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Now, a new people-powered literary-themed fudning site has launched, this time using the power of video engagement to support charities. Rather than a simple crowdfunding concept that develops capital for books, Wizeo offers participants the opportunity to video chat with a wide variety of noteworthy people, all for a good cause. The premise is that participants will make a $3 donation to the charity that is supported by the chat in order to connect live with an author; other chats feature different figures, including artists, musicians, actors, and more. For participating in the chat, users are automatically entered into a drawing for a follow-up one-on-one chat with the author. Apart from the good that is done for charity, Wizeo sees this as a seamless approach to letting authors connect with fans. Much like the 2011 Spreecast event that Good e-Reader hosted with author HP Mallory for more than one hundred of her fans, this platform basically charges a pittance fee for charity and allows a unique engagement experience between authors and their readers. As authors and publishers struggle to gain book visibility and foster discovery among readers in a glut of content, Wizeo can be another piece of the puzzle for building interaction and promotion. More importantly, the “feel good” aspect of the concept means authors aren’t walking around yet again with their hands out, looking for consumers’ dollars to line their own pockets. This is a way to build that promotion without the often-criticized “book pimping” mentality. While the platform is aimed at established names in the industry, self-published authors are welcome as long as they have the kind of following that would support hosting an event. Wizeo plans to launch with as many as eight 15-minute chats per day, and can only support its model of charitable giving by ensuring large enough participation to make it successful.
Wizeo Book Funding Platform Takes Advantage of Video to Increase Exposure is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Wizeo Book Funding Platform Takes Advantage of Video to Increase Exposure
Lets Play – Star Wars Journeys – The Phantom Menace
| Star Wars Journeys – The Phantom Menace was the first animated storybook that LucasArts and Disney worked on together. The first episode costs $6.99 and is available exclusively on iOS. Today, we play through the first 6 chapters to give you a sense on what this brings to the table. The first installment of the game walks you through the core events from the Episode 1 movie. There is all sorts of interesting dynamics, such as the ability to tilt the screen to see what is happening to the far left and far right. Often, there are characters and hidden animations that pop up if you click on secondary characters. One interesting sequence occurred during the rescue of Queen Amidala’s royal procession. You can click on the main characters and they chop down robots or force push them away, all the while making wisecracks. Whenever you click on a major character or NPC it will bring up an entry to the database. This is accessed from the main menu and gives you backstory and how the character is relevant to the first story installment. Today, we play the first six chapters and will do the next six in next few weeks. We will also show you the game mechanics behind the podracing mini game and how story unlocks enhance your racer. Lets Play – Star Wars Journeys – The Phantom Menace is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Friday, May 9, 2014
Amazon Signs Landmark Agreement with Giunti al Punto Bookstore
| Amazon will be furnishing Giunti al Punto bookstores with Kindle e-readers and helping the Italian retailer the ability to open up their own custom digital bookstore. By the end of the summer all 170 stores will have a dedicated Kindle section. Starting today through December 31, 2014, Giunti al Punto customers will receive five free Kindle books of their choice, from the Giunti catalog when they buy any Kindle e-reader at the Giunti al Punto bookstores. Later this year and with the support of Amazon, Giunti al Punto bookstores will open an online shop where its customers will have access to a vast selection of books, physical media products and toys available on Amazon.it. Customers of the Giunti online shop will benefit from a great customer experience from Amazon logistics, delivery and customer service. Moreover, for every purchase on the new Giunti online shop, customers will also earn Giunti points, which can be converted into vouchers and spent in the Giunti al Punto physical bookstores. Amazon Signs Landmark Agreement with Giunti al Punto Bookstore is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Amazon Introduces Experiance and Badges on the Kindle Fire
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The new experience system allows players to level up by playing games, meaning the more you play, the more experience you earn. This data is public and can be shared with your friends as a way to compete against each other. If you have been playing games for quite some time, all of the experience is retroactively given out. Players can now earn badges for special achievements when playing, downloading, or reaching certain plateaus in any given game. Badges can be earned by completing special challenges for apps using the new Amazon Game Circle API. Big name properties embraced this before the new system was unveiled today, so Real Racing, Temple Run, Cut the Rope 2, and many Disney titles all have special badges available. There’s a dedicated gaming section that lets you know which titles support the badge system. When you earn badges, you may elect to have one displayed next to the expanded player avatar system. Players can choose from a selected list of stock images that have 40+ avatars to choose from, but currently there is no ability to upload your own. Only one badge can sit next to your avatar at a time, and you can select the one that you dig the most. One of the coolest ones is the Zombie Killer badge, but many more should be added in the coming weeks. This new player profile, badge, and experience system is very interesting. It gives attainable goals that players can strive for. Apple and Google both have their own Game Center systems, but Amazon is doing something noticeably different. Companies like Microsoft have been offering badges and achievements for quite awhile, and it gets pretty addicting to try and collect them all from a particular game. Likely, this is what Amazon is betting on in the mobile space. Amazon Introduces Experiance and Badges on the Kindle Fire is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle for Android: How to Sideload eBooks and PDFs Tutorial (Video)
| Have you ever tried to download a non-DRM Kindle ebook or PDF and try to read it in the Kindle for Android app? If so, you’ve probably encountered the annoying problem of the ebook or PDF not opening or not appearing in the library of the Kindle reading app. If you download a Kindle-compatible ebook […] |
New Tension Between Amazon, Hachette Over Book Terms
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In statements issued today, Hachette’s spokesperson explained quite openly that the titles were available, that Amazon had them, but that Amazon wasn’t shipping them. This is despite the fact that some of those same titles are available immediately from other retail distributors, and despite the publication date, as some titles are brand-new releases and others are classics. Before the Amazon bashing begins–and while Good e-Reader in no way condones preventing consumers from having access to reading material–it should be noted that this is not an uncommon tactic between publishers and retailers. During the intensity of negotiating better stocking fees, better shelf space visibility for brick-and-mortar retailers, and other fine points of the bookselling business, many retailers have engaged in a reduction in stock and sales times. Barnes and Noble notably had a dispute with Simon&Schuster in the recent past, and Amazon has already squabbled with more than one publisher, resulting in removing their titles from its retail space. If it’s not too soon to revel in the madness, it’s worth noting that ebooks are unaffected by the tension over contracts, quite possibly due to the fact that Amazon also sells an e-reader line and a tablet line. The last thing the retailer wants to do is to give customers an excuse to take a look at a shiny new device from a different manufacturer or supplier.
New Tension Between Amazon, Hachette Over Book Terms is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Samsung’s Tablet Screens are Better than the Resolution Suggests
| I picked up one of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 tablets that Samsung just released (I’ll post a full review soon), and I was surprised to find that the screen is a lot better than I expected from a tablet with lower screen resolution. I read a review somewhere that said something along the […] |
Open Road Media Launches Spanish Language eBook Imprint
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In a statement, Jane Friedman, cofounder and CEO of Open Road said: "We are strong believers in the power of the Spanish language market and are excited to unveil our initial list and connect our authors with Spanish readers across the world." Translation is still misunderstood by a lot of the reading market, as it is not as simple as plugging the text file of a manuscript into an app and generating a new language file. Not only are there nuances and character elements that have to come through, which can–at least for now–really only be done by a human speaker of both languages, but each region carries its own flavor of particular languages. A book cannot simply be translated in Spanish and appreciated by speakers in every different relevant country; in fact, some translation service providers are even breaking English down in US, UK, India, and Australia-specific editions. Obviously, this makes translation not only prohibitively expensive for many publishers–other than the handful of language markets that can provide the highest financial return–but also a laborious process that makes these books slow to reach their intended audiences. While Ciudad de Libros titles will reach the Spanish language market with both translations and native-first titles, this attention to foreign language markets from a well-known publisher is a great step towards providing ebooks to international readers. "We offer the Spanish reader the possibility to discover authors of various nationalities from the past and present via great books,” continued Blanca Rosa Roca, cofounder and president of Barcelona Digital Editions. “We're thrilled to share the talent of these authors and do our best to assure they are never forgotten."
Open Road Media Launches Spanish Language eBook Imprint is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Boris, the Twitter Dino-Bot
| UK teachers: want two days of free, top-class CPD? Check out Picademy, and send us your applications! What do you get if you cross a PiFace with a rubber dinosaur from Marks and Spencer? Twitter magic, that’s what. Teacher Dan Aldred has come up with a thing of beauty: a hack that makes your desktop dinosaur roar whenever it’s mentioned on Twitter. (What do you mean, you don’t have a desktop dinosaur?)  Boris, scaring the living bejezus out of all comers. The build itself is simple enough – you can do the same with any kids’ toy that uses a button or switch to make a noise. Dan built a bridge across Boris’s switch using tin foil, our favourite hacker tool. He hooked Boris up to the PiFace GPIO expansion board (the PiFace site is currently the only site on the internet that features a picture of me crouching like a preying mantis in a cardigan on its front page), got Python talking to the Twitter API and wrote a simple program to tell Boris to roar whenever the string “ROAR” is tweeted at Dan’s account. All very easy, but the results are magic.  Boris, innards exposed. Here’s Boris in action: You can send Dan a tweet yourself – he’s @Dan_Aldred. (Just think! If enough of you tweet “Roar” at him, he’ll either be driven mad or forced to power Boris down.) We love it, Dan. Boris is a thing of beauty, and a great learning exercise. Dan has made full instructions and all the (very simple) Python you’ll need available at his website: if you’ve got some time this weekend and are in charge of a bored child, I can’t think of a better way to spend a couple of hours. |
Marvel Petitions Fans for 75th Anniversary Omnibus Data
| Marvel is celebrating their 75th anniversary and the comic book publisher will be releasing a 1200 page Omnibus. Fans will play a role in this initiative by selecting the best comics for inclusion. This is the first time Marvel is soliciting their extensive fanbase to vote on their favorite story arcs and memories since the very first Marvel comic. If you feel like participating in the program, fans will have to email their suggestions to marvel75@marvel.com. "Marvel's 75th Anniversary belongs to our fans as much as it does to our creators and everyone behind the scenes," says Marvel SVP of Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. "From day one, Marvel fans have been an integral and vocal part of making Marvel the company it is today and we want their help in celebrating. The 75th Anniversary Omnibus is the perfect way to celebrate with our marvelous fans." The omnibus will be released this November in hardcover and digital format. The price has not been established yet, but likely will cost $100. Marvel Petitions Fans for 75th Anniversary Omnibus Data is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Top 10 New Android Apps of the Week – May 8 2014
| This week we have a number of great new apps that have been released for Mothers Day. All of our apps can be downloaded from the Good e-Reader Android and Blackberry App Store. NYTimes – Breaking News – Experience The New York Times's award-winning journalism. Get the latest news, elegantly presented with enhanced imagery, multimedia and streamlined navigation. Stay informed on world news, national news, business, the arts, technology, style, sports, food, travel, opinions and more. Godzilla: Strike Zone – Join a squadron of military heroes on a dangerous mission to face the ultimate force of nature: GODZILLA. Experience the breathtaking high-altitude sky jump from the movie as you air-drop into a devastated San Francisco and embark on a series of first-person rescue missions to evacuate survivors before it's too late. Your courage has never been more needed than it is today. ESPN FC Soccer & World Cup – Covering all major leagues and tournaments, the ESPN FC app brings you scores, news, features, blogs, player and team information, stats and much more in what is the most comprehensive football coverage from around the globe. CSI: Hidden Crimes – CSI: Hidden Crimes is a Hidden Object Game where you'll find the atmosphere of the world famous TV show at the tip of your fingers. Team up with the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation crew to fight crime in Las Vegas! 3D Navy Simulation – Frigate – We're at the harbor, lots of army boats are there. Real battleships. You seem to be daydreaming about getting on that boat and get it anywhere in the world. Daydreaming about becoming a navy fighter for your country. Try to learn the beginnings here of the frigate boats in a cool 3D ship simulation game. Popcornflix – Great Movies Free – Popcornflix is GREAT MOVIES FREE, the premium app for watching FREE feature length films on your Android phone and tablet! Download this FREE app to watch over 700 films instantly without any subscription or fees. Aliens Drive Me Crazy – The few Alien Spaceships have crept into earth’s orbit with no warning. Doctor on Demand – Feeling under the weather? Have a medical question? Video chat with a great U.S. doctor immediately! No more waiting to see a physician. It's free to sign-up – with no subscription fees. Only $40 per appointment – same as a co-pay, much less than urgent care or the E.R. Google Opinion Rewards – Answer quick surveys and earn Google Play credits with Google Opinion Rewards, an app created by Google Consumer Surveys. Hazumino Lite - Run, jump and build your way to new worlds and high scores in Hazumino, the game that combines relentless endless-runner with tricky block puzzle gameplay! Play with a range of characters in cool worlds, compete against your friends and become a Hazumino master! Top 10 New Android Apps of the Week – May 8 2014 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Apple May Integrate Beats Audio in Future iPad Products
| Apple is in talks to buy Beats Audio for $3.2 billion dollars and integrate their technology into future iPhone and iPad products. This will boost the overall sound performance and give the company new headphones, speakers, docking stations and ear buds to sell. The acquisition of Beats Audio makes sense for Apple. Earlier in the year Beats launched the Beats Music service, which is a competitor of Spotify, Pandora and Apple’s own iTunes Radio. Beats Music is, however, a subscription-based on-demand service, which could bolster Apple’s free station-based iTunes Radio service. Apple has been talking about revising their entire iTunes experience to address declining media sales. Billboard reports that sales of tracks declined 5.7 percent, to 1.34 billion units, while album sales fell 0.1 percent, to 117.6 million. The Beats infrastructure would allow Apple to revamp iTunes without building a new one from scratch. There is a ton of synergy between Beats and Apples streaming music services. Beats Music, which is available to subscribers for $9.99 per month, focuses heavily on curation. The company has hired music experts from popular radio stations around the country to create stations and playlists from the service’s 20 million song catalog. Apple has their own editorial team, and it would make sense to combine forces to dominate customized playlists. The two sides would dominate streaming radio service and put other companies like Tunein on notice. HTC Corp. used to own a 51 percent stake in Beats, a controlling stake that it purchased for about $300 million. The company sold back 25 percent of Beats in 2012. In September, Carlyle Group LP bought a minority stake in the company. Apple May Integrate Beats Audio in Future iPad Products is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Oyster hits 500,000 eBooks
| eBook subscription website Oyster has hit 500,000 eBooks, including bestsellers and uber popular books. The milestone comes after an expanded partnership with HarperCollins to add 10,000 new titles from the publisher to the app, in addition to newly inked deals with more than 500 publishers. Oyster now features more than 1,600 publishing partners. Oyster is only available to residents in the US who have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. The company offers a free 30 day trial to get a sense on their collection and if the service makes sense to you. Newly available titles from HarperCollins include Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and many others. "Our goal at Oyster has always been to provide the best reading experience in the world for our subscribers. Achieving that goal requires not only a well-designed reading experience, but also building the best and most diverse content library possible," said Eric Stromberg, Co-Founder and CEO at Oyster. "We're thrilled to make this latest update to our library and deliver new titles from the world's greatest publishers and authors." Oyster hits 500,000 eBooks is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Weekly eHighlights: Teen Edition
 Click here for the eHighlights Teen Edition May 8, 2014 One Copy/One User Cart Click here for the eHighlights Teen Edition May 8, 2014 Metered Access Cart
Fiction Jennifer L. Armentrout – White Hot Kiss Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal–fit in at school, and go out on a real date with the gorgeous Zayne, whom she’s crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister–and Layla is anything but normal. She’s half demon, half gargoyle, with abilities no one else possesses. 200,000 print run. Romantic Times Most Anticipated YA Books of 2014. David Baldacci – The Finisher Vega Jane has never left the village of Wormwood. But this isn’t unusual — nobody has ever left the village of Wormwood. At least not until Quentin Herms vanishes into the unknown. Vega knows Quentin didn’t just leave — he was chased. And he’s left behind a very dangerous trail of clues that only she can decode. Anne Blankman – Prisoner of Night and Fog In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her uncle Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf’s, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet. Publishers Weekly starred review. Lucy Connors – The Lonesome Young The Rhodales and the Whitfields have been sworn enemies for close on a hundred years, with a whole slew of adulterous affairs, financial backstabbing, and blackmailing that’s escalated the rivalry to its current state of tense ceasefire. And now a meth lab explosion in rural Whitfield County is set to reignite the feud more viciously than ever before. Especially when the toxic fire that results throws together two unlikely spectators—proper good girl Victoria Whitfield and town motorcycle rebel Mickey Rhodale. Romantic Times Most Anticipated YA Books of 2014 Huntley Fitzpatrick – What I Thought Was True The eagerly anticipated follow-up to My Life Next Door is a magnetic, push-me-pull-me summer romance for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han. Gwen Castle’s Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her idyllic Nantucket-esque island this summer. He’s a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island’s summer people happy. Publishers Weekly starred review. An Amazon Best Book of the Month. 75,000 print run. Kate Hattemer – The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy Witty, sarcastic Ethan and his three friends decide to take down the reality TV show, For Art’s Sake, that is being filmed at their high school, the esteemed Selwyn Arts Academy, where each student is more talented than the next. While studying Ezra Pound in English class, the friends are inspired to write a vigilante long poem and distribute it to the student body, detailing the evils of For Art’s Sake. But then Luke–the creative force behind the poem and leader of the anti-show movement–becomes a contestant on the nefarious show. An Amazon Best Book of the Month Wendy Higgins – Sweet Reckoning Beloved YA author Wendy Higgins delivers the explosive conclusion to the Sweet Evil trilogy. In this dramatic finale to the epic love story between Anna Whitt and Kaidan Rowe, the time has come for Anna, daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, to accept her fate as the chosen one. She is destined to rid the earth of demons once and for all. Goodreads Can’t Wait Books of 2014 #34. Marie Lu – Prodigy Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Sarah J. Maas – The Assassin's Blade Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam. When Celaena’s scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Amanda Maciel – Tease From debut author Amanda Maciel comes a provocative and unforgettable novel, inspired by real-life incidents, about a teenage girl who faces criminal charges for bullying after a classmate commits suicide. 150,000 print run. Elizabeth May – The Falconer Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she’s spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. Mike Mullin – Sunrise The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. Kirkus starred review. Aprilynne Pike – Sleep No More Charlotte Westing has a gift. She is an Oracle and has the ability to tell the future. But it doesn’t do her much good. Instead of using their miraculous power, modern-day Oracles are told to fight their visions–to refrain from interfering. And Charlotte knows the price of breaking the rules. 50,000 print run. Philip Siegel – The Break-Up Artist Becca knows from experience the damage that love can do. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Becca strikes back–for just one hundred dollars via PayPal, she will trick and manipulate any couple’s relationship into smithereens. Laini Taylor – Dreams of Gods & Monsters Karou is still not ready to forgive Akiva for killing the only family she’s ever known. But when a brutal angel army trespasses into the human world, Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat—and against larger dangers that loom on the horizon. Romantic Times Most Anticipated YA Books of 2014. Goodreads Can’t Wait Books of 2014 #3. An Amazon Best Book of the Month.
Nonfiction Edgar Mitchell – Earthrise: My Adventures As an Apollo 14 Astronaut Earthrise is a vibrant memoir for young adults featuring the life story of this internationally known Apollo 14 astronaut. The book focuses on Edgar’s amazing journey to the Moon in 1971 and highlights the many steps he took to get there. Michelle Mulder – Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home Every Last Drop looks at why the world’s water resources are at risk and how communities around the world are finding innovative ways to quench their thirst and water their crops. School Library Journal starred review. Ouisie Shapiro and Steven Vote – Autism and Me: Sibling Stories Ouisie Shapiro’s inspiring book shows how children—and all of us—can grow in wisdom, acceptance, and love. Steven Vote’s warm photos capture the rich emotional life of these amazing families. Sally M. Walker – Boundaries: How the Mason-Dixon Line Settled a Family Feud and Divided a Nation The Mason-Dixon Line’s history, replete with property disputes, persecution, and ideological conflicts, traverses our country’s history from its founding to today. Sibert Medal–winning author Sally M. Walker traces the tale of the Mason-Dixon Line through family feuds, brave exploration, scientific excellence, and the struggle to define a cohesive country. Kirkus starred review. *Geographical rights may vary by title.
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Thank you, Mom
| Last month I wrote about my belief that reading and books can change lives. Now I'd like to share with you where that belief came from: my mom. Our mother is amazing for a variety of reasons. She taught third and fourth grade for nearly four decades but always managed to have dinner prepped for our family of six and any number of family members and friends that happened to be living with us at the time. She attended every play, sporting event or activity we were in and she always knows what to say when we are stressing out. There are things my mother and I share that I'll always cherish: our yearly fall apple picking adventure, the conversation we had about growing up on the night before I left for college, decorating the house so it looked like Christmas exploded every winter, dancing to Rainbow Connection on my wedding day, Sunday church followed by amazing lunches and a deep appreciation for the importance of family. Perhaps the memory that has shaped the person I've become more than anything though is our constant “book trips.”
Even now, many of our conversations turn to books. We have phone calls based entirely around what books I need to read, titles she should look for to add to her iPad, and what she's drudging through for her next book club meeting. In fact, just a few weeks back she was beaming on the phone telling me about how she'd gotten all of her group to join a waiting list for an eBook from their library. Always a teacher. I'd like to think that my passion for reading would have grown organically, but thankfully my mom was there to make sure I didn't need to find out. I am who I am today for a variety of reasons and the path that led me to OverDrive has been filled with countless memorable people and experiences who have shaped what I've become. But it all started with a mother and a library card. I love you mom. Happy Mother's Day Adam Sockel is a Marketing Communications Specialist at OverDrive… and a bit of a momma's boy.  |
One simple tip to boost circulation
| Through a recent analysis of our digital circulation activity, we uncovered the secret to boosting your digital circulation. The best part is that it's actually pretty easy. It's not buying a thousand copies of Divergent, although that would probably work, too. It's not a magic format, subject, or lending model either. It's a simple, tried-and-true method for boosting circulation by implementing one simple strategy. It works for small, medium, and large libraries alike, and it won't require any additional funds. To learn this one simple secret and four others like it, sign up for our latest live webinar Top 5 Ways to Boost Digital Circulation. Registration is open now on the Learning Center. While you're there, don't forget to sign up for the other webinars in our series:
Anders Brooks is a Training Specialist at OverDrive.  |
Use the PROPER Function to Capitalize Names in Excel
You may not realize that Excel can help you capitalize names, book titles, and other proper nouns correctly. Just use the PROPER function!  |
Picademy – UK teachers, apply to take part!
| On 14th and 15th April we ran the first ever Raspberry Pi Academy for Teachers: 'Picademy' for short. We invited 24 teachers from all over the UK to come to Pi Towers and be part of a very different type of training programme. We had hoped — rather than expected — to attract educators from a range of backgrounds, schools and even subject areas who were open to trying something new with Raspberry Pi. What we got was 24 super-creative and innovative teachers who were willing to be learners and leaders; who were creative with ideas; and who are continuing to have an impact within their schools and communities with Raspberry Pi and Computing. As you can see from the new Picademy area of our forums, the graduates from the first Picademy have their own forum tag of 'Raspberry Pi Certified Educator' (and even a little enamel badge to wear). Some of the cohort have been interviewed by the MagPi magazine for a forthcoming issue, and some will be part of a panel discussion at the next Cambridge Raspberry Jam! I'm looking forward to hearing more from our first cohort about their school Raspberry Pi projects; and I’m looking forward to the resources that they will help us produce and test over the coming months. It is an exciting time for computing education!
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Following the success of the first Picademy, we will be running two more Picademy sessions on 16th–17th June and 14th–15th July. If you would like to take part in either of these, then please Sony Exiting eBook Markets in Europe and Australia
| Now that the Sony to Kobo transition is complete in the United States and Canada, Sony has announced that they are giving up their other markets too. The Sony ebook stores in Europe and Australia are being closed down and all accounts are being sent to Kobo. It’s not surprising given the closures in the […] |
Sony Reader Store to Close in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia June 16th
| Sony is officially getting out of the eBook selling business and has just announced the closure of their UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia Reader Stores. The stores will shut down for good on June 16th 2014 and all books will be transitioned over to Kobo. Last month Sony officially shuttered their North American Reader Store and transitioned all of their customers to Kobo. All Sony branded e-readers received firmware updates that removed the store and a future update will add the Kobo Store to all Sony devices. Sony is abandoning selling books in every single market in the world now. The company has found it can remain profitable outsourcing all of the bookselling business to Kobo and earn commissions on every sale. All current and future Sony e-Readers and Xperia tablets and smartphone users will be able to buy books from Kobo in their own country. Kobo currently operates dedicated bookstores in UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia, so the transition will be smooth. Existing European and Australian Sony customers will be receiving emails in the coming weeks with full instructions on how copy their books to Kobo. It is important to note that just the store is shutting down and you will be able to read your books the way you have always have. This is useful because not all Sony books are compatible with Kobo, especially magazines, newspapers and older books in LRF format. Sony was one of the first companies to get into the e-reader industry back in 2006. The also started one of the first online digital bookstores and dominated the e-reader market until early 2012. They saw increased competition from Apple, Amazon, B&N and Kobo. Instead of fighting it out with cheaper book prices and e-readers, they decided just to scrap selling books and focus on tablets and smartphones. "We are delighted to be working with Sony to reach the most passionate Readers in Europe and Australia, by bringing the Kobo world to Reader Store customers – keeping them reading their favourite stories," said Takahito Aiki, CEO, Kobo. "Both companies share the goal of putting the most passionate booklovers at the centre of the reading experience. This means providing the best experience through innovative technology coupled with a vast and comprehensive digital reading ecosystem." Sony Reader Store to Close in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia June 16th is a post from: Good e-Reader |
