06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Is it really Saturday again? Hoorah! Time to dig in to another digest of MobileRead delectables

E-Book General - News

• Tesco Jumps on the Tablet Bandwagon
• BookONO wants to be a Calibre alternative
• FAA may allow use of some Electronic Devices
• Amazon introduces 2013 FIRE tablets
• Nook glowlight at £49 in UK

E-Book General - Reading Recommendations

• October Book Club Vote

07:19 AM by iamosam in E-Book General | News

Nook simple touch with glowlight is discounted to £49 in UK (While supplies last).

Details here:http://uk.nook.com/.

This time, it seems that the retailers have them in stock. Since I am not in UK anymore, I guess, I will have to bump my friends.

After getting Nook simlpe touch for £29 pounds and realising how great a deal it was, I am not going to let this go by. Also, after installing coolreader and goldendict into NST, I am not going to go with anything other than an android (at least hackable/installable) ereader.

So, this is perfect for me.

11:03 AM by fjtorres in E-Book General | News

Starting at $139:

http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/amaz...-35828167.html

The three new tablets consists of the redesigned Kindle Fire HD (2013), the Kindle Fire HDX 7, and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

Preorders for all three are available now. Look for the HDX 7 to ship on October 18 starting at $229 ($329 for 4G, shipping November 14) with 16GB of storage. The Fire HDX 8.9 will start at $379, ($479 for 4G) also with 16GB of storage. It ships on November 7 with the 4G version coming December 10.

The newly designed 7-inch Kindle Fire HD starts at $139 with 16GB of storage; however, Amazon did not confirm its release date with us.

The Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch features a 1,920x1,200-pixel-resolution screen (323ppi), whereas the 8.9 gets an even more impressive 2,560x1,600-pixel-resolution screen, with a 339ppi. Amazon also says to expect 100 percent sRGB color accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast -- which may be a first in a tablet -- and a higher brightness.

Each of the new HDX tablets houses a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and an Adreno 330 graphics processor. Essentially, this means fast, fast, fast gaming performance, as the 800 is no joke when it comes to frame rates, even on phones. That, coupled with 2GB of RAM, and the Fire HDX might be the most graphically advanced portable device yet when it releases later this year.

Amazon says to expect up to 11 hours of mixed-use battery life and 17 hours when reading. While reading, the CPU goes into a low power state and awaits more stressful tasks before powering on again.

At 0.82 pound, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is the lightest large-screen tablet I've yet heard of, and posts an even lighter load than the Sony Xperia Tablet Z's 1.06 pounds.

The new origami covers can be folded to serve as stands in either portrait or landscape orientation.

Looks like they're serious about this tablet business of theirs: tops in audio since last year and now in resolution. Oh, and their forked OS now has a Name of its own: Mojito.

More details:

Photos: http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-3126_7-10018369.html

FireHD: http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/amaz...-35828166.html

FireHDX 8.9: http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/amaz...-35828168.html

Oh, one more thing:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-576...e-hdx-tablets/

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX users can now get live -- and visual -- tech support no matter where they are.
The company, which unveiled its new tablets Tuesday, has added a "Mayday" button to its Quick Settings menu, letting users connect with a customer service representative via a video feed. The Amazon representative can then talk you through your problem, draw on your screen remotely to provide directions, or even take control of your device and fix the issue right in front of you. The 24/7 service comes free with the device, and Amazon said representatives should respond within 15 seconds of requests for support.

Edit: NBC has added details about the new cloud services and X-Ray for movies and for music.
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/am...nce-8C11252610

01:05 PM by MovieBird in E-Book General | News

FAA Reportedly Will Allow Expanded Use Of Electronic Devices.

The CBS Evening News reported that transportation safety analyst Mark Rosenker “fully expects the FAA to lift the ban on computer games, e-book readers, DVD players and many electronics during takeoff and landing.” Rosenker says that the FAA has “only had anecdotal evidence that in any way shape or form that it somewhat interfered with the aircraft’s performance.” CBS notes that talking on cell phones will still not be allowed because phones emit strong signals that could interfere with planes.

NBC Nightly News reported that “the FAA is preparing to recommend that airlines allow a select number of devices to remain on during takeoff and landing” but will not allow the use of wifi below 10,000 feet or the use of cell phones or the transmission of text messages. NBC noted that the changes would be implemented some time next year.

USA Today (9/24, Jones) reports that the FAA advisory panel will meet today and tomorrow and will provide a report to the FAA by the end of the month. The FAA said in a statement Monday that “we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions. . . . We will wait for the group to finish its work before we determine next steps.” USA Today notes that the in-flight use of cell phones remains banned by the FCC. Meanwhile, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said in a statement that she was “not breaking out my iPad in celebration just yet. Today’s reports are good news only if they’re followed by a quick and logical timeline for implementation by the FAA, which I’m hopeful will be the case.”

Another report from USA Today (9/23, Jones) also reports on the reaction by fliers to the news. Most fliers were in favor of the change, although some were concerned that their peers would be distracted before takeoff and would not pay attention to instructions given by flight attendants.

Bloomberg News (9/24, Levin, Keane) reports that four out of ten passengers surveyed by the Consumer Electronics Association wanted to use electronic devices during landings. Meanwhile, airlines have been split, with Delta endorsing a change while United “said it preferred no changes because they’d be difficult to enforce.”

Also reporting are The Hill (9/24, Laing), CNN (9/24), FOX News (9/23), Time (9/23, Newman), the Washington Times (9/24, Chasmar), the Daily Beast (9/24), AVweb (9/24, Grady), and other media sources.

Risk That Electronic Device Could Bring Down Airplane Reportedly Low. CNN (9/24, Ahlers, Marsh) also reports that one-third of passengers have left an electronic device on during a flight according to a Consumer Electronics Association Survey. CNN reports that the experts they surveyed found that the risk that a phone could interfere with the functioning of a plane is low and that the NTSB “has never issued a recommendation about such devices on planes.” However, some worry that even if an electronic device can’t directly “bring down the plane,” interference from such a device could distract a pilot during a critical phase of the flight.

Begin the gnashing of teeth.

09:08 AM by Katsunami in E-Book General | News

[Click to enlarge.]

Has anybody looked into this? I've not seen any topics on the forums about this new software.

German Article on Lesen.net

Google Translate (Not perfect, but quite readable.)

The highly popular ebook management software Calibre has a new competitor. BookONO promises a more open approach than Calibre and scores already in the alpha version with additional features such as a built-in browser, but is still recognizable in its infancy.

A more open approach than being open source, running on about every existing platform in the world and having a plugin-structure to extend functionality? Hard to imagine.

The author himself posted in the thread (real English):

I am one of the authors of the software. Sorry to not reply in German, I believe it's German. Yes the software does handle at least 5,000 items without a problem. The software will always be 100% free (the desktop part of it), but it's probably not going to be open source, though I may change my mind in the future.

Where Calibre uses Python, this uses C + +. The toolkit for both is the same and it's called QT. The Calibre software calls on the backend to do things like convert books, HOWEVER we might write some C + + code later on to do some of that better. The main reason for writing it is personal. We want an integrated solution that works both on the desktop, web, and mobile and functions the way we want it to function and Calibre does not do that and it does not seem to me that it will ever do that. Currently I am writing the desktop component and the web components. When those are done I will write the mobile component.

Thanks for all of your interest.

- Not open source. Big disadvantage.
- Using C++ instead of Python, which (probably) would make it faster, but development much slower.
- It actually uses Calibre as its backend. How's that for kicks? Using the core of the software you want to replace as the business part of your own so you can actually get stuff done. If you want to replace Calibre, then replace it, not use it to drive your own product. At this point in time, this software only seems to be a new front-end / user-interface for Calibre.
- He wants to "rewrite parts of Calibre in C++", such as conversion, to do it "better" [than Calibre].

I for one, am very sceptical that any e-book manager started today can ever catch up to Calibre, let alone overtake it, assuming Calibre stays in development.

True, Calibre is not a pretty program to look at, but that is probably its only disadvantage. For everything else, at this point in time, Calibre is to e-books what Photoshop is to image editing: if you need the options, the kitchen AND the sink to get stuff done, it's the only option.

06:30 AM by Gilmartin in E-Book General | News

Seems a pretty basic and cheap device:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013...n_3933662.html
Wonder if buyers will get a free pack of Tesco's famous horsemeat burgers to go with it

More details at http://www.androidcentral.com/tesco-...19-hudl-tablet

02:36 PM by WT Sharpe in Reading Recommendations | Book Clubs

October 2013 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the October 2013 eBook for the MobileRead Book Club. The poll will be open for 5 days. There will be no runoff vote unless the voting results a tie, in which case there will be a 3 day run-off poll. This is a visible poll: others can see how you voted. It is multiple-choice: you may cast a vote for each book that appeals to you.

We will start the discussion thread for this book on October 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub

• Dr. Izard by Anna Katharine Green
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle

• The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub / Kindle

• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub (Illustrated) / German ePub / Kindle / PDF / more.

• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle

• The Case of the Golden Coprolite by Ralph Sir Edward
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle

• Le Morte Darthur by Thomas Malory
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub / Kindle

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle

• The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub

• The Martyrs of Science by David Brewster
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle

12:45 PM by xendula in E-Book General | News

The Icarus Illumina HD e-reader with front light is a new, Dutch 6 inch eink reader with page turn buttons, frontlight, MP3 playback with 3.5 headphone jack, and gyroscope (it auto rotates)

EURO 110 including taxes or for 129 on amazon.de (see more pics there)

The product pictures are a bit bizarre, with gigantic font on them, so maybe they are targetting seniors who often have worse eyesight?

Image and article found on lesen.net