Hopefully you got a brand new tablet, smartphone or e-reader that runs Android as a gift. No doubt you will want to install some apps and Good e-Reader is here to give you a sense of the best new apps and games that have been massively updated or are considered new and notable. Amazon Alexa - I love my Echo (aka Alexa). and the Alexa app is the FREE companion app for the … [Read more...] about Top Android Apps of the Week – Jan 1st 2016
Archives for December 2015
The e-book Industry is in a State of Decline – 2015 Year in Review
The e-book industry is currently trending downwards and 2015 was the first year that everyone has acknowledged it. With the overall decline in e-book sales print has been enjoying a resurgence. Why are e-book sales falling? The big 5 publishers, which includes Penguin/Random House, Macmillan, Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins and Hachette have implemented a new pricing … [Read more...] about The e-book Industry is in a State of Decline – 2015 Year in Review
Can an e-reader survive being run over by a car?
One of the big advantages of dedicated e-readers is that they are tremendously durable. We have been conducting drop tests for years and never managed to crack the screen, nor render it completely inoperable. The only way we have been able to completely destroy one, was to literary run it over with a car. Below, is the first Good e-Reader short film that demonstrates how you … [Read more...] about Can an e-reader survive being run over by a car?
2015 was the worst year ever for e-readers
e-Reader innovation has ground to a halt and no new technology has been developed since 2013. This was the worst year on record in terms of overall sales. Many analysts have proclaimed that only 9 million units have shipped this year, which is a decrease from the 12 million dedicated e-ink devices were sold in 2014 and a far cry from 20 million units that were sold in … [Read more...] about 2015 was the worst year ever for e-readers
This is the most cursed bookstore in England
The United Kingdom currently has the most cursed bookstore in the modern era. The Book Case located in West Yorkshire has had two major floods in the last few years. The bookshop is located in an area that is notorious for flooding, and has been unable to obtain flood insurance – the town flooded badly three years ago. Since then Kate Claughan, the owner, has been very … [Read more...] about This is the most cursed bookstore in England
Amazon Fire HD 10 Review
Amazon released their first 10.1 inch tablet a few months ago and people who owned prior models of the Fire tablet will notice some sweeping changes. The old carousal is gone, and the main UI looks a bit cleaner, making it easier to shop for apps, audiobooks, e-books and other digital content. The overall specs are fairly poor, but the price is right. Should you invest in this … [Read more...] about Amazon Fire HD 10 Review
Thousands of digital textbooks from Springer are now available for free
Springer has made all digital textbooks more than 10 years old available for free on their website. This equates to thousands of important texts that range in disciplines from cognitive learning to pattern recognition through mathematics. There has been a ton of conjecture on what free actually means, Springer has cleared the air by updating their terms of service. The … [Read more...] about Thousands of digital textbooks from Springer are now available for free
Readers Vote on their Favorite e-Book Genre
There is a common misperception that people read e-book genres differently than they do print. This stems from a series of articles that were written between 2010 and 2012 when they first started to get popular. Many people thought that people who read books they did not want to clutter their bookshelves with, such as trashy romance and fantasy novels. In other cases it was an … [Read more...] about Readers Vote on their Favorite e-Book Genre
The New York Times is Now Reviewing Science Fiction Books
The New York Times is initiating a new book review system for science fiction and fantasy called Otherworldly. This will be a bi-monthly column by N.K. Jemisin and will likely introduce readers to new authors and put the spotlight on emerging titles you will want to read. .Jemisin, an acclaimed author in the genre, said in an email interview that she couldn’t recall her … [Read more...] about The New York Times is Now Reviewing Science Fiction Books
Microsoft might Sue Amazon, Apple and Kobo over Slider Patent
Microsoft has a patent for a slider bar, the same kind that is employed on virtually every e-reader and e-book app. The Redmond company is currently suing Corel over it and if they are successful they take a percentage of all of Corel’s profits for the entire product. The fact that Microsoft is going after Corel for a slider bar demonstrates the problems with the … [Read more...] about Microsoft might Sue Amazon, Apple and Kobo over Slider Patent
School Board wants to Ban a Muppet Book in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin school board member wants to ban a book written by Jim Henson in kindergarten classrooms because it’s too graphic about poverty. Their main concern is that the book features drawings of suffering children, including one of a kid living in a box in the rain. “I just have concerns that it’s too graphic, even though these are Muppets characters,” said school board … [Read more...] about School Board wants to Ban a Muppet Book in Wisconsin
Kobo has created a new e-book section for Wattpad
Kobo has quietly unveiled a new section of their website where readers can purchase e-books published by Wattpad. There are currently 18 titles being showcased on the main landing page and prices range from $1.00 to $12.00. Wattpad is social media platform for telling stories, all of the prose on the site is user-generated content. The service currently attracts over 40 … [Read more...] about Kobo has created a new e-book section for Wattpad
3 Million People Signed up for Amazon Prime in 1 Week
Amazon does not normally divulge specifics when it comes to most aspects of their business and are notoriously secretive. The veil briefly lifts after Christmas and they like to toot their own horn on how successful they are. In true Amazonian fashion they just announced that over 3 million people signed up for Prime membership in the third week of December alone, 200 million … [Read more...] about 3 Million People Signed up for Amazon Prime in 1 Week
This author is surrounded by armed guards 24/7
Roberto Saviano lives his life surrounded by a phalanx of armed guards 24/7 and never stays in the same location for more than a few days. This is primarily due to the breakout success of Gomorrah, which cataloged the psychopathic brutality of the Italian mafia. Things weren't always this bad for Roberto. According to Saviano, when Gomorrah was published in 2006 local mafia … [Read more...] about This author is surrounded by armed guards 24/7