-curated by a team of Amazon experts -- kids can dive in to this content immediately with no set up or extra costs

Includes a year of FreeTime Unlimited, with more than 10,000 books, videos, educational apps, and games -- a 2x increase in selection over last year -- that have been curated for age-appropriateness '

New Devices - Comparison Tables
Here's Amazon's Yr 2015 tablet-comparison table
    and
Amazon's Yr 2015 FireTV-comparison table

  These can be useful kept in a separate browser window when looking through the various product pages while reading about specific features and wondering if they're in the other models.


Fire TV 2015


  INCLUDES Fire TV ($99.99) and Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote ($49.99) (standard remote optional, for $39.99 instead - but WHY not choose Voice search rather than typing in a search, for $10 difference?)

  "Last year, we introduced the first Amazon Fire TV, combining voice search
that actually works, fast and powerful performance, and an open ecosystem to
deliver the easiest way to watch Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO NOW, Hulu,
WatchESPN, and more on your big-screen TV. Since launch, Fire TV has become
the #1 best-selling Amazon device category, with Fire TV Stick quickly
becoming our fastest-selling product ever.

  Today, we are making those best-selling products even better. Today we are intrducing the next generation of Fire TV -- the new Amazon Fire TV with support for 4K Ultra HD,
and the new Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote."
  Businesswire quotation

' Introducing the New Amazon Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD and Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote
The new Amazon Fire TV is 75% more powerful, with best-in-class Wi-Fi, support for Alexa, and 4K Ultra HD—and is still less than $100

Amazon Fire TV offers the most 4K Ultra HD movies, and is half the price of any other 4K Ultra HD streaming media player

  Voice features on Fire TV just got better: Alexa, the brain behind Echo, is now available on Fire TV devices -- ask for music, information, weather, traffic, and more

  Over 3,000 channels, apps, and games now available -- more than Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, or any other streaming media player -- plus you can now add up to 128 GB of additional storage via microSD to take advantage of this great selection

  New Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote—simple and easy-to-use voice search and Alexa integration via included remote—all for less than $50 '

Fire TV Gaming
  "Today we also introduced a new version of Fire TV designed for affordable,
high-quality gaming. Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition includes the all-new Fire
TV, the new Fire TV Game Controller, a 32 GB microSD card, and two popular
games: Shovel Knight and Disney's Ducktales -- all for just $139.99 (regularly
  Businesswire quotation:

' Introducing the New Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition—Take Game Night to the Next Level
  Fire TV Gaming Edition combines the new Amazon Fire TV, new game controller, a 32 GB microSD card, and two included games: Shovel Knight and Disney’s Ducktales—all for $139.99

  New Amazon Fire TV Game Controller includes an all-new ergonomic design, a headphone jack, and voice search -- available as part of the Gaming Edition or as an optional accessory for Fire TV

  The all new Fire TV has 75% more processing power, 2x GPU performance, plus expandable microSD storage up to 128 GB—offering incredible value and powerful performance for gamers

  Amazon Fire TV has more games than any other streaming media player - new popular games include Minecraft Story Mode, Pac Man 256, Disney’s Ducktales, and Shovel Knight. '

Their Fire Stick page points out that (until Google updates its stick again) Fire TV Stick is the only video-streaming stick with Voice-Remote Control and has "4x the storage and 2x the memory of Chromecast plus a dual-core processor, 1 GB of memory, and ASAP" for fast Amazon video loading.


Updates (As of 9/22/15, 12:20 pm PDT)
I'll do a separate blog entry for highlights from some tech site reactions I've read, mostly quite positive.
  • Mainstream tech sites point out, of course, that Apple released this week its new Apple TV update without support for streaming 4K 'Ultra HD' video until later on.
  Forbes was pretty clear on the situation.

  • Note that ALL the new Fire tablets -- including the "kids" version with 2 year warranty (no questions asked) which also has an IPS screen -- have MicroSD card slots that allow you to expand storage space by 128 GB.

  • Here are comparison tables for the new Fire tablets and FireTV devices.  They can be kept in a separate window that you can switch to and from while reading about features on an individual product page.

  • I asked Amazon for info on the MicroSD card types compatible with the new devices.
      Here is the response:
      " - We support class 4 and above, including Class 10, UHS etc.
           For best performance we recommend Class 10 cards or above.

      " - It supports both SDHC and SDXC.

      " - The tablets provide the amount of on-device storage you've purchased with
           the tablet, plus up to an additional 128GB via microSD card."

    My Microsoft Surface Pro 2 laptop's MicroSD slot supports only (at least officially)
    a 64GB MicroSD card.

  • I added a note to the $50 Fire to highlight the Amazon reference to a "six-pack" for for the price of five.

  • In the Comments area of this blog, it's been pointed out that the new UI emphasizes sets of regular-sized icons for favorite content, including ones recently accessed, so many are hoping the huge Carousel icons are gone.  The reader comments themselves may be of interest to those with questions about the latest offerings.

  • The comparison chart shows that even the $50 tablet gets "Mayday" help (but first, phone or email is tried and if that doesn't work, then an Amazon rep can help by working on your tablet with you, live).

  • Added a note that the display resolution chosen for the 8" and 10.1" tablets is somewhat lower than for the previous HD/HDX units, in a trade-off for more attractive pricing and a slimmer, lighter tablet.

  • Added, within the blog section for the $50 model, a link to Amazon's nicely-priced Sandisk MicroSD cards.  This will give an idea of the cost after adding any extra storage wanted, though the unlimited, free Cloud storage for Amazon-purchased content can help.

        And here's a link to ALL MicroSD cards, sorted by average customer rating.

          The Sandisk cards are currently priced $5 to $20 lower than if bought with the tablets.

  • Added UK product pages to the Global Listing of Kindles.

  • Had not pointed out that the new Fires don't offer cellular network 3G or 4G access options, only WiFi.

  • While the $50 Fire TV cannot 'mirror' to an HDTV what you're doing on the tablet, it DOES come with the 'Fling' feature.
  "Fling" lets you send, from even this inexpensive tablet, an Amazon video to the TV so that it plays from the Cloud instead of from the tablet, freeing it so that you can use the tablet for other things -- whether just to read about what you're seeing ('Xray' feature) or do normal tablet things on it (read a book, play an app) while the movie or TV show displays on the HDTV for everyone in the room, with none of the buffering issues common to other ways of doing this.
 This can be done using a Fire TV or Fire TV stick, which both offer Amazon's Fling technology.

  This can be a workaround for those whose TVs no longer function with Amazon Instant Video due to changes.  Amazon Instant Video no longer has support for Google TV and no longer functions on some smart tv's.  Software updates may help in some cases.

  • See this heavy.com article which takes information from several sites, about changes that affect watching Amazon Instant on certain TVs.
  In connection with that, here is Amazon's page for its database listing of every compatible device and television. (It doesn't include, yet, the new Fire tablets and FireTV, Fire-Stick devices.)

  • Note the follow-up blog article 10/2/15 for reactions to the delivered tablets as well as the product reviews posted by Amazon Friday night.



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Quick photography-alert: Sandisk SD cards (incl'g micro) at up to 60% off today only. Some at 68% off actually. Amazon Locker still a feature for those who want deliveries nearby when not at home. September's free-Kindle-book search links.

Amazon Lockers: How to find them. Order Online and Pick up there

The Amazon lockers at my Staples store were removed over a year ago and I didn't realize there were others available nearby.  Since I can't always be home and my neighborhood has a problem with theft when a package is left at your doorstep and is visible form the street, this is a nice option.  There's no cost involved.  You can find any that are nearby by using this Amazon Locker look-up page.

Also, here's an animated guide to using these lockers, with illustrated steps.


Discount Alert for the Photography-inclined. Today only, Sept 8, 2015
Samsung SD cards, including micro-ones, are on a big one-day sale as Goldbox Deal of the Day.

I bought a 64GB Ultra micro SD card for my laptop, for $20, and a 64GB Extreme card (very fast) for my camera ($31).


REMINDER
September's free Kindle books (contemporary or non-classics)
    August 2015  September 2015.
    Also, all currently free non-classics sorted by:
    Publication Date   Bestselling    High ratings



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Amazon Underground: A new feature that offers normally Paid-Android apps that are "Actually Free" - no tiered-level costs added - for both Android tablets and Kindle HD-HDX tablets. UPDATE-1 (how developers get paid + more info)

AMAZON UNDERGROUND: $10,000 worth of "Actually Free" apps and games replace Free Amazon App of the Day

Huge change to Amazon's former "Free Android App of the Day" feature.  It's gone.  In its place is Amazon Underground app.

  The first stories I read left me unclear on what this actually means for customers and how this will work.

Amazon, though, has a suitably underground-looking graphic on its Amazon Underground page.  While you can read it easily on a desktop or larger tablet, it's harder to see on a phone or smaller tablet.   I found a text copy of it and am including it here for much easier reading and I've highlighted the more important aspects of the new feature.

  I was glad to see that the apps that are designated 'Actually Free' -- despite these apps normally having paid tiers -- will be automatically available on the Kindle Fire HD and HDX tablets as well as on any Android tablet.

' Dear Customers,

Amazon Underground is a new app for your Android phone. It has all of the functionality of our regular Amazon mobile shopping app... plus an exciting addition: over ten thousand dollars in apps, games and in-app items that are actually free.

Many apps and games that are marked as "free" turn out not to be completely free. They use in-app payments to charge you for special items or to unlock features or levels. In Underground, you will find 100% free versions of popular premium titles like OfficeSuite Professional 8, Goat Simulator, and PhotoSuite 4 and popular titles with in-app purchases like Frozen Free Fall, Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions, Angry Birds Slingshot Stella, Looney Tunes Dash! and many more.

We’ve made this possible by working out a new business model with app and game developers: we’re paying them a certain amount on a per-minute played basis in exchange for them waiving their normal in-app fees. To be clear, we’re the ones picking up those per minute charges -- so for you it’s simply free. Just look for apps and games marked with an "Actually Free" banner.

Normally you’d go to Google Play to download an Android app onto your phone. But Google’s rules don’t allow an app that offers apps or games to be included in Google Play.  So, you need to download the Underground app directly from Amazon.com.

  (Underground apps and games are automatically available on Fire HD and Fire HDX tablets.)

One last point on this. The Amazon Underground app is a long-term program rather than a one-off promotion. Over time, we’ll continue to invent and add more benefits to Underground. For now, enjoy some actually free apps and games!'

This is quite a challenge to Google Play!

Amazon adds, on their Amazon Underground webpage that there are two ways to Get the Amazon Underground App.

  Visit amazon.com/underground from your Android Phone
  Enter your email or mobile number to receive a link to download


NOTE: After posting this so you can see this sooner, I'll add any interesting aspects I become aware of that are not covered here, so bookmark this blog entry for more information as it goes.

UPDATE-1
Mainstream tech sites are still exploring what this actually means for customers and for developers both and Amazon is being more open on how they've been able to offer this and what the details are that encouraged developers to allow offering the apps for free and what those incentives are.  One factor is that developers found that customers are not eager to pay at each new level reached.

Wired.Com writes:
  ' More recently, and far more dramatically [than with Apple's recent Pay Once and Play], Amazon introduced Underground, an Android app that contains a huge number of traditionally paid or freemium apps that will cost its users absolutely nothing to use ...

  ' "For many customers we were hearing that sometimes it’s frustrating when you’re involved in a game and have to stop and make a transaction,” says Amazon Appstore director Aaaron Rubenson. “What we realized is that a model like the one we rolled out in Underground, where customers can simply download and use all of the features of a given app, or explore a game without having to worry about transactions in the middle… would be wonderful for customers.”
  ...
  ' “In general, the industry has to think about how to innovate on the business model.”

' Which brings us back to Amazon Underground, the most aggressive innovation of that sort you’re likely to see.
  ...
' ... It’s also why, while Amazon footing the bill for both its customers and developers is a genuine win-win, it’s not no-brainer.  It’s also not a model you’re likely to see anyone else replicate any time soon. '

That Wired article is a long, analytical look at this. Read the rest here.

AndroidPolice has detail on how developers will be paid by Amazon.

' ... the gist of it is that developers will be paid 1 penny for every 5 minutes an Underground customer is using their app.
...
'For some, this could work out really well on the development side of things.  It's not out of the question for certain types of games to have individual users reach 100 hours of gameplay, which would make you $12 on one person. Amazon's example is getting users for 4 hours per month, netting a developer roughly $0.50 per user each month until they quit using the app. There will probably be some big winners here since they won't ever stop making money from the people using their app.

'Still, users who play a freemium game that much are also those most likely to splurge on big IAPs [In-App Purchases]. The question some developers have to answer is whether Underground will attract the huge spenders that their app may depend on, cutting off major sources of income, or if it will instead only bring on users who would never pay '

That article cites Ars Technica's report that, for Amazon's part (how do they not lose money on this?), the Underground apps are heavily ad-supported.  If an app proves more popular than before, might Amazon offer a No-Ads version? That latter would be beneficial to developers who see smaller profits from the new opt-in system.

  Another article by AndroidPolice reported a confirmation by Amazon (though I thought the announcement was clear) that apps marked "Actually Free" will have zero in-app purchases involved.

' In the game that I tested, Jetpack Joyride, the IAP items I was used to seeing had all their prices marked as zero, and processing them through Amazon resulted in a "$0.00" charge to my account. Neat.'

I'll keep watching the user response to this and the program in general and will update here if I see anything of special interest.  It's a very creative move by Amazon.


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Further Amazon e-Ink Kindle eReader new software-feature updates, v5.6.5, with Kindle models further identified. Tuesday's Free Android App of the day: PianoMaster, normally $2.99.

Free App of the Day - Piano Master

Free for one day (Tues.), the Full version, normally $2.99

Further Updates on E-Ink Kindles Last week
This software update, v5.6.5 was released the day after I wrote about other software updates and it's being slowly being received over the air, receivable when you're connected to WiFi.

TIP for anyone not seeing enhancements in enabled Kindle books
The new features are available on books prepared to use the enhancements.  A couple of people have experienced no changes seen in enabled Kindle books but found that if they deleted the Kindle book from their Kindle devices and re-downloaded it from the 'Cloud' then the enhancements were shown.

  The new Bookerly font is very readable, as I've written in a past blog article on the Paperwhite 2 update that got this font earlier.  In my case, I still use the Helvetica font because it has the most contrast.  The Paperwhite 2 did not receive the new layout features at the time, however, and they're available to the mentioned models now.

 This blog article quotes the Amazon announcement made at their forums and highlights a few items in bold face, with added information in brackets to further identify the models affected.

'Software Update for Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle

We have a free software update available for Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation) [ Paperwhite 3 ], the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite [ Paperwhite 2  ], and Kindle (7th Generation) [ current Kindle basic model with Touch screen ].

In addition to performance improvements for your Kindle, new features include:
Smart Cards
A redesigned Smart Lookup makes it easier to get to the actions you want to take while reading - highlight, create a note, share a quote, and more, while keeping your favorite Smart Lookup features like Dictionary, Wikipedia, and X-Ray easily accessible.  Just tap and hold on a word, phrase, or sentence to bring up Smart Lookup and swipe right to see the next card.

Reading Improvements
   These reading improvements are:
~Bookerly, a new font specifically designed for digital screens and tailored for Kindle books, is now available on Kindle Voyage, the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite [ [Paperwhite 2 ], and Kindle (7th Generation) [ current basic Kindle model ], in addition to Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation) [ current Paperwhite model ].  It introduces a lighter, more graceful look that's akin to the best traditional fonts found in print books.

~Improved word spacing, which results in faster, easier reading across all fonts. When words are unevenly spaced on a line of text, or the spacing between words varies from line to line, it's harder for the eye to scan a passage of text while reading. So Amazon's new technology uses advanced rules for breaking words across lines with hyphenation while adjusting the space between words, to create paragraphs that are more even and consistent line to line.

~Improved character placement, which increases word-recognition speed. Digital fonts in browsers lack the subtle variable adjustments between characters that make high-quality print materials look great. Amazon's reading technology now applies kerning, which looks at neighboring pairs of letters in context and adjusts the character spacing to suit the word.

~Large font optimizations, which reduce visual distractions when customers choose larger font. The text is automatically left aligned to reduce gaps, and margins, indents, nested lists, borders and drop caps all get special treatment to keep the page easy to read with less effort.

~Enhanced page layout with typographically correct drop caps, and images and graphics that fit the page as the author meant them to be displayed, scaling correctly to reflect the page size and the customer's preferred font size.

~Footnotes, endnotes and chapter notes are displayed in a pop up panel, either at the bottom of the page when the note will fit in the bottom-third of the page, or full screen if the note will not fit in the bottom-third of the page.

Personalized Recommendations on Goodreads on Kindle
Now you can access book recommendations personalized just for you inside the Goodreads app on your Kindle. The Goodreads algorithms analyze more than 20 billion data points and deliver surprising suggestions-all to help you find the book you'll want to read next. If you haven't used recommendations on Goodreads before, simply tell us your favorite genres and rate some books, and we'll provide you with personalized recommendations.
  To learn more about a recommended title, just tap on the book cover to see more details. The more books you rate, the better your recommendations will be.


These features will be delivered automatically as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks, or you can visit Amazon's software update pages for the U.S. and for the UK to download the software update. '

---

  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 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



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A special Kindle eReader limited time sale. Amazon Software Updates - some alerts and workarounds - tablets and eReaders. Amazon is working on resolving video display problems on some tablet updates. Updated free Kindle book search-links for August.

AMAZON Software Updates

_______________
First -- CURRENT, Limited Time Sale - $20 off the recent-discounted prices on Kindle eReaders

"Limited-Time Offers: $20 off Kindle $79 $59 and Kindle for Kids Bundle $99 $79"

On the basic Kindle eReader (7th Generation), Amazon has been discounting the price from $99 to $79.  There's an additional $20 off, for a limited time, bringing the temporary price down to $59.  This basic eReader is not front-lighted the way the Paperwhite and Voyage models are, and the special features are fewer, but it's for those who just want an inexpensive, simple eReader.

The "Kindle for Kids Bundle" offers the same basic Kindle model but with "2-Year Accident Protection, Blue Kid-Friendly Cover" added, for the temporary price of $79.  The features, bought separately would normally cost $139 or so.

_______________
There have been a number of silent software updates recently, automated and over the air, although the update-files are available for manual installs if they're wanted earlier.  However, in the case of the update for Kindle Fire and Fire tablets, OS software version 4.5.5, there have been reports of problems with videos not displaying in Youtube and other websites after the update.

Note that these are considered updates made available for "general improvements and performance enhancements" but they include no new features.

  Mine came over the air on August 6, and I haven't experienced the problems with videos that others have, and it could be because I added a Flash file that's used by the alternate Dolphin browser but which may be helping even when using Amazon's default 'Silk' web browser.   I also made sure my video settings at Amazon are are for 'flash' (for my tablets) rather than "Silverlight."  All this is explained in the blog article on how to get video working on webpages that are, for some reason, balking at delivering video content to the tablet.

  Customers at the Kindle Forums have been discussing notes sent to and received from Kindle device support staff. While some have luck with the appropriate software update files, others began experiencing video problems after theirs was installed over the air by Amazon.  BUT, Amazon will sometimes place a newer update file on their update pages without changing the update version number.  The one I received on my Year-2013 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX at first hesitated to show videos but resolved itself within a few minutes.  The "Settings / Device / System updates" area on the tablet shows no newer update since August 6.

  The software update files, while helping some with the video-play problem (on webpages and youtube) did not help others, and some even found that after their tablets had gone into sleep mode, something changed, and videos were working again after waking up the tablet  So, I'd wait before doing anything.
  Amazon support reps tell customers requestiong help that it'll take only a couple of days to fix the problems.

  Another tip given by "angry old man" at the forum advised:
  "Amazon told me to clear the Appstore data.  I did it and my device will stream now.
   Just go to the settings at the top of the screen, hit "more" [or "Settings" if a later model] subject "Applications," "installed applications" [or "Appstore" directly if a later model], select Appstore, and hit Clear Data."

[On my somewhat later Yr 2013 HDX model, there is no appstore data to clear, but I do choose the setting of "Off" for "Collect App Usage Data" and maybe that was why I didn't experience the video problems associated with app data that has required 'clearing' in some cases.  Amazon would prefer to have the setting enabled to collect data on how apps are used, but I prefer to keep my use simple.]

UPSHOT - I recommend NOT doing anything about the update file(s) until Amazon resolves this, as they are well aware of the problems.  It could be that older Kindle Fire models are more affected by it.


Kindle eReader software updates
Softpedia.com reports that there are also updates for


Amazon Kindle 5th Generation -- Firmware 4.1.3
and

the older Amazon Kindle Touch (released after Kindle Keyboard 3) -- Firmware 5.3.7.3

It's difficult to identify the Kindles affected, considering Amazon's odd device-name decisions, and I'm showing the models affected using the software-updates page, but AGAIN, I would do nothing and let Amazon install these automatically, since these are just for general improvements and performance enhancements and I don't think they're worth installing manually.  I've not seen forum messages about any problems with these.

 You can check your model's device software version against these version numbers.  Remember that you can always call Kindle Support at 1-866-321-8851 when you need help on your devices.


ECHO Updates and PRIME household sharing changes (the latter misunderstood by some mainstream tech columnists).
I'm doing separate blog entries for these.


REMINDER
August's free Kindle books (contemporary or non-classics)
    July 2015  August 2015.
    Also, all currently free non-classics sorted by:
    Publication Date   Bestselling    High ratings

---

  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 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


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Amazon replaces Walmart as world's biggest retailer ... HBO Now available on some Amazon tablets ... Fire TV and Stick updated to access hotel WiFi with log-in screens, a how-to guide ... Other new features installed in Fire TV and TVFire Stick ... HBO Collections in Amazon Prime ... Unusual discounted Kindle books alert for 7/23-24 ... amusing, less-known facts about Amazon's history

Amazon and Kindle news updates
The photo at the left -- or in the center for Kindle Blog Edition subscribers who get the most-recent 20~ blog posts in each Kindle version (14-day free trial) -- is from a wonderful look by bt.com at the original Amazon page 20 years ago when Amazon made its first appearance.

The story includes 14 other things most of us did not know about ye olde Amazon, including why it was named 'Amazon' in the first place (the original name chosen is hilarious and I think the company probably wouldn't have been quite as successful with it) and what that underlying arrow in the logo means.

The article mentions Amazon's oft stated 4 principles:
"• Customer obsession rather than competitor focus
 • passion for invention
 • commitment to operational excellence and
 • long-term thinking."

It's somewhat fitting then that on its 20th birthday Amazon has suddenly become (last night) the world's largest retailer by market value, replacing Walmart as #1 after Amazon stock surged almost 17% when their latest quarterly report exceeded expectations, even including a profit for once.  Amazon has preferred to invest money back into expanded operations and new services of every conceivable type.  Its market cap is now approximately $264 billion to Walmart's $235 billion.

 The BT article on Amazon's history includes a picture of the company's first office building after the business graduated from Jeff Bezos' garage.  It's always amazing to me what one person with a vision and laser-focused energy can accomplish in this world

A little break here for a more mundane note, a small tip on the Kindle Daily Deal today (for those not watching daily)
  For fans of NY Times bestseller Michael Koryta
  Three of Koryta's thrillers are available at $1.99 each today only.

  And, probably even better, some unusual SHORT-term Kindle book discount alerts for the last two days
  NOTE: These last usually 1-3 days, but too often just one day.

N E W:
HBO Now (ad-free) is now available for Android devices and Amazon's Fire tablets. The PR release mentions "latest" Fire tablets, 6", 7", and HDX but does not mention the older tablets and I asked for clarification.  Found, at the app page that my Yr 2013 HDX 8.9" is eligible, And Amazon responded with this list of eligible Kindle Fire and Fire tablet devices.
 •       Kindle Fire HD 7
 •       Kindle Fire HDX 7 WiFi
 •       Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 WiFi
 •       Fire HD 6
 •       Fire HD 7
 •       Fire HDX 8.9 WiFi

  HBO Now will also be available in a few weeks for FireTV and Fire Stick - for those hoping to free themselves from Cable.  This will be at $15/mo. but if that can get some viewers off Cable TV's ever escalating monthly fees, it may be worth it for HBO watchers.
   I subscribe to Hulu (formerly known as Hulu Plus), and Showtime is going to be there with no need for a cable TV subscription, for $9/mo.

  This differs from the HBO Collection of older series already available on Amazon Prime.

How to attach Fire TV to a public WiFi network (hotel etc)
Amazon announced the software update that enables using Fire TV and FireTV Stick with hotel networks requiring a login screen.
   Mainstream tech sites had reported it was coming, although slowly over several weeks and 'over the air' to Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
  That was back in late March:

  Now it should be generally installed, so here are the Instructions for or guide to doing this.

  As Verge explained from the Amazon press release:

' Amazon says both devices are the first media streamers to support the "captive portal," or Wi-Fi networks that require web-based authentication. You'd typically find these at hotels, where it's often hard or impossible to connect your own Apple TV or Chromecast to the Wi-Fi network. But now Fire TV owners can replace the hotel's own lacking entertainment options with the content they'd normally watch at home. '
  [and]
'the OTA release will add a few significant new features, led by support for expandable USB storage for the set-top box. You'll be able to plug in an external USB drive to boost the amount of space for your Fire TV apps and games — if you've somehow already managed to exceed the built-in storage, that is.'
  [Note that the support for an external USB drive isn't of course available for the little FireTV Stick though.]

'Curated playlists from Prime Music, hidden PIN entry (to keep the kids from seeing your code), and quicker shortcuts for putting the Fire TV to sleep or activating screen mirroring round out the latest update.'

More tidbits from that BT article on Amazon
Also from that BT article on things we didn't know about Amazon, there were some interesting actual numbers on some items sold on the infamous PrimeDay.  I had seen that, early that day, they'd sold 4,000 Echo's in 15 minutes, at $50 off, but here are some other items noted:

' To celebrate its 20th birthday, Amazon launched Prime Day with exclusive discounts for Prime members. 56,000 Lord of the Rings trilogy box sets, 47,000 televisions and 14,000 iRobot Roomba 595 Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robots were sold; in the case of the latter, this compared to just one the previous Wednesday. '

Intrigued by what the iRobot Roomba was like that involved 14,000 buys that day vs one purchase the week before, I went to see the product listing and saw that it's $380 now and wondered what the discount was when it sold so many.  I've always been curious about it but not at that current listed price.

There is more news to catch up on, but I've been able to drop one larger project that was keeping me away from this blog and will be able to be here more often again, so will report the rest in a couple of days.


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Amazon's rather huge PrimeDay sales and contests reminder - one day only. Update for TV sales schedule. Update2 with specific link to Primeday-Electronics

Is there anyone left in this world that doesn't know it's Amazon's Prime Day?

Touted as bigger than Black Friday.  For those of you who haven't read your emails and Amazon's screens this week, below is the preview they posted last night of the sales that are available today, prefaced by updates to this blog entry.

This started at midnight last night. No surprise that the page is slow-loading.
  New sales occur every 10 minutes, and there are time limits on purchasing them, which has been frustrating for some, who missed out before hearing the notification alarms.

A press release headline yesterday stated
"Amazing deals include 32-inch TV for $75 and 40-inch TV for $115"

UPDATE to add a schedule for sales of TVs today, per Rachel
at the Kindle Forums

Home Entertainment
*Samsung UN50HU8550 50" 4K 3D 120Hz LED Smart HDTV Starts 7:20am
*LG 55UB8200 55" 4K LED Smart HDTV Starts 10:50ambel
*LG 49UB8200 49" 4K LED Smart HDTV Starts 2:50pm
*LG 32LF595B 32" 720p LED Smart HDTV Starts 9:10am
*Vizio M49-C1 49" 4K 120Hz LED Smart HDTV Starts 8:50am
*Vizio 38" Soundbar w/ Sub + Rear Speakers (Refurb) Starts 12:50pm
*Vizio S2121w-D0 2.1 Sound Stand w/ Built-In Sub Starts 9:50am
*Optoma HD37 Full 3D 1080p DLP Projector Starts 12:50pm
*LG PV150G LED Minibeam Projector Starts 6:50am

Per Amazon, "Thousands of exclusive lightning deals with new deals added as often as every ten minutes throughout the day. With more deals than Black Friday, members will enjoy thousands of deals from sought-after devices and tools to popular toys and pet supplies."  Anyone can start a free 30-day trial and participate in Prime Day, by visiting Amazon's PRIMEDAY page

Update2 - I'm adding a link to Primeday's Electronics page, because most of those asking questions in the forums have been interested in the various gadgets on discount.  These include the special prices on Kindle devices and the Fire TV Stick. Amazon's PRIMEDAY-Electronics page.

Deals Preview: The following are examples of some of the deals that will be available at various times throughout Prime Day.

• Fire TV Stick, fastest selling Amazon device of all time, $15 off
• Kindle, $30 off
• Fire HD 7, $60 off
• Fire HD 7 Kids Edition, $60 off
• 32-inch LED TV, $75
• 40-inch 1080p LED TV, $115
• Brand-name 32-inch Smart HDTV, under $200
• 50-inch 4K TV bundle, under $1000
• Bose headphones at the lowest price ever on Amazon
• Chromebook laptop, only $199
• Over 50% off two Nikon COOLPIX cameras
• Highly rated binoculars, under $120
• Two security camera-kits, $279.99
• K'NEX 2-in-1 Ferris Wheel Building Set (Amazon Exclusive), $35.99
• K'NEX Crossfire Chaos Roller Coaster Building Set (Amazon Exclusive), $23.99
• Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Optimus Prime Figure (AmazonExclusive), $9.99
• iRobot Roomba Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robot, under $300
• Husqvarna mower, under $300
• 40 lightning deals on DVDs up to 75% off
• Up to 50% off any of the Harry Potter books
• Save more than 70% on the Divergent Series Complete Box Set of books
• Save up to 70% on select kitchen products from top brands like Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Foodsaver and Thermos
• Save up to 50% on select tools for the DIY auto enthusiast
• Connected Car and Scan Tool products starting at 60% off
• Road-trip-ready automotive products starting at 50% off
• Save more than 50% on Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
• 30% off select clothing, shoes, jewelry, watches & more
• 60% off Amazon Elements Baby Wipes with code ELEMENTS60
• Free luxury beauty sample box with $50 purchase of luxury beauty products, with promo code LUXSAMPLES
• Buy an Amazon.com Gift Card multipack, get $10 in Amazon.com promotional credit
• Get 25% bonus Amazon Coins when you buy 5,000 or 10,000 Amazon Coins
• Prime Now will also offer deals in the six cities where the service is offered

That list plus all the special contests they've put together for very large gift card rewards will keep the page slow to load, so stay on the page once you're there.

Here are the special contests, as seen in Amazon's general Press Release
  I added some emphases beyond Amazon's titles to highlight benefits:

• Transparent Red Carpet Experience: Amazon customers in the US, UK andGermany will have a chance to win a trip to the Transparent Season 2 premiere this fall. One winner and a guest from each country will receive round-trip airfare, hotel stay and transportation as well as a chance to meet the cast and creators from the Golden Globe-winning Amazon Original Series. For a chance to win in the US visit:Amazon's RedCarpet page.
  
  
• Listen to Win: Prime members in the US who listen to any song on Prime Music will automatically be entered to win up-to $25,000 in Amazon Gift Cards. Prime members can stream a song, an album or listen to any Prime Station or Playlist for a chance to win Amazon.com Gift Card prizes, ranging from $1,000 to the Grand Prize of $25,000 in Amazon.com Gift Cards. For a chance to win visit: Amazon's listentowin-rules page.

A couple of more listed in the press release:

#PrimeLiving Photo Contest: Through July 15 (today), members are invited to snap a photo of #PrimeLiving moments and upload them at Amazon's Primeliving photo page for the chance to win$10,000 in Amazon Gift Cards. To learn more about the #PrimeLiving photo contest and get inspiration from artists around the world, watch here.

Prime Personalities: Amazon invites customers to take a quiz to discover what kind of Prime member they are, and enter for the chance to win a $2,000 Amazon.com Gift Card. No purchase necessary. See contest rules at amzn.to/QUIZ.

That's the meat from the press release.  Of course any of this can be done, they add, from a smartphone or tablet,

 Those not already Prime members but interested and eligible can participate in Amazon's PRIMEDAY festivities by signing up for a 30-day free trial of Prime at Amazon's PrimeDay page.

So, for those who had not received word on this (too busy, etc), I'll get this additional reminder off.

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Comparison of Kindle Paperwhite 3 display (2015) with my older Paperwhite 1 (2012) -- Is the increased resolution (doubled) noticeable?

fmi
The thumbnail photos above are clickable to the larger versions, of course.  These were taken after about 8:30pm at night in low light without flash, with the light just coming from the two Kindles on the table -- the older Paperwhite 1 on the left and the new Paperwhite 3 on the right.

Here's one larger example so that you can have some idea of the difference I saw without needing to click to the larger photos if you're in a hurry.
These photos were taken on the night I received the Paperwhite 3, with very little sunlight left.  Both Kindles were placed on a table top, and I tried to take photos from the middle area between them so as not to favor one over the other.

I'll repeat here what I explain on the photos page at PBase where the full set is shown in larger sizes for 'closer' examination.

These are for a comparison of my new Yr 2015 Paperwhite-3 screen display (resolution differences and display contrast) with my Yr 2012 Paperwhite-1.

Is the higher resolution (double the old model's) worth the $119 to get the newer one?

  That'll depend on the individual.  IF perceived contrast of text against background is more important than sharper text for some Kindle users, it could be better for those owners to keep using the older ones that may be less sharp but which have a dark fuzz around the font making it seem bolder, and there's less light coming from the older Paperwhite.  I've eyes that are somewhat oversensitive to light.

The Paperwhite-2 (2014) (which I didn't upgrade to) received a faster processor, but the Paperwhite-1 which I kept using is noticeably slower than the new Paperwhite 3, so I'm happy to have the higher resolution and faster speed.

  Paperwhite 2 owners are already seeing a speed improvement over Paperwhite 1.  So if you have a Paperwhite 2, the difference will be mainly in the resolution of the text, which is more noticeable if you enlarge the font or try to read a page in smaller fonts.  People reported that the Paperwhite 2 screen released last year was made brighter than the Paperwhite 1.

I do tend to increase the font size these days to '4' or '5' or even '6' when my eyes are tired -- and the new resolution with the Paperwhite-3 (UK model here) makes this even more readable than before and it's also better with smaller text because of less relative blur (not noticeable usually) in the basic font size.

  I used the Helvetica font because it is the boldest one, as I prefer more contrast.

  In the photos, you can see that the built-in light (again, both were set at Level '14' out of a possible '24') is brighter on the new Paperwhite than it is on my Paperwhite 1 (which has always had some minor blotching besides on the display when in lower light (as you'll see in the close-ups) -- and text against the brightness of the newer model can SOMEtimes appear LESS contrasty than on the older model.  The older model is on the left, the newer on the right.

  In my case, the new display is definitely easier on my own eyes.  And it more resembles the white page of a physical book than my old Paperwhite did, as you can see.  Actually, it's quite beautiful.

  I chose a low level of illumination because that's more comfortable for my eyes, but I've seen that others like the built-in light set all the way up to '24' -- however, this way, people won't be disappointed when they see the screen is brighter than shown here, which wasn't true of older models vs the ads.

Which to choose -- the Paperwhite 3 or the more expensive Kindle Voyage?
I covered that in detail in the previous blog article, "How does the new Paperwhite differ from the Voyage model?" -- and Amazon's press release, included in that article, listed everyday Kindle features that many Kindle owners aren't aware of.  Give it a look if you haven't already.

---

  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 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


Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
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Kindle Tips: Software Update v5.6.1.1 for original Paperwhite 1 (US, UK) ... Info and tips on how to use the features

Amazon has announced software update version 5.6.1.1 for the original Paperwhite-1

The announcement, posted in the Kindle Forums, was for a "free software update available for the original Kindle Paperwhite.  This update adds features including Word Wise and Family Library that were previously only available on newer generation Kindle e-readers."

The software update includes "general improvements and the following feature enhancements"

Added text in brackets and emphases in boldface or italics are mine:

~Word Wise -For readers learning English and kids learning to read, Word Wise, available on many English language titles, makes it easier to enjoy and quickly understand more challenging books.  Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words, so you can keep reading with fewer interruptions.

[Tip: Here's a page on HOW to use Wordwise, including how to turn it off or on.  The page explains that not all books are wordwise-enabled.  Here's a link to Amazon's listing of currently Wordwise-enabled books.]

  To learn more or to see the various meanings the same word can have in different contexts, just tap on the word to bring up a simple card with definitions, synonyms, and more.
  You can adjust the number of hints you see with a simple slider, dialing them up or down as you learn and grow.  See a screenshot.

~Family Library- With Kindle and Kindle reading apps, you can access not only your own books, but also books from the Amazon account of a spouse or partner.  See a screenshot

[Tip: Prime members that use a business name can share free 2-day Prime-shipping among 4 employees sharing the space.]

~Kindle FreeTime Unlimited - An all-in-one subscription for kids that offers unlimited, ad-free access to more than 5,000 age-appropriate books, videos, educational apps and games, for as little as $2.99 per month.

  [Tip: Freetime Info Links for specific Kindle devices:
  Paperwhite 1; later Kindle eReaders; and Fire tablets]

~Expanded X-Ray for Books - X-Ray now makes it easier to explore as you read-quickly flip through all the images in a book, and use the new timeline view to easily browse the most notable passages.  See a screenshot.

~Deeper Goodreads Integration - Goodreads on Kindle makes it quicker to access and update your reading status and adds the ability to preview and purchase books without leaving Goodreads.  See a screenshot.

~Enhanced Search - Makes it even easier to find what you're looking for by combining and previewing results from your Library, Goodreads and the Kindle Store on the same page.  See a screenshot

~About This Book- See information about the book as you start to read, including its place in a series and author information, plus mark it as "Currently Reading" on Goodreads.  See a screenshot

These features will be delivered automatically as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks, or you can visit [the Paperwhite1 software page] to download the software update [U.S.]...'  [the UK Paperwhite 1 owners page here]

I corrected some links in the original announcement on the forums.

It's good to see Amazon continuing to support the original Kindle Paperwhite (2012).

---

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


Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

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