Monday, December 15, 2014

Amazon’s Kindle app for iOS updated w / Goodreads integration, Audible … – 9 to 5 Mac (blog)

Amazon pushed out an updated version of its Kindle app for iOS today bringing a letter of new features to the reading app.

Kindle for iOS now includes integration with Goodreads, the social cataloging service it bought last year, allowing users to share readers book progress and completion status, quotes, and more Kindle Goodreads. iPad Kindle app users now have access is Amazon’s Book Browser to view the book descriptions and customer ratings; Unlimited Kindle customers (3o-day free trial) can download books Directly from the Book Browser. The new version also adds a feature called Audible Progressive Play, Which allows audiobook listeners using the Amazon-owned Audible service to play content as it downloads.

The update also adds new ways for users that access information and details about Kindle books. Check the extensive change log of the latest version below for more information:

What’s New in Version 4.6

Just in time for the holidays, the Kindle for iOS has something for everyone! Book Browser allows you to explore and read from a selection of over 700,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks available with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Our new welcome experience helps customers get personalized book samples and start reading with the Kindle in three easy steps. Audiophiles can start listening to Audiobooks immediately Allows Their upon download thanks a progressive playback. On-the-go students can now access eTextbooks on Their iPhones. These features and more make the Kindle Version 4.6 the perfect reading app to start the New Year.

Version 4.6 Features

Welcome experience for new customers: New customers can get started reading right away! To Selecting favorite genres, rating books, and Identifying books they would like to read, new customers will get personalized sample book suggestions (powered by the Goodreads recommendation engine) to download and read for free.

• Book Browser (for iPad only): Using the Book Browser, customers can now view and get additional information about books. Tapping on a book cover displays a detail page A provides information about That the book, Including the book description and customer reviews. Kindle Unlimited members can download and read immediately Allows.

• Integration Goodreads: Goodreads customers can now share book progress, selected quotes and more from your Kindle. Once connected, via “Settings / Social Networking,” customers can share a book progress using the new [g] button in the reader controls, share quotes to Selecting text, or share That they’ve finished a book from the “Before You Go” screen.

• Next In Series Information: Customers finishing a book in a series like A Game of Thrones can learn about the next book, A Clash of Kings, and instantly add it Their is a wish list from the “Before You Go” screen.

• Book Detail Pages in the Library: By customer request, book details can now be viewed by long pressing a book cover in the library and Selecting “Book Details.” Customers can now see a synopsis of the book, Amazon reviews, and more.

• Audible Progressive Play: Start playing audiobooks as they’re downloading (no need to wait for the entire download). Audiobooks can be played once you’ve downloaded the past your current reading location.

Amazon’s Kindle app for iPhone and iPad is available for free on the App Store.



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Amazon Kindle Voyage (2014), starting from £ 169 – Express.co.uk

The Voyage is targeted squarely at those readers who are truly passionate about Kindles AARON BROWN

The Voyage is targeted squarely at those readers who are truly passionate about Kindles

Amazon has enjoyed enormous success with dry its range the Kindle e-readers affordable have become virtually synonymous with the entire e-ink category.

Until now the US retail giant has always strived to keep prices low Kindle – safe in the knowledge That readers will be purchasing Their next pageturner from the Amazon eBook store.

But with the hugely successful Kindle Touch on sale for less than £ 50 and third generation Kindle Paperwhites selling for a little over £ 100 – Amazon can afford it shift its focus away from pricing.

The result is the Kindle Voyage – a top-of-the-line e-reader with a brand-new design and cutting edge e-ink screen.

have raced Express Online through Stephen King’s latest thriller to put the Kindle Voyage through its paces over the past week.



Look & amp; Feel

For its latest e-ink device, Amazon Decided we import the unapologetically angular design from its own Fire tablets.

The striking and sharp design language is a refreshing change from the plain black slabs That make up the rest of the Kindle range. Priced almost three times more than the Kindle Touch, it is clear the Voyage is no longer a cheap, functional device – and Amazon has updated its design chops accordingly.

In doing so Amazon has managed it create the first truly stylish e-reader.

The bold new design is only marred by the glossy and disproportionately-sized Amazon logo sprawled across the rear of the Voyage – that can make the reader feel like a billboard commuting.

however, this is a small complaint for an otherwise stylish and distinctive device.

The Kindle Voyage is built from a grippy plastic tactile That makes it comfortable to hold for long reading sessions.

The jet-black material has a premium feel surprisingly – and keeps the e-reader from slipping.

The front of the Voyage is dominated by an impressive six-inch e-ink screen with its flush bezels and framed with two haptic sensors.

Since the Amazon Kindle 4 shelved, its e-readers have relied entirely on touch screen input. But with the Kindle Voyage, the company is offering readers a choice. Swipe and tap on the screen to navigate through the menus, options and pages of a book – or gently squeeze the glass on either side of the display. A small line and dot Indicate the where the screen is pressure sensitive bridge. Pushing down on one of These areas moves forwards and backwards through the pages and rewards readers with a subtle haptic buzz.

Far from a gimmick, this method quickly Became a preferred way of using using the device.

The ambient light sensor constantly battles that brighten the Voyage & # x2019; s stunning screen AARON BROWN

The ambient light sensor constantly battles that brighten the Voyage’s stunning screen

The retina-like screen on the Kindle Voyage makes older models look fuzzy and dull AARON BROWN

The retina-like screen on the Kindle Voyage makes older models look fuzzy and dull

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Kindle Needs A “Subscribe This Author” Button – TechCrunch

When Amazon launched the Kindle Unlimited service last July, the idea was popular indie authors That could use the service as a way to gather royalties and raise Their author profiles in tandem. The all-you-can-eat reading service was supposed to help, not harm, the authors.

The opposite has been the case. After the launch of KU and prolific number of writers have seen sales drop precipitously. The Digital Reader found a number of examples Including writer HM Ward Whose sales fell by 70 percent. She wrote:

Ok, some of you already know, but I had my serials in it for 60 days and lost approx 75% of my income.Thats counting Borrows and bonuses. : O My sales dropped like a stone. The number of Borrows was higher than sales. They did not compliment each other, as expected.Taking a huge pay cut ass while I’m still working my butt off, well that’s not ok. And we Effected KU whole list, not just KU titles. :( At the time of enrollment I had about 60 titles total.I he planned giving it 90 days, but I have a kid in the hospital for long term care and I noticed we were spending was going to Exceed my income-by a lot. I could not wait and watch further Top plummet thing. I pulled my books. That was on Nov 1, & amp; since then we net revenue has gone up. I’m now at 50% of where I was pre-KU. During the time I was in KU, I had 2 new releases. Neither preformed vastly dif ferent than before. They actually earned far less (Including Borrows).

But Ward added an interesting aside near the end of her post she would love to offer her readers a paid subscription is her work.

Ward, with 60 pieces in the Kindle store, is a rare case of a writer who is making a living from her writing through sheer volume. Most writers have one book in them at best but, as most experts note Kindle, the best way to make money is to write, publish, and repeat – ad infinitum.

To subscribe allowing users it is writers like Ward they will be doing everyone a solid. Ward and other writers will get a steady stream of income, readers will get the work of Their favorite authors automatically if and Amazon has a captive source of revenue. Patreon, created by Jack Conte, is a perfect example of this dynamic. That service allows fans to pay a small amount every time an author Creates a piece of content, be it a song, a blog post, or a podcast. To Ensuring That the creator is paid the consumer Ensures the content keeps coming.

KU THUS far has been a dud. The selection is awful at best and laughable at worst. While some titles, like the Harry Potter series, seem like a great deal, the rest of the KU pool is an undifferentiated mess. By creating a sea of ​​free content, Amazon has the value of Real paid content. That’s horrible for writers who are trying to live off of Their writing.

Should Amazon Kindle kill or reduce Unlimited and instead allow subscriptions. It makes sense for everyone Involved and it’s a great way to change the way writing is Consumed on a mass scale.

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Amazon Kindle vs Kindle Paperwhite Voyage (2013): Which is better for me? – Pocket-lint.com

The top-of-the-line Kindle Voyage has been available for a few weeks now and many will be considering it as either a Christmas present for someone or a treat for themselves. However, it is quite pricey and a few pennies could be saved by opting for the next device down the line. So how does it compare to the nearest in-line, the Kindle Paperwhite?

The Pocket-lint has looked at the specifications and features of the two top models to give you some sort of clue how they stack up. More specifically, we’ve put the new, premium Kindle Voyage against the latest model of the Paperwhite, Which first came out in 2013.

Keep reading to learn all the Differences and similarities as well as which one is better deserving of your hard-earned cash.

Screen

The Kindle Voyage features a 6-inch E Ink capacitive touchscreen. The display offers a 16-grayscale monochrome with 300ppi and built-in front illumination. The glass screen sits flush with the front of the voyage, and it has a “micro-etched” matted texture in order to make it non-reflective Appear in sunlight. It also supposedly mimics the texture of paper.

READ: Amazon Kindle Voyage Review: A first-class trip

The Kindle Paperwhite (2013) has similar screen as the Kindle Voyage, though it offers 212ppi (rather than 300ppi). It also has less contrast and does not sit flush. The Kindle has Voyage to Therefore, at least According To specs alone, the better display.

READ: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2013) Review

Size and weight

The Voyage Kindle Wi-Fi model weighs 180g and has the Help Us dimensions: 162 x 115 x 7.6mm. The Kindle Paperwhite (2013) Wi-Fi models weighs 206g and has the Help Us dimensions: 169 x 117 x 9.1mm.

The Wi-Fi + 3G models for both e-readers have an additional 8 and 7 respectively grams of weight but no extra size or thickness. If you’re looking for something that’s more portable, You should probably go with the lighter, smaller and thinner Voyage Kindle Wi-Fi model over any of the Kindle Paperwhite (2013) models.

Connectivity

The Kindle Voyage is available in either a Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) or Wi-Fi + 3G models. The same goes for the Kindle Paperwhite (2013), meaning both e-readers are equal in terms of connectivity options.

Storage

Both the Kindle Voyage and Kindle Paperwhite (2013) come with 4GB of storage as standard.

Battery

The battery Claims Amazon for the Kindle Voyage will last “weeks on a single charge “. The company said the same thing about the Kindle Paperwhite (2013), and in fact the tests Showed both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models lasted up to 2 months on a single charge. The Voyage perhaps slightly less, more like six weeks, but that’s still very good.

Features

The Kindle Voyage has what the company is calling PagePress technology . It includes haptic force feedback in the bezel, enabling you to turn pages by lightly pressing the thumb on the frame. A tactile vibration will RESPOND to let you know the page has been turned. There’s also a new adaptive front light That adjusts brightness, depending on time of day dry as morning or night.

The Kindle Paperwhite (2013) does not offer any of the above-Mentioned features at the moment, but does still have an evenly balanced light.

Reading

The Kindle reading Voyage offers features like Bookmarks, Notes, Highlighting, an integrated dictionary , and the ability to download and share content and media. It also supports the Us Help file types: Adobe PDF (.pdf), plain text (.txt), HTML pages (HTML), Microsoft Word (.doc), Mobipocket (mobi, prc), other.

The Kindle Paperwhite (2013) offers all the same features and supports all the same file types as the Kindle Voyage. Both e-readers can even hold “thousands of books”, According To Amazon. In other words, in terms of reading capabilities and features, the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Voyage (2013) are equal.

They have also added new features both through a software update recently.

Colours

Both the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Voyage (2013) are only available in the color black as standard.

Pricing

The Voyage Kindle Wi-Fi model costs £ 169, while the Wi-Fi + 3G model costs £ 229.

As for the Kindle Paperwhite (2013), the Wi- Fi model costs £ 109 and the Wi-Fi + 3G model costs £ 169.

Conclusion

Get the Kindle Voyage if you want a light and thin e-reader from Amazon, with a high-resolution, high-contrast display. You’ll just have to pay a bit more for it. Indeed, if you are looking for 3G connectivity too, it’ll cost you more than a lot of equivalent tablets.

That said, we loved the Voyage in our recent review and Those Who read a lot, Especially in daylight, will still find a lot of use for a premium eBook reader.

The Kindle Paperwhite (2013) is still an attractive option too. It apr not have the best display of the two e-readers, and is less snazzy in design, but it’s still a decent for budget-conscious shoppers.

We’d still rather have the Wi-Fi Voyage over the Wi-Fi + 3G Paperwhite though.

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Will I damage my Kindle by scanning it? – Telegraph.co.uk

Would there be any damage to my Kindle if I were to scan pages from it?

Scanners and photocopiers use LEDs and fluorescent tubes as light sources and These are not bright enough to harm e-ink or LCD displays, but there are other ways that capture pages from an ebook. If you have a Kindle Fire (2011 onwards) or almost any recent Android tablet just press the volume down and power off buttons Simultaneously to take a screen grab, Which you can view, print and share like any other image. Better still, install the free Kindle app on your PC, enter your account details and it will sync with the library on your device. Tap on your keyboard PrtScn to take a screenshot and open it in any image editing program or highlight the text, and copy and paste it into a word processor document. Bear in mind That there be a small copyright issues if the screen grab or copied text is going to be used for public display or any commercial purposes.

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Amazon Kindle and Kindle Voyage – reviewed – BT.com


 You have to admire the Amazon Kindle for its survival skills. In the age the where the smartphone and tablet are king – devices with far more functionality than the humble e-reader – it has seen them off.

 The Kindle has carved out a little niche for itself – for holidaymakers, Travellers, commuters and readers who want to embrace technology, but without the bells and whistles of an iPad or a Nexus.

 Amazon’s Kindle line-up Consists of two products – a new flagship device in the form of the Kindle Voyage, alongside a new entry-level Kindle, Which is priced at less than £ 60. In the middle sits the Kindle Paperwhite, from 2013.

 The hardware has been given a revamp, and so has the engine That runs everything – the software, with Amazon’s flagship features like X-Ray and Goodreads built in to both the Kindle and the Voyage.

 While Amazon has done a great job so far of keeping the Kindle not only relevant, but desirable and popular, does its new devices continue that?

 



 Amazon Kindle

  Price: £ 59 / £ 69 (without adverts)

  Website: Amazon

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
           Amazon Kindle

 The most notable thing about the new entry-level Kindle Is That it is fully touch-interactive. Press the Home button and you can swipe to unlock, just like a tablet. The screen itself is also clearer than it has ever been – 167 pixels per inch Amazon tell us.

 For what is a budget device Essentially it’s a light and well-crafted to look at, but it does feel a little cheap When you cradle it.

 The Home button being on the base of the device is a bit of an issue as it feels slightly awkward every time you go in search of it – though this is balanced out by being able to tap the screen to turn the page. This is a big deal for the entry-level Kindle.

 E Ink as a screen is still not perfect though: there is still ghosting of pages in some places, and the response time still does not match That of other types of touchscreens, but These are things to keep working on.

 The battery life however is far from an issue, with the Kindle capable of lasting weeks on a single charge. A very nice change of pace to any smartphone.

 The Kindle includes wi-fi, but there is not a 3G version available. If you want 3G you’ll need is to opt for the Kindle Paperwhite for £ 169.

  [Related story: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Review]

 Perhaps the where the Kindle excels most, though, is under the hood – in a software sense.

 As well as the general tweaks there is the introduction of features like X-ray, Amazon’s character Tracking and Identifying feature, that is usually we reserved for TV shows and movies, but has now expanded this book. Tap and hold on a character’s name and you’ll get a short bio on them, as well as other information like previous appearances and so on.

 It’s also much easier to do things like highlight text, or get dictionary definitions. The presence of Kindle Free time – where you can set reading times and goals – the Kindle Store and Goodreads integration Means That there is so much more to do with this Kindle levels than previous entry.

 At £ 59 it’s a great value, and will undoubtedly appeal to Those yet to enter the e-reader market. However, for just £ 10 more you can get Amazon’s entry-level tablet, the Kindle Fire HD 6 instead, Which is a better choice if you want a device for web browsing, music or movies. As a device for someone looking to keep things simple the Kindle would make a very good companion reading.



 



 Amazon Kindle Review Voyage

  Price: £ 169 (wi-fi), £ 229 (wi-fi + 3G)

  Website: Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

  •  Amazon Kindle Voyage
     
     
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     The name Voyage feels pretty apt for this e-reader from the moment you pick it up – it is dry and the departure from other Kindles, Including the cheaper one above.

     At 7.6mm it is the thinnest e-reader around, and it might just be the Lightest too.

     Amazon has also spent a huge amount of time and effort on the design of the voyage, and it really shows. Gone is the embedding of the screen That sees it sit below the rest of the frame like on other devices. Instead it’s a constant surface now, and helps the ensure the Voyage looks good and feels well built.

     The Voyage is also slightly smaller than the Kindle, and this feels like attention being paid a one-handed reading, and making it as accessible as possible.

     It’s an idea that’s supported by the presence of the new PagePress buttons – a dot and line on either side of the screen. Squeeze the dot and you go forward a page, and the line takes you back one. Both interactions come with a hint of haptic feedback so you know your gesture has taken.

     Then there’s the screen, Which is by far the best Amazon has ever produced for an e-reader. It’s 39% brighter for one, and with 300 pixels per inch you do not feel a million miles away from looking at actual paper. There’s also a very smart brightness That system will automatically box adjust to the light in the room around you.

     Plus there’s a night mode Gradually That will lower the light level at night when you’re reading in bed. It’s touches like this and the PagePress That Amazon has been suggest using the comment section on previous devices to put together improvements for this generation.

     The Kindle Voyage then is the e-reader you’ve always wanted – it’s smart, powerful, light and well designed. Though it does come at a price, and some might argue That £ 169 is a lot to pay out for something That is not a tablet – or £ 229 if you want 3G.

     The iPad Mini now starts at £ 199 – just £ 30 more – for lots more extra functionality and sway That might be some users.

     However, dry is the charm of the Kindle brand That many seem to find justification and usage time for the e-reader and Tablet.

     Amazon knows it, and while it lasts That looks like they are going to keep charming customers back.

     The Kindle Voyage is a clear upgrade on an already near-perfect product. And That takes some doing.

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    Monday, December 1, 2014

    Kindle Scout – yet another proof that anyone can be an artist – Gadzeto Mania

    When in Poland introduced “taxes on piracy” and wants to set one price for all the books in the West’s open to the young and talented but unknown artists. Meet Kindle Scout – another after Kickstarterze service that gives you a chance to realize their dreams.

    The Kindle Scout every aspiring writer will be able to boast of his work, which may lead to his release. Shared
    roughly 5000 words is to encourage readers to vote. The more positive reviews fragment collect, the more chances that the Kindle Publishing Press, publishing e-books on the Kindle, is interested in the work of the author, and release them into the digital stores.

    This is the Kickstarter without money . Publisher checks interest and can pick out the writers whose works evoke emotions, attract, attention. At the outset, it reduces the risk of commercial bummer, because you can easily see that the item has that something. In the end, voters liked.

    Authors of selected books will receive a five-year contract, $ 1,500 deposit, 50% of the profits from book sales and advertising. If in five years the book does not bring 25 $ 000 profit, at the request of the author of the Amazon return full rights to it. READ MORE

    In the era of Kickstarter and his Polish counterpart, such as whether polakpotrafi.pl wspieram.to statement: “anyone can be a creator” sounds like a cliché . Truism.

    On the other hand, in Poland often forget this. By many artists, who instead enjoy it, which allows them to Internet, the miss the good old days, when enough to burn a book / make the album, and she was sold.

    Then – you know. Evil came piracy, Spotify bad and really bad competition, because suddenly it turns out that you can record / write at home and earn similar fame. Suddenly people started to have a choice. She rivalry.

    The name itself is not enough , which showed an example U2 – CD was distributed for free, and even then most of her did not want to. Something must be present. We have a lot of things, not enough time, so we choose only the best.

    I love the Kindle Scout at the start, because it is the idea that it’s hard not to like. allows you to stand out of the unknown . Enough to have talent. No more writing to the drawer, the end of użeraniem with publishers who say it does not sell. Readers will be getting what they want to read.

    That’s right – we are the most important! We decide to select, evaluate. The artist has hit us, and not to you at the desk, who mutter: “sale” or “not sell”. The creator has to impress us!

    Beautiful, because we have direct relation artist – creator . The best that can be.

    But Kindle Scout Pole also annoy and grieve . It shows at a glance that in our old-fashioned methods of distribution are doing well. In our book “being saved” fight against “unfair” competition, which wants to reduce prices. With us every smartphone owner must be punished tax, because it can be a thief.

    And no one looks at the fact that with this smartphone, with one click, it can help someone to publish a book.

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