Change and challenging times embolden Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and The … – Appliance Retailer

“Challenging times. The arrival of electronic reading devices has been a gamechanger. “

– Daniel Chard, publisher, al The Silkworm (JK Rowling as Robert Galbraith)

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD.

A battered and bruised Afghanistan war hero dabbles with double-dealing divorcees, attempts to free himself of a maniacal sociopath ex-fiancée and slowly transitions from lone wolf private investigator is a budding mentor, all the while solving the case of a missing novelist. JK Rowling’s second crime novel under the guise of Robert Galbraith, The Silkworm , turned out to be another inspired outing for one-legged dick Cormoran Strike and an apt choice for reviewing Amazon’s newish Kindle Fire HD Tablet (RRP $ 189).

It was a circuitous case of inverse serendipity That led to this occasion. Having completed the first installment in Rowling’s Sempiternal follow-up to the Harry Potter series, The Cuckoo’s Calling , in scant time, I returned it That book’s place of purchase, Dymocks Neutral Bay, only to find it closed Precisely at 6:03 pm. Now, this is three minutes after the advertised closing time but this is supposed to be an industry in crisis – “We need readers, more readers. Fewer writers, “quips the deceased’s publisher in The Silkworm – so it is a tad chagrining That otherwise loyal customers are given a dry little time outside business hours to travel a bricks and mortar stores.

Anyone who has ever fallen into Rowling’s gossamer will know her elaborately plotted tales are addictive, so the thought of waiting even a day to start on The Silkworm felt foreign. Amazon’s local press team had sent over a Kindle Fire HD review Earlier That week and, despite my preference for savoring books as books, I decided the best way to properly test out the device would be to set it the arduous task of transporting me through London in Black Cabs and on the Tube in pursuit of the shadowy literary figures That inhabit – sometimes duplicitously and, unfortunately for some, not till the final page – The Silkworm .

There has been much handwringing about the breadth and depth of content piracy in Australia, Especially in relation this visual media like films and TV. Technology websites like Gizmodo Cnet and the now dormant Delimiter have all but doubled in size gorging on this topic. Not as much is made about literary piracy, Which is surprising, considering how easy it is to find free versions of popular books online and in the Kindle’s specific format. It makes you wonder, if only there were Game of Thrones books for people to download nefariously, just to give this issue some publicity!

(These tech sites and others did write a few articles about literary piracy several years ago, but none were written with the verve or urgency of TV piracy articles, nor did they attract much interest. A Gizmodo article discussing ebook piracy from 8 January 2010 has two comments , there are 103 comments on a TV piracy yarn from 2 June 2014.)

The only previous book I’ve read on a Kindle you Richard Bachman’s The Long Walk on an early -model E Ink reader with no backlighting; the screen is engineered resemble the page of a physical book. The Kindle Fire HD is more a fully-fledged tablet than an e-reader, with an internet browser, social media apps, some productivity applications and front and back facing cameras. Because of These broad uses, the Kindle Fire HD does away with E Ink and has a LCD screen with backlighting, not unlike an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab. My experience of January 2011 The Long Walk was pleasant enough, though I did find the screen dilating every time you ‘turned’ a page very unsettling, and although I’ve seen countless commuters reading tomes on Their backlit tablets, I was keen to see just how pained-blink-inducing or otherwise this system for you. Turns out, it is a vast improvement.

The first positive of the Kindle Fire HD is the seamless scrolling from page to page, known in e-reader nomenclature as ‘locations’. There is no stuttering moment of thought suspension while the screen fills with black like blood squeezed in a microscope slide before separating into the myriad minuscule dots That make up the next location. This makes for a much faster reading experience and the touchscreen responsiveness – there are no push-touch buttons to move back and forth and certainly no need for a QWERTY keyboard like on E Ink models – Enables automatic bookmarking, highlighting, chapter search and pivoting and la multitasking between the reading material and the Kindle Fire HD’s other functions. Another positive Is That with a backlight, you can read the Kindle Fire HD in bed with all the lights off. The disadvantage Is That the battery drains much, much faster, and its life is Shorter than the time it takes to read a 454-page book.

Touchiness Empowers an even greater function; an asset of the Kindle I discovered by accident That really gives the device an oomph when Compared To the physical word. Rowling read regularly and you get the impression she writes her novels with a thesaurus by her side, constantly dipping in to pull out another adjective or adverb – her love of qualifiers is decidedly unOrwellian – and save her bizarre predilection for using the adverb ‘coolly’ to carry speech, she has an amusing preoccupation with never using the same word twice. Rowling mixes her ‘peripatetics’, ‘impecuniouses’ and ‘capriciouses’ with classically derived neologisms – she constantly revisits the Greek and Roman mythology for obscure adjectival forms – and such is the hassle of putting down a book and picking up a dictionary, Especially during these of The Silkworm’s frequently-occurring gripping sequences, that if the meaning can not be derived from the words around it, one is more inclined to read it without every finding out what ‘untrammelled’ meant. The Kindle Fire HD Provides a panacea for this: longpress a word and a dialogue box will pop up explaining the term from the on-board dictionary. If you are online at the time (Wi-Fi only), this box can be switched to a Wikipedia page, providing in-depth detail on the concept. Reading is the absolute best way to Increase your vocabulary and the Kindle Fire HD facilitates this simply and Effectively. It is a gadget That truly helps you to learn.

But to learn, they must be enthralled. Only if the device is providing a satisfactory reading experience – not just a quick scan but a perusal – will the owner be invested enough to exploit this feature.

The Kindle Fire HD’s reading experience is very satisfying and you do find yourself flicking through the locations much more regularly than you would turn a page, Which always seems that imbue a sense of forward progression, like I am Achieving something, however small. On the bottom left of the screen you can customize the Kindle Fire HD to display the remaining time reading in the chapter or book – it quickly learns how fast you read – and this does ably replicate the sense of distance to destination sheer tactility of a physical book embodies without any time mechanism.

What can not be replicated, however, is the unrivaled self-satisfaction That comes from turning That final paper page and then reaching for the cardboard back cover with the tip of your middle finger, dragging it near to complete the literal reading of a book from cover is a cover. That unbridled joy of completeness is simply not there on a Kindle, and I am Reminded of the lobotomy ‘victim’ Howard Dully who told National Public Radio in 2005 That, “I’ve always felt different, wondered if something’s missing from my soul. “

People who read a lot tend to have the quixotic idiosyncrasy of showing guests Their bookcase or, at the very least, making sure it is visible in the home’s living spaces. I have read the 1,400-plus Objectivist Pages that make up Atlas Shrugged , and it has a minuscule typeface; That flicking through ode to individualism is a way of demonstrating my own individualism. My bookshelf is replete with Pynchon’s oeuvre, Dickens’ bibliography and the five extant books in The Song of Ice and Fire (they should make a TV show out of Those). This rich tapestry of paper, cardboard and wood has brought me so much joy, occasionally invoked tears and molded me into the person I am today. One of the books used in the cover art is Promote the Kindle Fire HD, The Perks of Being a Wallflower , is my all-time favorite book. This wave my hands in front of That book and all the others is to say, ‘this is who I am’.

People are less impressed when I hand them my Kindle, show them how to unlock it and then if you tap the bottom of the screen there tap it again lightly and there hit the home button and now wait it’s a bit slow then up the top in the menu bar, tap books and there are the two books I have sideloaded it so far. That is not who I am.

Only when coming to end of The Silkworm did I realize that I was reading a book about change written by the author changed on a device representing change . The previous book I had read on my previous Kindle, the aforementioned The Long Walk , was written by Stephen King – Richard Bachman was his nom de plume d’évasion – he wanted to disrupt the publishing industry conceit That an author can only release one book per year (“I think that a number of writers have disproved That by now,” King said much later). As the epigram on this story Declares, Rowling as Galbraith uses The Silkworm is a challenge publishing, much like Amazon’s Kindle is challenging the bookstore and Amazon itself is challenging traditional retail (not to mention Amazon challenging our collective suspension of disbelief.)

I am a reluctant fan of the Kindle Fire HD: it’s a nifty reading device and the extra functions mean it can just about pass for a tablet if you are desperate. The Silkworm is good too. You should read both.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. 3 Amazon Kindle Fire HD – Comparison of … – The Fuse Joplin

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the three Amazon Kindle Fire HD are two of the major tablets released by Samsung and Amazon respectively.

Both tablets have some really interesting features That are worth a study. While the Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablet was made available to the public in September 2012, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet 3 made its entry into the market slightly less than a year later in July 2013 Us Help article makes a comparative study of some good to know the features of These tablets, So that it would be easy for you to choose the right tablet for your needs.

Dimensions and Weight

although both tablets feature the candy bar form factor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet 3 is marginally bigger than the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet. The major difference in the two tablets is in Their lengths. However, although the Samsung Galaxy Tablet is larger than the Amazon tablet, it is interesting to note that the Amazon tablet is the heavier tablet of the two.

Verdict: The less bulky aspect helps in making it easier to carry the Samsung Galaxy tablet with you when you are on the move. Hence, if your wish is that own a reasonably lightweight tablet, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is definitely a good choice.

Screen Display and Resolution

Like its overall size, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 3 houses a larger screen than the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. The difference is clearly from visible, with the Samsung Galaxy tablet featuring a screen size of 10.1 inches as against the screen size of 8.9 inches in the Amazon tablet. Also, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the three Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablets Incorporate the WXGA TFT LCD display and IPS technologies respectively. While the Amazon Kindle Tablet encompasses a moderate pixel resolution of 1920 × 1200, the Samsung Galaxy tablet comprises a lower pixel resolution of 1280 × 800. The Amazon tablet also features an excellent pixel density of 254ppi as against a low pixel density of 149ppi in the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. In Addition, the screen in the Amazon Kindle is scratch resistant. Apart from a light sensor That is present in both tablets, the Amazon Kindle tablet comprises an additional proximity sensor.

Verdict: The Amazon Kindle renders better quality pictures and Prevents scratches from being formed on its screen with repeated use. These features make it a preferred choice over the Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet 3 is equipped with a primary rear-facing 3.2MP camera that capture your favorite shots and a secondary front-facing 1.3MP camera. On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle tablet has only one front-facing 1.3MP camera. Both Of These tablets encompass a camcorder with the video calling capability.

Verdict: The primary camera in the Samsung Galaxy tablet offers many features of the Amazon Kindle That can not; this results in the Samsung Tablet being a better option for avid photographers. Some Of These, include, autofocus, panorama, buddy photo share, video editing and more. The camera in the Amazon Kindle is Primarily designed for you to make video calls on Skype.

Kobo Challenges the Kindle Paperwhite With a Waterproof eReader – TechnoBuffalo

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Amazon’s Kindle lineup of small dominate the conversation when it comes to eReaders, but the company still faces some pretty tough competition. Just last week Samsung teamed up with Barnes & amp; Noble announce a new Nook, Kobo and now is back with a fresh E-Ink with its own unique features.

Kobo Announced the Aura H20 this morning, revealing a splash-proof eReader That can survive underwater for up to 30 minutes. The new device is pretty similar to last year’s Aura HD, and offers a 6.8-inch Carta E-Ink touchscreen display with a resolution of 1,430 x 1,080 and 265 pixels per inch (putting it above the Kindle Paperwhite’s 212ppi count). It also packs 4GB of storage with microSD support, and a battery That should last well over a month depending on how much time you spend reading.

At $ 179, Kobo’s new eReader looks a bit pricy Compared To The Amazon alternative. When you factor in That waterproof design it starts it makes sense though, considering That third-party companies like Waterfi are happy to charge well over $ 200 for a splash-proofed Kindle Paperwhite. If you want to use an eReader by the pool, or even in the bath, without fear of ruining it, this small be the device for you.

You can pre-order the Kobo Aura H20 starting on Sept . 1, though the company’s new eReader will not actually ship for another month. In the meantime you can hit the source link below for more info on what Kobo has this offer.

Duo’s new Fuel and Lumber studio is helping kindle downtown resurgence – AL.com

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama- With a growing international reputation and art shows in a New York gallery, artist Amy Pleasant has not lost sight of her roots Birmingham.

In fact, signs of growth in her hometown’s art scene has Prompted her to get even more connected with the artists in her midst. On Friday, Aug. 22, she along with Tuscaloosa artist and UA art professor Pete Schulte will open Their Third Avenue North studio to the public for a show of original art during the Sidewalk Film Festival.

DETAILS
What: New works by Amy Pleasant and Pete Schulte.
When: Friday-Sunday, Aug. 22-24, noon-6 p.m. By appointment through Sept. 6
Where: The Fuel and Lumber Company, 1805 Third Ave North.

although Pleasant set up shop five years ago in the storefront across from the Lyric Theatre, she has worked under the Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. umbrella since the late 1990s, first in an unused space above the Alabama Theatre lobby.

“We all have the same goal, in a way,” Pleasant said. “When I moved in there, they wanted to support and I was able it to so much work. When they had to renovate That space rent it out, Cecil (Whitmire) found another home for me.”

Pleasant’s newest location Became The Fuel and Lumber Company, Which she and Schulte are sprucing up by painting, installing lighting and otherwise preparing for the temporary exhibition. It will be open for only the second time, but she believes’s the time is right for Fuel and Lumber is a branch out.

“It was not that long ago That These blocks were completely abandoned , “she Recalled of the downtown area. “I would work late at night and there was not a car on the street – no one. It’s great to see downtown changing and things going on. A lot of good people are trying to do something here. That’s what Pete and I are trying to do with Fuel and Lumber. ”

The name stems from the establishment in Schulte’s hometown in Iowa, where the family of jazz great Bix Beiderbecke owned Davenport Fuel and Lumber.

“We thought it would be a great name for something like this, “Pleasant said. “It’s he and I – I’m Fuel, he’s Lumber. I’m a little bit hyper and he’s more of a slow burn.”

It apr also be a good location to stage a Rapid Fire an image-sharing initiative Pleasant started early in 2013.

“Rapid Fire is an image-sharing gathering where people come to show either what they do or what inspires them to do it – is create a tighter community, to get to know each other a little more, and reach out, “she said. “Since January 2013 it has been so amazing to meet people in all different fields of These.”

The next Rapid Fire event takes place on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 pm in UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. Invited are participants the from a wide range of arts Disciplines, Including Birmingham Museum of Art curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi, UAB’s Doug Barrett, Lisa tamiris Becker, Elisabeth Pellathy and Cliff Simon, artist and curator Dan Bynum, and former BMA curator Ellen Elsas.

“I wanted to create community interaction with creative people, and this has been a new step.”

For Pleasant, this weekend’s “new step” at The Fuel and Lumber Company is about new works by her and Schulte, but do not expect future openings to remain with That focus.

“We did this as an introduction to who we are and what we’re starting,” she said. “This event is our work, but in the future it will be about other people’s work. It’s not a commercial endeavor. It could be anything from a Rapid Fire is a feedback from an audience. It’s very open.”

A Luxembourg thriller Kindle publishing’s poster boy and Luxembourg – Luxemburger Wort – Angielski Edition

Daniel pictured doing research with the Dutch national police force
Photo: Daniel Pembrey

Published on Friday 22 August, 2014 at 9:45

Luxembourg Appears to be the setting of choice for thriller writers of late. Hot on the heels of Chris Pavone’s spy story The Expats, another expatriate who lived in the Grand Duchy has published his own thriller, this time Involving the Russians.

British national Daniel Pembrey penned The Candidate after a year spent working for Amazon Kindle in Luxembourg.

Already a keen writer before moving there, he said the novella was inspired by the capital’s mysterious allure.

“I think that Luxembourg is a great location for a story. It lends itself so well to dramatic fiction.

You never know exactly where the story comes from but it was very much Encouraged by my time there and the nature of Luxembourg as a place, “Daniel told wort.lu / en.

Truth of Luxembourg

The cover design of Daniel’s book, The Candidate
Photo: Daniel Pembrey

The Candidate tells the story of a British headhunter called Nick Thorneycroft, who works in Luxembourg. When his employer asks him to recruit a high-flying executive for the company’s Russian business, the ideal candidate turns out to be not what she seems.

The story is told in the first person narrative of the main character , a man who comes from Lancashire and who is not based on the author, Daniel says.

Readers familiar with the Luxembourg landscape will recognize a number of key locations dry as the Hotel Cravate on Roosevelt Boulevard and the Pont Adolphe. However, for anyone keen on visiting the sites in the book, it should be Noted That some locations are pure Invention.

That Daniel said his aim was to get to the “truth of what Luxembourg is like as a place, “which he conveyed by mixing reality and artistic license that create the backdrop and characters. For example, he said the character of Jacques Daleiden, the landlord, was a composite of different people, “inspired by someone I heard about while there.”

E-publishing

Published in e-book format as part of the Kindle’s Singles series in November last year, The Candidate was a number one best selling thriller short story in December.

It was published in print format in May this year and is also available as an audio book on Amazon. For Daniel, who currently lives in Amsterdam where he is writing a series of detective Novellas, publishing The Candidate as an e-book Proved to be his big break.

Daniel (right) at the 2013 London Book Fair with authors Mel Sherratt (middle) and TJ Cooke (left)
Photo: Mel Sherratt

Up until then he had worked for Amazon in Seattle and taken a sabbatical to work on his writing. But, he said he never Considered he would be ready to publish widely until he worked for Kindle in Luxembourg. There, he got to know several thriller authors who had had considerable success as a result of e-publishing.

“Previously, I thought writing was something I needed to get better at and needed a publisher for. It was something That stretched off into the future, “he said, adding:” At the Kindle I saw the success of These authors: they were among the top sellers, they were making money because the royalties were good and they had creative control of Their work. I thought, I need to do that. “

The e-book worked particularly well for the novella format Which, Daniel pointed out, is difficult to sell in print format because of the high cost of production is relative size.

“With ebooks it’s absolutely possible to put it out for much less. Typically, Novellas sell for one or two euros as Kindle Singles, “he said.

Of Daniel’s four books published as e-books, two are now available in print largely thanks to the e-publishing pathway. Now that he has made a name in print, he plans to continue publishing e-books. He said: “I think the real goal for any writer is to make the work available in as many formats and languages ​​as possible. That makes the work as relevant as can be. I dont think it’s either or. “

I think it would adapt to screen really well and would be a great showcase for lots of interesting things about Luxembourg

Future plans

The Candidate will be released as an e-book in German from October this year. While no other translations are foreseen yet, Daniel admitted it would be fantastic to make it available in other languages, possibly even Luxembourgish.

He hopes too That the novella can be adapted as a radio play and perhaps even they day and the movie screenplay and is even eyeing up potential actors for the main roles.

“I think it would adapt to screen really well and would be a great showcase for lots of interesting things about Luxembourg,” he said , adding: “He’s almost a bit old for the part but Christopher Ecclestone, I think, would be great in the main roles.”

You can hear Daniel Pembrey talk about his book and get your copy signed when he attends the Chapter 1 bookstore event on September 4.

To register, please email books@chapter1.lu and to find out more, visit www.chapter1.lu

Do not miss the news – sign up to receive the wort.lu newsletter in Angielski delivered to your inbox six days a week.

Pac-12 Now for Android re-launches, adds Kindle Fire – Pac-12.com

Reading this on your Android device? You’re a click away from our completely redesigned and rebuilt Pac-12 Now app. Download it here:

We’ve added support for newer Kindle Fire tablets too. That link is:

With the Pac-12 Now app, you can watch the Pac-12 Networks around the clock Including 850 live events, studio shows, and our award-winning weekly documentary series football “The Drive.” The app is free; This access some content requires you TV Provider username and password.

Pac-12 Now also delivers free video highlights, features, and vignettes as well as scores from your favorite Pac-12 teams. The app is also available for iOS.

Android & amp; Kindle users will find the new Pac-12 Now app to be Dramatically more robust, stable and speedy. Forget the Pac-12 Now Android of the past – we highly recommend that you ‘treat yourself to an immediate download. Features include:

• Seven live Pac-12 Networks channels, 24 hours a day (with your TV provider login)
• Loads of free video clips Including highlights, features, interviews , vignettes and more
• Scores and schedules across many Pac-12 sports
• Set alerts on your device for an upcoming live games you want to watch
• Share videos with your friends from within the app
• Optimized for Android phones and tablets running 4.0.3 and higher, plus newer Amazon Kindle Fire tablets

Pac-12 Networks has partnered with leading mobile app developer Double Encore on this app – check out Their case study on Pac-12 Now.

We want to hear what you think about our new app. Share your thoughts with us via @ Pac12Networks on Twitter, or on our Facebook page.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 vs. Nook Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch HDX – Laptop Mag (blog)

As the first device to come out of the Samsung and Barnes & amp; Noble partnership, the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook promises that offer the best of both worlds: a great tablet and an industry-leading eReader. But that does not mean this 7-inch tablet does not face some serious competition from the Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch HDX.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook	Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch HDX
Starting Price	$ 179 (after $ 20 rebate)	$ 229
Operating System	Android 4.4	Kindle Fire 3.0
Processor	1.2-GHz quad-core Marvell PXA 1088	2.2-GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800
Graphics	N / A	400-MHz Adreno 320
Display	1280 x 800 7-inch display	1920 x 1200 7-inch display
RAM	1.3GB	2GB
Storage	8GB (expandable to 32GB via microSD it)	16GB
Front / Rear Camera	1.3-MP / 3.0-MP	720p / N / A
Wireless	Bluetooth, 802.11a / b / g / n	Bluetooth, 802.11 b / g / n
Ports	microSD card slot, microUSB charging port	microUSB, mic, headphone
Dimensions	7.36 x 4.25 x 0.35 inches	7.3 x 5 x 0.35 inches
Weight	9.74 ounces	10.7 ounces

Amazon’s 7-inch slate costs $ 229, while Samsung’s costs just $ 179 (after a $ 20 rebate). The measurements of the two are Comparable, with the 9.74 ounce Nook Table 4 coming in a hair smaller at 7.36 x 4.25 x 0.35 inches vs. The 10.7-ounce Fire HDX’s 7.3 x 5 x 0.35 inches. But once you look at Their features, Amazon Provides more processing power, a higher-resolution screen, more processing power and more onboard storage. However, Barnes & amp; Noble uniquely offers on-site tech support, multi-tasking goodness and a 3-MP rear-facing camera.

MORE: Amazon Kindle Fire vs. HDX Google Nexus 7: Which Tablet Is Better?

The Fire HDX is powered by a 2.2-GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU 800. We’ve not yet tested the new Nook Table 4, but we’re skeptical about how the 1.2-GHz quad-core Marvell PXA 1088 will stack up. For RAM, the Fire HDX offers 2GB, while the Nook has just 1.3GB.

Both slates offer dedicated profiles and robust parental controls for a family-friendly experience. Both also offer Their Own content portals for books, TV shows, movies, apps and games. But the Nook does pack in the Google Play store as well, Which offers a wider selection of content. We also like that the Nook Table 4 comes preloaded with the Chrome browser, rather than Amazon’s proprietary Silk browser.

Barnes & amp; Noble noticeably pulled back on its operating system overlay, leaving a traditional Android 4.4 experience That some will appreciate. Still, Amazon’s extras dry as the Mayday button for on-screen tech support and X-Ray for additional info on books and music are pretty handy.

We’re looking forward to testing Barnes & amp; Noble’s Claims of 10 hours of endurance for its 400mAh battery. On our Laptop Mag Battery Test, the recorded 11 hours of battery life from the Fire 7-inch HDX. We also plan to update this comparison as soon as more test results are available.

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Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper, study finds – The Guardian

‘ The haptic and tactile feedback of a Kindle does not Provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does ‘… an ebook reader. Photograph: Alamy

A new study found That Which readers using a Kindle were “significantly” worse than paperback readers at Recalling when events occurred in a mystery story is part of a major new Europe-wide research looking at the impact of digitisation on the reading experience.

The study, presented in Italy at a conference last month and set to be published as a paper, gave 50 readers the same short story by Elizabeth George to read. Half read the 28-page story on a Kindle, and half in a paperback, with readers then tested on aspects of the story Including objects, characters and settings.

Anne Mangen of Norway’s Stavanger University and lead researcher on the study, academics thought might “find differences in the immersion facilitated by the device, in emotional responses” to the story. Her predictions were based on an Earlier study comparing reading an upsetting short story on paper and on the iPad. “In this study, we found That paper readers did report higher on Measures having to do with empathy and transportation and immersion, and narrative coherence, than iPad readers,” said Mangen.

But instead, the performance was largely similar, except when it came to the timing of events in the story. “The Kindle readers performed significantly worse on the plot reconstruction measure, ie, when they were asked to place 14 events in the correct order.”

The Researchers suggest that “the haptic and tactile feedback of a Kindle does Do not Provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does. “

” When you read on paper you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking it the right, “said Mangen. “You have the tactile sense of progress, in Addition to the visual … [The differences for Kindle readers] might have something to do with the fact That the fixity of a text on paper, and this very gradual unfolding of paper as you progress through the story, is some kind of sensors offload, supporting the visual sense of progress when you’re reading. Perhaps this somehow aids the reader, providing more fixity and solidity to the reader’s sense of unfolding and progress of the text, and hence the story. “

Mangen also pointed to a paper published last year, Which gave 72 Norwegian 10th-graders texts to read in print, or in PDF on a computer screen, followed my comprehension tests to. She and her fellow Researchers found that “students who read texts in print scored significantly better on the reading comprehension test than students who read the texts digitally.”

She is now chairing a new European research network doing empirical research on the effects of digitisation on text reading. The network says that “research shows That the amount of time spent reading long-form texts is in decline, and due this digitisation, reading is becoming more intermittent and fragmented”, with “empirical evidence Indicate [ing] That affordances of screen devices might negatively impact cognitive and emotional aspects of reading. ” They hope Their work will improve scientific understanding of the implications of digitisation, THUS helping it cope with its impact.

“We need to provide your research and evidence-based knowledge that publishers on what kind of devices (iPad, Kindle, print) should be used for what kind of content, what kinds of texts are Likely to be less hampered by being read digitally, and Which might require the support of paper, “said Mangen. “I’m thinking it might make a difference if a novel is a page-turner or light read, when you do not Necessarily have to pay attention to every word, Compared To a 500-page, more complex literary novel, something like Ulysses, Which is really challenging reading That requires sustained focus. That will be very interesting to explore. “

The Elizabeth George study included only two experienced Kindle users, and she is keen to replicate it is using a greater proportion of Kindle regulars. But she warned against assuming That the “digital natives” of today would perform better.

“I do not think we should assume it is all to do with habits, and base Decisions that replace print textbooks with iPads , for instance, on a dry assumptions. Studies with students, for instance, have shown That they often prefer to read on paper, “she said.

Spot a Boring Kindle Book by Looking at Popular Highlights – Lifehacker

Looking for a good book to read this summer? If you want one That will not bore you halfway through, mathematics professor Jordan Ellenberg has an interesting tip: look at the Kindle highlights.

His theory: if the bridge popular highlights occur in the first half of the book, it might mean That people are not reading it all the way through:

How can we find today’s greatest non-reads? Amazon’s “Popular Highlights” feature, they Provides quick and dirty measure. Every book’s Kindle page lists the five most highlighted passages to readers. If every reader is getting to the end, Those highlights could be scattered throughout the length of the book. If nobody has made it past the introduction, the popular highlights will be clustered at the beginning.

THUS, the Hawking Index (HI): Take the page numbers of the book’s five top highlights, average them, and divide by the number of pages in the whole book. The higher the number, the more of the book we’re guessing most people are Likely to have read. (Disclaimer: This is not remotely scientific and is for entertainment purposes only!)

Of course, this has a few downsides. Not only is it not “remotely scientific,” but it only works with books you actually have-it does not work with samples (annoyingly). However, if you like to grab books from the free Kindle Lending Library (or you use the new Kindle Unlimited), you could check a book’s highlights before you start reading.

It’s not a perfect trick, but it’s a clever one that’s worth keeping in your back pocket if reader reviews The do not leave you feeling confident.

The Summer’s Most Unread Book Is … | Wall Street Journal via The Week

E-readers read more. In a market dominated by the Kindle – Republic

Source: Bloomberg

Those who read e-books a year back to an average of nearly 30 books. Majority of them reading a book on the American Kindle’u, only 6 percent. using for this purpose the tablet.

This is the result of a survey conducted by e-bookstore Virtualo. – With regard to the passage of time and the sample size, the weighted average was 29.8 e-books read per year per e-reader. This gives a score of 2.5 books per month. In a study of readership National Library criterion for “real readers” were seven or more books a year, and only 11 percent. Poles read so many books a year – are given in the report “Czytnikoliczenie” In study involved 5.5 thousand. Persons. 67 percent. Of them are between the ages of 25 to 45 years, 44 per cent. Was 25-35 years, and 23 percent .: from 36 to 45 years. underrepresented in the study group were aged 19-24 years. study shows that up to 28 percent. e-readers are very aware of the fans of the books: reading a lot of selected items from their own list of interesting titles. – 24 per cent. chose the “swallower books,” the person who reads over and over again, and without a break, even a few items at a time. 20 percent. e-readers are “foodies” who once in a while they read the book – gives Virtualo .

When it comes to what we read, a few years in Poland is the most popular Amazon Kindle American (usually purchased directly from Amazon, not by the Polish pośrednicków). has it 73 percent. persons declaring reading e -booków. 4.6 percent. has OnyxBoox, 4.2 percent .: PocketBook, 1.6 percent .: reader Prestigio and 7.6 percent. no other devices.

The tablet e-book reading 6 percent. e-readers, and 3 percent. use either of the smartphone. Tradition e-readership in Poland is very short – the largest group of e-readers acknowledges that the use of e-books from 2012 or 2013.

In the United States more often than in Poland are used tablets. As recently stated the PewReseach Center for readers out there reading a book 57 percent. E-book Readers, the tablet dates back to do this many people, because 55 per cent. e-readers. A desired 32 percent. users of e-books reading them on mobile phones, 29 percent. – On your computer.

In Poland, according to market research Research Library books, digital books market was worth last year 83 million zł, which is approx. 3 percent. all proceeds from the sale of books.

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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite doubles storage, now holds 2,000 books – Digital Trends

While Amazon has not Introduced an entire overhaul to the Kindle Paperwhite this year, the retail giant did quietly upgrade the internal memory within the device is 4GB from 2GB as of late. If a Kindle Paperwhite you purchased in the last 30 days or so, the upgraded memory should be included in the hardware. First spotted by The Digital Reader, This Means readers will be able this store approximately 2,000 books on the Paperwhite instead of the original 1,000 figure.

however, there’s no slot on the previous Kindle Paperwhite for inserting an external memory card. This Means That anyone will the older model would have to sell Their device on a service like eBay prior is purchasing the new version. This is still the second generation of the Paperwhite e-reader. The original Paperwhite was released during 2012, but the Paperwhite 2 launched at the end of last year. The revised hardware included a slightly faster processor and a higher resolution display. The Paperwhite 2 also included new software features dry as a vocabulary builder for learning new words and Kindle Freetime for managing a child’s allotted usage time.

Of course, Amazon small still release a revised version of the Paperwhite hardware this year along with new versions of the Kindle tablets as well as the original Kindle e-reader. If history repeats itself, Amazon will announce revamped versions of Those devices during September. The Kindle Fire HDX you Announced during late September 2013 and the Kindle Fire HD you Announced during early September 2012 however, the 7-inch version of Those devices were not available until mid-November and the 8.9-inch version of the HDX wasn ‘ t available until mid-December 2013.

Amazon is also attempting a bundle of the recently released Local Register credit card swipe device with Kindle Fire tablets HDX. Oddly enough, Amazon does not lists the Fire smartphone as a compatible device. Instead, Amazon chose this popular support Apple and Samsung devices at launch.

Amazon Doubles The Storage Of The Existing Kindle Paperwhite – TechCrunch

Amazon has not Introduced a splashy Kindle update this year, but the company did confirm that it has TechCrunch Increased storage on devices from its 2GB is 4GB (of Which a portion is dedicated is the system software), meaning Those who purchased the gadget since around last month or so are able to hold about twice the number of digital books on Their devices.

The boost was originally spotted by e-reading blog The Digital Reader, Which took the news of the mid- Season update as an indicator That Amazon was not planning to release a Kindle hardware refresh this year. The Kindle Paperwhite update here is more indicative of the Amazon Likely taking the opportunity to pass along savings found in its supply chain owing to the dropping cost of flash memory is Consumers, however, and probably not reflective of Their product roadmap.

The doubling of storage will not mean much to most Kindle users – ebooks do not take up much space at all, and even the 2GB version can hold over 1,000 books. Estimates about how many books people will read In Their lifetime vary wildly, but 5,000 is impressive for even habitual readers, and given the Kindle connectivity and Amazon’s free cloud backup of your purchases, 1,000 books or 2,000 books’ worth of local storage is really splitting hairs .

We’ve heard a lot of buzz in the past regarding to the Paperwhite update, Including our own report about a so-called “Ice Wine” That prototype has a much more dense 300 ppi screen for better text rendering, along with a display that’s made of some kind of matte glass Which is flush with the device case. The new Kindle is also said to be much lighter overall.

In June, a BusinessWeek article reiterated That a thinner Kindle was indeed in the works at Amazon’s Lab126 hardware laboratory, Which could be on track for introduction this year . Amazon has released new Kindle reader devices in the fall since the introduction of the Kindle 4 in 2011, so it’s very reasonable to expect any new Paperwhite reveal to fall around the same time period for 2014.

Legimi not afraid of the Amazon – the answer to the Kindle Unlimited – Spider’s Web

Amazon had not yet officially announce Kindle Unlimited , but the Polish Legimi had already respond to the new service. Shortly after our morning editorial publications hit the press box press release in which Legimi makes it clear that the company is not afraid to Jeff Bezos. Poles have a solid foundation for doing so.

No doubt Amazon is the world leader in sales of e-books and produces the most popular readers of the world, but not yet dominated all markets. In speaking countries, such as Poland, local bookstores are developing rapidly and convincing to digital books more and more people.

Amazon is power, but not here

With all sorts of importers from Allegro family of Kindle readers are maybe the most popular line of devices for reading e-books in Poland, but Amazon on us (yet) does not make money – at least not as much as on users its products in English-speaking countries. All because of a lack of Polish language site Amazon and the lack of official conduct sales activities in our country.

Amazon sells readers at cost and wants revenge for the sale of content, but the lack of books by Polish authors and translations offered by Amazon makes average Pole has nothing to offer the company, Jeff Bezos look. Ideal use are local bookstores that acquire new customers, and Amazon facilitates the development of this branch of the publishing market in our country by providing affordable device.

The home e-book stores today offer books in many different formats, including the popular MOBI. Thanks no problem read as issued items are not just Kindle owners, but also all the other popular readers from companies such as, among others, PocketBook and Onyx.

It is worth noting that in our country, almost all publishers and distributors to the delight of the users decided to give up all inconvenient DRM and legally acquired books prevents invasive watermark. Polish market for ebooks is indeed unique, not only because of this.

It is impossible to pass by services Legimi Read No Limit

Looking at the sectoral reports of the Kindle Unlimited in foreign media can not help noticing delight. The new service company, Jeff Bezos is not yet available, and Amazon already announced is an innovator, and the idea of ​​a “Spotify for Books” is called a “game changer”. Of course, the service will be unique, but it’s not quite that Amazon re-invented the wheel.

Poznan e-bookstore like today since morning press release what I hinted in his morning text: in Poland, a similar service to Kindle expected Unlimited successfully operating since half a year. For a monthly subscription, users can read the ebooks from the database will Legimi – now, and not just on the tablet, but also on selected models epapierowych readers.

Kindle Unlimited existence and has not yet been officially confirmed.

I do not know any details, and screen may be the work of an amateur Photoshop, but let’s assume for a moment that it is authentic. We can easily imagine how the service could work. The analogy to Legimi is obvious, and in turn the company by sending a press release reminding us that gives a signal that is not afraid to Amazon. In total, I believe that the bookstore from Poznan does not care about the Kindle Unlimited, because this service, even as it appears, it will be a long time matter.

Ba, Amazon’s entry in the subscription model can convince the forms of distribution of the rights holders, which can even help Polish company in the local market. In turn, the use of rumors about a new virtual product Amazon is a very good idea to remind consumers about the offer Reading No Limit. The offer may not have 600,000 books, but can be found in the thousands of books, and the company offers a variety of subscription plans (as low as 7 per month).

Is Polish bookstores defend against the power of Amazon?

In this case, even hard to say, but certainly the Polish seller of e-books are by themselves a great chance and one day to strengthen his position. Amazon continues to ignore our market. Without a doubt, sooner or later we will see amazon.pl launch site, but the company, Jeff Bezos did not have an easy start in Poland.

Poles waited on Spotify, because they had no reasonable alternative, Polish shops with digital games very often distribute codes for Steam and Origin platform and VOD services are a joke and the people of our country look longingly at Netfliksa sending SMS Premium creators kinomaniak subsequent clones. In the case of e-books, however, the situation is not hopeless – indeed, is very good.

Amazon can for it to end up like eBay.

This is not an unrealistic scenario in which Amazon after entering the Polish meet to a cool reception. Not only that, over the years to ignore our market, it is to this place to open your shop, builds in our logistics centers to send products to other parts of Europe, and not looking for customers, and cheap labor. Such an approach can be disastrous consequences.

The fact that Poles do not like the proverbial pelicans swallow everything Western, he found eBay. Enter the global brand in our country has been carried out casually, and the nation has chosen local (though not to the end of the Polish) Allegro service. Staying in the world of e-commerce and you can not fail to notice that on Polish soil with the global or local competition PayPal payment service.

Who is waiting for Amazon?

tempted to say that today’s Amazon needs us more than we Amazon – if you look at the publishing and ebooks. Kindle Reader go to the Polish because they have great value for money, and offer publishing’re doing pretty well. For local companies, such as just mentioned Legimi, Amazon’s entry into Polish will certainly cause for concern, but the expected service called Kindle Unlimited for them will be the last concern.

A much bigger problem is the maintenance of lazy customers for the opportunity to purchase books from the reader one click will be more important than lower prices and other value-added to the purchase of the Polish site. For this reason, the most important for e-bookstore is now customer loyalty to herself something other than just low price. Legimi understands and introducing innovative service for half a year via Amazon shows consumers that is not always the grass is greener on your neighbor.

I very well because we have nothing to be ashamed of.

PS Of course ebooks are just a small slice of Amazon’s offer and you have to remember that hypermarkets displace small shops focused on a single topic. It is no different in the network.

The photos are from the service Shutterstock.

Kindle Direct Publishers Can Now Allow Pre-Ordering – Guardian Liberty Voice

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) can now allow pre-ordering on Their books. Amazon Announced the update today in an e-mail, making many indie authors happy about the news. Pre-ordering will allow self-publishers more ability it create a buzz around Their upcoming books and novels.

The move will apply to all Kindle stores around the world, Which include the United States, United Kingdom, France , Japan and Brazil. Previously, some updates have only been available to a limited number of stores at first and then granted to all others once the kinks have been worked out.

The pre-ordering is available immediately Freight, and is very easy to offer. Users can add Their books and covers as usual and even select the price like they always have. It is only at the fourth step That users have to choose between making Their book immediately available or offering it as a pre-order.

Pre-ordering makes it possible to have the cover of the book and description shown on an Amazon page. Kindle Direct Publishing will also have a link to That page and can Promote the book for up to 90 days before its release. The link can be added on the social media, an author’s own website and on sites like Goodreads.

Amazon users can choose a pre-order the book in the same way That they would any other book available on the site . Once the chosen date of release is reached, the book will be sent Directly To those who have pre-ordered and the money will be credited to the author’s account.

There are some limitations Now that Kindle Direct Publishing can now allow pre-ordering of Their books. The main one Is That samples of the book will not be made available. This is often something That readers will look at this DETERMINE Whether a book is for them or not. Authors get to choose how much of the book is available as a sample to help tease the reader into buying a finish Their fictional or non-fictional books.

Another Limitation Is That authors can only use the pre-order function for new books. Those That are in the public domain are also not by eligible for this new function. Kindle Direct Publishers are also limited is just 10 pre-ordered books at a time. While many will not reach this because they focus on quality, there are some who like to share short, spammy eBooks and Amazon wants to cut down on this.

There are a number of benefits of opting for pre- ordering as KDP authors. One of those Is That the number of pre-ordered sales count towards sales rank and any other statistics for authors and books. It can lead to new books That are not even released yet reaching the top sold books. Promoting an upcoming book is also much easier. Readers often like to buy as soon as they find out about something, rather than trying to remember the release date.

This is a positive move for self-publishers. It puts them on a similar level that authors who go through publishers. Kindle Direct Publishing can allow pre-ordering from today, and are Encouraged to make full use of it.

Opinion by Alexandria Ingham

Source:

Amazon

The Entire History Of Amazon Kindle In 1 GIF – Huffington Post

In case you’ve forgotten how clunky the Amazon Kindle used to look, check out this new GIFs chronicling the e-reader’s transformation from 2007 is today.

Created by tech review site Gadget Love, the animation shows the Kindle shedding its cumbersome keyboard, then a few arrow buttons, before finally donning a touchscreen:

Amazon has continued to invest in the Kindle over the years, despite some road bumps with the device’s popularity . While Amazon does not reveal sales numbers for its devices, tablets like the iPad have eaten into e-reader sales. But if the iterations are any indication, Amazon is not ready to give up yet on its flagship e-reader.

(Hat tip: Mashable)

Why The Kindle Is A Device Dieter Rams Can Love – Co.Design

No gadget gives me as much pleasure to pick up as we Kindle Paperwhite. I’m hard pressed to think of a device That is better designed it to one thing well: read digital books. But what makes the Kindle unique to me as a product Is That it is one of the few modern devices That has used the ideals of simplicity that improve with each iteration.

With each successive generation, the Kindle has shed unnecessary buttons and features, in endless pursuit of Dieter Rams’s 10 Principles of Good Design. But it was not always this way. Need proof? The GIF below, assembled by Gadgetlove, shows off the Kindle’s remarkable evolution over time.

Via Gadgetlove

When the Kindle was first released in 2007, it was sort of grotesque. It featured a half-dozen different buttons for navigating an e-book, a chiclet keyboard bizarre That looked like it was designed by a Surrealist, and a weird kitchen-sink approach is its feature set: for example, you could store and play MP3s on the first-generation Kindle by loading them up through an SD slot. It was a total hodge podge.

But the 2009 release of the Kindle 2 made the device’s keyboard more conventional, ditched the SD card slot (which was mostly there for the extraneous purpose of playing MP3s), and offered a slimmer, lighter footprint. In 2011, the Kindle 4 abandoned the chiclet keyboard in exchange for four face buttons and a D-pad, while the Kindle Touch (released the same year) ditched entirely physical controls for a touchscreen. And in 2012 came the Kindle Paperwhite, Whose slimmer and lighter forms basically perfected the e-reader while still offering plenty of technological improvements, dry as a sharper, backlit display.

When we talk about Apple, the often talk about how indebted the company is a Dieter Rams and his 10 Principles of Good Design. But I’d argue That over the years, Amazon and its Lab 126 design team have learned that subscribe this Rams’s Principles just as much with the Kindle e-reader.

Here’s how the Kindle stacks up against the Rams’s criteria for good design:

1. Good design is innovative. Not only has the push to make the Kindle thinner and lighter than ever before improved the product, but Amazon Manages introduce a more useful software features to the Kindle line-up, dry as X-Ray, without detracting from the simplicity of the hardware.

2. Good design is useful. It not only Allows people to easily read digital books, but can fit thousands of them into the size of these very thin book.

3. Good design is aesthetic. The Kindle Paperwhite, in particular I is beautiful in its simplicity: it is as close to the design of the page as possible.

4. Good design is understandable. The only device it easier figure out how to use is a book.

5. Good design is unobtrusive. While the Kindle hardware used to be imposing, Amazon’s design team has streamlined it with every iteration. The device fades into the background, giving full sway content.

6. Good design is honest. The Kindle could have unnecessary features like a color e-ink screen, but the the Kindle is not more innovative, powerful, or valuable than it really needs to be. It’s entirely unpretentious.

7. Good design is long-lasting. I know people still using Their original Kindles from 2007 Its design is neither fashionable or unfashionable, and a Kindle from four years ago still holds up against a Kindle purchased today.

8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail. The first generation Kindle Paperwhite might not be as thorough down to every detail as Dieter Rams would have liked it to be: the last generation Paperwhite, for example, was plagued by some uneven lighting issues. But Amazon has worked remedy That is the problem with last year’s hardware refresh.

9. Good design is environmentally friendly. Much Of That environmental friendliness comes simply from giving book publishers an alternative to chopping down trees; According To some estimates, the Kindle pays for its own environmental footprint Compared To physical books by the 23rd volume read.

10. Good design is as little design as possible. Again, just look at the GIF above. Every iteration, Amazon has focused on less but better, concentrating on the essential aspects of the Kindle experience, and stripping out the non-essentials. All prince at a point almost anyone can afford.

No wonder I love my Kindle so. It’s a triumph of iterative design. While the iPhone is Proof That design can be aesthetically perfect, the Kindle promises something Which, to me, is far more beautiful: that design can learn from its mistakes and be perfected .