Kindle Tips: A good Beethoven Big Box mp3 album, 99c for awhile. Adobe Creative Suite 2, free to download still.

A special price on a Beethoven box that probably will be raised soon.

I should have posted this one earlier, but about a week ago, I noticed that this box of 99 tracks of Beethoven, complete pieces, all movements (meant to be) intact and in the proper order (unlike what you see in some of these large compilations), was priced at $0.99 although any individual track is listed as $0.99.  I did get it.

They're good to excellent performances, and since these albums usually are priced eventually at $4.99 to $9.99, it's a good deal, if you're wanting this kind of music.
  Note that the same label's Big Tchaikovsky Box is currently $9.99, so if you're interested in the material, I'd get the Beethoven while it's at this price.

There are currently quite a few boxes at $0.99 to $2.99 but they really vary in quality.  The ones that don't give you full movements of a work, tracked together, are like book offerings that give you only a chapter or two.

  Amazon's classical-music compilations are obviously put together by people who don't even think a composer's name is of any interest.  We tend to find out who composed a piece when a customer lists that normally-basic information on each track within a review.  Having said that, this album's music is by only one composer so that's not as important here.

  Customers have identified problems with a few tracks that don't hold the correct movement and belong to other works.  In cases like that, you'll see replies by Greg Barbero for The Bach Guild/Vanguard (a label with a good rep for some time)  in this vein:

' Greg Barbero says:
Thank you - you are correct.  On behalf of the Bach Guild, thank you for pointing this out.  We will provide a replacement track to Amazon - and if they do not supply you with a track, we will send you a replacement immediately. '

As the same customers tend to say, the album is an 'amazing bargain.'

As Corneliu Dascălu reminded me, mp3's are generally not available to those outside the U.S., which has to be maddening to non-US customers. I hope this changes somehow.


Adobe Creative Suite 2 now available for free download, free
Adobe is now on Creative Suite 6, and it's been 8 years since Adobe Suite 2 reigned. There are newer inexpensive tools that can do a bit more in some ways, but the entire suite includes:
Acrobat 3D 1.0
Acrobat Standard 7.0
Acrobat Pro 8.0
Audition 3.0
GoLive CS2
Illustrator CS2
InCopy CS2
InDesign CS2
Photoshop CS2
Photoshop Elements 4.0/5.0
Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0

Adobe meant the downloads to be free for existing owners who cannot re-install their Adobe 2 programs because Adobe retired, on Dec. 13, the activation servers that supported Creative Suite 2 legitimate re-installs.

  Imaging Resources found that Adobe did not intend this for others and then IR updated their own "Free" advisory (as did Forbes), but now the various sites have found that Adobe left up the links and serial numbers, after explaining the original intent, so of course people are still downloading it and there is no language on Adobe's download page telling people not to download it.
   One still had to register with Adobe (that's free) to get the download but even that seems to have changed.  

  An update was made by most sites announcing the free download, explaining it had not been meant to be free to all -- but then later updates were posted saying that Adobe has nevertheless left the links up anyway and has left no explanations or warnings at the download page.  Adobe's disinterest in advising that the downloads were not intended for everyone has led to sites like slickdeals.net still spreading the news, explaining the system requirements and advising that it does work for some who are on Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit) despite the age of this software.

Mobilemag has noted the following:

'...the doors to the free downloads and serial keys are still open, and in fact, Adobe have even opened it up wider by turning off the requirement to log into adobe before accessing the page. '

That's fascinating.

  Here is Adobe's own CS2 downloads page which offers these by individual programs for Mac and for Win.

  DownloadCrew recommends the entire-suite download at the top of Adobe's download page and then explains how to handle the little glitches or questions that can come up with the installation of the set.
  I recommend printing out that page if you do decide to download the set.

 Really, it's not surprising that they left the download and serial number up on their site, open to all, after learning the world is downloading it, because what can Adobe lose from people being able to install a version 8 years old?  This set was programmed for Windows XP2000 and XP and it does take some work to install them on a modern PC -- and there is no Adobe support for problems you might encounter.

  It can make new customers out of some who had always found it either too expensive or too difficult to learn and can now learn it slowly at no cost and decide whether they want to go to something like a newer version of the more inexpensive stand-alone Photoshop Elements, which is one part of the set in version 2.

  Although I've since acquired a later version of Adobe's set, I am still using Adobe 3, one step beyond Adobe 2 until I can find time to set up a very new way of working with photos, when jumping to Adobe 6.

  Adobe's new idea for software revenue is to offer a subscribership to the current version of the Adobe set, which costs $50 per month, something that won't be chosen by most who try Adobe.  I don't doubt that this latter is behind their decision to leave the software up without any language whatsoever against downloading it, as it can't hurt Adobe and can only help bring them a few new customers

  Here are search results on free tutorials for Photoshop 2.

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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 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

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Kindle News: Amazon gets A&E content. Oscars app for Kindle Fire HD. Amazon's AutoRip CDs bonus. Amazon+Samsung leading Android market share. CES's giant tablets. Amazon now top ebook retailer in Japan. Apple and the Android invasion. New Age Electronics to distribute Kindles to retailers. Kindle Fire HD and business networks

KINDLE NEWSBITS

Amazon announced the other day a licensing agreement with A&E Networks to add prior seasons of popular series from A&E bio, HISTORY, and Lifetime to the Prime Instant Video Service, which now features over 33,000 movies and TV episodes for Amazon Prime members to stream instantly, at no additional cost over that Prime free 2-day shipping program.

  The television programming includes Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Dance Moms


OSCARS app - for Android and Kindle Fire HD

ABC wasted no time releasing this free app after the announcements Thursday morning that omitted Ben Affleck for director (Argo) despite the many nominations and also snubbed Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) and, some feel, Tom Hooper (Les Miserables).

  The image from the app is from the PC Magazine story.
  The Oscars app is active starting yesterday and shows info on nominees, movie trailers, exclusive videos and the usual photos.

   It includes a 'MyPicks" interactive ballot and a "Backstage Pass."  The big show is February 24 at 7pm EST on ABC.  In years past, the Oscars app was released only for Apple iOS.


Amazons "AutoRip CDs" - a bonus for customers and a question
AutoRip is a new Amazon service that gives customers free MP3 versions of CDs they purchase from Amazon, for CDs designated "AutoRip CDs."

  In Amazon's words, "When customers purchase AutoRip CDs, the MP3 versions are automatically added to their Cloud Player libraries, where they are available, free of charge, for immediate playback or download – no more waiting for the CD to arrive."

  "Additionally, customers who have purchased AutoRip CDs at any time since Amazon first opened its Music Store in 1998 will find MP3 versions of those albums in their Cloud Player libraries – also automatically and for free."

  "More than 50,000 albums, including titles from every major record label, are available for AutoRip, and more titles are added all the time – customers can just look for the AutoRip logo."

  " 'What would you say if you bought music CDs from a company 15 years ago, and then 15 years later that company licensed the rights from the record companies to give you the MP3 versions of those CDs … and then to top it off, did that for you automatically and for free?' said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO.

  'Well, starting today, it's available to all of our customers – past, present, and future – at no cost.  We love these opportunities to do something unexpected for our customers.' "

  These include top-sellers, recent releases and Amazon customer favorites. (See Amazon's press release for more details.)

  "In many cases, customers can buy an AutoRip CD, including the free digital copy, for less than they would pay for only the digital album at iTunes."

  I apparently haven't bought much in the way of this type of CD, as my new stash included just one (favorite) CD with 5 tracks on it, the mp3 versions of which wound up in my Amazon library last night.  I would imagine a few others found quite a lot.

  I was surprised to see the reaction was not so much happiness for the unexpected bonus (a day or so after releasing an extensive software update to an older e-Ink eReader) but instead an immediate question of "Why couldn't Amazon do this for Kindle books?"

  And of course the Big 6 book publishers would say, "Hey, great idea.  Let's do it!"  :-)

  Never mind the heavy resistance of most of the larger publishers to allowing people to borrow their e-books from public libraries (it's such a radical idea).

  PaidContent's Jeff John Roberts's article "Don't hold your breath..." gives several reasons this won't be happening anytime soon.  Mentioning that the eligible CDs total about 50,000, he cites a reason given by Lauren Indvik of mashable who in turn quotes Forrester's Sarah Rotman Epps, who says Amazon has sold so many books, it couldn't feasibly afford to subsidize e-book copies of past or future purchases.

  "If Amazon wanted to do something like this for books, publishers would make them pay through the nose."

  Indvik adds other reasons.  Full CDs are rarely bought these days when people can cherry-pick individual tracks but that's not the case with books, and "consumers can easily 'rip' CDs,  meaning the music studios are not giving up all that much in the Amazon deal.

  While Amazon is seen as "an ally and a source of leverage against Apple, many book publishers regard the retail behemoth as a ruthless bully who stomps on them at all turns."   :-)

  And, "finally, the nature of book rights mean Amazon would have to get copyright clearance from many individual authors unlike music where studios routinely license whole catalogues."


Amazon and Samsung "running away with the battle for Android tablet market share"
Venturebeat's John Koetsler writes that app analytics service Localytics is publishing new data indicating that "the big tabs are getting the lion's share of the market, increasing their lead on other tablets... especially true for Amazon's Kindle Fire and Samsung's stable of tablets."

  "For example, the number of Amazon’s 7″ Kindle Fires that Localytics saw [probably "say"] grew 322 percent from November to the end of December.  Samsung’s Galaxy Note II grew 80 percent, its popular Tab 2 10.1″ tablet grew 78 percent, and the smaller Tab 2  7″ grew 72 percent.  The Nook also grew, though not as swiftly, picking up an additional 62 percent."
  You can read how they arrive at these figures at Venturebeat's article.


CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and the giant tablets
Wall St. Journal's Juro Osawa reports that
  (1) Lenovo announced a 27-inch! tablet, "which can be shared by several people to, for example, play videogames together," and
  (2) Panasonic "hopes to offer" a 20-inch tablet, which weighs 5.3 lbs! and comes with a screen more than four times the resolution of conventional full high-definition screens and which will be able to display documents 11.7 inches by 16.5 inches at almost full size..."

  The latter is targeted at business customers needing large, high-resolution devices for presentations and meetings with clients.


Other stories of possible interest
1. "Amazon dominating Japan e-book rivals months after launch."

2. "Amazon now top ebook retailer in Japan."

3. "Apple Must Think Differently to Slow the Android Invasion."

4. "Wirelessandmobilenews.com reports from CES that "New Age Electronics has been authorized to distribute Kindle products and accessories, including Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9”, to retailers.
This means it will be easier to buy Kindle products while seeing them. The pricing most likely [will] be the same as other retailers which is exactly the same as Amazon.com.

5. "Adding the Kindle Fire HD to a mix of BYOD devices is easier than you think."
  Citeworld's Ryan Faas writes, "...you can argue that Amazon beats Apple in its approach to some enterprise challenges, most notably app and content distribution.  The company has also built its own Kindle-specific mobile management system called Whispercast that any company or school can use for free."

---

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 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

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Kindle News: Huge Kindle Touch update v5.3.2 - Updated info

Kindle Touch Software Upgrade to v5.3.2 - a large update with user-interface features first seen in Kindle Paperwhite

This unanticipated and reassuring update (for an earlier Kindle model) was announced by the Amazon Kindle Forum's Community Manager, Kevin G., close to noon Tuesday.  Thanks to regular contributor Tom Semple again for the alert.  See notes re what users have found about this following the announcement details below [updated].

From the Amazon US update and Amazon UK update pages -
(bracketed info is by me.)

"The update will be delivered wirelessly and includes an updated user interface and new features.  This update automatically downloads and installs for Kindle touch customers; however, you can also manually download the software an udpate your device via USB cable."

' This software update includes the following new features:

  . A new user interface
  . Whispersync for Voice   [ US only ]
  . Enhanced Parental Controls
  . Book Covers
  . Time-to-Read
  . Recommended Content   [ This can be turned off. ]
  . Enhanced book samples
  . Navigate graphic novels, and comics '

If your Kindle Touch has software version 5.1.0, 5.1.1 or 5.1.2 installed, you'll either get this wirelessly or you can download it manually as mentioned.

If you have a version prior to 5.1.0, Amazon links you to the earlier 5.1.0 update that must be downloaded and installed before doing the 5.3.2 update.

Determine your software version

 
1. From Home, tap Menu and then tap Settings.
 
2. On the Settings screen, tap Menu (the Amazon update page omits a step here) and THEN select Device Info. Your software version is listed under Firmware Version.

"

The Kindle Touch Software update page ( US,  UK ) leads you through what to do, depending on which Firmware Version is showing for your KTouch.


What's New -- and what you need to know
Amazon has a page explaining the new features ( US   UK ), including the fact that "Archived Items" is gone, and "Cloud" replaces it, listing all the items or, in this case, Kindle books or newsstand titles you've purchased (including the $0.00 ones) and which can be (re)downloaded to your Kindle at any time.

  It includes fuller descriptions of the new features and also explains that you can turn off "Recommended Content" if you don't want to see it (which entails going to Settings, Device Options and then Personalize your Kindle).

  Other descriptions detail:
  . how to view your book covers or, instead, just a listing
  . how to track your reading progress with Time to read
  . enhanced sample-to-book feature
  . navigation of graphic novels, comics, and children's books


The Kindle Community forums post lists them and I'll include that here for easier access in one place (italics and bold-facing added by me):

' * Updated User Interface: We have an updated and streamlined interface for your Kindle.  Archived Items has been renamed to Cloud and appears in the top left of your screen under the toolbar.  All your archived items can be found there.

* Book Covers on the Home screen: View the covers of your books by selecting Cover View in the menu from the Home screen.

* Time to Read: Kindle Touch calculates your reading speed to let you know when you'll finish your chapter or book.

* Recommended Content: We've made it easy to discover new titles with recommended content.  The Kindle Store uses the same personalized customer experience you're used to across Amazon.com, matching our best recommendations to your personal reading habits.

* Enhanced Sample-to-Book Experience: When you buy a book after reading a sample, we will now automatically start the book at your last reading location in the sample and remove the sample from your Kindle.

* Parental Controls: With the latest software update, parents can restrict access to the Experimental Web Browser, Kindle Store, and Cloud.  While the Kindle Store and Cloud are locked with Parental Controls, you can continue to buy books from a computer and send them to your Kindle wirelessly.

* Whispersync for Voice: Now you can switch back and forth between reading and listening without losing your place.  Whispersync for Voice will synchronize what you read on any Kindle platform device with Audible playback on Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Fire, or on Audible apps for iPhone and Android.

* Author Profiles: We've added biographical information and the ability to browse other books by the same author from within your book.  When reading, tap the Menu button and select About the Author.

* Children's Books and Comics: Children's books come to life with Kindle Text Pop-Up, enabling you to easily read text over images.  Comic books can now be read with Kindle Panel View, which allows you to read a comic book panel by panel.

We will be delivering this update over Wi-Fi in the coming weeks.  Customers who prefer to receive the update immediately can manually download and install the software update from [the] kindlesoftwareupdates/touch page ( US   UK )

If you have questions or need help with this update, please head over to the Kindle Help Forum [no announcement in UK forum at the moment]. '

What users have discovered about the upgrade
1. Kindle books can't be searched before a re-indexing of keywords is done.  This re-indexing will happen automatically and will take quite a bit of time in the background (you can read a Kindle book in the meantime) and will use the battery pretty heavily before it's done.

  *~*Pineapple*~*, a Kindle Forum Pro, writes

' To check for indexing, search on the Home page (Device) for an uncommon or nonsense word like zxcvb and at the bottom of the list will be the number of unindexed books.

To start them indexing:

1. Turn on wireless
2. Restart (Home > Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart)
3. Wait '

Depending on how many books are on your Kindle, it could take hours or a day, but you can use the Kindle while it's slowly re-indexing the books in the background.

Note that the software update itself is a big one and it takes longer than usual.  Leave it alone when you see it happening and let it complete.  It may take up to 15 minutes.  I like to plug in my Kindle when manually doing an update, but it's not necessary.  However, it's a good idea to plug it in for the re-indexing that will have to be done and can be quite a battery drainer.

At any rate, this extensive update is quite a boon for Kindle Touch owners.

Updated info 1/11/12
Users have reported problems with font face selections, and Amazon customer reps have told them they are working on a further update that will fix that.

---

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 8.9" Tablet Reviews - Overview, Excerpts, Thoughts

EXCERPTS FROM REVIEWS OF THE KINDLE FIRE HD 8.9" TABLET

The more-positive reviewer assessments:
"...the best media consumption tablet out there" -- CNET

"...may be a better value than the iPad 4" -- Examiner

I've waited before taking a good look at reviews because I've been trying out a replacement 8.9" Kindle Fire HD, as the first one had a lower-speaker-volume problem and the colors were not as saturated.  But slowly, the newer 8.9" has taken over here, and now I use the 7" mainly when I'm not home and need the smaller one.

  I'd felt the 7" was a really good size and loved using it -- it was more personal and 'large enough' but the 8.9" has turned out to be, for me, so effective for web-reading and magazines, at that middle area between 7" and 10", and so comfortable on 2-page Kindle book reading, that it's become the HD model I prefer when home.

 Although my 8.9" replacement is a definite improvement, the 7" Kindle Fire HD has stronger speakers, in volume and presence, and a few other reviews have noted this.  I probably wouldn't have noticed had I not used the 7" first.

  Most reviews do note the strength of the 8.9" speakers versus the speakers on other tablets though, when no comparison is made with the strangely muscular speakers on the smaller Kindle Fire HD model.

  Others reviewing tend to consider the 8.9" tablet-speaker system more impressive, overall, than speakers on the other leading tablets (iPad4, iPad mini, Google Nexus, Barnes and Noble Nook tablets) and definitely better for movies if you don't want to be tied to headphones or to external speakers.

  The display on both Kindle Fire HD models is beautiful, and although the 8.9" screen keeps impressing me because it's both larger and even clearer, the colors on the 8.9" model are mildly less-saturated than on the 7" but that is relative.   It's more like what Displaymate's Shootout between iPad mini, Google Nexus 7", and Kindle Fire 7" was looking at -- slight differences not always easily noticed.

  Magazines are terrific on both of the Kindle Fire HD models.  The 7" device isn't quite as effective as the 8.9" one on magazines because the eyes have to work more due to the smaller size of the screen and the smaller text.

  However, magazines still work well on the 7" (as well as on the larger model) for another reason -- you can double tap on the text of an article to see an optimized larger-font reading view of the text, with leading photos included.  This is an excellent feature, in that it's not just a narrow vertical strip of text but full-screen easily-readable text as an alternate view.

  If you prefer reading text while viewing the original article format, this is doable in that you can pinch-zoom the original layout version to get larger-size text while still seeing the photos in context -- in the placement that was used for the printed version.

  Printed versions can't match, these days, the slide-show backlit quality of these high-definition images that can be pinch-zoomed beyond the sizes presented on printed magazines, to get even more detail.

Sheet music and other PDFs are much more readable on the larger screen, and an advantage is that the 8.9" size is lighter to hold than any 10" tablet.  I like best the ezPDF app ($1.99 at 50% off currently) for its flexibility and excellent handling of margins and page-turns relative to the free Adobe Reader.

 The clarity of the screen is a real draw for me and is appreciated most with HD movies and tv show episodes, magazines, and small text on the web or in books.

 The image I used at the top, while not a striking one, is due to my new preference for the two-page book format feature on the 8.9" and the nibbles of text that somehow have me reading faster when the eyes don't have to move so much and there's no thought about how much more text I need to get through.

  The original screenshot is 1920x1200 pixels large and when needing to downsize it, compressing it to an average webpage size of 1024-width for display as a photo for the blog means a loss of clarity and an addition of artifacts.

  Sometimes a large page of text can be both distracting and mildly daunting.  The color of the book pages in the screenshot is due to my choice of 'Sepia' background as I prefer that to white when reading on a backlit LCD color device.  White on black is the 3rd option.  I've been using the 2-page format for the Kindle edition of my local newspaper too :-)

REVIEWS - a few excerpts.

CNET Editors - ...[Vs the iPad Mini and its many apps], the Fire HD 8.9’s lower pricing, superior streaming capability, and higher-resolution screen make it a better deal if you're looking for a media consumption device.  Especially if you're an Amazon Prime member...the Fire HD 8.9’s $299 entry price is a great deal... as the content and services Amazon provides are well worth the price...not as versatile as the iPad or top Android tablets...but it's ...the best media consumption tablet out there.

...The Kindle Fire line is still the strongest media consumption tablet line going, and this latest version is the best one yet." [See more at the very detailed CNET review page


Examiner.com's Daryl Deino - "While the [iPad 4 may have better specs, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is easily a better value, especially if your primary purpose for buying a tablet is consuming multimedia."

  [He notes the $200+ difference in price between the two.]

"... Text and pictures really pop out.  The colors could use a little more saturation, but they are much better than on most devices, including the Google Nexus 10."

  [He feels the iPad 4  "may be the most beautiful screen we have seen on a tablet" but then mentions "the two dreaded black bars above and below your widescreen videos since the iPad 4 has a 4:3 screen ratio."

  "Even though the Amazon Appstore has many useful apps, several important ones are missing.  However, you can easily download the apk files of many popular programs and install them through the ES File Explorer."

[And there you have a rare tech-reviewer who realizes that Kindle Fire owners can get apps from 3rd party stores and they're not tied to Amazon, as so many write.
  He recommends getting the Beta version of VLDC Media Player because Amazon's video player is limited in the formats it will play, but I recommend BSPlayer (which is in the Amazon store and plays just about every type of video format on the Kindle Fire HDs.]

  "The Hulu Plus and Netflix apps worked very well on a connection that was only 600kbps.  On many Android devices, such as the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S3, movies take a long time to load.  This isn't the case with the Kindle Fire HD 8.9."

  "The best part about watching videos on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is the Dolby stereo sound, which is very lifelike.  It's safe to say that because of the high resolution, good color reproduction and fantastic sound, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is definitely the best portable video player on the market today."  [I agree.]

  [Re iPads]  "... It is quite a pain to convert every movie to an iPad format and then upload it through iTunes. The 9.7-inch screen will crop your HD movies, unless you zoom in -- however, this makes the video look increasingly blurry."

 "...At $200 to $230 less than the iPad 4, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is a far better value. ...Watching movies with the Dolby stereo sound is a portable experience which will blow you away. You can't have this experience on the iPad 4."

  [He mentions the iPad's access to tons more apps and its "slightly faster processor."]

  "However, if you don't mind easily side-loading some apps on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and downloading others from the Amazon app store, you will have the best tablet money can buy."

  [Read more details, including battery life comparisons in the full review.]


MakeUseOf - "It’s a fantastic device and it comes with a very reasonable price tag when compared to the competition."


MobileTechReview's Lise Gade - "...an appealing budget tablet with better than budget features...with pleasing, accurate and rich colors."

  "...It's a member of the skinny tablet crowd...At 1.25 pounds it's relatively light for a large tablet and we didn't mind holding it when reading a book for a half hour."

  "...The micro HDMI output good quality audio and video in our tests with a Sony AV receiver, and we were able to watch Amazon Prime videos on the big screen using the tablet."

  "...The front camera delivers surprisingly sharp and bright video when using the included Skype for video chat.  It's one of the better mobile video chat cameras on the market, and the only thing that reduces quality is if you walk around while chatting (the camera has a hard time keeping up with quick background changes and sends out blocky video).  The mic picked up our voice and sent clear audio to our chat partner."

  "...The Kindle Fire HD models have remarkably good stereo speakers with Dolby audio...full and rich sounding with noticable channel separation.
  ... music is actually enjoyable through the speakers rather than sounding like the soft, hissy nastiness that we hear from most 7" tablets including the Nexus 7."

  "...It has solid though not cutting edge 3D performance.  It handily outperforms the Nvidia Tegra 2's GPU, but can't touch the quad core Tegra 3 with 12 core GeForce graphics."

  "...more than fast enough... from HD video playback to moderate gaming. Web browsing speeds are as good as on devices with much faster CPUs, and games on the Amazon App Store played perfectly. This isn't a tablet for cutting edge geeks who crave the fastest silicon in production... It's here to get a job done, and it does that job just fine."

  "...The Fire HD now has access to X-Ray for movies in addition to books, so you can get info about the movie and actors when watching an X-Ray compatible Amazon video (courtesy of IMDB, which Amazon owns)."

See a LOT more detail and points at Gade's very detailed, unusually thorough review


Engadget's Tim Stevens - "...The WiFi-only model includes the same MIMO wireless getup that we found to be quite impressive on the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, offering better range, reception and performance than other tablets and smartphones we tried."


TheVerge's David Pierce - "...Where the 8.9 really shines is in its color reproduction, viewing angles, and brightness. While whites have the slightest tinge of yellow...blacks are incredibly deep...and create great contrast, so even the darkest scenes in The Dark Knight are watchable...this is one of the best displays out there, especially for watching video."

  "...dual speakers blast sound out the back of the device, and are among the best tablet speakers I've used...Dolby Digital seems to do most of the work here:  with the setting enabled, sound immediately becomes louder and richer, and comes through in better stereo."

  [Their model was laggy, with keyboard and any navigation.  Not my own experience and they felt it a software problem.  There have been a couple of software updates since then.
  They like the iPads and Nexus 7 better for the access to more apps.]

  "If you get most of your content through Amazon (and that's totally possible), the Kindle Fire HD is the best way to get it – the Prime Video experience is better on this device than any other I've tested, and if you make use of the HDMI port the tablet becomes a great Amazonian set-top box for your TV as well."

  [But, for the rest, "...for the content omnivore, or a person who wants a good email experience or a better browser or a more powerful suite of apps, Apple and Google's tablets are a better bet."]


PC Magazine's Sascha Segan - "Amazon has built a killer budget media tablet in the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9 ... Nope, it's no iPad.  But at this price, more than $200 less (for the base Wi-Fi model) than Apple's competing tablet, it doesn't have to be."

Sacha Segan continues, on "Multimedia" - "The Kindle Fire played all of our audio files, and the two Dolby-enhanced speakers on the sides are the richest and clearest I've heard on a tablet yet...Amazon's streaming and downloadable video store is the best in the industry."

  "With the Editors' Choice fourth-gen Apple iPad, you get more, but you spend more, too.  The iPad 4 is faster, with an even better screen, no lag, and many more apps.  It's the best large tablet on the market. At $499-$829, though, it's a lot more expensive.  The $329-$659 iPad mini gets you those apps for less cash, but at the cost of a significantly smaller and lower-quality screen."

  "The Kindle Fire also competes with a slew of Android tablets, including the $399-$499 Nexus 10, the $499-$599 Asus TF700 and the $499-$549 Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1."

  "The simplified Amazon interface makes the Kindle Fire easier to use than any of them, although the other Android tablets have a wider range of apps and media stores.  The Nexus 10 has the best specs, but the unit I tested was slow and buggy."

"...If you're counting your dollars, the Kindle Fire offers the most bang per buck so far."

Additional thoughts - If you want to use a tablet mainly as an e-reader, the 7" HD is likely to be your best bet, as it's easier to hold with one hand and costs less.   For watching movies, tv shows, Amazon Prime videos, Netflix or HuluPlus,  the 7" model is very good, but for impact and for magazine and easier reading of PDFs, the 8.9" screen is better.

An e-Ink reader is still the best for those just wanting a device for e-books, and the battery lasts a lot longer.


RELATED ARTICLES for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" model
Adobe dropped support for mobile devices using Android 4.0.x and higher.  This has affected flash-viewing on the Google Nexus as well, and there are recommended solutions for both.
  . How to install Flash Player on the Kindle Fire (and Google Nexus)
  . Getting and installing non-Amazon apps

---

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

Kindle News: Kindle Fire leads increase in web traffic share. Apple exclusive-'appstore' claim rejected. Lookout Mobile Security app now on Kindle Fire HD. Throw in the Vowel 2. Amzn 3rd party sales 40% higher. E-readers losing ground?

The Chitika Insight reports on their survey of "a sample of hundreds of millions of smartphone and tablet impressions from the Chitika Ad network ... drawn from a date range of December 1st to December 27th" and including only traffic from the U.S. and Canada.

Kindle Fire and purer Android tablets gained web share at the iPad's expense -- though, really, not by much.

'...this Christmas marked a serious diversification in tablet shares, with the iPad falling 7.1% in its share in the days after Christmas, from 86.0% to 78.9% following the holiday.
...
...This substantial change underscores the inroads non-iPad tablets made this holiday season, reflecting some initial holiday sales estimates released by companies like Amazon.  Their Kindle Fire HD tablet was the top-selling product on Amazon.com on Black Friday. '

  The Wall St. Journal report that Chitika cites actually reported Amazon estimates for Monday following Thanksgiving rather than Black Friday.

  Chitika's graphs of traffic show the Kindle Fire and other Android-based tablets gained market share at the iPad's expense, if only temporarily, but the results are still surprising.

  I was intrigued by the relative numbers for the Kindle Fire, the Samsung Galaxy and the Google Nexus tablets - with the Kindle Fire at 3.03%, Samsung Galaxy at 1.38% and the Google Nexus at 0.92%

Chitika Insights expects "the iPad's share of tablet web traffic will return to the 80% range" but lower than pre-holiday levels, "as users return from vacation and browse with their new device less frequently."

But does that mean iPad owners were not that busy on the web with their own newer iPads during the time when many were buying tablets and on vacation?


A US judge on Wednesday rejects part of Apple's lawsuit around Amazon's use of the term "App Store"
  The Times of India reports that "US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California rejected part of Apple's lawsuit against Amazon.com's use of the term App Store, ruling Apple cannot bring a false advertising claim against the online retailer.
...
"In her ruling on Wednesday, Hamilton wrote that the mere use of 'Appstore' by Amazon cannot be taken as a representation that its service is the same as Apple's.

"'Apple has failed to establish that Amazon made any false statement (express or implied) of fact that actually deceived or had the tendency to deceive a substantial segment of its audience,' Hamilton wrote."
  More details here.


Lookout Mobile Security app
Lookout Mobile Security is a free app now adapted for the Kindle Fire HD, to help protect it from viruses and other malware and to help find the device when it's not nearby (it can "Scream" even if it's on Silent setting).

  It also can save an extra copy of your contacts on your Kindle and restore it as needed.

Released December 22, it has 14 customer reviews so far, with an average rating of 4.4 stars.  Unfortunately, it is for Kindle Fire HD only, per their blog.

Developer info: "Lookout has millions of users across 170 countries and 400 mobile networks worldwide.  Lookout was selected as a PC World Top Product for 2010, has won a CNET five-star review..."



Throw in the Vowel: Volume 2 app - Fans of Throw in the Vowel, or other word games on the Kindle, may want to investigate this new version with 750 more words.


Other, sometimes entertaining, post-holiday reports:
1. "Kindle Fire HD more addictive than I could have ever imagined" - a high schooler's report on finding the video pleasures of Prime.

  '...With that, I decided to raid the Amazon app store for every eye-catching free game I could find.  Now, I am addicted to “Gnome Village,” which is the cutest game ever, another version of what we all know as “Farmville.”..
  Better yet, after searching through “Doctor Who” games that were not free, I checked in the “videos” section and found something magical. With “Prime,” I can watch every season of “Doctor Who” for free! Nothing can beat that. '

2. Amazon third-party sellers saw 40% increase in sales - The article explains the Amazon features that were key to Marketplace sellers.

3. Are E-Readers dying, per conjecture of a few tech writers after the focus on tablets in e-toy churn?  Judging from forums I read, people just enjoy the ones they have and most are not looking to get the latest one as they do with tablets just because one is there.  Many are still using Kindle 1 and 2, per a thread last week

  . Paul Fidalgo, at FreethoughtBlogs makes the point (very well) that "E-readers Aren’t Dying, They’re Entrenched."

  . Bronxville School Receives $35,000 Grant for Kindles to buy 90 Kindle eReader devices containing more than 400 books for students in grades 5-12.

      How times change.  The following stood out, for me.

' Seventh grade student Mina Petrovich, 12, said the Kindles are much easier to work with than traditional books.
"All my friends are into eReaders because it's what we have grown up with," Petrovich said.  "Maybe it's not for everyone, but it's something that I wouldn't know what to do without.  It doesn't strain my eyes and it’s nice to not have to carry so many books around with you.  I'm very appreciative the school got them, and it’ll certainly make me read more.”

 The Kindles make kids want to read more, which is the most important thing, Mann said. '

      The article also points out the features of an eReader that are important to
      teachers and librarians.

  . The Financial reports "EReader User Increases Slow but says, in the first paragraph, "...single-purpose ereaders still enjoyed a strong 44.2% surge in adoption in 2012 and will continue moderate growth in ownership in the coming years."  It cites data from eMarketer and Pew Internet & American Life Project.


While I'm here, here's what Amazon describes for Thursday's Kindle Daily Deal -
"Today only, save on great books by Alice Walker, Kajsa Ingemarsson, Gillian Bradshaw, and Jennifer L. Armentrout."

---

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

---

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

Kindle News: Student-Prime: $50 off Kindle Fire HD 8.9" through Jan. 30, one per student

From Amazon's pages today:


I just saw this, and it's New Year's Day and I have to be out, so I'm taking Amazon's wording as-is from Amazon's promo page for this.  It's good through January, to be redeemed once per customer.  Here are Amazon's instructions - emphases mine.

Exclusive Discount on Kindle Fire 8.9"
Special Prime/Student pricing available only to Amazon Student Members with an active Prime account (free six-month or $39/year plan).  Join Amazon Student  or  start your discounted Prime membership  to take advantage of this sale.

  The promo codes below will become available 24 hours after activation of your account, through January 30
  The promo itself ends 11:59pm January 31.

  New members, don't forget to check your .edu email and verify your account.

How to Redeem This Deal
Place a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" or a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless  in your cart.
  At checkout, enter the promo code KNDL4STU.

  If you are an Amazon Student member in a free or paid Prime plan, the discount will be applied to the items in your cart.
  This promo code may be redeemed once per customer.  Offer good only while supplies last.

[From Amazon page]



  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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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

Read More