Kindle News: Kindle DX Graphite quietly available again while Kindle Keyboard ("K3") is not shown available anywhere

...When what to my wondering eyes should appear...

...but a miniature eReader that's not so miniature, on the Kindle Family product page banner.

  Alongside the 6" readers suddenly redisplayed is the 9.7" Kindle DX Graphite E-Ink Kindle with the Pearl Screen with more contrast (resembling etched text) that was released in late 2010 and the disappearance of it lamented by those who want a larger screen for easier reading and fewer page turns, even though it was far more expensive than a 6" device and still is.

  I was alerted to these changes by the ever-watchful Nate Hoffelder and his The Digital Reader site.

At the right are my own Kindle Keyboard (KK or K3) next to my DX Graphite to show the size differences in the real world.

  If you click on it, you'll get enlarged, zoomed-in versions of the photos plus some other photos when pressing 'previous' or 'next' on the right of those pages or using the keyboard left and right arrows (sometimes).

  The image is apropos because the Kindle Keyboard, aka Kindle 3, shown has, on the other hand, quietly disappeared from availability for U.S., UK, and Int'l areas.

  I'd read a news site report that there were rumors that the Kindle Keyboard would not be continued as a new-purchase reader (with refurbished or used ones available) but didn't think more about it.
  It seems to be an unnoted discontinuance as there is no wording to encourage people to wait for any to be in stock.  They do not know if they'll become available again for new purchases.

  The larger DX, now that it's back and even showing in the 'Kindle family' banner, may fill a need for an eInk reader with audio capability and larger storage space as well as the larger display of text and a long battery life relative to LCD color tablets.

It is NOT 'touch' though - there's a physical keyboard on the Kindle DX although I'd never call it easy to type on.  I always have to watch what I'm typing when I do annotations or searches.

The Graphite model, at the time of its release received International 3G.  As with other e-Ink Kindles, the 3G is used for downloading of books, magazines and and for free 24/7 access to Wikipedia).

 Here's some info I added late last year when they were having a sale on the DX, for $299, the current pricing they are showing in red letters.

The Kindle DX Graphite

For more on what the DX Graphite model is like, here are Day 1 reports on it in the Kindle forums after it was released

  Also, here are reactions to the DXG by the tough-minded Mobileread Forum folks, a crowd which tended to favor the Sony display before the Kindle Graphite DX was released.

A 6" Kindle? Or the largish 9.7" DX?
This was a common question I was asked at the time.  I wrote a blog article, when the first Kindle DX was released, about questions you should ask yourself before deciding between a smaller, more carryable Kindle and the larger, more readable one.

  The advice would be the same for the current 6" models and the DX Graphite Kindle though, except that the current 6" Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and Paperwhite have considerably darker fonts than the old Kindle 2 had.

Screen examples of older DX model (White) with fewer features, showing PDFs, landscape mode, sheet music
Here are examples of material (PDFs and sheet music) as displayed on my older Kindle DX before they improved the model with the DX Graphite which has darker fonts and higher contrast.
  These will still give you an idea.  Click "next" at upper-right of the image page to get more examples as you go.

I've no idea why the Kindle Keyboard is being phased out (if it is -- you never know, as they suddenly bring back older models, as with the DX this week), but the following may be factors in the disappearance of the Kindle Keyboard and the return of the DX Graphite keyboard.

  1. Too many models of the same size confuse prospective customers
  2. Less demand, on the whole, for 6" e-Ink displays (with the Kindle Paperwhite being such a hit with everyone I know, at least locally), leaving EInk Holdings with fewer mass orders from other makers (pure conjecture on my part), leading to more competitive pricing.
  3. Economies of scale that make it less expensive to produce the larger display now.

Nevertheless, the DX at $299 is more expensive than the 16 GB Kindle Fire HD tablet, but it offers the ability to read text outdoors and has a battery life 25 days or so longer.  I tend to ask people to look at the pricing for 32GB LCD tablets (rather than the 16GB ones) when comparing prices, because 16 GB is not enough comfortable storage space now when dealing with multimedia files.

These are different animals (eInk vs LCD tablets) but $299 ($300) is not trivial.  It'll all depend on personal needs or wants.  It's timely, as many who already own one have asked on forums how they can ever get another one if their current DX should meet its maker someday (I'm not talking Taiwan).  It's a niche device though.  Personally, I'm glad it's back though mine is still going strong, since I revolve use with a 6" Paperwhite and HD tablets.


  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

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Kindle Fire News: Software Update x.4.1 for HD models and 2nd Gen Kindle Fire available today. Updated info from customers added.

Amazon's product pages are showing a software update for the Kindle Fire HD 7", 8.9" and Kindle Fire 2nd generation models

I looked for information on this after getting an alert from MyKindlestuff's Jesslyn that a new update was apparently being made available on these models.

There are a couple of features for each plus at least one which was not mentioned in the announcement and that's the implementation of Amazon's Android Appstore apps being made available to customer Kindles outside the U.S., in almost 170 countries now activated for access to that app store.

That and the new Battery Percentage shown in the Status Bar (when enabled) are the key features I see.

(Other changes reported by customers:
  . Notification sounds are working for some for whom that was not working.
  . Map apps showing location using home location referencing WiFi IP address
      has been fixed for at least one customer (probably using
      nearby WiFi network access info.)

  Am also adding, as usual, UK software pages:

Amazon's new, free software update for Kindle Fire 2nd Generation, Kindle Fire HD 7", and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 are now available at the usual software update help pages:

There are, in addition to bug fixes and performance improvements, the following features added to the three Kindle Fire models noted below the product page descriptions of the changes:

  . Language Support for Canadian English and Canadian French
    You can now change your device language to Canadian English and Canadian French.

  . Enable Battery Percentage in the Status Bar [Applause from many]
    You can now see the total percentage of battery life left when you enable this feature from the Device menu.

Kindle Fire HD 7":
Head over to the Kindle Fire HD 7" Software Update page for more details:
  v7.4.1 US/Most Int'l here.   UK software page.

Kindle Fire HD 8.9":
Please see the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Software Update page for more information:
  v8.4.1 US/Most Int'l here   UK software page.

Kindle Fire 2nd Generation Software Update page contains information on how to manually install the update if you'd prefer:
  v10.4.1 US/Most Int'l here.   UK software page.

If you need assistance with any of these updates, you can find help at the Kindle Help Forums. '

IF Choosing to Manually Download This Version

(instead of waiting for it to arrive via WiFi)
This update automatically downloads and installs for most Kindle Fire customers; however, you can initiate the software update from your Kindle or manually download the software update via USB (some use the excellent WiFi File Explorer PRO app rather than the USB cable hookup).

Again -- before you begin, confirm your current software version:

1. KF: Tap the top of the device -- KFHD: Swipe down from the top of the screen.
     Then tap More.
2. Tap Device, and then tap About.

The instructions for manually downloading -- if needed -- the update via USB are at the software update pages mentioned above.  Most will find it more convenient to have the update arrive via the automated download.

NOTE that when it does arrive, your Kindle Fire will reboot and sometimes it does that twice, so don't be alarmed when it happens while it's idle and you're nearby.


EARLIER posts on Kindle Fire HD

  . Getting non-Amazon apps on Kindle Fires (non-HD Kindle Fires have storage space limitations)
  . More comparisons on iPad mini and Kindle Fire HD
  . Basic Features Comparison Table for iPad mini, Google Nexus 7", Kindle Fire HD 7"
  . Comparison reviews of the Kindle Fire HD 7" and Google Nexus 7" tablets
  . Step-by-step guide for installing a working Adobe Flash player when needed.
  . Google Maps, Street View and other apps on my Kindle Fire, via enabling one device setting
  . Downloading and playing YouTube videos on Kindle Fire HD
  . Using the camera and Video, Panorama mode, Time Lapses
  . App for WiFi file transfers w/o cable.

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Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 * Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 (Yes)

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199 Kindle Fire HD 7" - 214.00 KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284

*OTHER Int'l pages* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 KFire HD 7" $214,  8.9" $284 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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Kindle News: Canada gets the Kindle Fire HD models for its own Amazon store. Both Kindle Fire HD models are available worldwide.

Canada received it own Amazon announcement for pre-orders and shipping of the Kindle Fire HD models

This is mainly an alert for Amazon's Canadian customers and to let global/international customers know that BOTH Kindle Fire HD models are eligible for delivery.

  In connection with the blog article the other day about the Kindle Fire HD finally being made available to almost 200 other countries, Amazon made a separate announcement for Canada because Canadian residents won't be using the Kindle International model product pages as other countries will.

  Canada's own Amazon store will carry these for orders, so they have different product page links.  I've now added those to the original article.

  Here are the links for Canadians:
    Kindle Fire HD 7",  Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

  Links for International/Global info and orders are:
    Kindle Fire HD - 7",  8.9"

These are expected to ship June 13.

Our neighbors to the North have been waiting for this a long time!

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Amazon still working on 1-day Grocery deliveries. TV pilots chosen by Amazon. Big Library Read pilot program. Fed'l Judge's preliminary view on DOJ vs Apple, trial June3. Apple's extreme but legal tax avoidance.

Amazon apparently still working on the 1-day grocery delivery program

Geekwire's Todd Bishop report that at the annual meeting of shareholders, Jeff Bezos assured shareholders that "They have made progress on the economics over the last year" and are "making good progress" in this area.

  Bishop writes that there have been a series of clues - most recently the report that Amazon has been installing refrigeration systems at more of its distribution centers across the nation, presumably to support a wider grocery rollout.

  I wonder about the demand for that.  I have Safeway delivery available but used it just twice, preferring to pick out items, lazy as I am.


Catching up on some news
Amazon's TV pilots program
Verge's Chris Welch reports that for Amazon's pilot TV programs tested with Amazon customer reviewers, their final picks included "Alpha House (starring John Goodman) and Betas (centered around a Silicon Valley startup)," the latter "easily our favorite."

  Zombieland won't be among those to be greenlit.   What was interesting was the reaction by Writer/producer Rhett Reese who went on Twitter (@RhettReese) to tweet,

  "I'll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans. You guys successfully hated it out of existence."

  Browsers is another one that didn't make the cut.


Have you heard of Big Library Read?
It's almost over, but Overdrive explains it this way:

' Big Library Read is a pilot program in which libraries worldwide offer a single eBook to their patrons. In addition to creating a global “library book club,” Big Library Read is designed to demonstrate the positive exposure and sales influence library eBook catalogs provide to authors and publishers. It will spotlight one title for a set time period for library patrons around the world to read simultaneously. The program is sponsored by OverDrive, with initial support and participation from Sourcebooks, Inc., a leading US independent publisher. '

  The first one is by Michael Malone and is available on OverDrive Read, Kindle (US only), EPub, and PDF.

  Library partners were invited to participate in the pilot program beginning May 15 - June 1, 2013 and, according to a column by Wright Stat U's libraries, 7,500 libraries around the world were participating on opening day.
  They say their "Lending Model" is "Simultaneous Use for May 15–June 1, 2013 and then one copy/one user following the pilot program" and for the pilot period, "the eBook will be simultaneously available for any and all readers with a library card to browse, sample, and borrow."

  You can read more about how it works at Overdrive's page.  This is a late report I'm adding but there are a (very) few more days, for anyone interested, to try it.  And look toward the next one.


US DOJ lawsuit against Apple (Big 5 Publishers settled) doesn't look promising for Apple
Reader Edward Boyhan alerted us to a Reuters report that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, the federal judge who is set to oversee the trial beginning June 3, gave her tentative, preliminary view on the case during a pretrial hearing Thursday but 'stressed that the view was not final and that she had only so far read some of the evidence,' per Reuters' writeup.  A quote:

' I believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of e-books, and that circumstantial evidence in this case, including the terms of the agreements, will confirm that '

An Apple's attorney said, "We strongly disagree with the court's preliminary statements about the case today."

  I imagine Apple will use its plentiful funds to appeal, to the highest court who will hear it, any adverse ebook-pricing lawsuit judgment, since Apple has apparently gone to amazing lengths to avoid what many consider its fair share of U.S. taxes to support what is available in this country to companies and individuals.


  "The Corrosive Effect of Apple's "Tax Avoidance" -
  That's the headline for The New York Times's article by Floyd Norris on May 23, adding another loud voice to reactions country-wide.  His commentary is on the fact that corporations can now choose how much tax they will pay (which loopholes to use), an accepted strategy.

' The news was that Apple had found a way to move a large part of its income to subsidiaries that claimed to not exist anywhere, at least when it came to paying taxes.

Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who heads the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, had good reason to call that the holy grail of tax avoidance.

Senator Levin, and the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, John McCain, tried to make the point, again and again, about how unfair the current system is to domestic companies, which cannot hide profits overseas, and to ordinary taxpayers, whose income is derived from salaries and investments that are automatically reported to the Internal Revenue Service. '

  You can read a lot more at the NY Times article

  Boston Herald's Marie Szaniszio reports on the assertion by Citizens for Tax Justice's that in shipping "$102 billion in profits offshore into non-existent companies in Ireland," Apple has avoided paying $35 billion in taxes.

 We understand the use of loopholes -- but using "non-existent companies" in another country to avoid paying taxes to your home country that provides the opportunity to make that income?  The main problems are in the tax code and the reality that most individuals cannot access these benefits and as a result will wind up paying more of the taxes lost to those loopholes.

  The Guardian writes that "Apple chief executive Tim Cook warned Congress that he would refuse to repatriate a total of $100bn stashed offshore unless it acted to slash the 35% US rate." The report added that

' Cook's testimony to a Senate sub-committee investigating multinational tax practices largely confirmed its findings that Apple had taken tax avoidance to a new extreme by structuring these companies so they did not incur tax liabilities anywhere. '

  There are over 800 comments to the article.

If interested, see more available stories and general reaction.

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Current Kindle Models, worldwide for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi , UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199 Kindle Fire HD 7" - 214.00 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" - 284.00

*OTHER Int'l pages* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 KFire HD - 7" $214,  8.9" $284 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle Fire HD 7" and 8.9" International models are available for pre-orders globally. Appstore for Android is now open for almost 200 countries. Angry Birds Space app is free through June 3. UPDATE

Quick Alert: Amazon finally takes Kindle Fire HD international - Available for Pre-Order through Amazon, in over 170 countries and shipping June 13

Amazon announced this morning that the Kindle Fire HD global tablets -- 7" and 8.9" can now be pre-ordered by customers in 170+ countries around the world and will ship June 13.  Details are on the product pages linked here for the new global models.

UPDATES
1. Canada is included, of course, but has its own product pages for these at the Amazon Canada store (rather than orderable on the Kindle Int'l product pages).
  Canada ONLY: Kindle Fire HD 7",  Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

2. Both the 7" and 8.9" HD Internationa/Global models are available to the almost 170 countries outside the U.S.
  Kindle Fire HD Global - 7" $214,  8.9" $284

Also announced was the opening, finally, of the Amazon Appstore for Android to almost 200 countries.  From the press release:

' Customers around the world can now buy apps and games directly from the Amazon Appstore on Macs, PCs or Android phones and tablets (including Kindle Fire)...

To celebrate the launch, the Amazon Appstore is bringing back one of its most popular Free Apps of the Day, “Fruit Ninja,” along with “Cut the Rope: Experiments.”  These will be available, for free, on May 23 and May 24, respectively. With the Amazon Appstore, customers will have access to popular features like the “Free App of the Day,” which offers a paid app for free every day.

In addition, the Amazon Appstore includes popular Amazon features like personalized recommendations, customer reviews and 1-Click payments.  One of the important benefits of the Amazon Appstore is that Amazon tests apps and games to make sure they function and perform properly before they are made available to customers.

In addition, Amazon backs its apps and games with its own world-class Customer Service. Apps and games purchased from Amazon can be used across any compatible Android device, enabling customers to buy an app or game once and enjoy it everywhere.

 For a limited time, consumers will also find great promotions and discounts on popular games from leading brands such as Ubisoft, Sega and Rovio, including Angry Birds Space for free through June 3.
  Customers can visit www.amazon.com/appstore to start browsing apps. '

This is following recent launches of the app store for the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China and Japan.   Brazil will be included "in the coming months."

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Kindle News: Amazon's new "Kindle Worlds" program for fan fiction writers and readers

Forbes's Jeff Bercovici reports on Amazon's new 'Kindle Worlds' commercial "fan fiction" program.

Many of us have run across "fan fic" in which fans of a show write their own versions of what happens with the characters (with readers following those flights of fancy online), usually without permission of the series creators but with the knowledge that these activities tend to increase active interest in a show.

And then there are those who've already published their own Kindle books of 'fan fic' for public domain fiction such as Pride and Prejudice with zombies added, of course.

TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington opines that "The best part is that in this case you don’t even have to be all that creative – the idea is to let fans create stories around original properties from other authors, offering them up for purchase on the Kindle book store."

He adds:

' Fanfic writers can sign up now at the official Amazon Kindle Worlds website, and the company expects to launch the Worlds storefront in June.  There will be over 50 commissioned works included in the store at launch, Amazon says, and then it’ll be launching its self-serve submission platform for all authors to add their own completed works for consideration. '

  Bercovici mentions the purity of this form of 'literary art,' "untainted by commerce." Because someone else owns the intellectual property, it'd be hard to make money from it.

  Amazon's new program will actually allow fanfic writers to publish and profit from "fan-fictional e-books with the blessing of the original characters' creators, who will receive royalties from every sale."

  A win-win for both.
  However, Bercovici writes, "The revenue split is considerably less generous than authors who use their own characters enjoy, with Kindle Worlds writers keeping 35% of the net. That’s for works over 10,000 words; for shorter ones, the rate is an even lower 20%. Ordinarily, writers who self-publish e-books through Amazon keep 70% percent."

  That latter is true if they keep the price $2.99 or less and allow global sales.

Amazon will announce further licensing soon but for now, Kindle Worlds "has licenses covering three franchises owned by Warner Bros. TV’s Alloy Entertainment: “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Gossip Girl.”

  Bercovici points out that, "It’s also a way for Amazon to identify promising undiscovered writers it can sign to its Amazon Publishing book imprint. Established authors have been wary of signing with Amazon after seeing the difficulties that Tim Ferriss and others have had in getting competing retailers to carry their books."

  He sees this really taking off if they can add a good number of the most popular franchises (and gives examples).

  Apparently, sexually explicit materials won't qualify for this -- this seems an unclear area, from what I saw of the varied interpretation by several news sites.

  A commenter, Daniel Nye Griffiths, feels that quite relevant is the Intellectual Property (IP) factor.
  "Any character or story idea used is the property of Alloy Entertainment – so, a Vampire Diaries fan writer might find her character or her storyline appearing in the show.  Which would probably be very exciting, but is also the sort of thing writers are usually paid for…"

Amazon is also piloting an experimental new program with the launch of Kindle Worlds
  This will be for particularly short works—between 5,000 and 10,000 words.  For these short stories—typically priced under one dollar—Amazon will pay the royalties for the World’s rights holder and pay authors a digital royalty of 20%.

  Amazon has been aggressively vigilant recently in connection with Kindle "books" that consist of just one VERY short story, usually priced at $0.99 to $1.99 but with 70% going to the writer of a not-book.  Many customers have been happy about that, and not surprisingly, many authors not as ecstatic over it.

Amazon's press release details what the benefits would be for World Licensors, writers, and readers.

  Philip Patrick, Director, Business Development and Publisher of Kindle Worlds said, "Our goal with Kindle Worlds is to create a home for authors to build on the Worlds we license, and give readers more stories from the Worlds they enjoy..."
  They expect to announce additional World licensing deals in "the coming weeks."

Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Alter reminds us that

' Several fan fiction writers, such as Cassandra Clare, author of the best-selling “Mortal Instruments” series, who used to write Harry Potter fan fiction, and E.L. James, author of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which began as Twilight fan fiction, have gone on to become blockbuster authors themselves. '

There are limits, of course, to "what authors can do to beloved characters.  Amazon has made it clear that they'll work with licensors "to establish content guidelines that balance flexibility and openness for writers with what’s reasonable for the franchise.”

Personally, I think it's a great idea all around, and those who are not drawn to it don't have to look in that category or genre :-)

  And of course, Amazon then expands its stash of exclusive books that may well be fun for fanfic followers and inexpensive at the same time.

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Current Kindle Models, worldwide for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

  NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi , UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199

*OTHER International* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle Tips: MONDAY's Free Kindle Fire App of the Day is Fraction Calculator Plus. Lonely Planet has a sale on its PDF eBooks at $10 ea. + a free USA Kindle book. Sony's coming 13.3-inch eReader-Notepad.

Fraction Calculator Plus

It's only Sunday but this smart father-daughter duo has made good use of press-releases to promote their apps that are now very popular, and the Irish Examiner story on them tells us that for MONDAY, May 20, their Fraction Calculator Plus will be Amazon's Free App of the Day for the Kindle Fire (and other Android devices).  It's not a big savings, as the app is only $0.99, but every little bit...

  And, it draws attention to their free "Calculator Plus" app, which is now the highest-rated app in all Amazon app categories out of a total of 83,981 apps at the App Store.  It's the bestseller in Europe as well, downloaded over 2.5 million times, and is also the most downloaded calculator on the Windows 8 platform.

  The free version of the basic Calculator Plus app has 4,644 customer reviews as of today at an average rating of 4.8 stars.  Because it's free, it's ad-supported but if you want the version without ads, that's here.

The free-for-Monday Fraction Calculator Plus app has a keyboard layout for entering fractions and a large display that "shows fractions the way you write them."

  According to the article, quilt makers tell them the fraction calculator has made their job easier.

  USA Today added the duo's free basic Calculator Plus (with advanced features available when you swipe the memory keys aside) to their 25 essential Kindle Fire apps, and Amazon has pre-installed it in shop demos across the U.S.

  Unusual Features
  According to the story and the Calculator Plus product description, a boon of that app is that it "remembers everything you calculate" and lets you review it anytime (even after you've quit the calculator to do something else), so that you don't need to retype the same calculation.  As with other decent calculator apps, you can just backspace to correct simple mistakes rather then having to start over.

  The memory lets you "keep a running total you can actually see."


Lonely Planet
Outreach Educator and Anthropologist Guven Witteveen points us to Lonely Planet's current special on their 254 PDF eBooks.

  ALL Lonely Planet PDF eBooks, usually $16 to $24+, are on sale, per their newsletter, for $10 until midnight 22nd May.

  Enter DIG10 to get that pricing.

  BEAR IN MIND, though, that several of these are available in Kindle Editions at Amazon for $9.99.  I'd much rather have a Kindle book version for the $10 where that's available.  However, on the ones that do cost more at Amazon and there are a lot of those, this can be a VERY good deal.

  A free Lonely Planet Kindle book:
  5 of USA's Best Trips: Our Favorite Themed Itineraries Across America (Regional Travel Guide)
  This is a 708-page Kindle book, published August 1, 2011, with maps and with Text-to-Speech and X-Ray features enabled (but Lending, strangely, is not).



Sony's coming 13.3-inch digital paper notepad (and a flexible eInk eReader)
Friday, I tweeted Sony's announcement of a coming 13.3" flexible eInk reader, w/ some details and a link to the article on that.

  Yesterday I saw a story with video of the device's notepad qualities.   Since it uses a plastic, rather than glass, display, it's much lighter than the norm.  The display is the new EInk Mobius panel.  They're testing it at three universities in Japan soon and expect thay can do a commercial release before the end of 2013.  Pricing will be key. Plastic Logic and IRex didn't fare well there.  Interesting video though!

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Current Kindle Models, worldwide for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

  NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi , UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199

*OTHER International* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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*******LATEST SHORT DAILY FREE EBOOKS FOOTER2 *******

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

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Kindle Fire Tip: ABC Player app for Kindle Fire HD allows watching of full ABC shows for free without Flash Player. Some Caveats.

ABC Player app available for Kindle Fire HD allows watching of full episodes of favorite ABC shows

The ABC Player app allows you to watch, from a selection of the most recent episodes of almost any ABC show (primetime and daytime), full ABC shows you may have missed or want to re-watch.

  It says that you can find episodes "by Most Popular, Most Recent, and Evening vs. Daytime" (I've not found this search function -- please let me know if you find it) and can pause these, with your place saved for resuming from that point later (this does work).

  Closed captioning is available (though I haven't seen this yet in a couple of shows I chose to watch).  There are no easily findable settings for this.   There is a version for iOS devices, Hulu (which I subscribe to and there ARE closed-captioning features in those) and iTunes and it could be that some of these features I haven't found are in one of those and ABC's product marketing is confused about what is available for Kindle Fire HD. This app does not work for my other, earlier Samsung devices with older Android systems.

  On my personal listing of devices I own, it is shown as NOT working for the Original Kindle Fire while OK with my Kindle Fire HD7 and my Kindle Fire HD89.  My guess is that it wouldn't work well if at all with the 2nd Generation non-HD Kindle Fire, but the Product Description page doesn't say anything about that, unfortunately.  Let me know, if it does work for that, but it is a more limited device in memory-management and in storage space, so I'm doubtful, and it's not an HD model (I don't know if they scale down for Standard Definition).

From the Product Description:
"...View full-length episodes of Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Revenge, Once Upon a Time, The Neighbors, Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live and more..." as well as Nashville, Castle, and Body of Proof.  Also included are ABC News shows and daytime shows like The View, The Chew and General Hospital.

  NOTE AND MORE CAVEATS - These are in HD, and viewing on mobile devices may give problems, from what I have noted with any HD streaming, when HD owners are using DSL rather than cable modem systems.  DSL's average speed is 6 to 10 times slower than what is doable from cable systems like Cable and RR, from what I've experienced on friends' Internet streaming connections, and HD streaming just needs more speed and robust connectivity.  DSL hosts do offer higher tiers of speed but at higher pricing.

  I would NOT download the app if you have DSL rather than cable.
  I even wonder if a problem exists with Android devices that have only 16 GB of storage space and a fairly filled storage area.  The number of people for whom this app does not work or works badly outnumbers the number of people who have no problems with it.

  I watched a full 50-minute episode of the amazingly amoral Scandal with no glitches at all and with HD quality.  Others experience lower-quality video on their systems though, so be forewarned that it may not be ideal on some devices depending on streaming-connection or maybe a too-full device when using an app that may be just too bloated and using a lot of memory to do what it does.

  At any rate, so to speak, the app is Free to try, and you can remove the app if it doesn't work well on your Internet connection but you'd probably need to reboot or reset (via a 20-second power button press and then a press to restart), if the app just stalls for you on tv episodes, as it did for many who gave it low marks.

An aborted show like 666 Park Avenue still available for 2 more days usually does not offer the unaired shows some have hoped would ultimately air, in this case to explain some of the weirdnesses in the storyline, but I just found out about the ABC app itself (released March 2013) from a Washington Post TV Column on ABC putting online, and on some mobile devices, "unaired episodes of 'Don't Trust the B---" as they put it.  This one is a show I didn't watch after the first 15 minutes, not that I'm fussy about my TV viewing.

The added draw is that with this app you don't need a Flash player app plus different web browser as some of us have used on the Kindle Fire (doable with the Dolphin web browser -- see step-by-step guide to install Flash at How to install Flash Player on Kindle Fire HD, with more info at Getting NON-Amazon apps).

  Before this app was made available, we've been able to view all these (with the steps in those article-guides at http://abc.go.com -- which ABC has now redirected to a longer URL).  BUT since any Kindle Fire HD can use this app, that more-arduous process is not needed for ABC shows.

  However, I don't see similar apps for NBC and CBS or PBS right now, so the Flashplayer-install info just mentioned is given in case you want to watch similar material on the other network channels.

 In the meantime, Amazon Prime Instant Video program offers quite a bit, as you'll have seen if reading the Amazon pages or this blog.

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Current Kindle Models, worldwide for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

  NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi , UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199

*OTHER International* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle news: U.S. Justice Dept calls Apple "Ringmaster" in e-book price-fixing. Why Android is Winning the Tablet Wars. New NBC-Universal PRIME video deals. The Big Deal (500 books) is back.

Apple being seen as instigator of eBook price-fixing attempts

In addition to the TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) report, which sources the NY Times article which may not be accessible to some near the end of any month, here are the recent articles on the e-book pricing wars going back a year and through 'today' for those interested in any details of the last year's results from federal, state, and UK lawsuits that have left Apple, alone, fighting the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit still.
  The publishers have bailed.  The trial begins June 3 in New York.

  I stopped detailing the situation after all the settlements were happening, one after another, but kept a chronological list of linked news stories on how it all began and what was discovered during the several investigations, as a lot was being misrepresented throughout the PR wars.  The items are all sourced.

  It was especially difficult to sort out when the largest media sites were also large publishers with a bit at stake so that the reports were too often not exactly illuminating but I collected the more informative ones.

  I also put together a TIMELINE, which shows more clearly what kinds of things the Department of Justice (DOJ) would have seen that had not made it into most news reports.

  The New York Times article opens with the e-mail from Steve Jobs to James Murdoch of News Corporation: "Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream e-books market at $12.99 and $14.99."

  That e-mail is part of the evidence in the DOJ's stance explained by TUAW as, "Apple was the 'ringmaster' in a price-fixing conspiracy in the market for e-books, a more direct leadership role than originally portrayed in the department’s April 2012 antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five publishing companies."

  Two days after that email, HarperCollins, owned by News Corporation, "signed an agreement with Apple to force all sellers of electronic books to adopt the new pricing model, the government said."

  Apple does its usual in describing all this as not conspiring to fix prices on ebooks, of course, but instead 'explaining' that “We helped transform the e-book market with the introduction of the iBookstore in 2010, bringing consumers an expanded selection of e-books and delivering innovative new features ... The market has been thriving and innovating since Apple’s entry, and we look forward to going to trial to defend ourselves and move forward.”

  If you can access it, read the rest of the NYT article on how Apple itself described its strong-arming of Random House during this, which is why the lawsuit did not include Random House.  In fact, for about a year, Random House books were not found in Apple's iBook store due to some disagreement about the Agency Agreement.

 Now, when Amazon removed buy-tags for awhile when Macmillan insisted on using the Agency Agreement (rather than the long-time traditional wholesaler bookstore agreement which guaranteed publishers a bit more, so this was about control) and when Macmillan, furthermore, also insisted on the higher pricing that they would set and which Amazon and other book stores were not allowed to lower even for Sales promos, Amazon received a shellacking from the larger publishing houses and newspapers for being a dangerous "monopolist" out to destroy the publishing industry.

  Imagine if Amazon had just not allowed Random House (said to be the largest U.S. publisher of novels) into the Amazon Kindle store for a year due to a contract dispute over a pricing agreement.  Apple did, though, paint itself as sort of a road-side shop (its book store) relative to big, bad Amazon.
  At the time, Random House said, at a press conference, that it felt that Amazon knew a bit more about book-selling and pricing than Random House did.  The following year, Random House did join in the Agency Agreement, but they were not part of the group that formed the higher-price restrictions for booksellers.

  On the other hand, Amazon's lowering the price on all books would be a danger to smaller stores, and there is an understandable restriction on what it is allowed to do with the lowering of prices on its Kindle books.

  In settling, the publishers agreed:

' to lift restrictions imposed on discounting and other promotions by e-book retailers.  The companies are also prohibited from entering into new agreements with similar restrictions until December 2014.

  The publishers must also notify the government in advance about any e-book ventures they plan with each other, and they are prohibited for five years from agreeing to any kind of so-called most-favored-nation clause with any retailer, which establishes that no other retailer is allowed to sell e-books for a lower price. '

I suppose that after five years they WOULD be allowed to agree to a clause with any retailer that "no other retailer is allowed to sell e-books for a lower price."  Until then, enjoy the kind of flexible pricing we grew up with, on printed books in bookstores.

The NY Times report was from Edward Wyatt in Washington and Nick Wingfield in Seattle.
For more details on how Apple dealt with Random House when they resisted all this, see the NYT article.


Other, QUICK News, mainly links and excerpts that may be of interest
"Why Android is Winning the Tablet Wars -- Forbes, Todd Hixon, Contributor.
  Includes: "The five most popular tablets on Amazon today (May 14, 2013) are four 7 inch Kindle and Samsung tablets selling for $179 – $229, and an 8.9 inch Kindle selling for $269.

  Apple held on to over 70% market share in iPods throughout the life cycle. The iPod is a media consumption device, and the link to the iTunes content access/management platform was unbeatable. It’s clear that tablets will be a different story, more like PCs. They are becoming a diverse market with several strong brands (Samsung, Asus/Google, Amazon/Kindle), a large number of popular-price offerings, and multiple content access platforms."


  More PRIME video news: "AMAZON CONFIRMS GRIMM, HANNIBAL, SUITS AND DEFIANCE COMING TO AMAZON PRIME." The Slanted:

'... the Amazon Instant Video that is included in Amazon Prime is one of the services major selling points.

Now with the NBC Universal deal customers can watch earlier seasons of “Grimm,” and “Suits” from USA starting today. “Hannibal” will launch later this year on the service and the hit series “Defiance,” will be made available in early 2014.
  Prime Instant Video will also add past seasons of NBC’s “Smash” and “Alphas”.  The deal also includes “Eureka” and “Warehouse 13″. For the parents out there, “Curious George” and “Land efore Time,” will both be made available in the Kindle FreeTime Unlimited content service. '

Added detail at CNET.


THE BIG DEAL is Back [again]: Shop Popular Books by Category
"Save up to 85% on more than 500 Kindle books through May 27.  Shop for yourself or give Kindle books as gifts to anyone with any e-mail address." [Note the expiration date.]

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Current Kindle Models, worldwide for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

  NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire 2 Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$229 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $269/$299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $399/$499 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi+3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299 Discontinued

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi , UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 Canada - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $129 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $199

*OTHER International* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $199 France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

---

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Read More