| Time Inc publishes close to 130 magazines every single month, including Sports Illustrated, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Fortune, People, InStyle, Life, GOLF Magazine, Southern Living, Essence, This Old House, All You and Entertainment Weekly. The new SVP of Digital M. Scott Havens made it clear he wants to focus on digital in a big way, and not just publishing digital editions of the magazine. In a recent interview in The Guardian he said “"We are not a magazine company," he explained. "We are a media company with a portfolio." Time Inc. staffers, please note this change when talking to relatives about your career. "We want to build the next LinkedIn, the next Gilt , the next Facebook," Havens adds. "We have got really smart people and we need to let them use their brains." Such flattery is likely to go down well with his employees but it comes with a stark warning: "If they are not up for that then we need to bring in some new people," Havens says. One of the non-magazine aspects Time is working on is a series of videos. They are borrowing a page out of Conde Nastby developing original content. The company has 50 different series in development and will seek to monetize it. In fact Havens believes that the company could probably sell advertising against 500m video streams a month, more than six times its current total of 80m monthly streams. It will be interesting to see if Time Inc’s digital strategy will play out. Haven has made it quite clear in his various interviews that you are either onboard with the new strategy or you can leave. Time Inc Focusing on Digital is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Time Inc Focusing on Digital
e-Readers Must be Turned on According to the TSA
| The Transportation Security Administration has announced that e-readers must be turned on when going through customs for travelers taking international flights headed to the US. They are concerned that your trusty Kindle may be hollowed out and explosives planted within. "During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones," the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in a post on its website. It warned: "Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft. The traveller may also undergo additional screening." US officials are providing extra screening for flights originating from the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa. They are mostly concerned about intelligence originating from Syria and Yemen that they have developed bombs that could be placed in mobile telephones and e-readers to avoid detection to bring down aircraft bound for America. Travelers are implored to make sure that your phone or e-reader are turned on when going through customs. If they are out of batteries or turned off completely you could be in for secondary screening and possibly can miss your flight. e-Readers Must be Turned on According to the TSA is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Nook Press Blog Offers Support to Indie Authors
|
Nook Press, the self-publishing platform from Barnes and Noble that allows authors to sell their content on the iconic bookseller’s website, reaches a significant percentage of the reading public through both the Nook family of devices and the Nook ereading app for tablets and PCs. Nook Press offers a number of tools for authors, including both a blog filled with advice and information and a dynamic Facebook presence where its authors connect with fans. “We started the Nook Press blog in late February, and we had a couple of missions in mind,” explained Julia Coblentz, Senior Marketing Manager – Digital Marketing for Nook. “The main thing was really to bring writers and readers together more and to offer a place where we can hear more of the voices of self-published authors in the retail setting. “We do three different things here. We do guest posts, which we’ve had a great response to not only from the author side as they have an opportunity to tell more of what they’re doing. We also feature articles on marketing, which we’ve done for years in our newsletter and on our Facebook pages where new authors and successful authors get together and learning marketing tips from each other. We also go ahead and highlight interest ways that authors are already out there. The third thing we’re doing is using it as a platform to highlight titles that are coming through Nook Press. Whether it’s based on this is a great deal or this is a great beach read, and I kind of group them thematically in some way.” The blog is heavily promoted through the Nook Press Facebook page and through the other associated social media channels to give authors–especially new writers who may still be in the process of making publishing decisions–the tools they need to take charge of their own careers. The articles cover a broad spectrum of topics that affect authors, and supports the decisions they make about their content with information and advice. The Nook Press blog can be found HERE, and readers and authors alike are also invited to connect through the Facebook page. Nook Press Blog Offers Support to Indie Authors is a post from: Good e-Reader |
eBook Review: The Silkworm by Robert Gilbraith
|
Rowling/Gilbraith has done it again, and this one may be even better than the first in her Cormoran Strike series. It was both sad and amazing when JK Rowling returned to fiction writing after closing the covers on her Harry Potter series. As she transitioned into becoming the head of the worldwide wizarding empire that has seen a movie franchise, interactive website world, licensed products, and even a theme park, her writing bug may have been quieted by the other projects, but it certainly hadn’t died. With her embarrassingly disappointing first adult novel, no one could argue that Rowling didn’t stay true to herself and write the book she wanted to write, critics be damned. But with her second series, Rowling smartly opted for a pen name to avoid the comparisons. Her adult fiction is nothing like the world she built for avid young readers, and she avoided being associated with the first book for as long as she could. Still staying true to her literary choices, she penned the book she wanted to write and her audiences responded favorably. With the second installment, The Silkworm, Rowling crafted an even more gripping story than the first Strike novel, this time focusing more on the literary world. After a novelist goes missing and Strike is called in by the wife to find him, Strike discovers that the writer’s most recent manuscript is a tell-all that would expose people who know the novelist personally, including his own wife. Someone has a motive for murder, and Strike must sift through the saga of dirty laundry in order to beat the killer to it. Even more than the ever-present writing ability of an author who has the ability to put her readers in the setting, whether it’s a dark alley or Diagon Alley, this is one book that might hit too close to home for the world famous author herself. Who better to write about the perils of literary fame than one of the highest grossing authors of all time? It was easy to wonder “what if” as I read, wondering how much of the torment her character feels applies to her own life. Despite the ongoing dispute between Amazon and Hachette, this title is now available in all formats (paperback still pending).
eBook Review: The Silkworm by Robert Gilbraith is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing
|
Guess who the first publisher in line is? Hachette. Yes, Hachette, the company who is in heated, contentious dispute with Amazon, currently isn’t allowed to sell titles through Apple without giving Apple the right to discount as the court ruling from Judge Denise Cote states that Apple cannot engage in agency pricing for a predetermined period of time. Hachette wants Amazon to have to submit to the no-discount policy of agency model pricing, knowing full well that Apple is legally bound to not enter into that agreement and can therefore discount ebooks all it wants to. Amazon will be held to whatever price Hachette decides to charge, while Apple can set its own prices, including selling titles at a loss. I’m sorry, I’m confused…who’s the bad guy again? Interestingly, two other publishers have jumped into the debate. Macmillan and Simon&Schuster have filed court documents contending that the entire situation will work to harm their businesses. Since Apple is filing appeals and has therefore not resolved the issue on when agency model can be reinstated, and since Macmillan and S&S are presumably now at the back of the line of publishers, they cannot institute agency pricing with Apple (and therefore, by common sense, any other retailers) until sometime in late 2017. Is it any coincidence that Hachette attempted to return to agency pricing with Amazon (and not Apple) at nearly the same time that Apple’s new iOS 8 update will make the iBookstore easier to access from its mobile devices? While the open letter writing, name calling, and petition signing in the Amazon-Hachette battle continues to rage on, it’s important to remember that the end result of Hachette getting its way will be that Amazon will not be allowed to discount ebooks, and by law Apple will. I seem to recall there was a massive lawsuit because one retailer had too much of an advantage…
Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Why I Ditched Blackberry for an iPhone
| Blackberry used to be the definitive smartphone for business users until the iPhone and Android really took off. The Waterloo based company released Blackberry 10 a few years ago and changed the way they fundamentally ran their backend services. Now things are different, they are outsourcing all phone development to Foxconn and has signed an agreement with Amazon to offer apps to their users. Has Blackberry lost their way? Business users and government were all enamoured with Blackberry because of their safe and secure environment. All emails, text messages and core services used to be routed through Blackberries own internet servers. This appealed towards people who travelled, because it would automatically compress pictures and attachments. The process resulted in less roaming fees for data consumption and telco companies actually sold Blackberry data plans as a separate entity. Blackberry 10 changed the way data on the phones works by abandoning their internet service and now all information is delivered by the phone company. Not only does this result in higher costs for roaming and data but everything is less secure. BBM is the only facet of the modern day operating system that actually is still done through Blackberry, but it is a small compromise. Most government and businesses have mostly abandoned Blackberry, you would be hard pressed to go a few weeks without another agency not renewing their contracts and going with Apple or Google. There simply isn’t any compelling reasons to stick with the company, when it involves a hefty cost of infrastructure and a less secure experience via Amazon. I am not sure if most Blackberry customers are aware of the privacy ramifications of having Amazon services loaded on all Blackberry 10 smartphones. This will result in many peoples personal information being shared in order to serve you apps, books, magazines and videos easier. Blackberry has lost its charm. I had every single phone since the original Pearl and stuck it out until the Q10 and Z10. Blackberry World is a ghost town and the company is letting go most of their development relations team. This will result in less apps being added in a native format, after all, 48,000 apps on World is done by a single developer. There is no BIS services anymore, which prevents me from saving money on roaming and traveling. Now the phone quality is diminishing with everything being outsourced to China. I will stick with my iPhone 5 from now on, since the build quality is assured and I don’t have to worry about where my next app is being downloaded from or have to sideload in content just to get Instagram working. Why I Ditched Blackberry for an iPhone is a post from: Good e-Reader |
How to Install the Kobo Bookstore on the Sony PRS e-Reader
| Sony has shuttered their online bookstore in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the US. This means if you have a Sony PRS-1, T2 or T3 e-reader you will no longer be able to buy eBooks. Users have been transitioned to the Kobo bookstore, but how do access it? Today, we show you how to search for the new firmware update, install it and access Kobo. If you have not turned your Sony e-Reader on for awhile, when you boot it up and connect to WIFI you should see an update notification. You can drag your finger down at the very top of the screen to see the update. If you click on it it will ask if you want to download it. It is around 100 MB in size, so it should take a few minutes to completely download. Once it does, you can access the status menu again and click on the update. This time, it will ask if you want to install it. This process normally takes around fifteen minutes and will reboot your reader. Once the Sony boots up after the update, you will have your Sony Reader Store switched over to Kobo. This warrants you making a new account with them, if you don’t already have one. In your library you will normally see all of your books on one shelf. If books are missing, you can click on the tab at the top of the screen and switch your shelf to Purchased Content.
How to Install the Kobo Bookstore on the Sony PRS e-Reader is a post from: Good e-Reader |
HM Ward on Literary Agents and the Indie Author Industry
|
One bestselling indie author, HM Ward, sat down with Good e-Reader and explained one area of that evolving realm, one that involves different experts in the industry: literary agents as they relate to highly successful self-published authors. “I think agents are in a strange position when it comes to working with indies. Their job is to sell rights. That’s it. They sell the book. But indies, at least many, and those in my position, have already decided that in most cases the rights are far more valuable to keep. Where does that leave them [agents]? They don’t want to hurt their authors. But at the same time, my agent is having to turn down six-figure deals because I know that they’re not in my best interest. Are they in an agent’s best interest? That’s a complicated question – at the very least it’s no longer a direct relationship. Sales doesn’t always equal good.” Agents have traditionally been the first stepping stone to breaking through the legendary “gate” that surrounded traditional publishing. But as authors have learned to become successful on their own terms, with a number of high-profile authors skipping over the agent step and going straight to a publisher after some measure of success, agents have had to adapt or be left behind as a relic of a bygone era. “Some agents are making the transition better than others. Some have recognized the shifting ground and tried to seek out firmer footing. But how are they to do it? I had an agent offer simple services – and their ‘expertise’ in publishing – for a percentage of my lifetime sales. Do agents really have a better grasp of indie publishing than those of us doing it? Of course not. Is it worth tremendous sums of money for me to have an agent upload an epub? Of course not. (That agent doesn’t work with me.)” While some agents who’ve attempted to work with indie authors have been accused of being nothing more than scam artists who take a lifetime 15% of sales only to push the book through to Kindle, there are agents who are working in different areas of publishing on behalf of their clients, with everything from negotiating foreign rights and translation to putting the manuscripts in front of Hollywood producers. There are still roles for agents, but they’re shifting as fast as the self-publishing industry can force them. “My current agent is an awesome person. But we’re still navigating the changing relationship. If foreign presses want to buy rights direct from me, where does she fit in? If a publisher won’t offer what a book is worth, how does she pay her bills? At the same time, I like her, I trust her, and innovative agents have the potential to transform the industry – just as indie authors are.”
HM Ward on Literary Agents and the Indie Author Industry is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Adobe Digital Editions Rolls Out Private Beta for ePUB3
|
According to an announcement from the IDPF, “The industry rollout of EPUB 3 support has taken another big step forward with private beta releases of Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) desktop reading software and Adobe Reader Mobile SDK (RMSDK), both supporting EPUB 3 via the open source Readium SDK project. The beta releases support both fixed layout and reflowable content, audio and video playing, MathML, JavaScript in and outside of iFrames, multiple rendition EPUBs, and much more. The software is also designed to be compatible with the recently launched InDesign CC EPUB 3 fixed-layout support. Additionally, the RMSDK release supports new Adobe Content Server (ACS) features including subscriptions and other advanced transaction and distribution models. Email ebooks@adobe.com to request access to the early beta releases of ADE and RMSDK.” Even more information was available from Datalogics, who provided an inside look at what the rollout of the adoption could look like. “Datalogics is happy to announce that significant progress has been made, and we expect to see the EPUB 3 support in Adobe Reader Mobile SDK and Adobe Digital Editions by this fall. In addition to adding the EPUB 3 rendering capability, Adobe will also add the DRM support to EPUB 3 content. Those of you planning to attend BookExpo America (BEA) in New York next can stop by the Datalogics booth for the latest updates and to hopefully see a preview of this new functionality. “The EPUB 3 support in RMSDK is based on the Readium EPUB 3 technology. You can find more information from Readium's website. “Among many features from the EPUB 3 standard that Readium supports, you will find support for fixed layout, audio and video playing, MathML and many of the scripting features in the EPUB 3 standard.” Screenshots and video are available from the Datalogics site, in a post on the Adobe adoption HERE.
Adobe Digital Editions Rolls Out Private Beta for ePUB3 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July
|
The complete list of titles includes: War of the Whales: A True Story by Joshua Horwitz (July 1), California: A Novel by Edan Lepuki (July 8), High As Horses’ Bridles by Scott Cheshire (July 8), Liberty’s Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty by Elizabeth Mitchell (July 2), Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival by Laurence Gonzales (July 7), The Fracking King by James Browning (July 1), Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (July 29), Landline by Rainbow Rowell (July 8), The Girls from Coronoa del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (July 8), The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee by Marja Mills (July 15), and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (June 26). Links to the titles can be found HERE. Interestingly, Amazon was criticized when the list came out for July as it includes a title published by Hachette Book Group, California, by Edan Lepuki. Due to the ongoing dispute Amazon is engaged in with Hachette, books by that publisher are not available for pre-order and many are listed as out of stock until further notice. Despite the downright nastiness that has been lobbed in Amazon’s direction for what it claims to be its fight for its customers and low prices, Amazon has openly encouraged readers to purchase Hachette titles from other sources until a resolution can be reached. But how can Amazon include California on its list of best titles if it won’t even sell it? Good e-Reader reached out to Amazon for comment, and this was their reply: “Amazon's editorial team chooses their book recommendations independent of other teams. California will be available for customers to order on its publisher designated on-sale date of July 8.” Regardless of what critics have to say about a retailer and its business practices, it’s hard to find fault with an organization whose own editors have the ability to promote a book based simply on its merits as a great read, even if the parent companies involved are still battling it out. It would be not at all unheard of for a corporate official to order California off the list due to the politics involved, but that isn’t the case here. While the arguments rage on, one group of nearly thirty indie authors has shown its support for Amazon and the good work that it has done in revolutionizing nearly every aspect of the publishing industry. A petition at change.org has been established to show Amazon that it does have friends in the business.
Light Up Your Fourth with Amazon’s Best Books of July is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Tolino Vision VS Onyx Lynx T68
| Welcome to another Good e-Reader Comparison Video! Today we compare reading PDF files and ePub books with the Tolino Vision and Onyx Lynx T68. As an added bonus we also will check out how the front-lit displays do in a side by side nighttime reading test. The Tolino vision has e-Ink Carta going for it, which is brand new e-paper technology give you higher resolution text and less page refreshing on the page turns. Side by side with the Onyx e-reader the Tolino reigned supreme when reading ePub files. The Onyx reader has a bit larger of a screen with 6.8 inches and has the benefit of being very much akin to a tablet. It has access to Google Play and allows users to install any app they want. When it comes to e-reading, the Tolino was more responsive in opening menus and books. Even large PDF files opened way quicker, although they both struggled with the overall experience. The Vision has a weird rendering engine which makes text ultra blurry and discombobulating. The Onyx T68 had a bit better of a time, but the steps to optimize the file involves many steps. Modern day e-readers tend to have a front-lit display that allows you to control the brightness level to read in the dark. The main benefit about this technology is the light is on the bottom of the bezel and evenly distributes the light access the screen. Tablets and smartphones have lights shining in your eyes from behind the screen, which is why people struggle to read for long sessions. The Onyx has a superior front-lit display, which really gives the Kindle Paperwhite 2 a run for its money. The Vision had light spillage on the bottom of the screen and was not as bright and clearly defined.
Tolino Vision VS Onyx Lynx T68 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Friday, July 4, 2014
Angry Birds Heads to South Hamerica
| The world’s most popular physics-based puzzle game has received another update, and this time the stars of Angry Birds Seasons are headed to South Hamerica: it’s fun, festive, tropical (with a hint of Aztec), and features 24 new main levels (along with 3 additional bonus ones). If you are one of the many who can’t get enough bird-slinging, consider how enjoyable it will be to navigate high up in the mountains amidst shaky rope bridges and swinging relics. Part of what makes Angry Birds so addictive and enjoyable is that there are a variety of scenarios and environments to play in: the jungles of South Hamerica let you take advantage of new traps that bring piggy-destruction to all that they encounter. If you are an existing player, you can grab this update using the ‘My Apps’ section from the Play Store on your device. If you haven’t yet tried the ever-evolving Angry Birds Seasons, download it for free now.
Angry Birds Heads to South Hamerica is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Get Your Kids Reading this Summer with e-Reading Apps
| Kids these days have either their own smartphone or tablet, or have access to one. Summertime normally involves frolicking in the sun and goofing off with friends, but parents may want to get their child reading instead. Children are simply reading less these days. The American Time Use Survey recently issued a report that will be quite startling for parents. It proclaims that teenagers 15 to 19 only read for around 4 minutes a day. Most kids say the only books they read are books that are apart of the schools remedial English program. Obviously this is all very distressing, but parents can play an active role in reading this summer. This first app to check out is from Scholastic, which harkens back to the days of the school book fair, but in a digital version. The Scholastic Storia App for Android offers highly-curated titles, from vibrant picture eBooks for younger readers to the hottest new series for older readers, including fiction and nonfiction titles by both new and established authors. There are thousands of books on the platform and 4 free eBooks that are offered for free. The public library is often a refuge to satiate children’s literary thirst year round. This summer why not install the Overdrive app on their device. Using your normal library card you can tap into the customized children and teens reading lists. Hundreds of libraries are participating in the program, you can check out an example from the Sarasota County library. iStorytime is a rising force in the digital realm of eBooks. Their parent company Zukka has been winning lots of awards for enhanced kids books. There are hundreds of titles that are based on officially licensed properties, such as Shrek, Madagascar, Rise of the Guardians, Kung Fu Panda and The Smurfs. There are a bunch of titles available for free. Reading eBooks is not the only thing that kids can read this summer but what about magazines and newspapers? Often they can carry these right on their smartphone and read it while on the bus or during commutes. Zinio offers thousands of magazines and can be purchased individually or download as many as you want per month on their Z-Pass system. Next Issue is a new service for digital magazines that is getting lots of press. It seems every day they run television commercials promoting it in the US and Canada. They have a 30 day promotion to enjoy their entire catalog, which is basically half the summer. I think its the parents responsibility to install the love of reading on your child. They often learn by imitation and if the parents are aren’t reading, they often won’t. Get Your Kids Reading this Summer with e-Reading Apps is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Onyx Boox T68 Lynx vs Kobo Aura
| The Kobo Aura has been around for around six months and continues to be one of the top sellers for the Canadian based company. The Onyx Boox Lynx is .8 inches larger, but uses a little more dated e-paper. Today, we compare the two side by side to see if there is a clear cut winner. The Lynx e-reader is very much akin to the Kobo Aura HD, in terms of specs. It features a 6.8 e-Ink capacitive Ultra HD EPD display screen and a resolution of 1440×1080 pixels. Underneath the hood is a Freescale i.MX Cortex A9 1.0GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. Books are stored on the device and has 4GB of internal storage with the option to increase it via the Microsd Card up to 64GB. The Kobo Aura maintains the standard six-inch approach that the company made famous with their entire product line. It currently has a super high resolution e-Ink "Clarity Screen" with 212 DPI and sixteen levels of grey. Really, the resolution is the exact same on the Glo, and has not broken any barriers on using a next generation e-Ink display. This e-Reader has the exact same front-lite technology that was found on the original Kobo Aura HD. This will allow readers to adjust the brightness settings to suit their environment. Currently, Kobo has the best front-lit screen in the business and has surpassed Amazon in terms of quality. To turn the screen light on, there is a button at the very top and then a virtual slider bar to control the brightness. It is powered by the quintessential Freescale i.MX507 1 GHZ processor and has 1GB of RAM. There are 4GB of internal memory, which can be enhanced via the Micro SD Card. It seems that Kobo e-Readers still have expandable memory, which makes adding books to your collection fairly easy and painless. It also has over two months of battery life, which is ideal. In the video below, we document the core e-reading experience on EPUB and PDF files on both devices. You will get a sense on how they perform with page-turns, form and function.
Onyx Boox T68 Lynx vs Kobo Aura is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Indie Author Tools to Self-Publish Audiobooks
|
However, producing an audiobook, even with the tools that ACX provides, isn’t a simple process. The author essentially morphs into a producer, for all practical purposes, and even authors who have the drive to produce their audio editions can find the task is a little beyond their capabilities. A separate option, audiobook production company Common Mode, is now broadening its model from its early days of producing ebooks for the traditional publishing industry into serving the needs of indie authors and small presses. Common Mode’s Paul Fowlie spoke with Good e-Reader about how the audio industry is adapting almost as quickly as the publishing industry as a whole, and has grown to include indie authors. “We’ve been in it from the beginning working with all the big publishers, and we’re looking to expand to working with independent authors to be part of the revolution of authors who’ve been taking things into their own hands. If authors can self-publish their audio, they can potentially make enough money to live on in order to support their writing careers.” Fowlie was speaking to the fact that audiobooks continue to have a much higher price point than both ebooks and print books, and that audiobooks tend to sell well given the low volume of content available to audiobook fans. Coupled with the format adaptations that let audiobook readers enjoy their titles from mobile devices, authors who produce their own content can actually stand to benefit quit well. “Audiobooks have been at a higher price point typically, but I don’t know if that’s going to continue as the business expands further and further, but right now I feel that’s where the most revenue is made in terms of book sales versus an ebook. And we’re looking to work with authors.” One aspect to Amazon’s ACX that has made it so popular is the royalty share option in which the author doesn’t pay the narrator or the production costs upfront, but rather agrees to earn a significantly smaller royalty. That’s an enticing option for authors who don’t have the ability to invest the kind of expense that an audiobook requires. While Common Mode has yet to explore that structure with its clients, the company has supported two crowdfunding campaigns, one on Kickstarter and one on Pubslush, in order to help authors fund the cost of production. “Our first preference is to be hired by the author to produce the audiobook, but we understand that most authors aren’t able to take that risk.” Whichever route authors choose to take to create the audio format for their titles, one thing is for certain: there is a real need for content in audio format, as opposed to the so-called “glut” of content coming from self-published authors in the ebook space.
Indie Author Tools to Self-Publish Audiobooks is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Amazon Fire TV Review – International Edition
|
Hardware The Fire TV box is running on a heavily customized version of Google Android OS and features a very solid 1.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU with 2GB RAM, Bluetooth, 8GB internal storage. It has the same dual-antenna wireless internet that the latest generation Kindle Fire tablets have. It connects to your television via HDMI to give you full 1080p video and Dolby digital surround sound. I have the Apple TV as my goto streaming video device and the Fire TV blows it out of the water in terms of speed and overall robustness. Navigation, menus and loading up content takes only a few seconds. The remove control of the Fire TV is fairly standard. The only really unique aspect of it is the voice control system. You can mention an actor or directors name and it will open up all of the movies Amazon sells or rents that they have produced or performed in. This is useful to find out movies you might not have seen. Gaming is one aspect of the Fire TV that works internationally. If you purchase the $59 game controller you can use it to play all of the games that have been optimized for the Fire TV. It is important to note that not all apps listed in the Amazon app store have Fire TV certification and there is barely a few hundred titles available to download or install. If you have Amazon Coins in your account, you can use them to pay for apps. In the end, on a hardware level the remote, box and game controller are very elegant and solid. Amazon preety well as the best media box in terms of performance. Software If you live outside of the US, you won’t have access to 80% of all the content available on the Fire TV. You would figure that Netflix would work, because in Canada we can signup, pay and view the service on our computers, or alternative streaming boxes such as Apple TV. The Fire TV runs the US version of Netflix, so you can login, but can’t actually watch anything. Most of the apps listed in the Amazon Store for Fire TV simply won’t work. WWE Network, iHeartradio, HULU+ and many other free apps are incompatible outside the US. Normally people would say, you can simply install a VPN or DNS Service, but there is no way to sideload in your own apps or configure it to read a different DNS. The only way you will be able to stream content or use apps, such as Netflix on the Fire TV is if you use the Second Screen feature on your Amazon Kindle HDX. The current generation of Kindle tablets allow you to load in your own apps and this would allow you to sideload in VPN or DNS services from websites other than Amazon. This would allow you to use Netflix or WWE network, but still won’t allow you to buy or rent movies from Amazon. In the past, we have tried to get this to work, but B&N and Amazon both use geolocation in their products for their core-services. The Fire TV has a fairly intuitive menu system to find your apps, games, videos, movies and pictures. They are really putting a priority on app discovery with bright and bubbly icons and featured images. This is one of the few media boxes that allow you to install apps, something their competitors don’t. Wrap Up The Average user will simply find the Fire TV totally unviable outside the US. Even if you purchased content from Amazon in the past, they won’t even allow you to stream stuff you own. It is a shame that even Netflix, which works with everything, won’t work. A streaming box with only Watch ESPN, Flixor and TuneIN radio working is a kick in the pants. I would avoid this at all costs, unless you simply want an Android gaming console with a great controller. One of the saddest things about Fire TV is the inability to tap into any of the reading content that has made Kindle so popular. There are no newspaper, magazine or eBook apps available for you to read to entertain your kids with. To be honest, we normally write super comprehensive reviews on any e-reader, phone or tablet we do. What can I possibly say about the Fire TV from a Canadian point of view? The UI looks really nice, its responsive as hell but the only thing you can do is play games. DUDD.
Amazon Fire TV Review – International Edition is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Onyx Boox T68 Lynx PDF Review (Video)
| PDF is a popular format, and there’s always a number of people that want to know how well E Ink ebook readers handle PDFs. Tablets like the iPad are among the best options for PDFs, but there are some E Ink ebook readers that do a fair job. And since most people don’t have $1200 […] |
Reading Rainbow Funded with $6M Kickstarter Campaign
| Because we love reading, we watched the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter campaign very closely –so the news that the campaign surpassed their original goal of $1 million, rounded their revised aim of $5 million, and then grabbed the full $1 million in matching funding from Seth MacFarlane is especially exciting for us! Plans for the considerable funding include bringing Reading Rainbow to the web, Android, consoles and OTT boxes; plus over 7500 subscriptions for classrooms in need so they might access the considerable literacy resources included in the program. Were you meaning to donate (cleverly described by LeVar Burton as ‘engaging your compassion subroutine’), but didn’t get in before the deadline? It isn’t too late to pledge your financial support to this project and grab some of the great rewards they still have available.
Reading Rainbow Funded with $6M Kickstarter Campaign is a post from: Good e-Reader |
PiGrrl
| Adafruit’s 3D Thursday series is getting us terribly excited every time they roll out a new project with a Pi in it. Yesterday’s was a doozy: so much so that the engineering team stood around my desk and made puppy-dog eyes and sighing sounds at me until I agreed to email LadyAda and beg a demo sample of the project from them. (She says she’s sending the pink one, Gordon, just to punish you for being so demanding.) Meet the extraordinary PiGrrl, a home-baked Raspberry Pi clone of the Game Boy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPTp6WSrC6c If you don’t think that’s the best thing ever, you’re dead inside. As always with Adafruit projects, the PiGrrl is documented minutely; you can find a complete tutorial on their website, along with files for the 3d printer at Thingiverse. This is one of the more complicated builds we’ve featured, but we think the results speak for themselves;. LadyAda says: “Woohoo!” After careful consideration, so do we. |
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Onyx Boox T68 Lynx Vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2
| The Onyx Boox Lynx is the latest generation e-reader and was just released in the last few weeks. This device pioneers the concept of open Android and has Google Play preloaded on it. Today, we compare the core reading experience between the T68 and the Kindle Paperwhite 2. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 features a six inch e-Ink display screen with a resolution of 1024×768. The front-lit display has received a small upgrade and gives a better illumination experience then the previous model. One of the neat little features is a software enhancement called "Max" which instantly brings the brightness level to the maximum. Underneath the hood is a 1GHZ processor and 256 MB of RAM. There is 2 GB of internal storage and the majority of your content will be held in the cloud The Lynx e-reader is very much akin to the Kobo Aura HD, in terms of specs. It features a 6.8 e-Ink capacitive Ultra HD EPD display screen and a resolution of 1440×1080 pixels. Underneath the hood is a Freescale i.MX Cortex A9 1.0GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. Books are stored on the device and has 4GB of internal storage with the option to increase it via the Micro SD Card up to 64GB. In the following video review we look at the e-reading experience, main menu and everything that makes these devices unique. If you are in the market for the latest generation eBook Reader, you don’t want to miss this.
Onyx Boox T68 Lynx Vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
