| Today is the first ever Read an eBook Day, a holiday dedicated to digital reading. It’s a great opportunity for you to encourage your readers to borrow a title (or a few!) and join the conversation to celebrate and raise awareness for eBooks. Need some ideas? Head over to our Partners Portal and download our Read an eBook Day marketing kit, here. We’re getting on the fun too, by giving away devices every hour today. Readers can enter by sharing their favorite eBook experiences and stories on OverDrive's Facebook page and Twitter using the hashtag #eBookDay. Participants can also share their story directly at www.readanebookday.com. The Read an eBook Day website also has some great suggestions for what to read next. While we are handing out new devices to readers and encouraging them to sign up with their local library, our staff will also be reading away! OverDrive isn’t just talking the talk, we’re walking the walk. A portion of our office has been transformed into a “Digital Reading Cafe” with coffee and pastries, and all employees are encouraged to take two hours out of their day to simply borrow an eBook from their local library and enjoy eReading! After all, that’s what it’s all about, and above everything else, we do believe in reading. How do you plan to enjoy the day? How have you encouraged your patrons to participate? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Happy reading!  |
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Happy Read an eBook Day!
Amazon Unleashes New Sangria OS for Fire Tablets
| Amazon has enhanced their operating system to pave the way for the new line of Fire tablets. It is entitled Sangria and upgrades the Android OS to Kitcat and packs a number of money functions. The latest version of Fire OS, "Sangria," continues Fire OS' content-forward user interface that delivers easy and fast access to your favorite books, songs, videos, and games—open them with one tap rather than hunting through folders and apps. Fire OS 4 updates the visual design of the UI and adds Profiles so each family member can have their own individual email, Facebook and Twitter accounts, settings such as display brightness, bookmarks, spot in a movie, and game levels. Fire OS 4 is based on KitKat and adds features and services to make it faster and easier to use. For example, Fire OS includes ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) which predicts the movies and TV episodes you'll want to watch and starts them instantly, and Smart Suspend develops a device-specific profile for when the tablet is typically not in use and proactively turns wireless off and on to deliver up to 25% more standby battery life. Fire OS is not just a device OS—it deeply integrates with the Amazon cloud to further improve performance and ease-of-use, to enable cross-platform syncing, and to power services that require more processing than is possible on a mobile device. Examples of new cloud services in Fire OS 4 include Family Library so you can share your apps, games, audiobooks, books, and Prime Instant Video content with other members of your household; Firefly so you can identify and take action on artwork, text, and audio instantly—available for over 100 million items; and free unlimited storage in Cloud Drive for photos taken on Fire devices. Amazon Unleashes New Sangria OS for Fire Tablets is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Next Generation Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 Available in October
| Amazon has revised their HDX 8.9 inch tablet with a brand new version of 2014. It has a startlingly light design and stunning HDX display with a new, more powerful processor, exclusive Dolby Atmos and the latest Dolby Audio, and all-new Fire OS 4 "Sangria" features and services. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 2014 edition has a capacitive touchscreen display with resolution of 2560 X 1600 and features exceptional pixel density (over 4 million pixels, 339 ppi) for vivid, lifelike images. Fire HDX 8.9 features an 8MP rear-facing camera that allows for high-resolution photos and 1080p HD video. The rear camera includes an LED flash, Electronic Image Stabilization to remove hand jitters, a wide-aperture lens, and support for panorama and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging. The front facing 720p HD camera, perfect for Skype HD video calls and taking photos to share via Facebook or email. Underneath the hood is a Quad-core 2.5 GHz processor, Dual band WIFI, and comes in 16, 32, or 64 GB variants. Even with a faster, more power-hungry processor, Fire HDX delivers incredible battery life—up to 12 hours of reading, surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, and listening to music—without adding weight or thickness to the design. The new Fire HDX also has weeks of standby battery life, so you don't have to worry about waking up in the morning to find your tablet battery depleted because you forgot to plug it in. This standby battery life is made possible by combining power-efficient hardware components, low-level software improvements, and a new feature called Smart Suspend. Smart Suspend develops a device-specific profile for when the tablet is typically not in use and proactively turns wireless off and on to save power. Smart Suspend will still turn on Wi-Fi periodically to fetch new emails or app notifications, so when you pick up your tablet it's ready to go and up to date. There are a number of new software enhancements that make the new 8.9 HDX a compelling tablet. If you are tired of waiting for a video to buffer every time you hit “Play.” a new service called Advanced Streaming and Prediction learns what movies and shows you like and gets them ready for you to watch. The more you view videos on your Fire tablet, the more accurate ASAP becomes, dynamically adapting to your viewing habits. It also has a custom variant of Firefly, which was the main selling point of the Fire Phone. The new Fire HDX is available for pre-order starting today for just $379 Next Generation Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 Available in October is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle—Now With Touch, Just $79
| Amazon has unveiled a new brand entry level Kindle model for $79 that should appeal towards gift buyers and the price conscious. For the first time ever, the basic model Kindle will forgo the D-PAD and include a touchscreen. The all-new Kindle includes a 20% faster processor, twice the storage, and now features a touch interface and all of the latest features customers love about Kindle, including Kindle FreeTime, Goodreads, and Smart Lookup. The new Kindle is small, light, and portable—toss it in a beach bag or put it in a pocket to always have your reading with you. The new Kindle is great for anyone who's new to e-reading. Most of the advancements other than the touchscreen have to do with new software driven features. You can see at a glance how long it will take to finish a chapter or book with Time to Read. It is completely personalized based on your reading speed, and is constantly updated as your speed and habits change. Word Wise, available on many popular English language titles, makes it easier to enjoy and quickly understand more challenging books. Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words, so you can keep reading with fewer interruptions. Tap on a word to bring up a simple card with definitions, synonyms, and more. You can adjust the number of hints you see with a simple slider. In the next few weeks About the Book will be pushed via a firmware update that will let you see information about the book as you start to read, including its place in a series and author information, plus mark it as "Currently Reading" on Goodreads. We don’t know much about the internal specs, but unlike the Kindle Voyage this model is employing an e-Ink Pearl screen and Neonode IR Touch. The new Kindle is available for pre-order today for $79 for the special offers variant and $99 without it. They will begin shipping in October. Kindle—Now With Touch, Just $79 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Amazon Announces 6 New Kindles, All up for Pre-Order
| The day started with leaked information about two new Kindles, and now that Amazon has made an official announcement, there are four more new Kindles to add to the list. There are two new E Ink Kindles, the Kindle Voyage and a new entry-level reader simply called Kindle. And there are three new tablets too, […] |
Amazon Kindle Voyage may be the Best e-reader yet
| The Amazon Kindle Voyage was leaked earlier in the day and now it has been officially unveiled and it seems like the best e-reader ever made. The new Voyage e-reader features a six inch capacitive touchscreen display with the latest generation e-Ink Carta. It has an adaptive front light that adjusts automatically, 300 ppi, optimized font technology, 16-level gray scale. I really liked the fact that the screen is flush with the bezel, all prior Kindle models have a sunken screen. This means that Amazon has fully abandoned Neonode IR Touch technology for their flagship e-reader model.
Apparently the front-lit technology has undergone a radical advancement, and the Kindle Paperwhite 2 had the best one in the business? How could Amazon top it? They mentioned “in order to more closely resemble reading on real paper, we researched and hand-tuned the optimal brightness setting for every lighting condition. The new adaptive front light automatically adjusts the brightness of the display based on your environment, and can even be fine-tuned further to your personal preferences. When reading in the dark, the adaptive front light slowly lowers the display’s brightness over time to match the way the eye responds to darkness.” Most of the enhancements on the new Kindle Voyage have to do with the new software features. You can see at a glance how long it will take to finish a chapter or book with Time to Read. It is completely personalized based on your reading speed, and is constantly updated as your speed and habits change. Word Wise, available on many popular English language titles, makes it easier to enjoy and quickly understand more challenging books. Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words, so you can keep reading with fewer interruptions. Tap on a word to bring up a simple card with definitions, synonyms, and more. You can adjust the number of hints you see with a simple slider. In the next few weeks About the Book will be pushed via a firmware update that will let you see information about the book as you start to read, including its place in a series and author information, plus mark it as “Currently Reading” on Goodreads. There is no word yet on hardware specs, such as the processor and RAM. It does have 4 GB internal storage in the stock configureration and is available in the WIFI or 3G variants. Pre-orders are available now and it starts shipping in October. Amazon Kindle Voyage may be the Best e-reader yet is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Instead of physical page turn buttons, the new Kindle Voyage has a feature called PagePress. This is a custom-designed force sensor made of carbon and silver, which reacts to a subtle increase of pressure, triggers a page-turn, and provides a haptic response only your thumb can perceive. Because PagePress has no moving parts, the haptics provide you with the most minimal indication that you have pressed the button, to reduce distraction from reading.Amazon Releases Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet
| Amazon has realized that making tablets geared towards kids is big business. Samsung, V.Tech, Fisher Price and a number of other entrants consistently release new hardware with bright, bubbly interfaces and are aimed primarily at the little ones. In order combat these companies, Amazon has just unveiled the Fire HD Kids Edition. The Fire HD Kids edition comes in two different sizes and price points. You will lay down $149 for a 6" tablet and $189 for a 7" and both come with an unlimited two year warranty, because kids break stuff right? Parents will also be able to choose between three different colors, blue, green and pink. The Fire HD Kids tablet comes with the same hardware internals as the HD6 and HD7 tablets announced today. It has a different interface and comes with a kid-Proof Case is designed to be the perfect solution for parents who need worry-free protection against drops, bumps, and the typical mayhem caused by kids at play. Designed to be durable and lightweight, the Kid-Proof Case fits perfectly in little hands without adding unnecessary weight to your Fire HD tablet. Fire HD Kids Edition comes with Amazon FreeTime, which offers innovative parental controls that encourage learning before play and that help manage screen time. With FreeTime, you select all of the content your kids can see, and you can limit your kids' screen time by content type—for example, you may choose to limit videos and games, but make reading time unlimited. FreeTime blocks stores and in-app payments, so you don't have to worry about additional expenses. There is currently 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games—at no additional cost available. Amazon Releases Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Amazon Kindle Fire HD6 and HD7 Revealed
| Amazon has announced a new entry level Kindle Fire HD tablet featuring a quad-core processor, front and rear-facing cameras. There are two different models available—6" for $99 and 7" for $139—and five color choices: black, white, cobalt, magenta, and citron. These two tablets are fairly similar when it comes to the hardware. The HD6 and and HD7 both have capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 (252 ppi). Users will enjoy a brighter display and more vibrant colors and whiter whites. Unlike prior modfels of the Fire, both the six and seven inch models have IPS (in-plane switching) technology, an advanced polarizing filter, and anti-glare technology. All of this is powered by a Quad-core 1.5 GHz processor are available in 8 GB or 16 GB models. Also available for the Fire HD are new accessories, including a new protective cover that is available in six colors and can stand in both portrait and landscape orientations, as well as a series of adapters that allow you to connect Fire HD to an HDTV, monitor, or mass storage device via HDMI, VGA or USB. The new Fire HD is available for pre-order starting today for $99 for 6" and $139 for 7" and will begin shipping in October. Visit www.amazon.com/fire-hd to learn more. Amazon Kindle Fire HD6 and HD7 Revealed is a post from: Good e-Reader |
ComiXology Brings on More Publishers for DRM-Free Initiative
| When Comixology was purchased by Amazon, many digital comic fans thought that the service would drastically change. The acquisition has been a bit of a mixed blessing, as Apple users lost the ability to purchase content directly within the app, leading to a decrease in impulse purchases. One of the big upsides was the decision to offer publishers the ability to submit new issues with no encryption. Today, Comixology has announced a slew of new partners that will be offering their comics DRM-Free. Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Zenescope Entertainment, MonkeyBrain Comics, Thrillbent and Top Shelf Productions are now joined in the program by IDW Publishing, Valiant Entertainment, Oni Press, Fantagraphics Books, Aspen Comics, Action Lab Entertainment, Th3rd World Studios, A Wave Blue World, Blind Ferret Entertainment, Caliber Comics, Creative Impulse Entertainment, Devil's Due Entertainment, GT Labs Comics and Kingstone Media. All of these publishers now offer their comics to be downloaded in PDF or CBZ formats and users can store them locally. Instead of being locked into the Comixology app, users can download their favorite 3rd reading app for Android, iOS or Windows. ComiXology Brings on More Publishers for DRM-Free Initiative is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Apple Poised to Announce New iPad Air 2 and Mini in October
| The Apple iPhone 6 and Apple Watch event occurred last week and already it seems that the Cupertino company is already planning the next unveiling. AppleInsider, Bloomberg and other mainstream news organizations are proclaiming that another Apple event is planned for October, where a iPad Air 2 and 3rd generation iPad Mini are planned to be announced. Aside from new iPads, Apple is also expected to use the October event to finalize the details and availability date for OS X Yosemite, which was initially introduced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. According to The Daily Dot, Yosemite will be released immediately following the October event, similar to the release of OS X Mavericks just after the conclusion of last year’s October event. The new iPad is thought to include a faster A8 processor, anti-reflective display and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, although one report suggests most of the upgrades will be limited to the larger iPad Air model. Apple Poised to Announce New iPad Air 2 and Mini in October is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Kindle Voyage e-Reader Revealed
| Amazon is planning on releasing a new Kindle e-Reader November 4th, called Voyage. This news comes from the Amazon Germany and Japan websites posting product information, before an an official announcement was made. Recognizing this error, Amazon quickly pulled down the product listings, but not before we have key insight on what this new e-Reader is all about. The Kindle Voyage will have a six inch capacitive touchscreen display and have 300PPI. It will include an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the brightness of the front-lit display. It will also have a new page press sensor to turn pages by pressing lightly on the bezel. Amazon is due for another new e-reader, as they tend to announce them every year around this time. Likely one of the big reasons it was not officially unveiled sooner was because of the new Nook, Kobo and Apple devices capturing the medias attention. Likely, we will have some sort of media event in the next few weeks, where the Voyage will be formally introduced. New Kindle Voyage e-Reader Revealed is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle Voyage User Manual Reveals More About PagePress Button Sensors
| Information about a new Kindle Voyage ebook reader turned up online today. Amazon has yet to make an official announcement, but more details are coming out. So far we know that the Kindle Voyage is a 6-inch ebook reader with a high-resolution 300 ppi display. It will be offered in the usual 3G and WiFi-only […] |
New Entry-Level Kindle has Touchscreen and Arrives in 2 Weeks, But what Else?
| Now that two new Kindle models have leaked online, most people are paying attention to the premium Kindle Voyage, but what about the new entry-level Kindle? Until Amazon makes an official announcement, which could be as soon as today, all we have to go off is a screenshot showing the new Kindles listed on Amazon […] |
Step into the Teachers’ Lounge
| OverDrive is now offering a new feature for school digital libraries: the Teachers' Lounge. Just as you may have a Teachers' Lounge at school, you can now have a Teachers' Lounge in your digital library—a dedicated space focused on your teachers' needs. While your full digital library probably offers titles for a range of ages, reading levels, and interests, the Teachers' Lounge filters out your juvenile and young adult content in order to spotlight your adult-oriented materials (like books about technology, education, or professional development). This way, teachers can easily access a condensed digital collection that's tailored just to them.
Once you're in the Teachers' Lounge, you'll notice streamlined menu options; a clean, modern design (which you may recognize as the "modern" theme from your full site); and teacher-appropriate touts. From here, teachers can sign into their accounts and borrow titles as normal—their bookshelf, holds, wish list, and rated titles will always be the same, whether they sign in through the Teachers' Lounge or the main digital library. And, if a teacher decides that they do want to check out a juvenile or young adult title, they can always navigate back to your full digital collection by selecting the Digital Library link in the top-left corner of the screen.  Interested in building a Teachers' Lounge for your digital library? Contact your Account Specialist to learn more. Carrie Smith is a Technical Writer at OverDrive.  |
If you choose to implement a Teachers' Lounge, your users can get to it through a special Teachers' Lounge URL, or by choosing Teachers' Lounge from the Collections menu in your digital library.Spotify Delivers Streaming Music to Amazon Fire TV
| Spotify fans in the US, with a premium subscription, now have an additional incentive to enjoy the popular music streaming service: full support for Amazon Fire TV. For those who may not be familiar already, Spotify offers on-demand access to more than 20 million songs instantly (with no Internet connection required and no interruption for advertisements). In their launch statement, Spotify announced:
Amazon Fire TV was released in April, intending to rival devices like Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku. Initial reviews for the Fire TV have been positive, particularly given the increasing popularity of Amazon’s Prime streaming service. If you haven’t tried Spotify for Android, download it now and start your 30-day free trial; when you become addicted, the service will cost you an affordable $9.99 per month.
Spotify Delivers Streaming Music to Amazon Fire TV is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Kindle Voyage with 300 ppi Screen Shows up Online
| A new Kindle ereader is about to be released, two in fact. A leak has turned up online from Amazon Germany that shows the listing for new Kindle models. There is what appears to be a new “basic” Kindle. This one has a touchscreen and will sell for 59 euros in Europe. More interesting is […] |
Looking for a Great New eBook? Giller Prize 2014 Longlist Revealed
| The summer season is winding down and many people are wondering about the next great read. You might want to check out the offerings from twelve Canadian writers, who are all contending for the the richest fiction prize in Canada – the $100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize. These authors are vying for the grand prize of $100,000, up from $50,000, and the remaining finalists will receive $10,000, up from $5,000. It is certainly not all about the money though, if you are looking for a new eBook, one of these might fit the bill. Waiting for the Man by Arjun Basu (ECW Press) The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis (HarperCollins Canada) American Innovations by Rivka Galchen (HarperCollins Canada) Tell by Frances Itani (HarperCollins Canada) Watch How We Walk by Jennifer LoveGrove (ECW Press) Us Conductors by Sean Michaels (Random House Canada) Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab by Shani Mootoo (Doubleday Canada) The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill (HarperCollins Canada) · Paradise and Elsewhere by Kathy Page (John Metcalf Books/Biblioasis) My October by Claire Holden Rothman (Penguin Canada) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews (Knopf Canada) The Ever After of Ashwin Rao by Padma Viswanathan (Random House Canada) Looking for a Great New eBook? Giller Prize 2014 Longlist Revealed is a post from: Good e-Reader |
