Round up #178: Screaming Kindle, DecalGirl discount

Round up #178: Screaming Kindle, DecalGirl discount

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

DecalGirl: Buy one, get one 50% off

DecalGirl is having a sale (through June 24th) on skins, cases, and more. Skins are essentially very strong decorative stickers, and they have them for Kindles. They can make very nice gifts for someone who already has a device.

Here’s the site for shopping:

http://www.decalgirl.com/?promocode=bogodad&trk_msg=66IQ6I5A39SKV5038DNLCINSC4&trk_contact=2TKDE83GIGKCJGK8UTEQKL4R74&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.decalgirl.com%2f%3fpromocode%3dbogodad&utm_campaign=fathersday

Note: they list all Kindles, including RSKs (Reflective Screen Kindles…anything but a Kindle Fire) under “Tablets”. Select Tablets, then say it is made by Amazon.

Vlad Studio has some nice book-themed ones.

At checkout, you’ll be entering BOGODAD to get the discount…remember that you need to be buying two items, and the discount will be applied to the least expensive one.

Free app finds your Kindle Fire

I’ve tried a Kindle Fire locating app before and it didn’t work well for me, but now I’ve found a free one that does…and has some other interesting capabilities:

Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile

There’s a premium version as well with more capabilities, but I did like what this one did. It could locate my Kindle Fire…I went to a website, enter a passcode (they did something clever with that which didn’t make it harder for me to remember, really, but would make it harder to guess), and showed me the current location of my Fire…within a couple of hundred feet. It actually gave me an address (not the right one), but it was nearby. That could let me know, for example, if I left it at the office or at home (not that I would do either accidentally…knock on virtual wood).

What if it’s just misplaced in the house?

You can send it a command to scream…and yes, it was loud and annoying! That’s what you want, though: a thief would likely ditch the device if they were in a public area and it started screaming like a person! That also locks the screen. You can also lock it without the screaming. So, you can locate, lock, and scream…with the premium version of this app (not free), you could send a remote wipe command.

It also scans your device for malware (software that does bad things, basically): it didn’t find any on mine.

Why wouldn’t you get this? Well, if you forget your password, that could be a problem. You might not want other people in your family (if they have access to the Webroot account) tracking you…or pranking you (I wouldn’t want it to scream in the middle of a meeting). You might be concerned about the government or hackers getting information about you through Webroot. Of course, if you don’t have wi-fi on and have misplaced it, it won’t help you much. If a bad guy when it reconnects, though, it will scream at that point (my test showed it wasn’t immediately…took a few minutes).

Generally, though, I would recommend it for most people who are comfortable with having online accounts and creating (and remembering) passwords. It has four stars (out of five) with 124 reviews at the time of writing, so that is somewhat reassuring.

Eddy Cue on Steve Jobs and iBooks

The Apple Agency Model trial continues, and I’m feeling more and more like Apple might win. I wonder if that means the publishers are kicking themselves for having gotten out?

There are definitely interesting revelations. This

AllThingsD article by John Paczkowski

relates some interesting insight from Eddy Cue, being painted by the Department of Justice (DoJ) as the driver of the Agency Model for e-publishing, and who worked closely with the late Steve Jobs.

Cue says he approached the CEO in 2009 (the year before the iPad was released) about doing a bookstore, and Jobs wasn’t interested.

The year before (and within six months of the Kindle’s initial release), Jobs was famously quoted in a

New York Times article by John Markoff

as saying, “…people don’t read anymore” in dismissing the Kindle.

By 2009, though, Cue doesn’t mention that overall condemnation and marginalization of serious readers…instead, it was because phones were too small and computers were too big.  That feels like a bit of a whitewash to me, but Jobs did change the position when the iPad was going to be released.

I think we’ll have a verdict by the end of next week…and if Apple loses, they could appeal.

Apple could appeal? I thought only bananas could do that…

Oh, and Apple is mad that Random House isn’t being compelled to testify…

Publishers Weekly article

That could bolster that appeal effort…if it becomes necessary.

Comcast will use your router to provide neighborhood wi-fi

Well, it’s not exactly your router…it’s your wi-fi gateway that you got from them for your broadband. This is a clever idea, and part of their (successful) effort to expand wi-fi for their customers.

The devices won’t use the same signal you use, but will broadcast a second one that can be used for free…by other Xfinity customers. Non-customers can use it for free…twice, and then they’d have to pay.

CNET article

I’ve found wi-fi from Xfinity (we are subscribers) available to me before, and I think this will really expand it.

Comcast has to figure out how to get people not to “cut the cord” (and go without cable services). This is one way, as is their app:

XFINITY TV Player

The app would be a lot more attractive if it didn’t stop the video from running when I plugged in my HDMI cable to my Kindle Fire HD to watch it on my TV…I think they’ll work that out eventually.

Still, the expanded wi-fi should be good for wi-fi Kindle owners (Fire or not) who are Comcast subscribers…and others in a pinch.

Kindle hardware in India

The Papewhite, the “Mindle”, and the Kindle Fire HD 7″ and 8.9″ are now available from Amazon.in

http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B007HCFU90/ref=gw_in_c1_ks/275-7716727-1685962?ie=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=A1VBAL9TL5WCBF&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=10MHJXW9MFNNMSKY87JG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=408409067&pf_rd_i=1320006031

It doesn’t appear to have local language support, though, so that’s a possible serious hindrance.

NPR’s Backseat Book Club

People might not like backseat drivers, but backseat readers? Joy for the reader, quiet for the driver. Actually, we sometimes read out loud to the others in the car, but this is an excellent reading list from National Public Radio

The Complete List: What NPR’s Backseat Book Club Has Read So Far

Reading lists are tricky things, and I haven’t read everything on this one, but it looks solid to me. I mean, once you hit

The Phantom Tollbooth

you’re good but this includes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Black Beauty) and more contemporary titles…as a former bookstore manager, I’m impressed.

Have comments on any of these stories? Feel free to let me and my readers know.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

Round up #175: my new hero, Apple trial begins

Round up #175: my new hero, Apple trial begins

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

Apple Agency Model trial begins

We can now refer to the trial as the Apple Agency Model trial. Initially, the Department of Justice (DoJ) went after five publishers and Apple for conspiring to raise e-book prices (basically…I’m simplifying here), but all five publishers have settled with the DoJ. That leaves Apple as the only defendant, so it’s not “Apple and the publishers” any more.

Even though lawyers can’t pivot very quickly, that does change the dynamic. I think, for one thing, it lets Apple set it up as much more that the DoJ was out to get them, specifically, and was supporting Amazon. If you are the only person being “picked on”, it’s easier to convince people that it is unfair, in my opinion.

Judge Cotes expects the non-jury trial to last three weeks, according to this

Washington Post article by Cecilia Kang

We could see some very interesting things come out of this. Who testifies? What industry secrets might be revealed (including ones about Amazon)? How does Steve Jobs’ reputation come out of it? Will any of the publisher big wigs testify against Apple?

I’ll keep an eye on it for you.

Update: here is a slide deck that the DoJ presented…I may write more about it later, but you can see why Judge Cote thought the government might have enough evidence, in my opinion:

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/145535056

Kindle Fire sale

Through June 8th, US customers can get a Kindle Fire HD (7″ or 8.9″, with or without 4G) for $20 off, subject to these

Deal Terms & Conditions

One of the main things: you need to enter a code (DADSFIRE), meaning that you can not make this purchase with 1-Click.

Mini review: Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet)
by Orson Scott Card

When I recently polled my readers about what they like in ILMK (I Love My Kindle), reviews weren’t very high (although they weren’t super low). So, to accommodate that, I may do more of these “mini reviews”…that way, you don’t have a whole post on one book as often, but for those not insubstantial numbers who liked them, you still get my opinion.

One interesting thing for me about the current e-book market is that I’ll see books put on sale for a short period of time that may be books about which I’ve certainly heard, but have never read. As a former brick-and-mortar bookstore, I can assure you that prices fluctuate much more wildly in e-books than they do in paper!

Ender’s Game is a case like that. It’s not that expensive now ($4.39 at the time of writing), but it was on sale and I wanted to read it before the movie comes out on November 1st.

I’d heard a bit about it (it is one of my relative’s favorite books), but was going into it reasonably spoiler free.

I’m also aware of the…controversy over the author’s personal beliefs (I think that may lead to protests or boycotts of the movie), but as I’ve written about before, I try to separate the art and the artist.

The first thing I’ll say is that, if you think you don’t like science fiction…well, this book is probably not going to change your mind. A lot of the book is involved with technology, and with some speculative social things. I didn’t recommend it to my Significant Other, partially for that reason…too much techno going on.

It does, though, also focus on people, and I’d be reasonably certain that the people who like it, like it mainly for that reason.

Well, more accurately, it focuses on one person…Ender Wiggins. In the same way that you have to empathize with Katniss Everdeen to like The Hunger Games trilogy (despite there being other interesting characters), you have to connect to Ender to like Ender’s Game.

“Empathize” might be a tricky word here, though…I don’t mean that you have to wish you were Ender, or even think you would like Ender in the real world, but what happens to Ender, what Ender feels has to matter to you.

I think Ender (and the whole book) may particularly appeal to adolescents who are feeling that “outsider” thing, and that the adults have too much power (and may not deserve it).

The book was a bit of an odd mix for me. There were definitely action sequences, but the book is much more conceptual than it is emotional (although it is that, too).

I did find it interesting…I think that may be a better way to put it than saying that I enjoyed it.

Mini reviews: Tetris Blitz and Plasma Sky

I try not to write too much just about the Kindle Fire (although one of my purely Kindle Fire posts has become one of the most popular in the blog). I did write about a Kindle Fire sale earlier, but I figure this won’t make it too much in this round-up.

While I still play Dabble (and I do like word games), I’ve been enjoying two other Kindle Fire games recently (to varying degrees and for different reasons).

TETRIS® Blitz (Kindle Tablet Edition) is from the makers of Tetris, and is sort of a speed round version of the game. Each game only last two minutes…I did think that sometimes a Tetris game would seem to go on forever (or at least too long) if I was playing well.

You also have to make decisions much more quickly…you don’t just let the blocks (“Tetriminos”) drip-drip-drip down from the top…you can tap on the screen and place them quickly, and you’ll need to do that to get a good score.

There are also “power ups”, and some of those are cool…I particularly like the “lasers”, which wipe out three rows at a time.

However…

The game is free, and that’s a problem.

Why is it a problem?

They constantly want you to buy more stuff (including the aforementioned power-ups). Even though we are both adults using our Fires, we’ve turned off In-App purchasing (Swipe down from the top – More – Applications – Apps (in the bottom part) – In-App Purchasing) so we don’t accidentally buy things. In this case, you buy things with coins. You can earn the coins (somewhat slowly…you’d need to play about ten games before you had enough coins to buy a power-up, usually), or you can buy them with real money.

I’d be very careful with kids with this one…the temptation to buy things is going to be as strong as the lure of a Vegas slot machine.

It’s a fun game…but I would say I would have paid $2.99 to get a version without all of those enticements!

I got Plasma Sky – Rad Space Shooter as a Free App of the Day (it’s currently $1.99), and that worked just the way it is supposed to work.

I’m writing about it, to tell you it’s fun!

It’s really like an old 1980s style arcade game (in particular, Galaga), but you control your spaceship by tilting the Kindle Fire. It is the thing I’ve used so far that takes the most advantage of the inclinometer. The controls are easy, and you can just keep continuing the game if you want to get to different levels.

You have three game modes…I’ve mostly played Conquest, which has eighty levels.

Like many older videogames, you have to develop different strategies to defeat different enemies…which means it is a thinking game, in addition to being a shooter.

If, like me, you think of it all as being done by unpiloted craft, it’s not really violent…no screams, no blood.

It’s not frustratingly difficult, but it would take you a lot of work to get a perfect score…for me, that’s great design.

The enemies and power-ups are creative and fun.

I highly recommend Plasma Sky is you like a simple arcade style game. Tetris Blitz…well, if you are okay with being asked to spend more money all the time (you can say no…and then say no again, and again, andagainandagainandagain…), it’s an interesting game.

5-year old Sophia Moss is my new hero

My record is reading 3 1/2 novels in a day…at that pace, I could hypothetically read 1,277.5 books in one year of 365 days.

Sophia Moss, who is 5-years old, has read 875 books…this school year (kindergarten).

ABC News article

Sure, those aren’t full length novels, but come on! If we figure that was in only 3/4s of a year, Sophia could hit 1,165.75 books in a year…close enough to me, and I suppose this bookworm might read faster in the summer than when in school.

I, by the way, was never maintaining my pace!

A tip of the hat to you, Sophia Moss…and to your school and your legal guardian(s)! You did it, but they helped make it possible.

What do you think? Do you want to add in your congratulations to Sophia Moss? Will Apple prevail? If they do (or if they don’t), what will that mean for e-books? Are you a big Ender’s Game fan? Feel free to tell me and my readers what you think by commenting on this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less each: June 2013

100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less each: June 2013

Amazon does the Kindle Daily Deal, which discounts (usually) four books a day (often general fiction, a romance, a science fiction/fantasy book, and a kids’ book).

They’ve also been doing 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less each month.

Those prices only apply to the USA, and one weird thing is that some of the books seem to sell out at that price sometimes (or become unavailable for some other reason).

It’s also interesting…about 46% of the books in the USA Kindle store are $3.99 or less (902,231 of 1,974,209). Still, these are on sale, and that’s worth something. 

I’m going to list some of the $3.99 or lower ones that caught my eye…I’m not necessarily recommending them, but I do think they are interesting.

The ones I list also don’t block text-to-speech access…but I think blocking it is becoming rarer.

Galapagos
Mother Night
both by Kurt Vonnegut

I’m so grateful that RosettaBooks bought the rights to these Kurt Vonnegut novels, and brought them to us as e-books! They made those moves when the tradpubs (traditional publishers) were sort of ignoring e-books, and they haven’t followed in the footsteps of the tradpubs. These two books are quite different. Galapagos is more of the surrealism you might expect from Vonnegut; Mother Night isn’t even science fiction. If you haven’t read Vonnegut, you may find that Mother Night convinces you of the author’s worthiness to be considered one of the American greats.

Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing From America’s Favorite Humorist
by Erma Bombeck

For decades, Erma Bombeck was one of America’s favorite humor writers. The columns and books were observational and often domestic…the idea of a mother telling us (in a funny way) that motherhood wasn’t always sweetness and light gave birth (so to speak) to other comedians who did the same (Roseanne comes to mind, but certainly, not the only one).

Open Road has published a number of Bombeck’s best known works in e-book form, but at $2.99 at time of writing, this one is a bargain and a good introduction. Some of the others, so you can see a price comparison:

• The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank $11.99
• Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession $9.99
• If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? $6.83

Fuzz (RosettaBooks into Film)
by Ed McBain

Some big names this time! This is one of the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain, which was a very popular police procedural series…it was also made into a movie with Burt Reynolds.

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting for: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness
by Alice Walker

Alice Walker is a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist (for The Color Purple). It’s important to note that this one is not a novel, but a series of essays and thoughts on how to be a better person.

Deviants (The Dust Chronicles)
by Maureen McGowan

Young adult, post-apocalyptic…and 4.2 stars out of 5 with 95 reviews.

They Came to Baghdad
by Agatha Christie

Not a Christie mystery, this one is more of a spy thriller.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by Sam Kean

Science! Non-fiction, with 240 reviews and 4.4 stars.

The Secret Zoo
by Bryan Chick

Well-reviewed kids book…looks like around seven or eight years old is good.

Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth: A Celebration of Scientific Eccentricity and Self-Experimentation
by Trevor Norton

Yes, that’s right…”self-experimentation”. This is another non-fiction book, and it covers just what it suggests..scientists can (and do) experiment on themselves.

The First Deadly Sin (The Edward X. Delaney Series)
by Lawrence Sanders

The first in a popular series of mysteries…and $1.99.

The Boo
by Pat Conroy

You know how some people (I think not typically readers of this blog) refer to independent authors who self publish their works in…um…less than glowing terms? Pat Conroy was one of those, with this book. No, you probably aren’t going to like it as much as The Prince of Tides, but arguably, without first self-publishing in the face of rejection from tradpubs (traditional publishers), you wouldn’t have eventually had that book, either.

The Taliban Cricket Club
by Timeri N. Murari

Gender politics and sports…in contemporary Kabul. I find the comments about this novel intriguing.

Well, those are a few of the ones that caught my eye. I’m happy to say that only one I checked had TTS (text-to-speech) access blocked. It’s nice to see a number of well-known authors in this batch. I’m guessing there is something that will appeal to just about everybody. If there is one here you want to point out to other people, or if you have other things to say to me and/or my readers, feel free to comment on this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

Round up #172: Z-Pass, International Fire & Appstore

Round up #172: Z-Pass, International Fire & Appstore

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

There’s some good stuff this time…let’s get started!

Wait a minute…I guess I do want to set the world on Fire

Amazon sent me two press releases today, and these are big news (especially for my readers around the world)!

Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9” Now Available for Pre-Order for Customers in over 170 Countries Around the World, Shipping June 13

Amazon Appstore for Android Now Open in Nearly 200 Countries Worldwide

First, it means that the

Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB
Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB

are available for order in many places around the world (but not all…while Amazon would undoubtedly like to sell everywhere in the world, and beyond if possible, it’s difficult to make the necessary arrangements in some countries, notably the Middle East).

It does not appear to include the 4G model,or the standard definition Kindle  Fire 2nd Generation.

Oh, but you can get the 32 GB versions.

It doesn’t look to me like you’ll be able to do Amazon Instant Video on them…and I’m curious about, say, Netflix.

You can do e-books, music, audiobooks, magazines…and apps.

That last one is the other announcement, and will be welcome to many people.  The Amazon Appstore is opening in even more countries than the Fire will be available. Does that make sense? Sure, the Appstore is limited to just the Fire as a market. Even where Amazon can’t sell their hardware, they can sell apps for Android SmartPhones (for example).

To celebrate this, the Free App of the Day is the very popular

Fruit Ninja

Some of you may remember Jeff Bezos demonstrating the CEO’s own limited Fruit Ninja skills at the Kindle Fire intro event.

As always, check the price before you get the app…

Enjoy!

Oh, and please let me know your experience with the Amazon Appstore if you are outside the USA and notice any significant restrictions…or advantages.

Lud-in-the Mist: a fantasy classic as a KDD

“Ranulph had always been a dreamy, rather delicate child, and backward for his years. Up to the age of seven, or thereabouts, he had caused his mother much annoyance by his habit, when playing in the garden, of shouting out remarks to an imaginary companion. And he was fond of talking nonsense (according to the ideas of Lud-in-the-Mist, slightly obscene nonsense) about golden cups, and snow-white ladies milking azure cows, and the sound of tinkling bridles at midnight. But children are apt, all the world over, to have nasty little minds; and this type of talk was not uncommon among the children of Lud-in-the-Mist, and, as they nearly always grew out of it, little attention was paid to it.”
–Hope Mirrless
writing in Lud-in-the-Mist
collected in Bufo’s The Mind Boggles: A Unique Book of Quotations
category:literature
decade: 1920s

One of today’s Kindle Daily Deals (KDDs) is

Lud-in-the-Mist

by Helen Mirrlees, originally published in 1926 (and, I believe, not in the public domain).

Neil Gaiman and many others have praised it, and I recommend it to you (you can see above, I included it in my book of quotations). The price today is only ninety-nine cents…the digital list price is $12.95.

Borders hoarder? So sorry…

Have you been holding on to a Borders gift card, figuring you would get the value for it in the bankruptcy pay-outs?

Well, you and close to 18 million people with close to a quarter of a billion dollars worth of gift cards should get nothing for them, according to U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter, as reported in this

NPR article

Other debtors will get money, but not consumers.

This District Court is the last stop before you get to the Supreme Court, which may not happen in this case (this judge was upholding a lower court ruling).

It kind of makes you wonder if Judge Denise Cote, who has been great on so many consumer issues that involve e-books, could rule on everything.

Zinio Z-pass: three magazines for $5 a month

As regular readers know, I prefer Zinio’s arrangement on subscriptions to Amazon’s Kindle Newsstand. One of the key things is that they store as many issues as you’ve had for you…unlike Amazon, which does a “rolling seven” (they store the current edition, and six previous ones: you can save them yourself, but just on the current device. Those saved issues aren’t backed up for you by Amazon).

The Zinio app is not in the Amazon Appstore, but you can “sideload” it entirely within the rules at Amazon…the information is here:

http://imgs.zinio.com/faq/kindlefire.html

They have a new deal, called “Z-Pass”. You can get a free trial for it right now (and you can read Zinio mags on other devices like PCs, for those of you without a Fire).

The basic idea is that you pay $5 a month, and you get three magazines, which  you pick out of a list of over 200 eligible titles (and these are big names).

You can add additional magazines…could be $1.50 a month, might be more if they are “premium titles”.

You can swap up to three a month…I think what this means is that you can change which one you will get the following month, not that it is an “all-you-can-eat program”.  Definitely sounds like you aren’t committed to the magazine for a year…so if yo were going to buy a car, for example,  you might get car magazines that month, and travel magazines before you go on vacation.

I’m going to check with my Significant Other, but I do think we may do this.

One more thing to note: the magazine doesn’t appear in your newsstand on your Fire…you get to it through the Zinio app. Even though you sideload it, it does appear on your apps tab and can be added to your Favorites.

Here are the

Z-Pass FAQs

and here is the main

Z-Pass website

where you can see the magazine options.

What do you think? Should consumers have gotten money for their Borders gift cards? Will you use the Amazon Appstore outside of the USA? Do you have Zinio experiences to share? Feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

 

Round up #171: XBOOKS, Stephen King’s latest horror

Round up #171: XBOOKS, Stephen King’s latest horror

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

Up to 25 specific Kindle children’s books for $2 each

One reason why the Kindles with Special Offers have been more popular than the ones without has been the offers on books.

Well, I’m always happy to see book offers extended to even those who decline advertisers reducing the price of their Kindles in exchange for viewing the ads.

Today, AmazonLocal has a

deal on Kindle children’s books

You don’t need to have a Special Offers Kindle, although you do need to set up an AmazonLocal account if you don’t have one.

The deal is any of up to 25 specific children’s books for $2 each.

You need to claim this deal by Friday.

The

deal details page

shows you the books. However, if this is available to you (it may not be in your country), I’d go ahead and get it. If you don’t use it, it hasn’t cost you anything.

Enjoy!

XBOOKS?

Microsoft is making a big announcement today at 9:30 Pacific about the next XBOX. There has been a lot of speculation about how it might integrate with your TV.

One obvious question to me (but maybe not to most of the people covering this) is will it somehow incorporate the NOOK, since Microsoft has invested so much money in it?

I don’t think most people are going to want to read e-books on their TV screens.  I have a hard time seeing that: my TV is more like music in the background for me…I don’t tend to stare at it and not do anything else at the same time, as would be necessary when sight-reading a book.

However, I can see three applications.

One would be to have text-to-speech. NOOK has never done much with that, but I could see having my TV reading a book to me while I folded laundry or worked on a spreadsheet.

Another would be to select books on an XBOX, and then have it send them to an EBR (E-Book Reader), phone, computer, and so on. Especially given the Kinect’s increasing Minority Report type gestural interface, it might be fun to make it seem like you were using your fingers to take a book off a shelf and open it. When shopping, it could include book trailer videos. I suppose you could make in-game purchases of e-books a possibility as well…although I’m not sure that many videogame characters have interesting libraries…

The third one would be to play to kids…there are many interactive book apps where you might want to bounce between a bigger screen (where shared reading might happen) and a personal screen.

My best guess is that we won’t hear anything about “XBOOKS” (just my off the cuff term for e-books on an XBOX), but wouldn’t it be cool…

Male and Female Announcers

I’ve been using the CNN App on my Kindle Fire with the sound off in the morning (while I exercise). That way, it doesn’t disturb my Significant Other. That means I’ve been using “closed captions” (those are words that appear on the screen to show you what is being said, basically…you have to choose to see them).

Generally, even though the show is live, they tend to be pretty accurate. I can see why they are so important to some people, and I’ve been happy to see them become more available on the Fire.

However, there is something…intriguing to me during the commercials (yes, those get closed captioning as well).

Sometimes, a voice is just described as VO (voiceover). Sometimes, though, it says “male announcer” or “female announcer”.

I love how the internet lets people be judged just on their thoughts (and the way they express them), if they want. To help give people that freedom, I try not to identify inherent characteristics much. I try to write these posts without reference to gender, for example.

So, I’m interested as to why the closed captioning identifies the gender. Oh, I guess I know why…people being influenced by a stated gender (even for something genderless like a computer), is demonstrated in The Man Who Lied to His Laptop (which I highly recommend). That would be an interesting study: are people more likely to buy something that is stereotypically female, just because the closed captioning says, “Female Announcer”? I would guess that is the case, but a study would give that hypothesis validation (and give an idea about the extent of the effect).

I also find it intriguing that music is usually just represented by two music notes. I would think that they would describe it: “spooky music”, “triumphant music”, that sort of thing…but they don’t, usually.

Unintended consequences: Amazon business details to be revealed?

Hm…maybe this is why Apple still wants to go to trial in the legal action with the Department of Justice over the Agency Model.

In this

Publishers Weekly article

by Andrew Albanese, you can read about Apple trying to make documents from Amazon public in the case, and Amazon fighting it.

Tech writers get annoyed that Amazon doesn’t release specific sales figures, and honestly, I do think that secrecy has a negative impact on people trusting Amazon (although many people do trust the e-tailer…in a recent poll I did, more than ten percent of people said that trusting Amazon is why they bought e-books from them.

Amazon is arguing that releasing the information publicly would hurt their competitive advantage.

Apple argues that Amazon’s filed documents would not do so, and it’s not unreasonable for them to want the evidence about the different business models to be out there.

I’m not quite sure how this will go. If the judge feels that releasing it would hurt Amazon, they could look at them in closed session. If they do get released, it could be  embarrassing  for Amazon, although I don’t think it would be devastating. Sure, the blogosphere would be all over it, but that’s not the same thing as damage. I wonder if we might even learn things that make Amazon look good?

Stephen King’s latest horror…no e-book edition for Joyland

Oh, the conglomeration of contradiction that is Stephen King!

The author led on e-books…at first. Then, there was the “windowing” (delaying the e-book version) and blocking text-to-speech access (which may not be a decision made by King, but could certainly be influenced by arguably the most powerful author in the world).

I’ve written about this before:

My Response to Stephen King

This is more of the same issue.

E-books advance accessibility. It is perhaps noble to want to advance brick-and-mortar bookstores…but not doing an e-book is choosing a commercial enterprise over individuals with challenges. That includes print challenges, but also with mobility issues. Yes, they can order the p-book (paperbook) online, but according to this

Wall Street Journal article by Jeffrey Trachtenberg (you may have to search for “Stephen King Says No to E-Book, to Scare Up Business” in Google to be able to read it), King said:

“…let people stir their sticks and go to an actual bookstore rather than a digital one.”

Easier for some than others…and this doesn’t even accomplish that goal, if people can by the book online (which they will be able to do).

While King’s biggest book of the year, a sequel to one of the author’s most popular books, is not being windowed, it is scheduled to be released with text-to-speech access blocked.

I think The Stand is one of the great American novels, and I try not to judge the art by the artist. However, I have to admit that emotionally, these moves make me like Stephen King less…not necessarily as an author, though.

I should be clear: I probably wouldn’t have bought the new Stephen King books right away, even if they were available in digital form. I don’t tend to buy big name fiction like that when it is first released, although I do sometimes. I have a lot to read, and don’t usually feel the urgency. My concern here is really for others…and I always hope that Stephen King will recognize who is impacted the most by these choices in the future.

What do you think? Do you want to know Amazon’s business details? If they come out, do you think it would hurt them? Will Microsoft mention e-books with the XBOX? Would you sight-read a book on a TV? Are you aware of being influenced by the gender of announcers in commercials? What do you think of Stephen King’s decision not to do an e-book version? Is a good move to support brick-and-mortars? Was calling the decision a “horror” over the top (I was a bit ambivalent about that…I liked the tie-in to King’s genre writing, but thought it might be overly sensationalistic)? Feel free to let me and my readers know what you think by commenting on this post.

Update: thanks to regular reader and commenter Joe Bowers for improving this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

Is Amazon readying a new RSK?

Is Amazon readying a new RSK?

Brian Hartman, a reader and commenter of mine, and others, have expressed concern that the Kindle Keyboard (formerly colloquially called a “Kindle 3″) is no longer featured in the Kindle “family stripe” at Amazon.

At first, it was still available new from Amazon after that: now, it isn’t (you can find used ones). I have a place where I can search for ASINs (Amazon Standard Identification Numbers), and I’m not even finding it there. That suggests to me that this is just a fluky supply problem.

One could make the assumption that they are just going to discontinue it, but there is a particular reason why this one fills a niche that the other RSKs (Reflective Screen Kindles…anything but a Kindle Fire) don’t.

Text-to-speech on an RSK.

Text-to-speech is software that reads the book’s words out loud to you. I typically use it for hours a week in the car. More importantly, it’s valuable to those with print disabilities, and print challenges which do not rise to the legal definition of a disability.

Yes, the Kindle Fire has TTS (and I do think the software is superior to what is on the Kindle Keyboard). You might think, then, that since the visual part doesn’t matter to those with print disabilities, the backlighting shouldn’t be a problem.

That’s not the case.

First, certainly, some of those with print issues still can see enough that they use the screen sometimes.

Second, the RSKs weigh considerably less (the Kindle Keyboard is 8.7 oz…the lightest Kindle Fire is 13.9 oz (yes, you’ll probably feel the difference), the battery charge lasts much longer, and the RSKs are cheaper.

Neither the Kindle Paperwhite, nor the “Mindle” (which is what I call the least expensive Kindle) have sound…so they can’t do TTS.

As of right now, you can’t buy an RSK with TTS new from Amazon.

I wasn’t particularly concerned at first, because I thought it was probably just a temporary shortage of devices. Now, I’m more convinced that the Kindle Keyboard will not come back into regular stock.

That would get me upset…I think TTS RSKs are a huge convenience for the disabled.

My guess, though, is that Amazon may release something else (and may announce it before too long). It could be a Paperwhite with sound. If they did that, they might drop the price of the current Paperwhite, and then release the new one at the same price as the old one.

That is my sincere hope.

In my

The Year Ahead: 2013

prediction post, I didn’t think we’d get any real anything groundbreaking in Kindle EBR (E-Book Reader) hardware, and a Paperwhite with sound would be an improvement, but no groundbreaking.

If we go, oh, a week with no announcement, I’ll contact Amazon.

I want to point out that I’ve seen people now routinely referring to September as a time for Amazon hardware announcements. While that did happen last year (September 6) and in 2011 (September 28), that hasn’t always been the pattern:

• Kindle 1: announced November 19, 2007
• Kindle 2: February 9, 2009
• Kindle DX: May 6, 2009
• Kindle 3: July 28, 2010
• Mindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire 1st Generation: September 28, 2011
• Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire 2nd Gen: September 6, 2012

So, while they have been “clumping” several things together in September for the last couple of years, I could see them doing a new Paperwhite during the summer. That especially seems true to me if they start a new line (like an Amazon phone) in September…they might not want to dilute that  announcement.

I’ll keep my eye on it. Thanks again, Brian, for getting me thinking about this.

Bonus deal: one of today’s Kindle Daily Deals is Dead Witch Walking, the first book in Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series. I reviewed it close to three years ago, and did recommend it. It’s $1.99 today: do check the price before you click that Buy button.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

The Big Deal…over 500 discounted Kindle books, through May 27

The Big Deal…over 500 discounted Kindle books, through May 27

Yes, there are over 500 Kindle store books listed in the

The Big Deal

It’s 526 at the time of writing, but Amazon can switch around which ones are in here whenever they want. The deal goes through May 27th.

As always, check the price before you click the Buy button. The special prices may not apply where you are, and they may have changed since I wrote this.

I thought I’d point out some that caught my eye…

Sh*t My Dad Says
by Justin Halperin

This one is supposed to hilarious, and is highly-rated (4.5 out of 5 stars with 1,078 reviews). It inspired a short-lived William Shatner sitcom. You know, you might consider this for a Fathers’ Day gift…if your Dad would get that sense of humor. It’s $2.99 at time of writing…

Executive Privilege
by Phillip Margolin

It’s a political mystery/thriller.

Just A Wish Away (Wish Series)
By Barbara Freethy

Freethy is a popular romance writer…and this is $1.99.

Serpent: A Novel from the NUMA files
by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
by Brian Tracy

Gee, I wanted to say I’d been meaning to read this book and hadn’t gotten around do it but as a vegetarian, the title’s pretty off-putting…

The Professor and the Madman
by Simon Winchester

This one is very tempting! It’s a non-fiction account of the origins of the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) and it sounds fascinating! Another good gift for a word lover… Update: I did buy it.

In Deep Voodoo (Mojo, Louisiana humorous mystery series #1)
by Stephanie Bond

4.3 stars, 179 reviews…and ninety-nine cents!

Go Ask Alice
by Anonymous

I was selling this in a brick-and-mortar bookstore years ago…you might even find it assigned in high school. It’s reportedly an actual diary.

Watchmen
by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

This is one of the truly significant graphic novels…and it’s only $3.99. It does riff on comic book culture, so I don’t know that I would recommend it to someone unfamiliar with that. Note: this book says that text-to-speech is not enabled, and I don’t normally knowingly link to those. However, in this case, it is because the text is in the form of word balloons and such that are part of the illustrations. The publisher hasn’t blocked text-to-speech: it just isn’t available. It’s like asking TTS to read graffiti in a photograph of a subway tunnel. It’s worth noting that a series of graphic novels written after this one (but with events coming before) are also featured in the Big Deal right now.

Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson

Originally published in 1956, some of are still affected by the Disney version. Be aware that this is not a light-hearted story for kids.

Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest
by Erin Hunter

Very popular young adult series

Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1949
by William L. Shirer

Shirer is one of the best known writers about Nazi Germany.

How to Be Black
by Baratunde Thurston

Well-reviewed comedy by a writer for The Onion.

At Home with the Queen
by Brian Hoey

Are you, or do you know, a royal watcher? This one is non-fiction.

The Familiars
by Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson

Kids’ book, with magic told from the point of view of the “familiars” (sort of like pets for magic users, but more than that).

The DOORS: Unhinged
by John Densmore

Densmore was a drummer for The Doors (the Jim Morrison-led band), but this isn’t just a rock memoir. It’s about greed, and may have wider societal implications.

The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-to-Be (New Father Series)
by Armin A. Brott, Jennifer Ash

Maybe a gift for Fathers-To-Be Day?

Mudwoman
by Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates…for $1.99!

The Monkey Wrench Gang (Edward Abbey series)
by Edward Abbey

It’s a comic anarchist novel, and understandably been around for decades.

The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood
by Jane Leavy

Another good gift possibility…

An American Tragedy (RosettaBooks into Film )
by Theodore Dreiser

The inspiration for the movie, A Place in the Sun.

How To Think Like a Neandertal
by Thomas Wynn, Frederick L. Coolidge

Oxford University Press book with speculation about how Neandertals (that’s considered to be the more correct spelling, by the way) thought…but written for laypeople.

Voodoo Science:The Road from Foolishness to Fraud
by Robert L. Park

I’m very interested in why people believe what they do, and have lectured on critical thinking. I figure I’ve been successful, because some people have seen me as a “true believer” and others have seen me as a skeptic. Simply writing (and thinking) about a topic doesn’t mean that you endorse it or condemn it. I think some folk will be surprised that I put this one in this post, but I think it’s important to read advocatory works…it gives you a better understanding of the positions.

Sports Illustrated 50 Years of Great Writing: 1954-2004 50th Anniversary
by the Editors of Sports Illustrated

Again, possibly a good gift…although even if you aren’t a sports fan, you’d recognize some of the authors inside.

Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman’s Zombie Epic on Page and Screen
edited by James Lowder

A series of essays about The Walking Dead

Well, those are a few of the ones that stood out to me. There were also books by Kurt Vonnegut and Arthur C. Clarke, and a lot more options. I think this is one of the best groups of “books on sale” that Amazon has done for the Kindle. As the Agency Model continues to go away, we are likely to see better and better selections discounted (since Amazon will again be able to do that).

If something else stood out to you in the group, feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.

Enjoy!

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

Round up #168: Kindle 3D phone, geeky Moms

Round up #168: Kindle 3D phone, geeky Moms

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

Interesting mix at KDD for Mothers’ Day

I’m sure (or at least I strongly hope) that Amazon chooses the Kindle Daily Deals with promotional tie-in value in mind.

That’s why I was impressed with today’s Kindle Daily Deals.

Okay, sure…the featured (and Gold Box) deal is on any one of a number of highly-rated romances.

However, the science fiction & fantasy deal is

2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke Collection: The Odyssey)

for $1.99.

That’s really making a solid choice for those geeky Moms.

It has an interesting developmental history. Essentially, Stanly Kubrick bought the rights to some short stories from Arthur C. Clarke…and they jointly wrote the screenplay. However, at the same time, Clarke (with Kubrick’s knowledge, and, I think, encouragement) wrote the novel.

The novel took elements from a few Clarke stories, as did the movie. It isn’t that the movie was written without Clarke and then Clarke adapted the movie.

The Teens daily choice is also one I could see being a sharing between mother and child…but it isn’t one I would think would be read aloud:

The Dark Is Rising (Dark Is Rising Sequence, The)

That’s a Newberry and Carnegie Medal honored book. It is, however, what I call a “Discovered Destiny” book: the protagonist finds out that they aren’t really who they always thought they were, or that they have some secret mission to perform (that they didn’t know about previously). While in some cases that can be “anti-parent”, I could certainly see how a mother and child could have some very interesting discussions if the mother had read the book when young and then gave it to her own child. That’s certainly possible in this case…the book originally came out in the mid 1960s.

Smashwords: “How Data-Driven Decisions *Might* Help Indie Ebook Authors Reach More Readers”

This

presentation

by Mark Coker of Smashwords is the result of some really heavy lifting in data analysis, and has some great insights for e-book authors and publishers.

While this is a single source of data, I’d suggest that it is one of the most significant analyses you’ll read this year, and I highly recommend it.

They do say we can share it with our friends, but I don’t want to take too much away from it. Let me note a few highlights:

• Longer books sell better (60% of the bestsellers were more than 100,000 words)
• Free books are most downloaded, but low-priced ($0.99 and $1.99) are not downloaded as much as somewhat higher priced books…some publishers are underpricing their books
• Sales are not distributed evenly…in other words, just like with print books, some bestsellers really dominate the market. That might be a surprise for e-books for some, who want to see them as more “democratic”

Note that I’m really summarizing: there are 71 slides in the presentation. Yes, the presenter has an agenda, but I did find the data valuable (even if collection of data across all outlets could not be done evenly).

James Patterson explains why his books sell

This is a really insightful

The Guardian article

from mega-successful author James Patterson.

It talks about how the author’s background in advertising made the first big book a success, and about collaborating and producing around ten books a year.

This is one of those stories about “finding a better way”, and worth reading.

CBC: “Writers’ Union of Canada to vote on admitting self-published authors”

CBC article

Sometimes, it feels like the USA is really good at making stuff (like the Kindle), but slower than some other countries at changing behavior (which, as a trainer, is what I do for a living).

The Writers Union of Canada is scheduled to vote at the end of May as to whether or not to allow independently publishing authors into the group.

Generally, traditionally published authors have balked at that. They wanted to recognize the hurdles that were passed to become tradpubbed…it was certainly different from paying a “vanity press” to publish something.

That idea has really changed, though, and will continue to change.

People shrink at the term “self-published”, although that’s often what is happening…the preferred term is now “independently published”…even though that’s a bit mushy to me.

The simple fact is that there are now many “hybrid authors”. They are both traditionally published and independently published. Many very successful tradpubbed authors are now going their own way, and that’s likely to increase.

It then challenges you: why do we accept this author when they do things one way, and we would reject the same author when they do things a different way?

I think it’s possible to set a certain level of success as the barrier to entry. Having a single title on a “recognized” bestseller list (you can create a modifiable list) for at least three weeks (an arbitrary number…I don’t want it to be just one appearance on the list at a retailer, because those can be manipulated by buying a bunch of copies yourself…even at particular times of the day when competition is lower.).

I suspect it will be a while before the Authors Guild in the USA seriously considers the same question, but I could be wrong…and would be happy to be wrong.

WSJ:”Amazon Is Developing Smartphone With 3-D Screen”

This
Wall Street Journal article

talks about an array of possible gadgets from Amazon this year, including a phone with a 3D holographic display…no glasses needed.

Others mentioned include a cheap audio-only streamer, and a set-top box (like a Roku).

I’ve suggested that this will be a year without huge technological breakthroughs in the EBR (E-Book Reader) market, and a 10-inch Kindle Fire doesn’t count.

It’s interesting that EBRs aren’t mentioned.

Here’s the thing. Amazon can be a hardware manufacturer that doesn’t make money on hardware. That works if they use your loyalty to the hardware to get you to buy other profitable items (we are back to my “diapers and windshield wipers” line).

It’s hard for anybody to compete with that.

For me, though, I’d love to see all of this as one device eventually. Why give me a set-top box if my Kindle Fire could easily wirelessly transmit to a TV? Of course, that’s what the set top box could be…just seen as an “accessory” for a Kindle Fire.

How much cheaper could an audio streamer be than a tablet? Sure, you could probably make something for $10…but can’t you just make the Fire do the same thing?

I’ve said before that, if it’s a choice between carrying a tablet that makes decent phone calls and a phone with a relatively small screen that shows movies decently, I think people will go with the tablet. Tablets are small enough to carry reasonably easily, but the bigger screen makes a difference in a lot of functions. Until we get morphable devices (which can change shape), I think the tablet will win.

That said, Amazon can make a lot of money (er…sales, not profit…they aren’t that good at profit) with an array of devices. Those devices have to get people to sign up for Prime, and Prime has to get people to buy physical items.

I think that’s the winning strategy.

I have to admit, I’d be a little afraid to get a “Kindle phone”. My Samsung is very reliable, even it’s a bit outdated now perhaps. It’s a real workhorse. I can’t say that about my Kindle Fire: like an early model PC, it does “crash” a lot, but not so it’s really irritating. Flipboard may stop responding, for example. I wouldn’t want that to happen with my phone…

What do you think? Should authors’ groups accept independently published authors? How do you determine for yourself who is “an author”? Would you buy a Kindle phone? Do you have a geeky Mom? Are you more likely to buy a book for $2.99 than for $1.99? Feel free to let me and my readers know what you think by commenting on this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

Round up #167: no DRM doesn’t increase piracy for Tor, Mothers’ Day specials

Round up #167: no DRM doesn’t increase piracy for Tor, Mothers’ Day specials

The ILMK Round ups are short pieces which may or may not be expanded later.

Mothers’ Day specials

Oh, how the pace of commerce has changed! Mothers’ Day is this Sunday in the USA, and you can still get deals on line and get the item in time. Whether you are buying for a Mom or not, I thought I’d mention a couple.

First, there’s the deal on the Kindle Fire HD 7″ models directly from Amazon (this doesn’t appear to apply to the 8.9″). You have to enter this code at checkout:

FIRE4MOM

Note that entering it a checkout means you will not get the opportunity to enter it if you use 1-click. This deal is good through May 12th, and only for USA customers. Here is a link to the rest of the

Kindle Fire HD 7″ deal details

Second, DecalGirl has a deal on skins. Skins are really a way to personalize a device, including Kindles and Kindle Fires. It’s like a super duper sticker you put on it. You can even do customized ones by uploading a photo. They have a promotional code for 25% off through May 13th…I guess they even have the late folks covered…so to speak. Of course, you could also let Mom pick her skin.

You can shop here:

DecalGirl Mothers’ Day skins

At checkout, enter the code

THANKSMOM

I assume it’s okay to post this, since they sent me an e-mail they said I could forward to friends…you’re my friends, right?

Senate passes equal collection legislation

I’ve written about this a lot before, and I’m happy to see it moving along (even though it isn’t law yet).

There’s nice coverage of the vote by the Senate to pass equal collection legislation in this

Money.CNN.com article

Just to summarize, it would mean that large internet retailers would collect sales tax at the point of sale on online purchases, similar to what happens in a brick-and-mortar store.

This is key: it is not a new tax.

If people think of it as a new tax, it probably won’t pass the House of Representatives, despite the bipartisan support it has had.

Nobody will owe a penny more of sales tax if this passes…but the vast majority of people will pay more.

That’s because you are probably expected to pay sales/use tax in your state on your annual taxes when you buy things from out of state retailers…but most people just don’t. We do in my family, and it’s a bear…if this does pass, it will simplify things for me.

Can you imagine figuring out your own sales tax on your brick-and-mortar purchases, and then paying it as one lump sum once a year?

I’m not convinced it will pass the House, although there are certainly  motivations  to do so. Amazon and Wal-Mart both support it. More importantly, the Federal government might be able to send less money to the states if the states were able to collect the sales tax they were already owed. However we all know that “logic” isn’t spelled “lawgic” for a reason…the two don’t have a whole lot to do with each other.

Tor going DRM-free has not increased piracy

There’s a fascinating

Tor.com post

that talks about how things are going after a year of being DRM (Digital Rights Mangement) free. Tor is a major publisher (part of Macmillan), and I reported on their decision.

DRM is code inserted into digital content by the publisher to control the use of that material.

When you download an e-book that is DRM-free, there is nothing it that technically stops you from copying it or altering it.

That doesn’t mean that you have the right to do anything you want: you could still do things (like distributing it freely over the internet without permission) which would be illegal infringement.

However, if you want to convert it from an e-book you can read on a Kindle to an e-book you can read on a NOOK, that is apparently okay.

Here’s the key line in a short excerpt:

“As it is, we’ve seen no discernible increase in piracy on any of our titles, despite them being DRM-free for nearly a year.”

That doesn’t mean there has been no piracy (there can even be piracy of DRM-protected files…it’s just harder), but that releasing without DRM hasn’t meant that there was any more or it (as far as they can tell).

As they note, their success doesn’t mean it would be equally successful for all books, but you can bet other tradpubs (traditional publishers) are looking at this carefully.

Taking a Kindle for a test drive…really

My Significant Other and I knew that it was getting to be time to buy a new car (I had a Scion XB with over 150,000 miles on it…it was still doing fine, but you start thinking about maintenance costs at that range).

For me, tech in the car is a big thing. I’ve been listening now to text-to-speech in the car for years.

In the Scion, that was with an FM transmitter, playing through the radio.

We wanted a hybrid. We’d been driving Toyotas (I did like the Scion a lot) and had pretty much settled on a Prius.

Then, we drove a Ford Fusion over the weekend…and bought it.

For us, the drive was just so much better…the feel of it, and especially the visibility.

The tech was fine: it’s practically like having gotten a new computer, which is a fun day for me. I’m not that big on driving, but I really enjoyed it today. I have a touchscreen in the car, but I can also talk to it. The Kindle Fire (and my phone and my Blackberry and my Significant Other’s phone) paired to the Bluetooth with no problem. I start the book on the Kindle (before I start driving), and tell it to play Bluetooth audio…and I’m off and running. It also has two USB charging ports, so I don’t need a car adapter with this one.

Unrelated to the Kindle, the back-up camera is crazy cool. I haven’t had a new car for about nine years, so this all new to me. I really like that it shows me two virtual reality lines for where the car is going to go…and if you turn the steering wheel (even before you start moving), it shows you the projected path. It’s going to take quite a while before it feels natural to look forward (at the screen) when backing up, but I can clearly see the advantages.

That “taking a while” thing happens, though. I had a funny one the other day. The clock in our bathroom died, and I’m often reading on my Kindle Fire in there while I exercise and brush my teeth (I take a long time doing the latter). However, I did have a paper magazine up on the towel rack where I normally put my Fire. I caught myself reaching up to push something on the paper magazine to see what time it was. I didn’t get very far, but that’s clearly become a habit for me.

Some people ask why an RSK (Reflective Screen Kindle…anything but a Kindle Fire) doesn’t show a clock all the time. One reason why their batteries last so long is that they do very little when you are reading. They redraw the “page”, and that’s about it unless you tell it to do something. If there was a clock, they’d have to redraw the page at least every minute…that would eat up battery charge life.

What do you think? Will equal collection legislation pass the House? How will it affect Amazon if it does? Did you buy any more books from Tor because they went DRM-free? How do you use your Kindle in the car? Feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.

100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less each:May 2013

100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less each:May 2013

Amazon does the Kindle Daily Deal, which discounts (usually) four books a day (often general fiction, a romance, a science fiction/fantasy book, and a kids’ book). That used to often be to $0.99, but I’ve noticed lately it’s more likely to be $1.99…or higher.

They’ve also been doing 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less each month.

Those prices only apply to the USA, and one weird thing is that some of the books seem to sell out at that price sometimes (or become unavailable for some other reason).

It’s also interesting…about 44% of the books in the USA Kindle store are $3.99 or less (856,777 of 1,935,499). Still, these are on sale, and that’s worth something. 

I’m going to list some of the $3.99 or lower ones that caught my eye…I’m not necessarily recommending them, but I do think they are interesting.

The ones I list also don’t block text-to-speech access…but I think blocking it is becoming rarer.

One other thing…I think this is a particularly good list! I think we are starting to see the benefit of more publishers not being under the Agency Model, which gives Amazon a wider variety of books to discount, especially well-known ones.

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home
by Dan Ariely

Oh, I’m definitely buying this one for $1.99! Ariely is a behavioral economist, and I’ve read this author before. This will be non-fiction, explaining that people behave irrationally…but that doesn’t mean that it is just wild, unpredictable behavior. For example, and many e-book readers will know this one, we are overly attracted to something being free. We are much more likely to take a free thing than something that costs one penny…the difference is much greater than between one penny and two pennies, even though the actual difference is the same.

Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut

This one is a modern classic, and often gets assigned to reading lists. If you buy it now, you won’t be knocking on a brick-and-mortar bookstore’s door at 9:00 at night the day before it is due. Although that sounds random, I had that happen when I managed one. The book is arguably a dark humor science fiction book, and it does frequently get challenged in libraries (it has sexual content, for one thing, but it is also…I guess “irreverent” might be best).

Bitter Lemons of Cyprus: Life on a Mediterranean Island
by Lawrence Durrell

Non-fiction travel writing from the author of The Alexandria Quartet.

Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog
by Susannah Charleston

4.5 stars with 199 reviews is impressive! Mothers’ Day, maybe?

The Emperor’s Soul
by Brandon Sanderson

This is a novella (shorter than a novel, longer than a short story) from the popular writer (Mistborn)…with an even better rating of 4.6 for 335 reviews…and no review under a three! This one has magic…

Map of Bones: A Sigma Force Novel
by James Rollins

It’s a thriller, and in fact, uses a label I didn’t even think was around any more: “Men’s Adventure”. Rollins is a New York Times bestselling author. This one involves an artifact, and the reviews compare it to Dan Brown.

A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin

Helprin (Winter’s Tale) writes a well-reviewed historical novel of World War I. I was just having a conversation about “World War I” the other day. Of course, they didn’t call it that at the time…how pessimistic would that have been? It was “The Great War” or “The War to End All Wars”, or, yes, “The World War”. I heard Christopher Clark, the author of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 interviewed, and that one sounded like a fascinating book…it’s not part of this deal, though.

The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri

You have to give serious consideration to a book that is listed as both “literary fiction” and a children’s book…and is by a Pulitzer Prize winner!

The Magician’s Assistant
by Ann Patchett

There are some mixed reviews on this one, but I suspect that might be about how the book makes you feel more than the quality of the writing (although I haven’t read it yet myself). Patchett is also the author of State of Wonder and Bel Canto.

Ham On Rye
by Charles Bukowski

Bukowski may be best known as a poet, but has written quite a few novels…this is supposed to be one of the best.

Well, those are a few of the ones that caught my eye…enjoy!

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.