DOJ-APPLE Trial quotes...AmazonFresh delivery service may launch in Los Angeles within a week...The Kindle Daily Deals page now includes "10 Top-Rated Deal Books at $3.99 or Less"Kindle for iOS app gets another update, v3.8, for layout enhancements

Amazon working in earnest to expand 1-Day Grocery Delivery in effect

NPR's Maria Godoy points us to Joe Nicholson's AP report that Amazon may expand its fresh grocery delivery service (tested in Seattle since 2007) to Los Angeles possibly "as early as this week" and delivery in San Francisco "is on the horizon for later this year, according to Reuters and adds that "By 2014, the company could expand grocery delivery to as many as 40 major urban areas."

  Apparently, it's popular in Seattle and its features include "no minimum order, pre-dawn delivery (the most popular option) and the ability to choose the time when your food shows up. You can also opt to have your groceries dropped off in a chilled tote bag."

  In Seattle, this includes items from favorite vendors, "from artisan breads and doughnuts to craft beers" from a popular local market and "deliveries from local restaurants."  A retailNet Group analyst expects Amazon to do something similar as it expands into LA and SF.

  The Reuters report references two people who "were not authorized to speak publicly," one of whom said that if the two new locations "go well," they may launch AmazonFresh in "20 other urban areas in 2014, including some outside the United States," with a target of "as many as 40 markets."

  As usual, the thinking seems to be, the reports say, that Amazon doesn't have to make a profit off these but this would be foot-in-door purchasing on a more regular basis, and it's expected that those customers would be interested in buying other, more profitable, products online at Amazon.

  It's a daunting effort, as fresh food doesn't stay fresh for long.  Wal-Mart is said to be testing something similar in the San Francisco Bay Area and already operates one in Britain.  See Reuters for considerably more detail.


Newish Kindle Book Deal
The ongoing Kindle Daily Deal page now also includes "10 Top-Rated Deal Books, $3.99 or Less" as well as the monthly specials.


IN OTHER NEWS - quotes and links
Quotes from DoJ-Apple Trial
Web news is large with the Apple and Big5 ebook pricing trial now going on and it's fairly dramatic as each publisher is asked to step up and describe the interactions with Apple, and yesterday Amazon's VP of Kindle Content, Russell Grandinetti, testified about the tense conferences with publishers back in 2010 and the threats that went back and forth.

 Just picking one generic story randomly from a "Breaking News - Business"-focused site, I see what shows up in most news stories last night:

' Carolyn Reidy, chief executive of Simon & Schuster...testified she met with Apple executive Eddy Cue and that [she] was aware that other big publishers were in talks with the California tech giant to end the pricing model imposed by Amazon...

  "You left the meeting understanding Apple didn't want [Amazon's price of US$9.99] to continue?" [US DoJ lawyer Lawrence] Buterman asked.
  "Clearly," Reidy responded.
...
The Justice Department also presented evidence of Reidy's telephone contacts with other publishing CEOs during the Apple negotiations.

  Reidy denied discussing the Apple talks with them, but the government introduced an email from Reidy to Cue, in which she said she "looked forward" to his progress in “herding us cats." '

Remember that the case is now focused on Apple as "ringleader" ("facilitator and go-between") and all the publishers involved have settled, albeit for a relatively low $164 million and stopping the current arrangement and a promise not to try Agency plan again for a couple of years.

PaidContent's Laura Hazard Owen brings up, despite S&S's Reidy arguing "that Apple did not require the publisher to move Amazon and other accounts to the agency model":

' A related, charged point raised by the government was an internal mail to the S&S team on January 4, in which Reidy writes in part about how to respond to Eddy Cue’s proposed Apple terms, noting that ‘we are in total agreement that…agency model should hold for all retailers.’” '

PaidContent's Mathew Ingram wrote, on June 4, a story headlined, "The DoJ has an open-and-shut case," calling the evidence "overwhelming."

  "...the fact is that the DoJ has what amounts to a slam-dunk case: no matter how you look at it, the company colluded with publishers to keep e-book prices high."

  Ingram reiterates that Apple's argument that boils down to "But your honor, we had to do this because our competitor is too large and it was the only way we could compete with them” just won't fly in an anti-trust case focusing on collusion.

' ...antitrust law in the U.S. isn’t designed to help prevent competitors from being squashed by a large player in an industry — even if that player has what amounts to a monopoly position.  The key point is whether that particular company’s behavior alters or damages the marketplace in a way that harms consumers.  And when it comes to that, the DoJ is on rock-solid ground. '

  As Kindle owners will remember, and it came up in Grandinetti's testimony yesterday, Amazon was told that if they didn't agree to the Agency agreement as set up (for the higher pricing forced on them), then they would not get Kindle editions of the popular new books until several months after the release of the print book.  This was not an attractive option for them nor for Kindle owners.

  Publishers Weekly's Calvin Reid reminds everyone of a strange faux pas Steve Jobs made which this blog pointed out as significant ("says too much") when this was all happening.  See that link for the video of what Jobs said to Mossberg.  It was not widely circulated but eventually would be big in this case.

  He gave away to Walt Mossberg that he knew the prices would be fixed, in the brief video'd interview after the iPad launch, in which Mossberg asked why anyone would buy a book for $14.99 at Apple's store when they could get it for $9.99 at Amazon.

  When Jobs replied that, in effect, Amazon would not be selling the mentioned book at a lower cost than Apple, and Mossberg couldn't understand why -- in reply to Mossberg's question, "You mean you won’t be $14.99? Or they won’t be $9.99" -- Jobs would smile and say, "The prices will be the same.." (See the video in two versions.)

  I was flabbergasted by that at the time, and The Register, UK's Brid-Aine Parnell reports on a piece of email evidence submitted (the wording in that email is unpleasant but it was said by the general counsel of Simon and Schuster and not stated by me -- I just thought Jobs's words were really unwise).

' In further evidence to support its allegations, the DoJ showed an email from Eliza Rivlin, then general counsel of publisher Simon & Schuster, who was horrified that Jobs had made the comments [in that video'd interview].

“I can’t believe Jobs made the statement… Incredibly stupid,” she wrote.
  The Department of Justice's lawyers suggested Rivlin was incredulous because Jobs’ comments pointed out their conspiracy.  But Apple lawyers said that the Feds were twisting the facts to paint a “sinister” picture of Apple. '

  Trial Exhibits
  For those intrigued by all this and wanting to know more, see the actual Trial Exhibits for this case.

  A fascinating read, because of the inclusion of information from voluminous emails never meant to be public, is the PDF file for Plaintiffs' Proposed Findings of Fact.  It's more interesting than most mystery or detective books I've read, and it's still up to the reader to sort out what it all really means.


New Kindle for Apple iOS update, v3.8
NEW: (Get the free app/update at iTunes.)
• Line Spacing - loose, normal, and tight line spacing options change the page layout to suit your reading preference
• Multipage Highlights – highlight long passages that span multiple pages for added convenience
• Print Replica Textbooks notebook improvements – filter by type: notes, bookmarks, and highlights by color; Sync starred notes between devices
• Accessibility Improvements – select a higher maximum font size, bug fixes
• Bug Fixes/Stability Improvements


Current Articles Reference:
See:
1. June's current Kindle and Kindle Book deals info here:
2. All Kindle Fire HD tablets $20 off through June 8 + some other Amazon specials.  Has an interesting price comparison.
3. Large E-Ink Kindle DX Graphite available again, almost as pricey as before.
4. Software Update x.4.1 for HD and 2nd Gen Kindle Fire tablets
5. Current worldwide listing of Kindle devices


  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

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

Read More

Kindle Fire Tips plus one KindleTouch Tip. Follow-up Info on recent software updates. Free audio/video enhanced Kindle books to try.

FOLLOW-UPS ON RECENT KINDLE SOFTWARE UPDATES: Touch - v5.3.2.1;
Fire - v10.3.0, v7.3.0, and v8.3.0

Kindle Touch, v5.3.2 and 5.3.2.1
Q: "After the software update, my Collections are no longer listed.  The books are just listed in abc order.  So, I tried to reenter a title such as Suspense, and it says the title is currently in use and to enter a different title.  Does anyone know what I should do?"

A:   Amazon made an odd decision there.  Normally, when you tap 'Recent' or 'Title' or 'Author' sorting options while choosing "Books" to view on the Home Screen, you'd expect to be able to see another option, which would be 'Collections' -- but that option doesn't show up when you have selected only "Books" (where they SHOULD show up).

  You have to lightly tap 'Books' (or 'Periodicals,' 'Audible,' 'Docs' etc.) below the top row and choose "My Items" instead before you can get the 'Collections' choice for sorting now.  It may be due to Amazon's defining 'Books' as Kindle Books only, while "My Items" includes Docs, etc.


Recent Kindle Fire updates, x.3.0
  Enhanced Kindle Editions with Audio/Video feature that came with the recent Kindle Fire updates.
  There is an added step to see these, if you've downloaded the book previously.

Q: "How do you get the audio/vidio to work?"

A: People are finding out that they need to remove any current copy of an Enhanced Kindle Edition from their Kindle Fire (2nd gen, 7" HD and 8.9" HD) and then RE-download the title previously purchased with audio and video, before they can access the audio/video portions of the book with the Kindle Fire.

  Hyperion offered, In Sept. 2011, the Audio/Video Edition of the Jacqueline Kennedy Historic Conversations, for $10 rather than the regular $16.49 price, but it was usable only on "iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices" (and it's still described that way despite the software updates).

  Nevertheless, at the time, figuring Amazon would make this available for their own tablets someday, I bought the enhanced edition at that price (it was and still is available without the audio/video for $10 too,  but why not get the one with more features, for later?)

  So, this week I downloaded the never-read Kindle book from my Cloud, and sure enough the audio and video features work very well on the Kindle Fire HD 7" and 8.9" tablets I have.

  Bear in mind that that the Enhanced Edition will take up a LOT of tablet storage space.
  For instance, the Kennedy Conversations Edition WITHOUT audio/video (readable text and photos only) is s 5 Meg file, which already (because it has photos) is over 5 times larger than an average novel.

    The Audio/Video Edition, however, is a 500 Megabyte file, 100 times larger, and essentially HALF a GIG.  The basic Kindle Fire HD 7" tablet can store 16 Gigs but a few gigs are used for system files.  I bought the 32G model and 5 gigs are set aside for system files.
  If I'd bought only the 16G basic Kindle Fire, I'd have no storage space left by now, as I have only 16 gigs remaining on my 32G tablet.

  Of course we can always remove files from a device, and any Kindle purchases (and personal documents we've sent to our "Personal Documents" storage space (via EMail) are re-downloadable at any time, when we actually want or need to read them.

  I tend to keep a lot of favorite Youtube video files on mine, but there's no reason that I need to have as many books ON the device as I do.

  BONUS Tip - Here are a few FREE Enhanced Audio/Video Kindle Books (from time to time) that you can try, via this special link.


Q: "Why does Time to Read (the remaining pages of a chapter or book) seem to work only sporadically if at all?

A: 1. You need to be on WiFi for this to work, when reading a book, as the servers keep track of time taken to read, and they calculate time remaining based on that.  This information, they say, is not retrieved for the server but kept on the Kindle device.  Some people like to know, when they need to sleep or leave, how much time it might take to finish the chapter (or the next one).

    2. Also, when you're seeing location number (and page number for books that have this) and the timeline bar at the bottom of a screen, you can get the other options (Time to Read, Page No. only, Location No. only) by lightly tapping just above the bottom timeline bar.

  Then tap whatever NON-timeline-bar option is showing at bottom left to get the other options.
  If you want the timeline bar back, lightly tap just above the normal bottom-bar area, near the center.

  Note: When the timeline bar is showing, don't touch the bar itself, as it changes where you are in the book if you move it at all (which is too easy to do).


Comments and advice from the Amazon Kindle Forum Kindle Fire software update x.3.0 topic.  Emphases and bracketed comments are mine.

'
Kim Shown says
  [in response to questions about glitches after the update]
I suggest contacting kindle customer service, Scott. My kindle hd 8.9 was fixed in less than 15 minutes. He had me go to another power outlet & plug it in, then wait a couple of minutes before depressing the on button & hold it down for 30 seconds. After that, He asked me to wait 20 seconds & repeat the process. I did this 3 times, at his request; then he told me to remove it from the charger & power it back up (holding the power button for less than 15 seconds) & voila, it magically came back to life with no problems. I did get the update & that is what caused the problem, but it works fine now! I hope this helps!


A. Rupert says
" ... I made it so my email wouldn't check for new mail. "

  [I turned that one off from the start.  I don't want my tablet to be checking email all the time.

  I also make sure that my applications don't automatically update. (See Settings / Applications)  I just don't want that activity going on all the time, especially when I don't use most of my apps that much, so I don't need the constant updating that would occur.]

Murtaza Aliakbar says:
Hi I develop for Kindle Fire, and I confirm that "Collect App Usage Data" surely has nothing to do with the Battery Drain issue.

  [I posted, re this new Kindle Fire setting, found under 'Applications']
Murtaza,
Are you actually saying that gathering info on app use and taking it back to the server does not use battery life - I don't mean extraordinary use but any WiFi activity does use battery and we don't know how often you're taking that info.


mbuff says:
I had the battery drain issue (Kindle Fire HD 8.9" wifi), and now it is resolved.  Not sure exactly what fixed it, but here's what I did:
1) I turned off "Collect App Usage Data"  (I suspect it was this, not sure)
2) I [then] held down the power key for 20 seconds until my Kindle shut itself off.  Then, turned it back on.  Previously I had tried shutting it down multiple times the "normal" way without success.


KiddWilliams says:
Battery drain issues for my Fire 2nd gen., after receiving the update, seem largely resolved for me now after
1) turning off the Collect App Usage Data, and
2) doing a hard reset: press and hold the off button for a full 30 seconds, ignoring all screen prompts, etc., then waiting for a minute and turning it back on.


Dr. Bobby H. Wang MD says:
  Good news is that 7.3.0 & 8.3.0 can finally handle a >50,000 Item Cloud Library.
[ Emphasis mine -- this is good news. ]


Alan Harrah says:
For those with battery drain problems, you might try turning off location services.  Once turned on by an app that used it, it was THE main reason my battery was draining.  It seems to not allow the kindle to sleep. This needs to be fixed obviously, but turning off location services for now is something you might try to see if it helps in your case as well.

[That's another setting I do turn Off unless an app I am using REALLY needs it for something I want.]

[I also do not have Weather apps active.   The constant use of battery for some weather apps may be worth it to some, but not to me.] '

That's the latest I've seen on the discussions following the recent software updates.


  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

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

Read More

Les Miserables in books, music, and free videos - for Kindle, Kindle Fire and other tablets...last UPDATED Feb 11-14, to add DVD/Blu-Ray info, more unusual video clips + history + info re the inspiration for both Hugo's Javert AND Valjean, plus a reconsideration of Crowe's Javert

UPDATE - Feb. 15 and March 4 2013
The Blu-Ray and DVD of the movie version Dec 2012 is ready for pre-order  See details.
Les Miserables cast's One Day More at the Oscars


KINDLE BOOKS (All are Unabridged)

Quality formatting and proofing ~200 illustrations  $2.99

Rose translation w/ raves No Kindle version, $12.24

MAXNotes - guide, $3.00 Also, all 140 results

UPDATE, 1/25/13 - to add more information and quite a few more performance links that I've picked up since the book and music became so popular as a result of Hooper's film, plus a very funny parody that will be appreciated by those who love OR hate the movie.  Additional links include the slower songs from the work and a playlist of the full Les Miserables from the well-sung 10th Anniversary production.

  The paperback for Julie Rose's modern translation of Hugo's book has a different cover now, so I've replaced that image.  The former image used is seen on the hardcover and comes with a recent blurb.  Someday, I'll post Javert's musings at the end, comparing the modern translation to an older one.

UPDATE, 1/4/13 - to add a live "Confrontation" scene by Jackman and Crowe at the Sydney Premiere After-Party. Also added links to 4 other videoclips from good past performances ('new' ones are noted in red) plus info on the man who inspired Hugo's Javert AND Valjean characters.

UPDATE for a Correction, 12/29/12 - Commenter Diane, a teacher, pointed out that Amazon credited the wrong translator on the HarperCollins 99c book that was highlighted yesterday.  It's not Julie Rose, although Amazon's quotes from "Editorial Reviews" are entirely about her translation.

---

(Original posting was on Dec. 28, 2012 and is modified, below.)

  Rose's translation is not in Kindle format, however.  It's had a lot of attention and many prefer this modernized version (and some say, at times too modernized), so I'm linking to the Paperback version available at Amazon.
  Julie Rose talks about her work on Hugo's book. [End of Update]


To do this blog article, I looked through a lot of the product pages's descriptions and customer reviews.

Update 2/3/13 - on the free Kindle edition
  I didn't include the free Kindle book initially because customer reviews complained it was only 218 pages (abridged) and had many errors and that Amazon was showing the wrong cover.  Someone mentioned no Table of Contents, which made their downloaded edition hard to navigate.

  Commenter Leelas reported that the current free Kindle Edition looks unabridged and the translation is by Hapgood.  I checked my copy and compared between two editions and have replied to Leelas with a bit more info that indicates Amazon changed the free Kindle book edition and book cover shown on that product page after those customer complaints.  So, this is worth the download at this point. [End of Update 2/3/2013]

  I bought the illustrated one [#1] by Carefully Crafted Classics because the Hapgood translation has a good rep for completeness (though some might prefer this long book be cut) and the publishers have a heavy focus on proofreading and formatting and give full place names instead of previously censored 1-letter ones.  They've also included about 200 illustrations "from early print editions" and "included an essay on Hugo's life and work, illustrated with many images of the author and his family."  That kind of care is worth the $2.99 for me.

  You can take a look inside the book image (#2 in the table) to see an example of illustrations and nicely done Table of contents, with sub-chapters linked.  The illustration titles are given, some linked in the in the product-page sample to a page that's displayable.

  The new translation by Julie Rose, published in paperback by Modern Library in 2009, gets high marks by professional reviewers and by customers, getting 4.4 stars average from customers reviewing it.  I bought the Kindle edition that is mis-identified as Rose's and returned it, per Amazon's return-policies on Kindle books (within 7 days).

  I've bought Rose's in paperback so I can reference it when puzzled by my Kindle copy, translated by Hapgood in that beautiful Carefully Crafted Classics edition, in case I'm puzzled by a paragraph and want to compare it against the translation that will be more readily understood by speakers today.

* Update - 12/28/12
There's also a Denny translation liked by some, but it's abridged (removing about 15% of the text and placing some of the many digressions to the back of the book), but an example given seemed more convoluted to me than the Wilbur translation also quoted, and it's $11.  I prefer to skim or skip when I want and would prefer the entire book be presented.  Anyway, I'm hoping this is a good start for your own search if, like me, you've not read Hugo's book earlier.

Penguin now has a "movie tie-in" cover-image on their ABRIDGED Denny translation.

  There have been signs that Penguin will be experimenting with the pricing while the movie's still in demand (It opend in Switzerland 2/13 and Mexico 2/14).  But their abridged edition promises less, overall, than the first book on the table above, which is $2.99 currently and than the free edition too.

If interested in Hugo's Les Miserables, do take a look at the first two Kindle books highlighted in the boxes.  The first one is done with excellent formatting and care, has extras galore, and the other uses a new translation that's been getting praise.

The third book is a study guide - "MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed..."

It's amazing to me how many customer reviewers in high school, while not liking being assigned such a long, heavy book, ended up describing it as the "most wonderful book ever" and couldn't put it down.  As you've probably figured out, I'd never read it.


MP3 ALBUMS

Highlights from the film 20 Tracks. Lyrics page.

Highlights: Orig London Cast Full version here

10th Anniv, Full/Singles Also, all 73 albums

CAVEAT: The highlights from the current movie soundtrack (which had huge attendance results on opening day, Christmas, breaking several records), will be more raw in sound, as the songs are primarily acted with less attention spent on musical sound.
  Added a lyrics page.  NEW

  So, it's not intended for pleasure-listening in the usual way.  Some of the singing, from a couple of the leads, is effortful (in keys too high for them) and a couple of people use more vibrato or tremulo than I like, but Director Tom Hooper has raw emotion as the focus and some will enjoy the soundtrack as a memento and to hear or own yet another interpretation.

Javert
  Crowe's Javert differs from what we're used to, in more than (un)comfortable projection of high notes.   Although Hugo's Javert shows up everywhere, reminding me of The Terminator, model 1832,  Crowe eventually humanizes (as does Hugo) what is normally just a dull, one-note, plodding but aggressive character who can't bear to see in grays, having him instead express his exasperation through interior monologues -- "prayers" for constancy and a one-true-path universe -- rather than indulging in the usual precise, blustering rants.

  This actually works better with the untenable inner conflicts that ultimately come when nothing is as it "should" be.  And leads to the different, quieter interpretation where Javert is mainly doing his 'duty' as he sees it 'must' be, to set things right.  This is the Javert who surprises with what he does with the medal and it makes more sense with the torment that leads to his end.

  Two roads diverge and Hugo's Javert can't choose either one because he's unable to accept either his having let Valjean go earlier -- invalidating his entire belief system and way of life -- or actually turning him in after Valjean saved his life.

  In the book, he tells Valjean that he'd rather have been shot by him.  But it was the scene with the medal that got to me.  I read that this was Crowe's decision; it wasn't in the book, but it works well with Javert's final decision.  My thoughts at a good LesMis forum when discussing whether the medal-pinning was in character or not (if you've not seen the movie yet, it's better not to read it).

  See the videos section here for Crowe's studio version of Stars sung with piano-only, placed on Youtube after much flak about his lower-energy Javert.  I often prefer this now to the one-note, nasal bulldog Javert usually heard (although I like Roger Allam from the Original London Cast).
  In the movie version, the raw meaning of the words trumped stage-vocal-production values.

Earlier stage productions
Except for a brief mention below, I'm not including links to DVDs from various concerts and studio recordings, as what's here is probably more than enough to give an idea and you can find them at Amazon.

  My personal favorite of the mp3 albums I've listened to (most of them) is the Original London Cast recording (1985).  This Original version has slightly slower renditions, but some prefer it because you can hear more of the musical details and words (very crisp).

  There are many who love the 10th Anniversary Concert recording the most, for its highly-trained singers, but for this kind of music I slightly prefer the London version, which also has really good singers.  There's no concert video of that 1985 London version available though.

Some higher-brow types frown on the manipulation of emotions involved in both the stage play and movie, but that's usually a goal of musicals, which are, by nature, more simplified.  Still, nowhere is this simplification and melodrama more apparent than in serious opera!  I think some who mind it in musicals don't mind it when they're sung in a language they can't understand.   :-)
  I'm not sure one can exaggerate the horrors of the time and place Hugo described so intensely.  His own writing is 'over the top' too.  But it can come across trivialized for some when you set it to music.

This Kindle-focused blog will include more than e-readers and books now, as the tablets are very popular also, and these can do it all, although not easy book-reading in sunlight, although that's somewhat more possible for short periods of time with the newer technology.

 And now to hear non-costly previews of some of the music from various earlier performances, for those interested in that after seeing the movie.


UPDATE - Feb. 15, 2013
The Blu-Ray and DVD of the movie version Dec 2012 is ready for pre-order

Les Miserables (Two-disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet - US (Mar. 22) and UK (no due date yet)  

  This multi-format pack is $4 more than the single DVD version, which is an option on the page, but it won't be long before most have bought Blu-Ray players to match today's HDTVs and which are no longer expensive and come with WiFi capabilities often.

 



VIDEOS from the various concert versions

UPDATE - Extras.
The Les Miserables cast sings One Day More at the Oscars show.

  For those who enjoy "The Confrontation" scene from the musical, here are Hugh Jackson and Russell Crowe doing a live version at the After-Party following the Sydney premiere.  Somewhat subdued in the film, Crowe rocks it in this one.  Both are delightful in a casual setting.  Here's an alternate performance, in Joe's Pub, at the Indoor Garden party; it isn't complete but has less echo (someone pointed out that Barks is enjoying it too in the back) and a 3rd one, from Crowe's side of the pub (Yah, I enjoy the pub versions).  RECENT
  The lyrics to this scene.  More recent

AND, Crowe, in an interview, mentions discovering the person whose life has been said to be Hugo's inspiration for both the Javert and Valjean characters -- Eugène François Vidocq.  His life apparently inspired lead characters in a few other novels too.

  Crowe recently pointed Twitter followers to his studio rendition of Stars with piano after taking much flak for his unusual interpretation.  (See Crowe's Javert above.)  NEW

  For something completely different, here's opera's Bryn Terfel, singing Stars against a horrible nightclub arrangement of the song.  NEW

  I've also added a hilarious parody of Les Miserables's One Day More that should tickle both those who love the movie/musical and those who hate it.  NEW

  Also, a fairly funny video, by two brothers, of their parents still weepy in the car after seeing the movie.  Gone viral and reported by many mainstream news-sites. RECENT

  Had added Samantha Barks's Eponine in "On My Own" from 25th Anniversary Concert and two clips from the Epilogue segments of the 10th and 25th Anniversary specials.
  UPDATED - The 25th Anniversary videos, up for some time, were removed for copyright concerns (the DVD is actively sold) after this blog article linked to them.  Someone else wrote that she uploaded some replacements but if I link to them, they'll no doubt be taken down.

  The Royal Variety show excerpts for the Queen, using 25th Anniversary cast members (2010), are still there so I've used the full version I found.  NEW
  The movie version of On My Own, a poignant "friendzone" lament (timeless) is sung in a much more subtle way than the staged versions, even for a street urchin, and I've added the Youtube audio of that w/stills.  More recently added

1. One Day More - 10th Anniversary Concert (1995).  Earlier-uploaded videos w/ higher views and many comments are often harder to see or hear well.
  The Valjean is sung by Colm Wilkinson, the original one, from 10 years earlier.  (He was still in pretty good form, at age 67, in the encores for the 25th Anniversary Concert, and still holding those long notes forever, in an endearingly hammy way.  In the current movie, Wilkinson plays the kind, influential bishop.

  For anyone who also wants to hear it, there's a dramatic/theatrical prologue to this group number.

2. The Confrontation between Valjean and Javert (done w/ precision, and with lyrics subtitled) from the 10th Anniversary Concert.  More recently added

3. I Dreamed a Dream by Ruthie Henshall from the same anniversary concert (which the uploader follows with a seldom-seen videoclip from the older DVD documentary on the making of the musical, On My Own, sung by an uncommonly refined Eponine (street urchin), who is another victim in this story but one who, in her youth, was fairly cruel to the young Fantine, and their roles in life reversed).  Some of the commenters like this interpretation the best.  It's a more cautious one.

4. On My Own - by Samantha Barks from the 25th Anniversary Concert.   (The 25th anniversary version was *Removed* by Youtube.]
  Here, instead, is the full audio version of On my Own from the movie with a still photo (and links to buy the tune).  What's better is that the full lyrics are included.  I love the orchestration with the viola? supporting the melody with falling steps.

  While singing to the rafters for theater, her piece is more effective in the movie for the quieter-singing and apt pauses, w/ more attention to the lyrics about her imagination getting her through, before building to the end with the loud lament of a rejected street kid emotionally ignored by her scheming parents, the Thenardiers.  Not many movie goers are aware that in Hugo's book, little Gavroche is her brother.  This would be poignant for the parents if they weren't the Thenardiers. :-)  NEW

5. Empty Chairs and Empty Tables (Marius) - - Here's an audio version of Eddie Redmayne's extremely effective piece from the movie, also with stills (and links there to buy the song) and with the full lyrics included.  Well matched stills.  This brought it home for me more than when listening to theater productions of the work.

  Before that scene, there's a cafe scene (Red/Black) with the group planning the rebellion, which has a song I don't like (as music) that involves the banter among the group.  Someone put up a clever set of stills from the movie though, with the lyrics sung by each person in talk bubbles!, and this is helpful since it's hard to know what they're saying when hearing this tune either on stage or in the movie.

  The failed student rebellion involved was in 1832 and isn't the famous 'French Revolution' (1789) nor the revolution in 1848 which was successful, for a time, and which is what you see as the ending scene in Les Miserables (joined by the spirits of 1832), 16 years after the 1832 rebellion sowed the seeds.

  The 1832 uprising was due to food shortages after a failed harvest and a cholera epidemic left over 18,000 people dead in Paris alone.  The increased cost of living that followed was especially hard on the poor (Les Miserables).  NEW

6. Valjean's final scene: Colm Wilkinson (the Bishop in the movie) and Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, from the 10th Anniversary Concert.  With subtitles.  More recently added

7. Do you hear the people sing? in the reprise/Epilogue from the 10th Anniversary Concert (~1995, 2-disc edition 2008), with subtitles.

8. Final trio chorale and chorus: Valjean (Boe), Fantine (Salonga), Eponine (Barks), from the 25th Anniversary Concert (2010). *Removed*

  So, here's
      the epilogue from the movie (scene from Yr-1848) showing just the lyrics to 'Do you hear the people sing' as the music is sung and the spirits of 1832 join in the celebration.

9. Encore - 10th Anniversary concert (1995) - The 17 International Valjeans sing, each representing a country via a couple of solo lines each, in the two popular group numbers.

NEWER performances below

10. Encore - 25th Anniversary Cast (2010) joined by the Original 1985 London Cast for a big group number after the Valjeans Quartet, both shown in this clip.  (The Quartet and large-group number came after that concert's own 17 International Valjeans went up on stage to sing another 15 years later, but I don't see a video of that 17 on Youtube.) *Removed*

  In that clip, the Valjeans Quartet does Bring him Home, with Alfie Boe, 25th Anniversary's Valjean blowing the crowd away when he joins in, in a higher key, letting go with that powerful tenor versus his quieter solo singing of that song, which is essentially a prayer, sung over a sleeping Marius -- changed in 2012's movie to a shouted piece overlooking a street scene of Marius with the rebellion.

  The other three in the quartet are Colm Wilkinson, John Owen Jones, and Simon Bowman.
  Their group interaction of lead-soloists accepting secondary lines is fun to watch.

  But here's a better, standalone, videoclip of the Quartet (the clip described just above included an introduction and context + subtitles), but this has clearer image quality though you have to "X" out of a bottom-ad and there are no subtitles on this clip. *Removed* [Looking for replacement]

  Then the big number:  the Original London Cast (OLC), 25 years older, still sounding great, is joined by umpteen (literally) Valjeans from other casts plus the 25th Anniversary group to do a number on, so to speak, the usual two audience rousers -- "One Day More" and, as seen from an audience seat, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ... followed by confetti and stage-front fireworks.


Where are other quieter, more interior songs?

  1. Here's "In My Life" and "Heart Full of Love" from the 10th Anniversary production, uploaded from South Korea with subtitles.  Michael Ball (Marius), Lea Salonga (Eponine), Judy Kuhn (Cosette).

  2. Come to Me 10th Anniversary cast.

  3. The Epilogue/Finale from the 10th Anniversary production.

  4. And here's the FULL 10th Anniversary performance of Les Miserables, in a playist, playable as singles (a legal requirement), with selection list on the side.

Some on youtube try to provide almost complete sets of videos of earlier stage performances.  Some are blocked in certain countries.  In most of the lists, a few performances will be mis-identified with those from other performances.

The 25th anniversary DVD has the best sound and is in HD video, but it also has Nick Jonas as Marius, a controversial decision but apparently one that grew the Les Mis audience, and though he's no theater singer and seemed to be reading every word on a teleprompter and not finishing sung phrases, he was probably more convincing as very young and naive than most who sing this role professionally and at least has a clear voice.  It was a strong cast otherwise.


UNUSUAL LES MISERABLES VIDEO CLIPS
 . Original London Cast in video'd rehearsals - by TV's 20/20 ~1986 song segments

 . Original London Cast - The Reunion, along with revolving barricade (dropped for San Francisco, 2012). (Audience view - interesting angle but tinny sounding.)

 . An AP video report on the stage rehearsals

 . A 1985 television segment featuring the OLC in rare rehearsal footage, including the "Heart Full of Love" Trio between Marius, Cosette, and Eponine, with a Michael Ball so young I didn't recognize him.  Opening Night interviews also.

  . Original Fantine (Patti LuPone) sings "I dreamed..." at the 1991 Royal Variety Performance.

  . 25th Anniversary Concert Rehearsal with Alfie Boe, Samantha Barks, Ramin Karimloo, Lea Salonga et al (but no Norm Lewis excerpt)  NEW

 . The full Royal Variety performance by the 25th Anniversary 2010 cast
Alfie Boe as an angry, just-released Valjean -- with a modern abstract but colorful stage set.  The live theater sound is very effective here, and it's a gripping performance he gives.
    - Samantha Barks (Eponine in the movie also) is the Eponine here, singing "On my Own" in this Royal Variety Performance 2010 video, the year she and Boe also sang these roles in the 25th Anniversary Concert (on DVD/Blu-Ray).   In a section above, I explain why I prefer the interpretation in the movie version.

    - Lots of excerpts for the Queen and it included the Quartet of Valjeans again.  I hadn't come upon this one before, but then I didn't know a thing about this musical a year ago.

  Here's the FULL Les Miserables set of songs for the event from start to finish but with three jarring cuts for some reason.  NEW
  The NO-cuts version, with somewhat weaker sound but using HD resolution (for std broadcast).  The first one sounds more 'live.'


That should do?


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January's Monthly 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or less - Editors' Choices + Free non-classics by publication date + discounted-book alerts - CORRECTED!

"JANUARY 2013's 100 Kindle Books deal, for $3.99 or less"


I highlight the monthly deal at or near the beginning of the month for those who don't know about it or might not remember.  But then we just had a reminder a couple of days ago.

  These new 100 Kindle books are $1.99 to $3.99, as usual for this monthly deal, and are "hand-selected" by Amazon's Editors each month.

What you'll see on that special monthly-deals page are new for January 2013.
And it's definitely an interesting list.

(Link: amzn.to/100kbooks-2to4)

Update - I just noticed that my screen capture of a portion of January deals caught the page when not all the prices had been dropped yet. [End of update]

NON-KINDLE reading for the day, held over, from last month for those who need or just enjoy a chuckle.  For those of you who've not ever read a police log for your area quite like this, the ongoing one for Arcata is definitely unique and you'll see why it has a larger than local following.  Highlights this month include the "poop monster" and another entity with "ghastly equipment."


Out with the old deals, In with the new...
Amazon now has a New Year Resolutions page with emphasis on the "New You" and showing "Up to 50% off select Schwinn and Nautilus Exercise Bikes" + a small typo in that ad.

  Some of the featured products don't seem to be discounted, but there's a section on 50% off fitness-ready clothing and shoes.


"The 4-Hour Chef" loses some $weight.
Amazon has a promo on the hardcover version of The 4-Hour Chef, at 40% off the regular price of $35, for $21.   It has 1,006 customer reviews as of today, with an average rating of 4.6.  I am not a cook, minus the 'r' - and I've not paid attention here, but it looks pretty large.
  The Kindle Edition is $9.95 and I've no idea if the regular price is higher.


The MyHabit area has "New Year's Resolution Events" at up to 60% Off
This is a clothing section of the store that tends to be above my spend-grade, but the focus is on "coveted brands" and the free membership includes discounts up to 60% off, with both free and return shipping in the U.s., with international shipping to 50+ countries.


UPDATE - I should never put together a blog late in the night... The next section has been fixed, so it's January that shows up (with December as the past one).
FREE KINDLE BOOKS (Non-classics) for January (and December)
In the meantime, I've updated the "Temporarily-free books -- Non-classics" search results to show free contemporary Kindle books for JANUARY, sorted by publication-date, as of today, 1/1, 2013.  There are only a few shown on the first day of any month, and these include pre-orders for January, of course.  As ever, on the first day of the month, most are listed as "free preview" of whatever chapters chosen, and a few not-entire-family-safe titles will show up.

  Here, also, are the current Search results for free Kindle non-classics, by publication date for December


Today's Kindle Daily Deal page for January 1, Tuesday only, includes books by Anthony Bourdain, Michael Pollan, Tom Standage, Debra Holland, Sean Platt and David Wright, and James Dashner.


Discounted / Price Dropped Kindle eBooks II - the ongoing Kindle Forum message thread
  There is an ongoing message thread in which Kindle owners share information on recent drops in pricing on specific Kindle books, often with some added info by the person posting it.

  Here's a link to the thread starting yesterday that includes some books still on sale Jan. 1.
  Almost everything discounted on December 30 has already had the price set back to normal.  So I've started with Neil Gaiman's "Odd and the Frost Giants" which at the momen is $1.99

  The link I gave is to a specific day to start, in this case, 12/31, mid-point, but you can look at previous days or keep up with ongoing alerts after that, as Amazon keeps track of the last message# that you read, so that you can start from there next time.  Most of the better deals seem around $1.99-$4.99 but there are many larger-publishing house deals included that ended in a DAY, so you'd need to double-check the current pricing of any Kindle books that interest you to see if the discounts are still active.


  All prices are discounted for only a very short time, too often, and are promos, and that's another reason to watch the list.

---

Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.
NOTES on newer Kindles.

US: Updated Kindle Fire Basic  7" tablet - $159 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB - $199/$249 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16/32GB - $299/$369 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G 32/64GB - $499/$599 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Paperwhite, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite, 3G - $179/$199 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free but slow web Kindle DX - $379 $299, Free, slow web

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 - Amazon Canada Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $89

OTHER International Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil

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Kindle News: Yesterday's Gone, first season of popular serialized fiction, is free today.

The first season of serialized fiction series "Yesterday's Gone" by Platt & Wright is available for download free from today, Tuesday, November 27 until November 28.

I don't know if that means end of day November 28 or start of day.

Collective Inkwell, the indie publishers, normally price this at $5.99.

The six episodes of Yesterday's Gone Season One, has an average review rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, and there are over 180 5-star reviews on it.  From the PR:

' First launched in July 2011, with an episode released every week, Yesterday's Gone quickly grew a loyal readership who eagerly awaited each new episode.

“What can I say to the reception Yesterday's Gone has had from readers?” Platt said when asked about the success of the series. “One word: Wow! We always knew we had a great idea with Yesterday's Gone, but only in our wildest dreams did it blow up this big."

In a dramatic twist, Platt and Wright, the pioneers of serialized fiction for the Kindle, were recently signed by Amazon's publishing arm, 47North, to write two new serialized novels, Z 2134 and Monstrous.

  "With Amazon Serials now live, serialized fiction is generating a lot of buzz.” Platt said. "It feels great to be right in the middle of it all."
  Featuring a cliffhanger at the end of every episode, the novel is a tense and nerve-wracking read.

"I always loved watching TV shows with a cliffhanger ending as a kid," said David Wright, co-author. "Waiting a whole week to find out what happens to the hero is both painful and exciting - a bittersweet satisfaction. That's one of my favorite feelings"

Wright added: "Serialized fiction is nearly as old as the novel itself, but TV upped the game and added a modern twist. With Yesterday's Gone, we aimed to repackage the punch of TV cliffhangers back into fiction."

In the most recent review, published November 25, Anthony White wrote of Yesterday's Gone Season One: "I loved this story and had the 'could not put it down experience' that I have always heard people talk about."

Three seasons of Yesterday's Gone, totally 18 episodes, have launched so far. Fans of the series are eagerly awaiting the fourth season. Episode 19 will launch summer 2013. '

Seemed interesting enough for a quick blog entry.



  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

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

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Kindle News: Harry Potter now at Prime Kindle Lending Library. State Dept postpones Kindle press conference, New study indicates Android tablet adoption is even with iPad, thanks to Kindle Fire.

All 7 of the Harry Potter books are now in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library

I'll repeat some information from an earlier announcement borrowing via Amazon Prime Lending, on who's eligible and whats involved.

Here's the listing for the Prime Kindle Lending Library Harry Potter books (Link: http://amzn.to/primepotter )

  The Potter eBooks had already been part of an exclusive worldwide e-book and digital audiobook distribution agreement with Overdrive for public and school libraries.

  However, waiting lists at libraries are notoriously long, and books are due within 2 weeks in some.  So, the PRIME Kindle Lending Library will be a boon for many.

  There are no waiting lists and no due dates.

  Remember that you can borrow only ONE Kindle book per calendar month though.  For more info on the PRIME lending program, which now includes 145,000+ books, "including over 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers," see:

  Prime's Lending Library:
    Rules;
    Borrowing;
    How to Browse List

  Also remember that you can borrow a Prime-eligible Kindle-book ONLY on a Kindle Device and NOT via a web page on a computer.

 Amazon purchased an exclusive license from Pottermore to make these titles available on the Kindle Owners Lending program. From the BusinessWire for June 19, 2012:

' Nowhere else can customers borrow any of the seven Harry Potter books for free, with an unlimited supply of each title and no waiting list," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content. "A $79 Prime membership was already the best deal in retail, and now it's become even more valuable. '

  PRIME was originally created to offer Free Shipping of Amazon products in two days, for $79/yr, or essentially, $6.58/mo.

  It now also includes unlimited free streaming of over 18,000 movies and TV episodes.   Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, pointed out that "Over a year, borrowing the Harry Potter books, plus a handful of additional titles, can alone be worth more than the $79 cost of Prime or a Kindle. "

As with Kindle books, your annotations and bookmarks will be saved for you (unless you don't want them backed up) in case you want to borrow the book again or buy it later.

To buy them, rather than borrow them, though, see the normal Pottermore page process.

State Department postpones Kindle press conference
paidContent's Laura Hazard Owen is being kept busy on this particular news topic.  She reports that spokesman Philippe Reines says the event had to be postponed due to Clinton’s schedule at the G-20 Mexico Summit and Rio+20 conference this week.

Owen adds that "...on Monday, Marc Maurer, the president of the National Federation for the Blind, sent a letter to Hillary Clinton stating that because e-readers are not accessible to the blind, “any agreement by the United States to procure inaccessible Kindle, or other, e-readers is a violation of the law, including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.”  Infodocket has the full letter.  It’s unclear whether the letter is the reason the event was postponed." (I thought this issue had been settled at some point.)

Now Android tablet adoption is even with iPad?
betanews' Joe Wilcox asks if we would believe this, then reports that Online Publishers Association, "a reasonably reliable source, puts US iPad adoption at 52 percent and Android at 51 percent." (He explains the addition results.)

  OPA's study found, he said, that "Android gains largely come from Kindle Fire" with a share of 32 percent.
  He's skeptical.  You can read why and see the detail for the findings at the link.

  (E-Ink Kindle users receiving the Kindle-edition of this blog can follow links and click on Menu/Article Mode when reaching the linked page, to read a nicely-formatted version of the article without side-columns or ads.

---

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

US: Kindle Fire  7" tablet - $199 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $79/$109 Kindle Touch, WiFi - $99/$139 Kindle Touch, 3G/WiFi - $149/$189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189, Free, slow web Kindle DX - $379, Free, slow web

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £89 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - £109 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi, UK - £169 Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

OTHER International Kindle NoTouch Basic - $109 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi - $189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

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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