Gear Diary » Books and eBooks http://www.geardiary.com Everyone can understand technology; sometimes it just takes a little translating. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:00:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Farewell Mr Gutenberg and Thanks for All the Bookshttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/farewell-mr-gutenberg-and-thanks-for-all-the-books/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/farewell-mr-gutenberg-and-thanks-for-all-the-books/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:21 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=182013 Patchen Barss' book The Erotic Engine has the subtitle "How Pornography Has Powered Mass Communication from Gutenberg to Google". An article on it highlights ten technologies that "secretly owe debts to the pornography business" Among them, E-commerce, Streaming video, Webcams and Bandwidth; you can read the fascinating post here. But if the Pornography industry drove forward electronic communication, it was an entirely different arena that drove the print world it is replacing. What was it? Religion. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/farewell-mr-gutenberg-and-thanks-for-all-the-books/feed/ 1 Movie/Book Retrospective: The Accidental Touristhttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/moviebook-retrospective-the-accidental-tourist/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/moviebook-retrospective-the-accidental-tourist/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=179255

I have said before that I have been reading much more since getting my Nook Touch last June, which has really been wonderful. The Nook Touch in my Oberon case is just a thing of beauty to hold and behold. It has allowed me to catch new books like Robopocalypse and recent releases like The Art of Racing in the Rain, re-read almost my entire Kurt Vonnegut collection, get ready for The Hunger Games, and grab books I always meant to read but had long forgotten - like The Accidental Tourist. Whenever a movie is made from a book, the comparisons are made and are generally unflattering - sometimes the movie is better (Godfather) but most times the movie is significantly lacking (pretty much everything else). There are a few examples where both are excellent - the recent movie The Help is a great example of something you should both read AND see. But recently I have fallen in love with another book/movie combo: The Accidental Tourist. Let's take a quick look at both versions! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/04/moviebook-retrospective-the-accidental-tourist/feed/ 1 Does Barnes and Noble WANT To Kill the Bookstore?http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/02/does-barnes-and-noble-want-to-kill-the-bookstore/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/02/does-barnes-and-noble-want-to-kill-the-bookstore/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:15:04 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=181790 20120201-105230.jpgimage courtesy Fundamentally Flawed

Barnes and Noble is taking an extremely strong anti-Amazon stance this week. Engadget is reporting that They've declared all books published through Amazon or in an exclusive deal with Amazon will not be carried in their brick and mortar stores, just online at BN.com. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/02/02/does-barnes-and-noble-want-to-kill-the-bookstore/feed/ 2 Simply Audiobooks Launches Streaming Servicehttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/27/simply-audiobooks-launches-streaming-service/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/27/simply-audiobooks-launches-streaming-service/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=180939

I'm a big fan of audiobooks for long drives. Sarah and I usually head to the library a few days before a road trip and stock up on something we will both enjoy hearing, and on rare occasions we splurge for a download from Audible.com. In general, though, we tend to find it's faster and cheaper to borrow the CDs from the library than deal with a digital audiobook. Despite the format being perfect for the digital age, costs are still high and digital library borrowing is still a complete mess. That's where Simply Audiobooks thinks they have a plan with their new Audiobooks.com streaming service. Their blog sums up the program pretty Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/27/simply-audiobooks-launches-streaming-service/feed/ 0 $9.95 PC Maintenance Guide (eBook) FREE for a Limited Timehttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/25/9-95pc-maintenance-guide-ebook-free-for-a-limited-time/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/25/9-95pc-maintenance-guide-ebook-free-for-a-limited-time/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:20:42 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=180590 The timing could now be better… for the first time in a few years there is a computer running Windows 7 in my house. (I'm shocked but enjoying it… details soon.) And, as luck would have it, we just got an offer to share with you of a FREE eBook. Normally PC Maintenance Guide is $9.95 but until January 31 you can get it for free. Free as in "$0". The PC Maintenance Guide is…
...a concise eBook in which the most essential articles and links are collected into one, easy to use reference. The editors of the Windows Secrets Newsletter pored through several years of published information and compiled the
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/25/9-95pc-maintenance-guide-ebook-free-for-a-limited-time/feed/ 0 Amazon Makes Good On Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/24/amazon-makes-good-on-ray-bradburys-fahrenheit-451/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/24/amazon-makes-good-on-ray-bradburys-fahrenheit-451/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:10 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=180341

In my review of the ebook version of Fahrenheit 451 I was sharply critical of the massive amount of typos and mistakes in the text. It was suggested that I take my complaint to Amazon, which I did ... but honestly never expected anything. It wasn't the first time I had complained, but I had never heard anything back in the past. But last night I got a happy surprise - an email from Amazon's Kindle Store that an update had been made to Fahrenheit 451, and I could download it from my account. So I headed to the link, and wound up wading through the sea of too many unread books Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/24/amazon-makes-good-on-ray-bradburys-fahrenheit-451/feed/ 2 Has iBooks 2 Cracked the Textbook Puzzle?http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/20/has-ibooks-2-cracked-the-textbook-puzzle/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/20/has-ibooks-2-cracked-the-textbook-puzzle/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:00:05 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=179715 20120120-100447.jpg After Apple's big iBooks 2 announcement, I went hunting for more info on prior digital textbooks; it occurred to me that most of the pilot programs and digital textbook stuff are aimed at college level students and up, with the most famous/infamous being Amazon's Kindle DX experiment with several universities. This makes sense, since college kids foot their own bill for hardware. So why is Apple targeting high schools? Did no one point out that schools are so poor they are firing teachers left and right? A class of 500 freshman starting high school would cost a district $250,000 before textbook costs just to get each kid an iPad, plus ongoing book costs each year. For college this is brilliant because Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/20/has-ibooks-2-cracked-the-textbook-puzzle/feed/ 4 Apple and iBooks 2 “It’s the Strategy Stupid…”http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/19/apple-and-ibooks-2-its-the-strategy-stupid/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/19/apple-and-ibooks-2-its-the-strategy-stupid/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:30:50 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=179584 I was scratching my head this morning after the announcement of iBooks 2 and Apple's major play into the textbook arena. It struck me that they were already going in this direction and, as a result, this was an expected evolutionary step forward, not something worthy of an announcement. Having thought about it a bit more, however, I think there is actually a bigger story here. I'll leave it to Carly to address the actual textbook aspect of this and instead, look at what is really the bigger picture that is key to today's Apple announcement. You see, this isn't about textbooks. It is not about Apple in the educational arena. This is about strategy and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/19/apple-and-ibooks-2-its-the-strategy-stupid/feed/ 5 If An eBookstore Falls in the Internet and No One Hears It…http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/18/if-an-ebookstore-falls-in-the-internet-and-no-one-hears-it/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/18/if-an-ebookstore-falls-in-the-internet-and-no-one-hears-it/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:00:53 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=179447 20120118-135913.jpg

(image courtesy nikdaum) eBooknewser reported today that Amazon quietly shut down Mobipocket, an ebook store that those of us with PDA roots probably remember fondly. Amazon purchased Mobipocket and still uses their format as the basis for Kindle books. After reading the post, I headed over to Mobipocket and found what appears to be the internet equivalent of a broken, abandoned storefront. There's no announcement that Mobipocket is gone, but the files appear to have all disappeared. Bestsellers, fiction, non-fiction, everything is just gone, with the exception of a handful of classics that appear on the main page. Meanwhile, things aren't exactly hopping over at eReader/Fictionwise. They haven't carried a new bestseller or mainstream Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/18/if-an-ebookstore-falls-in-the-internet-and-no-one-hears-it/feed/ 0 Does Anyone Buy eBook Readers For The Hardware Anymore?http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/16/does-anyone-buy-ebook-readers-for-the-hardware-anymore/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/16/does-anyone-buy-ebook-readers-for-the-hardware-anymore/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:00:49 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177663

There's an interesting (and honestly, inevitable) trend in the book world lately: no one's talking hardware anymore. Yes, there's new devices, and sales are touted when they're impressive. But the big announcements that come up again and again are "ebook sales are increasing by these triple digits/these authors are making this much money through ebooks/we have this many free ebooks, etc". Plus, all those lovely ebooks are available on tablets, computers, smartphones and dedicated ebook readers...so does it pay for a company to offer the hardware without the ebooks anymore? In my view, the answer is no, and I think 2012 is the year we see many of the unaffiliated hardware drop by the wayside. Sony, Ectaco Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/16/does-anyone-buy-ebook-readers-for-the-hardware-anymore/feed/ 2 Kindle Lending Library And Direct Publishing Program is a Home Run So Far!http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/13/kindle-lending-library-and-direct-publishing-program-is-a-home-run-so-far/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/13/kindle-lending-library-and-direct-publishing-program-is-a-home-run-so-far/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:03 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=178775

The Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program debuted this past fall, and so far they're off to a great start whether you're a consumer or an author. As a refresher, the Lending Library is available to anyone with a Kindle and an Amazon Prime account, and you can download one book per month free of charge through the service. The KDP program offers perks to authors willing to sign up exclusively with Amazon, including a share of a $500,000 pool per book borrowed through the program. Needless to say, the exclusivity clause has been a subject of debate among ebook fans, since it tightens Amazon's hold on the digital book market immensely, and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/13/kindle-lending-library-and-direct-publishing-program-is-a-home-run-so-far/feed/ 0 Kobo Officially Part of Rakuten Nowhttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/11/kobo-officially-part-of-rakuten-now/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/11/kobo-officially-part-of-rakuten-now/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:00:14 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=178649 It's official, Kobo is now a division of Rakuten, meaning that Kobo now has some deep parental pockets and an even stronger international reach. While they may still be number 3, they have an opportunity to grab more share in 2012, as B&N struggles to expand internationally. Plus from the sound of Kobo's press release they had an excellent holiday season! According to Kobo:
  • December 25th was Kobo’s best day ever for eBook downloads, with several ebooks downloaded every second by readers in over 150 countries
  • ·         Kobo saw a 10-fold increase in new customers compared to the company’s pre-holiday period
  • ·         Compared to last year’s holiday season, eGifting increased by 500%, eReader sales and eBook sales
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/11/kobo-officially-part-of-rakuten-now/feed/ 0 Baker and Taylor Partners With Blio To Bring eBooks To Ultrabookshttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/10/baker-and-taylor-partners-with-blio-to-bring-ebooks-to-ultrabooks/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/10/baker-and-taylor-partners-with-blio-to-bring-ebooks-to-ultrabooks/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:15:15 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=178292

Remember Blio? It's ok if you don't. Blio debuted at CES two years ago, and promptly disappeared off the radar as a serious threat. Don't forget, CES 2010 was the ebook gold rush, and history has shown that anything not labelled "Kindle" or "NOOK" turned out to be fool's gold. But the folks behind Blio are convinced they still have a fighting chance, and they've set their new sights on Ultrabooks. From the press release:
Baker & Taylor, Inc., the world's largest distributor of digital and physical books today announced an agreement with Intel, the world leader in computing innovation, to provide a comprehensive ebook solution for Ultrabook devices through Intel® AppUp(SM) center. "We are thrilled to
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/10/baker-and-taylor-partners-with-blio-to-bring-ebooks-to-ultrabooks/feed/ 0 Barnes And Noble Offers Free And Reduced NOOKS With Subscriptions!http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/barnes-and-noble-offers-free-and-reduced-nooks-with-subscriptions/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/barnes-and-noble-offers-free-and-reduced-nooks-with-subscriptions/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:10 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177824 20120109-094313.jpg

Big news from B&N today! They're looking to push down the price of the NOOK and drive more subscription services, so they've combined the two! You can get a free NOOK Simple Touch or a $99 NOOKcolor with a subscription to the New York Times through B&N ($19.99/month). Alternately, if you are more of the entertainment news type, there's always a $199 NOOK Tablet with a subscription to People! This is potentially huge for the ebook industry. It turns the reader hardware into a commodity, not the main show. It also pushes prices down while also lining up ongoing cash flow for B&N and the periodical providers (who I assume are splitting the subsidy costs). Finally, this is a Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/barnes-and-noble-offers-free-and-reduced-nooks-with-subscriptions/feed/ 2 ‘The Price We Pay for Google’ is FREE on the iBookstorehttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/the-price-we-pay-for-google-is-free-on-the-ibookstore/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/the-price-we-pay-for-google-is-free-on-the-ibookstore/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:30:07 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177827

Most internet users trust Google implicitly for several things: for myself, I use them exclusively for Search, my phone is Android, I rely on Google Maps, do tons with YouTube, edit documents in Docs, browse RSS feeds in Reader, have my daily News fix, have Picasa on my PC for images, and so on. Yet anyone reading my Android editorials knows that I am fully aware that Google is monetizing my actions ... big time. For me, a for-profit company that never asks me for money is MUCH scarier than one that does, since I know it is still getting money from me, or from my habits or Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/09/the-price-we-pay-for-google-is-free-on-the-ibookstore/feed/ 4 Barnes and Noble Reports Their Holiday Saleshttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/barnes-and-noble-reports-their-holiday-sales/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/barnes-and-noble-reports-their-holiday-sales/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:15:42 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177363

It's good news/bad news/WHOA! news from Barnes & Noble this evening. Everything good they had to say came with some bad news, and with some news that could go either way ... let's look at the good and the bad,21 here! First, NOOKTablet sales were off the charts, and B&N had a 70% increase  in sales of ebook readers. These are all really good things. Champagne for everyone at B&N! Except...apparently the NOOK Simple Touch "lagged expectations", and while B&N claims it's because of higher NOOK Tablet demand, that's still a worrisome comment. Especially if you consider that B&N's competition (Amazon and Kobo) are crowing about great sales, without any "except our newest product" caveat. That's the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/barnes-and-noble-reports-their-holiday-sales/feed/ 0 Help For Your New Year’s ‘Get Organized’ Resolution in Today’s Kindle Deal of the Day!http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/03/help-for-your-new-years-get-organized-resolution-in-todays-kindle-deal-of-the-day/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/03/help-for-your-new-years-get-organized-resolution-in-todays-kindle-deal-of-the-day/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:30:48 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177010

One of the most common resolutions people make every year is to get organized - being too busy juggling an impossible array of tasks means ending up with too many items left undone to contemplate as the year comes to a close, so NEXT YEAR will always be the year. Taking a cue from that, today's Amazon Kindle 'Deal of the Day' deals directly with becoming more efficient in your day to day life. Here is the description:
Using "eat that frog" as a metaphor for tackling the day's most challenging task, Tracy shows readers how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize their time. He details 21 practical, doable steps
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/03/help-for-your-new-years-get-organized-resolution-in-todays-kindle-deal-of-the-day/feed/ 0 Kindle DX On Woot for $199!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/31/kindle-dx-on-woot-for-199/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/31/kindle-dx-on-woot-for-199/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:25:46 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=176605

If you didn't get an ebook reader this Christmas and you really want a bigger screen, Woot! has you covered. They apparently still have some Kindle DX models left over from their pre-Christmas blowout, so if you missed it last time now's your big chance to snag one. The DX is basically the only "large screen" ebook reader, so if that is important to you or a loved one this is an amazing deal! Amazon is selling brand new units for $379, so $199 for a refurbished one with a warranty is a steal! Via Woot Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/31/kindle-dx-on-woot-for-199/feed/ 0 Amazon Announces The “Best Holiday Ever” for Kindleshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/30/amazon-announces-the-best-holiday-ever-for-kindles/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/30/amazon-announces-the-best-holiday-ever-for-kindles/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:15:09 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=176416 Jeff Bezos has some extra spring in his step heading into 2011. Building on the momentum from years past, the Kindle line has once again been an Amazon bestseller, selling an undisclosed "millions" of units, and generally being a shining star. It's almost stopped being news that ebook readers are big holiday gifts, but Amazon still managed to bury some interesting tidbits in their annual post-holiday press release. One, Amazon sold over one million Kindles per week in December. So we know they topped over 4 million in just this month alone, which is pretty jaw dropping. Also, just like in years past, Christmas Day was a record-breaker for Kindle book downloads, though, again, Amazon is coy with Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/30/amazon-announces-the-best-holiday-ever-for-kindles/feed/ 0 Free eBooks from the Local Library!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/free-ebooks-from-the-local-library/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/free-ebooks-from-the-local-library/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:30:06 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=176189

I swung by my local library today and discovered they put together a very clever way of promoting library eBooks. They had free "gift cards" out for "free eBooks", which was just a printed card with the library's website on the front and QR code for the site on the back. The marketing campaign signs around the library suggested people could give them alongside Kindles, NOOKs, etc. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/free-ebooks-from-the-local-library/feed/ 0 NOOK Tablet Apps: The Anti-Deal?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/24/nook-tablet-apps-the-anti-deal/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/24/nook-tablet-apps-the-anti-deal/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:00:29 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=175927

Good news! You can now play Words With Friends on your NOOK Tablet. Bad news...it'll cost you $2.99! Apparently there's no free rides in the NOOK ecosystem, as many apps that are free with ads on bigger platforms cost a small amount on the NOOK. This is a trend we've seen in other "big" apps like Angry Birds, and I think it's more likely to harm than help B&N in building a sustainable platform. Before I get into my logic, I want to make one thing clear-I have no problem with paying for apps, or with developers needing a way to make money. My issue is that B&N has an Android base to their tablet Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/24/nook-tablet-apps-the-anti-deal/feed/ 0 Great Interactive iReading Books for Young Kids for FREE on iTunes App Store!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/great-interactive-ireading-books-for-young-kids-for-free-on-itunes-app-store/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/great-interactive-ireading-books-for-young-kids-for-free-on-itunes-app-store/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:30:07 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=175610

When my kids were little there were no tablets or smartphones or other things, so it is cool for me watching folks at work who have iPads and little kids get to do 'edutainment' activities that used to require sitting in front of a PC and dealing with a keyboard and mouse. Today on the iTunes App Store a bunch of iReading books are available for FREE! Here is the list:
iReading HD: The Nutcracker for iPad (pictured) for free iReading: The Nutcracker for iPhone or iPod touch for free iReading HD: Peter Pan for iPad for free iReading HD: The Adventures of Pinocchio for iPad for free iReading HD
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/great-interactive-ireading-books-for-young-kids-for-free-on-itunes-app-store/feed/ 0 Wired Illustrates the Limitations of Paper Publishinghttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/wired-illustrates-the-limitations-of-paper-publishing/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/wired-illustrates-the-limitations-of-paper-publishing/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:15:09 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=174840 Over at Teleread, they've called Wired magazine onto the carpet for a set of eBook reader reviews that pitted the low-end Kindle against touchscreen, higher-end competitors, and for not breaking out the Special Offers/non-special offers versions of the Kindle. The Wired writer responsible for the segment responded in the comments, and after a few days of mulling it over, it seems to me that his explanation hurts print magazines more than it does to exonerate Wired. For reference, the review is over two pages: Page 1, Page 2. Here's what Tim Conway said over at Teleread:
The problem that we had doing the roundup was that Amazon couldn’t get us a
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/22/wired-illustrates-the-limitations-of-paper-publishing/feed/ 2 Gear Diary’s End of 2011 eBook Guidehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/gear-diarys-end-of-2011-ebook-guide/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/gear-diarys-end-of-2011-ebook-guide/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:00:11 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=174792 Did you receive or are you expecting to get an eReader this holiday season? Or maybe you're planning on using your holiday bonus to finally snap one up! Either way, it's the end of 2011, and we've got a deep bench of ebook readers at a variety of price points, including some fairly recent price cuts. There aren't too many rumors about updates heading into 2012, so let's take a look at where we stand, the pros and cons for each store and device, as well as some tips on how to find books from more sources than just Amazon and B&N! Hardware: A quick note before I run through the various ebook readers: I won't be covering pure tablets, only the reading-centric ones. There's too many tablets to cover, though I will try to hit the high points of how to read on tablets in the software section. So let's take a look at the hardware! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/gear-diarys-end-of-2011-ebook-guide/feed/ 1 U Wood Thikn Aft3r 50 Yaers They Cuold W0rk Out Teh Typoz!?!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/12/u-wood-thikn-aft3r-50-yaers-they-cuold-w0rk-out-teh-typoz/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/12/u-wood-thikn-aft3r-50-yaers-they-cuold-w0rk-out-teh-typoz/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:30:51 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173815

I just finished reading the classic Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451, which I noted had just been released for the first time in ebook form a couple of weeks ago. It was far from my first reading, and was actually the fourth time I had bought the book over the last 30 years. Three have been paperbacks - one that simply died with use, a second one that is still in great shape, and a third from when I was traveling, and now the ebook version is on my Kindle Fire. No spoilers here, but the book is as awesome as ever and highly relevent in current society, though the early chapters were more uneven than I remembered. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/12/u-wood-thikn-aft3r-50-yaers-they-cuold-w0rk-out-teh-typoz/feed/ 4 Adventures in Customer Service: DianeDuane.comhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/10/adventures-in-customer-service-dianeduane-com/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/10/adventures-in-customer-service-dianeduane-com/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:15:38 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173504

During this busy Holiday season with so many great deals, it is easy to make an error as you check out - especially on pages with multi-select options. For example, you can choose the correct size of a shirt and then mess up as you look at a variety of colors and don't re-check the size before your sale is complete. Ultimately what happens after the mistake depends on how you handle it and the customer service of the company - but it is always important to remember that YOU made the mistake and bear the responsibility. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I wrote about a great deal at DianeDuane.com for the entire Young Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/10/adventures-in-customer-service-dianeduane-com/feed/ 0 Beatles Yellow Submarine for Free on iTuneshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/beatles-yellow-submarine-for-free-on-itunes/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/beatles-yellow-submarine-for-free-on-itunes/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:45:43 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173467

The best kids' products like books, shows or music are the ones that folks of any age can enjoy. One example is the Beatle's quirky Yellow Submarine movie based around the iconic song that even today kids are singing in schools! For a limited time, the Yellow Submarine ebook is FREE on the iTunes Book Store. It is greatly enhanced with film and music clips and loads of fun even when your kids are older! Here is the description:
This enchanting illustrated book captures the same magical spirit found in the film. The Beatles’ journey to save Pepperland from the music-hating Blue Meanies is filled with surrealistic humor, wit
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/beatles-yellow-submarine-for-free-on-itunes/feed/ 0 “A Snappy Christmas”, a 3D eBook Available Now for iPadhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/a-snappy-christmas-a-3d-ebook-available-now-for-ipad/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/a-snappy-christmas-a-3d-ebook-available-now-for-ipad/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:45:24 +0000 Douglas Moran http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173385 Okay, so here's the thing:  a number of years ago, while attending a Holiday gathering at my parents-in-law's place, I told folks that I felt that Christmas was for the kids, not for the adults, so please don't bother getting me any presents.  If there's something that I really want, I'll get it for myself, I promise!  And this has reduced the stress enormously at these gatherings; they don't have to figure out something to get me, and I don't have to pretend to be pleased (or be anxious about not being pleased) by their choices.  It's for the kids! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/a-snappy-christmas-a-3d-ebook-available-now-for-ipad/feed/ 0 Watch the Final ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ 8 Minute Trailerhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/watch-the-final-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-8-minute-trailer/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/watch-the-final-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-8-minute-trailer/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:15:26 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173430

Have you read the 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' trilogy by Stieg Larsson? If not, you really should as they are wonderful books - a bit on the disturbing side at times and not intended for a younger audience. But these wonderful books were made into Swedish movies over the last several years, leading to the obvious question - why do we need a Hollywood version? Technically we don't, at least of the first book: the Swedish version was quite well done. The other two were rather lacking, to be honest. But there were definite areas for improvement, and I think for most people the enduring images still comes from the book Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/09/watch-the-final-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-8-minute-trailer/feed/ 0 Agency eBook Pricing Model Under Anti-Trust Scrutiny!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/07/agency-ebook-pricing-model-under-anti-trust-scrutiny/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/07/agency-ebook-pricing-model-under-anti-trust-scrutiny/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:30:17 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173091 The European Union has finally stepped up to handle the biggest issue facing the economy today. It's a long time coming, but someone is finally asking questions and looking for answers. Yes, the "agency model" for ebooks is finally being investigated! What, you thought I meant something else? ;) According to Businessweek, several publishers as well as Apple are listed in the investigation, but not Amazon. My guess is that since Amazon was not soliciting contracts for the agency model (they were forced into it after a very public battle) they're not under the microscope. It will be interesting to see if Amazon or any other retailer besides Apple gets included in this as the investigation Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/07/agency-ebook-pricing-model-under-anti-trust-scrutiny/feed/ 0