| Amazon has two very high-definition tablets that fall into their new HDX product line. There is a seven inch version and one that is almost nine inches in size. They certainly have similar specs but how does the extra few inches influence the e-reading and multimedia experience? Today we put both models head to head to see what one comes out on-top. The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 features a seven inch capacitive multi-touch screen with a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels. The resolution is a huge upgrade from the previous generation which only had 1280 x 800. HD videos on Netflix and HD comics from Comixology are the most noticeable improvements. Magazines actually don't see any improvements as the ones purchased from Amazon seem to be scaled down to be functional on their entire line of devices. In a direct comparison to the 3rd generation Kindle Fire, they looked exactly the same. Underneath the hood is a quad-core 2.2 GHZ processor and 2 GB of RAM. You have different models for storage and the entry level model has 16 GB of internal memory. When you take it out of the box for the first time there is only 8.8 GB of memory to play with and there is no expandable memory via SD. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 features a 8.9 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2560x1600p pixels with 339 ppi. The 7 inch HDX has a resolution of 1920×1200 at 323 PPI. Amazon is hyping up reduced glare, dynamic image contrast, and improved brightness for better viewing in any lighting conditions. Underneath the hood is a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor that is running at 2.2 GHZ and 2 GB of RAM. There is also a dedicated on-board graphics with the Adreno 330 graphics engine. All of these things combined will be one seriously powerful unit that will be able to tap into the extensive Amazon App Store and be able to run any app or game that you can throw at it. It will also be useful for viewing videos and movies as part of Amazon Video. Amazon has the speakers at the top of the device now and audiobooks/movies will sound really good with Dolby Audio. Today we compare both models primarily as a vehicle to consume eBooks, magazines, newspapers and comic books. We also compare the audio/video experience with some HD content. Amazon Kindle HDX 7 vs Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Amazon Kindle HDX 7 vs Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9
Understanding the (Marvel Comics) Universe
| Marvel Comics have been around for 70 years, and during that time their universe of characters has been steadily growing and evolving; in a recent talk, Marvel vp of web and application development Peter Olson sketched out the dimensions: over 8,000 named characters, written and illustrated by 5,000 creators, appearing in 30,000 comics, 32 movies, and over 30 television shows. The very richness of the Marvel universe, however, is also the greatest barrier to entry for many people: So many characters, constantly changing not only over time but also across different titles—Spider-Man used to be Peter Parker in the Amazing Spider-Man comics (and he still is in the newspaper comic strip) but now the former villain Otto Octavius has taken him over in Superior Spider-Man, while Miles Morales wears the webs in Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. Captain America was Steve Rogers, then he died and his sidekick Bucky Barnes took over, except that in the movie Captain America was Steve Rogers again. Like they say on Facebook, it’s complicated. That’s a barrier for new readers. The movies based on Marvel characters are among the top grossers at the box office, but it’s pretty much impossible for someone who has just seen the Avengers movie to pick up an Avengers comic and start reading. That’s the problem that Olsen is working on: Creating a massive data map of all Marvel characters. Right now, Wikipedia is the confused reader’s best friend, and if the article is up to date, it will give a pretty good sense of who the character is and what changes it has been through. But that’s a one-dimensional view. The beauty of Olsen’s database is that it maps out the characters and their relationships to one another, the types of stories, even the styles of the creators. That will allow readers not only to learn who the characters are, across time and different storylines, but also to find more comics that they will like: “Instead of waiting for Amazon-style "users also bought" data suggestions, Marvel wants to track relationships within its vast library. Like the teen superhero angle of Runaways? Try Young Avengers. But wait, you just want to see more stories drawn in the style of original Runaways artist Adrian Alphona? The Marvel graph database will find an answer based not only on book similarities but nuanced metadata, like writer or artist style. Better still, it'll do what the venerable ComicBookDatabase cannot: confidently propose a list of essential story arcs for the new fan.” And it will recommend movies and other media as well as just comics. This type of graph database has many possible applications outside of comics, but the tangled universe of Marvel continuity is certainly a great place to start. Understanding the (Marvel Comics) Universe is a post from: E-Reader News |
More Exciting Book Opportunities for Reading Shoppers
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A movement started by author Sherman Alexie and supported by IndieBound.org may surprise any fans of books who venture into bookstores today. Don’t be surprised if James Patterson rings up your purchases, or Mary Anne Kempher points to a title you’re looking for. Hundreds of authors have signed up to lend their support, not in terms of publicity or book signings, but just by volunteering on what will hopefully prove to be a profitable day for these small business owners. For those shoppers who plan to spend today bundled up inside and taking advantage of perks like discounts and free shipping on different retail websites, don’t forget to take a look at the Wordplay Shakespeare site, as the publisher of side-by-side translations of some of Shakespeare’s best loved titles will be gifting copies of the enhanced ebook for Macbeth in a random drawing to new subscribers to the newsletter. The sign-ups can be found HERE.
More Exciting Book Opportunities for Reading Shoppers is a post from: E-Reader News |
Friday, November 29, 2013
Video: Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9 vs Kobo Arc 10 HD
| Amazon has had more success with building a strong tablet brand then Kobo. One of the big strengths of the Seattle based company is packaging their ecosystem and delivering a unique Android experience. Today, we look at the two latest entrants to both companies product portfolios and see how they perform in real world tests. The Kobo Arc 10 HD features a stunning 10-inch capacitive touchscreen with ten point multitouch. It has one of the best resolutions in the business with 2560×1600 pixels. Meanwhile the new Amazon HDX tablet has the exact same resolution of the Kobo device, but packages it in a 8.9 inch screen. Both tablets have similar hardware specs, such as quad core processors and RAM. Aside from the hardware, both companies have been developing cool software enhancements that go the extra distance. Kobo has done “Beyond the Book” which basically gives you a rundown of the author, major characters and locations mentioned in the book. Amazon does X-Ray, which is a bit more polished, since its been around longer. It lists all of the major characters, how often they are referenced, and other does people, places and things. Kobo and Amazon bill their tablets as e-Readers, instead of general purpose editions like the iPad. In order to gauge what the better investment for your holiday dollars we put the HDX and HD models head to head to see what type of job they reading eBooks, magazines, newspapers, comic books and audio/video. Video: Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9 vs Kobo Arc 10 HD is a post from: E-Reader News |
Video: Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9
| Amazon has been making tablets for a number of years and only has two of them that feature 8.9 inch screens. Today in another installment of the Good e-Reader Video Comparison Series, we look at both models to give you a sense on what they both bring to the table. There are a number of differences on the hardware level, with the latest generation Fire HDX having a faster processor and higher resolution. It also has a number of software enhancements such as Mayday, which gives you the ability to receive live help from an Amazon agent. Sure specs are great on paper, but it is all about real world performance. As you can see in the screen capture leading off this article, video on the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 looks very solid. In this video we mainly look at the e-reading experience and how the same content, side by side, performs. Peter looks at newspapers, magazines, comics, eBooks and even conducts an audio/video test. If you have the older model and are wondering if you should upgrade or not, this video is for you. Video: Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Price Fixing Monitor Blasted by Apple for Legal Fee Extortion
| The Justice Department came down hard on Apple for the agency pricing model where it established they colluded with major publishers to create a fixed price for digital books. When everything was all said and done the court appointed a monitor to insure Apple was complying with the antitrust settlement. Today, Apple is blasting the monitor that is charging them $1,100 per hour and saying they had no choice in finding someone better. Former US Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich was the man selected by the courts to keep tabs on Apple. In the first two weeks of work, Bromwich invoiced the Mac-maker $138,432. That number includes not only his own hourly fee, but that of a number of legal assistants brought in to support the role, and a 15% "administrative surcharge" on top. Apple said they were left hamstrung with the choice of monitor, given the role was filled by judge Denise Cote. "Mr. Bromwich appears to be simply taking advantage of the fact that there is no competition here or, in his view, any ability on the part of Apple, the subject of his authority, to push back on his demands" Apple wrote, Bloomberg reports. One of the biggest complaints that Apple has is the fact Michael is apparently allowed to talk to Apple employees without counsel present, in addition to being able to report back to Justice Cote without Apple also being in the room. The Justice Department is yet to comment on the new complaint. Price Fixing Monitor Blasted by Apple for Legal Fee Extortion is a post from: E-Reader News |
Digital Comics Bargains for Black Friday
| Stay away from the mall this Black Friday and scoop up some digital deals for yourself—or your friends. Dark Horse has an amazing deal on Star Wars comics: A megabundle of over 150 single issues for $100. The bundle includes Brian Wood’s Star Wars (set in the world of the original movie), the kid-friendly Clone Wars, all three arcs of The Crimson Empire, and all sorts of Star Wars storylines that Dark Horse has spun out from the originals over the years. On Cyber Monday, Dark Horse will offer 50% off all comics on its web store only; just enter the promo code dhdcyber2013 when you check out. The sale is December 2 only, from midnight (PST) to midnight. ComiXology has a couple of sales that should match every taste. If you’re a superhero type, jump on the Avengers vs. X-Men sale, with a ton of single-issue comics for 99 cents each or the collected edition for $19.99 (that’s half price). The folks who are creating a real buzz in the comics world right now are Image, and comiXology’s Image sale lets you jump on to a bunch of different series with strong characters and original storylines: Saga, Great Pacific, It-Girl and the Atomics, The Manhattan Projects. All highly recommended, all available in graphic novel format, so you get a good chunk of story for $3.99 to $7.99. I can’t find a direct link, but scroll down comiXology’s sale page and you’ll also find a good sale on comics from Action Labs, a up-and-coming indy publisher. The deal of the day is the first volume of Princeless, their Eisner-nominated all-ages series, for $1.99. That’s a great digital comics gift for any kid who likes adventure and fantasy. And if you spent all your money at the mall, don’t despair: Both comiXology and Amazon are still offering the free DC digital-first comics through December 2. Manga fans should check out Digital Manga’s Blackout Week sale: Get 20% off all purchases on the eManga website by entering the promo code BLACKOUT at the checkout. For those who like their manga with a side of anime, Crunchyroll is offering a 12-month all-access pass for $69.99, which is half price. That gets you access to their full range of streaming manga, including Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail, as well as Digital Comics Bargains for Black Friday is a post from: E-Reader News |
OpenSprinkler Pi
| I’ve been meaning to write about this for ages: I hate watering the garden. I’ve met Ray, the Mind Behind, a couple of times now, I actually *own* one of these boards, and…I hate watering the garden. Did I mention that? If you hate watering the garden but enjoy messing around with computers, OpenSprinkler Pi is a no-brainer. It’s the cheapest and most configurable system of its type I’ve come across, it’s open source (and this means that Ray’s not the only person working on it – tools from the community like Rich Zimmerman’s Sprinklers_Pi software add features like weather control, so you can adjust your irrigation depending on your local weather forecast), and there’s a big community adding features all the time. You can read more at rayshobby.net, find links to a ton of code, and buy a board there too. We highly recommend you take a look; Ray’s a great guy, and we love what he’s doing with the Pi. |
Ad-Based Reading Service Readfy Launches in Beta
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But Dusseldorf-based Readfy is hoping their own brand of subscription reading will finally prove to be what readers want. What makes their model different? It’s free. Very similar in structure to the base level of 24Symbols lowest tier in their freemium structure, readers can access unlimited amounts of content in the Readfy catalog while seeing ads embedded in the ebooks. But as 24Symbols and even Amazon have found out, readers are not clamoring to tolerate ads in their reading spaces, even for a bargain. But unlike models that use the ad-embedded free model in order to encourage users to upgrade to an ad-free level, Readfy has no plans in its model to encourage signing up. What will prove to be difficult for the German company, however, is reconciling the readers’ interests, the authors’ interests, and the advertisers’ interests; to date, both publishers and advertisers have both been wary of how digital is going to produce verifiable revenue based on the user experience. One thing working in Readfy’s favor that other similar attempts did not have is timing. Readfy’s full launch, expected next year, comes at a time when reading consumers are already accustomed to social reading, sharing information on titles, and reading on smartphones, which means enjoying the portability more than the experience.
Ad-Based Reading Service Readfy Launches in Beta is a post from: E-Reader News |
Unboxing the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
| Welcome to another Good e-Reader Unboxing Video! Today we check out the brand new Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9. This is the second tablet of this size the company has produced and has some very solid hardware compared to the first generation. We show you everything that comes in the box and power the unit on for the first time. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 features a 8.9 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2560x1600p pixels with 339 ppi.Underneath the hood is a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor that is running at 2.2 GHZ and 2 GB of RAM. There is also a dedicated on-board graphics with the Adreno 330 graphics engine. All of these things combined will be one seriously powerful unit that will be able to tap into the extensive Amazon App Store and be able to run any app or game that you can throw at it. It will also be useful for viewing videos and movies as part of Amazon Video. Amazon has the speakers at the top of the device now and audiobooks/movies will sound really good with Dolby Audio. One of the most interesting aspects of the 8.9 inch is the frame, it is comprised of a single-piece of machined magnesium with a blend of glass and nylon molded onto the uni-body to create openings for the antennas and maximize signal strength without sacrificing sturdiness. The result is the lightest large-screen tablet—at just 13.2 ounces, it is 34% lighter than the previous generation large-screen Fire HD tablet. Unboxing the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Video: Nook HD+ vs Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
| Welcome to another Good e-Reader Comparison Video! With the holidays right around the corner you can get the Nook HD+ for a solid price, normally around the $139 range. Its been out for almost a year now, whereas the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 just came out and has a premium cost of $379.99. If you are looking to purchase either of these two devices you won’t want to miss this video. Today in our comparison video we evaluate the core e-reading experience. We give you a sense of comics, newspapers, magazines, and eBooks perform. The Nook has the advantage with Google Play and the ability to download basically whatever you want. The Amazon App Store is a more curated experience and normally don’t stock apps that compete with any of their business interests. You are more or less locked into dealing with Amazon exclusively unless you know how to load in your own apps. The Nook is fairly agnostic with Google but if you want to buy content from B&N you will only be able to do it in the USA or UK. Video: Nook HD+ vs Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a post from: E-Reader News |
McGraw-Hill Professional eBooks go live at OverDrive for public libraries
| Starting today, Black Friday, the entire McGraw-Hill Professional catalog of 5,000+ business, technical and educational reference titles are available.
McGraw-Hill Professional's full eBook catalog is now live for libraries worldwide. This catalog is one of the premier eBook collections for career, reference, IT and certification titles available on the market today. To celebrate this new offering, all 2012 and 2013 McGraw-Hill eBook releases, (more than 800 titles) will be discounted 30 percent for public library partners through the end of this year in OverDrive Marketplace.
Libraries will be able to offer 24/7 access to McGraw-Hill Professional digital titles in three broad categories: Business/Consumer, Science/Technical, and Test Prep/Education. Their proven reputation is highlighted with such notable collections as 5 Steps to a 5 AP (test prep series), Practice Makes Perfect (foreign language study), Schaum's Outline (study aid series), Mike Meyers' CompTIA (tech series), and Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World's Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees. High-demand bestsellers include The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley; McGraw-Hill's 5 TEAS Practice Tests by Kathy Zahler; and Programming the Raspberry Pi: Getting Started in Python by Simon Monk.
The eBook collection for libraries includes over 1,000 recently released titles for researchers, business professionals, consumers, scientists, and students including test preparation titles for the ACT, SAT, MCAT or LSAT.
For more information on this partnership or to learn how to add McGraw-Hill Professional titles to your library catalog, contact sales@overdrive.com.
Heather Tunstall is the Public Relations Specialist for OverDrive.
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Thursday, November 28, 2013
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals for eReaders and Tablets 2013
| There are a lot of really good deals to be had on tablets and ebook readers this Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. Well, maybe not so much for dedicated ebook readers, although some older Nooks can be had for really cheap, but there are tons of tablets on sale. In fact there are so […] |
Movember: two days to go!
| You might remember that Eben has been taking part in Movember this month, giving over his top lip to charity for thirty days. He’s raising money for men’s mental health, in memory of our friend Oggie, who died in 2007. He elected for the Magnum PI look (geddit?), but sadly, as the month has progressed, we have come to realise that Tom Selleck’s ability to grow hair on the top of his head as well helped him to avoid looking like an angry square-basher and gave him a certain Hawaiian je ne sais quoi. Eben lacks that tonsurial ability, and has found that his moustache makes him look very…military.  We call this look the “Brigadier who has smelled something nasty”. The moustache has been very well travelled this month. Here it is in Cornwall:  …and we call this look the “Oswald Mosely”. And here it is in Manchester, being concealed behind a handy insta-hipster window. The moustache, in its early Ï€ symbol incarnation, accompanied us to Wales on visit to Sony, where it was mocked roundly (mostly by me, if I’m to be completely honest), resulting in the loss of its…wings. Back in Cambridge, Eben discovered that there is at least one benefit to owning a moustache: namely, if your hands are full and your nose is itchy, you can use your top lip to scratch it. And most recently, the moustache has been to New York, where it caused untold problems at immigration (the passport inspector had one look at Eben’s passport photo and one look at him, and said: “What the hell happened to you?”).  At the Intrepid Museum in New York. Only one of the nose cones on display has enough room underneath it for a LUXURIANT MOUSTACHE. The moustache has not been to space. Eben has had a tough month. People who have not heard of Movember believe he’s growing it in earnest, people who have heard of it are pointing and laughing, and I am finding it hard to bestow wifely kisses on him without sniggering. Most recently he has found himself having to trim it every morning because the hairs get in his mouth and tickle his lips. And Mooncake the cat is confused by the moustache, and nibbles it in the night. So he (and I) would be very grateful if you could send some last-minute moustache sponsorship by clicking here or on any of the pictures. Roll on December 1. |
Google Releases Edu Device Setup App For Syncing Nexus Tablets With Google Play for Education Program
| Google has come up with a new app aimed at optimizing the use of tablets in classrooms in sync with its Google Play for Education program, introduced earlier in the month. The Google Edu Device Setup app is meant to be used exclusively by the administrators to help them make the most of the Nexus tablets in the classroom. Also, the app is compatible with the Google Education purchase program and it is imperative for the user to have an administrative account at Google Play for Education. The new app will guide the user in connecting to the school wi-fi network, as well as offer child-appropriate values for key settings, among others. Administrators will also have the option to enable or disable particular groups from receiving content from Google Play For Education.
Google Releases Edu Device Setup App For Syncing Nexus Tablets With Google Play for Education Program is a post from: E-Reader News |
Amazon Launches Instant Online Video Service in Japan
| Amazon has unveiled another of its popular services, Instant Video, in Japan as it attempts to match up to the local player Rakuten. On offer will be more than 26,000 films and TV shows that are either of foreign origin or sourced locally. Of these, about 15000 are in HD and are available for streaming or download on compatible devices. Movies or TV shows can be rented for 100 yen for 24 hours, though this applies largely to the older titles. Newer films such as Monsters University, can be picked up on rent for $5 or outright purchase will cost $25. Apart from its Instant Video service, Amazon also offers ebooks and music services in Japan. The timing of the launch of the Instant Online Video service is interesting in that it comes just a day ahead of the official launch of the Kindle Fire HDX in that country, slated to happen tomorrow. So it's hardly surprising the tablet that has been priced will also accompany a 2000 yen (about $25) coupon to entice buyers into trying the service instantly. Amazon also stated there is a single 100,000 yen coupon as well to be picked up. However, with the debut of its Instant Video platform, Amazon will be up against some established like Hulu, Apple, and Google. There are also several domestic companies offering video services that Amazon will have to contend with. These include GyaO Corp, Tsutaya TV and NotTV. Shochiku Co. and Toho Co will serve as Amazon's content partners while NHK and Fuji TV will be the local broadcasters.
Amazon Launches Instant Online Video Service in Japan is a post from: E-Reader News |
Unpublished Salinger Stories Leaked via PDF
| In what is quite possibly going to prove to be one of the most famous examples of ebook piracy, an apparent leak of three of JD Salinger’s unpublished short stories seems to have happened thanks to a buyer on eBay. The manuscripts for the stories, “Birthday Boy,” “Paula,” and what appears to be somewhat of a continuation of the lives of the characters found in Salinger’s best known work Catcher in the Rye with the story “The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls,” have been stored under lock and key in two separate library collections until now. An illegally printed and crudely bound version was listed for sale in this eBay auction, and subsequently bought by someone who scanned and uploaded the files. Now, news of the leaked stories has Salinger scholars flustered as to how these stories got out. A number of people who had been granted access to the unpublished works over the years have looked at the leaked digital version and stated that it does not look like the authorized unpublished copies that they originally read years ago. According to one expert, the version he read, which was stored at Princeton, looked more like a type-written version to submit to a publisher, as opposed to the more polished version that was leaked. The title page of the leaked version states that it is an unpublished version of the works, as well as that it is number six of twenty-five. Despite being first mentioned by the uploader on reddit only yesterday, the issue already has many up in arms about copyright infringement versus the right of the public to have access to written works.
Unpublished Salinger Stories Leaked via PDF is a post from: E-Reader News |
Kisai Rorschach Smartwatch Uses Cryptic Inkblot Marking to Depict Time
| Tokyoflash Japan is the newest entrant to the rapidly emerging smartwatch segment. However, the Kisai Rorschach smartwatch is unlike any other smartwatch currently available in the market. While the others in the game are busy wooing buyers with tech bits or the unique features that their smartwatch devices are capable of, the Kisai Rorschach stands out miles away from the rest in the way it accomplishes its most basic function, that of displaying time. Those in the knowing may have already picked up the scent though the majority out there is least likely to be aware of what or who Rorschach refers to. To begin with, Hermann Rorschach has been a Swiss psychologist and had developed the Rorschach inkblot test in 1921. Sometimes often referred to as just the inkblot test, it has been described in Wikipedia as a "psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both." However, no matter how weird the display might look like which seems to be the farthest it can be from depicting the current time, it actually is quite easy to read the time once explained. The top left portion of the marking depicts the hour while the bottom left portion shows the minute. The rest are just reflections of the hour and minute readings which in turn gives rise to the inkblot effect. The Rorschach bit apart, the smartwatch comes with an e-ink display which means the display can be on at all times. It is powered by the standard CR2016 watch battery which again is user replaceable. Further adding to the power saving credential of the smartwatch is the 'Sleep Mode' feature that it offers. As is self explanatory, this mode when invoked will draw just the minimum from the battery. Also, the Sleep Mode is designed to come in effect from 12 AM to 7 AM, a time period when everyone is supposed to be fast asleep. Company sources announced the smartwatch can remain in operation for three years at a stretch on a single battery with the Sleep Mode enabled. Unfortunately, the Kisai Rorschach is exclusive to Japan, at least for the time being. No word on when it can be seen on foreign shores.
Kisai Rorschach Smartwatch Uses Cryptic Inkblot Marking to Depict Time is a post from: E-Reader News |
Walking Dead Single Issue Comics Now Available on Google Play Books
| Image Comics have descended into the Google Play Books store and readers will be able to purchase over 500 single issues and graphic novels. Seminal comics like the Walking Dead and Saga are all available and should be a boon for people who don’t like dealing with Comixology or the Amazon store. There are a number of incentives kick things off, Image is giving away free issues of The Walking Dead, Saga, Chew, Invincible and Super Dinosaur series to get people downloading and checking the library of content out. Image has been around since 1992 and has had a number of legendary writers and artists who have published with them. Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, and Marc Silvestri are but a few of the usual suspects. The comic company has developed a fairly loyal following over the years, due to some of the breakout successes like the Walking Dead. Eric Stephenson from Image said “It's exciting to bring digital versions of Image Comics titles to the Google Play Store. Our philosophy toward digital content is expanding as the market evolves and grows, and this is just one of many steps we’re taking as we continue to move into the future.” Walking Dead Single Issue Comics Now Available on Google Play Books is a post from: E-Reader News |
Black Friday Special: Roundup of The Best Deals on iPad, iPad Air and iPad Mini
| Black Friday is within sniffing distance and rattles of discounts and freebies are hanging heavy in the air. Retailers resort to every trick they know of to woo consumers which make this time of the year the best to pick up things they have long cherished. Tablet devices have already topped consumer preference this year, it is but only natural for the latest Apple iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display to garner a lion's share of consumer attention. Retailers too have been busy chalking out lucrative deals to appeal to the buyers. Mentioned here is a roundup of all the best deals currently on offer for the Apple tablets. Those who'd like to pick up the new iPad Air, its Target that they should be headed to to avail of the best bargain. Price being quote for the 9.7 inch tablet is $479 which is also inclusive of a Target Gift Card worth another $100. This makes the new iPad Air to be up for grabs for a cool $379, several notches below the original price of $499. Best Buy and Staples too have lined up discount schemes on the iPad Air but isn't offering any gift cards. Instead, what buyers will get is a flat $50 discount thereby making the iPad cheaper at $449 – $450 at both the retailers. With the iPad Mini with Retina Display , you can consider yourself lucky if you are able to lay your hands on one this time round what with supply still to settle down. As such, most stores are forced to do with the first gen iPad Mini and Walmart is above the rest when it comes to the best price for the mini iPad variant. Price quoted at Walmart for the iPad Mini is a sweet $299, which is made even more sweet with the inclusion of a $100 gift card in the deal. Target too is offering the first gen iPad Mini for the same $299 but includes a gift card worth $75. Staples too has a discount scheme running for the iPad Mini which includes a $80 price cut for all of its iPad Mini stocks. This makes the entry level version of the tablet to cost just $249. As for the iPad Mini with Retina Display, it is only Target that is reported to have received a small shipment of the tablet and is offering a $75 gift card with purchase of the same. For those who are looking to pick up the second gen iPad 2 on the cheap, this is the best time to do so. The 9.7 inch tablet is now on sale for just $299 after weighing in a $100 discount offered by both Staples and Best Buy. The price mentioned is applicable to the entry level 16 GB version of the iPad 2 while Staples is extending the $100 discount across all versions of the iPad 2. With the iPad 4 that comes with a retina display, the discount being offered is an even higher $150 which makes the 16 GB Wi-Fi only version of the 9.7 inch tablet to cost $349. This is applicable to Staples though others too have enticing deals covering the iPad 4. For instance Target is offering the iPad 4 for $449 which includes a $100 worth of gift card. However, the prices can change during last minute adjustments or depending on stock levels. Also, consumers will have to hurry if they do not wish to be left out of all the fun, particularly with items that are in demand. These include the iPad Air along with both the first and second gen iPad Mini devices.
Black Friday Special: Roundup of The Best Deals on iPad, iPad Air and iPad Mini is a post from: E-Reader News |
