Archive for Spotlight on Android
Flipboard 2.0 Launches on the Android Platform
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Flipboard is a popular news reading application that is doing battle with Pulse Reader for market supremacy. Today, the app has been updated on Google Play, which gives people the ability to craft their own digital magazines with text, audio, and video.
Being able to make your own magazine and share it with your friends is something most people have a passing interest in. You can document your trip or adventure by adding videos from your tablet or smartphone and tapping into your pictures folder. You can add content from other people by grabbing YouTube videos, or other content from Pinterest. Flipboard also launched a web based editing tool called Flipboard Editor, which can be used to manage magazines and view the statistics. This is a handy online tool that is fairly excellent for checking out who is reading what.
When Flipboard announced its curated news feature last March, it hit iOS first. Since then, it has garnered 6 million new users and its network of 56 million users have created one million magazines so far. You can download Flipboard for Android from the Good e-Reader App Store.
Introducing the Good e-Reader Kids APP Store for Android
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Good e-Reader is proud to introduce the only dedicated Android App Store for Kids! This is a standalone Android App that you can install on your smartphone or tablet. We feature thousands of games, art, ebooks, and educational content that is geared specifically for children. This app is perfect for kids ages 1-10 and parents who want a safe place to grab great new stuff.
The Good e-Reader Kids APP store has been a project six months in development and has around a thousand quality, curated apps. Our editing team has been making sure that all of our content abides by the highest of standards.
Currently we have seven different categories for kids apps, which makes content discovery easier than ever. You can browse our latest apps, new apps, and top apps, right from the main screen. Kids can rate apps and leave comments about their favorite ones. We also invested a lot into the search function, which makes finding great content intuitive.
You can download the Good e-Reader Android App Store HERE or get it from Google Play!
Good e-Reader Introduces New Kids App Market
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Good e-Reader is proud today to announce the creation of our new children’s App Market! Thousands of games, learning, multimedia, painting, and other apps are freely available for download.
Currently, our main app store has over 17,000 Android and BB10 apps in our App Market. We have fielded hundreds of requests from not only parents, by companies such as Leapfrog and V.Tech to create a solution just for kids.
It is important to us that parents can get kid friendly apps, and not worry about them downloading something they shouldn’t. Many kid tablets have access to Google Play, which has been called a cesspool by many people, due to the sheer amount of inappropriate content. All of our apps are selected by our editors to ensure that every one is endorsed and good for your kids.
Currently our new Kids App Market is available HERE and in the next few weeks we will be rolling out our dedicated Android Client. This way, you can install our APP market directly on your Kindle Fire HD, Kobo, or other tablet/smartphone and be good to go.
Good e-Reader App Store Updated
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We have issued the first major update to the Good e-Reader Android App Store client since August! This new fix solves many of the crashing issues that were plaguing the old system. Now when you visit all of our app categories, 25 of the most popular and rated editions will be displayed first, instead of thousands of them on a singular page. If you want to peruse even more apps we created a “Load More Apps” feature to quickly scroll to each app page. Searching is a huge priority for us, as is the ability to find the app you are looking for quickly. We have revised our search engine to only scan for apps that are in the title, this allows for more refined results.
The majority of these bugs stem from the sheer amount of apps we have added to our system in the last four months. We went from 2,700 this summer to over 13,000, and had to fix a number of issues that stemmed from all of this new content. To celebrate we have added a number of new apps and updated around 300 existing ones.
You can download the Good e-Reader App Store from Google Play or HERE.
Good e-Reader APP Store Reaches 10,000 Apps
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The Good e-Reader APP Store was one of our first major initiatives of 2012 to give all of our readers a place to download Google Android and Blackberry Playbook Apps. The entire ecosystem has grown in leaps and bounds and we are pleased to report that today we have hit 10,000 apps in our ecosystem!
The main reason we started our app store was because of all the daily emails we would get from many of our loyal readers. A large number of people found that they had purchased an Android tablet that did not come with Google Play. We started our app store to give people an alternative that works anywhere in the world and does not hinder your downloading just because you don’t live in a specific country.
We started the Blackberry Playbook section in our store because of a firmware update that RIM released very early in the year. This allowed customers to install Android apps on their devices, but through a complicated process. RIM apps work on the BAR format, and Android apps need to be converted from the traditional APK file to the new BAR format. This results in us having to physically convert and test each app on our development Playbooks to ensure that they work and 1/10 apps actually work on the Playbook because of the native libraries.
Reaching 10,000 apps was a personal milestone for everyone working at Good e-Reader. We may not have the hundreds of thousands other app markets have, but we do have an advantage. Our Android App Client and Playbook App Client has NO advertising of any kind and gives advanced features most of the other indies don’t give you. Our web-based version is also accessible and our entire ecosystem was designed to be free! We don’t offer any pirated apps and we make sure we are focused on quality, not quantity.
Many companies, such as SkyTex Technologies, have licensed our app store and carry it on their entire line of tablets. 2013 will be a huge growth year for us, and we intend on securing at least five new companies to bundle their new lines of Android devices with our own app store.
I would like to thank everyone who has found value using the Good e-Reader App Store! We have had our ups and downs since first launching, and in December alone we had over 3.8 million visitors to the site.
Most Popular Android and Playbook Apps for October 2012
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One of the benefits of running the Good e-Reader App Store for both Playbook BAR files and Android APK’s is that we can track the most popular apps on any given month. During the month of October, a number of really interesting games and apps have been released and here are the most essential downloads you need to install! On this list are both versions and you can instantly download them! If you have never sideloaded in your own Blackberry Playbook Apps before, check out this TUTORIAL.
Bad Piggies HD – APK
Create the ultimate flying/crawling/rolling/spinning/crashing device and pilot the pigs safely to the eggs! The Bad Piggies are after the eggs again — but as usual, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate flying machine and steer them safely to their destination? Those tricky pigs have a few objects they can use, but they need your help to turn these into the perfect transportation!
Text ME! Free Texting and SMS – APK | BAR
Downloaded over 300,000 times! Free Texting to any numbers in US, Canada and 40 countries in the World! Get a personal texting number and start sending free text and save on your texting plan !!
Zite is a free personalized magazine for your phone that automatically learns what you like and gets smarter every time you use it. Zite delivers all the great news, articles, blogs, and videos you want – and helps you discover new stuff that you’ll love.
Rise of Glory – Sky Gamblers – APK
Earn your wings as a World War I Flying Ace in Sky Gamblers: Rise Of Glory! Immerse yourself in WWI combat and the dawn of aerial warfare as you pilot revolutionary flying machines. Take-off solo in mission-based Campaign Mode, or take to the skies online with up to 8 players in real-time multiplayer.
Record a voice, moment or original music in seconds and share it privately or publicly on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Foursquare. Easily access, browse and listen to the sounds people share with you, wherever you are.
Kayak Flight and Hotel Search – APK | BAR
The #1 Mobile Travel app includes flight and car search, hotel search and booking, Flight tracker and My Trips, so you have your itinerary at your fingertips. And of course, KAYAK for Android is free.
The Kindle app puts over a million books at your fingertips. It’s the app for every reader, whether you’re a book reader, magazine reader, or newspaper reader—and you don’t need to own a Kindle to use it. Choose from over a million Kindle books from the Kindle Store or enjoy popular magazines like The Economist and Reader’s Digest with high-resolution color images
Make free voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype, whether they’re on an Android, iPhone, Mac or PC, as well as IMs to your friends and family. Only Messaging works with the Playbook Version.
Good e-Reader App Store – APK | BAR
The leading indie App Store on the internet that caters to both the Blackberry Playbook and Android! Two different apps, two different experiences. Our app store currently has 6300 Android Apps and 900 Playbook Apps! We basically select the best games and apps out there and keep them updated and tested to make sure everything works properly. Leave a comment or rating, be notified when updates are available and automatically install programs right to your device! Optimized for Tablets.
Barnes and Noble Nook HD and HD+ Available at Shop e-Readers
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The Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet HD and HD+ demand is at an all time high. Pre-Orders in the USA have surpassed prior records for their line of devices by over 240% The company is only offering their new line of e-Readers in the USA and UK. International users have the ability to now order them via Shop e-Readers!
The Nook Tablet HD is a seven inch high-resolution display and will have a mighty resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels and 243 pixels per inch.Video playback will allow you to watch videos in 720p. The pixels are really punched into this model, 25 percent more per square inch than the Kindle Fire HD. Underneath the hood will be a 1.3GHz high-speed processor and 1GB of RAM.
The new NOOK HD+ will feature a 9-inch display with resolution of 1920 x 1280 and 256 pixels per inch for up to 1080p for movies, magazines, and more. The fully laminated display reduces glare and provides excellent viewing angles, perfect for personal or shared viewing. This amazing display rivals the new Apple iPad, but is 20% lighter and nearly half the price. Underneath the hood is a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. It will also have a mini HDMI port that will allow you to stream media directly to your television.
Both of these tablets will work for international users and give you access to games, apps, books, kids content and comics. Barnes and Noble is unleashing a new video service that is similar to Amazon Instant Video, so you can now watch movies in high-def on your Nook Tabs.
Whether you live in Canada, Europe, Australia or Mexico, you now have the ability to buy these new devices. Shop e-Readers has been in business since 2009, when e-Readers were still very fringe. The company now sells over 24,000 e-Readers a year to customers and Universities, becoming the world leader in e-Reader sales and support. Each device ships with 100 free eBooks and a DVD Video Tutorial that teaches you how to use the device.
Visit Shop e-Readers Today to pre-order the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet HD and HD+
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 VS. Kindle Fire 2012 Model
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When Amazon initially announced its new Kindle Fire HD lineup, the company also announced it was rebooting its Kindle 4th generation and original Kindle Fire with updated specs. This marked one of the first times Amazon has ever revised devices with new hardware to appeal to multiple price points.
The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 features a seven inch IPS display with 1,280 x 800 pixels. It offers an amazing viewing experience and the ability to watch 720p movies right on the unit. Underneath the hood is a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor and 1 GB of RAM, which makes accessing media, books, and other content very fast and easy.
One of the best aspects of this model is the fact that it has twin stereo speakers with Dolby Surround Sound technology. It is seriously the loudest tablet I have ever used! The speakers themselves are on the back of the unit, wrapping up the left and right sides. Even if the Kindle Fire HD is lying flat on its back, you still get amazing sound. When we conducted tests with the Kobo Arc, Playbook, iPad 3, and Acer Iconia A100, the Fire blew them all away. Sounds are clear and crisp whether you are listening to music, video, or audiobooks. It rivaled cheap external PC speakers in its ability to make the whole room swim in music. If you are a serious audiophile, this tablet is the device to beat for tablet audio functionality.
Meanwhile, the rebooted Amazon Kindle Fire has double the RAM, a faster processor by over 40%, and battery life that lasts ten hours. The resolution is 1024×600 and runs a 1.2 Dual Core Processor, along with 1 GB of RAM. The menus and navigation have also been mirrored off of the new model, so you gain a bit of a homogenization between both devices.
In this video we compare both the hardware and software to give you all the information you need on how these tablets compare against each other. We show videos, music, ebooks, games, internet experience, and much more!
YouTube Updated for Older Android e-Readers
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Over the course of the last few years many Android Tablets were billed as e-readers. We saw it with the high profile companies like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but it also was prevalent in a myriad of other devices. The Pandigital Novel, Veloclity Micro Cruz, and even the Kobo Vox are running outdated versions of Android. There is good news for anyone that has an older e-reader tablet and likes to watch videos. Youtube has updated its official app and brought over new support for Froyo and Gingerbread. Users will enjoy the same cool UI elements that are integrated with Jellybean and Ice Cream Sandwich. On top of that, you can also add videos to your YouTube TV queue and there are more channels to pick from in the Channel Store.
You can download the official YouTube App for Google Android from our own Good e-Reader App Store! Chances are if your older e-reader is running an older version of Android, you don’t have access to Google Play.
New Amazon Kindle Fire HD Tablets Available in the UK Starting October 25th
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Amazon has officially announced today that the Amazon Kindle Fire HD series of tablets will available in the UK starting October 25th.The new models will be available at bookstore chain Waterstones and will cost £129 for the improved first generation Kindle Fire, £159 for the Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 7in 32GB for £199. Right now there is no availability for the 8 inch version with LTE/4G internet access. The Kindle Paperwhite will also be available for £74.50, and features a glowing display to allow customers to read in the dark.
James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones said: “The availability of Kindle at Waterstones means that our customers can now enjoy the pleasures of both physical books and e-books in-store. We are investing heavily in our shops with an emphasis on creating beautiful bookshops with a better range of books than ever.”
There are some drawbacks with the new Amazon Kindle Fire HD line of tablets in the United Kingdom. Customers will be unable to take advantage of some of the new features including; Whispersync for Voice and Immersion Reading. These two new features allow you to highlight text as an audiobook is being played and read a book and then pickup where the book left off on the audio version. These two new enhancements brought to you in conjunction with Audible will be USA exclusives for the duration of 2012.
If you live outside the United Kingdom you can get your hands on it on launch day via Shop e-Readers.
Exclusive: Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, and Kobo Arc Announced
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Canadian based Kobo has announced three new e-readers and tablets that will severely boost its product portfolio. At no time has the company ever released more than one device at the same time and now we have two new e-readers and a tablet. We are live in Toronto for the unveiling event and will be posting comprehensive reviews, videos, and interviewing some of the executive team within the next 10 hours. Meanwhile here is our breaking news on the three new devices they have told us about.
Kobo Glo
Kobo has stepped up to the plate offering its own version of an e-reader that has a glow feature for reading in the dark. It features a six inch e-ink XGA screen with a very solid resolution of 1024×768. This, in effect, gives you a full HD type of display that puts it on par with the defunct iRiver Story HD. This will result in comics, manga, and image heavy content looking quite superb.
The Glow feature has built-in ComfortLight technology with micro-thin hard coating for even light diffusion and durability. One of the benefits behind this is that it provides glare-free, fingerprint-resistant reading.
The Kobo Glo is running on an amazing 1 GHZ Freescale, Solo 6, processor that will make menu navigation and page turns a total breeze. Many e-readers feature a 300 to 600 MHZ processor and customers notice a delay in their interactions on the reader. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Sony all have processors in their devices that are well below the 1 GHZ threshold. There is also 2 GB of internal storage and the option to expand it up to 32 GB via the Micro SD card. Battery life is also a great feature with the ability to garner over 55 hours with the glow feature turned on and one month with it turned off.
The Kobo Glo gives you a rich ecosystem of over 3 million free and paid books to download from the storefront. Any purchase you make is stored in the cloud and can be readily accessed on any Android, iOS, Blackberry, or other official apps on a myriad of devices. Reading Life is also at the forefront and this lets you earn rewards and achievements for reading books. There are 7 font options to change the default text, such as Times New Roman and Ariel. You can even change the size of the font and there are 24 different options, which leads the field in the customization of your reading experience.
One of the new software features found in the Kobo Glow is called “Kobo Picks.” It is a new recommendation engine that will give you similar titles to the ones that you purchased and functions like an iTunes Match type of service. It is going to be available in October and will cost a paltry $129.99. Stay tuned, we will be posting a slew of videos and pictures of this new device.
Kobo Mini
The North American market is rife with competition from the major e-reading companies. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and others all offer devices at the under $100 price point. This makes e-readers fairly accessible to people who are on a fixed budget and allows people to give them as gifts without breaking the bank.
The Kobo Mini is a current generation device that will be offered for only $79.99 and will be marketed internationally. The screen features a five inch e-Ink Visplex V110 display. There is no word yet on the resolution, but it should be around 800 x 600. It has built in Wireless Internet, so you can shop for newspapers, magazines, ebooks, and more via the Kobo bookstore. Considering the price point, the processor is a solid 800 MHZ, so turning pages and accessing settings should be very quick.
This e-reader is able to tap into all of Kobo’s new social media platforms, such as Reading Life, Kobo Picks, and its cloud storage feature. The Kobo Mini is basically an entry level e-reader with no expandable memory and perfect for people that are new to reading digital books. Mom would love one! This model is also available in October.
Kobo Arc
The Kobo Vox was the company’s first Android tablet and it saw a ton of success with people wanting to do more than just read. The Android platform has hundreds of thousands of games and apps, and it allows customers to do their own thing. The new Kobo Arc is the next generation tablet that really gives you a ton of value for the hardware it has.
The Kobo Arc features a seven inch HD display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels and 215 PPI. The screen features the same IPS screen technology: industry-leading display optimized for 178 degree viewing angles and ultra durable glass, resistant to damage, scratches, bumps, and drops . Underneath the hood is a Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 1.5 GHZ dual core processor and 1 GB of RAM. There are two different storage options at 8 GB and 16 GB, depending on your needs.
On the front of the ARC is a front facing 2 MP camera that can be used for Skype or other video conferencing programs. What I really dig about the ARC is the company taking a page out of the Blackberry Playbook, with the front facing speakers. You have dual built-in front facing speakers with SRS TruMedia sound and a built-in microphone. At Good e-Reader, we review a TON of tablets and e-readers. One of my most sought after features is having the speakers on the front of the unit, so the sound is facing you. Many devices put the speakers on the back, which muffle the sound and make you hold it in such a way that the speakers are raised. Battery life should be around 10 hours of continuous use and will last up to two weeks on standby mode.
On the software front, the ARC is running Google Android 4.0 with a Jellybean update in the pipeline for the future. Use WiFi Direct to stream multimedia content to your TV with a compatible A/V adapter. Enjoy all of the Android customization features, such as re-sizable widgets and face unlock.
Earlier in the year, Kobo finally attained Google certification and the older Vox model was finally allowed to tap into Google Play. The ARC continues the trends of giving customers the ability to tap into a rich and expansive ecosystem to deliver apps, games, and content. Speaking of content, the Kobo bookstore is front and center, giving you the ability to download over 3 million free and paid titles. It also makes reading social with Reading Life. Track your Reading Stats and share your current read, favorite passages, and Reading Life awards to Twitter and Facebook with full Timeline integration, and Kobo Pulse. It also has a built-in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate dictionary and connects to Wikipedia for more in-depth analysis and research.
The ARC is intended on being a truly international device with menu, settings, and language support for English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, and Italian. There are the core markets that Kobo has expanded into over the last year and the inclusion of Portuguese gives you a sense that the company will soon expand into Brazil. The 8 GB version of the Arc is poised to cost around $200, while the 16 GB edition will be $250
Top Playbook Android Apps – September 2012
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Good e-Reader leads the field for Google Android Apps converted over to the Playbook BAR format. Since we launched our app store in January, we now have over 8 million downloads and we wanted to share with you guys the best new stuff you want to check out.
Yahoo Fantasy Football 2012 – Football Season is finally here for you sports fiends! Why not start your own fantasy league, or join an existing one? Fully functional!
WWE Official Playbook App – WWE finally released its first official Android App to Google Play a few weeks ago. Since then, it has reached over six million downloads. It is updated in parallel with the major RAW and Smackdown broadcasts. Wrestlers and staff cut interviews after matches and give you updates. There are also profiles, pictures, and news.
Songza for Playbook – This is a free music streaming and recommendation service. Claiming its playlists are made by music experts, the service recommends various playlists based on time of day and mood or activity. Songza offers playlists for waking up, working out, commuting, concentrating, unwinding, entertaining, sleeping, and more. Users can vote songs up or down, and the service will adapt to the user’s personal music preferences.
Dropbox – No official Dropbox app exists yet for the Native Playbook, but we have the next best thing. The Android App on Google Play converted to BAR format! Store your documents, books, and music in the cloud and access them at anytime with your Playbook 4G or WIFI model.
Textme – Free SMS for Playbook – Downloaded over 220,000 times, this is one of the premier messaging apps for the Playbook. You can SMS your friends on their phone and do it from your 4G or WIFI playbook.
Assaulter – One of the best side-scrolling shooters right now! It is a very new game and quickly gaining traction on Google Play. Works brilliantly on the Playbook.
Raiden Sky Force Ace – Our current favorite game! Take the roll of a space ship and shoot baddies! It is an old school type game, that has wide appeal.
What Kobo and Amazon Need to Do with Their Second Generation Tablets
Posted by: Michael Kozlowski | Comments (6)e-Reading has changed dramatically in the last two years and many users are making the switch from traditional e-ink devices to tablets. Tablets offer a wide array of added functionality, such as videos, music, email, internet, and apps. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble developed their own ecosystems to offer added content, while Kobo relied on Getjar for its apps and then updated to Google Play. With all of these devices almost a year old, what do they have to do to remain competitive in a ever shifting landscape of tablet computers?
The first thing all of these companies need to do is adopt higher hardware level performance. Quad-Core processors are becoming the norm in offerings from Asus, Google, and other major companies. Customers expectations have reached a point where they demand a higher performing processor. There are many benefits to elevating from the dual-core level of old. Added power allows for better rendering of 1080 P video and play the most cutting edge of games. As ebook technology increases and enhanced books editions are becoming the norm, you want to be able to get the full experience without the OS stuttering. Most books have a high decree of multimedia content, such as interactive maps, audio, video, and touchscreen controls. With prices coming down on processors, due to wider industry adoption, going this route would not dramatically elevate the cost to the customer. The Google Nexus 7, which enters the markets at a little over $200.00, proves this point.
Kobo is the odd man out, in terms of a rich and expansive ecosystem. Besides its own bookstore, it does not offer anything original in terms of content distribution. Amazon and Barnes and Noble both run their own app stores and actively court developers to submit exclusive content to them. Kobo formerly relied on Getjar to deliver content to the devices, and in most cases the apps and games are tailored towards phones and not tablets. A few months ago the company received Google Certification and now has full access to Google Play. This might work out just fine, but in order to be distinctive in the marketplace, Kobo really needs to take a hard look at developing its own app store and not rely on a 2nd party to deliver it to the customers. It would give the company more control over what apps and games best work on its devices and create a greater competitive edge in the market. You might not buy a Vox, but if you can use the Kobo App Store on any Android tablet, then the brand still gets advertised.
All of the major tablets that are geared towards reading run the Google Android operating system. When you purchase anything by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo, you are relegated to tremendously outdated version of Android. Often you will see 2.3 being the standard and many top-end devices right now are running Jellybean, which is quite a few iterations further ahead. In order to deliver the best content, apps, and games, it is essential that these companies adopt Jellybean into their platform. There are some major additions to the platform such as Google Now. It functions like your own personal assistant, giving you a wide array of options to manage your daily life. There is also expanded facial recognition software to provide an extra layer of security. Tablets that are marketed as e-readers are mainly a family device, with everyone having access to certain things. How great would it be if a face unlocked your kids profile and only their books would be listed or their favorite learning games? While your face would unlock your own library and favorite zombie stomping time killer?
In essence, all of these tablets issued by Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble are woefully outdated by current standards. More than ever, customers are seeing high performing hardware at prices under $259.99. In order to remain competitive in the marketplace, all of these companies need to adopt higher performing hardware and software. These e-reading tablets might appeal to a strong segment of avid readers, but could see an increased user population of casual customers who just want a great deal. The one advantage all of these companies have is a strong retail presence. You can’t enter any store with a respectable tech section and not see a Kindle, Kobo, or Nook.
What do you think these companies need to do to warrant an upgrade from your older model or just buying one for the first time?