Sunday, August 31, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7: A overall comparision … – StreetWise Tech

Retaining your smart device current is consistently an essential function when possessing one, today we look over and evaluate these intelligent gadgets in specs, costs, battery and screen. An enthusiastic smart device user must always reboot there telephone at least one time weekly to maintain it running rapidly.

Screen Display

Samsung Tab 3 has an 8-inch screen display. It has a resolution of 1280×800 pixels and a ppi density of 189. As for Kindle HDX it sports a screen display of about 7-inch and a resolution of 1920×1200 with a pixel density of 323. For those looking to have a much bigger screen to use it would be much better to go for Samsung Tab 3.

However, as for resolution and display Kindle Fire is the winner. If an 8 or 7 inch tab is not your taste, Samsung offers a 10-inch one while Kindle Fire offers an 8.9-inch. Take your choice.

Storage

Kindle Fire is being defeated by Galaxy Tab. Why? For one reason, Samsung has a slot for MicroSD. This is what Kindle Fire does not have.

If we take away external storage as a feature, it would be Kindle Fire that is going to win this bout. Why? It has versions to go for such as the 64, 32 or 16 GB. As for Samsung Tab it only offers a 16GB internal storage. However, you can add more storage up to 64 GB. This is made possible through the use of a MicroSD card. Samsung wins against Amazon when it comes to storage.

Apps

Here is the thing regarding apps, Amazon has its own app store. The downside of it is that it only offers fewer choices to users. Not unlike with Samsung Tab it uses Google Play. This has lots of apps ready for download for free or for a fee. Also, the apps are always updated unlike with those Amazon. In this bout, it is Samsung Tab that wins.

Processor

Kindle Fire wins in this area. It uses Qualcomm Snapdragon that is quad-core 2.2 GHz chip. Samsung Tab uses a 1.5GHz dual-core chip.

Verdict

When it comes to features and productivity wise it would be Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 that wins! It has a much larger screen, can get more apps to access and download and lastly, it can increase storage thanks to having an expandable memory of up to 64GB. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX is priced at a much cheaper price tag compared to Samsung. You can never go wrong when it comes quality and functionality of Samsung Tab 3 8.0. Not only that apps fanatics will never get bored of picking one app to another, play and have fun using it. Although Amazon has just entered the market with its Kindle Fire, the company has a lot to improve and add on their product list of tablets. As they say, there will always be room for improvement.

Bottom line, Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 wins this fight over Kindle Fire HDX. The answer is quite obvious, especially upon comparing each other's specs and features. However, the choice is and will always be up to the user as to which one to go for.

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Alex Mae :What’s It All About, Amazon? A Beginner’s Guide to Kindle Publishing – Huffington Post UK

Picture the scene. You have a great idea for a book. You write, re-write, delete the whole thing and start again. You polish your draft into a shiny little word-strewn bundle of hope.

And then… you try to get it published.

Not so long ago, the debut author’s journey could easily have ended right there – and in most cases, it did. But then those clever chaps at Amazon invented the Kindle, and not long after that there was Kindle Direct Publishing, a platform that allowed authors to release their own work direct to the e-reader. Authority to the authors! Power to the people! Joy and jubilation, etc. Self-published works began to flood the market.

2014-08-28-kindledontpanic.jpg

photo credit: adafruit via photopin cc

It was a family member who first suggested KDP to me. I’d been working with a good agent but my novel had been turned down by several publishing houses; deflated, I was ready to retire the manuscript and start work on something else. My aunt thought this was a waste. So I did a bit of research. The more I read, the more encouraged I was: I kept hearing stories of authors who had succeeded in introducing their work to an entirely new audience through e-publishing, whilst word filtered down that the ‘traditional’ publishing industry seemed to be a bit lost, with print sales falling and electronic sales rising.

beats per minute, my debut novel, was published to Amazon a few weeks ago. But – despite being a keen Kindle-user myself – the process wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be. Sales (thankfully I’ve had a few), reviews (ditto), marketing: these were things I expected to worry about. However, just the process of getting your manuscript ‘KDP-ready’ can be a lengthy one. Here are a few things to consider:

2014-08-28-bpmcoverhuffpost2.jpgGet a great front cover. If you’re a debut author and not exactly awash with cash (like me), it’s tempting to ask your friend’s brother/sister/cousin who has a bit of experience with Photoshop to whip something up for you – but I’d avoid this. I worked with a graphic designer on mine and in the end we went for something fairly simple but striking. Bear in mind that your cover needs to have impact when viewed as both a thumbnail and a larger image, so it’s best not to over-complicate things.

Write a kick-ass blurb for the product page. This is a pitch that must convince readers to buy your book, but it should be short, snappy, and not give too much away. beats per minute is an otherworldly, suspenseful, coming-of-age fantasy – a good yarn that will appeal to fans of Harry Potter or the Hunger Games – but it doesn’t fall into Amazon’s key fantasy categories of wizards, vampires or werewolves. Indeed, the book has its own mythology, and this can be more difficult to explain in a succinct manner. But persevere – your product page is your ‘storefront’, so it’s worth the time taken to get it right.

Leave plenty of time for proofing and formatting. Forget about how the book reads for a second; first, it needs to look like the real thing. It’s a given that your text should be free of spelling errors and line-spacing oddities, but there are other elements to incorporate, such as a table of contents and bookmarks (which you’ll need for Kindle’s ‘go to’ function to work correctly). Then there’s your title page – Kindle doesn’t accept funky fonts, so you may have to design and embed a suitable image if you want this page to have suitable impact. These sound like small and obvious things but they add up – and getting all the elements right can be a lengthy process.

Do your research: pricing and keywords. Research shows that a ‘one size suits all’ pricing model isn’t necessarily the best way to go: there are a huge number of 99p book sales in the UK, but in the US people are more likely to pay around 5 dollars. I’m not suggesting that a debut author should necessarily market his/her first self-published e-book at $ 5, obviously (!), but you might want to make slight adjustments depending on the local market. Keywords and categories are worth careful consideration, too: there are a bunch to choose from, and it’s made more confusing by the fact that the categories you’re presented with do not match those you would find if you searched on the Kindle store yourself.

Preview, preview, preview… and good luck! Amazon’s online tool allows you to preview your uploaded book on multiple devices (including the Kindle Fire). Be prepared to discover formatting issues and missing images aplenty – and bear in mind that you can’t edit from within the previewer. Each time you make corrections, you’ll have to reupload the draft. But, again, it’s worth spending time to get this right.

No matter what happens after you hit ‘publish’, there is an undeniable sense of achievement and even euphoria that comes with seeing your work in ‘print’ – enjoy it!

Alex Mae’s debut novel, beats per minute, is now on sale.

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs. Amazon Kindle Fire HD – Comparison of … – The Fuse Joplin

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD are two of the major tablets released by Samsung and Amazon respectively.

Both tablets have some really interesting features that are worth a study. While the Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablet was made available to the public in September 2012, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 tablet made its entry into the market slightly less than a year later in July 2013. The following article makes a comparative study of some good to know features of these tablets, so that it would be easy for you to choose the right tablet for your needs.

Dimensions and Weight

Although both tablets feature the candy bar form factor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 tablet is marginally bigger than the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet. The major difference in the two tablets is in their lengths. However, although the Samsung Galaxy tablet is larger than the Amazon tablet, it is interesting to note that the Amazon tablet is the heavier tablet of the two.

Verdict: The less bulky aspect helps in making it easier to carry the Samsung Galaxy tablet with you when you are on the move. Hence, if your wish is to own a reasonably lightweight tablet, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is definitely a good choice.

Screen Display and Resolution

Like its overall size, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 houses a larger screen than the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. The difference is clearly visible, with the Samsung Galaxy tablet featuring a screen size of 10.1 inches as against the screen size of 8.9 inches in the Amazon tablet. Also, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablets incorporate the WXGA TFT and IPS LCD display technologies respectively. While the Amazon Kindle tablet encompasses a moderate pixel resolution of 1920×1200, the Samsung Galaxy tablet comprises a lower pixel resolution of 1280×800. The Amazon tablet also features an excellent pixel density of 254ppi as against a low pixel density of 149ppi in the Samsung Galaxy tablet. In addition, the screen in Amazon Kindle is scratch resistant. Apart from a light sensor that is present in both tablets, the Amazon Kindle tablet comprises an additional proximity sensor.

Verdict: The Amazon Kindle renders better quality pictures and prevents scratches from being formed on its screen with repeated use. These features make it a preferred choice over the Samsung Galaxy tablet.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 tablet is equipped with a primary rear-facing 3.2MP camera to capture your favorite shots and a secondary front-facing 1.3MP camera. On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle tablet has only one front-facing 1.3MP camera. Both of these tablets encompass a camcorder with the video calling capability.

Verdict: The primary camera in the Samsung Galaxy tablet offers many features that the Amazon Kindle cannot; this results in the Samsung Tablet being a better option for avid photographers. Some of these, include, autofocus, panorama, buddy photo share, video editing and more. The camera in Amazon Kindle is primarily designed for you to make video calls on Skype.

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Kobo Challenges the Kindle Paperwhite With a Waterproof eReader – TechnoBuffalo

Amazon's Kindle lineup may dominate the conversation when it comes to eReaders, but the company still faces some pretty tough competition. Just last week Samsung teamed up with Barnes & Noble to announce a new Nook, and now Kobo is back with a fresh E-Ink with its own unique features.

Kobo announced the Aura H20 this morning, revealing a splash-proof eReader that can survive underwater for up to 30 minutes. The new device is pretty similar to last year's Aura HD, and offers a 6.8-inch Carta E-Ink touchscreen display with a resolution of 1,430 x 1,080 and 265 pixels per inch (putting it above the Kindle Paperwhite's 212ppi count). It also packs 4GB of storage with microSD support, and a battery that should last well over a month depending on how much time you spend reading.

At $ 179, Kobo's new eReader looks a bit pricy compared to the Amazon alternative. When you factor in that waterproof design it starts to makes sense though, considering that third-party companies like Waterfi are happy to charge well over $ 200 for a splash-proofed Kindle Paperwhite. If you want to use an eReader by the pool, or even in the bath, without fear of ruining it, this may be the device for you.

You can pre-order the Kobo Aura H20 starting on Sept. 1, though the company's new eReader won't actually ship for another month. In the meantime you can hit the source link below for more info on what Kobo has to offer.

Protected By Firehost.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 vs Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 – Specification and … – The Fuse Joplin

If you're looking to buy a new tablet, today we're writing a comparison between two great options: Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and Samsung's Galaxy TAB 3 8.0. Keep reading to find out what each has to offer.

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is the successor of the Kindle Fire HDX 7 – a larger version of this device, with better specs. Let's see exactly what changes Amazon has made with this new tablet.

Design and Display

The display is a big plus for this tablet, being a very large 8.9 inches model which is perfect for any activity: from web browsing to watching movies. The screen resolution rendered on this device is of 2560 x 1600 pixels, while the pixel density sits at 339 pixels per inch. The device offers sharp, colorful imaging to go with its large display.

Specifications, Camera and Battery

The processor that powers the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a quad core working at 2.2 GHz which is paired up with Adreno 330 graphics. The device supports 2 GB of RAM and it can be purchased with multiple options of internal memory: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. The operating system this tablet runs on is Android Jelly Bean combined with Amazon's Fire OS 3.0 Mojito user interface. The primary camera on the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 impresses, at 8 MP – you can rarely find such a good camera on tablets. The secondary camera is a VGA model. The battery unit cannot be removed and it lasts around 12 hours of mixed usage.

Price

If you want to buy the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, you can find this tablet at the price of $ 429.00.

Samsung Galaxy TAB 3 8.0

Samsung doesn't only dabble in the smartphone market, but also in the tablet one and it comes with quite some nice devices. Let's see exactly what the Samsung Galaxy TAB 3 8.0 brings to the table and figure out if it would be a good buy.

Design and Display

This tablet has a very polished design: white outlook, plastic and metal finish as well as curvy edges for a sleek look. The display is a TFT model that measures 8 inches. The imaging is good, but not as good as what Amazon offers with its own tablet. The screen resolution sits at 800 x 1280 pixels, while the pixel density is of only 189 pixels per inch.

Specifications, Camera and Battery

The processor that powers the Samsung Galaxy TAB 3 8.0 is a dual core working at 1.5 GHz which is backed up by 1.5 GB of RAM for a smooth performance. The device supports two options when it comes to internal memory: 16 GB and 32 GB (you can expand this memory by using a microSD card). The operating system the tablet runs on is Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean which is combined with Samsung's Touch Wiz user interface. The primary camera has 5 MP, while the secondary camera has 1.3 MP. The battery unit is also non removable, and it has a capacity of 4450 mAh which is estimated to last around 11 hours of mixed usage.

Price

If you want to buy Samsung's Galaxy TAB 3 8.0, you can find this tablet at the price of $ 249.99.

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 VS LG G Pad 8.3: Comparing Specs, Prices, Camera … – StreetWise Tech

Many customers have become skeptical now due to overwhelming bulk to choose from, when it comes to picking the proper smart device. Technologies are improving and new products are appearing daily so you aren't by your-self on the search to learn more details of devices that are particular. Today we will perform an in-depth critique about two gadgets that are popular and let you decide whether or not this apparatus could be the best alternative on your own as well as your on a daily basis tasks.

Speaking of the operating system, both phones sport the Android operating system, so basically, there is no competition here. Since they are both Android tablets, it can download similar apps that work on the Android system.

Speaking of the display, the LG G Pad 8.3 is a whole lot bigger than the Kindle Fire HDX 7 – giving the G Pad 8.3 a plus points for a better reading and viewing experience. But despite the difference in screen size, both phones sport the same 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. Speaking of which, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 has a bigger pixel density of 323 ppi, while the G Pad 8.3 only has 273 ppi. Aside from that, both tablets display are based on different technologies. The Kindle Fire HDX is based on the LCD TFT technology, while the G Pad 8.3 is based on the IPS LCD technology, which is known to give a more accurate color reproduction and better viewing angles. But despite that, it would seem that the Kindle Fire HDX still appears to have a better viewing and reading experience with its impressive display.

Taking a look under the hood of these two tablets, you will see that both phones have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. But the Kindle Fire HDX 7 diversifies a better and more improved chip, since it carries the Snapdragon 800 8074 compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 of LG G Pad 8.3. Speaking of the system chip's speed, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 has an impressive speed of 2260 MHz compared to the 1700 MHz speed of the LG G Pad 8.3; though both phones contains the same memory size, which is at 2 GB.

As you can see, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 is even more powerful and speedier than the G Pad 8.3. So if you want to do intensive tasks and other heavy applications, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 will be your best bet.

When you speak of the tablet's connectivity, both phones support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 Connectivity. Both phones also support USB 2.0 with a connector of micro USB and having the features of a mass storage devices and USB charging. Both phones have flight and silent mode while the LG G Pad 8.3 has a haptic feedback feature. Both tablets also have accelerometers and a gyroscope compass. Both tablets also have voice commands and voice recording capability. However, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 has LTE, HSPA, UMTS, GPRS and EDGE capabilities. Both also support GPS positioning, tethering and more. You'll be amazed to know the different features these tablets have.

In choosing which tablet is better over the other, you have to choose which one fits your preference best. But to be precise, both tablets are worth the bang for your buck. But to be exact, there were a lot of plus points in favor of the Kindle Fire HDX. So if you check on most critics' reviews, a lot would choose the Kindle Fire HDX 7 over the LG G Pad 8.3.

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Sticks content in narrative when read on Kindle – forskning.no

French students remember the order of events in a story worse when they read it on a Kindle e-readers than when they read it in a paper book.

This is one of the results of a new study that the Norwegian researcher Anne Mangen and the French scholar Jean-Luc Velay has carried.

Remembered order only half as good on Kindle

Mangen and Velay let students read a novel by the English writer Elizabeth George, who is behind the figure Inspector Lynley, known from the BBC series.

– Half of the students read the book reader Kindle DX. The other half read the same short story on paper, in a paperback book, says Anne Mangen to forskning.no.

– We made notes where we gave 14 important events in the novel, and gave them to the students in random order . So we asked the students to add the patches in the order they appear in the story, she continues.

The result was that Kindle readers proceeded only half as good as the paper readers. Mangen think this may be the opportunity to move physically in a book.

This physical, tangible action provides a physical and visual, mental experience of the order of events and the progress of the story.

As good emotional empathy

The survey gave many more results than the perception of the order. There was a broad survey of many aspects of reading, both intellectual, emotional, and how the reading happened physically, for example scrolling and other gestures.

– Then we will later move on to more specialized studies, said Mangen .

Surprisingly enough, did not get Kindle readers underperform bokleserne in most other areas, such as emotional empathy.

This is contrary to the results of similar studies Mangen previously made with colleagues in Canada, also referred to forskning.no.

– A possible explanation is that the story we used in the experiment in Canada, was much more tragic and upsetting. It was also presented to some of the participants as a true story, but the short story of Elisabeth George is far less emotionally charged and is hard to take as anything other than fictional entertainment literature, said Mangen.

Just as good perception of the content

Nor, when it came to perceive the content in general, this study confirmed earlier findings on poorer results on screen, including the Norwegian schoolchildren.

Mangen believes that it is hardly a general response to the reading on tablet and Kindle is full of reading on paper.

– This will depend on many factors, including the type of text being read, the purpose of reading and also readers’ experiences of reading on paper and screens. All this remains to examine empirically, said Mangen, who is to chair a European network to determine precisely (see fact box).

She points out that only two of the 25 students in the Kindle group in the study were experienced Kindle users. The rest of the participants in the experiment read most of the paper.

– One of the things we want to continue, is a study in which experienced users of tablets compared with others, said Mangen.

Links:

Reading Literature on Screen: A Price for Convenience? New York Times, 13 August 2014.

Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper, study finds, The Guardian, 19 August 2014

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Saturday, August 23, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook Is Just Good Enough – Mashable

What’s This?

Samsung-galaxy-tab-4-nook-thumbSamsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook

Image: Mashable, Sarah Fisher

It's hard to look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook and not think of it as a sort of surrender. Barnes & Noble gave the hardware and tablet business a better-than-college try, often pushing technology boundaries to some acclaim, but little notice. Its newest tablet is really just a middle-of-the-road, multi-function tablet with a very affordable price tag.

And perhaps that's good enough.

When Samsung unveiled the Tab 4 last April, few took notice. It's a pretty standard 7-inch Android 4.4 “KitKat” device with a solid Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU, a 1,280 x 800 screen and two very average cameras: 3 megapixels on the back and 1.2MP on the front.

See also: 25 Best Free Android Apps

In the new Nook, Barnes & Noble added a widget that duplicates some of the features found in the old and more powerful Nook HD, but more or less leaves alone the rest of the Android platform and standard Samsung software touches you'll find on most of their tablets.

When opened side-by-side with Samsung's far sexier Galaxy Tab S (8-inch), the interface similarities are unmistakable. Ultimately, this is more a Samsung product than it is a Barnes & Noble one.

On the surface

When you wake the device using the power button on the right-hand edge, you get a lock screen that also features whatever Barnes & Noble profiles you've built. I've lauded previous Nooks for their inviting home screens and the easy way they let you create and manage multiple accounts, especially those for your children. The new Nook pays lip service to the old idea. All the original design touches are gone, at least when you open the Nook with your account selected, you see only your content selections.

My Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook came preloaded with two accounts: one for an adult named Evan and another for a child named Tyler. His home screen only shows his Nook library with whatever child-friendly titles, I assume, dad Evan made available to him. The problem, though, is the device didn't seem particularly locked down for Ty. He could still access apps, the camera, the Chrome browser and even settings. I would have liked to have seen more obvious parental controls, kind of like what I used to find on the more full-featured Nook HD.

Tab_4_Nook_Homescreen

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4′s Home screen now features a Nook widget and Nook apps.

Image: Barnes and Noble, screenshot

Of course, I really shouldn't expect that kind of Barnes & Noble Nook experience any more. This is a Samsung tablet. It's quite easy to move or hide the Nook Widget and apps (Library, Shop, Search, Today) and I was even able to install the Amazon app from the included Google Play store. It pains me to say it, but the Amazon interface is much slicker than what Barnes & Noble offers in the Nook widget.

Amazon_on_Nook

Amazon’s Android-based Kindle App looks good on the Nook.

Image: Barnes and Noble, Screenshot

In the Barnes & Noble book widget on device's home screen, you have a smallish content library that you can page through four items at a time. In the Amazon Android app, you get the same attractive and animated carousel you'll find on any of the company's Kindle Fire HD devices. You'll get a much better Nook experience once you select the Nook Library icon on the widget. That's how you access Nook's animated carousel, with larger icons and an organization and look that is, at least, more reminiscent of the old Nook HD.

BN_Tab4_Nook_Library

The Barnes and Noble Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook Library looks closer to the original Nook HD interface.

Image: Barnes and Noble, Screenshot

That library, by the way, gives you access to all your Nook content including books, magazines, movies and TV shows, newspapers, catalogs and any local files you've stored. While the device comes with just 8GB of storage, you can add more via an easily accessible microSD slot.

Search lets you perform a universal search across the device and the Nook shop, though I'd rather not have to open an app to do it. The device comes with Samsung's "S Voice," but that doesn't know how to perform a universal search.

Content

Barnes & Noble is mostly out of the hardware business, so its primary concern is selling you content. With its icon right on the home screen, you'll have instant access to the Nook Store, which includes millions of books, hundreds of magazine subscriptions and an impressive array of movies and TV shows.

Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_4_Nook_Movie

Owing to licensing issues, some videos couldn’t play back in HD, so they looked a bit muddy on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook

Image: Barnes and Noble, Screenshot

Even though the Nook's screen is not the highest resolution you can get on a 7-inch device, books, magazine, movies and TV shows all look decent, though I noticed that, due to what's termed "licensing restrictions," a number of movies like Divergent and The Lego Movie could not playback in HD on the Tab 4 Nook. As a result, The Lego Movie looks a bit muddy on playback, though I'm not sure your child would notice or care.

Read_a-Book_Tab_4_Nook

Book reading on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is, as you would expect, a pleasure.

Image: Barnes and Noble, Screenshot

The book-reading experience is, as you would expect, excellent and, if you take the device into a Barnes & Noble book store, you can use free Wi-Fi and read, for free, digital versions of on-the-shelf books while you're in the store.

There really aren't any whiz-bang features here like the ability to see who any character is at any point in the book like you can with Amazon Kindle Fire HDX's X-Ray feature.

And while Barnes & Noble will offer you free device support if you bring the Nook into one of their stores, you won't find anything like Amazon's Mayday 24/7 video support built into the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.

Good enough

With its middling features and not-quite-fully-integrated Nook widget and app suite, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook can't compete with the forward-leaning Amazon Kindle Fire HDX or mid-size tablet-market-leading Apple iPad Mini.

Yet, I still like it. A typical E Ink-based reader from Barnes & Noble or Amazon costs anywhere from $ 69 to almost to $ 120 for the backlit model with the most storage. For $ 60 more you can get a full-blown tablet that can handle everything from textbooks to movies and even action games. It's a pretty sweet deal.

If you want an affordable, light, sharp-looking, reading-ready tablet for your back-to-school teen, this could be the right choice. Just don't let her see an iPad mini or Kindle Fire HDX.

Barnes & Noble Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook

The Good

Lightweight Good reading and content-consumption experience Affordable

The Bad

Average specs Nook software doesn’t feel fully integrated

The Bottom Line

Barnes & Noble’s new Nook won’t break the bank, but it also doesn’t break any new ground in features or performance. It’s a good budget, mid-sized tablet.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Topics: barnes & noble, Gadgets, galaxy tab, Mobile, nook, reviews, samsung, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, Tech

Image: Mashable, Sarah Fisher

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Sara’s Column: E-book spending salvation comes in Kindle Unlimited – Lebanon Democrat

Bookstores have always been dangerous territory for me.

Bookstores have always been dangerous territory for me.

I can walk in knowing exactly which book I'm looking for, fully intent on just running in and running out, and still walk out two hours later with a half-dozen books in tow and a half-dozen more on my wishlist.

I always maintained that I would never be lured into the whole e-reader/tablet trend – I love the heft of an 800-page tome; the crackle of the pages as I move to the next page.

Eventually I succumbed, though, when I was introduced to the Amazon Kindle app on my smartphone.

Don't get me wrong – I still adore my hardcopy books, and bookstores are still as dangerous as ever – but e-books are just too cost-effective to ignore.

Amazon offers thousands of free books of all genres, and many that aren't free just cost anywhere from 99 cents to $ 2.99. 

When you're just looking for a quick, escapist read, you can't beat it. I tended to skip over books that cost more than that – I figured if I was going to spend more than a few bucks on a book, I wanted a tangible one.

Gradually, though, I noticed those $ 2.99 books start to add up until I realized I was going to have to start treating the Kindle Store with the same kid gloves that I treat Books-A-Million. 

Reluctantly, I reined in my Kindle Store habit. I still had to occasionally browse through the offerings, just to torture myself a little, but I only downloaded the free offerings.

Last month, the number of those free offerings just expanded exponentially.

Full disclosure: they're not completely free, but they come awfully close.

Amazon just rolled out their Kindle Unlimited subscription service for Kindle devices or free Kindle reading apps.

For about $ 10 a month you can download as many books as you want for as long as you want (only catch is you can only have up to 10 books at a time). 

With more than 600,000 books offered as part of the service, including favorites such as the Hunger Games trilogy, Water for Elephants and The Lord of the Rings, there should be something for just about every reader.

The program launched just about a month ago, and of course I jumped on it I think the day it rolled out. My free 30-day trial just expired, but it did its job. I'm hooked.

I'll gladly pay the $ 10 per month and let the book binges continue unfettered.

Sara McManamy-Johnson is the digital content director for The Lebanon Democrat and Wilson County News. Email her at sjohnson@lebanondemocrat.com or follow her on Twitter @wilsoncoreports. 

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Shaun Mullen’s New Book Is Now Available On Kindle – The Moderate Voice

A character in the Doonesbury comic strip once called the 1970s "A kidney stone of a decade," and compared to the 1960s and 1980s, it indeed was. It was a period of economic and political decline and, of course, abuses of power with Watergate being the worst but by no means only scandal. Decades get demythologized; it is a quintessential part of the Great American Meat Grinder, but nobody has bothered to demythologize the 1970s because there was nothing mythical about them.

The decade opened with a cyclone killing a half million people in Bangladesh and the Beatles breaking up, at midpoint, the Vietnam War was sputtering to an end and New York City was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, while its conclusion was marked by the Iran hostage crisis and introduction of the first Sony Walkman. The decade's three presidents — Nixon, Ford and Carter — were dirty or mediocre, and the state of the union was not good.

It also was a time of bad hair and bad music, but none of that mattered to the tribe who lived on a farm beyond Philadelphia's far western suburbs. At first glance, this farm would seem to have been one of the then-ubiquitous communes, but it most definitely was not.

There's A House In The Land (Where a Band Can Take a Stand) is the compelling, funny and sometimes heartbreaking story of that tribe and that farm. It is fact lightly disguised as fiction in that the places, events and people are real, but the names of some places and people have been changed to protect the innocent. As well as the guilty.

Click here to order the trade paperback or Kindle editions of There's A House In The Land.

Author: SHAUN MULLEN, TMV Columnist

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Samsung Nook: will it dethrone the Kindle Fire? – The Week UK

Samsung has teamed up with bookseller Barnes & Noble in an attempt to revive the fortunes of its ailing line of Nook e-readers.

The new edition of the Samsung Nook has divided tech analysts, some of whom believe that the Android-powered device will find a market due to the leverage and reach of the book retailer, while others say that consumer apathy towards low-cost tablets means that the device will face an “uphill struggle” from the very beginning.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is a “typical 7-inch Android tablet”, Business Week says, and will go on sale in the US on Barnes & Noble's website and in its 660 stores for $ 179 (£110), making it cheaper that rivals the Kindle Fire HDX and Kobo Arc 7HD.

Barnes & Noble say that consumers will instantly profit from their purchase, because the tablet comes with $ 200 worth of reading material. The bookseller hopes that its marriage of content and top-flight hardware will help them compete with the likes of Amazon.

Users who want to purchase books, magazines, and comics will be directed to Barnes & Noble’s digital bookstore. All other content, including apps, music and films can be purchased through Google Play.

Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, said that Samsung has taken the Galaxy tablet “and made it the best tablet available for reading and entertainment”.

Barnes & Noble’s primary goal is not to sell devices, Fortune.com says, “but to win back the share of the e-books market it lost after the Nook tablets it previously designed and made itself flopped and drained its coffers”.

Ian Fogg, from the US-based consultancy IHS, told the BBC that while “it’s very hard to make money out of mobile devices… by having this partnership, Barnes & Noble can have its own content and services pre-installed so that they are not just front-of-mind but also front-of-eyes for consumers”.

Some experts say that the major problem for the device will be breaking Amazon’s stranglehold over the e-reader market. Ben Wood, from the tech consultancy CCS Insight told the BBC that since “Amazon has pretty much locked out the market in reading-focused tablets anyway, the only thing I’d applaud here is the fact that Barnes & Noble has gone to Samsung, which can give it scale and quality”.

Wood added: “There is growing consumer apathy to this growing class of low-cost tablets… Although there is the Nook angle on this, it goes into the melting pot with numerous other tablets that will appear in this price point as we run up to Christmas”.

If it is to notch up some sales, the new-look Nook may only have a small window in which to operate. According to Business Week, Amazon’s Lab126 division is currently working on a “secret reading device” code-named Ice Wine which is said to be “super-light and paper-thin”. · 

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Friday, August 22, 2014

A Luxembourg thriller Kindle publishing’s poster boy and Luxembourg – Luxemburger Wort – English Edition



Published on Friday, August 22, 2014 at 09:45

Luxembourg appears to be the setting of choice for thriller Writers of Earth. Hot on the heels of Chris Pavone’s spy story The Expats, another Expatriate Who lived in the Grand Duchy HAS Published His own thriller, this time involving the Russians.

British National Daniel Pembrey penned The Candidate After a year Spent working for Amazon Kindle in Luxembourg.

Already Keen criteria before moving there, he said the novella was inspired by the capital’s mysterious allure.

“I think Luxembourg is the great rental for The Story. It lends itself well to dramatic jump Fiction.

You never know exactly Where the story comes from buts it was very much encouraged by my time there and the nature of Luxembourg as a place, “Daniel told wort.lu / en.

Truth of Luxembourg

The Candidate tells the story of the British headhunter called Nick Thorneycroft, WHO works in Luxembourg. When His repelling asks him to Recruit the high-flying executive for the company’s Russian business, the ideal candidate Turns Out To eBay notes What she’ohl @ Mail.ru.

The story is told in the first person narrative of The Main Character , the man Who comes from Lancashire and Who is NOT based on the author, Daniel says.

Readers familiar with the Luxembourg Landscape Will recognise the number of key locations SUCH AS the Hotel Roosevelt Boulevard and tie on the deck Adolphe. However, for Anyone keen on visiting the sites in the book, it Should be noted that’s– peaked locations shutdown puree invention.

Daniel said that’s– His aim was to get to the “truth of Luxembourg What is like as a place, “Which he conveyed by mixing reality and artistic license to create the backdrop and characters. For example, he said the Character of Jacques Daleiden, the Landlord, was a composite of Different People, “inspired by Someone I heard about while there.”



E-publishing

Published in e-book format as part of Kindle’s Singles series in November last year, The Candidate was the number one best selling thriller short story in December.

It was published in print format in May this year and is Also Available as the audio book on Amazon. For Daniel, WHO currently lives in Amsterdam Where he is writing the series of detective novellas, Publishing The Candidate as the e-book Proved To Be His big break.



Up Until Then Had he worked for Amazon in Seattle Taken and the sabbatical to Work on His Writing. But, he said he never considered he wouldn’t– eBay Ready to publish widely Until he worked for Kindle in Luxembourg. There, he got to know several authors thriller Who Had Had considerable success as a result of e-publishing.

“Previously, I thought writing was something I needed to get better at and needed for the publisher. It was something that’s– stretch off into the future, “he said, Adding:” I saw the success of Kindle At These authors: They WERE Among the top sellers, They WERE making money BECAUSE the good and the welfare WERE They Had Creative Control of Their Work. I thought, I need to reverse that. “

The e-book worked particularly well for the novella format Which, Daniel pointed out, is difficult to sell in print format BECAUSE of the high cost of production relative to the size.

“With ebooks it’s absolutely possible to putt it out for much less. Typically, novellas sell for One or Two euros as Kindle Singles, “he said.

Of Daniel’s fours books published as e-books, too Shutdown NOW AVAILABLE in print largely thanks to the e-publishing PATHWAY. Now that he HAS made the name in print, he plans to continue publishing e-books. He said: “I think the real goal for any writer is to mark the work available in as many formats and languages ​​as possible. That makes the work as falling as can be. I dont think it’s repeats golds. “



I think it wouldn’t– tailors to screen really well and wouldn’t– eBay’s great showcase for lots of Interesting things about Luxembourg

Future roadmaps

The Candidate Will be released as e-book in German from October this year. While NX Other Translations shutdown foreseen yet, Daniel admitted it wouldn’t– eBay fantastic rate marked it available in other languages, Luxembourgish Even possible.

He hopes too that’s– the novella can be adapted as a radio play and perhaps Even one Film and Screenplay Even the day is eyeing up potential actors for the main role.

“I think it wouldn’t– rate tailors screen really well and wouldn’t– eBay’s great showcase for lots of things about Luxembourg Interesting,” he said , Adding: “He’s almost the crude Olde FOR THE departs buts Christopher Ecclestone, I think, wouldn’t– eBay Great Interlinear main role.”

You can hear Daniel Pembrey Talk About His Book and Get your copy Signed EST when he attends the Chapter 1 Bookstore event on September 4.

To register, please email books@chapter1.lu and to find out more, visit www.chapter1.lu

don’t miss the news – sign up to Receive the wort.lu newsletter in English Delivered to your Inbox Seven days of week.

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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Amazon DOUBLES Kindle Paperwhite Storage, Lets you Store 2000 Books – Gigjets

By Hamza Akbar / August 20, 2014 / Tablets 118

Amazon, the e-commerce giant, just like the huge Amazon Jungle, has a huge heart and a cute concern for its customers. Amazon has quietly increased the internal memory of Kindle Paperwhite from 2GB to 4GB allowing owners to store about 2000 books instead of the previously 1000 books. 

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Read Also: Dead Space 4 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is VERY LIKELY, Says EA

While a complete revision of the Kindle Paperwhite hasn't been introduced, an increase in memory was a much-needed improvement and could be the first step towards a complete overhaul of the device. So, if you all have purchased a Kindle Paperwhite in the last 30 days, it is likely your device has a memory of 4GB. People who have the older version of Kindle Paperwhite will have to sell their devices and buy a new one if they want a 4GB memory.

However, it is worth noting that there are no other new improvements  in the Kindle Paperwhite with 4GB  memory; it is still the second generation of Kindle Paperwhite,released last year, which was imbued with a faster processor, higher resolution display and new software features such as a Vocabulary Builder and Kindle Freetime for managing children's usage time.

As it is customary of Amazon, we can expect a Kindle Whitepaper with improved hardware and new Kindle Tablets in September this year, which is not so far away. For instance, the Kindle Fire HDX and Kindle Fire HD were both announced in September of separate years.

Moreover, Amazon is endeavoring to bundle the Local Register credit card device with Kindle Fire HDX devices. Confounding enough, Amazon has not said anything about the Fire smartphone's compatibility with the Local Register credit card device, and instead has chosen to include support for popular Samsung and Apple devices.

So, avid book readers, if you had problems having a huge book shelf or if your shelf has run out of space, do go to the nearest store and buy the Kindle Paperwhite. 2000 books is a huge number lads!

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Pac-12 Now for Android re-launches, adds Kindle Fire – Pac-12.com

Reading this on your Android device? You’re a click away from our completely redesigned and rebuilt Pac-12 Now app. Download it here:

Pac-12 Now on Google Play

We’ve added support for newer Kindle Fire tablets too. That link is:

Pac-12 Now on Amazon Appstore

With the Pac-12 Now app, you can watch Pac-12 Networks around the clock including 850 live events, studio shows, and our award-winning weekly football documentary series “The Drive.” The app is free; access to some content requires you TV Provider username and password.

Pac-12 Now also delivers free video highlights, features, and vignettes as well as scores from your favorite Pac-12 teams. The app is also available for iOS.

Android & Kindle users will find the new Pac-12 Now app to be dramatically more robust, stable and speedy. Forget the Pac-12 Now Android of the past – we highly recommend that you treat yourself to an immediate download. Features include:

  • Seven live Pac-12 Networks channels, 24 hours a day (with your TV provider login)
  • Loads of free video clips including highlights, features, interviews, vignettes and more
  • Scores and schedules across many Pac-12 sports
  • Set alerts on your device for upcoming live games you want to watch
  • Share videos with your friends from within the app
  • Optimized for Android phones and tablets running 4.0.3 and higher, plus newer Amazon Kindle Fire tablets

Pac-12 Networks partnered with leading mobile app developer Double Encore on this app – check out their case study on Pac-12 Now.

We want to hear what you think about our new app. Share your thoughts with us via @Pac12Networks on Twitter, or on our Facebook page.

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