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One of the most exciting elements about this new app is the intergration with the Surface Pro Pen. It will allow users to circle, underline, highlight, and make notes on any document. The notes are then stored and listed in a side panel in each document. Microsoft’s Office team has also partnered with Bing to augment document content with data from the search service. You can simply select a name or section of the document to then search and receive information in a right-hand sidebar. The results are displayed in a very similar way to Windows 8.1′s integrated Bing hero search. Extensive document support has been going on for years with Microsoft OneNote. It has not gained the traction the company would have liked, but it is starting to branch off and start to unify their apps. Not only is their a tablet version of the new Reader for Windows 8 but they are working on “Office Lens” for Windows Phone that lets you take a picture of a whiteboard and then automatically scan and convert it using optical character recognition. All of these new apps are looking to have a early 2014 release date. Microsoft Developing Reader for Windows 8 for eBooks and eTextbooks is a post from: E-Reader News |
Friday, September 27, 2013
Microsoft Developing Reader for Windows 8 for eBooks and eTextbooks
Digital Comics Bargains for September 27, 2013
| This week brings an amazing digital deal on Kindle, Nook, and comiXology: The full run of Fables and its spinoffs Cinderella, Fairest and Jack of Fables, as well as the crossover The Literals, for 99 cents an issue. This series brings fairy tale characters into the real world, after they are driven out of their own realm by a dark antagonist. What’s great about Fables is that it takes familiar characters and puts them together in unexpected ways, keeping enough of the original story so that it all seems logical. Writer Bill Willingham has been constructing this complicated tale for over ten years, working with artist Mark Buckingham and a host of other creators, and there are also several spinoffs: Fairest focuses on the ladies of Fabletown, and Jack of Fables is the adventures of Jack Horner, who has grown up from a mischievous boy to an entertaining, if not always lovable, rogue. You can start with issue 1 or jump into any story arc. ComiXology’s sale ends Monday night at 11 p.m.; Amazon and Nook are vaguer. If you’re in more of a superhero mood, comiXology is also holding an X-Men: Inferno! sale, offering a variety of X-Men titles for 99 cents each, but act fast, as it ends Friday night at 11 p.m. And finally, comiXology has a good handful of Godzilla graphic novels on sale for $3.99 to $4.99 through Sunday night. Dark Horse Digital ushers in the weekend with a Crime Sale that features an eclectic array of comics and graphic novels, including Frank Miller’s Sin City, Bryan Talbot’s Grandville, and the Eisner Award winning Blacksad. Sherlock Holmes, the Green Hornet, and the Green River killer also make appearances, and for those who like plenty of action, dames, and two-fisted justice, there are two collected volumes of the Golden Age title Crime Does Not Pay No new sales at eManga, but their September Switch promotion, in which you can get a free digital manga if you start an account with them and can prove you bought a volume of manga from another digital provider, is going on through October 13. Digital Comics Bargains for September 27, 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Kobo Aura’s Screen Has Visible Pattern, and is Darker than Aura HD
| The Kobo Aura is the latest 6-inch ebook reader from Kobo. It has a really cool edge-to-edge screen that isn’t recessed in the front frame like other ebook readers. This gives it a sleek tablet-like look. It’s also the first Kobo ereader to use a capacitive touchscreen, which adds some extra zooming options and other […] |
Digital Reading Hinders Children’s Literacy
| eReading was supposed to be a benefit that revolutionized reading, stripping away barriers such as access to books and bookstores, high prices of new titles, and the inconvenience of carrying books around. Some of the original critics of e-reading were parents of young readers who worried that device-based access to books would lead to opting for other digital activities besides reading, and now, a report by Nielsen Book has confirmed that those fears were somewhat grounded. According to an article for UK-based The Bookseller by Joshua Farrington, “‘Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age,’ Nielsen Book’s latest research project, has found a significant fall in the number of children who read or are read to on a weekly basis, with the proportion of occasional and non-readers among children aged under 17 now at 28%, rising from 20% in 2012.” Farrington continued:”The research shows that children’s reading is being affected by alternative activities, such as playing games, watching videos on websites like YouTube, and texting. During the past year, children’s access to tablets more than doubled over the previous year. The devices are being used for a range of activities, but reading is considered one of its least important uses. Only 20% of children use tablets for reading e-books, while 6% use them to read magazines and comics. Jo Henry, director at Nielsen Book (pictured), said: ‘This dramatic drop in engagement with reading (seen in the context of an 8% drop in the number of books bought for those aged under 17) in the first half of 2013 will give pause for thought for anyone involved in children’s publishing, particularly at the older end of the market, which has seen the greatest decline.’” The paradox is that the number of children reading digitally has increased even while those who do not read in any format has also. In addition, a growing number of students in different age groups report that the only format they read in is digital. So is the device actually to blame? Among the students who opt to use tablets for something other than reading when given the chance, would those students really read a book if they were provided with a print edition, or would they simply shun the activity altogether in favor of something they found more entertaining? While it is easy to attempt to correlate that research findings with the availability of tablet-based activities, the link between entertainment and education cannot be attributed quite so simply.
Digital Reading Hinders Children’s Literacy is a post from: E-Reader News |
Video Review: Amazon X-Ray on the iPad
| For the first time ever, X-Ray for Books has transcended Amazon branded devices and has crossed over as an app update for the iPad and iPhone. This neat little feature gives you a list of all the terms, people, places and things in any given book. You can get a sense on the popular phrases and objects in a book, such as cars, yachts or even food. When juggling many books at once, you can be brought up to speed on the entire cast of characters and get biographies on them. Over the course of the video, we show you exactly how it performs. X-Ray for the iPad is just one of the new features found in the latest iOS7 Kindle update. You can now add the same book to multiple collections, adding more flexibility in managing your growing cadre of books. Video Review: Amazon X-Ray on the iPad is a post from: E-Reader News |
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Bentley and Vintage Team up for $1200 James Bond Book
| Bentley Motors is best known for creating very high end automobiles and being somewhat of a status symbol on the road. The one thing they have never done is published a book, but that is all going to change. Bentley and Vintage have teamed up to capitalize on the 60 year anniversary of James Bond – Casino Royale and have released a limited edition print run that will run you $1200.00. Only 500 copies have been made and of course the 1933 Bentley was Bonds car of choice. The book has been created by designers Kris Potter and Stephen Parker at Random House, who were inspired following a trip to the Bentley Motors HQ in Crewe. They comment: 'We knew that any design we came up with would have to reflect the incredible craftsmanship and heritage we had seen in the Bentley cars at Crewe, the challenge for us was how we could combine this with the coolness and nostalgia of Bond… The inspiration was endless.' The metal spine is inspired by Bentley’s steel tread plate, and it is illustrated by Damian Gascoigne. Published on 13 April 1953 by Jonathan Cape, Casino Royale introduced James Bond to the world. The first print run of 4,728 copies sold out within a month. Following this initial success, Fleming went on to publish a Bond title every year until his death in 1964. It is in Casino Royale where 007 first utters the immortal line 'Bond – James Bond'. The special edition Casino Royale will be available from 1st November, with orders taken through a dedicated phone line to international customers, excluding those in the US or Phillipines – 01206 255666. Bentley and Vintage Team up for $1200 James Bond Book is a post from: E-Reader News |
Sony Abandons the eReader Market in the United States
| Sony has confirmed that they have no intention of selling their new PRS-T3 e-Reader in the United States. The company simply cannot compete against Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo with their online bookstore and price. The USA market is rife with constant price slashing in a bid to curry consumer favor. It is basically unprofitable to focus on the US, and instead will focus their efforts on Canada, Europe and Japan. In a statement of confirmation, the Sony PR Department mentioned “Sony will not be offering the Reader PRS-T3 in the United States. In response to the region's market changes, Sony will be focusing instead on mobile and tablet devices, including the Xperia Tablet Z and Xperia Z smartphone. Digital reading and eBooks remain an important priority for Sony. Reader Store will still help book lovers find and read their next story, anytime and anywhere, and customers can continue to expect new and exciting features and discovery tools. Reader Store will continue to support previous Readers as well as other compatible devices via the free Reader apps for PC, Mac, Android and iOS.” In recent years Sony has divested themselves out of focusing on e-Readers. The last few models have largely been the same device, with marginal hardware and software enhancements. If you live in the US you can buy the Sony PRS-T3 exclusively from Shop e-Readers. Sony Abandons the eReader Market in the United States is a post from: E-Reader News |
McGraw-Hill Education Offers New Platform Aimed at Struggling Readers Faced with CCSS
| Anyone who follows education news in the US is aware of the strict requirements and goals of the Common Core standards for public education. What many are criticizing as a national curriculum–as thought it was wrong to determine that every US high school graduate would meet the same standards for education–actually serves to ensure that every student whose education had been funded by the taxpayers was afforded the same opportunities to learn as his peers around the nation. But one of the downfalls of the Common Core is that it assumes that every student comes at it with the same level of education and measurable skill sets. Now, long-time educational content leader McGraw-Hill Education has unveiled a new platform designed to reach those students who were already struggling academically and who will certainly be left behind their grade-level peers under these new guidelines. “We believe that every student deserves a chance to succeed academically. With the arrival of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and a general trend to more rigorous educational standards, students who are reading below grade level will face even greater challenges in meeting them,” said Peter Cohen, president of McGraw-Hill School Education, in a press release. “The goal of Reading WonderWorks is to close the achievement gap among students, help struggling students develop foundational reading and writing skills in a self-paced and flexible environment starting as early as kindergarten, and accelerate them so that they can read on grade level and graduate with the confidence they need to succeed in college and beyond.” The Reading WonderWorks program utilizes both print and digital materials to support the basic tenets of the Common Core standards while working to bring struggling readers up to grade level through interactive and focused learning methods. The most important thing that WonderWorks offers, a factor that will make more of a difference than many other structured programs, is the inherent flexibility that it offers. No two students are alike, and no two struggling readers will respond to the identical material in the same way. Therefore, WonderWorks maintains a level of teacher-control in order to be best suited to a struggling student’s needs. For more information about Reading WonderWorks visit http://mhreadingwonders.com/wonder-works.
McGraw-Hill Education Offers New Platform Aimed at Struggling Readers Faced with CCSS is a post from: E-Reader News |
Penguin eBooks’ download to Kindle just got easier
| As we reported yesterday, Penguin eBooks are now available in the OverDrive Marketplace. Today, we are delighted to announce that Penguin eBooks will be available for "Get for Kindle" in the same convenient manner as the other Kindle eBooks (US only) in your OverDrive collection. The USB side-loading requirement has been lifted and Penguin eBooks will have the same great ease of use as all other publishers' eBooks. You can expect to see the change in your library's collection soon.
If you have any questions, please contact me or your OverDrive Collection Development Specialist at collectionteam@overdrive.com.
Karen Estrovich in the Collection Development Manager with OverDrive
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Penguin eBooks Now Available via Overdrive and Axis 360
| Penguin eBooks are now available to borrow from libraries in the US via Overdrive and Axis 360. This marks the first time in many years that titles from this publisher are available and has been a long time coming. Overdrive initially had a solid agreement with Penguin, but the publisher suspended digital eBooks a year and a half ago. They decided to go with 3M, who has a much smaller footprint and is exclusive to the USA. The reason the Overdrive/Penguin relationship with suspended was due to security concerns with downloading books directly from Amazon. You can now borrow books once again on Kindle e-Readers but you have to transfer them via USB. Overdrive says Penguin will charge libraries $18.99 for "popular new releases" and $5.99 to $9.99 for older titles. An eBook can only be checked out by one user at a time and the library will have to buy a new copy after a year. In Fall 2012, two Axis 360 libraries participated in a test program circulating select Penguin Group eBooks to patrons. As a result of the successful partnering with the Los Angeles Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library, Penguin is now making its full eBook catalog, including DK titles, available to all public libraries using Axis 360. The two sides have now expanded on the relationship and Penguin titles are now available to any library doing business with Baker and Taylor. Penguin eBooks Now Available via Overdrive and Axis 360 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Confirmed: The Sony PRS-T3 Won’t Be Released in the United States
| I’ve got some disappointing news to report today. Earlier in the week I reached out to the Sony Reader division in the United States to inquire about the Sony PRS-T3 ebook reader to see if and when it was coming to the US. As it turns out, the PRS-T3 will not be released in the […] |
Handmade Success: eBooks to help turn a crafty hobby into a business
| Whether you like to sew, quilt, embroider, crochet, knit, make jewelry, carve wood or fold paper – we most likely have an eBook for your favorite crafty hobby in OverDrive Marketplace. Through September 30th, many of these "Do It Your Selfies" eBooks are 30% off!
You may be asking yourself, "What am I going to do with all of this crafty goodness that I make? I can only give away so many knitted scarves every year for Christmas." Well, that's true. Your relatives probably love your handmade creations but if you'd like to share your crafts with others (and make money in the process), there are many options available and we have eBooks to point you in the right direction.
Learn how to get started with titles like Handmade to Sell: Hello Craft's Guide to Owning, Running, and Growing Your Crafty Biz by Kelly Rand or The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line by Kari Chapin. These books give you some ideas about turning your hobby into a business.
Depending on your preferred crafts, you may find materials for your next project or find success selling via eBay. eBay for Dummies by Marsha Collier can help eBay newbies navigate the site. If you've been a casual eBay browser or buyer in the past but want to learn more, The New eBay: The Official Guide to Buying, Selling, Running a Profitable Business by Todd Alexander offers tips for looking at eBay from a business perspective.
The mecca for all things crafty right now is Etsy. As someone who frequently purchases handmade items from Etsy, I can attest to the quality and variety of goods found on the site. If you want to try it out, make sure to check out How to Make Money Using Etsy: A Guide to the Online Marketplace for Crafts and Handmade Products by Timothy Adam and the cleverly-named Etsy-preneurship: Everything You Need to Know to Turn Your Handmade Hobby into a Thriving Business by Jason Malinak.
Have fun crafting!
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
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Oracle Java on Raspberry Pi
| One of our longstanding goals has been for Raspberry Pi to ship with a complete set of common programming languages. Until now, there’s been one glaring omission from this list: Java, which by some estimates is the most popular language of all (duck and cover – flamewar incoming). It’s therefore fantastic to be able to announce that we’ve added the official hard-float Oracle Java 7 JDK to our repository. Oracle Java offers significant performance advantages over OpenJDK on ARM platforms, and will expand the range of Java applications that run well on the Pi.  It’s a long time since I’ve used a hotel room TV without plugging a Pi into it. This trip has been no exception. All future Raspbian images will ship with Oracle Java by default; existing users can install it by typing:
We’d like to thank our friends at Oracle for their hard work in making this possible. |
I Have to Provide My Phone Number? Using Phone Verification
Uncomfortable about sharing your phone number to verify your email account? Don't be! Learn more about the possible risks and privacy concerns. |
Programming ideas to promote your digital collection
| I was lucky enough to speak with some of the top library marketing gurus at Digipalooza. What I really wanted to know was what more can OverDrive do to help with your marketing efforts. We fell on the topic of library programming as great way to engage with all types of demographics in your community. So my takeaway from the conference was to create some ready-to-go programming kits. Each kit contains some brief instructions and appropriate marketing materials and handouts.
 Fun programming ideas now available on the Partner Portal. Take your promotion outside your library doors and engage with your community in a unique setting. We recommend crashing a local Happy Hour or popular restaurant at lunch hour (with the establishment's approval, of course) to promote your digital collection. Have a table set up with devices and handouts. Mingle and engage patrons with the service. Just make sure library staff is tapping more screens than kegs.
Educate your community on a wonderful reading app, OverDrive Media Console (OMC). Serve appetizers during the event (you can keep it simple with just cheese and crackers). Encourage folks to bring their own devices to download and learn about OMC and have a few devices pre-loaded with titles for folks to try out.
Dedicate a story hour using simultaneous use eBooks for children. Encourage folks to BYOD so they can follow along, or enlarge titles by using a projector. If you have questions about adding a simultaneous use plan to your digital collection, contact our Collection Development team.
Download pre-made kits of programming resources in the Programming & Events section of the Partner Portal.
Cassie is a Marketing Specialist with OverDrive  |
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Amazon Kindle Prime Instant Video Offers Video Downloads
| Amazon just announced their new Kindle HDX tablets yesterday and its being really geared towards video. Numerous hardware elements will really enhance the overall experience, but Amazon is not stopping there. Subscribers to Amazon Prime that watch videos are in for a treat. Amazon will be offering off-line storage of videos by NBC, Viacom, Sony, Warner Bros. and CBS, with downloads ready for up to 30 days, and viewable for up to 48 hours after users start watching. The resolution on the Kindle HDX line of tablets trounces almost all of their competition on the market and Dolby Audio will be an added bonus. Amazon is really gearing their product line to give users more video options. Aside from the new Prime offline downloads, the company has developed the Second Screen experience. This will throw a movie on your television without the need for wires and still use the tablet for email and what have you. The ability to download movies to your tablet is ideal for people who travel and want to watch without needing to be connected to the internet. The big question is whether Netflix or Hulu will try and match this offer, or to developer offline video storage as well. Amazon Kindle Prime Instant Video Offers Video Downloads is a post from: E-Reader News |
Welcome Lance!
| As you’ve probably noticed, Raspberry Pi is a rather unusual organisation. We have two functions: we make and sell tiny computers, and we promote children’s education. These activities support each other (all the money we raise from selling Raspberry Pis is put straight back into our charitable activities), but are in many ways separate, and it’s a real juggling act directing the two together. Back at the start of the year, we split the engineering and trading activities of the Foundation into a separate, wholly owned trading subsidiary, Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd. The Raspberry Pi Foundation continues to run the charitable, educational side of things. Since then, I’ve been overseeing both organisations, but really, the two roles require two people doing them, and of necessity most of my attention has had to be devoted to the trading business.  Lance Howarth With that in mind, I’m very pleased to be able to announce that Lance Howarth has joined us as Foundation CEO, and will be taking the lead on the Foundation’s charitable activities. Lance spent a decade with ARM, latterly as EVP of Marketing and as a VP in the office of the CTO. He’ll be driving forward our educational mission, while I continue as CEO of Raspberry Pi (Trading) – you won’t see any big changes in my interactions with you here, at talks and so on. Hopefully we’ll be able to talk Lance into posting here on occasion too, to let you know what he and the board are up to. You’re seeing some of the results of those charitable activities I’ve been talking about already – Clive Beale, our most excellent Director of Educational Development, is heading up the work on a growing corpus of free educational materials, running workshops, working with teachers, and with other charities; we’ve committed to take on some more people to work on our educational function too. We’re funding development of projects like Sonic Pi, the music programming environment we blogged about yesterday. We’re putting money into open educational resources, like Scratch and Squeak. Lance will be growing our engagement with this sort of work, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming him to the growing Raspberry Pi family. And if you want a lapel pin like his, you’ll find them in the Swag Store! |
Amazon Announces Pricey New Kindle Fire HDX Tablets and $139 Kindle Fire HD
| Today Amazon unveiled their new line tablets for 2013. Given all the leaks that have happened over the past couple of months, there really aren’t any surprises from a specs standpoint (I think Amazon likes to leak info on purpose to gauge and gain consumer interest). The most shocking surprise is the big price increase. […] |
Penguin eBooks are now available in OverDrive Marketplace
| OverDrive is excited to announce that more than 10,000 Penguin eBooks are now live and available for purchase in OverDrive Marketplace! Penguin's eBooks are available for public and college libraries, including consortium, in the U.S. in the one copy/one user lending model for a one year term. Availability of the Penguin eBooks to libraries outside the U.S. is coming soon. In the Penguin catalog libraries will find titles from numerous best-selling authors including: Tom Clancy, Lee Child, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Ken Follett, Junot Diaz, Khaled Hosseini, Maya Banks, Harlen Coben, W.E. B. Griffin and many others.
Individual public libraries and consortia can shop the Penguin eBook catalog now on the Marketplace homepage (if catalogs are merged), or the 'Metered Access' section in OverDrive Marketplace. You can also search for the content in Advanced Search under Publisher Account: Penguin Group (USA).
Popular new releases such as Clive Cussler's "Mirage" and Patricia Cornell's latest Kay Scarpetta novel "Dust" will be priced at $18.99. Backlist favorites will range from $5.99 -$9.99.
Penguin eBooks are available for Kindle (US) via USB side-loading only. You can find more information on the Kindle side-loading process in the OverDrive Help article.
OverDrive Collection Development Specialists are available to help create recommended lists of the Penguin catalog. Please email collectionteam@overdrive.com for more information.
Karen Estrovich is the Collection Development Manager with OverDrive.
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Nook Simple Touch Glowlight Now Costs Just £49 In The UK
| The Nook Simple Touch Glowlight has earned itself the distinction of being the first front lit e-reader to breach the £50 mark, thanks to a price cut that has made the device cost just £49. The front lit e-reader had seen its price downsized to £69 from £109 earlier in the year, though the latest round of price reshuffling introduces a new low in e-reader price war. The Nook Simple Touch already costs a miserly £29, down from the £79 it cost earlier in the year. Compared to similar offerings from Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite and the standard Kindle e-reader costs £109 and £69 respectively. This highlights B&N's effort to gain as much market share as possible. The price is perhaps the lowest that it can be and is well in time to ensure the Nook e-readers make the maximum possible impact during the holiday shopping period. The Nook Simple Touch Glowlight offers all that the Nook Simple Touch stands for, which includes an e-ink based display and a long battery life that can last well over a month. In addition, the Nook Glowlight also comes with a series of LEDs aligned along the top of the display which brightens up the screen to ensure it is visible even in low light conditions. The light might not be as well distributed as on the Kindle Paperwhite, but it still allows for a comfortable read during low light conditions, something that is aided with its light and compact build. B&N maintained the price cuts are just an extension of their affordability drive to ensure digital reading is accessible to all. Needless to say, both Nook e-readers come backed by the Nook online library, one of the biggest in the world.
Nook Simple Touch Glowlight Now Costs Just £49 In The UK is a post from: E-Reader News |
