Amazon gives UK customers early e-book access with Kindle First

While Amazon tends to release new e-reader and tablet hardware in the UK and US simultaneously these days, we’re still not top priority when it comes to new services. That being said, the UK has caught up significantly in the past week with the launch of the all-you-can-read Kindle Unlimited subscription and now, Kindle First. Amazon runs a bunch of publishing houses, and what Kindle First offers is early access to new releases originating from them. Each month, Amazon editors will select four books scheduled for publication the following month, and let you buy one (and only one) of them in e-book form for 99 pence, or snag one for free if you’re a Prime member. Once you’ve registered, it’s basically as simple as that. You can head to the Kindle First page now to check out the selections for this month, and sign up for the newsletter if you’d like to know when other titles become available for pre-release reading.

Filed under: Internet, Amazon

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Source: Amazon

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Authors will fire back at Amazon with calls for a government investigation

If you’ve been following the protracted war between Amazon and Hachette, you know that Amazon’s been stymieing sales of certain books by making it impossible to pre-order them, and pushing back delivery of others all over a e-book contract dispute. The situation isn’t really even about Hachette any more — the New York Times notes that few of the hundreds of signers of a recent open letter to Amazon’s board of directors are even published by the French firm. It’s about something more fundamental. Those authors (or at least a decent chunk of them) now plan to call on the Department of Justice to formally investigate Amazon for monopolistic activity.

To quote recent signer Ursula K. LeGuin, the big issue at stake here is censorship — “Amazon is using censorship to gain total market control so they can dictate to publishers what they can publish, to authors what they can write, to readers what they can buy. This is more than unjustifiable, it is intolerable.” By trying to squeeze certain unlucky authors out of the sales charts by dint of their publisher, Amazon has riled up an incredibly savvy, literate, smart group of people who know how to use their voices — not exactly the sort you’d want to make enemies out of. Last we heard, the final draft of the letter (which will be sent to the head of the department’s antitrust division) should be done — now we’ve got to wait for everyone to sign it.

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Via: New York Times

Source: Authors United

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Amazon’s eyeing wearables and automated homes next

One of the nice things about operating the world’s biggest online retail store, besides the money, is that you can get a real-time picture of what consumers around the globe want. Amazon’s used that insight to launch its own e-readers, tablets and a smartphone in the past, and it’s certainly not stopping there. According to Reuters, Jeff Bezos is investing heavily to boost the headcount of its secretive Lab126 division, the designers of Amazon’s mobile devices, so that it can begin exploring new trends in smart homes and also wearables.

The team is reportedly already testing a WiFi-enabled device that can be placed in a kitchen or cupboard, allowing customers to order detergent with the push of a button. Sources say Amazon wants to equip homes with sensors that can identify when an appliance needs a service or requires a replacement part. Like how the Fire phone can recognize books and media, the retailer could offer devices that take the friction out of ordering the household items customers want. It would certainly differentiate it from rivals like Google’s Nest, which are currently focused on reducing energy consumption and making appliances smarter, but those close to the matter are quick to note that Amazon’s ideas might never make the light of day. That said, Bezos and co. definitely keen to expand its tech-focused workforce, regardless of what we might see in the future.

Filed under: Household, Internet, Amazon

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Source: Reuters

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Amazon kicks off autumn by highlighting a variety of fall-related apps and games

Amazon, understanding that we’re in that time of year where just about everything comes in a pumpkin spice variant, has kicked off autumn with their own deals. To help usher in fall, Amazon is highlighting a wide variety of apps and games available through the Appstore, many of which are free. If you’re in the hunt for something new or fun to get you through this season then you’ll want to check out some of the following!

Fashion

• Wanelo, FREE: Wanelo gives you an endless stream of the best products online, all posted by people like you. Buy everything right away, or collect and organize your favorite products to your profile to purchase later, and follow your favorite stores online.
• Etsy, FREE: Discover over 17 million unique items from 800,000 sellers around the world. Etsy is the world’s handmade marketplace, explore what kindred spirits are favoriting on Etsy and shop whenever inspiration hits
• Pinterest, FREE: Dream up your next holiday trip, a favorite recipe, and of course all the essential Fall must-haves; then pin to your favorite
• Hautelook, FREE: HauteLook, a Nordstrom company, offers 24/7 access to the fashion and lifestyle brands you love at 50-75% off. Featuring both men and women’s apparel, you and your loved one will be set for fall.

Recipes

• Food Network in the Kitchen, FREE: Get all the pumpkin spice recipes you ever dreamed of as you whip up pumpkin pie, apple tarts and seasonal eats and treats all winter long.
• Must-Have Recipes from Better Homes and Gardens, FREE: Slow-cooker sensations, bubbly stews and dozens of the most decadent desserts all free. Share recipes by email or via Facebook, and organize into your favorite groups in your recipe box.
• Pie Recipes, FREE: Nothing screams fall like a traditional pie recipe. Enjoy that, along with apple cheddar cheese pie, apple butterscotch pie, almond joy pie and many others. Tis the season.

Oktoberfest

• Make Pretzels, FREE: Get in the kitchen where you learn how to make dough, put it in the oven and decorate your own pretzels. Fun for all ages!
• Brewing Assistant, $1.99: Oktoberfest features a lot of fun things, but beer is definitely one of them. Define your craft and brew better beer as Brewing Assistant helps you brew your own beer and build your own recipes.
• BeerSmith 2 Lite, $3.99: BeerSmith lets you search from thousands of beer recipes to download and view them on your phone or tablet. Includes a beer style guide, ingredient reference, set of 7 brewing calculators and unit converters.
• Learn German with babbel.com, FREE: While you may not be able to partake in festivities in Munich this year, you can now learn German with basic and advanced vocabulary, integrated speech recognition for pronunciation exercises and over 3,000 vocabulary words with images and sentence examples.

Family Friendly for the Holidays:

• Pumpkin Maker, FREE: Use Pumpkin Maker to create the best Halloween faces for your pumpkin. Save your creations to show off later or utilize them to make your best pumpkin yet!
• Gingerbread Cookie Maker, $0.99: Design and make your own gingerbread cookies with various backgrounds and accessories. Perfect holiday game to keep kids entertained and get them excited about designing and cooking.
• Pet Holidays, FREE: Use your favorite photo of your furry friend and add holiday accessories like antlers, bunny ears, pilgrim hats and more to photos. When finished, you can easily post to Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter or upload to Shutterfly to turn funny images into cards or gifts.

Fall TV Apps

• NFL Now, FREE: NFL Now delivers a personalized video stream of your favorite NFL teams, players and coaches right to your Amazon device. Get exclusive interviews and stories, breaking news on fantasy players and unlimited access to your favorites in the NFL Films Archives.
• XFINITY TV Go, FREE: Watch content anytime, anywhere on your Wi-Fi connected Kindle. Stream your favorite fall TV shows including premium channels like HBO, Starz, Showtime, Cinemax and more.
• Watch ABC, FREE: With Watch ABC you can view the ABC network live or on demand on various devices to catch up with your favorite fall TV shows.
• Watch Disney HD, FREE: Watch Disney XD and see full episodes, clips and more of your favorite Disney XD shows on your Kindle Fire device, phone, computer or Amazon Fire TV.
• PBS Kids Video, FREE: Watch all of your favorite PBS kids programming like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – new videos are added each week.
• Nick, FREE: Get the best of Nickelodeon at your fingertips with hilarious games, animated original videos, series like Blue’s Clues and more!

The post Amazon kicks off autumn by highlighting a variety of fall-related apps and games appeared first on AndroidGuys.

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