| The New York City Department of Education is about to approve a $30 million dollar contract with Amazon to create a single, massive ebook marketplace for the city's 1,800 public schools. This deal might dramatically lower the price of textbooks because digital is cheaper than print. The marketplace, known as "Storefront", will provide low-cost digital versions of textbooks and other assigned books that are accessible via a "variety of devices". Purchased content will be made available on these devices via Amazon's Whispercast platform. The Amazon contract with the city is over three years, through 2018, at $4.3 million the first year, 2015-2016; $8.6 million the second year, 2016-2017, and $17.2 million the third year, 2017-2018. |
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Amazon to Create e-Book Marketplace for New York Schools
New Games of Thrones e-Reading App Appeals to Casual TV Viewers
| Many people find that an epic book series is too daunting to even begin and instead watch the TV show. Game of Thrones fits this bill perfectly, far more people have watched the entire series on HBO or downloaded it from the internet. HarperCollins is hoping to appeal to the casual reader by launching a new Game of Thrones app for iOS. You can think of A Game of Thrones: Get into the Books app, available for Apple products, as a bridge between the books and television series. It will allow viewers to read iconic passages from the show — without risking spoilers. Many of the main characters have passages that tell you more about them and you can even learn what a Direwolf is! The app will also be updated to keep up with future seasons of the TV show and with upcoming books.
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Use the “Featured” tab in Marketplace to see the hottest collections and deals available
Today OverDrive Marketplace was updated to include a brand new “Featured” tab option to help you more easily locate the hottest titles, collections and sales available to library partners. These featured highlights include ongoing publisher and event sales, links to newly added content that is sure to be popular with your users, and even lists of titles hand selected by the librarians on OverDrive’s Collection Team. These collections will be updated frequently so be sure to check back often to stay up to date with the latest collections and so you don’t miss out on any sales. For additional recommended lists from our staff librarians be sure to check out our recommended lists page on our partner portal.   |
Harlequin’s hottest summer reading lists
| Ever since I was a little kid, I've always identified summer as the season of reading. Probably from all those years of signing up for my public library's annual summer reading program. These days I still love to spend my summer days reading for hours on end although my book choices have changed as I've gotten older and today I'm going to share with you some of the Harlequin lists that OverDrive has put together for your library! For those readers looking to have a scorching summer there is the Harlequin Heat list. These books come from the Harlequin Intrigue, Red Hot Reads, and Blaze series and feature titles like The Seduction of Lucy, Her Last Wild Ride, Deceptions and Desires, and My Stallion Heart among others. Our recommended list of Harlequin Heat books are so hot, your patrons will be wanting to reach for some extra sunscreen while reading. Along with the heat, summer also means a lack of new episodes from favorite primetime medical dramas on television, but luckily the Harlequin Medical Romance list has readers covered. With selections such as The Midwife's Miracle Baby, The Doctor's Society Sweetheart, Summer with a French Surgeon, Firefighter with a Frozen Heart, and Dr. Drop-Dead Gorgeous, the Harlequin Medical Romance list provides the perfect amount of bedside manner. As a child, summer provided a break from school. As an adult, summer can mean wanting an escape from everyday life and this is where the Harlequin Historical Romance list comes in. Historical fiction gives readers the chance to meet dashing rakes and untamed cowboys while witnessing scandals at court and visiting the western frontier. The Harlequin Historical list lets readers take a vacation without ever leaving the comfort of their home. Finally, the Harlequin Kimani Imprint list provides titles that are more African-American centric or for readers who want an urban spin on their books. Titles in this list include Red Velvet Kisses, Falling Into Forever, Touch of Paradise, Stallion Magic, and Heat Wave of Desire. Handpicked by us, the titles on the Harlequin Kimani list provide the perfect mix of sweet and sultry for your readers. Help your readers beat the heat this summer with our carefully curated lists of Harlequin titles!
Jill Grunenwald is a Collection Development Analyst with OverDrive.  |
10 Free Kobo eBooks and Kobo Discount Codes – July 30th
| Below is a roundup of 10 free ebooks from Kobo.com, along with a list of coupon codes for discounts on ebook purchases. Kobo is also running a trivia contest promotion through August 7th where you can get ebook codes for 10%-75% off, and enter to win a new Kobo Glo HD. The 10 Kobo ebooks […] |
The MagPi issue 36 is here and we’re in print!
| It’s with an almost rude amount of excitement I can announce that issue 36 of the Official Raspberry Pi Magazine, The MagPi, is here! It’s bigger and – dare I say it – better than ever too, with 100 pages of amazing projects, interviews, features, tutorials and reviews. Click the pic to buy the print edition from the Swag Store today & have it delivered to your door. It’s not just here in the virtual – download your free PDF edition today – sense, though. It’s also here in the physical – take me to the smallest room of the house – sense too. As of today UK readers can pop to a local branches of WHSmith or their local newsagents and buy the magazine RIGHT NOW for £5.99. US readers will be able to pick it up from Barnes & Noble or Micro Center in two short weeks (or just grab a copy from the Swag Store). Click to see everything in the current issue One of my favourite articles from #36 is Minecraft Splat, which is a multiplayer Raspberry Pi-remake of Nintendo’s modern classic, Splatoon, made in Minecraft Pi. Martin ‘Minecraft‘ O’Hanlon (of stuffaboutcode.com fame) kindly agreed to give it a shot for us and he delivered in spades. If you enjoy that, you’re sure to love Adventures in Minecraft, which he co-wrote with The MagPi’s Technical Editor David Whale. Subscribe today! You can save up to 25% on the cover price and have it delivered to your door before it even hits store shelves. If you order while the first issue is still on sale, you’ll get issue 36 sent out straight away. Also, if you’re a teacher, after school club leader, part of an educational scheme or simply want to horde as many issues as possible (we don’t mind), you’re entitled to a massive discounts on multiple copies. Please let us know and we’ll be happy to help. It’s free – now and forever Why bother buying it at all? Well, like the Raspberry Pi itself, all the proceeds of The MagPi magazine are channelled back into the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to making affordable, programmable computers available to everyone, all over the world. We think it’s important that children and adults from all walks of life have access to the internet and applications, and have the opportunity to learn to code if they want to. We hope you feel the same way. The Raspberry Pi makes all of this possible and I very much hope The MagPi Magazine helps make it fun. The post The MagPi issue 36 is here and we’re in print! appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
Audiobooks.com is the first Company to Partner with the Android Auto platform
| Many people have started listening to audiobooks while commuting because let’s face it, our music collection is starting to get a bit stale. It might be getting easier to listen to audiobooks in your vehicle with the recent announcement that Audiobooks.com is partnering with Android Auto. It is estimated that there will be over 60 million connected cars on the road in five years. BI Intelligence published a report predicting that car-focused telecom, hardware, and software will drive $51 billion in annual revenue by 2018. Connected cars are clearly the way of the future, and Audiobooks.com is the first audiobooks provider to take advantage of this new and exciting market. "The experience of using an app while you are on the road is entirely different than using it on a phone or a computer," said Ian Small, Audiobooks.com General Manager. "We made integration with Android Auto a high priority because we wanted to give drivers the best audiobook experience that this new technology allows. Our goal is to revolutionize the in-car experience, and to make the 100+ hours a year Americans spend commuting to work and 38 hours a year stuck in traffic more enjoyable." Android Auto is an infotainment operating system that puts maps, music, calls, and text into a car-friendly interface. The app hit the Google Play store in March of 2015 and has a long list of top car companies signed up as partners, including Acura, Maserati, Volkswagen, Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, and more. In addition to the Android Auto support, Audiobooks.com is also the only audiobook app to support Apple's new in-car platform, CarPlay. The company recently released a new version of its iOS app that is fully supported by and optimized for Apple CarPlay. Audiobooks.com also has relationships with top car manufacturers and its service is available around the world, in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. With a footprint of this breadth and depth, Audiobooks.com is the leading in-vehicle audiobook provider on the market. |
Literary Agents Turn to Twitter to Solicit New Manuscripts
| Literary agents are very particular about what type of manuscripts they look at. This is based on the strengths of the publishing company and what they think could sell in today’s climate. Traditionally authors connect up with agents at writing festivals or big events such as Book Expo America. Recently, a few agents from Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh did something unique, they took to Twitter. Agents representing Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh received more than 2,000 pitches for books on the first inaugural #PitchCB day. Authors had to sum up their book in 140 characters or less, which is a good indication of how good a writer is, because if you're able to capture an idea in that limit it shows you have a talent with the written word. The hashtag reached over 5.3 million times and authors from all over the world tried to hype their titles to the agents. The publishers expressed interest in about 100 of them, but it remains doubtful whether any will be signed. In the last few years agents have had to change their way of thinking, due to the rise of self-publishing. The vast majority of startup authors often just submit their titles to Kindle Direct Publishing and hope for the best. The most successful indies writers such as Joe Konrath, Barry Eisler, and Hugh Howey have powerful, hard-working agents who earn every penny of their 15%. And most of the successful hybrids, like Catherine Ryan Hyde, also have representation from agents who understand the new publishing paradigm. Using Twitter as a vehicle to discover new writing talent might catch on in the publishing world. A one day event could result in finding and cultivating the next J.K. Rowling or E.L. James. |
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
How to Download Windows 10 Right Now
| The vast majority of people who want to upgrade to Windows 10 are finding it ridiculously difficult. Microsoft is not pushing the update to all computers and the Redmond based company has said it might take months for everyone to get pushed the update. Today, we published a workaround that allows you to force download Windows 10 via Windows update but this process is not working correctly for everyone, especially if you are running Windows 7. Today, we have a new way that you can download Windows 10, directly form Microsoft. The first step is to visit this link http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 from your internet browser. It will allow you to download the Microsoft Windows 10 setup tool. It is important to note that you must download either the 32 or 64 bit version. You can find out what your computer is running by visiting the Control Panel and selecting System. The next step involves you finding the Media Creation Tool that you just downloaded and clicking on it to open the file. I recommend selecting the option Create Installation for Another PC. You need to select the operating system language and whether or not you want the Windows 10 32 or Windows 10 64 bit. Next, it will ask you if you want to install Windows 10 via a USB drive or an ISO. I recommend an ISO file because it will download the entire version of Windows 10 directly to your computer. I would recommend downloading the single file to your Desktop, for easy access. It is important to note that this is a VERY large file and could take a few hours to fully download, depending on your internet connection. Instead of burning the ISO to a DVD like Microsoft recommends I encourage you to download a specialized ISO program that will virtually mount the image as an independent drive. PowerISO, WinISO or Daemon Tools. Once the Windows.ISO file has completed its download you want to open the ISO file with one of the programs you just installed to manage them. Next, select the Windows file you just downloaded and open it up. Next, you want to click on the mount button to mount the image as an independent drive. Once you do that, you can click on the setup button and run the upgrade.
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Barnes and Noble Offers Nook Tablet Bundle for $149.99
| Barnes and Noble has just announced a back to school deal that should appeal to anyone who is looking to purchase a new tablet. The Nations largest bookseller is offering Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7 inch for $149.99. This includes a free Kimono Sleeve + a 16GB memory card! This promotion is only available at select Barnes & Noble stores only through 8/22. You can find a B&N store near you by searching HERE. |
Tablet Market Continues to Decline but Apple Remains King
| The worldwide tablet market is in serious decline according to the latest figures released by the IDC. In the second quarter of 2015 it fell 7.0% year over year and they also dropped -3.9% compared to the first quarter of 2015. Apple remains the largest vendor in a declining tablet market, shipping 10.9 million iPads in the second quarter of 2015. Samsung continued to be the second largest tablet vendor with 7.6 million tablets shipped in the second quarter and 17% market share, a 12% year-over-year unit decline. Lenovo, Huawei and LG Electronics rounded off the top five, with 2.5 million, 1.6 million and 1.6 million global tablet shipments in the second quarter respectively. All other tablet vendors had a combined 45.6% market share. “Longer life cycles, increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones, combined with the fact that end users can install the latest operating systems on their older tablets has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “But with newer form factors like 2-in-1s, and added productivity-enabling features like those highlighted in iOS9, vendors should be able to bring new vitality to a market that has lost its momentum.” |
Kobo Partners with Book Retailers in Mexico to Expand eReading Market
| Yesterday Kobo announced that they’ve partnered with two of Mexico’s top book retailers, Libreria Porrúa and Gandhi, to offer a full range of ebooks, Kobo’s ebook readers and ereading services to customers in Mexico. Libreria Porrúa and Gandhi operate nearly 100 retail bookstores in Mexico. They are competitors but in partnering with Kobo they’ve jointly […] |
OverDrive to unveil the latest innovations in digital lending at Digipalooza
| At Digipalooza, OverDrive will offer a live demonstration of the "new OverDrive", introducing changes that came about through feedback from our library partners and readers. The new OverDrive will achieve three main pillars of success: Onboard users quickly and easily, engage more deeply with readers, and reach more of the community. These pillars come not only from customer and partner feedback but also our fervent belief in delivering the best user experience for readers.
The updates and innovations we will be presenting at Digipalooza, and discussing in detail after the conference, come from industry research, collaboration with librarians and from listening to our users. The future of reading isn't years away. It's here and we can't wait to show it to you. It’s not too late to join us. Register now at digipalooza.com.
Adam Sockel is a Social Media Specialist with OverDrive  |
Bike computer for the myopic
| We found this video titled “Build a better bike computer” at IEEE Spectrum. Gordon, Pi Towers’ resident pro bike racer and mountain bike nutcase (ask him to show you his X-rays some time) demurs: he says (I quote): “That’s big and stupid”. Gordon also shaves his legs, and says that he wants to fill his bike frame with helium; his cycling needs are the needs of the few. The rest of us rather liked this Kindle bike hack. This build uses the Kindle as a display – but, rather than sending information straight to the display, publishes speed, distance, and navigation data to a webpage, which the Kindle’s experimental browser then reads on the The post Bike computer for the myopic appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
How to Force Download Windows 10 for PC or Tablet
| Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 will be sent out via a staggered release and it might take months for all countries to be able to download it for their PC and tablet. Obviously you want to get this right away and I have found a way to force your computer or tablet to download Windows 10, bypassing any restriction that Microsoft has enforced for your device. First of all you want to opt into the Get Windows 10 program. For the last few months a little icon has been on your notification bar and you are basically telling Microsoft you want to download it as soon as its available. Next you want to make sure your computer is setup for automatic updates. You get to this screen while in your Control Panel. When you are in the control panel you can simply copy/paste this link Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Update\Change settings In order to force Windows 10 to download to your Microsoft Surface tablet or your PC you need to delete everything found in the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download directory. This will NOT adversely effect your computer and is critical for this force download system to work. Once you have deleted everything in this folder you want to hit the Windows Button and launch your Command Prompt. I recommend launching it as Administrator. Once you are there type in wuauclt.exe /updatenow The final step is to now search for updates using the Windows Update Tool and it should automatically start downloading Windows 10 your computer or Windows 8 tablet. Wrap Up Microsoft has said that US customers are getting priority to download the full and complete version of Windows 10 first. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries should be getting it in the next week. Tablets running Windows 7 or Windows 8 are the last ones to receive the update, but if you do all of the above steps you are basically forcing Microsoft to serve you the next available download! I did this on my end in Canada and it worked.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Kobo Starts Selling e-readers and eBooks in Mexico
| Mexico is a country that many companies are bullish about because it has over 100 million mobile phones and half of the population is under 27. This has prompted Kobo to enter the market, striking partnerships with numerous bookstores to have their e-readers available to purchase. Kobo will power the eBookstore for both publisher and retailer Libreria Porrúa, with nearly 70 bookstores in Mexico and, Gandhi, the chain of nearly 30 stores. While the two retailers are competitors in other areas of business, they have jointly created a new service called Orbile, powered by Kobo, to offer a unified e-Reading service to Mexican readers. The newly created digital bookstoree will be open for business in September 2015, offering a full and rich catalog with more than 70,000 titles in Spanish, within a total of 4 million titles. Kobo will also be creating a new co-branded e-reading app for Android and iOS if people don’t want to buy the hardware. |
DDR meets the Simon game
| Back in the heady days of the late ’90s, a number of my friends and fellow students were irritatingly good at Dance Dance Revolution. They devoted countless hours to it, and carried on earnest and lengthy discussions about technique. So I can feel only gratitude that this appealing crossover wasn’t around to further detain their attention. Uberdam Cavaletti teaches computing at a professional training school in Xanxerê, Brazil, where each year they hold an event to show off projects the students have been working on. Last year one of these projects involved a Raspberry Pi, a DDR-style platform and a much older electronic game. The starting point for Uberdam, his colleagues and students was Simon, a compelling game from the late 1970s in which players had to press coloured buttons to replicate increasingly complex sequences displayed by the device. A Python clone of this game, Simulate by Al Sweigart, already existed; Uberdam’s class had the idea of allowing a player to use their feet to play, instead of a keyboard and mouse. A Raspberry Pi displays the sequence for the player to replicate via a projector, and capacitive sensors underneath the coloured platform detect steps, allowing the Pi to check the player’s performance. There’s more about the game in Uberdam’s blog post (in Portuguese); I first spotted it in Hackaday’s piece. Meanwhile, if you like the idea of making your own electronic games, you don’t need heaps of experience; in the Make section of our free resources you can find out how to make a Sweet Shop Reaction Game using Scratch and a Quick Reaction Game using Python, both great places to start! The post DDR meets the Simon game appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
Where to Buy Kindle Devices and Content Listed by Country
| Sometimes I like to browse through Amazon’s Kindle-related help section to find new article ideas (coming up with new topics to write about every day isn’t easy) and today I came across some helpful information about where users can purchase Kindle devices and content listed by country, including a list of all the retail stores […] |
Digipalooza ‘15 is almost here!
| On Wednesday August 5th, hundreds of librarians and publishers will join Team OverDrive in Cleveland, Ohio for Digipalooza, the 5th international user group conference. Librarians, staff and media specialists from public libraries and schools around the world will participate in informative and interactive sessions covering topics such as the state of the digital media industry, collection development and Readers' Advisory tips, best practices for increasing awareness, usage, and customer engagement, and will be among the first to preview the innovations on the road map for OverDrive in the next year. On Friday morning, keynote speaker and popular author Jane Green will take the stage. Jane Green is the author of hot new release Summer Secrets, along with fifteen other New York Times bestsellers, and recently participated in a Twitter chat with us to get everyone excited for Digipalooza. At Digipalooza, we know how to balance education, networking and fun. We kick off our conference this year with a Digipalooza first – an evening at OverDrive's Blue Sky Campus here in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. Attendees will dine on free food from area food trucks, get the chance to tour our building and the Digital Bookmobile, enjoy entertainment, games and time to mingle and network. The next night, Digipalooza will rock the house at an exclusive event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, which includes transportation, dinner, drinks, live music and unlimited access to the museum. The Rock Hall will only be open for our guests that evening so this is an opportunity to see a world famous attraction without the usual crowd! If you're joining us for Digipalooza, we wish you safe travels and look forward to seeing you next week. An attendee checklist of what to pack, how to get here and other helpful tips is available on our website, along with a parking guide, a preview of our conference program and links to Cleveland tourism resources. Whether you'll be in attendance or not, you can join the conversation on Twitter by using #digip15. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for? Due to high demand, we have opened a few additional registration spots for those last minute decisions. Register today and don't miss your chance to participate in the digital media conference of the year! Questions? Contact us at digipalooza2015@overdrive.com.
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist with OverDrive.  |
HarperCollins announces I CAN READ sale for libraries this September
 We’re excited to announce that one of our Digipalooza sponsors, HarperCollins, will be launching their I CAN READ campaign in September with a sale on numerous great children’s titles in OverDrive Marketplace. In the sale list you’ll find loads of books for beginner readers including classic children’s characters like Splat the Cat, Axel the Truck, Frog and Toad, Fancy Nancy, Pete the Cat and Minnie and Moo! You’ll also find some great narrated eBooks that will introduce your young readers to some of pop culture’s favorite superheroes. Get early readers excited about the library as they read along with the following enhanced eBook titles: – The alien conqueror Starro has returned to enslave planet Earth. Can the Justice League stop the evil starfish before it’s too late? Superman Classic: I Am Superman – Superman is in his Fortress of Solitude when Lex Luthor puts all of Metropolis in danger. Can Superman fly back to the city in time to stop Lex and save the day? Batman Classic: Reptile Rampage – A Gotham City hospital is being terrorized by Killer Croc, and it’s up to Batman to save the day! Can the Caped Crusader clean the city sewers of this rotten reptile? Wonder Woman Classic: I Am Wonder Woman – Meet Diana, Princess of the Amazons, and discover how she becomes the amazing Wonder Woman! Batman Classic: Dawn of the Dynamic Duo – The twisted troublemaker Two-Face is back in Gotham City, and Batman and Robin have to stop him. Read all about their first adventure as the Dynamic Duo! The I CAN READ sale kicks off in September but you can get these titles now by adding this list to your cart in OverDrive Marketplace. We’d like to thank HarperCollins for being a sponsoring partner at Digipalooza! Adam Sockel is a Social Media Specialist with OverDrive  |
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