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The Reading Rainbow app, available on the iPad, is a completely re-imagined and interactive experience reminiscent of the original TV series. The app is currently available on the iPad and has consistently been a top-grossing app. The App features hundreds of fiction and nonfiction books from numerous acclaimed children's publishers as well as newly produced and classic video field trips. The reading experience is customized to a child's specific topics of interests and age. Each book in the library can be experienced as either "read on my own" or "read to me," with voice-over narration by professional actors including Emmy award-winning actor LeVar Burton. Take a look at the video, which shows off some of the new books and interactive features found on the new Nat Geo Kids Island! Reading Rainbow Launches Nat Geo Kids Island is a post from: E-Reader News |
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Reading Rainbow Launches Nat Geo Kids Island
Google Play Video Review of the New 4.0.25 Update
| Google Play will soon be pushing a brand new update to smartphones and tablets worldwide. The new update, 4.0.25, really enhances the size of app icons, movie cover art, and ebooks. Being able to look great on tablets and smartphones is a huge priority as most people are starting to gravitate towards larger screen devices. The new look of Google Play ends up giving you app ratings and more intuitive scrolling. I really like how this new version takes a better advantage of your screen real estate. In our video review, we show you all aspects of the new Google Play. We have heard it will be pushed out within the next few weeks. Google Play Video Review of the New 4.0.25 Update is a post from: E-Reader News |
Top 5 Comic Reading Apps for the Blackberry Z10
| Welcome to another Good e-Reader APP Review! Today, we look at the top 5 comic book reading apps for the Blackberry Z10 and BB10 devices. Honestly, Blackberry World is fairly woeful when it comes to comic book reading apps, so you will have to rely on our own Good e-Reader BB10 App Store to fill the void. In this video, we document Marvel Comics, Comixology, DC Comics, Manga Reader 2, and Mango. Over the course of this review, we will show you how both comics and manga look within the apps. You can get a strong sense of how the stores look and how you would go about purchasing content. We also show you some of the advanced features you have access to, like Guided View, which lets you isolate specific panels. Top 5 Comic Reading Apps for the Blackberry Z10 is a post from: E-Reader News |
Twitter Out of Reach on the Z10
| The only solace for owners of the Z10 device who are not able to tweet is that they are not alone. For Twitter has been off limits for the Blackberry 10 operating system and fortunately Blackberry is aware of the problem. A solution is in the works and the issue is expected to be sorted out fast. Let’s just hope things are solved before the Q10 is launched.
Twitter Out of Reach on the Z10 is a post from: E-Reader News |
PC Sales Shows Sharp Decline in Q1 2013, but Should Windows 8 Take the Entire Blame?
| It has been established that the PC market is under threat from the new crop of smart mobile computing devices. It is down to a struggle for desktop PC’s basic existence, as predicted, and the results have just begun to emerge. The first quarter sales report of desktop and laptop is no secret, and the sharp 14 percent decline in sales is demonstrative, to say the least. That's the figure that International Data Corp has suggested, though Gartner has come up with the gentler figure of an 11 percent decline. Not surprisingly, with Microsoft having a vice like grip on the segment, it is considered to have contributed to the slide more than anyone else. The recently released Windows 8 is being held as the number one villain that analysts believe may have actually led to the slide rather than help prevent it. Blaming the shaky world economic scenario won’t help either, as the desktop is sliding faster into obscurity even when the economy is showing signs of bouncing back. The reason behind the shift in consumer preference towards portable computing devices such as tablet PCs is understandable considering the tablet’s immense convenience. Tablet devices are handy, offer excellent computing power, and respond to touch based inputs, negating the need for external pointing devices such as a mouse. They offer extreme convenience for almost all general purpose computing needs. Compare these to the desktops that are bulky and immense compared to tablets. Tablets are even handier than laptop or notebook devices. However, with this being the state of affairs in the traditional computing scene, putting the entire blame on Windows 8 alone would be a bit harsh. If the new gen platform from Microsoft alone is to be blamed for the poor show, consumers could still have bought the Windows 7 based PCs on the market. Besides, the trend isn’t just limited to the Windows based PCs. Apple is also having to cope with reduced demand for its PCs, while its iPad is scaling new heights in sales almost every quarter. It’s the gradual but seemingly firm shift in consumer preference that should be held responsible for the decline in PC sales. Consumers have had enough with the desktops and laptops and nothing is more exciting now than the new sleek tablet devices. It's something they can carry everywhere, does not need to be tethered to a single place, and can perform most computing jobs as well. Of course, there is also the cost factor associated with it as tablets typically cost just a fraction of what desktops and laptops cost (around $1500). A tablet can cost anywhere between $200 to $700, depending on the display size and other configurations. Also, while still on Windows 8 and the decline in sales of PCs, what should also be taken into consideration is that the former has opened up an entirely new segment of computing, that of hybrid tablet devices. While demand for these is still in the early states, these are expected to be the future of personal computing. These offer the best of both worlds, a tablet when the display is used in isolation or a netbook offering 10+ hours of runtime when attached with the keypad unit. The way the computing segment might shape up in the future is that the tablet devices will be used for those who need it for entertainment or general purpose computing while the hybrid tablet could be the ideal solution for those who need some serious computing. Meanwhile, Microsoft is working on an update to its Windows 8 OS in the form of Windows 8.1 Blue. Slated to be released this summer, Blue can do what Windows 7 did to Vista. While it would be interesting to see if it can arrest the decline in PC sales, it remains to be seen if Microsoft can turn things around. In short, we have reached a crossroads and there plenty of changes are happening very fast. We will let things settle down a bit before we jump to any firm conclusions.
PC Sales Shows Sharp Decline in Q1 2013, but Should Windows 8 Take the Entire Blame? is a post from: E-Reader News |
Friday, April 12, 2013
How to Solve the Login Problem for Instagram on the Blackberry Z10
| Instagram has not made a native app for Blackberry 10 and the new Z10 smartphone. The only way you can install this app on your device is if your sideload the Android port. One of the big problems with this app is being able login properly and not getting “Cannot process request, please try again shortly” or “This app requires an update from Google Play.” The first thing you want to do is link your Facebook account to your Instagram account. You can do this on the iOS or Android version of Instagram. The next thing you want to do is fire up Instagram on your Z10 and instead of logging in, you want to click on forget password. You then want to select “Forget using Password” using Facebook. You will then be prompted to create a new Facebook password. Once you do this, you will automatically be able to start using Instagram, take photos, and use the app. One of the most consistent issues you might encounter is “cannot process request, please try again shortly.” If you have a Facebook Page, or are the administrator of one, the app throws you this error. The best solution is not to have a Page, or you can’t use the app. You can download Instagram for BB10 HERE and learn how to load it in HERE. How to Solve the Login Problem for Instagram on the Blackberry Z10 is a post from: E-Reader News |
XBox 720 to Support Streaming Digital Downloads
| Gaming News on Good e-Reader? Well, normally we never report on consoles or gaming apps, but we can’t help it when we have some juicy news. A confirmed source has informed us about the upcoming plans regarding XBox’s digital download distribution service. One of the big aspects of the next generation of hardware is that the consoles will have expanded support for digital downloads. One of the ways Microsoft’s XBox team is refining the next generation will be allowing players to run games as the game is downloading. Normally, when you download a game on the existing generation of consoles, or even Steam, you can’t play the game until its fully downloaded. The Xbox 720 will let you play the game, as long as you meet a certain data threshold. If you are downloading a AAA title, and it is around 10 GB of data, and you will be able to start playing the game once you hit a 2GB limit. This gravitation towards enhanced digital downloads will obviously give a emphasis on phasing out companies like Gamestop. It will also put a spotlight on indie titles that normally don’t get much attention with so many games on DVD right now. One of the major drawbacks will be for people who live in rural areas and have shabby satellite internet connections, or even dial up. XBox 720 to Support Streaming Digital Downloads is a post from: E-Reader News |
The “Saga” Saga: It Wasn’t Apple After All
| The internet lit up on Tuesday after writer Brian K. Vaughan made this announcement: “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s SAGA #12 from being sold through any iOS apps.” On Twitter, Facebook, comment strings, and message boards, fans denounced Apple for a seeming double standard, refusing to carry a comic because of a gay sex scene although it carries plenty of mature content. A few commenters pointed out, though, that the scenes in question were more explicit than anything Saga had run before, so they may have crossed a line. Everything changed on Wednesday, when comiXology CEO David Steinberger explained that comiXology, not Apple, made the decision, and that it was based on the explicit nature of the images, not the fact that the sex was gay:
This took a lot of people by surprise, but it makes a certain amount of sense that comiXology, which works closely with Apple, would avoid submitting content they know will be rejected. What makes less sense is comiXology letting everyone, including Vaughan, think that Apple made the call. Given the weird hostility between Apple and non-Apple users on the web, there was a lot of flaming going on, with people choosing to ignore the fact that Apple has been gay-friendly since before that was cool; they have long offered benefits to same-sex couples, they opposed the odious Proposition 8 in California, and their current CEO, Tim Cook, is gay. They are also choosing to ignore that companies like Apple and comiXology are not monoliths, and there might be different people reviewing different issues of Saga at different times; Mark Waid has a pretty plausible scenario that explains how this all would have happened with all parties having only the best of intentions; as he says, “In all matters creative, never attribute to malice what can be explained by bureaucracy.” In the end, Apple did not reject Saga #12, and it is now available in the comiXology and Image Comics apps as well as online. While those apps are more convenient for iPad and iPhone users, the conversation served to remind us when a comic is purchased i the comiXology or Image web stores, iTunes doesn’t take its 30% cut, so more of the cover price goes to the creator and the publisher. The “Saga” Saga: It Wasn’t Apple After All is a post from: E-Reader News |
Google Play Books for iOS Updated to Support Japanese eBooks
| The official Google Play eBooks app for Android seems to get the most new features and enhancements. The iOS version seems to be the least supported, but got a major update today. The new Google Play Books 1.5 update brings Japanese vertical layout support, which makes manga and traditional ebooks more accessible. Speaking of books, the app now has support for Fixed Layout EPUB books. Fixed Layout means it now supports kids books, comics, and other image heavy content. This change was to set the stage for the upcoming newspaper service. Finally, the iOS app now has official Google Maps support, and you can click on interactive maps. Google Play Books for iOS Updated to Support Japanese eBooks is a post from: E-Reader News |
Viber Finally Makes It to Blackberry
| Viber has finally made it to the Blackberry. However, it’s still in the beta stages, which means it is limited to older versions of Blackberry OS and not compatible with the latest BB10 platform. The current version can only be downloaded on Blackberry 5 and 7 devices, and if everything works out fine, the final version could be with us as early as next week. The reason why Blackberry 6 was left out is that some inherent limitations of the OS will prevent Viber from being operational. “BlackBerry is one of the most important markets for us and represents our third largest user base,” said Talmon Marco, CEO at Viber. “We are thrilled to bring this community free voice calling, letting them communicate freely with all of their important contacts across multiple platforms.” Viber can be considered as a competitor to Skype and WhatsApp, which makes us wonder why it hasn’t had a presence on the BB10 platform until now.
Viber Finally Makes It to Blackberry is a post from: E-Reader News |
BB 10.1 on the Way, Q10 Likely to Be the Launch Device
| If the Z10 was made the launching platform for the BB 10 operating system, the Q10 could the seen doing the honors for the updated version of BB 10, christened BB 10.1. Needless to say, the update will also be made available for the Z10. Here is the list of features that are expected to be part of BB 10.1. >> The camera app is likely to be enhanced so that it will run faster and will also support HDR photos. Other enhancements expect in the update include BlackBerry Mobile Voice System Support, BlackBerry Balance, Cross Domain Email Warnings, Type N Go, Dark Theme Support, Out-of-Box-Experience, Smartcard Support, Mnemonic Phone Dialing, Word Prediction, and Keyboard Shortcuts.
BB 10.1 on the Way, Q10 Likely to Be the Launch Device is a post from: E-Reader News |
Review: Archos 97 Titanium HD
| A couple of weeks ago I posted an article about the new Archos 97 Titanium HD tablet that is one of the first Android tablets to have a screen similar to the Apple iPad in terms of size and screen resolution. Since the iPad is one of my favorite tablets for reading because of the [...] |
Guest post: more high altitude ballooning from Dave Akerman
| Liz: Tomorrow, Eben and I are getting up at sparrowfart to go and stand in a field with Dave Akerman, where we will “help” him launch a balloon equipped with a Pi. This time the balloon, rather than going for an altitude record, is intended to travel a long distance laterally; we’re hoping it’ll make it to Poland in the 24 hours we have before its batteries run out. Here’s a guest post from Dave explaining what it’s all about, and showing you how you can track the balloon yourself, from home. See you tomorrow, Dave! All being well I will launch the 5th "Pi In The Sky" this Saturday morning from Cambridgeshire. The intention is to get the balloon to float all day rather than burst, and the projected flight path takes it over Holland, Germany and into Poland. The batteries will last for 24 hours by which time it will be out of range of our radio receiver network anyway. The payload will carry a model A Raspberry Pi, plus an Arduino Mini Pro, a UBlox GPS receiver, and 2 Radiometrix NTX2 transmitters. The latter will be on nearby frequencies primarily to avoid conflict with some other flights this weekend, but also to allow those with SDR (Software Defined Radio) receivers to listen to and decode the signals from both transmitters. If you have an SDR and want to do this, check my article. If you've not tracked amateur high altitude balloons before, check the UKHAS tracking guide. This will be one of 3 flights from the same location on Saturday: Launch Announcement On Saturday the 13th of April there will be three launches from the Cambridge area under meteorological balloons. Two of these (PIE5 and AVA) are configured to ascend to a certain altitude (>100,000 feet) and then float rather than burst. The expected path takes the balloons out of UK air space and continue onwards over Europe. The final flight (XABEN) will be a slow ascent and then a burst to land in Holland. All balloons will be transmitting RTTY telemetry on the 70cms band. The first balloon is flying a Raspberry Pi which will be transmitting live SSDV images back to the ground by a pair of transmitters to double the bandwidth. The data is RTTY 300 baud 8N2. The frequencies will be at 434.070 and 434.074Mhz. The balloon call sign is $$PIE. The second balloon is flying a 70cms tracker on 434.450Mhz 50 baud 7N2, additionally once it enters air space where the airborne use of APRS is permitted a second APRS transmitter will enable with the call sign M0UPU-11. The third balloon is callsign uXABEN, 434.350MHz, 470Hz shift, 7N1. Live images from PIE will be displayed here All balloons can be followed here Anyone with suitable receiving equipment is welcome to assist tracking. We always welcome people joining the distributed network of listeners, instructions on how to receive these balloons is here. Live chat and up to date frequencies and assistance will be on the #highaltitude chat room on irc.freenode.net. You can connect here Live video from the launch site will be streamed here. |
HMH Buys Tribal Nova Game Developer to Increase Digital Learning Offerings
| When one of the world’s leading textbook publishers and a well-known educational game developer decide to work together, it can only mean that more dynamic learning tools will soon be hitting the market. That’s certainly the hope for the news that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt bought Montreal-based learning game creator Tribal Nova, with forthcoming plans to increase online game content for both the K-12 and consumer markets. “The combination of Tribal Nova’s game development expertise with HMH’s proven educational content and learning design capabilities will enable HMH to bring a more holistic and personalized gaming experience to market,” said Mary Cullinane, Chief Content Officer and EVP, Corporate Affairs at HMH, in a press release. “With the acquisition of Tribal Nova, HMH has exciting growth opportunities in the consumer education market and beyond.” “We are excited to join one of the world’s leading education companies and believe that HMH is well-positioned to take Tribal Nova to new heights in high quality educational game development,” said Pierre Le Lann and Guillaume Aniorté, Co-CEOs of Tribal Nova. “We share a belief in the importance of curiosity in fostering effective learning in children and look forward to working together to create new and innovative products which build upon the concept of meaningful play.” One thing that textbook publishing companies have always recognized is the consumer demand for additional resources, outside of the informative content contained in a book. With the advent of digital textbooks, especially at the public school level, they enacted a swift transition to including those additional resources in a web-based format so that teachers and students could access resources virtually anywhere. With the future development of more learning and educational games thanks to the acquisition of Tribal Nova, HMH stands to reach not only those school systems who value trustworthy and engaging learning game content, but also to become and even bigger player in the consumer gaming arena, especially with Tribal Nova’s experience in preschool gaming, including the iLearnWith and iReadWith series of content.
HMH Buys Tribal Nova Game Developer to Increase Digital Learning Offerings is a post from: E-Reader News |
Bowker, ebrary, Choice Partner on RCL
| Digital publishing, especially in the academic arena, has opened the door for some collaborative efforts that have increased the reach and productivity of many of the tools that schools and libraries consistently use. Bowker and ebrary, both ProQuest companies or affiliates, have teamed up with the ALA’s academic library review Choice in order to improve the accessibility and capability of RCL. The Resources for College Libraries, or RCL, was first developed in 2006 as a collection of titles based off the American Library Association’s classic reference work, Books for College Libraries (BCL), which features over 85,000 titles across 117 subject areas. "The combination of Choice's content and Bowker's technological expertise have made RCL an essential and easy-to-use tool for academic collection development," said Kevin Sayar, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, ProQuest Workflow Solutions. "Via the ebrary platform, we're enabling RCL to directly enhance the research environment by streamlining access to essential titles." According to a press release on the collaboration this week, “Via Bowker, the RCL interface has been updated with a simpler browse function, faster search results and improved mobile access through Bowker's BookWire app, which enables subscribers to login to access book details and add titles to selected lists from any location. RCL also includes RSS feeds for new titles, dynamic facets to help refine search. Content includes the full text of Choice reviews and easy identifiers for Choice Outstanding Academic Titles.” The free Bookwire mobile device app lets users search for vital book information by scanning the book’s barcode or by searching by book data, then saving the information or completing the book purchase. Under the Bowker subscription option, libraries have three choices on content from the RCL. The traditional RCL contains its standard and well-recognized number and quality of content, the RCL: Career Resources subscription–which features nearly five thousand titles in vocational, technical, and career programs for two-year and four-year colleges–and a combination of both the RCL and the RCL:CR.
Bowker, ebrary, Choice Partner on RCL is a post from: E-Reader News |
Blackberry Tops List of Smartphones Consumers Desire the Least
| A recent survey by research firm Raymond James on which smartphone consumers are least likely to purchase has brought to light some very interesting results. Blackberry has topped the list of unwanted smartphones, with 83 percent stating they’d rather not buy a Blackberry smartphone anytime soon. This is in spite of the good reviews the company’s new Z10 smartphone has received so far, though what is most intriguing is that a whopping 83 percent aren’t even aware Blackberry has launched the new BB10 operating system that has been well received in the tech world. The survey was conducted between March 14th and 26th, and involved about 250 respondents. Maybe this will be a message for Blackberry to embark on an advertising campaign to market the company’s new developments more effectively.
Blackberry Tops List of Smartphones Consumers Desire the Least is a post from: E-Reader News |
LinkedIn Purchases Pulse Reader for $90 Million
| Pulse Reader has been gaining tons of traction in the industry with the demise of Google Reader. People are gravitating towards Pulse, Flipboard, Google Currents, and a myriad of services that take reading websites to the next level. Pulse has been running iOS and Android apps for quite some time and has built up a very loyal following. Pulse is currently my favorite reader, primarily because it’s very intuitive and loads quickly. LinkedIn seemed to have shared the sentiment and has announced the purchase of Pulse for $90 million dollars in stock. Pulse originally launched in 2010 by a few students at Stanford University. Their first major app was published for iOS and quickly gained tons of attention in the news field. They expanded into Android and recently revised their website for a solid HTML5 user experience. When big companies tend to buy out younger ones, users tend to get all up in arms and turn to alternative services. We recently saw this happen with the purchase of GoodReads by Amazon. Before any of Pulse's 30 million users begin searching for another reader, Pulse said its apps for iOS and Android will stay the same, and the company will continue to work on its existing products while developing new ones with LinkedIn. "We are thrilled to be able to add Pulse's considerable talent, technology, and products to our growing ecosystem of content offerings, and we believe that they will help us accelerate our ability to deliver to our members the insights they need to be better at what they do, on any device," said Deep Nishar, LinkedIn's SVP of Products and User Experience, in a statement today. "To continue to deliver that value to our members, our vision for content is that LinkedIn will be the definitive professional publishing platform, and Pulse is a perfect complement to this vision." LinkedIn Purchases Pulse Reader for $90 Million is a post from: E-Reader News |
Blackberry Z10 Return Rates Are Nothing to Worry About
| Blackberry has stated it is not overly worried with the number of customers returning its Z10 device, though reports doing the rounds claim the returns to have exceeded its sales. On the contrary, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has stated the company is satisfied with the way consumers around the world have taken to the Z10 smartphone. Analysts have been keenly watching the proceedings at Blackberry to try to ascertain the general perception around the new BB10 platform. Of course, the Z10 has been well received in Canada and the UK, though its sales in the key market of the USA might not have been as hoped. Blackberry said, in an interview with Crackberry, “BlackBerry wishes to respond to media coverage today regarding speculation that there have been abnormally high levels of returns of BlackBerry Z10 devices. This is absolutely false. Our data shows that return rates for BlackBerry Z10 devices both in the U.S. and on a global basis are in line with or better than our expectations and are consistent with return rates for other premium smartphones in the market today.” The company has since launched the Q10 smartphone that includes a physical keyboard, though it could be a few months before it makes its US debut. Update: Blackberry today stated they are getting in touch with the anadian handset maker, today said it is contacting the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission for them to review what analyst Detwiler Fenton has stated about Z10 suffering from high return rates. Blackberry has termed the report as completely 'false and misleading'. The move also shows how seriously the Canadian company is taking to any negative reviews its latest handsets are being subjected to.
Blackberry Z10 Return Rates Are Nothing to Worry About is a post from: E-Reader News |
Digi-Key and e-Ink Sign New Distribution Agreement
| Digi-Key is best known for distributing and sell components for semi-conductors and electronics. Today, the company has signed a new distribution agreement with E Ink to get new e-paper technology on a global scale. It seems the two sides are going to focus on existing and next-generation display panels, and then dive into uncharted territory. Mark Zack, Digi-Key vice president of global semiconductor products, said that “low-power devices fill the general needs of the electronic industry. E Ink’s products to customers around the world will bring unparalleled value. We expect the new E Ink agreement will expand the distribution of a new range of products.” This new agreement will see new relationships being established with companies that E Ink does not have any traction with. Digi-Key will hopefully broker new deals for e-paper display screens to be used in retail and the commercial sector. We have also heard that E Ink is seriously considering getting into other markets with a high demand for low-battery screens. The big rumor right now is keyboards, watches, and clothing. Digi-Key and e-Ink Sign New Distribution Agreement is a post from: E-Reader News |
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Newest McGraw-Hill Innovation Aimed at Advanced Placement Students
| Digital textbook companies like CourseSmart and Kno recently launched innovative, interactive dashboards that help increase student learning outcomes by providing valuable feedback on how students engage with course material, but McGraw-Hill High Education announced today that its launch of such a dashboard is aimed at a very specific demographic of students.SCOREboard, the latest McGraw-Hill platform, is the first of its kind learning tool that helps students prepare for Advanced Placement courses and exams. "AP exam enrollments have risen steadily over the past decade, but unfortunately student performance on those exams has not," said Christine Willig, senior vice president of products at McGraw-Hill School Education, in a press release today. "Of the high school students taking AP exams, nearly half fail to earn what is considered a passing score. With SCOREboard, students can get a clear picture of precisely where they stand well in advance of their exam, giving them the academic edge they need to perform well on the exam and ultimately in college." While digital learning dashboards are not new–McGraw-Hill’s own LearnSmart dashboard already has over one million users–this is the first tool of its kind to be sold to schools via subscription model that will engage students with the core focus of AP classes. Those classes, eight in all, include AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Economics, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, AP United States Government and Politics, AP United States History, and AP World History. One of the key features of digital interactive learning tools such as SCOREboard is the ability to tailor study time to identified areas of deficiency and facets of lower confidence level. This personalized instructional assistance means students no longer waste valuable time with study concepts that have already been mastered, but instead are focused on topics that are not as ingrained. SCOREboard is available now for use on PC and Mac and will be available for iOS devices by next school year. For more information or to purchase SCOREboard, please visit their website HERE. Newest McGraw-Hill Innovation Aimed at Advanced Placement Students is a post from: E-Reader News |
