| For us at OverDrive, we're excited that the weather is finally warming up. It has been a very chilly winter and to get us through the last of those cooler days, we've got this great list of hot new releases for adults in March. NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson is the latest novel in the series about what happens behind the closed doors of New York's high society.
Debbie Macomber's newest book, Last One Home, follows Cassie as she struggles to reconnect with her two sisters after many years apart. Newly divorced and back on her own feet, Cassie sees an opening to reconcile with her family and finds hope at a fresh start in life. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Tana French will love The Daughter by Jane Shemilt. Jenny's life is picture perfect with a career, three wonderful teenagers, and a neurosurgeon husband. But when her daughter, Naomi doesn't make it home one day, Jenny finds her life crumbling around her. As Jenny searches for her daughter, she realizes Naomi might not the girl she thought she raised. For more exciting titles, check out the catalog in its entirety here! (link: http://partners.overdrive.com/files/catalogs/2015/Adult-eHighlights-March.pdf) Stay tuned for eHighlights for Kids & Teens coming soon.
Emma Kanagaki is a Collection Analyst with OverDrive |
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The March Adult eHighlights Catalog is here!
PressReader Adds 30 New Publications to Its Unlimited Reading Lineup
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One of the world's leading digital subscription platforms, PressReader, announced this week the addition of as many as thirty new titles in its catalog of all-you-can-read publications. These titles include Lonely Planet Traveller, BBC Music, Top Gear, and many more. “Immediate are renowned for producing compelling content that enhances the way people engage with what they love,” said Kevin Curtis, head of mobile apps and partnerships, in a press release. “Our digital revenues are accelerating and our world-class content is driving this forward across new platforms. PressReader will be an important vehicle to help continue this growth.” PressReader has been on the forefront of publishing innovation for the past decade, pioneering the all-you-can-read model and offering over 4,000 magazines and newspapers on its platform, with 540 publications from the UK alone. This addition brings the available number of titles in both magazines and newspapers to well over four thousand, a fact that has gained a lot of interest from hotels who seek to entice guests, libraries who are working within the constraints of ever-shrinking budgets, and other organizations with similar cost-effectiveness and engagement needs. PressReader also operates its own hotspots to reach consumers in a variety of public venues.
PressReader Adds 30 New Publications to Its Unlimited Reading Lineup is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Observing a solar eclipse with high-altitude Pis
| Helen: We’re pleased to welcome back to the blog a regular guest, high-altitude balloonist Dave Akerman. You’ll have gathered that a noteworthy astronomical event is to take place across northern Europe on Friday, and as you’d expect, Dave has plans. We’ll let him tell you all about them. As you have probably heard by now, there will be a total solar eclipse this Friday morning, with the path of totality passing north of the UK and directly over the Faroe Islands. In the UK we should see about 90% of the sun eclipsed by the moon, with the north of Scotland getting the best view assuming no clouds get in the way. By now you are probably wondering what all this has to do with the Raspberry Pi, and the answer is that I will be flying two Model A+ Pis on a balloon from (no, not the Faroes) Leicester racecourse. Additionally, there will be several more Pi boards decoding the transmissions, and a V2 Pi B+ showing the results on a large monitor. The launch will be at about 8am so that the balloon is nicely high during the peak of the eclipse at about 9:30am.  An earlier launch of a Raspberry Pi with a weather balloon Some of you may have followed some of my previous flights using the online map and live image page. This time though, there’s an extra special option for your viewing pleasure. Live TV. The launch will be recorded by the BBC and some of the footage will be transmitted on an extra BBC Stargazing show on BBC1 that morning (9am to 10am). Also, there will be a couple of very brief live segments where, hopefully, I get to show some pretty live images and say “Raspberry Pi” as often as possible. Assuming we get to recover the flight, then some of the recorded video should end up on the main Stargazing show in the evening (9pm-10pm, BBC2). The plan looked a tad uncertain earlier in the week because weather predictions gave me a choice of landing at Heathrow or Gatwick. I spent a lot of time speaking to the BBC trying to come up with a plan that lets us launch but without getting onto the national news for all the wrong reasons! One rejected plan was to launch from Jodrell Bank (from where the main Stargazing show is broadcast), but for some reason they don’t allow mobile phones or 3G there. Another plan was to underfill the balloon and get it to land near Dieppe in France. As of Wednesday morning, though, predictions are continuing to improve and I’m now confident of getting this flight to land somewhere safe in England, instead of having to trek to France to recover the payload. The reason for launching from Leicester is that the BBC are running a “spectacular live event” from the racecourse, open to the public from 9am to 3pm and then 6pm to 9pm. Entry is free to please do come along if you can. They have a real astronaut and plenty else of interest – see this information page. Also, Leicester is home to the National Space Centre, so there’s plenty to see if you do decide to visit. Helen: If you want to complement the coverage from Dave and the BBC with your own observations, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Society for Popular Astronomy have produced an excellent pdf guide to this Friday’s eclipse, explaining how to view it safely and what you’ll see if cloud cover doesn’t spoil the fun. Remember that cameras, including the Raspberry Pi camera module, are liable to be damaged if you point them directly at the Sun; don’t try direct eclipse photography unless you have the proper filters, but do bear in mind that you can achieve some very pleasing results without any specialist equipment by photographing a pinhole projection of the eclipse. |
Facebook Messenger App Joins Mobile Payments Trend
| Once upon a time, you would hand your friends paper and coins anytime they needed cash. These days, it is more difficult –if your friends are anything like mine, they lack a functioning debit machine attached to their bodies somehow; this means we need to be more modern about the way we send and receive money. Many apps and services have stepped up to make this an easy task, not the least of which is Facebook. In the coming months (at least for those of you in the USA), Facebook Messenger will roll out the ability to transfer funds using your debit card to the people you are chatting with. Oh… it’s also going to be free! Facebook describes how simple it will be to use this new feature:
The transfer is completed instantly (though there may be delays depending on your bank). It may seem like an unusual service for Facebook to provide, but the social media giant is actually no stranger to processing payments (having done so for gamers and advertisers since 2007).
Facebook Messenger App Joins Mobile Payments Trend is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Nintendo is (FINALLY) Creating Mobile Gaming Apps
| So apparently pigs have wings. And I may have to eat my hat. And Nintendo has announced their intention to team up with major Japanese mobile gaming development firm DeNA to create smartphone games starring your favourite Nintendo characters. It’s been a long time coming. There have been flirtations with mobile gaming in the past, but overwhelmingly Nintendo has demonstrated an aversion to mobile gaming. By refusing to license their beloved characters for mobile use, Nintendo has been motivated by a fear that doing so would lessen the value of their console-based titles. Since taking this stand, sales of game consoles and hand-held devices have done nothing but decline… so much so that it is expected mobile gaming will all but replace them in 2015. Have no fear, Nintendo hasn’t completely abandoned their antiquated way of thinking; president Satoru Iwata has assured us that they have not given up on dedicated games systems. Though few details are known, the next Nintendo-branded console (which has been codenamed ‘NX’) promises to be a brand-new concept (which is a good thing following the poor performance of their last system). So how do they successfully do both? Instead of creating direct ports of existing games, Nintendo and DeNA plan to develop all-net, unique applications filled with familiar characters. Using this strategy, mobile gamers will have the chance to fall in love with Nintendo stylings such that they may feel persuaded to also embrace a console. To support their development initiatives, Nintendo and DeNA are also developing a new membership service and game distribution platform that promises to be entirely cross-platform. This secondary project is expected to launch in the fall of this year, which we hope means their first mobile gaming titles will drop around that time too. Not much else is known just yet but given their love of the bottom line, it’s unlikely these new Nintendo-branded games will be free to play –especially when they have spoken out so loudly against in-app purchases as a means to generating revenue. That may not be such a bad thing though when young people are included among your target demographics.
Nintendo is (FINALLY) Creating Mobile Gaming Apps is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Apple Will Soon Offer Trade-In Incentive to Android Owners
| Apple has the solution to all of your problems, at least as long as they relate to having an Android smartphone that you wish was actually an iPhone. For some time now, Apple has offered a trade-in and trade-up program for those wishing to swap their old iOS or MacOS X gear for the latest and greatest… but soon they will extend that same courtesy to those wanting to make the switch away from Android. Part of it stinks of arrogance on Apple’s part, assuming that the only thing preventing Android users from switching to their platform is cash. On the other hand, with so many carriers locking you in for a few years before being eligible to upgrade your device, finding ways to switch yourself into something new could be very much appreciated. As long as it works the same way as their existing program, it is an incredibly easy process: bring your device into any Apple Store where it will be graded based on cosmetics and functionality, receive a gift card to be used toward your fancy new iDevice. Nobody knows just how Apple will value your Android device, particularly with so many makes and models floating around out there… which may give Apple cause to create a reasonable ‘push-pull-or-drag’ standard trade-in value for any device, regardless of the vintage. In my experience, Apple pays a fair price that is comparable to what you could expect selling your old electronics privately (or only slightly lower, but you get to avoid all of the hassle). There will always be a sweet spot, of course –if you picked up a high-end Samsung Galaxy S5 a few weeks ago, you aren’t going to get what you paid for it… but if you’re holding on to an older Galaxy S3, you may see a reasonable down-payment toward an Apple-branded upgrade (I took $250CDN for my 32GB iPhone 5S when I bought my new 64GB iPhone 6 Plus when it was released last fall). Even though it will cost Apple a few cash dollars, expanding their trade-in program is bound to deliver a few warm and fuzzy feelings… it also demonstrates confidence in their product line (and they have always excelled at establishing brand loyalty). Whether you choose to take advantage of the program or not, things should be in place within a few weeks (following training programs for retail store employes that are already getting underway).
Apple Will Soon Offer Trade-In Incentive to Android Owners is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Joint Campaign For Sword Art Online: Lost Song and God Eater: Rage Burst
| This weekend, the Dengeki Game Festival 2015 was held. The event announced the joint campaign of two eagerly anticipated games – Sword Art Online: Lost Song for the PlayStation 3/PS Vita, and God Eater 2: Rage Burst for the PlayStation 4/PS Vita. Sword Art Online has already gained its fair share of attention. The light novel series by Reki Kawahara already has two games to its name, as well as two seasons of an anime series. The lesser known, but still fun, God Eater game series began in 2011, and has been adapted into several light novels and an anime series has been announced. The campaign will be split into three parts. Part one is a pair of DLC costumes. The downloadable costumes, two for each game, will become available when the Dengeki PlayStation magazine publishes the advance serial codes in its pages. The code for the God Eater 2: Rage Burst costumes, belonging to Julius and Alisa, will come first on April 9. The code for the second set of costumes, for Kirito and Sinon in Sword Art Online: Lost Song, will be released on April 23. Part two of the campaign is a clear file folder, featuring characters from the two games. The folder will be available through Japan on March 26, continuing while supplies last. The third and final part of the campaign comes on the PS Store, where special "Spring Encounter Campaign" themes will be available. The themes will be usable for the PS 3, PS 4, and PS Vita. The English distribution of the game, along with Chinese distribution for Asian markets, will be handled by Bandai Namco Games. Sword Art Online: Lost Song will be shipped in Japan on March 26. Joint Campaign For Sword Art Online: Lost Song and God Eater: Rage Burst is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Boyue T62 e-Reader Review
| Boyue primarily markets their T62 e-reader in China, but it is tremendously relevant for residents in North America and Western Europe. The big selling factors of this device is that it runs Android 4.2.2, which means you can install your own apps. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can listen to music while you read or partake in audiobooks. How does this reader stack up against the competition and is it worth the money? Hardware The Boyue T62 features a six inch e-Ink Pearl touchscreen with a resolution of 1024×758. The screen size and resolution is fairly standard when it comes to the overall e-reading experience. e-books, PDF files and manga tend to look good. Underneath the hood is a dual core 1.0 GHZ processor, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Android does take up a fair amount of memory, which is why there is more storage than your average e-reader. If you need more, it does have support for up to 64 GB via a MicroSD card. One of the big advantages of this e-reader is the fact it has a 3.5mm headphone jack to listen to music and audiobooks. The built in stock player is not really indicative to a solid audio experience, so you will want to download a more customized solution. One of the default e-reading apps called iReader actually has iVona text to speech, so you can have the books read aloud. Many e-readers issued by small companies tend not to have a great lightning experience. The front-lit display allows you to read in the dark and many models that we review tend to have artifacts and dark smudges. I am proud to report that the Boyue has even light distribution and while not on par with the Kindle Voyage, is very respectable nonetheless. Boyue claims that this e-reader has a 50% better battery than the first generation T61 and blows away its competition, such as the Icarus Illuminia HD and Energy Sistem PRO. Many people read e-books as they are commuting to work. If you are on the bus, subway or any other method of mass transit you are often holding the e-reader with one hand. The Boyue not only has a touchscreen but also page turn buttons on the left and right side of the screen. This allows you to hold it in one hand easily and turn pages. In the end, this e-reader gives you tremendous value for your money. You have to order it online and it retails for around $140.00. This reader will really appeal to people not looking to be locked into dealing with one specific ecosystem and wants the freedom to install whatever apps they want. Software The big trend in 2014 was e-readers embracing the Android ecosystem, rather than Linux. The Boyue has Android 4.2.2, which is fairly modern and gives users a ton of flexibility to run apps that are compatible with it. There are no pre-loaded books that come with this device, instead it gives you a ton of free avenues to download e-books, graphic novels and manga. One is a cloud based reader that allows you to read books online, and the other gives you over 12 different services to tap into, such as Weibo Manga to download free content. Over the course of the review, we found that everything was basically free. If English is your primarily language you may not be too enamored that all of the default e-reading apps are basically just giving you Chinese content. This is not really a problem, because you can download a file manager app, such as ES File explorer and uninstall anything you don’t want. There is no built in app store on the Boyue and users will have to hunt around the internet for the apps they want. Alternatively, you can download the Good e-Reader App Store for e-Ink, the first app store designed exclusively for e-readers like the Boyue. Overall, apps are hit and miss. Anything that involves a lot of page turn animations tend to be clunky, such as Amazon Kindle. The ones that tend to work the best is Moon+ Reader, Aldiko, Repligo Reader, and Kobo. Reading Experience The Boyue was designed to read a multitude of e-book formats right out of the box. It currently supports EPUB, PDF, FB2, MOBI, TXT, RTF, HTML, HTM, CHM, RTF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX, PDB, DJVU, DJV, ZIP, RAR, 7ZIP. The stock e-reader app is not tremendously well designed, it does allow you to change the margins, font size and font type. I found its not really intuitive to augment your options, mainly because you have to jump across three different menus to change anything. Reading PDF files with the default app is a bit if a nightmare. Pinching and zooming makes me wonder if this aspect of the program was designed by a sloth/turtle hybrid. When you pinch and zoom it tends to do it frame by frame and takes around 30 seconds for it to render properly. Ideally, if this e-book format is important to you I would suggest ANY other PDF app. When you download a custom e-reading app you can’t use the manual page turn buttons, instead you have to rely on the touchscreen. Apps are hit or miss, some work well, some don’t at all. It all comes down to if an app was designed to use a lot of animations, you won’t really get a great experience. Wrap Up Honestly, I haven’t really heard of Boyue until recently. Many of the people affiliated with the company have been commenting on our Youtube channel and Blog, really hyping their product. I wasn’t really sure that I would like this device, but I did. Hardware wise, this e-reader uses the same shell and UI as the Icarus Illuminia HD, Energy Sistem PRO and a myriad of others. The only thing that is different about this model is the dual core processor and the 3.5mm headphone jack. I would recommend this e-reader to mid level and advanced users who know how to side load in their own apps and have experience with Android. PROS Android 4.22 = Install your own Apps CONS PDF experience is slow and sluggish Rating: 7.5/10 Boyue T62 e-Reader Review is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Kindle Battery Replacement How to Guides (Videos)
| As long as you keep the screen safe, Kindles can last for many years. But eventually the battery is going to wear out, and it will get to the point where it no longer holds a charge. Most people just get rid of their old Kindles when the battery dies. After all, that is a […] |
ComiXology and Viz Media Solidify Digital Manga Parnership
| Viz Media is the largest player in North America who sells digital manga in English. They aren’t exactly a household name, since comic books tends to garner most of the attention. In order to get manga into the hands of comic readers and build a bigger audience Viz has been distributing titles to ComiXology. Since mid 2014 new readers have been introduced to Viz’s catalog of content and the two companies have now expanded their partnership. The new VIZ Media titles featured in this update are all published in Japan by Hakusensha, Inc., one of Japan's most prominent publishing companies and renowned for offering a wide array of award-winning shojo manga series in addition to other genres. This latest comiXology content update expands the VIZ Media manga catalog on the platform to more than 1,500 volumes across more than 220 different series. Readers can enjoy all of these acclaimed releases using Comixology's Manga Fixed Format, which enables a dedicated right-to-left full-page reading experience and the highest page resolution currently available. In all, over 385 new issues were brought over to the Comixology platform today. Some of the more notable series include – LIBRARY WARS: LOVE & WAR, SKIP BEAT, PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH, OTOMEN, OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, and VAMPIRE KNIGHT. ComiXology and Viz Media Solidify Digital Manga Parnership is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Sony Japan Says Goodbye to PlayStation Mobile Beginning in July
| PlayStation Mobile held a link between Sony’s Android devices and the PlayStation Vita library. Unfortunately Sony will be pulling the plug on the service and on the mobile store starting July 15th. The service started in 2012 and allowed Indie developers to create their own games that would work on both platforms, but as Sony had placed their focus on other projects, PlayStation Mobile was swept to the side, making those indie title gems hard to find. The closing of the mobile store will come in two parts, the store itself will be closing July 15th and users will have until September 10th to re-download games onto their devices. After September 10th any devices have not been authenticated will no longer be able to access the PlayStation Mobile content. It’s always sad to see a service go, but it will be a good opportunity for them to focus 100% of their attention to a project that will really take off than to only focus a small portion of their focus on something that’s just doing alright for itself. Sony Japan Says Goodbye to PlayStation Mobile Beginning in July is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Librarian’s Share: OverDrive Media Stations promote discovery of the digital collection
| Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library, a member of Ontario Library Service Consortium, received an OverDrive Media Station (OMS) as the result of a collection development promotion in November 2014. Faith Roebuck Shergold, Co-ordinator of Community Engagement and Young Adult Services with the library, kindly shared how the OMS has integrated the digital collection into their physical library space and its effectiveness as a discovery tool. Take us through the process of introducing your OMS in the library. We were lucky enough to be the winners, courtesy of OverDrive and the Ontario Library Service, of our Media Station, the hardware and a year’s license (we made the commitment that we’d pay the full license fee in years following). Our library has several technologically-minded staff but no full time IT support, so after confirming with our community’s IT department that our network infrastructure would be sufficient for the Station, we started deciding on its location, staff training (basic functions and light troubleshooting), and a launch event. We put up signs explaining what the Station would be, drawing attention to our OverDrive collection, and inviting the public to the launch. Our library board members also attended. It was an open-house style event, with staff available to demonstrate and assist with the OMS (plus refreshments!). Where did you set up the OMS and what purpose did you want it to serve? We set up the OMS on what was one of our public computer carrels at eye level for patrons walking in the library, but still within reach of younger patrons. It’s a good looking piece of hardware and it’s bright, appealing, and catches the eye. We could have used a location that was more conducive to better signage: because of the broad name of our consortium collection and the way it displays, it’s not always immediately clear to those using the station that it is for one of our eBook collections, instead of a general public access catalogue. But the location we chose, close to the entrance to the library and at eye level, was certainly conducive to getting people’s attention. We were hoping people would take advantage of the Station’s full functionality – not only discovery of our OverDrive collection, but that our dedicated e-users would also send items to their smartphones and emails for holds and checkouts. What we discovered was that active OverDrive users avail themselves of one of the service’s great advantages: being able to access the content from home. We have hardly ever had anyone do anything beyond browsing in person at the Station. But as a discovery tool, it’s fabulous! How have patrons taken to your OMS and what has been the reaction? They’re impressed! It encourages curiosity, with its ease of use, bright colours, and large images. Few repeat or long-term interactions, but in an area where many patrons continue to be surprised that we have e-books and other downloadable media, the discovery is the important part. Has your OMS helped increase exposure of your digital collection? Definitely. How do you plan to use the OMS moving forward? We’ll absolutely keep using the OMS at least in the Library. With some consideration being given to a greater emphasis on outreach and remote services, it would be great to develop the capacity to take it ‘on the road’. Is there anything else about OMS that you'd like to share with other libraries who may be interested in adding one to a library space? As discussed, the Station is much more effective as a discovery tool about the e-book services we offer than for the acquisition by patrons of specific items in the collection. It has, however, been invaluable in raising awareness of these services. Our thanks to OverDrive and the Ontario Library Service for giving it to us. |
For FanFic Authors, One Direction Reigns Supreme
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If you ask ten authors how they feel about fan fiction–for those of you unaware, it’s the writing and publishing (not necessarily with monetization) of content that stars existing characters or celebrities, but comes from its author’s own creative process–you might find them evenly split on whether or not fan fic is a compliment to their writing, or basically not worth using to wrap up your used chewing gum. Some authors are flattered by the fact that fans can’t let the story go, or that they want to reimagine the plot and outcomes; others get up in arms and have even taken legal action against authors who even post fan fic to their own free blogs. However you view the concept, though, it doesn’t erase the fact that fans–whether they consider themselves to be authors or not–are taking to the internet to share their nearly-obsessed love of their favorite characters. One of the subgenres of fan fiction that is blowing the others out of the water is based around One Direction. Kidnapped by One Direction. Rescued by One Direction. Adopted by One Direction. Bitten by vampires that turned out to be One Direction. Lots and lots of impregnated by One Direction. Gay with One Direction. Gay BECAUSE of One Direction… there is no end in sight to the imaginations that the band’s fans have, and much of it appears on the writing/reading community site Wattpad. How large an audience does the 1D fan fic have? Click that link. I dare you. Individual stories in the top listings have tens of millions of reads each. That’s not even taking into account debut novelist Anna Todd’s six-figure deal with Simon&Schuster for her title, After, an epic 1D fan fiction about band member Harry Styles. Thanks to the more than one billion reads on Wattpad and the subsequent book deal, Anna Todd has already been called the next EL James for her steamy boy band erotica. But what is the fascination with the bad-boy boy-band? And where does it go from here? There seems to be no end in sight for readers of this type of writing, and the authors are all too happy to provide the content that fans clamor for. It’s important to note that fan fiction is nothing new, and it’s not relegated to cheesy Xeroxed fanzines anymore either. The film industry has taken part with the obvious acceptance of 50 Shades of Grey, but long before that movies were revamping the original stories. From the recent reimaginings of the Star Trek or X-Men franchises to the complete and total “you got it wrong so Imma gonna fix it” film adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans, movies have often taken “liberties” with the author’s original intentions, often to the fans delight or chagrin.
For FanFic Authors, One Direction Reigns Supreme is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Picademy North at the National STEM Centre
| Once again the Raspberry Pi Foundation Education Team is taking Picademy, the official Raspberry Pi professional development course for teachers, on the road. This time to the North, thanks to our friends at the National STEM Centre in York!
Picademy North will take place on 26 and 27 May 2015 and we have space for 24 enthusiastic teachers from primary, secondary and post-16 who are open to getting hands-on with their learning and having some fun. It is our hope, by running this event in York, that we will reach those teaching in locations that are not already represented by Raspberry Pi Certified Educators.  Can you help us put more markers on my Raspberry Pi Certified Educators map? Picademy is free to attend and applications are open to all teachers from around the world as long as you can fund your own travel and accommodation. If you have applied before but been unsuccessful, please apply again. Our selection process is based on keeping a good mix of gender, location, type of school and so on. We often identify those who have applied more than once to give a place on the course. If you are interested in taking part and becoming a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator then complete this Picademy application form. Yesterday I shared this news with the thousands of educators signed up to our education newsletter and was overwhelmed by the positive responses – and I promise there isn’t a Yorkshire bias here, whatever anyone thinks! |
E Ink Releases Development Kits for Digital Signage
| E Ink made a name for themselves in the e-reader industry since the very first Kindle and Sony e-readers. Reading on these devices were easy on the eyes and the battery life was amazing. E Ink has found that exclusively relying on e-paper sales is a losing proposition and they had to diversify. One growth avenue has been digital signage, which now accounts for 15% of their sales. Today, Visionect and E Ink have announced a new generation of development kits to enable the fast development of battery powered and wireless digital signs. The kits are specifically targeted for indoor and outdoor display systems where power and readability are key requirements. "These signage kits are the ideal tool for any signage integrator," said Matej Zalar, CEO of Visionect. "Not only can they be used for prototyping a signage system, but also for the development of the final system design. The kits make it possible for a design team to quickly start deploying content on ePaper right out of the box." Visionect has integrated its intelligent hardware and software platform with E Ink 9.7 and 13.3 inch e-Paper screens to create wireless connected signs that depict crisp images while consuming very little power. The easy-to-use development kits are perfect for hassle-free prototyping on E Ink's technology and are the shortest path to a proof-of-concept prototype, demo or a pilot in a custom signage project. Visionect's development kits feature Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, with a 9.7" E Ink PearlTM display with a 1200 x 825 pixel resolution, or a 13.3"Pearl display with 1600 x 1200 pixels and 16 level grayscale. Monitoring and managing the signs takes place using the Web browser on your smartphone, tablet device or computer. The digital signs' hardware is precisely optimized for the lowest power consumption possible; paired with intelligent software that improves energy use even further, it enables the electronic paper to easily run on a solar panel. I think these new development kits will allow people to think outside of the box. How about parking signs, keypads to open doors, meeting room signup forms, or digital menus?
E Ink Releases Development Kits for Digital Signage is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Apple Getting (Undue) Credit for Inventing USB-C
| Have you ever said something you later regretted? Daring Fireball’s John Gruber had a moment like this recently when he proclaimed that Apple was responsible for inventing the USB-C standard (forgetting that its creation also included a few other companies, like: AMD, Dell, Foxconn, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Seagate, Tektronics, Texas instruments and VIA Technologies). As you can likely imagine, the tech community was more than happy to point out his error. In his own defense, Gruber tried to explain that he didn’t mean to insinuate Apple did it alone (just that they ‘basically did’). He probably could have (should have) stopped there, but he attempted to further clarify his remarks by saying USB-C is a very Apple-like design (because it is a thin, multi-tasking, reversible connector that reduces the ports required on ultra-slim laptops). When asked why Apple isn’t taking more of the credit for USB-C on their own, Gruber suggests it is all about politics. For the new standard to see widespread adoption, public perception can’t paint this as an ‘Apple technology’. Truth be told, it is nice to see a high-profile blogger like Gruber making the odd mistake. Unfortunately, enough people heard his initial remarks that this is now a part of Apple’s landscape. USB-C consolidates a host of other connectors into a single port, including: power, USB, display, HDMI, and VGA. Despite accusations that it will require the purchase of expensive adapters for all of these peripherals, it also opens up a world of possibility for accessories and devices. Now, if you will permit me to make a (hopeful) observation of my own regarding USB-C: once this technology has been added to upcoming versions of Apple’s iPad, the lack-of-USB-port criticism will hopefully become obsolete.
Apple Getting (Undue) Credit for Inventing USB-C is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Monday, March 16, 2015
New Amazon Kindle e-Readers Cannot be Jailbroken
| Amazon has pulled out all the stops in a recent firmware update for the Kindle Voyage, Kindle Basic Touch and the Paperwhite 2. This means that enterprising citizens with a proclivity towards exploring the inner workings of the software and modding it are thwarted. The new firmware was pushed out to all modern Kindle devices in late November of last year. Anything after version 5.60 will not allow you to hack the firmware and do interesting things like change the screensaver system or install custom apps. Amazon really is hellbent on locking down their entire ecosystem to prevent easy access to mess around with the Kindle software. They are chiefly doing this because they want to dissuade the reverse engineering of their operating system and to prevent hacking. Locking down ecosystems seems to be the trend right now in the e-reader industry. Barnes and Noble has been getting a lot of flack from their customers when they eliminated the ability to download Nook Books. They said it was to curb piracy, but more likely they want people to use their official e-reading apps for Android and iOS and not the competition.
New Amazon Kindle e-Readers Cannot be Jailbroken is a post from: Good e-Reader |
BlackBerry Modifies Galaxy Tab S to Create SecuTablet
| Proving once again to be resilient and surprising, BlackBerry is giving tablets another shot (but not to worry, it isn’t anything like the PlayBook). Based on a modified version of the 10″ Galaxy Tab S by Samsung, BlackBerry’s new SecuTablet is taking aim at the security-conscious corporate and government sectors. Cosmetically the tablet looks pretty much like a standard-issue 10″ Galaxy Tab S, but the inside is filled with goodies from security firm Secusmart (acquired by BlackBerry last year) combined with software built in partnership with IBM. Using a complex system of voice and data encryption (by way of a built-in Secusmart Security Card), the SecuTablet intends to protect any and all sensitive data the device contains. Hopefully it does a truly amazing job, because the SecuTablet doesn’t come cheap –sporting a gasp-worthy $2,380 USD price-tag. The good news is that the SecuTablet isn’t all work with no play; standard issue entertainment apps (like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter) can be installed and enjoyed. It is in this arena where IBM’s contribution really shines: their software isolates the data and processes from these seemingly less secure apps. Ensuring the SecuTablet can run these fluffier, personal apps may seem unimportant –but these little touches will go a long way toward making it more appealing for executives not eager to carry multiple devices. If any mobile manufacturer can take a run at dominating corporate tablet marketshare, BlackBerry should be able to. Even though their previous attempts with the PlayBook were short-lived and poorly received, BlackBerry has long-been trusted by organizations with strict security mandates (which is a relationship that matters far more than cost). Obviously the average mobile consumer won’t be that interested in a SecuTablet, but if the device sees any measure of success it will go a long way to maintain the BlackBerry stronghold in industries such as government (and work hard to keep the brand relevant moving forward).
BlackBerry Modifies Galaxy Tab S to Create SecuTablet is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Hachette is Betting on LEGO as the Next Big Thing
| Little, Brown Books is a division of Hachette and the publishing companies have just predicted the next breakout book series of 2015. They have formed a new partnership with LEGO to have a series of e-books and graphic novels created. The intention is to have them released by the end of the year to take a advantage of the holiday season. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will launch their LEGO line with graphic novels, each based on three popular, bestselling LEGO properties: LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, and LEGO BIONICLE. Geared for readers ages 6 – 11, the books will feature fun adventures and original storytelling that will expand the LEGO universe and build upon the key LEGO themes of creativity, imagination, and humor. In addition, each novel will feature exclusive content designed to enhance the storytelling and further engage young readers. In anticipation of the first book that will release in September 2015, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will support the launch of the program with an extensive pre-publication campaign including a major presence at San Diego Comic-Con, a wide-spread distribution of teaser chapter samplers, and extensive cross-promotion with the LEGO Group. The LEGO Group is fully engaged in the development of children's creativity for play and learning, having begun manufacturing their unique interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Since then a global LEGO subculture has developed, supporting movies, games, competitions, and amusement parks. As of 2014, around 760 billion LEGO elements have been produced. Hachette is Betting on LEGO as the Next Big Thing is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Big Library Read hath returned with a true Shakespearian tale!
| We're excited to announce that the latest Big Library Read is now live, offering millions of users around the globe the opportunity to join the largest global book club in the world. For the next two weeks Shakespeare Saved my Life by Laura Bates will be available to borrow without any wait lists or holds. From March 17th through the 31st users from 20,000 libraries can read Dr. Bate's story of teaching Shakespeare in a supermax solitary confinement prison and how she formed a lasting friendship with a convicted murderer that saved more than one life. Dr. Bates has been featured on MSNBC-TV and just recently sold the rights to her book to be turned into a movie! You can learn more about her and Shakespeare Saved my Life at biglibraryread.com and be sure to join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #BigLibraryRead. On Friday, March 27th at 2 pm (ET) we'll have a live twitter chat where we will ask Dr. Bates questions from readers so be sure to tweet @OverDriveLibs your questions for the author! Also, if your school or book club would like to use this title for group discussions you can use this discussion guide for questions and topics. Adam Sockel is a Social Media Specialist at OverDrive. He thinks he’s in his 5th of 7 acts. |