| Every Friday I highlight the digital comics bargains of the week, and every Sunday I look at the best-seller lists, and seldom do the two converge. This week is the exception (except for the Nook store). 1. Forever Evil #3 We’re seeing something that seldom happens on comiXology: Graphic novels make the best-seller list. All four are Batman graphic novels, the first volumes of a number of New 52 series, which were marked down this weekend from $12.99 to $3.99. ComiXology readers aren’t usually bargain hunters—the 99-cent sales seldom make a big impact on the top ten—but apparently a good percentage of them found these deals too good to resist. If you look at the top 20, even more of these books show up. That makes sense: These are people who are used to paying $3.99 for a 28-page comic, so the graphic novels are a super deal. You would think that comiXology readers would own all the single issues in these trade collections already, but maybe some do not—or maybe their collecting instinct extends to digital and they want to have both the single issues and the trades. 1. Batman, vol. 1: The Court of Owls Kindle users, on the other hand, love a good sale, and every book on the top ten is discounted from its list price. Amazon actually discounted those DC graphic novels more heavily than comiXology, pricing them at $3.03; the only two books on the list that cost more than that are The Hedge Knight, a George R.R. Martin that just came out this week (and has already been on the best-seller list for weeks on the strength of pre-orders) and the first volume of Neil Gaiman’s original Sandman series, which has also been on the list for weeks, no doubt because of the new Sandman prequel series that just launched. 1. The Sandman: Overture #1 Barnes and Noble was also offering the New 52 graphic novels for $3.99, but nobody was biting; Nook users seem to prefer to save money by downloading the free stuff. That Big Nate book was Number 37 on the overall list, although Nook is the only one that mixes free with paid comics, so it may not be all that fair to keep pointing this out. Still, it’s odd that none of the DC graphic novels made the top ten, or even the top 20; the first one I could find, the Justice League one, showed up at number 89 on the overall list. It’s interesting that Viz’s most popular titles, Bleach and Naruto, usually make the Nook charts the week they come out; there must be a substantial manga-reading community, which occasionally dwarfs the Peanuts fans and the folks who prefer free downloads of action comics featuring scantily clad ladies. iBooks 1. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic #12 Nothing knocks the latest issue of My Little Pony out of the top slot in the iBookstore, but the new Sandman series makes it to the number 3 spot. The rest of the list serves to demonstrate the eclectic tastes of iPad owners, and yes, two of the New 52 books do make it onto the list. Digital Comics Best-Sellers for November 10, 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Digital Comics Best-Sellers for November 10, 2013
eBook Review: After Action by Dan Sheehan
| Verdict: 5 Stars There is no shortage of reads–good, bad, and ugly–that offer readers either fictional stories in the military genre or completely honest, raw, non-fiction accounts of actual war. But Dan Sheehan‘s self-published title After Action offers readers something that not many well-known books present, which is an amazingly well-written open look at what happens when the bullets stop flying and a decorated soldier tries to come home to adjust to a new level of normal. “It chronicles my combat experiences as a Marine helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2003 and 2004,” Sheehand explained in an interview with Good e-Reader, “then it delves into the challenges I faced when I came home in adjusting to normal life after combat. It wasn’t something I thought I would ever need to do. I found I was really well prepared for the technical and tactical aspects of going to combat, however I was basically unprepared for recognition of the human costs of doing so. It chronicles that journey of going to combat and then realizing the effect those years had on me.” Sheehan didn’t start writing the book until five years after his second combat tour, wholly unaware that he needed some sort of outlet to process the feelings he had kept hidden from even himself about these events. When his younger brother was in a terrifying helicopter crash in Afghanistan, Sheehan was overcome with unspoken feelings about his own combat experience. He turned to writing to get some thoughts out on paper, explaining I could “keep them from bouncing around in my head if I gave them a place to live on paper.” “Writing became a means to uncover what I was going through, even though I never intended to write anything about my military experiences. But in the aftermath of my brother’s crash, I realized that there was something going on in me and I needed to figure it out.” Sheehan turned to CreateSpace to publish his book, following a brief look at the traditional publishing industry and quickly realizing that the model wasn’t right for his book. His decision was due in large part to the understanding that so many other veterans are undergoing the same process he experienced, and he felt the need to make this book available to those readers with a sense of immediacy. The response to his book has been overwhelmingly positive, with Sheehan hearing from other veterans in an ongoing way, people who thank him for putting a name to the feelings they, too, are experiencing. “It’s an overlooked concept. You assume you’re 100% fine unless you have full-blown, incapacitating PTSD. There’s a whole middle ground of veterans who are dealing with the after effects of combat, consciously or unconsciously, and it’s impacting their lives.” After Action is available now in print and for Kindle.
eBook Review: After Action by Dan Sheehan is a post from: E-Reader News |
Pop-Up Bookstores Might Increase Holiday Sales
| This holiday season, shoppers might encounter a new shop here and there, temporary locations that have sprung up just to cater to the needs and spending whims of holiday consumers. One retail book chain, Blackwell’s has already announced several new locations that will serve as temporary store fronts for the holiday season. While traditionally an academic bookstore, Blackwell’s hopes that these pop-up shops will increase their brand recognition in the eyes of consumers, and offer more shopping opportunities at the same time. Scott Hamilton, Head of Sales for Blackwell, spoke with The Bookseller about the importance of these temporary sales points. "We have looked to open in sites associated with book lovers. All the temporary shops will be located in successful consumer shopping areas which people know well," he said. While bookstores may not have found their mobile retail points in the US, American consumers are accustomed to temporary kiosks and point-of-sale locations for everything from cell phones to Christmas goodies to annual tax preparation, especially at timely points throughout the holiday season. But as brick-and-mortar bookstores continue to flounder amid the success of online shopping, these low-inventory locations might be the push they need to post successful sales figures for the holiday season while also providing temporary holiday employment for people who need an immediate job. One suggestion is for temporary locations to sell ebooks and a limited selection of print books to holiday shoppers who are weary of waiting for friends or family members in the holiday rush, although audiobooks and noise-cancelling headphones to block out the endless loops or recorded Christmas carols might prove to be an even bigger sell.
Pop-Up Bookstores Might Increase Holiday Sales is a post from: E-Reader News |
Top 10 Android Apps to Teach Math to Kids
| Here is another compilation of Good e-Reader Top 10 Apps for Google Android, this time targeting kids and education. All the apps mentioned here have one thing in common: all of them are designed to enhance the math skills of toddlers or kids from kindergarten to about second grade. These apps are built to make the kids pick up elementary math skills from a very young age without making the subject seem too boring or uninteresting to youngsters. Here is our list of the top 10 apps, all which are available free at the Google Play Store. Math Training for Kids for Android - Practice for mathematical operations. Ideal for children but also fun for adults to practice math. Three difficulty levels to choose from. Kids Numbers and Math Lite for Android – A simple game for preschoolers that makes learning numbers and basic math skills enjoyable. It will teach kids how to count, as well the basics of addition and subtraction. Einstein Math Academy for Android - Playing the game is easy (finding equations that work), but mastering it is hard due to the cleverly crafted scoring system. Players will have to make strategical decisions and improve skills to plan ahead. Kids Math for Android - This is an educational math game for kids, but could be just as much fun for grown ups as well. This is a good brain test, and can improve your math calculation speed. Mad Math 4 Kids for Android - A fun and educational math game that teaches your child basic arithmetic. Find and calculate a simple three number addition or subtraction equation anywhere on the game board. When a correct answer is made, the numbers explode and new numbers take their place, so your child's brain is continually working. The object is to score as many points as possible before time runs out. MadMath4Kids is an easy yet challenging math exercise to do with your children. Math Ninja for Android - This is a game to improve your mental arithmetic and calculus (your children also can!) but have fun at the same time. There are several game modes, just normal mathematics for you to practice and an Arcade Mode in which you will fight to survive doing math operations while being attacked by Math Ninja. Marley’s Math Farm for Android - Marley’s Math Farm is an educational game for kids that teaches how to do math using money. Kids will learn to count, add, and subtract with dollars and coins over five different levels of difficulty. The game includes a fun shop that awards players for getting questions right by giving them currency to spend on animal prizes. The shop helps reinforce the lessons in the game, and offers fifteen different animals to buy. Baby Learns Numbers for Android - Baby Learns Numbers is a mathematical enlightening game for babies. It has two scenes to choose from. Your baby can learn and understand numbers and quantities while playing and enjoying the underwater world scene and the panda fishing scene. Math Bingo for Android - Math BINGO is a fun way for children to practice math facts on your phone/tablet. Choose from addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division BINGO, then select a level of difficulty. Math Duel: 2 Player Math Game for Android - Two can have fun at the same time. Math Duel: 2 Player Math Game is one of those fun educational games where two players challenge each other. Cool game for both kids and their parents to have fun.
Top 10 Android Apps to Teach Math to Kids is a post from: E-Reader News |
PressReader Kiosk Adds 50+ Titles From Singapore Press Holdings Magazines
| NewspaperDirect announced more than 50 titles from Singapore Press Holding Magazines will now be available via PressReader as well as its online site, PressDisplay.com. PressReader is already considered the world's largest publication kiosk app, which no doubt will get a further boost to its appeal now that it has 50 more publications in its catalog from a publisher as prestigious as SPH. In fact, it is a win-win situation for both ND and SPH, as the new deal will ensure SPH magazines now have a world audience and won't be limited to just Singapore and the region. Instead, its magazines will now be available in more than 12,000 libraries around the world thanks to the deal with ND; SPH magazines will also end up in countless other hotels, offices, cruise ships, and airlines due to its tie-up with ND. "We are committed to offering our readers and channel partners the very best magazine and newspaper content from around the world," said Nikolay Malyarov, vice president of Publishing and Legal Affairs at NewspaperDirect. "SPH Magazines' publications will not only delight our subscribers, they will open untapped markets for the publisher, allowing them to instantly reach millions of new readers through our large and growing library, hospitality, marine, and aviation segments." The magazines offered include Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Golf Digest, Harper's BAZAAR, Seventeen, CLEO, Home & Décor, Her World, Female, and Shape, just to name a few. All of the magazines will be available to subscribers of PressDirect.com and PressReader, and can be read on PCs, smartphones, Mac computers, tablet devices, or ebook readers. The publications are compatible with iOS, Android, Android for Amazon, Windows 8, and BlackBerry 10 platforms. "Our vision to engage minds and enrich lives across multiple languages and platforms inspires us to continually strive to give our magazine subscribers a superior reading experience," said Joseph Lee, managing director, New Media at SPH. "NewspaperDirect shares our vision and has the innovative technology and market leadership we need to showcase our publications to more readers around the globe." Singapore Press Holding is considered to be among the leading publishers from the Southeast Asian region and is known for eye catching magazine design themes as well as rich editorial content. It has been a publishing partner of NewspaperDirect since 2007 and the inclusion of the titles to the kiosk app is the outcome of SPH's strategy to have a bigger media foot print in the world.
PressReader Kiosk Adds 50+ Titles From Singapore Press Holdings Magazines is a post from: E-Reader News |
National Library of Australia Launch Unique Cartography Exhibition, Russel Crowe Lends Hollywood Grace
| The National Library of Australia recently held an event in Canberra to mark the launch of the “Mapping our World” exhibition that is showcasing some of the rarest and oldest maps . Lending grace to the occasion was none other than Hollywood star Russell Crowe, a self-professed “map geek who said he has loved pouring over maps since his childhood. "We have a history of cartography from the time of the ancient Babylonian world, to Ptolemy, through the middle ages right up to Matthew Flinders…to do that in 120 items is quite something," said Nat Williams, Director of Exhibitions with the National Library. Special mention must be made of Fra Mauro, which the authorities explained is a hand painted world map that dates back 600 years. It is also expansive, at three square meters and weighing a mammoth 1,300 kilos. It also is the first time that the Fra Mauro has ever left its home in Venice. "It was disassembled in three crates, and the journey was by air freighter with couriers all together and it was really very difficult. It was a great challenge but we won it," said Director of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice Maurizio Messina. The British Library has lent some of its rare maps from its huge collection of over 4.5 million pieces, which includes a map of the world that once adorned a wall in the bedroom of Henry VIII. However, the map is only of historical significance as most of what has been depicted has been found to be largely inaccurate. "I'm really looking forward to seeing people in here – that's really when it's it. At the moment, the lighting people are out, and I can see these wonderful objects for what they are from any angle, I can compare this map with that map, I can understand the cartography of the French and the British, or the Dutch and the Portuguese," said a naturally excited Martin Woods, National Library's curator of maps, who said the exhibition marks the culmination of years of planning and negotiations.
National Library of Australia Launch Unique Cartography Exhibition, Russel Crowe Lends Hollywood Grace is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Fantagraphics Launches All-Print Kickstarter and First Digital-Only Graphic Novel
| Fantagraphics is probably the leading publisher of independent and art comics in North America, in terms of sheer numbers as well as quality. They are the longtime publishers of the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets, Daniel Clowes’s Ghost World, Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting, archival editions of classics from Peanuts to the works of underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, and a host of other high-quality work, both new and old. And right now they are heading in two interesting, if opposite, directions. One is that they have turned to Kickstarter to raise $150,000 fund the next season’s publications. Fantagraphics was brought low by a sad situation: One of their founders, Kim Thompson, was diagnosed with lung cancer in the early spring and died in June. Thompson edited their European graphic novels, and his death meant that Fantagraphics had to cancel 13 books, a third of their planned Spring/Summer output. “Our fixed costs stayed the same —because they're fixed— but the income 13 books would've generated was lost, disrupting our cash flow, and leaving us in a tight spot,” the Kickstarter explained. What’s interesting about the Kickstarter is that there are no digital rewards. Most of the premiums are signed copies of books or posters, and it’s true that Fantagraphic books are beautiful objects, with high production values, but at least one person has commented, and I would second this, that a digital bundle could attract more pledges. Fantagraphics publishes their work digitally via comiXology, and if they could arrange for a couple of digital bundles, or direct downloads, that might broaden their base a bit. Not that they necessarily need to, as the Kickstarter is up to almost $130,000 as I write this, as many backers have opted to pre-order books they might have bought anyway—but with the added frisson of the creator’s autograph and the satisfaction of helping a publisher that has built up a lot of loyalty over the years. On the other hand, Fantagraphics also announced this week that it is releasing its first digital-only comic: Violenzia, by Richard Sala. It’s the story of a woman who charges through the world, guns blazing, and leaves a trail of death and destruction. The publisher describes the comic as “a blast of pulpy fun” with retro overtones; it’s due out on November 20 but can be pre-ordered now. Fantagraphics associate publisher Eric Reynolds told Tom Spurgeon that Sala has been interested in digital publishing for some time, and this seemed like the right project: “I believe he proposed Violenzia to me originally as a 24 or 32-page digital one shot — it eventually became 50 pages — and it was just a perfect opportunity for both of us to experiment with a digital-only release.” As for why it’s digital-only, as opposed to digital-first, Reynolds said he wanted to focus on the marketing challenge of getting potential readers to find the comic in a digital format, and he added that this doesn’t necessarily mean that more digital-only comics will be forthcoming. Fantagraphics Launches All-Print Kickstarter and First Digital-Only Graphic Novel is a post from: E-Reader News |
Top 10 Apps for Android and Blackberry 10 for the Weekend
| Welcome to another installment of the Good e-Reader Top 10 Apps for Blackberry 10 and Google Android! It is the weekend and its time to allocate sometime to discovering some of the great new apps that have either received a major update or just came out. Like always, these links are often valid for only one week and then you will need to search for the name of the app using the search bar on the top right hand corner Crunchyroll Manga for Android and BB10 - The Crunchyroll Manga app provides users with unlimited access to a variety of the hottest manga emerging from Japan! As soon as it hits newsstands in Japan, Crunchyroll Manga users can read the latest from hit titles like Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, and Space Brothers. JumpCam – Friends Video Camera for BB10 - JumpCam is a free app that makes it easy to create collaborative videos with friends! Just start a video and invite others to add their own clips. JumpCam instantly stitches everything together into a single, beautiful movie. Star Wars: Tiny Death Star for Android - Amidst a civil war in a galaxy far, far away, the Emperor is building a Death Star level by level, and he needs your help. Intergalactic war is expensive, and space stations are, too. Do you have any idea how much it costs to build one the size of a moon? bitmado for Android - Download bitmado and enjoy an endless supply of the world’s hottest wallpapers! They change all the time and you also get cool battery life saving technology. Call of Duty for Android – The Call of Duty app provides a new mobile experience designed to work hand-in-hand with Call of Duty: Ghosts and provides several personalized features during and beyond your play sessions. Swype Keyboard Free for Android - New Swype is even more powerful and personal! Get it today! This trial version is good for 30 days. Swype is all about YOU. Whether you're a fast tapper, exact typer or a Swype Ninja, get ready for a better, faster keyboard experience that gets smarter the more you use it. Swype pays attention to the way you input text and creates a personal language model that follows you from device to device. Swype – the world's most powerful keyboard. Trailerpop: Trailers & Trivia for Android and BB10 - Play hundreds of thousands of trivia questions while watching over 20,000 movie trailers. Who was almost cast as the iconic Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate? How many movies have Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino worked on together? From The Wizard of Oz to The Matrix, Argo to Key Largo, there’s something here for everybody to enjoy. WatchESPN for Android and BB10 – Lots of new features with the 2.0 update! The free WatchESPN app lets you keep up with your sports anytime, anywhere on your Android phone and tablet. Watch live games and studio shows with 24/7 access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNews and ESPN Deportes. You can also watch on-demand clips of the latest news and highlights. Indigo for Android and BB10 – This is a great app that allows you to buy items and books right in the store. Hook up your membership card and scan it digitally and quickly scan products for reviews or inventory. Eversnap – Get Friends’ Photos for BB10 - Eversnap is great for anytime you’d like to collect photos & videos from friends and family, For example: Groups, Events, Weddings, Trips, Birthdays, or many times just to share private photos & videos between family members and close friends. Top 10 Apps for Android and Blackberry 10 for the Weekend is a post from: E-Reader News |
Satirical Newspaper The Onion Goes Strictly Digital
|
According to an article on the move to digital by Lynne Marek for Crain’s Chicago Business, the paper has been slowly phasing out some of its print markets for some time, reduced finally to being available on paper in only three US cities. Most of its readership has been consuming the content online. While this type of transition often has industry watchers concerned about the state of publishing in its various forms, this move is actually quite positive. Marek demonstrated that The Onion had already been receiving a larger portion of its revenue from its digital advertising, with only two full page ads printed in the most recent paper edition. Other newspapers around the country that are currently experiencing this level of upheaval and shift can take a lesson from this example, if they’re willing to. Following the final print edition in mid-December, The Onion will shift its focus to building its online presence and on its video production arm of the company.
Satirical Newspaper The Onion Goes Strictly Digital is a post from: E-Reader News |
After twenty-five years of providing satirical headlines, articles, and features, some of them meant to take a stab at politics or religion, others simply intended to be pointlessly funny, The Onion will no longer be available in print.Upstagram – live photos from a tiny house floating over Paris
| This is just gorgeous. A hand-made, tiny version of the house from Pixar’s Up, a bouquet of helium balloons, a Raspberry Pi, and Paris. This beautiful bit of hackery uploads photos to Instagram as it flies over the Paris skyline. Valentin Squirelo, one of the founders at HackerLoop, an innovation lab based in Paris and San Francisco, mailed me to let me know about the project; you can read more at the HackerLoop website. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of the build, and some more which the Pi sent to Instagram – look out for the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur. |
C&R And ValoBox Set Up New eBook Gifting Site
| For those who'd like to gift an ebook, there is a new site that has come up and is worth a look. The result of a partnership between Constable & Robinson (C&R) and e-book service ValoBox, giftanebook.com will allow users to buy an ebook and then send it to anyone they wish to via the site. The service is unique in that it is not tied to any of the specialized ebook reading app that we know of. Instead, recipients will be able to read the books via their browsers itself instead of an ebook reading app. The books can be read on a PC, smartphone or a tablet device after having downloaded the same on the host device. Further, the books can be read even in the absence of an active internet connection. “Sharing newly read books and favourite authors with friends and family is what readers love to do. Our partnership with ValoBox, through the IC Tomorrow Digital Innovation Contest, will now allow readers to do just that in a way that is personal, not digital; enthusiastic, not algorithmic,” said Rob Nichols, digital and communications director at C&R when speaking of the latest development. There are about 2,000 titles that are on offer from C&R that can be picked up. Constable & Robinson can be counted among the oldest publishers that is still operating under its original name, having been in operation since 1795. Anna Lewis, co-founder of ValoBox too is excited of the venture saying, “Digitisation has made books more accessible than ever, but some of the magic associated with gifting and sharing those reading experiences has been lost. You can hand someone a paper book without giving them instructions on how to open it, or worrying if they have the right reading device. This partnership with C&R has given us the opportunity to address this and match both the thoughtful process of giving a physical book and the delight of reading one.”
C&R And ValoBox Set Up New eBook Gifting Site is a post from: E-Reader News |
Friday, November 8, 2013
Intel Purchases Digital Educational Company Kno
| Kno has had a rocky road since they burst onto the tech scene in June 2010 when the company announced their 14 inch dual screen tablet. It never ended up hitting the market and in early 2011 the company gravitated towards software development. They reached agreements with 75 publishers and has over 200,000 interactive and digital titles their library. Habitual investor of the company, Intel, has just announced they have acquired majority ownership of Kno. John Galvin, the GM of Intel Education said in a statement “The acquisition of Kno boosts Intel's global digital content library to more than 225,000 higher education and K-12 titles through existing partnerships with 75 educational publishers. Even more, the Kno platform provides administrators and teachers with the tools they need to easily assign, manage and monitor their digital learning content and assessments … We're looking forward to combining our expertise with Kno's rich content so that together, we can help teachers create classroom environments and personalized learning experiences that lead to student success.” Most of KNOS team will be moving to Intel to try and kickstart their fledgling educational unit. There will be a series of Intel branded tablets being released soon that will have all of Kno’s software bundled on it. Kno has never been known for making a ton of money and their investors have been lobbying for an exit strategy to make their cash back. Babur Habib is one of the co-founders of Kno and has been a fixture at tech events all over the world, talking about big data. It is unknown if he will be moving to Intel, but the other co-founder Osman Rashid will not be moving in, due to a conflict of company ideals with Intel. Intel Purchases Digital Educational Company Kno is a post from: E-Reader News |
Good e-Reader Android App Store Client Receives Major Update
| The Good e-Reader Android App Store is Canadas largest and has close to 100,000 free apps to download. The Android client for smartphones and tablets is currently being used by over a million people every single month and we have just pushed out the largest update we have ever done! We have added a new Facebook Connect system that will allow users to connect up their accounts and stay logged in, even if they close the app. When logged in via Facebook you can now have your Facebook image appear when leaving reviews of apps. There is also new sharing options available when you install an app or click the share button, so you can let your besties know what new game or reading app you are checking out. Most Android users have at least one tablet and a smartphone and use the same apps on both devices. The new Good e-Reader Cloud system compiles a list of any app you have ever purchased or installed from the store. Under a dedicated “Cloud” list you can 1 click install any app from your list of prior installed apps, no more searching the the store for your favorites. If you want to uninstall an app, we have a new 1 click uninstall option accessible under “My Apps.” Finally, we eliminated a ton of existing bugs to make the store more usable on older devices. The Good e-Reader Android App Store has been going strong for over one year now and we offer a more compelling ecosystem then Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Getjar or 1Mobile. We mandate ourselves to only stocking the best apps available and have no fear of promoting our competitors. Our App Market whether you are accessing it on the web or within the client will work in every single country in the world, without restriction. Download the new Good e-Reader Client from Google Play or the Good e-Reader App Store.
Good e-Reader Android App Store Client Receives Major Update is a post from: E-Reader News |
Digital Comics Bargains for November 8, 2013
| Guy Fawkes Day may be over, but it’s never too late to enjoy an Alan Moore comic. Both comiXology and Amazon are currently running a 99-cent sale on comics by Alan Moore, including the iconic V for Vendetta (illustrated by David Lloyd), which gave the world the Guy Fawkes mask as a protest symbol, thus allowing Anonymous to be anonymous. But it doesn’t stop there: The 99-cent selection also includes Moore’s Swamp Thing, Tom Strong, Promethea, and more. Here’s another sale that’s on at both comiXology, the Nook store, and Amazon: DC graphic novels for $3.99. Choose from Batman, Teen Titans, Nightwing, and more, all first volumes of their New 52 series. ComiXology’s Thor sale is no doubt spurred by the release this week of the new movie Thor: The Dark World. Catch up on Thor’s recent adventures for 99 cents an issue. Dark Horse is having a 99-cent sale on what I guess you would call retro heroes: The Black Beetle, Lobster Johnson, The Shadow. Some are old, others are old-ish. You really can’t go wrong with Francesco Francavilla’s Black Beetle, so if you don’t have those already, grab ‘em now. Digital Comics Bargains for November 8, 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Podcast: New and featured content for November
|
Hear all about the latest publishers to join OverDrive Marketplace in our November collection highlights podcast, now available on OverDrive's Learning Center.
This month's featured publishers boast award-winning romance titles, Spanish-language audiobooks, professional development content for educators, eBooks that teach readers how to play popular instruments, and much more. We also share big news about a highly anticipated publisher who'll be available in Marketplace soon, as well as details about our upcoming holiday sales, which kick off this month with great deals on popular audiobooks.
As always, we wrap up our short podcast with tips and resources for ordering content for your digital collection. Don't miss out on this quick and easy way to brush up on what's available and how to order in OverDrive Marketplace—November's podcast is available all month on OverDrive’s Learning Center.
Carrie Smith is a Technical Writer at OverDrive.
 |
New Ms. Marvel Will Be Muslim Teen from New Jersey
| Marvel turned a lot of heads this week with the announcement that its newest superhero will be a 16-year-old Muslim girl, Kamala Khan. Kamala is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, lives in Jersey City—and can change her shape at will; with her newly awakened powers, she is taking the name Ms. Marvel. The Ms. Marvel character has been around since 1968, and Khan is not the first to bear that title. The original Ms. Marvel was Carol Danvers, an Air Force major who acquired superpowers after an explosion caused her genes to be fused with those of an alien species, the Kree. Last year, Carol became Captain Marvel in the series of that name, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and illustrated by Dexter Soy. And Kamala Khan takes on the mantle of Ms. Marvel because she is an admirer of Carol Danvers—a member of the Carol Corps. "Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for," writer G. Willow Wilson said in an interview with the New York Times. "She's strong, beautiful, and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different.'" Kamala sprung from a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker. "I was telling him some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim-American," Amanat said. "He found it hilarious." The two started talking about the lack of female superheroes as well as superheroes from different cultures, and that got the ball rolling. When they invited Wilson, who is a convert to Islam, to write the comic, she jumped at the chance. The comic ties in with an event in the larger Marvel universe, specifically the Inhumanity storyline: In last month’s Infinity #4, the Terrigen bomb was detonated over New York City, awakening dormant superpowers in a whole group of Inhumans. Kamala is one of these. The character is at once dealing with a very specific situation—being a first-generation immigrant, negotiating the tricky divide between traditional family ways and the life of an American teenager—and something very universal, the need for teenagers to find their own identity and place in the world. For Kamala, this is complicated by her newfound superpower, which should make for an interesting story. Amanat said she is prepared for some criticism: "I do expect some negativity," she told the Times, "not only from people who are anti-Muslim but people who are Muslim and might want the character portrayed in a particular light." New Ms. Marvel Will Be Muslim Teen from New Jersey is a post from: E-Reader News |
New Software Update for 1st Gen Kindle Paperwhite
| Amazon has started rolling out a new software update for the original Kindle Paperwhite. The new firmware version is 5.3.9. When I first saw it I thought maybe Amazon was adding the features from the new Kindle Paperwhite, but alas it’s a minor update with just a couple of changes. I still think it’s likely […] |
Steve Wozniak on the Raspberry Pi
| BBC Click interviewed Steve Wozniak this week, and he had a few words to say about a certain little computer. If you’re in the UK you can watch the programme on iPlayer for the next month. The bit we’re interested in starts at 2:19.  Woz talks Pi. Click to visit iPlayer if you’re in the UK. Since many of you aren’t in the UK (or may be coming to this late), I’ll transcribe the pertinent bits of the interview: namely the bits that had us smiling so widely we were a little worried that the lower parts of our faces might fall off. Spencer Kelly: Do you think, then, that things have got better? Or do you think, with the return of the app…that we’re back to the days of the bedroom programmer – that any one person can be a success? Woz: There are Arduino boards, and Raspberry Pi boards that young people can buy and learn about technology, and even drive motors and things: but there isn’t as much of it. It’s not as easy as it was back then. But the creative desires come out of a brain. (Gestures at head.) And the creative desires are coming out in other ways – thank god for the App Store! I’m so glad for that, that Apple didn’t say “No apps can come out except for ones that we write”; that would have been horrible. (Spencer and Woz talk about the App store and Steve Jobs. Then:) Spencer Kelly: You mentioned the Raspberry Pi. Are you a fan of getting real nuts-and-bolts engineering into schools as early as possible? Woz: From a very young age on. You don’t need the high-level math of calculus or the stuff you get at university level. Any young child, even ten years old, can understand enough to learn to program, and the Raspberry Pi – you can hook wires to little motors, you can build devices that do things. What an incredible learning experience. Or sensors – you know, or when I say a certain word it’ll turn on the lights. Those are really fun projects for young people. And they are a growing step in developing the great technologists of the future, that build the devices we all live with. – As far as we at Raspberry Towers are concerned, Woz occupies the same bit of the pantheon as Merlin the Magician. We have now watched this clip about forty times, and it’s still not getting old. Thank you Woz. That absolutely made our day.
|
OverDrive Releases Update to School Digital Library Interface
| OverDrive, one of the world’s largest digital content and media suppliers to academic and public libraries, has rolled out a new update to its web interface that will make searching for content even more streamlined. The first enhancement helps ensure that users who access the interface via computer, tablet, or smartphone will see a very similar storefront, helping make searching easier by keeping information in as uniform a space as possible across the different platforms. But it is the second feature, Recommend to Library, that may offer the most assistance to both patrons and library directors. By allowing students to search the OverDrive catalog for content and then clicking to recommend that title, libraries can keep up with what content their patrons are requesting. In addition, once a title has been added to the catalog by the library, the requesting patron will receive an email stating that it is now available through the library. Of course, with so much recent attention focused on the accidental exposure of children to inappropriate subject matter in different ebook stores due to metadata miscalculation, OverDrive has taken measures to ensure that only age-appropriate content can be requested by patrons at public school libraries. Using the Recommend to School feature, students can only request that their libraries purchase titles “with Juvenile or Young Adult subject categories, titles that have school metadata, such as Lexile/ATOS scores, ortitles that have been added to other school library collections.” Finally, teachers have been provided with even greater tools for seeking out student reading material. “Users are now able to search for titles based on standardized reading level information such as Lexile, ATOS and Accelerated Reader scores. This new metadata will assist teachers in identifying the most appropriate content for their students.” Within the new interface, users can select from three different visual themes, can adjust their lending periods, and can alter their account settings to pre-select different categories of books.
OverDrive Releases Update to School Digital Library Interface is a post from: E-Reader News |
Amazon Names Best Books of 2013
| Amazon’s Book Editors have chosen their top picks for Best Books of the Year, making selections across a wide variety of categories. While the comprehensive list has one hundred selected titles, the top ten books are: 1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt "This year offered a stellar list of books to choose from, both fiction and nonfiction," said Sara Nelson, Editorial Director of Books and Kindle at Amazon.com, in a press release. "Our top choice, The Goldfinch, is an emotionally trenchant masterpiece and was hands down our team's favorite book of the year." Celebrity authors were invited to pick their top books of the year, and they were “Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, chosen by George R.R. Martin, Life After Life, selected by Helene Wecker (debut author of The Golem and the Jinni), and The Sound of Things Falling, which is one of Khaled Hosseini's favorites.” Amazon is offering readers two incentives to accompany this list. First, the Best Books of 2013: Reader’s Guide offers insiders’ look at author interviews, excerpts, and information on each of the books included in this year’s top picks. In addition, Amazon is hosting a sweepstakes in which three winners will be given a Kindle Paperwhite filled with this year’s selections. The free Kindle readers’ guide can be found HERE, and the sweepstakes entry can be found HERE.
Amazon Names Best Books of 2013 is a post from: E-Reader News |
