21
Mar
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Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' Book Available For Free From The Play Store For A Limited Time, With An Excerpt From The Upcoming 'Inferno'

Posted by in Deals, News

Ten years have passed since Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' took the world by storm, with the book selling over 70 million copies worldwide. If you're one of the few people not to have read the novel since its release, now's your chance to get it for free from the Play Store.

With the release date of latest Robert Langdon novel, 'Inferno', fast approaching, fans of the series have the chance to re-read The Da Vinci Code for free, before diving into the prologue and first chapter of Inferno, which will be released in May this year.

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The offer will only be available until March 24, so if you want to see what all the fuss is about then you'll have to act quickly.

15
Dec
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[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] InformIT Holiday Book Giveaway #1: Win One Of Ten Copies Of "Learning Android Game Programming"

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, Development
Last Updated: December 29th, 2011

Our second, and last, giveaway for today is a little more literary than the offerings we've had so far, and really, is pointed more towards those who are looking to get into Android programming and development. So, we do ask that you only enter this contest if you actually want the book, because there aren't many Android giveaways out there aimed at the developer crowd. And don't worry devs, this isn't the only InformIT title we'll be offering as part of our Mega-Holiday Giveaway - it's just the first.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:
  • will Ch*
  • Kapil Sukhyani
  • Juan S*
  • jason f
  • RazorHail
  • Greg Draven
  • Ganzúas
  • Chris M*
  • Lino Barreca
  • sungam

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

16
Nov
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Is Amazon Deliberately Hiding Non-Kindle eReader Apps From Kindle Fire Owners?

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire, News

It sure seems that way, according to Android Guys. They claim competing eBook apps such as Kobo and Aldiko don't appear in search results when using the Amazon Appstore on a Kindle Fire tablet. Additionally, eBook reader developer BlueFire claims that while his app is listed as Kindle Fire-compatible on the Amazon Appstore, it too fails to show up in search results on the device.

We've not heard of many apps mysteriously not showing up in the Fire's app list (presumably Amazon had lots of time to work on ensuring most apps on its store would be compatible) for a lack of compatibility, so if this does turn out to be true, we can probably assume that Amazon made a conscious decision to keep competitors' apps out of the hands of users.

24
May
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Barnes And Noble Unveils The Next Nook: 2 Months Of Battery Life, Android, E-Ink, And More For $140

Posted by in Barnes & Noble, News, Nook

It seems Barnes and Noble gave everyone a bit of a surprise today. It was expected that the bookseller would be launching a 3G version of its wildly popular NOOK e-reader (or maybe even a 3G NOOKcolor), but instead, B&N went straight for the competition's throat, launching the 6-inch e-ink display sporting, Android-powered (albeit Android 2.1) NOOK Simple Touch Reader. And all for the low, low cost of $140 - a price suspiciously reminiscent of a certain other e-book reader.

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Look mom, no buttons!

Anyway, as I said, the screen is e-ink - so you're only getting black and white. But you're also getting absolutely ridiculous battery life: B&N claims 2 months on a single charge with Wi-Fi turned off.

06
Dec
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[Review] Google Books for Android: Reading Just Got Better

Posted by in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

What is Google eBooks?

Google unveiled its long-awaited eBook store this morning. What makes it different from, say, the Amazon eBook store? Well, sheer selection of titles for one: Google's eBooks has debuted with over 3 million pieces of literature to choose from - including a vast library of free and public domain materials, many of which you won't find anywhere else (trust me). It would appear Google's massive digitalization efforts have paid off.

Perhaps more exciting is that Google has simultaneously made available its Books application on a range of devices - Android included, of course. But, if you're stuck with a piece of iOS hardware, there's no need to fret, the Books app can be found in the Apple App Store.

22
Jul
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E-Reading On Android Just Got Better – Nook For Android Now Available

Posted by in Applications, News

Barnes & Noble has already shown great interest in the Android platform by choosing it to run on their own e-reader, and this relationship continues to grow. B&N has just released Nook For Android, a full-featured app that includes access to their e-book store.

With plenty of e-reader applications on the Market already (including Nook’s main rival, Kindle) this may seem like overkill. However, the LendMe feature, which allows users to lend their e-books to friends for short periods of time, may be enough for some to make the switch. Check out all the features below.

  • More than 1 Million eBooks -- Just a Touch Away
  • All your favorite titles, including hot new releases and bestsellers
  • FREE samples of eBooks anytime, plus thousands of FREE titles
  • Access to your eBook library on your computer plus hundreds of mobile devices including iPad, iPhone, and NOOK
  • Share eBooks with friends for FREE with LendMe™
  • Recommended titles from your favorite authors
  • Add bookmarks as you read

Currently, the only feature missing is the ability to read newspaper and magazines, though this is likely to be included in a future update.

07
Jul
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Borders Releases New eBook Reader App For Android Called Borders eBooks

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

This morning, Borders’ website was updated with new instructions for obtaining the Borders eBooks reader app for Android, in conjunction with its launch of the Borders eBooks store.

BORDERS

The app (as stated above) will only work on Android 2.0+ devices. Once you create a Borders eBooks account (which can be done entirely through the app), you can purchase eBooks in-app (uh-oh Kindle for Android) and read them straight away! We’ve provided a couple of screens below.

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It is worth noting that the app is still powered by Kobo’s eReader software, and sports a UI that is almost exactly the same as Kobo.

18
May
Official Amazon Kindle Application Coming "Soon" To Android, Has Us Excited

Official Amazon Kindle Application Coming "Soon" To Android, Has Us Excited

Posted by in Applications, News

May 18th is starting with some great news for book lovers. Amazon has just announced that it would be releasing the official Kindle application for Android, available "soon".

The Kindle app is already available on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PC, Mac, and BlackBerry, so Android is quite late to the party. Better late than never though - there is no WinMo app anywhere in sight.

Official Amazon Kindle Application Coming "Soon" To Android, Has Us Excited

Main Features

The Android application is, surprisingly, not going to be shy on features. In fact, some of them will one-up its counterparts on other platforms:

  • access all of your Kindle books without your Kindle
  • buy books right from within the Kindle app from a special Android optimized store and get them auto-delivered wirelessly - a feature that is not available on all devices
  • synchronize last page read and annotations between all devices using Amazon's "Whispersync" technology
  • preview books by reading their beginnings for free before buying

In order to use the app, you will need to use Android 1.6+ and have an SD card (Droid Incredible users, take note - your phone doesn't come with an SD card by default).