Saturday, February 1, 2014

Simon & Schuster Calling for Submissions for New Publishing Contract

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Simon & Schuster is organizing a writing contest aimed at students and it will be orchestrated by their Simon451 imprint. The company is calling for science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatral fiction, superhero fiction, utopian or dystopian fiction, apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction, or alternate history in literature. They are only looking for full-length novels only and not short stories or novellas.

The contest is basically aimed at the college and university crowd and the winner will receive a full publishing contract. The winner will also get an all expenses paid trip to New York for the Comic On.

The submission period runs from February 1, 2014 – March 15, 2014, during which entrants are asked to provide a 250-word synopsis and the first fifty pages of their novel via the online entry form. Ten finalists will be chosen and contacted by April 15, 2014, at which time they will be asked to submit their complete novels for consideration. After that, a winner will be selected.

Simon & Schuster Calling for Submissions for New Publishing Contract is a post from: E-Reader News

Indie Developers Revolting Against Candy Trademark

candy-crush-saga

Indie game developers are up in arms regarding the Candy Crush trademark on the word “Candy.” King was awarded a UK trademark and they are apply for one in the United States. The game studio is not looking to sue anyone who uses the word Candy, just protect their IP. Many people are up in arms about this and submitting hundreds of apps to iTunes and Google Play with different combinations of the words “candy,” “saga,” “scroll,” “apple” and more.

The nexus point to the Anti-King movement is the Candy Jam website, which is coordinating the efforts.  The websites mandate is to disrupt Apples role in taking down any app with the word Candy in it.

Candy Crush Saga has had over 500 million downloads and 1 billion people who have played it on the web. The game rakes in a staggering $771,000 in daily revenue and customers are all too happy to reach into their pockets.


Indie Developers Revolting Against Candy Trademark is a post from: E-Reader News

Get Android 4.4 Kitkat Free on Nook Color, Tablet and Nook HD/HD+

I’ve seen a number of news stories this past week in regard to an email the folks at N2A sent out about them releasing an update to their N2A cards to bring Android KitKat v4.4 to the Nook Color, Nook Tablet, Nook HD, and Nook HD+. That’s all fine and dandy for those of you […]

Daily Deals & Freebies – February 1

Daily Deals Google Nexus 7 – The latest 16GB Nexus 7 for $189, which is $40 off the regular price. Kindle Keyboard (refurbished) – A4C has the old school Kindle 3 with Wi-Fi and 3G wireless for just $39.95. $239 Kindle Fire HDX – Staples has the 7″ 32GB HDX on sale for $30 off […]

N2A Card’s KitKat Upgrade for B&N Nook Tablets

N2A Card

For Nook device users, here is some good news from  N2A Cards: they can now be made to run the latest, most hassle free version Android KitKat in both downloadable form or preloaded micro SD card. This applies to the entire Nook tablet lineup, which includes the Nook Color, Nook Tablet, Nook HD, and Nook HD+. Also, an inherent benefit of installing Android KitKat via N2A Card is that users will have the option to dual boot their Nook devices with the stock B&N software that the devices come pre-loaded with.

As for the price, the micro SD cards pre-loaded with Android Kitkat can be ordered from the company site for $30, or can be downloaded directly for only $20. This is ideal for those who have dealt with N2A Cards before.

Overall, this is an easy option to explore Android KitKat on Nook devices, with the liberty to come back to the default B&N software installation as needed.

N2A Card’s KitKat Upgrade for B&N Nook Tablets is a post from: E-Reader News

Archos Announces Three Budget Tablets in Neon Line

archos 97 neon

Archos has announced up three new tablets in its budget-conscious lineup. However, given the French company's history of producing relatively cheap Android tablets, the new Neon range of tablets aren't expected to break the bank either. The three tablets, the 90 Neon, 97 Neon, and 101 Neon come with 9 inch, 9.7 inch and 10.1 inch display. Among the similar aspects of the three Neon tablet versions, they are all powered by quad core chips clocking at 1.4 Ghz mated to 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage. Thankfully, there is a micro SD card on all three versions that run Android 4.2 and have official access to the Google Play Store.

However, the display can be a cause for concern, with the Neon 90 coming with a 800 x 480 pixel display. This can look quite pixelated even in a 4 inch smartphone, which means paltry visuals on a 9 inch tablet. The 9.7 inch Neon 97 offers a slightly better 1024 X 768 pixel display, while the top of the line Neon 101 offers a 1024 X 600 pixel display. The tablets aren't light, as they weigh anywhere between 1 and 1.5 pounds for the Neon 90 to the Neon 101.

What remains to be seen is how much the tablets will cost when these hit streets.

Archos Announces Three Budget Tablets in Neon Line is a post from: E-Reader News