Guess what came in the mail yesterday?  An Amazon Kindle courtesy of Salado Press (I’m currently working on a project that involves converting their books over to a digital format for all major e-Reading devices).  Only $79.00 for an ad supported model or $109 ad-free version.  The advertisements show as a screen saver and do not interrupt reading.  This 6” E Ink Display reader with built in Wi-Fi is simply impressive!  Weighing less than 6 ounces and beautifully designed for functionality, this little unit is incredible.  Let’s look at it more in detail….

Read More …

I love to read, and my absolute favorite is anything paranormal, sci-fi, or fantasy.  However, like most people, I have tightened my wallet, and cut back on purchasing books.  Luckily for me, Amazon has plenty of great reads for free or under $4.  Start with one of the originals, Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the low, low price of FREE.  By favorite book blog, Bitten By Books, has put together a list of 101 books – 83 free and 18 other dirt cheap titles mainly in the world of paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and few other fun titles.  Make sure to go check them out.

FINALLY! We were looking for this in May…

The long awaited Kindle update is now available for users to install on their Kindle 2′s or Kindle DX’s. I got an e-mail today from Amazon on this .  You can see the bulk of that e-mail below. If you’ve got a Kindle or Kindle DX and want to install the software, You can also find the installation instructions, below.

We recently released a new, free Kindle software update that is available for your Kindle. In order to receive the automatic update please turn your wireless on, navigate to the home screen and click on "Sync and Check for Items" on the Kindle menu. The software update will download in the background and install the next time your Kindle goes into sleep mode. The update should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

The features included in this update are:

• Collections
        Organize your books and documents into one or more collections
• PDF Pan and Zoom
        Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics
• Facebook & Twitter Posts
        Share meaningful book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle
• Password Protection
        Password protect your Kindle when you’re not using it
• Popular Highlights
        See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you’re reading
• More Font Sizes & Improved Clarity
        Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience

Learn more about these new features.

To find out more about the wireless update process please visit this page. If you don’t have wireless connectivity you can install the update using your computer by simply following these instructions

Kindle DX

Do you think that eReader manufacturers are just a little nervous about the iPad?  Well, if all the recent price drops are any indication, ABSOULTELY!!!  Honestly, who could blame them.  Unless you only want to read, why limit yourself to a device that only lets you read ebooks.  So, in order to keep people interested, here are the new LOWER prices:

Amazon:

Kindle 2:  $189 – a savings of $90

Kindle DX:  $379 – a savings of $110

Barnes & Noble:

Nook 3G:  $279 – a savings of $80

Sony:

Pocket Edition:  $149 – a savings of $20

Touch Edition:  $169 – a savings of $30

Daily Edition:  $299 – a savings of $50

Pocketbook:

Pocketbook 360:  $199 – a savings of $40

Pocketbook 301:  $219 – a savings of $60

Pocketbook 302:  $279 – a savings of $60

If you have been waiting to grab a Kindle, this is a great time to get one.  I still believe, given Amazon’s & B&N’s book selections, that the Kindle and Nook are still the way to go.  The $189 is almost tempting, but for now, I’m sticking with paper.  Plus, I am also interested to see what others come up with to battle the iPad.  I have an Android phone that I’m lovin’, so an Android tablet would be a great addition to the family. 

via Gear Diary

Not everyone has 20/20 FIOS.  Even if they did, how long would it take to upload terabytes of data to the cloud?  Days?  Weeks?  Well, there’s a new way now to upload to the cloud.  It’s called FedEx.  Amazon has recently started taking uploads by having storage media mailed to them via FedEx.  The data then is copied internally over Amazon’s network thereby eliminating the internet and allowing for significantly faster transfer speeds.  Service availability began Thursday and Amazon has provided a calculator to show the value of the service.

According to Network World:

Amazon provides an online calculator to help customers decide whether it makes financial sense to ship data via mail rather than uploading over the Internet. You plug in the number of terabytes, devices, average file size, return shipping information and other factors, and find out how much the data transfer would cost via mail compared to standard Internet uploads.

For example, transferring data from a single device containing 2TB would require 26 hours of data loading time and cost $144.74. Uploading the same amount of data over the Internet would cost $204.80. The calculator does not show how long the Internet transfer would take.

One thing to note is that Internet-based data transfers are currently free, but this temporary promotion will end on June 30. The charge of $204.80 would apply for data transfers after June 30.

For Amazon to complete such a task, certain requirements such as file system of the device (FAT32, ext2, ext3, and NTFS), physical weight of the device (not to exceed 50 lbs.), and a data cap of 4TB will be put into effect.  Power supply and data interface cables are a must and without them, Amazon will simply return your device to you.

Amazon certainly get an A for ingenuity in my book.  No other backup company that I know of currently allows for such a means of transfer and that sure beats trying to upload stuff manually over the internet.  At the same time, I’m disappointed that even the use of internet based transfers are soon to be charged.