Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7 VS Nook 10.1

Barnes and Noble issued two new tablet devices in 2014 and they ironed out an agreement with Samsung to provide the hardware. This was the first time the hardware was outsourced and provides a very unique experience, compared to the Nook HD and HD+. Today, we look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1. In this official comparison video by Good e-Reader we look at the overall user experience. During this process we noticed that the 10.1 inch model had an extra widget on the home screen to give you quick access to your library. What are the main differences between these two models? We dive deep into the reading experience. We compare eBooks, digital magazines, digital newspapers and look at all of the Nook apps that come loaded on it. Both of these tablets have Google Play, Galaxy App Store and the Nook App Store. There is no shortage of content distribution systems available, and its really easy to download whatever 3rd party e-reading app or game you want. This is total freedom, something Nook users of the past were not able to really enjoy. Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7 VS Nook 10.1 is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/samsung-galaxy-tab-4-nook-7-vs-nook-10-1

Blackberry CEO Pens Open Letter to Former Users

Blackberry CEO John Chen has just penned an open letter to existing and former users touting the abilities of the new Blackberry Classic. This phone reminds many of the Bold, which was the quintessential business device of its time. The Blackberry Classic, otherwise known as the Q20, will come with a complete top row of navigation keys and a trackpad. Those are features that many BlackBerry fans missed when the company rolled out its revamped BlackBerry 10 line of devices last year. The device is powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory size. There is also a microSD card slot that allows memory expansion of up to 128 GB. It is also reportedly sporting a 13-megapixel primary camera with a 2-megapixel secondary camera for video calls. The Amazon App Store is bundled on the phone as well, to provide not only a wellspring of apps, but also video and music. Chen conceded in a blog post that the company has made some mistakes in the last few years saying: “It’s tempting in a rapidly changing, rapidly growing mobile market to change for the sake of change – to mimic what’s trendy and match the industry-standard, kitchen-sink approach of trying to be all things to all people. When we lose sight of what you want and you need, we lose you.” In my opinion, the Classic will sell. It hearkens back to the days of when Blackberry meant something to the business world. The physical keyboard still has a place in the world for people who don’t like touchscreens. Being a former Blackberry user myself, I have noticed that when I respond to text messages on an iPhone, I usually speak in Ebonics. My thoughts were more cohesively laid out when using a Blackberry. Blackberry CEO Pens Open Letter to Former Users is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/smartphones-2/blackberry-ceo-pens-open-letter-to-former-users

New Onyx Boox AfterGlow 2 Features Android 4.2 and Google Play

Onyx Boox dramatically enhanced their e-reader portfolio in 2014 with the advent of the T68 Lynx, M96 Universe and the Midia e-ink Smartphone. The company has just quietly released the last new product, the Afterglow 2. The Onyx Afterglow 2 features a six inch capacitive touchscreen with e-Ink Pearl HD with a resolution of 1024×758. You will be able to read in the dark via the front-lit display, which is the same sort of tech you see in the Kindle Voyage and Kobo Aura H2O. This e-reader has a few things really going for it that makes it standout in a crowded marketplace. I really like the dual core 1.2 GHZ processor which should keep things really speedy, most other digital book readers all have single cores. It also has a stock version of Google Android 4.2 and the Google Play store in order to access all of the apps you can shake a stick at. There is a 3.55mm headphone jack to take advantage of Ivona text to speech. Onyx has incorporated this technology in the Lynx e-reader, but it was bug ridden and did not work properly, it remains to be seen if they have solved the bug with this new product. I don’t know if there is much of a market for this product, despite the inclusion of a better processor and the ability to install your favorite apps via Google Play. Anyways, the Afterglow 2 is available now and costs $154 US. New Onyx Boox AfterGlow 2 Features Android 4.2 and Google Play is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/new-onyx-boox-afterglow-2-features-android-4-2-and-google-play

Facebook Allows Better Customization of Your News Feed

I would ask if any of you have been annoyed by the content featured on your Facebook news feed, but we all know the answer. What you see (and don’t see) has long been a bone of contention for those who check Facebook regularly… filled with things you don’t want to see. While it may seem like an easy solution to say that we can just unfriend those people who we find annoying, it isn’t always that easy (everybody has a few people on their friends list that can’t be removed without offending somebody or causing unnecessary drama). Or maybe you really like the person who keeps posting sappy Internet memes and game requests. Either way, Facebook has rolled out an update that allows for better news feed customization. Now you will see a list of the top people and pages found in your news feed, complete with a one-click option that provides the option to unfollow them. Using a filtered view is also a choice, giving more granular control over people, groups, or pages (letting you identify whether it was the person or the content you would really rather not look at again). Of course, if you change your mind about anything you’ve eliminated, you can reverse these decisions at any time. This functionality already existed to a lesser extent, but now it applies to more than just an alphabetical list of friends that you have unfollowed. This update is available today for mobile and desktop. Are you thrilled with the changes –or is this another instance where Facebook should have just left well enough alone? Facebook Allows Better Customization of Your News Feed is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/spotlight-on-android/facebook-allows-better-customization-of-your-news-feed

Zuckerberg Hosts First Townhall Q&A at Facebook HQ

There are two types of people interested in quizzing Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg: those who envy his success and others who are avid users of his social media website (or perhaps better described as a sort of empire). Fortunately for both groups, Zuckerberg opened himself up to questions at the first Townhall Q&A session held at the Facebook HQ this week. A few questions and responses stand out: Why did you force us to install Facebook Messenger? Zuckerberg: "The first thing I want to do is acknowledge that asking everyone in our community to install a new app is a big ask. We really believe that this is a better experience and the messaging is really important. Each app can do one thing well." What I heard: We want to do serious development in the messaging arena –and to keep our options open in the future, it is being modularized such that it can be sold or implemented without dependence on the core Facebook app. If Facebook is getting set to launch a more comprehensive mobile platform (perhaps even as an independent operating system), having a full-featured and securing messaging service is very important. How accurate is the movie Social Network? Zuckerberg: "I kinda blocked that one out. It was a very interesting experience that was supposedly about my life. The reality is that, writing a code and building a product is not that exciting.” He also went on to describe that the filmmakers “just kind of made up a bunch of stuff” that he thought was hurtful. What I heard: With no specifics being called out, Zuckerberg wanted us to believe that anything negative in the movie was a part of the ‘made up stuff’. Is Facebook intending to take over the mobile industry? Zuckerberg: His answer was as vague as the question, noting primarily that a large number of people live in areas without Internet access (or no way to get themselves online). He did express that it was his view that Facebook has a social responsibility to spread the Internet (with activities like working with large companies in the industry that can beam Facebook access to phones). What I heard: It felt very much like Zuckerberg was saying that even if you don’t have Internet access, you can still have Facebook. He could have said they were ‘beaming educational materials,’ or something slightly more philanthropic… indicating that at least in small part, Facebook does intend to dominate the mobile industry (and more). How do you keep the passion running for Facebook? Zuckerberg: "It starts with doing something that you think is actually important." What I heard: I am not sure ‘important’ is the word I would use. Perhaps something more along the lines of: innovative, exciting, or entertaining. I suppose it is important that social media giants believe in their cause, but in the grand scheme of things… it’s mostly just window dressing of sorts. Is Facebook becoming boring? Zuckerberg: "My goal was never to make Facebook cool." Basically, he feels that it is their job to be present and reliable. What I heard: Facebook isn’t in the content business, they only deliver the things we provide (by way of text, photos and video)… and that makes sense. The sessions ended with a lot of questions that carried less weight, wanting to know what Zuckerberg’s passion is or how Facebook intends to get involved in the fight against Ebola… but this is the point where my interest kind of trailed off (unless you count that we learned he wears the same shirt everyday because he thinks it is a waste of his precious time to make frivolous decisions of this type –I am paraphrasing, but barely). Zuckerberg Hosts First Townhall Q&A at Facebook HQ is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/spotlight-on-android/zuckerberg-hosts-first-townhall-qa-at-facebook-hq

Team OverDrive’s Best Books of 2014

2014 was a great year for books and eBooks and it’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end. To commemorate some of the great reads, we polled our staff here at OverDrive and asked for everyone’s favorites. Click here for the complete list of titles! All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Melissa Higey, School Account Specialist II I love the twists and turns of this book, as it moves back and forth in time and between several different narrators. The life of Marie-Laure, as a blind child and teen living during WWII is fascinating and beautiful. Loved it! Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson Dan Potash, Product Manager In 2014 Tor published Words of Radiance, the second book to his "The Stormlight Archive" series. The series itself is a great read for anyone into Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. It combines elements of a feudalistic society centered on the Hellenic ideas of honor and glory through war, with a hidden but emerging world of magic. As the protagonists become more aware of their own importance and power, they come closer to the knowledge of a world-ending event and the preparations needed to thwart such a catastrophe. Red Rising by Pierce Brown Heather Valentine-Gold, Account Specialist II I borrowed the eBook from Cuyahoga County Public Library without knowing much about it, other than it came highly recommended, and I ended up loving the story and characters. While many of the sci-fi themes are familiar, they're wide-ranging and Brown manages to weave them all together in a completely new and entertaining way. The Weirdness by Jeremy Bushnell Rachel Kray, Collection Development Analyst I A “hipster” sells his soul to the devil in a last ditch attempt to sell his novel. And there’s also werewolves and an evil wizard trying to end the world with a very special lucky cat. Hilarious with brilliant prose, this book in unlike anything else I’ve ever read. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen Christina Samek, Launch Specialist I It's part of a planned trilogy that I cannot wait to get my hands on! It's a fantasy novel with suspenseful and tragic elements. It's definitely not YA, but it's not strictly Adult, either. I'd rate it 17+. I love the use of the quest motif present in the novel and coupling that with a female lead makes the literary trope feel brand new. It's just great, everyone who has ever felt small or insignificant should read this. Anyone who has ever felt powerful should read this. Everyone should read this! Redeployment by Phil Klay Jim Monastra, Account Specialist Redeployment is a collection of short stories about the war in Iraq, and the soldiers that are fighting. The stories are brutally honest, and at times hard to read, but difficult to put down because of the terrific writing. I'm really excited to see what Klay has in store for the future. Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh Michelle Ross, Collection Development Analyst Reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and Ready Player One, this was an awesome futuristic and suspenseful read. The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear / Read by Nicola Barber Deb Halinski, Manager of Knowledge Services – Learning Systems I love audiobooks because I do so much driving. This year I happened upon an extraordinary reader, Nicola Barber. Her voice is expressive and versatile (male, female, child, elder, British/American/Scottish/Irish and more) — so much so I can forget I'm listening to a single reader. Even more remarkable, she has the ability to spin individual words to portray complex emotions. I'm immediately pulled into the story, and I am sad every time I reach the end of one of her narrations! We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Melissa Marin, Marketing Specialist II This book really stayed with me after I read it. The writing style is unusual and while it kept me at arm's length at first, I realized that it was for a reason. As the story unfolded, I found the writing more engaging. The more you learn about the mystery and the lies that are the core of the book, the more the book opens up, secrets become exposed and things become clearer. Very interesting. The Jim Henson Biography by Brian Jay Jones Adam Sockel, Marketing Specialist I It's a must-read for anyone who grew up with the Muppets or Sesame Street. Reading about how his vision became a reality was fascinating. I highly recommend it.   If you would like more recommendations, we're always happy to create custom lists. Email us at collectionteam@overdrive.com for more information today! **Please note that title availability may vary by geographic location and platform.* Rachel Kray is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive.

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/WdWDcDIHf7A/

Onyx Boox AfterGlow 2 Released with Android 4.2 and HD E Ink Screen

There’s another new ebook reader from Onyx that was just released yesterday through Onyx-Boox.com (Arta Tech). It’s called the AfterGlow 2. It’s a lot like the Boox T68 and Boox M96, but it’s smaller and comes with newer software and a faster processor. The AfterGlow 2 has a 6-inch E Ink screen with a resolution […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/5A5k_1nJTtY/

Scribd Adds Audiobooks to eBook Subscription Plan

Yesterday Scribd, an online ebook subscription service, announced that they have added 30,000 audiobooks to their catalog. The audiobooks are available through Scribd’s monthly service plan that costs $8.99 per month, along with over 400,000 ebook titles. Both audiobooks and ebooks are offered together through the same monthly plan. Once subscribed, users gain unlimited access […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/rdkeD0LItZU/

Blurb Connects Authors with eBook Editors and Other Writing Talent

Blurb is one of the largest self-publishing services in the world and was originally launched in 2006. The company has assisted eBook authors in launching over three million titles globally and they have launched a new program that will allow them to better compete with Amazon. Dream Team is a new initiative that will connect aspiring or existing eBook authors with talent to help them take their title to the next level. The online marketplace is a creative hotbed of industry professionals with expertise in copy editing, developmental editing, book design, art direction, illustration, photography, cover design, ghostwriting, ebook conversion, and more. Here is how it works. Blurb has tapped publishing industry veterans Richard Nash and Molly Barton to handpick and vet the Dream Team collaborators, populating the group with a range of experience that offers a commensurate range of price points. In order to hire anyone in the marketplace you have to be an existing Blurb member and agree to self-publish your title through them. You basically just browse profiles, checking out their rates and connect up with them to ask questions or to hire them. When it comes to payment, this is done outside of Blurb and its up to the talent to determine how they want to be paid, Blurb abstains from the entire payment process. Blurb makes no money from this. They are simply connectors. The benefit for them is that statistically, when authors have help they more likely to complete their books. Therefore title completion and unit rates will increase. A marketplace connecting writers with freelance talent was originally pioneered by Amazon with their seminal Creation Exchange platform. Sadly, this only is relevant for audiobooks, connecting writers with producers, mixers and narrators. Blurb might have stumbled upon a unified service to assist authors in all aspects of eBook creation, under a single platform. Blurb Connects Authors with eBook Editors and Other Writing Talent is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/blurb-connects-authors-with-ebook-editors-and-other-writing-talent

Watching an endangered Tuatara hatch

As I type this, Emma is hugging herself and shouting “LOOK AT THE LOVELY BABY!” We believe that every office environment is enriched by biologists. The little guy/gal in the video above is a Tuatara – and I didn’t have to go to Wikipedia to learn more about them, because Emma is amazingly well-versed in New Zealand’s endemic lizards. One of her friends works in conserving Tuataras, which are endangered, in New Zealand. (Emma says, sadly, that we can’t have one of these in the office – they live for more than a hundred years, and we won’t be around to feed it forever.) This video was filmed in a specially prepared, laser-cut incubator, with a Pi NoIR camera, hacked together with a DSLR lens. Over at Hackaday, Warren (what’s your surname, Warren? Let us know, and we’ll add it here), the maker, has put together a detailed how-to. He says: Ok so a few weeks ago I was asked to film the hatching of a endangered species of reptile called a Tuatara. It isn’t often that you get a chance actually be involved in this sort of project. So needless to say I said yup I am happy to do it. Then I was told what the restrictions were….. first problem was they are in an incubator, I was thinking incubator as in the sort we see on TV with windows and such so it would be easy to pop a camera on the side focus thru a window and ta-dah video footage complete, job done, but no! No windows or no light.. The space is a temperature and humidity controlled space. So time to think laterally. I had a friend who used Raspberry pi’s and had rav’d about how cool they were. I had been tinkering with the idea of getting one for home and having a bit of a play. The results speak for themselves. Thanks Warren; we love it.

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/watching-an-endangered-tuatara-hatch/

New $400 eInk Clock Goes on Sale

ClockOne has debuted a 40 inch clock made of the same e-paper that you would find on your Kindle or Nook e-Reader. The company has just launched a new Kickstarter campaign where you can pre-order one for $400, and  shipments expected to begin in May 2015. The Clock was designed to not only be a novelty but appeal to thousands of people looking to make a statement with e-paper.  This thing is giant, it clocks in (no pun intended) 40 inches wide, 14 inches tall, and weighs 4.6 pounds. You will need a magnetic wall mount in order to effective graft it into your ideal position. There are a few options in regards to the color options, It comes preassembled with white, pink, orange, green, or blue bezels. Prior to the Kickstarter campaign, Twelve24 showcased ClockOne prototypes at the International CES tech show, as well as the Dwell on Design and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair design shows. At CES, the company found that people loved the technology (they wanted to know how the shape was cut, and how it was powered), but were completely turned off by the price. This clock is not aimed at the consumer market and likely will never catch on in a big way. I can see interior designers using it as a statement piece or using it in the office as a topic of conversation. New $400 eInk Clock Goes on Sale is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-paper/new-400-eink-clock-goes-on-sale

Amazon Echo Speaker Listens and Responds to Voice Commands

Amazon describes their new Echo device as a speaker, but fans of Iron Man will understand when I describe it to be a lot more like J.A.R.V.I.S.! Designed around the sound of your voice, the Echo is always on and ready to respond to your every command –beginning with the wake-word ‘Alexa’. Sure it also plays music (from local radio stations, NPR, and ESPN from TuneIn), but all the while it is ready to answer questions like: “Will it rain tomorrow?” or “How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?” (plus being eager to deliver the news, forecast the weather, set alarms and timers, and help manage your shopping lists). The accuracy remains to be seen (or experienced), but Amazon claims the Echo can hear you from quite a distance (thanks to a circular array of seven microphones that use ‘beam-forming technology’ that will hear you from any direction). The Echo also has its head (brain) in the cloud, running with help from Amazon Web Services. What this means for consumers is an ever-expanding database of knowledge with the Echo learning as you use it, adjusting itself to your speech patterns and vocabulary. Using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and controlled by a companion mobile app (even when you are away from home), Amazon has packed a lot of features into a small package measuring about 9.25 inches high and 3.27 inches wide. Amazon Echo is currently available by invitation only for $199 USD, though membership really does have its privileges –those subscribed to Prime can grab one for only $99 USD. Amazon Echo Speaker Listens and Responds to Voice Commands is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/spotlight-on-android/amazon-echo-speaker-listens-and-responds-to-voice-commands

Is Reading eBooks on your Smartphone a Product of Availability Bias?

There is no denying that there are more smartphones in the world than tablets and dedicated e-readers such as the Kindle. It is also important to note that the overall reading population in the US is massive. The books market, in terms of total books sold worldwide, is bigger than both movies and music. In a recent interview with Willem Van Lancker, the creative co-founder of eBook subscription service Oyster he said that future of books is not your tablet or e-reader, but your smartphone. This is quite the bombshell, but is it due to availability bias? Availability bias is a human cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate the probability of events associated with memorable or vivid occurrences. Because memorable events are further magnified by coverage in the media, the bias is compounded on the societal level. You only have to look at the blitz media coverage of any phone issued by Apple to see the societal impact and lifestyle psychology.Very rarely do you see the same type of effect on a new e-reader or tablet. There are nearly 7 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide in 2014, according to estimates The International Telecommunication Union. This is equivalent to 95.5% of the world population. Tablet sales so far in 2014 have only accounted for 270.7 million units. Every major report by statistical organizations all proclaim that people are reading more on their smartphones than any other device. This is primarily due to it always being in our pocket and easily accessible. The devices also are heavily subsidized with phone carriers often giving you free upgrades every few years, whereas e-readers and tablets do not enjoy the same type of upgrade cycle, you basically have to pay full price. Some people see phones as gateways to dedicated e-readers and tablets. Once you become immersed and maintain a habit of reading on a daily basis, making the switch to an e-reader or tablet makes you a more valuable consumer that is more likely to spend more money on eBooks. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Oyster, and Scribd all report that its their Android and iOS apps that get the most traction and they are all primarily optimized for smartphones. These companies realize that that is that their audience are using the most to buy and read digital books or fan-fiction. What device is everyone using to read on a daily basis? Is it the quintessential smartphone? Are you using it primarily because its the one device always with you? Is there something to the availability bias argument? Weigh in on the comment section below. Is Reading eBooks on your Smartphone a Product of Availability Bias? is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/is-reading-ebooks-on-your-smartphone-a-product-of-availability-bias

Unlimited Audiobook Subscriptions have Finally Arrived

Major publishers have finally warmed up to the entire notion of unlimited reading for a low monthly price. This has allowed Scribd, Oyster and Entitle to formulate solid businesses to cater to the needs of voracious readers. Audiobooks on the other hand have been a hard nut to crack, until now there has been little support for the concept of Netlflix for audiobooks. Scribd has just unveiled an ambitious enhancement to their eBook subscription platform by including 30,000 audiobooks. Users do not have to pay any extra fees or hidden costs, if you have a subscription with them, you can listen to as many audio editions as you desire. There are a number of notable audio titles at launch, including the Hunger Games, Ocean at the end of the Lane, The Spy who loved me, Brave New World and tons of other great content. Right now Scribd charges $8.99 a month and is only available in the US. They are mainly focused on Android development with apps on Good e-Reader, Barnes and Noble, Google and Amazon. The company has promised a solid iOS app by the end of the year. Unlimited Audiobook Subscriptions have Finally Arrived is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/audiobooks/unlimited-audiobook-listening-has-finally-arrived

Fire OS 4 Update Rolling Out to Fire HDX Tablets

Amazon has started issuing an over-the-air software update to their line of Fire HDX tablets. The new software version is 4.1.1 and it includes a number of changes and new features. The update is a major one and changes the software from Fire OS 3 to the new Fire OS 4 “Sangria” software that comes […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/d2B7pbwYH2s/

Kindle Voyage Getting Lots of Complaints About Uneven Lighting

The Kindle Voyage was released a couple weeks ago now, and it looks like the frontlight gradient issue that I mentioned in my Kindle Voyage first impressions review is a common complaint mentioned by many among the first wave of reviews. Looking over the user reviews at Amazon, there are 260 reviews posted for the […]

URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/JextwJv8KJo/

Weekly eHighlights: Adult edition

We have an incredibly strong list of titles you won't want to miss this month, and we're going to break them into three carts to make it a little easier. The titles below are what we believe will be the ones you do not want to miss. They're either sure bestsellers, prize winners, notable books, books with a lot of buzz, known authors with a holiday title, or something already selling well. Don't miss the other two carts coming this week: More November Fiction and More November Nonfiction. Enjoy!   Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles. The Usual Suspects: No Introduction Needed:   Fiction Donna Andrews – The Nightingale Before Christmas – Penguin eBook David Baldacci – The Escape – Hachette eBook Stephanie Barron – Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas – Random House eBook Rita Mae Brown – Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – Random House eBook Robyn Carr – Virgin River Christmas Box Set – HarperCollins eBook Jonathan Carroll – Bathing the Lion – Macmillan eBook – World Fantasy & Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Michael Connelly – The Burning Room – Hachette eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Titus Welliver – Harry Bosch series. Patricia Cornwell – Flesh and Blood – HarperCollins eBook – Kay Scarpetta series. Robert Crais – The Promise – Penguin eBook Clive & Dirk Cussler – Havana Storm – Penguin ebook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Scott Brick – Dirk Pitt series Janet Evanovich – The Job – Random House eBook – O'Hare and Fox series Michael Faber – The Book of Strange New Things – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Josh Cohen – Bestseller list already. Richard Ford – Let Me Be Frank with You – HarperCollins eBook – Frank Bascombe series Karin Fossum – The Murder of Harriet Krohn – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook – Scandinavian mystery Tess Gerritsen – Die Again – Random House eBook – Rizzoli & Isles series William Gibson – The Peripheral – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Lorelei King Mira Grant – Symbiont – Hachette eBook and Blackstone audiobook read by Christine Lakin – Parasitology series Mark Greaney – Tom Clancy's Full Force and Effect – Penguin Group eBook – Jack Ryan series John Grisham – Gray Mountain – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Catherine Taber – Legal thriller about Big Coal. Jack Higgins – Rain on the Dead – Penguin eBook – Sean Dillon series Elin Hilderbrand – Winter Street – Hachette eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Erin Bennett – Bestselling author's first Christmas novel. Tanya Huff – The Future Falls – Penguin eBook – Enchantment Emporium series Larissa Ione – Revenant – Hachette eBook – Lords of Deliverance series Ha Jin – A Map of Betrayal – Random House eBook – National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award winning author. Kirkus & PW stars. Sara Jio – The Look of Love – Penguin eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Julia Whelan and Cassandra Campbell – Bestselling author. Craig Johnson – Wait for Signs – Penguin eBook – Longmire series Denis Johnson – The Laughing Monsters – Macmillan eBook and audiobook read by Scott Shepherd – National Book Award winning author. Darynda Jones – Seventh Grave and No Body – Macmillan eBook – Charley Davidson series Sophie Kinsella – Shopaholic to the Stars – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Clare Corbett – Bestselling series. Robert Knott – Robert B. Parker's The Bridge – Penguin eBook – Cole & Hitch Western series Dean Koontz – Saint Odd – Random House eBook – Odd Thomas series Stephen Lawhead – The Fatal Tree – Thomas Nelson eBook & audiobook read by Simon Bubb – Bright Empires series Eric Van Lustbader – The Death and Life of Nicholas Linnear – Open Road eBook – First all new Linnear book in 20 years. Susan Mallery – Fool's Gold Series Volume 1 – HarperCollins eBook – Bestselling author. Jodi Ellen Malpas – Denied – Hachette eBook – One Night series George R. R. Martin & Melinda Snodgrass – Lowball – Macmillan eBook – Wild Cards series Cormac McCarthy – Gardener's Son – HarperCollins eBook – Screenplay of award winning movie by McCarthy. Alice Munro – Family Furnishings, Selected Stories 1995-2014 – Random House eBook – Nobel Prize winning author. Chuck Palahniuk – Beautiful You – Random House eBook – Social satire that turns Lysistrata sideways, by the author of The Fight Club. James Patterson – Hope to Die – Hachette eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Michael Boatman & Scott Sower – Alex Cross series James Patterson & Ashwin Sanghi – Private India – Hachette eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Amerjit Deu & Raj Ghatak – Private series James Patterson & Maxine Paetro – Private Vegas – Hachette eBook – Private series Anne Perry – A New York Christmas – Random House eBook Jodi Picoult – Leaving Time – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Rebecca Lowman, Abigail Revasch, Kathe Mazur & Mark Deakins Valerie Plame – [Burned] (https://marketplace.overdrive.com/TitleDetails?crid=1b2e2add-6ade-47ee-a175-e991eb970285) – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Negin Farsad – Vanessa Pierson series Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child – Blue Labyrinth – Hachette eBook & Blackstone audiobook read by Rene Auberjonois – Pendergast series Anne Rice – Prince Lestat – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Simon Vance – Vampire Lestat series Nora Roberts – All I Want for Christmas – Penguin eBook Nora Roberts – Home for Christmas – Penguin eBook Nora Roberts – In from the Cold – Penguin eBook – MacGregor series Marilynne Robinson – Lila – Macmillan eBook Patrick Rothfuss – The Slow Regard of Silent Things – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Kingkiller Chronicles Gena Showalter – The Darkest Touch – HarperCollins eBook – Lords of the Underworld series Nalini Singh – Archangel's Shadows – Penguin eBook – Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Milla Vane, Lisa Shearin – Night Shift – Penguin eBook – 4 stories by 4 top Paranormal Romance authors Alexander McCall Smith – The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café – Random House eBook – No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series Wilbur Smith – Desert God – HarperCollins eBook & audiobook read by Mike Grady – Ancient Egyptian series Danielle Steel – Pegasus – Random House eBook – Family chronicle set against the background of WWII. Brad Taylor – No Fortunate Son – Penguin eBook – Pike Logan series Nancy Thayer – An Island Christmas – Random House eBook – Christmas and a wedding on Nantucket.   Nonfiction Karen Armstrong – Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Kirkus, Booklist, LJ and PW stars! Robert B. Baer – The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Keith Szarabajka – History of political murder by the man whose life was the basis for the movie Syriana. Robert Beachy – Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity – Random House eBook – History. Already at the top of Amazon's lists. Maeve Binchy – Maeve's Times: In Her Own Words – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Kate Binchy – Collection of columns from the Irish Times spanning five decades. Great reviews. Rick Bragg – Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story – HarperCollins eBook – Pulitzer Prize winning Bragg spent two years with Lewis. Kirkus star. George W. Bush – 41: A Portrait of My Father – Random House eBook – 1 million print run. James Carroll – Christ Actually: The Son of God for the Secular Age – Penguin eBook and Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Already ranked 7 at Books on Tape. Dick Cavett – Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks – Macmillan eBook – Foreword by Jimmy Fallon. Deepak Chopra – The Future of God – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Ranked 5 at Books on Tape. John Cleese – So, Anyway – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Ranked 2 at Books on Tape – Cleese on Monty Python, his life, and what makes something funny. Kara Cooney – The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – An expert on ancient Egypt speculates on this gender bending female pharaoh and what caused her downfall. Kirstin Downey – Isabella: The Warrior Queen – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Kimberly Farr – Gripping biography of the most important woman in European history. Kirkus star. Bruce Feldman – The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks – Random House eBook – ESPN analyst Feldman had unparalleled access to the behind-the-scenes world of pro football, including spending significant time with Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. Jessica & Julian Fellowes – A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey: Seasonal Celebrations, Traditions, Recipes – Macmillan eBook – Packed with photos. Mick Fleetwood – Play On: Now, Then, and Fleetwood Mac: The Autobiography – Hachette eBook – After 46 years on the road, it's time for this. Ina Garten – Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – Random House eBook – Beautiful photos. Herbie Hancock – Herbie Hancock: Possibilities – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Memoir of the legendary jazz musician. Kathryn Harrison – Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Cassandra Campbell – Harrison examines Joan as a sexual being as well as a warrior and perhaps a schizophrenic. Barbara Leaming – Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story – Macmillan eBook – Well known biographer looks at how post traumatic stress affected Jacqueline Kennedy's life after the death of her husband. George R. R. Martin – The World of Ice and Fire – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Roy Dotrice & Nicholas Guy Smith – Lavishly illustrated history of the Seven Kingdoms from Game of Thrones, plus more. Jim Gaffigan – Food: A Love Story – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – A comedian on food. Top seller at Amazon. Atul Gawande – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End – Macmillan eBook – Bestselling author tackles dying gracefully. Chris Hadfield –You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes: Photographs from the International Space Station – Hachette eBook – Bestseller. Neal Patrick Harris – Choose Your Own Autobiography – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Choose correctly and you'll have an incredible life. Skip Doogie Houser, M.D., and you may find misery, heartbreak, and a hideous death by piranhas! John Jobling – U2: The Definitive Biography – Macmillan eBook Boris Johnson – The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Simon Shepherd – Biography by the current mayor of London. Ranked 9 at Books on Tape. Anne Lamott – Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Ranked 3 at Books on Tape. Alexander Lee – The Ugly Renaissance: Sex, Greed, Violence and Depravity in an Age of Beauty – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Arthur Morey – The sublime monuments of the Renaissance were created by flawed and tormented artists who lived in an ugly world. Hermione Lee – Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life – Random House eBook – The acclaimed biographer tackles one of the most brilliant novelists of the 20th century. Shawn Levy – De Niro: A Life – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Mark Deakins Mark Leibovich – Citizens of the Green Room: Profiles in Courage and Self-Delusion – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Joe Barrett – The Washington elite and wannabe elite. Jill Lepore – The Secret History of Wonder Woman – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – By a National Book Award finalist. Jennifer Lopez – True Love – Penguin eBook – Autobiography includes 200 photos. Thomas Maier – When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the Kennedys – Random House eBook – 14 Churchills and 15 Kennedys and how their lives intertwined. Molly Guptill Manning – When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook – When Nazis burned books, outraged American librarians sent 120 million free paperbacks to the troops, and changed history. Al Michaels – You Can't Make This Up: Miracles, Memories, and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television – HarperCollins eBook – By the play-by-play voice of Sunday Night Football. Tara Mohr – Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Headed for the bestseller list. Azar Nafisi – The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Mozhan Marno – What Reading Lolita in Tehran was for Iran, The Republic of Imagination is for America. Mark Owen – No Hero: The Evolution of a Navy SEAL – Penguin eBook – By the bestselling author of No Easy Day. Amanda Palmer – The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help – Hachette eBook and audiobook read by the author – By the TED Talk speaker, rock star, and crowdfunding pioneer. Amy Poehler – Yes Please – HarperCollins eBook & audiobook read by the author – Bestseller. David Ritz – Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin – Hachette eBook – The definitive biography. Andrew Roberts – Napoleon: A Life – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by John Lee – Ranked 10 at Books on Tape. New information and research included by an award-winning biographer. Fred Schruers – Billy Joel – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Kirk Thornton – Based on 100+ hours of interviews with Joel. Barry Sears – The Mediterranean Zone: Unleash the Power of the World's Healthiest Diet for Superior Weight Loss, Health and Longevity – Random House eBook – Bestselling author. Brooke Shields – There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me – Penguin eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Shields tells the real story of her childhood with her strong willed mother who was determined to make her a star. Martin Short – I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend – HarperCollins eBook – Full of entertaining anecdotes. Joanne Huist Smith – The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – How a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love. Richard Norton Smith – On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Paul Michael – 14 years in the making, by the acclaimed historian. Bryan Stevenson – Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by the author – Stevenson has spent his life trying to free innocent people from prison. Kirkus & Booklist stars. Finalist for Kirkus Prize. C. A. Taylor – *Inside HBO's Game of Thrones, Seasons 3 & 4* – Chronicle Books eBook – The official companion book to the series. Chuck Todd – The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House – Hachette eBook – Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News uses his insider contacts to chart out the early years of Barack Obama's Presidency. Nick & Kanae Vujicic – Love Without Limits: A Remarkable Story of True Love Conquering All – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by David Franklin – How an Australian man born without arms, and a girl growing up in Mexico despairing of finding a man with strong character and faith, ended up together. David Foster Wallace – The David Foster Wallace Reader – Hachette eBook and Blackstone audiobook read by various, including the author – A selection of the acclaimed writer's work. Weight Watchers – Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook: Over 500 Delicious Recipes for the Healthy Cook's Kitchen – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eBook Kim Zetter – Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon – Random House eBook & Books on Tape audiobook read by Joe Ochman – The story of the virus that detroyed Iran's nuclear program. PW Star. Click here to view the Marketplace cart of these titles. Don't miss the other two carts coming soon: More November Fiction and More November Nonfiction. *Geographical rights may vary by title

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/A-94oZBl2HI/

Rendering camera images in Minecraft in real time

Ferran Fabregas worked out a couple of months ago how to render .jpg images in the Minecraft world using Minecraft Pi Edition. Our logo seemed an obvious place to start. And Ferran has just made that good idea an absolutely fantastic idea, by adapting it to render images captured in real time from a Pi Camera. Here’s his face, in all its pixellated, Minecrafty glory. This is a really, really simple project to replicate at home – all the code you’ll need is on Ferran’s website, so if you’ve got a Raspberry Pi camera, you’re ready to go. Links to screenshots of your own in the comments below, please!

URL: http://www.raspberrypi.org/rendering-camera-images-in-minecraft-in-real-time/

Amazon Fire 8.9 HDX 2014 Review

Amazon has just released their 3rd generation flagship Fire 8.9 tablet and it has a new naming convention. The company has dropped the name Kindle and the device is just known as the Fire HDX 8.9, a bit simpler. The 8.9 edition has always cost the most money and this time around it is a staggering $379, which puts it in the same territory as the iPad. The question is, if you have last years HDX model, is this worth upgrading? Additionally, many Fire HD owners may want a bigger screen to play games, read books and watch movies, is this a viable investment? Hardware One of the benefits of the entire Fire 2014 product line is that it is fully compatible with the Fire TV. IT has a feature called the second screen, which allows you to replicate exactly whats on your tablet on the television. This is similar technology that the iPhone and iPad employ to build synergy via Air Play to the Apple TV. The 8.9 slate has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels and 339 PPI. The screen composition is IPS LCD and features a capacitive touchscreen, able to display about sixteen million colors. One of the new graphical enhancements was the inclusion of “Dynamic Light Control”, which changes the white balance of the pages in reading mode to make it look more like paper depending on the ambient light conditions. That means it can go from cool to warm, from blue to nearly yellow. Underneath the hood is Qualcomms Snapdragon 805 chip, which is top of the line. It clocks in at a staggering 2.5 GHz via the quad-core processor and has 2 GB RAM. Raw performance aside, Amazon is claiming 12 hours of runtime this year, roughly similar to its predecessor. In addition to that 805 chip, this is also the first tablet with Dolby’s Atmos surround sound technology. In a side by side comparison with the 2013 edition of the Fire HDX, this new model blows it away with sound quality. You can really hear the difference and if you have solid Noise Cancelling headphones or high-end headphones you will notice an immediate difference with the clarity. You will NOT get the same audio quality using ear buds though, so don’t even try. I always thought the HDX 2013 model had the best sound in ALL tablets, but the 2014 version now takes the crown. If you want the best tablet audio experience, buy this ASAP. The overall design has just changed from the one released in 2013 and the 2014 model. Side by side it looks exactly the same, all of the Micro USB, speakers, headphone jack, cameras and speakers are positioned the same. I could tell that it was a little bit thinner, and 30% lighter due to the lightweight nature of the new components. To be completely honest, this is a solid tablet on a fundamental level. On paper the specs are crazy and can compete with anything currently on the market. The inclusion of a new line of Kindle Keyboards that attach to the Fire, much akin to the Microsoft Surface is welcome. The Sound, the design, resolution blow away anything Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Samsung or Google have done this year. Software Amazon has never provided a cookie cutter vanilla Android experience like most of its competitors do. Instead, they have their own skinned version which builds upon familiarity the more time you spend with it. Previous Fire owners will feel right at home with Sangria, the name of the Android 4.4 OS. There are a number of software enhancements not found on any other Fire HDX model. The first is Firefly, one of the core features that helped sell the Fire Phone. It basically uses the rear facing camera to scan books, UPC, or bar codes and pulls up the Amazon listing for it. Additionally, it borrows a page out of Shazam’s playbook and helps identify music. Amazon has built quite a media empire with with their movies, television shows and music. They are really trying hard to compete against Netflix by doing a ton of original programming. One of the unique things that they do is invest in a series of pilots and then have the crowd determine what is good enough to warrant a full season. Building on this, the company has developed Advanced Streaming And Prediction (ASAP). What it does is buffer advance content you are watching. Lets say you are you watching Alpha House on Instant Video and check out episode one. It will buffer episode two and three in advance so you will not have to wait, and will be able to view the entire episode immediately. One of the features that proved to be critically popular in the last generation of tablets was MAYDAY. This feature gives you free access to By 24/7, 365-days-a-year tech support at a click of a button. A small video chat window appears to a rep in the call center to assist users with hundreds of small issues. It is important to note that you can see them, but they cannot see you, only hear you from the built in microphone. Lets talk about the main UI that the Fire HDX provides. First of all, there is a small carousel of apps, books or any type of new content you have accessed for the first time or stuff you bought from Amazon. You can quickly navigate to the store of your choice and access eBooks, music, videos, apps, audiobooks and other useful stuff like Cloud Photos. Amazon has their own app store, which is your gateway of getting new content. This tablet is not compatible with Google Services, so Google Play is out. The Amazon App Store is growing, but it still does not have apps from people who compete against their own core business model. You won’t find Comixology, Kobo, Nook, Moon+ Reader or thousands of awesome e-reading, eBook, manga or comic book apps. You can load in your own apps by installing a 3rd party app market, like our own Good e-Reader App Store. One of the drawbacks on the Amazon store is the data files, or OBB files. Amazon makes developers physically host them and this can rack up the bills with games that have 1.2 GB of extra assets to download. Many of the top developers simply don’t upload their content to Amazon, and instead use Google, which is on more devices. e-Reading Experience When it comes to eBook discovery and search engine algorithms, nobody in the e-reader space can touch Amazon. They account for over 70% of all digital book sales in North America and similar stats for the United Kingdom. One of the ways they have been so successful, is cornerstoning specific markets, like Audiobooks. Audible is the most successful platform to ever be bought and incorporated into everything Amazon does. They not only have the largest library but they also are the ones that feed Apple content. When you browse the iTunes store for audiobooks on any iOS device, everything is sourced by Audible. One of the ways Amazon has built synergy between audiobooks and their tablets is WhisperSync for Voice. You can purchase an eBook and the corresponding audiobook and actually read the book and play the audio edition at the same time. While you are doing this, the words get highlighted, which is excellent for someone learning how to read or learning a new language. Amazon also built technology that remembers where you are in the eBook and you can pick up where you left off while listening to the audio edition. The core of any Amazon mobile device is reading. The entire process of reading is much akin to the Kindle App for Android, if you have used it. There are options to change the size of the font, change the font type completely or adjust the line spacing or margins. X-Ray is one of the seminal Kindle reading features that is severely underrated. It basically gives you a rundown of the people, places and things in a an eBook. This is really useful for non-fiction that may throw a bunch of terms you have never heard before or historical fiction that will inevitably make reference to terminology that is beyond you. GoodReads also plays a small role in your daily reading life. I find that reading digitally is a solitary endeavor. You aren’t going to a real bookstore and interacting with fellow book lovers. You buy and read by yourself, but GoodReads attempts to make this social. There are virtual bookclubs you can elect to join or even engage in Q/A with your favorite authors. There is also an option to develop your own reading lists and set personal goals for yourself. Not only can you read eBooks, but there is a rendering engine for magazines and newspapers. Reading them have animated page turns with curl, which means you can swipe to peak whats on the next page. You can also initiate scroll mode, which gives you all of the pages within a certain issue to jump to a specific article or news item. Wrap Up The Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 may cost a pretty penny, but it is the best tablet they have ever made. It plays nice with the Fire TV and has enough innovative features that it makes a worthy upgrade from older models. This is one of the best Android tablets ever made and Amazon really hit a home run with their 3rd generation model. PROS Hardware is Amazing FireFly and ASAP are welcome additions Audiobooks and eBooks have the biggest selection anywhere Audio quality is the best in class in ANY tablet Cons Expensive Amazon App Store lacks in specific areas No SD Card Can’t access the files via USB if the Tablet is in standby mode Rating: 9.5/10 Amazon Fire 8.9 HDX 2014 Review is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/amazon-fire-8-9-hdx-2014-review

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 Review

Barnes and Noble has been making tablets since 2010 and designed all of them in-house with their RND team in California. After four generations and $1.2 billion dollars in loses they decided to outsource the hardware to Samsung and focus on developing apps. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 is the offspring of this new partnership, giving people the safety and security of being able to walk into their local Barnes and Noble bookstore to buy the device, but also take it back for tech support. The bookstore as a primary vehicle to sell e-readers and tablets has always been B&N’s greatest strength. Often when you buy things from eBay or from Amazon, it is quite difficult to return products or get any type of warranty. Many users have stuck with the Nook brand over the years because if anything goes wrong, from a cracked screen or a faulty battery they often swap it out on the spot or assist you with common issues or firmware updates. Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 a viable investment? If you own the Nook HD+ or Nook Tablet, is this a good upgrade? Today, we evaluate this 10.1 inch device and answer all of your questions. Hardware The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 edition has the largest screen found in any Nook device in the past. The Bookseller often just sold seven inch tablets and broke the mold with the HD+ which was nine inches. Having a largest screen displays more characters in an eBook and makes media content really shine. The resolution is only 1280 x 800 pixels at 149 PPI, which is a bit of a downgrade on paper from the Nook HD+ which had 1920 x 1280 pixels. In reality, if you put the two tablets side by side, the Samsung variant actually has a better screen. You simply don’t notice terrible resolution, in-fact the new model looks better. Underneath the hood is a 1.2 GHZ Quad core ARM Cortex-A7 processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. This keeps things rather speedy overall, but I did find that some of the apps created by Nook actually took a few seconds to load, which was abnormal. Nook owners have been clambering for years for the inclusion of a camera to be able to take pictures or shoot video. Their pleas have been heard and you now have a 1.3 MP front facing camera and 3 MP rear facing. This certainly won’t win any awards as more companies are touting their super high-end cameras, but at least you will be able to use apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Vine. Make no mistake about it, this is a Samsung tablet with no Nook branding on it at all. The only thing that makes it feel like a Nook is the logo on the boot screen and some of the customized widgets and apps that are on your home screen. It may have made economical sense to source the hardware to Samsung, instead of developing it yourself, but its at the expense of brand recognition. Software The Samsung Nook 10.1 tablet is running Android 4.4, otherwise known as Kit-Kat. There is no word on whether or not it will receive the latest Lollipop update to provide further enhancements to the OS. When you turn on the tablet for the first time there are two main widgets on your home screen, one that accesses your library and the other to visit the store. This provides easy access to all of the new purchases you have made, but also if you are upgrading from an older tablet or even the Nook line of e-Readers, everything is stored in the cloud. There are three app stores packed on the device, the Nook App Store, Samsung Galaxy App Store and Google Play. All three require you to register and make a new account, but I think Google is the logical choice. There simply are better quality apps available, chiefly because the Samsung store is fairly woeful and only has a few thousands. The Nook App Store does not allow any apps that compete its core business. You won’t find Comixology, Amazon, Kobo or any other magazine, newspaper or e-reading app. There are a few customized apps that Barnes and Noble has made to give distinctiveness to the user experience. Lets take a look at all of them. Nook Library The Nook Library houses all of the purchases you have made from Barnes and Noble. This includes eBooks, comics, magazines, newspapers, television shows. There is a shop button on the top right hand corner, which opens up their online store that sells all of the content. eBooks are opened by the quintessential Nook app for Android, which has been available on Google Play for years. One of the things I always liked about reading on the Nook is the different backgrounds. Kobo and Kindle have always just had three different background colors, but Nook has six. You can easily change the bright white background to Sepia or different shades of off-white. This makes it easier to read in the dark, without having to strain your eyes. I also dig the way Nook handles animated page turns, wikipedia lookups and built in dictionary. Magazines and Newspapers are opened via a special Nook for Magazine app that has been completely revised for this new Samsung model. The one thing I really like, aside from the animated page turns is "article view." This strips away all of the images and CSS and turns a magazine into an eBook. Nook Shop The Nook Shop was designed as a standalone app that lets you browse books, magazines, movies & TV, Kids, Apps, Newspapers and Comics. The only thing international users cannot access is media content, but all others are completely viable. The Home screen is curated content by the Nook team, currently they are hyping "Passion for Passion" and "Your Favorite Heroes." Nook Search Nook Search is a standalone app that allows you to type in key terms that you want to look for in the shop. You can look at specific keywords, such as "post apocalyptic" or "Potter." It will then give you a huge list of titles matching your search results in everything B&N offers in their store.   Nook Settings The last unique aspect of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is the customized Nook Settings. Now it is important to note that you do have access to traditional Android settings too. Nook settings allows you to control the way all of the dedicated Nooks apps behave. You can download alternative dictionaries and make them your default. Right now there is only six, but I was told more are on the way. Reading Experience This tablet really shines when reading the average eBook title. Ideally, you want to read eBooks in portrait mode because in landscape it gives you a two column view. To be honest, I prefer to read in landscape mode, but was disappointed that there was no way to  remove the two column reading experience and instead was relegated to reading in portrait. There are eight different font sizes to choose from and six font types. There are plenty of options to optimize the line spacing, margins and themes. I like the way the themes work on this device. I am sure we have all tried reading on a smartphone or tablet and the black text on bright white background can be straining on the eyes. The inclusion of themes mutes the background color into all sorts of off-whites that remind me of vellum and Sepia.  Switching between any of the reading options is really inutitive and easy to determine what setting you want to tweak. This is a stark contrast to the new of Fire Tablets where nothing is labeled, and you have no idea on what setting does what. This tablet falls off a cliff when it comes to comics, magazines and newspapers. The rendering engine they use does not really give you much zooming options, and often the text is too small to read. You will have to rely on ArticleView, which is the option to strip away all of the CSS elements, and give you pure text. This is useful, but for example with a newspaper, you have to do this every single page, and gets really tedious. I think the problem is that it is using the magazine rendering engine for all content and  newspapers and comics are not optimized properly. I would firmly encourage everyone to not buy this content from Barnes and Noble and instead do business with a company specializing in it. If comics are  your thing, Comixology. Marvel, Dark Horse, Made Fire and plenty of others have excellent user experiences. If you are into Manga, Chrunchyroll Manga and VIZ are two solid ecosystems to buy and read. For newspapers, I would firmly recommend Press Reader, as they  have replica editions of thousands of newspapers from around the world. Finally, if digital magazines are your bag, Zinio continues to be the best value for Android. So aside from eBooks, you ideally want to do business with different companies, but what about audiobooks? Barnes and Noble has just unveiled their new Nook Audiobook app that is available on Google Play, Good e-Reader and the Nook App Store. It has 50,000 titles, which has something for everyone. The app is really solid, has a great interface and another reason to buy into the Nook ecosystem. Wrap Up The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 edition costs $319 dollars and provides huge screen real estate for all of your reading needs. There is more text on the screen at once when compared to the seven inch version released last month.  The speakers are actually really nice too,  they are placed on the top right and left corners,  ensuring that you will never be muffling them when holding the tablet with two hands. After using this 10.1 inch tablet for a few weeks, I have actually grown to really like it. Living in Canada the only restrictions that Nook places on me is the ability to rent or buy television shows or movies. This content is geographically locked, so you can’t access content unless you live in the US or UK.  Really, I wouldn’t even buy this type of content from Barnes and Noble anyways because I have a subscription to the WWE Network, Netflix and Crunchyroll. If I need to buy a movie, I’ll just get it on iTunes and sync it to my iPad or Apple TV. The question is, should you upgrade to this model if you have an older Nook tablet. I would, it is very modern and will easily last you a few years of constant use. Nook HD and HD+ owners will get value, but if you have any of the older models, this will be a night and day experience. PROS Giant 10.1 inch screen Great Speakers Excellent eBook experience Google Play makes it easy to download new apps Two Cameras Huge Keyboard makes typing easy CONS Exclusive two column view on eBooks Comics, Magazines, Newspapers viewing is weak Takes 8 hours to charge it from max power when battery is drained Does not feel like a Nook Tablet, no Nook branding Rating: 8/10 Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 Review is a post from: Good e-Reader

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/samsung-galaxy-tab-4-nook-10-1-review