For the few of you That do not Regularly check the Kindle Fire product page on Amazon for Change, we’ve got a little update for you. Firefly, The Visual Search-slash-shopping toolthat uses your camera to identify, and mostly purchase items, is coming to more tablets. Those with Fire phones, and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 Have had the feature from the start, but it was notably absent on the more affordable HD 6 and 7 HD models. There’s No Word on When The update Will land on your tablet (it’s rolling out now), but if you’re eager, you might want to add this page to your Update Checker too. Or, you know, just wait for Mother Nature (aka over the air updates) to take .its course. While you do, you might want to start shortlisting friends with solid game collections for you to test it out on.
Amazon’s Kindle is common enough in American life to be “The Official E-reader of the National PTA.” But It could ENRICH the lives of many more people if recentchanges E Ink models were not missing Text To Speech (TTS) technology. TTS costs next to nothing and was available in EARLIER Kindles, starting with the Kindle 2nd
With TTS, blind kids Could hearings new Kindles read “Alice in Wonderland” to them. Or how about read-aloud for People with Severe dyslexia? Or commuters, or exercisers living out Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” slogan?
The Federal Communications Commission Could have Unmuted Kindles. Yet on Jan. 28, the FCC Granted Amazon and other e-reader makers another year-long waiver from the 21st Century Communications and Video Access Act (CVAA). This 2010 law requires Covered Products to Be usable by the Americans with Disabilities, Including blind people.
I will not swallow the FCC’s rationale That it May verbatim Amazon an accessibility waiver Because The Kindle’s primary purpose is not as an “Advanced Communication Device.” Sighted People Can send Gmail (via a Kindle Web Browser) or read long e-mailed files in the e-book fashion as if They are books. Also, Amazon Could afford read-aloud into EARLIER E Ink Kindles without going into bankruptcy. Millions of e-readers havebeen solar, and Their makers Should not be Able to dodge the accessibility act. As described by Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, the CVAA is to ‘provide full access for Americans with Disabilities To The technological tools vital to complete Participation in 21st century society. ” More and more libraries and schools sacrificial e-books, so Kindles and the like Certainly Should be covered here.
Bringing back the TTS to Kindles Could cost less per e-reader than a Big Mac. The related microchips are dirt cheap, and Amazon even owns Ivona, makers of the text-to-speech software. And a headphone jack? Hardly a design issue. A thicker “lip” right at the bottom of the case Could allow for a jack in the thinnest Kindle. Or Amazon Could simply use an extra-thin Jack and sacrifice an adapter for People to plug in ordinary headphones or ear buds. But now Text To Speech ice AWOL even from the $ 200 Amazon Voyage, billed as a deluxe reader. Apparently TTS does not count as “reading.” If nothing else, read-aloud can be a godsend for power readers with tired eyes.
aggravating matters, Amazon HAS Note added an all-text bolding option for older Americans, like me, who can read Better With more perceived contrast between text and background. Missing, too, is a font for dyslexic users.
Granted, the TTS is available on iPads, cell phones and such, but not everyone wants a tablet or smartphone. E-Ink readers’ll have longer battery lives and are Generally cheaper, and The Newest screens are lit up from the front to avoid the usual glare When You’re reading with your eyes.
Having Written on e-book -related matters since the early 1990s, I can tell you That Amazon would actually come out ahead with the restoration of audio to E Ink Kindles. It makes money off content, not just devices. And TTS Means That people would have more time to enjoy books. They Could start them on the jogging path into the audio and finish them the usual way. Further More, related audio capabilities in new E Ink Kindles excellant Broaden The Market for audio books from Amazon’s Audible division.
I’m a huge fan of Amazon’s better side – I buy most of my laptop there – but the read -aloud muting Reminds me of another blunder: the overpriced, over-featured Amazon smartphone. Other steady Customers can join me in complaining to jeff@amazon.com.
Amazon donated at least 1,000 Kindles to the National PTA in return for an endorsement as “The Official E-reader of the National PTA,” and at my suggestion, the organization is laudably asking to Discuss accessibility issues with Amazon.
Even If the e-reader companies and the FCC wise up, We Should Make The 2010 Legislation more lobbyist-proof. Same for other disability laws thatcould help school kids and other e-reader users and potential users. How about it, Senator Markey? Remember – in your days in the House of Representatives, you’ve Helped write the CVAA. Let’s finish the job.
David H. Rothman Runs LibraryCity.org, a library advocacy site calling for a National Digital Library Endowment, and founded the Tele Read the e-book site now owned by North American Publishing Company . His email is davidrothman@pobox.com.
A woman was left cowering in her bathroom fearing she had a fractured skull after she was viciously attacked by a so-called ‘friend’.
Teesside Crown Court heard how John Nicholson broke his pal’s nose in a violent assault During a drunken row. Now, the 23-year-old HAS narrowly avoided a stint behind bars.
The court heard how the thug pushed the woman’s face into the ground and then stole her Kindle from her Middlesbrough home.
Recorder Michael Slater Told the thug: “At the time she was a friend of yours. In the course of an argument fueled by drink you pushed her to the ground and then pushed her once more So THAT Her Face impacted with the surface .
“She suffered a fracture to her nose. That caused her considerable pain and discomfort at the time.
“There were fears That She Could have fractured her skull. You’re probably very fortunate That She did not do so.”
Prosecutor Rachel Masters said the woman fled to a bathroom for Safety and called for help.
But Nicholson, of Grosvenor Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, stole the woman’s Kindle Before He left her home on the night of August 25 lastyear.
“It Certainly Seems That within a few hours of having done this, You Were Not particularly remorseful about what had Happened,” said the judge. “The theft offense was despicable.”
Evening Gazette
Court Hearing: John Nicholson broke his friends nose then stole her iPad, Teesside Crown Court heard
He accepted That Nicholson’s attitude had now changed after he pleaded guilty to Assault Causing actual bodily harm and theft, his first criminal offenses.
Jessica Slaughter, mitigating, said: “She was a friend of his. He was Particularly ashamed of himself after the incident. He struggles to explain How it Happened.
“This is the first time he’s been in court. It Certainly HAS BEEN A sobering experience.
“He was Under the Influence of Alcohol at the time and taking drugs. He was acting completely out of character.
” This gentleman is the Type of Person That does not often come before the courts.
“He is extremely motivated to undergo any sentence or punishment That the court sees fit So THAT HE can avoid custody.”
She added Nicholson, the reduced his drinking Dramatically and had not taken any drugs since the attack, and he worked long hours in a full-time job.
The Judge Told Nicholson: “The sentence I’m about to passport upon You Will bring it home, if it was not needed Already, to show how narrowly you’ve avoided going to prison today. The court takes this very seriously indeed. “
Nicholson was given a 15 -month jail term suspended for two years with a four-month curfew between 11pm and 6am.
It’s that time of year again; A Time For Hollywood stars to adorn themeselves with outfits conceived by high-end fashion designers and strike poses for the paparazzi. A Time For speculation on what film Will Be crowned the most culturally significant by a select number of industry insiders. Yes, it is time for the Academy Awards.
Despite ITS Pomp and Circumstance Marches, The Oscars feels like a fixed horse race. It is no secret They are not awarded on merit – the Fact That Stanley Kubrick never received a golden statuette in his lifetime is enough proof of that. Industry considerations and Hollywood politics take prominence over Cultural Importance. Sometimes it is simply a matter of having distributed the most screener copies to voting Academy members (ie “Annie Hall”).
Regardless, it is still fun to speculate on who willbring home an Oscar on Sunday and What movie’s Will receive a boost at the box office for the next few weeks. In someways The Oscars are more fun to wager on than the Superbowl Because Of myriad Deciding Factors That are Difficult to Quantify more than Merely one team’s athletic probability over another. Ladies and Gentlemen, for your gambling pleasure, I give you my odds “Best Picture.”
American Sniper: This felt like a sequel to Clint Eastwood’s “chair” speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention – a half-baked commentary on patriotism and Violence That almost feels like an attempt to troll conservatives. In the end it was just a confusing mess. It wont be even more confusing if American Sniper wins Best Adapted Screenplay. (8-1)
Birdman: A Rebuke of mean-spirited critics who get a kick out of putting down honest Actors Who Are earnestly Just trying to make a comeback while making some genuine high art. One can imagine thatmany Academy members with a bone to pick Will vote “Birdman” Best Picture out of Spite of highfalutin ‘critics. (2-1)
Boyhood: Epic in scope and impressive in terms of ITS technical variability, Boyhood’s probability to make the viewer feel the passage of time is unlike anything in Cinema (The “7 Up” series ice A close second, though). “Boyhood” lacks a lot of the glamor and grandeur Associated with big Hollywood dramas and May not get the recognition it deserves. (4-1)
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson, one of the last great auteurs standing in modern American cinema, willhave his film passed up a couple times before he gets his due. That’s not much of a problem in his eyes Because he is still allowed to churn out a “Wes Anderson film” every couple of years and They Will inevitably ask Successes crossover between art house cinemas and multiplexes. (9-1)
The Imitation Game: The messages of tolerance and acceptance Of Those Who Are Different (even if They have the capacity to win a global armed conflict) are not too heavy-handed, but The breadth of “The Imitation Game” pales to some of .its Competitors. Expect Benedict Cumberbatch to win Best Actor instead. (19-1)
Selma: Not quite the sadomasochistic guilt cinema that “12 Years a Slave” was and much more enjoyable for That reason. However, the chances That for two years in a row a movie Dealing with America’s racist past taking home the Best Picture are quite low. (13-1)
The Theory Of Everything: The filler of the category. One HAS to wonder if this movie was successful due to Eddie Redmayne’s uncanny resemblance to a young Austin Powers. (99-1)
Whiplash: The dark horse of the bunch. It has The Right Amount of solid, non-star actors (JK Simmons) while sporting new interfaces (Miles Teller) to fly under the radar of the Majority of the movie going public and then come out of nowhere for a surprise finish. Bet your money on Simmons winning Best Supporting Actor If nothing else. (9-1)
The total sum Amazon reserves for Kindle Unlimited authors is growing alongside the Subscription Program, Which arrived in Mexico and Canada last week.
But The size of the individual authors payouts Receive everytime Their titles are borrowed is not keeping pace.
Publishers Lunch plaster That figure at nearly $ 1.38 for January, about 5 cents lower than it was in December and the second-lowest since the program’s launch.
Last month, Amazon added $ 5.5 million to the pool through Which it compensates the Kindle Unlimited authors, Bringing the total fund to about $ 8.5 Million to Be Split 6.175 million gateways .
Responding to criticism That’s Kindle Unlimited is a bad deal for some authors, the Kindle head Russ Grandinetti said, at Digital Book World 2015 “We treat authors the same way we treat buying customers” and asked for Patience as Amazon tinkers with the model.
More.
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France Curbs Kindle Unlimited (Ink, Bits & amp; Pixels) Authorities DETERMINE the subscription ebook software is illegal under the country’s laws That ENSURE French publishers’ prerogative to set book prices, effectively forcing the Kindle Unlimited and Several subscription-based Competitors to Rethink Their current models.
App Developers Shy Away from Fire Phone (Geekwire) As a result of the Fire Phone’s face flat load Year, many of the developers That created apps for the new device say They do not plan to do so again, Should Amazon move forward on plans to release another version of the ITS smartphone.
Digital Tools to Get More Boys Reading (Future Book) The Latest Data Appears to bear up what many children’s publishers Already understandings about the market: it’s more Difficult getting boys to read than girls. An expert at Children’s app developer Nosy Crow Explains why there are Encouraging Signs That e-reading and book-apps apr’ll have an edge over print When It Comes To appealing to younger male readers. Related: Children’s E-Reading Habits by the Numbers
Diversity Widening in Children’s Books (PW) The We Need Miscellaneous Books Campaign recently turned ITS Focus on children’s content, and it Appears some publishers are Already moving in a direction That the organization is advocating. A study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Finds That more books by and about people of color are steadily entering the children’s market.
Kobo Launches Writing Contest (Good E Reader) The ebook retailer announces the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for first-time authors. Winners in three categories Will receive a cash prize as well as the professional-level resources to Market Their titles and build a platform.
Amazon Prime Cashing in on Customer Satisfaction (Forbes) By recentchanges accounts, Prime members Overwhelming report being satisfied with the service, and many of them spent substantially more on Amazon than other Customers. That’s drawn criticism from some quarters, but one observer sees it as an object-lesson in how to deliver the quality service and reap the rewards: “Amazon HAS created a product that people love, That works well and That Comes With a Quality Guarantee. It Might Not always ask the Cheapest, but ITS users, it’s the best. “
Christian Bookseller’s Reorganization Raises Eyebrows (Pub Lunch) The bankrupt Family Christian Stores outlines plans to sell .its 266 retail locations to One of .its own affiliates. The biggest Christian bookstore chain in the US, FCS owes Christian publishers and Other Creditors about $ 40 million.
About Twenty Shades of Grey Too Many (Popular Science) This one’s just for fun-but it turns out humans are only Capable of distinguishing about thirty shades of gray from one another, depending on lighting and other conditions. Here’s an irony, though: This insight about cameramen from researchers working to developping new e-reader display technologies.
Home “ Reviews ” Amazon Kindle Fire HD 6 & amp; 7 Review
by Dan Gardiner February 20, 2015
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Price: Fire HD 6, $ 149; Fire HD 7, $ 199
From: Amazon
Critical specs: 1,280 x 800-pixel display (at 6- and 7-inches respectively), 1.21GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB onboard storage, VGA (front) and 2 megapixel (rear) cameras , 290g (6-inch), 337g (7-inch)
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Lets ask the Franks from the Outset: Amazon’s latest Kindle Fire tablets are not going to win any awards for performance of the sleekness of the design. Unlike Their HDX counter-party released EARLIER this year, These New models, available in 6-inch and 7-inch screen sizes, are all about value for money, coming in at $ 149 and $ 199 respectively. And slightly differing size aside, These Are Pretty Much The Same Tablet Under the Hood – performance here is around 10-15% slower than Google’s 2013 Nexus 7 Tablet, Which is actually quite respectable considering Amazon’s asking price. Battery life was adequate too – we managed around 8-9 hours of general use in testing, and around 4.5 hours for gaming.
Both displays are 1,280 x 800 pixels Jobs that give decent-enough visuals to get by – and they’re markedly better than most other tablets at this price. The main caveat for us When testing These was storage space (there’s only 8GB on each, with no probability to expand on That) and physicality: These are rather chunky and heavy devices – considerably thicker and weightier than Their HDX siblings, and without the soft -touch plastic That makes the latters nice to hold in the hand. The 7-inch model is a little more comfortable and usable; The Screen On the 6-inch ice just a little too small for a tablet, and feels more like an oversized smartphone.
The other main drawback, of course, Is that These Kindles running in Amazon’s Fire OS 4 – A custom version of Android based on version 4.4.2 of the latters. That Means you do not get the Google Play Store, so your main avenue for getting apps and games ice through Amazon’s own Appstore. And there’s no way to buy and watch movies and TV – Amazon’s streaming services are not available in Australia yet.
Still, at this kind of price, Those are caveats That somepeople Will surely be Able to Live with – and These Are undeniably some of the best-built budget tablets around.
February 19, 2015 13:00 ET | Source: Kindle Auto Plaza
Cape May Court House, NJ, Feb. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Kindle Auto Plaza HAS BEEN awarded a 2015 DealerRater® Consumer Satisfaction Award, recognition auto dealerships can earn by delivering outstanding customer service as rated by online consumer reviews. Dealer Rater, the car dealer review site for Consumers, created the Consumer Satisfaction Award to enable online car shoppers to Instantly spot car dealerships thatprovide high-quality customer service.
Consumer Satisfaction Awards Will Be given annually to the top 10 percent of US new-car dealers Based on Their PowerCore ™, as well as all US used-car and Canadian (new and used) car dealerships That Meet Dealer Rater’s Dealer of the Year Criteria receiving at least 25 Annual Reviews and Maintaining an average Powercore rating of 4.0 out of 5.0.
Dealers Can Increase Their Powercore ratings by getting more Review, and Improving consumer feedback on the dealership’s customer service, quality of work, friendliness, pricing and overall experience.
“We’d like to congratulate the Kindle Auto Plaza and all of our Consumer Satisfaction Award winners, “said Dealer Rater CEO Gary Tucker. “Dealer Rater IS WHERE car shoppers learn fromtheir peers Regarding Which dealers sacrifice top-notch customer service, and Now They Can Quickly identify That’s Kindle Auto Plaza as one of the best in Cape May County.
Kindle Auto Plaza HAS Achieved consistently high marks on the Dealer Rater website, Placing cyber Among the top dealerships nationwide. Online shoppers visiting the Kindle Auto Plaza’s Dealer review page on DealerRater.com Will Find A “2015 Consumer Satisfaction Award Winner “designation.
” At the Kindle Auto Plaza, We are committed to every customer getting great value, extraordinary service, and trustworthy advice, “noted Steve Kindle, Vice President of Kindle Auto Plaza. “So our entire Kindle team is rewarded by the satisfaction of our Customers.”
About the Dealer Rater
Dealer Rater was founded in 2002 as the first car dealer review website worldwide. Dealer Rater is the world’s No. 1 online resource for anyone seeking trusted, third-party information on automobile dealerships. Dealer Rater features nearly 41,000 US and Canadian car dealers, more than 1.7 million consumer reviews and a million-plus cars Listed For Sale. Dealer Rater attracts more than 12 million Consumers everyyear to the site to search for car dealerships, read reviews, write Their own descriptive reviews and find car deals – all for free.
About the Kindle Auto Plaza
Since 1957, Kindle Auto Plaza HAS sought to be “honest neighbors” by Providing every customer with great value, extraordinary service, and trustworthy advice. The Kindle team proudly presents Cape May County with a Wide Selection of New models from Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Jeep, Isuzu, Dodge, and Ram. Our quality selection of new and pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs is unsurpassed. Kindle Auto Plaza offers daily hours (except Sunday) for sales, service and parts. Our team can be contacted During Those hours by dialing 866-452-1601 or by visiting our showrooms located at 525 Stone Harbor Blvd. Cape May Court House, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.kindleautoplaza.com. For more information on our community challenge, visit www.honestneighbors.org.
These instructions Will walk you through how to install an app that’s an APK file onto your Kindle Fire.
One of the best apps for the Kindle Fire is Easy Installer, an installer programthat can help you sideload apps onto your Kindle Fire When They are not available to Download Directly from the Amazon Appstore. But How Do You Do It?
These instructions are Specifically verified for Installing an APK file onto a Kindle Fire HDX using the free app Easy Installer for assistance.
first First, you’ll need the apps you want to install as APK files. Sometimes developers husband These files freely available online, and sometimes you’ll’ll have to get them through OTHER MEANS (such as When someone sends you the file via email or another delivery method). Whatever the case, you can not do much without That APK file. It is the app. These next steps just tell you how to install it.
second Install an app thatwill let you sideload apps. For this tutorial, I’ll use Easy Installer (free). Another popular choice is
5th At the top, toggle on Apps from Unknown Sources, and hit OK When The warning Appear (and, you know, read it and make sure you want to go through with this procedure).
6th Connect your Kindle Fire HDX Directly to your computer using the USB mini cord.
7th Open a Windows Explorer window and click on Fire And Then Internal Storage. Right-click to create a new folder, and name it whatever you want, although I’d recommend something along the lines of “External Apps” or “Side Loaded Apps.”
8th Drag the APK file into your new folder.
9th Launch Easy Installer. Click in the upper right corner and select Scan Apps.
The 10th Your Ideas (p) Should Appear. Press and hold the app you want to install Until an option Appears to do so. You’ll Have to click through a few more screens, and possibly select Whether to first scan the app if You Have anti-malware apps Installed (never a bad idea).
11th Finally, after the Kindle Fire gives you a warning, hit the Install on the bottom right, and your app Should be all set.
If you’ve been holding off on upgrading your Kindle, this project might inspire you to finally bite the bullet. [Warrior rocker] Recently saved quite a few dollars on his Kindle upgrade by using a demo unit. Of course, it’s not as simple as just finding a demo unit and booting it up. There’s some hacking Involved.
[Warrior rocker] found his Kindle Paperwhite demo unit on an online auction site for Just $ 20 Kindles are great for reading but overpriced husband popular displays for your own projects. This used the display model was much less expensive than a new unit, Which makes sense considering it had probably received .its share of abuse from the Consumers of some Retail Store. The problem with a demo unit Is that the firmware That comes with it is very limited, and Can not Be Used to sync up with your Amazon account. That’s where the hacking comes in.
The first step was to crack open the case and locate the serial port. [Warrior rocker] soldered a small three pin header to the pads to make it Easier to work on his device as needed. He then connected the Kindle to his PC using a template Serial to USB adapter. Pulling up the command prompt was as simple as running Putty and Connecting to the correct COM port. If the wires are hooked up œthe, then it just takes a press of the ENTER KEY to pull up the login prompt.
The Next Step requires root access. The root password for each unit is related to the unit’s serial number. [Warrior rocker] obtained the serial number by Rebooting the Kindle While the Serial Connection was still open. The Boot Sequence Will spit out the number. This number can then ask Entered in to an online tool to Generate possible root passwords. The tool is available on [Warrior Rocker's] project page linked above.
Next, the Kindle Needs to be rebooted into diagnostic mode. This Is Because root logins are not allowed While the device is booted to the system partition. To enter diagnostic mode, [Warrior rocker] Had to press the enter over and over During The boot sequence in order to kill the automatic boot process. Then he checked some environment variables to locate the memory address where the Diagnostic fashion ice Stored. One more command tells the system to boot to thataddress and fade diagnosed fashion.
The last step of the process begins by mounting the Kindle as a USB storage device and copying over the stock Kindle firmware image. Next [Warrior rocker] Had to exit the diagnostics menu and return to a root command prompt. Finally, he distressed the dd command to copy the Image to the Kindle’s partition piece by piece. Fifteen minutes and one reboot later and The Kindle was working just as it Should. [Warrior rocker] even notes That the 3G connection still works. Not bad for $ 20 and an hour or two of work.
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday Came Down Heavily on reported plans of the BJP-led government to put all Cabinet notes on Kindle devices to stop leakage of information , saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even trust his own minister.
“PMO, It appears, HAS passed a ‘no-confidence vote’ in the entire Cabinet. While ‘unilateralism’ and ‘autocarcy’ definatley Become Hallmarks of style of Functioning of the PM, The Latest Decision is a clear affront to the constitutional scheme of Applying collective wisdom of Union Cabinet on all Important issues of policy and legislations, “Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
According To some media reports, the government is FINALISING a plan to put all Cabinet notes on the Kindle Devices, Which minister’s Will use at meetings and Return To The Cabinet Secretariat Immediately after.
: According to reports, government is planning to put Cabinet notes on the Kindle, Which minister’s Will use at meetings and Return to the Cabinet Secretariat Immediately after.
Seeking to Know the Reasons behind the move, he asked, “Is it Because some Cabinet Colleagues are raising Their voice against a spate of issues being bulldozed through ordinances or ice IT Modi’s Fear That someone Will point out the obvious absence of dialogue, discussion and Democratic Functioning in his apparatus? “.
Surjewala said IF minister are leaking confidential information to the media, then the PM Should remove Such minister instead of making the process autocratic.
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