Saturday, April 27, 2013

Google Play Store Bars External App Updates

Facebook-Home

Google has introduced some changes to its Play Store regulations that now make is mandatory for all applications to update after having gone through Google's specified methods. This comes in the wake of Facebook attempting to offer users of its Facebook Home app an update bypassing Google Play Store. The change has been brought about by a seemingly small but significant update that now stands at version 4.0.27. Most apps already comply with that, except for one, Facebook, which prompted Google to promptly bring about the change.

Google Play Program Policies have been updated. See “Content Policies” section, which clarifies that “An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace, or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism.” Google Play is a trusted source for Android application downloads, and we are committed to providing a secure and consistent experience, revealed Google's new policy towards app updates.

Google Play Store Bars External App Updates is a post from: E-Reader News

HP Slate 7 Now Available in the US

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The Slate 7, HP's offering in the budget tablet segment, is now ready to be picked up for a comfortable $170. The tablet is all about mediocrity, which matches the selling price rather well, though the unit has moments of brilliance as well. Take, for instance, the Beats Audio software, which should allow for one of the best audible experience on a budget tablet. Together with the price point and a decent performance, this makes for a really appealing tablet proposition.

The rest of the specification story is already well known: a 1.6 GHz dual core chip, 1 GB of RAM, and a 8 GB internal storage. The tablet comes with support for a micro SD card that maxes out at 32 GB. The tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but comes with a rather sedate 1024 x 600 pixel display. That's not terrible, but there are better options available. Case in point, the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire HD, both of which offer 1280 x 800 pixel display and 16 GB of storage for just $199. However, the Slate 7 comes in an all metal body.

Nevertheless, the HP Slate 7 is worth checking out, more so since it has made its retail debut in the US. Earlier, it was caught in a misprint imbroglio that led many to believe it has been delayed to June. Good to see it is sticking to its schedule.

HP Slate 7 Now Available in the US is a post from: E-Reader News

Protect your online accounts after major hack

Amazon-owned daily deals site LivingSocial has suffered a massive security breach. Names, emails, birth dates and password information for an estimated 50 million users were stolen!
If you use the LivingSocial site you will need to reset your password immediately.
For those who haven't used the site recently, but still have an active account, you will need to log in and change your password as well.
If you logged into LivingSocial any time in the past, it's possible the name, birth date, email address and password you used are in the hands of hackers. If you used that password for any other online accounts, you need to change the password on those accounts immediately.

Dark Horse Announces Halo: Initiation Digital Comic

Halo: Initiation

Dark Horse
has announced a new digital mini-series that is based on the wildly successful Halo franchise. It will follow Spartan IV Sarah Palmer and will be entitled Halo: Initiation. The comic is going to be written by Halo 4 writer Brian Reed, while the artwork is being handled by Marco Castiello.

"After Halo 4 and Spartan Ops, fans wanted to know more about the origins of the Spartan-IV program and Sarah Palmer in particular. So it's great fun to be able to grant those wishes with a partner like Dark Horse," Reed said in a statement issued by Dark Horse.

The Halo series of comics originally started at Marvel, before finding a new home with Dark Horse.The first issue is poised to drop August 14th and will be available via the Dark Horse iOS and Android apps.

Dark Horse Announces Halo: Initiation Digital Comic is a post from: E-Reader News

A Simple Trick to Fix a Buggy or Broken Kobo eBook Reader

Remember last week when I posted about how my Kobo Glo had become too buggy to function? It kept freezing up and not responding, the covers all disappeared from the homescreen, and it kept giving a network connection error whenever I tried to sync to upgrade to the new 2.5.1 software. Well, I eventually figured [...]

Metro: Last Light eBook to be Bundled with Steam Purchase

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If you are a fan of post apocalyptic games and eBooks, there is a new deal to be had. Users who purchase the new PC game Metro: Last Light will be offered a free digital copy of the novel Metro 2033, when authenticating on Steam. The digital book itself, is available as a standalone purchase and will be made available via major retailers on May 14 2013.

The plot of Metro: Last Light was written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, acclaimed author of the novel Metro 2033 which inspired the creation of both video games. Glukhovsky’s novels Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 have sold more than 2.000.000 copies worldwide. In 2013, his latest book Metro 2035 will also be available outside of Russia.

Really, the new game gives publisher Deep Silver a marketing opportunity it never took advantage of in the first games release. There is a tremendously loyal following to the video game franchise and the game is getting tons of publicity via major gaming sites. The inclusion of a free eBook will likely sway a few people over to the PC. There is no word yet on what format the eBook will be in, but likely PDF and ePUB.

Metro: Last Light eBook to be Bundled with Steam Purchase is a post from: E-Reader News

Good e-Reader Radio – Week in Review

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Welcome to another edition of the Good e-Reader Radio Show! Today we talk about the Blackberry Q10 and what to expect on its Canadian launch early next week. We will be reviewing this in our labs and comparing it against the Z10! We also have some Skype news! The official App has been launched and is now exclusively available via the Good e-Reader APP Store for both the Z10 and Q10, its on the front page right now!

In the news, we talk about Amazon hitting 300,000 eBooks in its Kindle Library, the top 20 most well read cities in the US and their Q1 financial results. Also, txtr has launched new eBook stores in many different countries, but some of their prices are out of control. IDPF has announced its main sessions speakers, authors and industry heroes that will be at Digital Book! You ever heard of Deluxe eBooks before? Me neither, hear me rant and rave at what funny business Harper Collins is up too, of course music and more! A fun show as always, so check it out.

Good e-Reader Radio – Week in Review is a post from: E-Reader News