Coupons can be a great way to save money, and coupon apps make it even more convenient. Here are a few we've used! |
Thursday, August 14, 2014
3 Coupon Apps to Stretch Your Budget Further
Weekly eHighlights: Kids and teens edition
| Welcome to this month's eHighlights newsletter for kids and teens. Check back on the second Thursday of every month for a new edition listing some of the best new youth titles added to OverDrive's Marketplace. The featured titles below are some of the best picks, but don't miss the rest! Click on the link below to see these and even more great purchases conveniently placed for you into a Marketplace cart.
Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles and more.
Picture books Nick Bruel – Bad Kitty – Macmillan eBook Newly available! Kitty is not happy when the only food left is asparagus, beets, cauliflower, dill, and 22 other unappealing vegetables from A to Z. Bad Kitty did 26 naughty things like ate homework, bit Grandma, and clawed the curtains. But then some tasty things arrive like anchovies, burritos, chicken…. Sequels are available in the Marketplace cart as well.
Courtney Carbone, illustrated by Richard Courtney – The Monster of Sodor – Random House eBook Movie tie-in edition to the Thomas the Train & Friends animated film Tale of the Brave. This picture book can double as an early reader as well.
Peter Sís – Madlenka: Soccer Star – Macmillan eBook Three-time Caldecott honoree Peter Sís tells the story of Madlenka, a little girl who takes her soccer ball into the street looking for a worthy opponent. Her trip around her multicultural neighborhood is wonderfully illustrated.
Fiction for early readers Stan and Jan Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears on Wheels – Random House eBook Step Into Reading Level 1. A unique counting book, as the number of bears riding vehicles with varying numbers of wheels, keeps the young reader entertained.
Annie M. G. Schmidt – The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof – Random House eBook Tibble is a newspaper reporter, but his boss is upset that all he ever writes about is cats. Cats aren't news…unless the cat in question happens to also be able to turn into a person.
Mary Tillworth – Howdy-Doodle-Doo! – Random House eBook Ready to Read Level 1. Julius Jr. and his friends learn that the best inventions are those that help your friends. Rhymes and rhythmic text paired with pictures.
Middle grades fiction Lou Anders – Frostborn – Ages 8-12 – Random House eBook and Books on Tape audiobook read by Fabio Tassone A fantasy set in ancient Norway pits Karn, a 12-year-old farm boy who would rather play the strategy game Thrones and Bones, and Thianna, a half-human, half-giant girl who struggles to fit in with the full-blooded giants, against Karn's evil uncle plotting his death, and enemies of Thianna's dead mother. The message: accentuate your strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses, and never stand downwind of flatulent trolls. Publishers Weekly starred review.
Matt de la Peña – Infinity Ring: Eternity – Scholastic eBook The Infinity Ring allows the young heroes who know about it to travel in time to fix the "Great Breaks" of history. This time, they struggle to figure out what a Chinese alchemist, a Russian dog, and the trial of Galileo have in common. Book 8 in the New York Times bestselling series.
Maggie Stiefvater – The Dream Thieves – Ages 12-14 – Scholastic eBook Book 2 in the Raven Boys series. Four prep school boys follow ley lines in search of the legendary Welsh king Owen Glendower. Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal starred reviews. Goodreads Can't Wait Books of 2014 #24.
Teens Pittacus Lore – Five's Betrayal –HarperCollins eBook A prequel companion novella to the bestselling I Am Number Four series. The evil Mogadorians are an alien race who threaten to take over the earth. This is Book 9 in the Lost Files spinoff series.
Richelle Mead – Silver Shadows – Penguin eBook The latest in the bestselling Vampire Academy Bloodlines series. 250,000 print run. Goodreads Can't Wait Books of 2014 #10.
Jessica Shirvington – One Past Midnight – Bloomsbury eBook Sabine has two lives. Each day is lived twice. In one life she has it all—money, popular friends, perfect grades, the best boyfriend. But when she "shifts" at midnight, in her second life her family is struggling, and though she has friends, they are considered rebels.
Nonfiction Candace Fleming – The Family Romanov – Random House eBook – ages 12 and up In 1918, the Russian royal family Romanov—Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their four daughters aged 17-22, and their young son—did not know that they were about to be murdered. Fleming uses primary sources to vividly portray the world of the Romanovs and their peasants, and the politics of the day in a riveting story. Horn Book, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist starred reviews! VOYA called it a Must Have for All Libraries.
Joyce Milton, illustrated by Franco Tempesta – Dinosaur Days – Random House eBook – ages 6-9 The perfect combination of a hot topic for kids with a well-structured treatment aimed at early readers. Step Into Reading Level 3.
Lucille Recht Penner – Ice Wreck – Random House eBook – ages 6-9 The story of Shackleton's Arctic expedition in chapter book form. Penner manages to translate the excitement of the story of the ship's entrapment in the ice while using vocabulary that kids can understand, and hooks to keep the pages turning. Illustrations include actual black and white photographs of the expedition, including one of sled dog puppies born on the ship.
Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles and more.
*Geographical rights may vary by title.
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The Evolution of the Barnes and Noble Nook – In Pictures
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Barnes and Noble begun making e-readers back in 2009 and has continued to invest heavily into hardware and eBooks. Their primary focus is the US market, but in the last few years expanded into the UK. Today, we are going to take down memory lane and look at every single model they ever released and talk about important milestones. Barnes and Noble Nook 3G + Wi-Fi version The first generation Barnes and Noble Nook 3G and WIFI model was released November 2009 and retailed for $259. The company broke the mold having a single screen and broke it up into two. The main reading panel was six inches and had a resolution of 800×600 and the bottom one was a 3.5 inch touchscreen with 480 x 144 pixels. When Barnes and Noble released this e-reader they borrowed a page out of Amazons playbook by offering free 3G internet access via AT&T. Users did not have to pay a premium cost or a monthly fee to buy books. It was also compatible with most WIFI networks. In 2010 this model received a firmware update that had a web-browser and allowed users to get discounts or free books when connecting up to the bookstores WIFI network. The Nook featured a very innovative design and people at the time accused the bookseller of copying the Spring Design Alex. Spring Design thought so as well and initiated the lawsuit in 2009. They claimed they had met with Barnes and Noble to discuss jointly creating an e-reader. The meeting went nowhere, but months later Barnes and Noble released the Nook 3G. Spring design then took them to court accusing B&N of copying their design. While the Nook went on to be a huge success, the Alex e-Reader ended up not selling very well. B&N ended up reaching an agreement to pay Spring Design a licensing free for the Nook 3G and the WIFI only model released the next year. Barnes and Noble Nook WIFI
In June 2010 Barnes and Noble announced the followup e-reader the Nook WIFI. This model was exactly the same as the previous generation but lacked the 3G internet access via AT&T. This e-Reader had more success in the market than the previous generation because the price was a paltry $149. When the Nook WIFI first came out the company really hyped their LENDME program. This allowed publishers to opt into flagging their books as lendable. Users could then lend the eBook out to a fellow Nook user one time for up to two weeks. From 2009 to late 2010, Barnes and Noble invested heavily in its online ecosystem. Its relationships with Major Publishers through its bookstore business ensured that B&N could gain access to their digital wares and more books were added to its online portfolio. B&N quickly attained over one million titles in the first calender year and captured 20% of the entire ebook market. Nook Color On November 19, 2010 Barnes and Noble released their answer to the tablet craze by marketing the Nook Color. This was a fully featured touchscreen Android device that allowed readers to purchase magazines, graphic novels, kids books, newspapers and of course eBooks. When it first came out the street price was $249, the Nook Color and ran Android 2.1. One of the most compelling features about this reader was the fact Barnes and Noble invested heavily in their own app ecosystem, so users could install other software. On February 21, 2012, the price of the Nook Color was reduced to US$169. On August 12, 2012, the price of the Nook Color was reduced to US$149. On November 3, 2012, following the release of the Nook HD and Nook HD+, the price of the Nook Color was reduced to US$139. When I reviewed this unit at the time I said “The Nook color is one of the best LCD based e-readers we have seen to date. We have played around with many, including the Sharper Image Literati e-reader, but the Nook Color is the best of the lot currently. You can tell that they put a ton of time into the development of this little dandy and it looks really polished. The unit itself is sleek and black and all of the buttons are almost sunken into the frame, so nothing needlessly sticks out. Ascetically it's a very well designed unit, and the Vividview LCD screen really makes it a viable e-reader to read out in the sun, or under direct light without getting the glare as you would on an iPad.” Nook Simple Touch Reader On May 11 2011 Barnes and Noble released their first touchscreen e-reader called the Nook Simple Touch and retailed it for US$139. This was the first device issued that used Neonode Infrared technology to give pinpoint accuracy. What a difference a E Ink touchscreen makes. UI-wise there’s almost no point in comparing the new Nook to the original, or even the Nook Color. After seeing how easy it should be to page through books, jump to pages, change my font size, jump into another book, and preview or purchase a new title, I’m almost embarrassed for Amazon. The Kindle 3′s abstraction of the UI onto hardware buttons and endless menus seems positively last century in comparison. Even typing on the Nook is faster and easier than it is on the Kindle’s hardware keyboard. This was the most successful e-reader Barnes and Noble ever made and helped the companies profit margins increase over 70% by the end of the year and digital sales increased 113% from 2011. When I first reviewed this e-reader I said “This new device from Barnes and Noble certainly is an upgrade from previous iterations of their pure e-ink line of readers. Not only are page turn speeds better, but the entire navigation and simplicity of use is a boon. I think Barnes and Noble did the right thing with the implementation of the touchscreen and they sure needed it. Many of their competitors, such as Kobo, Sony, and Hanvon, have all released touchscreen readers and B&N needed to keep pace. They are presenting a very slick device that weighs next to nothing and is one of the best e-readers we have reviewed all year. The build quality is not as high on this device as the Kobo Touch, but fundamentally it is a superior e-reader.” The Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet The Nook Tablet came out in November 2011 and retailed for $249. The device is based on the Nook Color design by Yves Béhar from fuseproject. Its frame is gray in color, with an angled lower corner intended to evoke a turned page. The textured back is designed to make holding the device comfortable. This device had a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, both upgrades from the Color’s 800MHz single-core CPU and 512MB of RAM. The RAM is also double that of the Kindle Fire, though the processor clocks in at the same speed. B&N really focused on streaming multimedia content and included apps preloaded on the Tablet such as like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Pandora. One of the advantages this device had over the iPad and the Kindle Fire was the inclusion of a microSD card, and you can rock up to an additional 32GB of storage. When Barnes and Noble released this tablet they were facing an increasing amount of competition from every major company. The iPad 2, Kindle Fire, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HP TouchPad, Blackberry Playbook and many more had all entered the fray. Still, this tablet managed to sell quite well due to the prime real estate placement in all of their bookstores. At one point during the holiday season they were manufacturing close to 13,000 a day just to keep up with demand. Barnes and Noble Simple Touch with Glowlight In April 2012 Barnes and Noble unveiled their second generation Nook Simple Touch for $139. The prime selling point behind this model was the front-lit technology. Sony was the first company that first developed it back in 2008 but Nook refined it by packing 8 LED lights at the top of the screen and eliminated the need for a reading light when reading in the dark. The Barnes and Noble Simple Touch with Glowlight features a six inch e-ink pearl display. The resolution of 800 x 600 is comparable with most other e-readers on the market, like the Kindle Touch and the Nook Simple Touch released last year. Underneath the hood is a 800Mhz processor with 2GB of internal memory. If you need more space to store your books and other media you can expand it up to 32GB via the Micro SD Card. Most of your daily functions tend to zip along fairly fine with the processor and 256MB of RAM.20 When this e-reader came out the sales of all Nook hardware begun to stabilize. During the holiday season sales decreased by over 10%. This prompted the bookseller to court Microsoft to be able to distribute content through their Windows OS. At first was was named NewCo, until the Nook was its own autonomous entity called Nook Media. I drove with Peter from Good e-Reader to pick this up from the US the day it came out. At the time during my hands on review I gushed “The Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight really raises the bar on e-reading in 2012. It is the only device on the market that allows you to read comfortably in low-light conditions. Personally I do most of my reading at night when I am going to sleep. In the past, I needed the lamp to be on and be positioned in such as way that the e-reader was facing the light source so I can read without any shadows. When you have a family or are sleeping with a significant other this could cause drama with them wanting the light off. You could obviously bypass this by purchasing a book light or a case with a built in light. I was never a fan of these because it took away from the essence of an e-reader, in that they are supposed very light and portable.” Barnes and Noble Nook HD Barnes and Noble started to notice Amazon eroding their tablet sales. This was primarily due to them having three different models out, that appealed to various price points. This prompted the B&N to issue two different tablets on November 1st 2012, the Nook HD and Nook HD+. The Nook HD competes with the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD and comes in two colors: snow and smoke (a dark gray). It has a Texas Instruments 1.3 GHz dual-core processor with 1 GB RAM. It can play back video at 720p from the NOOK Video store, much like Amazon.com’s Instant Video service. The Nook HD was initially priced at US$199 for 8 GB and US$ 229 for 16 GB. The HD was released just in time for the holiday season, but it wasn’t enough to garner a tremendous amount of profit. In January, they reported tablet sales in their retail locations and holiday sales fell by 12.6% over the previous year, and only garnered $311 million dollars. When I first reviewed this tablet I said “ArticleView is a great feature that takes a fully graphic heavy page and converts it to a more ebook friendly view. In essence it strips away all of the style sheets and page elements to make it way more text heavy. Another core feature is Scrapbook! This allows you to select any given page in a digital magazine and save the page as an independent file. If you have many pages from different magazines it will actually create a new magazine for you, with all the different pages you lifted. I see this feature being utilized by fashion designers, interior designers, event planners, exercise enthusiasts, and even students earmarking academic magazine articles.” Barnes and Noble Nook HD+
Nook HD+ is Barnes & Noble’s first tablet capable of playing back movies and television shows downloadable from NOOK Video store at 1080p resolution. Announced on September 26, 2012, the NOOK HD+ is a 9-inch tablet with a 1920×1280 resolution. It competes with the similar 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD and has a Texas Instruments 1.5 GHz dual-core OMAP 4470 processor and was initially priced at US$269 and US$299 for 16 and 32 GB, respectively. The Nook HD+ marked the first time the company really got account management systems right. It allowed it be shared with the family, with customizations and permissions for the kids. As a parent, you could establish what each account can have access to, such as the web-browser or app purchases. In early 2013 Barnes and Noble signed a deal with Google to make the Nook HD+ really viable internationally. Up until this point customers could only use the Nook App Store to download content and required developers use their own proprietary API system. B&N also excluded other apps from their store that competed with them directly, such as Comixology, Kobo, Amazon and other manga apps. In April 2013 the HD and HD+ were upgraded to support Google Play and suddenly more people started to buy these. Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight Barnes and Noble released the second generation front-lit display called the Nook Glowlight. It came out October 30th 2013 and had a price tag of US$ 119. The Glowlight uses a 6″ touchscreen with E Ink Pearl's Regal wave, has Wi-Fi, and has a battery life of two months with wireless off. It weighs 6.2 oz with dimensions of 6.5″ x 5″ x 0.42″ and has 4GB of storage, of which 2 GB is reserved for Nook Store content and 512 MB for additional user content. The device uses Android 2.3 and it has an 800MHz processor with 256 MB of RAM. Compared to the old Nook Simple Touch Reader with GlowLight, the new Nook GlowLight has a white exterior, a brighter screen, a boost in screen resolution from 800×600 to 1024×758, and a more durable silicone edge. Compared to the Simple Touch, the MicroSD card slot and page-turn buttons have been removed. This is the latest generation e-reader Barnes and Noble currently has, and they have no plans to release a new model in 2014. They are still selling it in the US, but has since brought to over to the United Kingdom to supplant the Simple Touch Reader with Glowlight, which is getting a bit long in the tooth. Samsung Galaxy 4 Nook Barnes and Noble for the first time ever is outsourcing the hardware and design to Samsung. B&N will focus on making the software great and Samsung will even kick in some marketing money to raise brand awareness. Not much is known about the specs right now, but Nook is having a media event in New York August 20th, where we should know more. Two models are planned, a seven inch and a 8.9 inch. The Evolution of the Barnes and Noble Nook – In Pictures is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Upcoming Picademy Dates – Get Teachers Applying Now!
| It’s the summer holidays, and I know teachers will be enjoying a well earned break from thoughts of planning lessons and marking homework. But here at Pi Towers, the Education Team are already busy thinking about the new academic year and the start of term. In particular, we are busy planning the next series of Picademies, and we want to make sure that your favourite teacher doesn’t miss out! Dates for new academic year diaries are:
Note: We have changed the date for September’s Picademy from 1st & 2nd September to 29th & 30th, because many schools have Inset days at the start of the month. So are you a teacher? Do you know a great teacher? Today is ‘Poke a teacher to apply for Picademy day’ (totally official). We need your help to track down wonderful educators to tell them about our free training course known as Picademy and ask them to apply to join the fast-growing ranks of Raspberry Pi Certified Educators (they get a badge and everything!)  Babbage with his Raspberry Pi Certified Educator Badge Raspberry Pi Academies for Teachers (Picademies) take place in Cambridge, UK. We invite practising teachers with any subject specialism (we’ve had art, design tech, science and even history teachers attend), who teach any age group between 5 and 18 years old, to come to Pi Towers for two days of fantastic fun learning for free. There are no strings. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is an educational charity – offering free CPD to teachers is part of our charitable mission. Want to know what actually happens at a Picademy? Then read Clive’s report about Picademy 3 or check out the Picademy section on the official Raspberry Pi forums.  What will you learn? Don’t miss out, apply today! September’s Picademy will look favourably on applications from teachers in the South West of England, because I love clotted cream, but also because we're very aware of regional accessibility to training and support, and so occasionally we will focus on specific regions. So if you are a teacher in the South West, we would love to have you here. This does not mean applications are open to teachers in the South West only! Please apply, teachers, wherever you are. And because we’ve had so many requests from teachers overseas, we are also now accepting applications from practising classroom teachers outside the UK too! Applications for September Picademy will close on Friday 5th September. If you have been successful, we will let you know via the email address that you supplied in your application, no later than two weeks prior to the event. Applications for October will close on Friday 10th October. What are you waiting for? Go grab a teacher and APPLY HERE NOW! (Do it!) |
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Amazon Unveils New Credit Card Reader
| Amazon.com today announced Amazon Local Register, a secure card reader and mobile app that provides local businesses with the tools they need to quickly and easily accept credit and debit cards from a smartphone or tablet and keep track of their growing business. Amazon Local Register customers will have access to the Amazon.com award-winning, fully dedicated customer support team, as well as in-app tracking tools. Customers who sign up for Amazon Local Register before October 31 will also receive a low promotional rate of 1.75 percent per card swipe on all major credit and debit cards until January 1, 2016. Additional details are available at localregister.amazon.com. "From clothing stores to contractors, food trucks to accountants, businesses and organizations using Amazon Local Register will enjoy industry-leading low rates, trusted and secure payment processing, and access to award-winning customer support," said Matt Swann, Vice President of Amazon Local Commerce. "We understand that every penny and every minute counts, so we want to make accepting payments so easy and inexpensive that it no longer gets in the way of a business owner doing what they love – serving their customers and growing their business." Customers can get started with Amazon Local Register in three simple steps: create an account on localregister.amazon.com, purchase a $10 card reader, and download the free mobile app from Amazon Appstore, Apple App Store or Google Play. Starting today, the card reader is available with Free Two-Day Shipping on Amazon.com. Beginning August 19, customers can also purchase a card reader at Staples retail locations nationwide. The Amazon Local Register card reader and free mobile app are compatible with a variety of smartphones and tablets, including Apple devices running iOS7, Kindle Fire tablets, select Android smartphones, and coming soon to the new Fire phone. Each customer's first $10 in transaction fees will be credited back to the customer's account once Amazon Local Register is in use – allowing customers to fully recoup the cost of the card reader. Money from transactions can be deposited directly into a bank account within one business day, or spent on Amazon.com within minutes – see the website for more details. Amazon Local Register also provides: Exceptional value: Amazon Local Register accepts all major credit and debit cards for a low, flat rate with no hidden fees. Plus, there are no long-term contracts. Customers who register before October 31 will receive a low promotional rate of 1.75 percent per card swipe until January 1, 2016. Customers who sign up after this promotional period will pay a flat rate of 2.5 percent on all swiped transactions. Amazon customer support: Access the award-winning, fully dedicated customer support team, available by phone and email. Plus, Kindle Fire HDX owners can take advantage of the Mayday button to connect to an Amazon tech advisor 24 hours a day, 365 days per year – for free. Secure and stabilized card reader: A stabilized card reader limits swivel, making it easier to swipe once and go. Plus, each transaction is backed by the same services that securely power Amazon.com purchases. Business tracking tools: In-app reporting enables a business to quickly check bottom line performance, sales trends, peak sales times and more. All reporting is easily accessible from a smartphone or tablet and is password-protected. Compatible accessories: Shop for compatible accessories including cash drawers, receipt printers, smartphone cases and stands. Find everything needed to build a point-of-sale system including massive selection, available at the best price, all on Amazon.com. Early users of Amazon Local Register share their experiences: "Amazon Local Register has simplified, organized and improved efficiency for my business. The feature I am most impressed with is the outstanding customer support I receive any time I have a question or for whatever help I need. The reports are easy to understand and help me figure out how my business is performing." Erin H, hair & makeup artist "I'm always looking for ways to reduce my business expenses. Amazon Local Register's low price means that I can invest more in my business, while still ensuring that I'm accepting customer payments safely and securely." – Kevin L, gallery and event venue owner "My customers used to always ask if they could pay with a credit card and I always said no, as it always seemed too complicated to set up. It was easy to get started with Amazon Local Register, and taking payments is a breeze. My customers are VERY happy and prefer to pay with their card. Another benefit is that I don't have to deal with going to the bank to deposit cash and checks." Jannine H, massage therapist Amazon Unveils New Credit Card Reader is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Send Your Google+ Stream to Your TV Using Chromecast
| An update to Google+ this week came in under the radar, but is a little exciting for Android users who have longed for the full functionality that Apple’s Airplay offers iOS users with an Apple TV: thanks to a small Chromecast button found in the interface, you can view your stream up on your television. Oddly, the change isn’t visible in the Google Play changelog –but it’s definitely there. Initial functionality is limited: you can automatically loop through recent Google+ posts from people in your circles with the option to pause the loop or view posts one at a time. Any Chromecast updates are updates are welcomed by the Android community with open arms, even though most people will find it more convenient to view this kind of content directly on the device. In my experience, the best reasons to use AirPlay (and now Chromecast) are related to the occasional sharing of content with friends and not so much to take advantage of a large screen for personal use. If you haven’t yet installed Google+ for Android, download it now for free.
Send Your Google+ Stream to Your TV Using Chromecast is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Goat Simulator Headed to Android, iOS
| I am either thrilled or disgusted by the news that the insanely successful Goat Simulator game is being ported to Android and iOS. Developed by Coffee Stain Studios as a joke, Goat Simulator has accumulated over $1 million in sales since the launch on April 1 of this year (note the date). The objective of the game is to guide your fast-moving goat around a town while it causes great mayhem and destruction. The more you destroy, the better your score. It is simple, which can be refreshing… everybody likes to spend time now and then with a game that doesn’t challenge you to learn a bunch of rules and become familiar with a sophisticated user interface. For skilled developers trying hard to succeed while creating apps with actual functionality, the Goat Simulator story may cause them to feel a little resentful (or maybe that feeling is hopeful, when they see that there is no particular formula for monetizing their creations). No official release date has been set, but stay on the edge of your seat because it is coming soon!
Goat Simulator Headed to Android, iOS is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kobo Now Selling Certified Factory Refurbished eReaders
| Kobo is now selling a couple different refurbished Kobo ereader models, and they’ve even started advertising them on their website with a banner at the top of every page. Right now they have the Kobo Glo and Kobo Touch available certified factory refurbished, but not the newer Kobo Aura or Kobo Aura HD. The Kobo […] |
Remember Where You Parked Using Google Now
| Friends of mine have voted me ‘most likely to get lost at the mall’. I have a terrible sense of direction, combined with an even worse memory… which adds up to plenty of time wandering aimlessly through parking lots trying to remember exactly where I last saw my car. Of course, there are oodles of apps that will help you out in these situations, but you are already using Google Now for so many other things, adding features like this just make it more indispensable. Most of those other parking helper apps require you to specify your location before walking away from the vehicle (allow me to refer back to my comment regarding my terrible memory, as this would involve my needing to remember that I need to remember). Brilliantly, Google Now uses sensors in your device to determine when you were last inside a previously moving vehicle. From there, the app supposes when you have left that vehicle and notes the location (along with the time, which can be helpful). Enabling this feature inside of Google Now is as easy as specifying your main mode of transportation to be “Driving” as seen in the image above. It may not always deliver perfect results, but it sure does beat wandering around parking lots with my key fob in the air trying to sound my horn.
Remember Where You Parked Using Google Now is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Google Launches Free Online Teaching Tool: Classroom
| With the pilot phase completed, Google Classroom is now live for all Google Apps for Education users. Designed to be a free learning management system, Classroom laces together the functionality found within Google Drive, Docs, and Gmail in an effort to help teachers “save time, keep classes organized, and improve communication with students.” Behaving as a support system, tools like Classroom aim to minimize the administrative effort required by teachers so they can focus more on educating their students instead of pushing paper. Designed to offer a paperless assignment workflow, teachers are able to create, review, and grade assignments quickly and easily. If students are struggling to complete activities, or need additional help, educators are able to collaborate and communicate with individuals directly –offering assistance as it is required. Students are also supported by Classroom, with an Assignments page that lets them keep track of assignments and their due dates. Parents will also appreciate this centralized hub approach as it provides a realistic overview of what their child should be working on, as well as the specifications for each item. Other features of the system include: student and teacher participation in class discussions, sharing resources among classmates, and access to class materials (which can be automatically filed into folders in Google Drive). Security is also a critical part of Classroom; there are no ads, and the content (including student data) is never used for advertising purposes. Classroom brings Google’s educational offering full circle: Google laptops run Google apps that allow students to complete assignments through Google Classroom. This strategy is not a foreign concept, you may recall just how many Apple personal computers were in schools during the early 1980′s –this was no coincidence. Increasing adoption of Google products and services is almost certainly going to increase brand loyalty: when these students mature into smartphones and tablets, they will be familiar with Google and there will be a feeling of compatibility… and the rest of the family is likely to follow suit. During the pilot phase, more than 100,000 educators located in more than 45 countries signed up and provided feedback and suggestions.
Google Launches Free Online Teaching Tool: Classroom is a post from: Good e-Reader |
KitKat Installed on Over 20% of Android Devices
| With the wide range of devices and active versions of the Android operating system out there, complaints that the platform is severely fragmented are justified. Fortunately, KitKat is starting to gain some ground and now enjoys an install rate of over 20% –this is a good thing. July of this year was sitting at a 17.9% adoption rate, which was a jump over June at 14.9%. Slow and steady wins the race, so they say, and this kind of continual improvement is a more significant sign than the number itself. Understandably, older Android releases are declining, with releases like Ice Cream Sandwich falling nearly to the single digits for percentage of installs. Which version of Android a device is running becomes significant when discussing operating fundamentals like security, it is difficult to speak about the platform as a whole when there are so many varieties running with so many patch levels. It is also important to developers trying to create apps: each version of Android supports a particular set of tools and capabilities. By comparison, Apple boasts that nearly 90% of all devices are running their latest operating system (iOS 7).
KitKat Installed on Over 20% of Android Devices is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Guaranteed great summer reads for kids
| If you’re one of our northern hemisphere readers, you’re smack-dab in the middle of the summer months. A recent article in School Library Journal notes that only 17 percent of parents think reading should be a priority during the summer for their children. As librarians, we are all aware of how crucial summer reading is in preventing kids from losing their skills and falling behind early in the school year. The SLJ article goes on to describe the importance of library summer reading programs as well as regular library visits. To help your library with your summer reading initiatives, we have created a list of new and popular titles that kids are sure to love. When you click the link below, it will show up as a Marketplace search result and you'll be able to easily add them to a cart. Guaranteed great summer reads for kids As always, we are also available to assist you with the addition of titles to your catalog. Email collectionteam@overdrive.comfor more information! Please note that title availability may vary by geographic location and platform. |
Smartphone rocket launcher
| Teenage electronics enthusiast Lewis Callaway thought that an ad in which actors launch rockets from their iPhones was really cool, but he couldn’t find out how it was done, so he decided to start from scratch himself, using (of course) a Raspberry Pi. Model rockets are launched by passing an electric current through an igniter, a device that includes a thin piece of wire in contact with the rocket’s propellant; the current causes the wire to heat up, igniting the propellant. Lewis used a relay board and jumper leads to complete the circuit between a 9V battery and the model rocket’s igniter, and connected power and signal wires between the relay board and his Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins so he could flip the switch on the 9V circuit with a signal from the GPIO. To allow him to send the launch command from a smartphone, he installed the WebIOPi framework on the Pi. A custom web page hosted on the Pi contains a nice, big, orange Lewis also talks about his fantastic project in this Adafruit Show and Tell (starting at 7m55s), and shows how the system can be tested without actually launching anything—important if, like Lewis, you are working indoors. We know that every day, Raspberry Pis lie idle when they could be launching rockets, and this makes us feel sad. Read the article Lewis wrote for Make: including links to his code and the parts that he used, and try it for yourself! |
Good e-Reader App Store Now Supports Large Game Files
| Good e-Reader is proud to announce that we have implemented a new system to allow developers to upload large Android apps. This new feature will allow big developers such as Disney, Rovio, EA, Warner Bros to upload their big budget game titles and allow users to install the games and have them work. Many of the top Android games out there have very large OBB files, which is a fancy way of saying Data Files. Take Angry Birds Epic, if you just install the APK (Android File) the game will not work, you also need to install the data file and have it installed into a very specific directory. The new Good e-Reader 1.72 App now allows users to be able to download small and large games at the click of a button, all the real work is done behind the scenes. Many of the top Android app stores such as 1Mobile and Getjar do not allow developers to upload data files. Amazon does allow people to upload OBB files but makes them self-host them, which can amount to hefty data costs. This puts us in a very unique position among all of the other Android App Stores out there. Good e-Reader hosts all of the data files on their own server clusters, which allows for super fast download speeds. If a game requires a large data file, the user is notified of it during the app download and everything just seamlessly installs in the background. Many of the top games only have super small data files, like Sega of America’s Crazy Taxi, others such as Injustice – Gods Among Us have a 1.2 GB data file. So basically, some games will download very fast, others will take a bit of time. I am very excited about this new feature on the App Store, it really opens a wide array of AAA titles that can finally be added to the site. Developers can benefit by being able to tap into the largest Canadian App store. But really, when it comes down right to it, It’s the users that really benefit the most! A whole new world of content is available to them that used to be exclusively available only on Google Play. Download the latest version of the Good e-Reader Android App Store Today! Developers can make a new account and start uploading their games today by clicking HERE. Good e-Reader App Store Now Supports Large Game Files is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Apple May Add Anti-Reflective Coating to Next iPad
| Following the Apple rumour mill is a favourite pass-time for many of us in the tech industry, but the suggestion that the next iPad (both the smaller format 7.9″ mini and larger 9.7″ version) will have an anti-reflective coating on the screen is worth getting excited about. I love my iPad, but I will still be the first to admit that in bright-light environments it is little more than an expensive paper weight. It was for this reason that I invested in a single-purpose eReader that allows me to spend my book reading time in the summer sun. Analysts are starting to report that tablet sales are leveling off for Apple –not so much because people are losing interest, but more so because earlier versions of the iPad are functioning well and there are few reasons for existing owners to upgrade. Unlike smartphones, tablets are still very much seen as nice-to-have instead of need-to-have. This means Apple needs to come up with enhancements and upgrades that will be seen as enough of a difference to warrant buying a new unit (and for those new to iPad, features need to be persuasive enough to make them take the leap). There is less hype for iPads right now with so much focus being placed on the highly anticipated iPhone 6 release (expected in September). If the rumours prove true and the iPhone 6 is launched with larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions, the iPad Mini market may suffer. That little bit of additional screen real estate on the smartphone may negate the portability benefit many see with the smaller tablets. With all of that said, I would hope that this anti-reflective coating would also be added to an upcoming version of the iPhone.
Apple May Add Anti-Reflective Coating to Next iPad is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Microsoft Releases Celebrity Stalker App, SNIPP3T, for iOS
| Generally Microsoft is best known for business-type apps like those found in their Office suite. This makes the news that they have released a celebrity news app a little surprising, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it. SNIPP3T (pronounced “snippet”) offers to bring you closer to celebrity news based entirely around those you identify as your favourites. Once you have subscribed to all of your favourite celebrities, you no longer risk missing a news story that includes them! All relevant stories, photos, videos and social mentions will be brought to you in a single location –plus you can view a detailed profile and share your thoughts with others who are of a like mind. Over 100,000 celebrities are available to be followed, and the search interface (powered, of course, by Bing) makes it easy enough to find them, but the whole thing seems a little… unnecessary. It would be logical to wonder why Microsoft would release an app so gratuitous when their target audience is normally much more corporate. It seems likely that this is an experiment being conducted by a large tech company trying desperately to stay relevant in the mobile market. If you are a pop culture junkie (or even just oddly curious), download SNIPP3T – Celebrity news snippets from the web and social media for your favourite iOS device. SNIPP3T isn’t yet available for Android, but that may come if Microsoft sees any success with this initial release. So be honest: which celebrity do you want to follow? If I happened to be a celebrity, I think I would download the app just to follow myself!
Microsoft Releases Celebrity Stalker App, SNIPP3T, for iOS is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Kobo for Android has a New ePub Rendering Engine
| Kobo has released a new version of reading app for Android, that has a brand new rendering engine for eBooks. This will allow you to have faster page turns and more options to enjoy your ePub and ePub 3 files. Improvements include Better display support for more accurate rendering in EPUB/EPUB3 files. I dig the fact large screen tablet owners can finally read in full screen mode. Kobo does not have a ton of interactive books yet, that can really take advantage of multimedia aspects such as audio and video. They are setting the stage for a new wave of content hopefully available soon. Download the new and improved Kobo Books for Android, from the Good e-Reader App Store. Kobo for Android has a New ePub Rendering Engine is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Update Available – Kindle for Android 4.6
| Amazon has an exciting software update available for Kindle for Android. The latest version of Kindle for Android 4.6 has several new features and performance improvements. Improved the listening experience for books with audio When you’re listening from a Bluetooth device, playback will automatically pause if Bluetooth is disconnected. A new permission is required for this, “Pair with Bluetooth devices.” Go hands-free with Immersion Reading; enjoy automatic page turns without the screen shutting off. Helpful account information can be found on the Settings screen Rename your device to make it easier to recognize when buying books from the Kindle store. Viewing options inside the book have been updated “Use system brightness” is a more intuitive option for a brightness settings. Tap the “Aa” icon at the top of the screen to choose this new option. If you’re not finding the “Aa” icon, tap the center of the screen to have the menu bars slide into view. This improvement was made with the help of your feedback! When the menus are hidden (tap the center of the screen to show or hide them), tap the bottom right corner of the screen. Do you notice a small padlock? Tap it to lock the orientation. Now you can turn the device in any direction so you read on your side or back. Improvements were made to the Table of Contents A direct link to the book cover is at the top. “Front matter” is next. Funny name but this where you’ll find the title, copyright, dedication and more. There’s an arrow to the right of the label. Tap it to close the front matter section. If a book has page numbers we’ll show them alongside the chapter names. The current page you’re on will be highlighted. If another chapter is selected, you can always get back to your previous location by tapping one of the placeholders on the location seeker at the bottom. Download Amazon Kindle for Android 4.6 today! New Update Available – Kindle for Android 4.6 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle for Android Update 4.6 Adds Lots of New Features
| Amazon has issued another software update for their Kindle Android app today, version 4.6, and it adds a number of new features and enhancements. Amazon has been busy improving their Android app this year. This is the second major update in the past two months, and the third in the past three months when they […] |
New Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Generation Software Update Available
| Amazon has just released a new firmware update that brings the companies latest enhancements to their iOS app over to the second generation Kindle Paperwhite. It brings a number of enhancements, such as the ability to download a free eBook sample of a print title you purchased and new PDF options. The new 5.4.5.1 update automatically downloads and installs on your Kindle Paperwhite; however, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable. Listed below are the major new enhancements you can expect to see right away. Sync to the Most Recent Page Read Any books you’re reading on your Kindle Paperwhite will now sync to the most recent page read across all Kindle devices and/or reading apps registered to your Amazon account. You can still manually sync your Kindle Paperwhite to go to the furthest page read. Preview a PDF in Pan-and-Zoom Mode When viewing a PDF in pan-and-zoom mode, you will now see a small preview window in the margin of the screen. Read a Sample While Your Physical Book Ships While you are waiting for select physical books to arrive at your doorstep, you can start reading the book right away by adding a sample of the book to your Kindle library. With this release, these samples will be now available for download in the Cloud tab of your Kindle Paperwhite in addition to your other supported Kindle devices and apps. Any previous samples you have claimed through a physical book purchase will also be available in the Cloud to download. New Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Generation Software Update Available is a post from: Good e-Reader |
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