The iPad 2 and the e-reader app situation

APPLE IPAD-2 NEWS IN CONNECTION WITH E-READER/KINDLE INTEREST

In the articles linked and summarized below, note the Apple-device revenue-sharing issues that were described in a blog entry Feb. 24.

Many Kindle owners also own iPads for color-intensive books, web-surfing, and shorter, lower-light reading sessions, and many are (according to article comments) waiting to hear what Apple plans are for Kindle, Nook, Sony, and Kobo apps for iPhone and iPad in July.

'Why you should wait before buying an iPad 2'

That is the headline for a Communities Canada parenting blog by Chad Skelton, who makes the following points:

' Of the people I know who have an iPad, or who want one, one of the reasons they want one is to use it as an ebook reader... in addition to Apple's own iBooks, you can also download other ereading apps for the Kindle and Kobo -- even library ebook apps like Overdrive. It's the one device that doesn't force you to lock in with a particular book buyer -- meaning you have the broadest possible selection to choose from and can comparison shop for the best deals.

But all that versatility is at risk. Apple's new subscription and in-app purchase policies -- which will require apps like the Kindle to cough up 30% of every book purchase to Apple -- may well force other ereading apps off the device.

[The wording should be "might require' rather than 'will require' as the wording is still for subscription apps until we know more.]


Which would, in one stroke, turn the iPad from the most versatile ebook reader to the least. Instead of having your choice of several ebook stores, you'd have a choice of just one: iBooks.

Now that Random House is adding 17,000+ e-books to Apple's iStore, it could be that some Apple execs could decide to consider B&N, Amazon, Sony, et al, "middlemen" -- said to be of no interest to Apple, and the way to get them off the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch would be to just grab 100% of the revenue-share of these competing online bookstores wishing to have their apps included on the Apple devices. One can understand a 3-10% fee, but 30% from 'middlemen' who get only 30% in the first place would be indicative of unparalleled, open greed.

If that turns out to be the case, I don't know why Apple wouldn't just say they no longer want competing online bookstores on their devices. I think that's better than just saying they want 100% of the revenue that the other stores would normally get (30%).

The article ends with:

' But if you're interested in using your tablet as an ereader, you'd be wise to wait a few months to see what happens before plopping down $500 or more on what could be a very lame ereader come this summer. '

The many comments to the February 16 article linked in the quotes are an indication of how many Kindles (UK: K3's) might be bought due to such a decision by Apple.

'THE IPAD 2: LIPSTICK ON A PIG'

'Apple’s new subscriptions policy takes the lustre off launch'

This mentions other apps that may not be available on the Apple devices.

The New Stateman's Jason Stamper

' Rhapsody said in a statement that, 'An Apple-imposed arrangement that requires us to pay 30 per cent of our revenue to Apple, in addition to content fees that we pay to the music labels, publishers and artists, is economically untenable. The bottom line is: we would not be able to offer our service through the iTunes store if subjected to Apple's 30 per cent monthly fee vs a typical 2.5 per cent credit card fee.' '

Rhapsody will be looking, with its market peers, at "an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development."

Apple did buy Lala last year, though, and may have its own plans, Stamper said. Also:

' The chief executive of Pearson, the publisher of the Financial Times, said on Monday that it may pull the FT out of Apple's ecosystem if it refuses to give up customer information. "It is unclear how their proposal is going to work, we are still talking to them," said Marjorie Scardino. "The important thing to remember is there are many, many tablets coming out and multiple devices ... [from] Kindle to mobiles. If indeed Apple are not happy to give us customer data then maybe we will get it somewhere else." '

Stamper adds:

' It's little wonder that if the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are "looking at" Apple's new rules for possible antitrust violations. At the heart of the issue isn't the 30 per cent fee but that requirement that in-app subscriptions have the same price as offers outside the app. '

The coming (March 11) iPad 2 is considered "more an update than an upgrade" by some reviewers, and as a result some expect an iPad 3 in September with real changes instead of something to keep momentum up while the myriad of tablets are released in the next few months, while others feel that Steve Jobs's statement Tuesday that 2011 will be the year of the iPad 2 means this is IT for this year unless they also release a 7" of some type (whether a large iPod or a small iPad). In any case, those who prize the e-reader capabilities available today will be waiting for further developments before dropping money automatically for Apple's latest edition of the iPad.

Already, although Android apps are not plentiful yet, the Xoom WILL support Adobe Flash, will have true multi-tasking (apps actually running in the background rather than suspended, and their activity showing in a window), have a USB port and an SD slot and, most important for book readers, will run the various e-reader apps.

Spring Cleaning: The “Burning of the Devil” and Other Ritualistic Cleansings

Spring Cleaning: The “Burning of the Devil” and Other Ritualistic Cleansings

Elsie esq.

A close and dear friend whom I recently added on Facebook pointed out that I have over 620 “friends” there. I have no idea how that happened, and come to think of it, most of those people have no business looking at my photos. “I need to do some spring cleaning,” I said. This weekend, as soon as I find the time, I will sit down and purge my friend list.

“This weekend, as soon as I find the time.” Sigh. I know, already, that this will go the way my spring cleaning projects always go. It will never get done. It got me wondering, though, where does this tradition come from?

I grew up in Guatemala, where the annual ritualistic cleansing of the house takes place on December 7th, the eve of the Roman Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception. Families are supposed to gather at sundown to burn any junk, or “bad things” accumulated during the year. This tradition, called the “burning of the devil,” dates back to colonial times and is meant to clear the way for the celebration of Mary’s life. My family never really burned unwanted belongings (though I do recall watching with glee once, in elementary school, as my Spanish verb conjugation workbook flared and turned to ashes). Instead, we would just make a bonfire out of twigs and firewood, and roast marshmallows and hotdogs. My failure to carry out large-scale cleanings, you see, goes back a lifetime.

The American tradition of spring cleaning, as Gregory McNamee explained on this blog a couple of years ago, comes from the days before electricity. People used to shut their houses tight during the winter, and heat them with coal, oil, and wood, leaving furniture, walls, and floors covered in soot. The first days of spring–when the air was warm enough to leave windows open, and insects were not yet a problem–were a good time to take everything out, and clean the house from top to bottom.

Another spring cleaning tradition comes from the Jewish feast of Passover. Observant Jews are required to remove all chametz (leavened products) from their homes in preparation for the holiday. They are required to do a formal search of the house, by candlelight, the night before passover. The chametz is either burned, while reciting a blessing, or–according to this how-to website–sold to non-jews for a nominal fee.

In Iran, the beginning of the spring marks the celebration of Now Ruz, the Persian New Year. Before the celebrations begin, families carry out a ritual called “khooneh takouni,” which literally means “shaking the house.” According to tradition, houses were cleaned because the spirits of the departed visit their family during the first five days of the new year.

I am not sure why any of my dead ancestors would want to come to my 3rd-floor walk-up apartment, but I’m hoping to actually get some cleaning done this year. God knows there’s as much clutter in my closet as there is on my Facebook friend list. If you are as bad about this as I am, try Martha Stewart’s tips, or check out one of these apps.

Google's Word Count Experiment

Google's Word Count Experiment

Google's Word Count Experiment: "Google tests a new feature that shows the approximate number of words next to certain search results. The word count is usually displayed for articles, but only for a small number of results. You'll probably think twice before clicking on a search result that has 50,000 words, unless you're looking for an in-depth report.



Maybe Google will also add an advanced search feature that lets you restrict the search results to short articles or long documents. A summarization feature would also be helpful.

Google's Homepage Promotes Gmail

Google's Homepage Promotes Gmail - "Google's homepage has briefly displayed a promotional message that encouraged visitors to try Gmail: 'Switch to Gmail. Free email from Google'. The message linked to a page titled 'Welcome to Gmail' that shows some of the advantages of using Gmail: lots of space, mobile access, less spam, labels and search.


'Gmail is built on the idea that email can be more intuitive, efficient, and useful. And maybe even fun. Creating an account is quick and free.'


The page doesn't include a Gmail screenshot, a video that shows Gmail in action, but it invites visitors to create an account.

Google Toolbar 8

Google Toolbar 8 - Google Toolbar 8, Powered by Google Chrome: "After Google released Chrome, Google Toolbar's development slowed down. That's because Google Toolbar is no longer the primary vehicle for adding browser features and Google mostly focused on improving Chrome.

Google Toolbar 8 is a completely new version of Google's add-on that was available as part of Google Labs. 'Google Toolbar 8 is actually built and runs on top of the Google Chrome Frame platform. This means that Toolbar 8 will run more like a web app in that it can be customized and updated much more frequently and easily. It also means that Google Chrome Frame is installed at the time of Toolbar 8 installation,' explains Google.


The new version of Google's toolbar only works in Internet Explorer right now and it doesn't include all the features that are currently available in the latest public version. Google included some new features: buttons for the most visited sites, Google Dictionary integration and Google Instant. 'Google Toolbar displays up to seven of your most visited sites as buttons. Click on a button to go directly to its site. When you download the new Google Toolbar your toolbar will display buttons for Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Youtube, Google News, Google Reader and Google Tasks by default.'

New Kindle app: Notepad for Kindle - finally!

NOTEPAD FOR KINDLE - by 7 Dragons



See Update4 - Received a report today in the comments area that a NON-US download was doable, at least in the UK. But, it may be explainable another way, alas.



This is the type of Kindle app I've been waiting for, a Kindle tool rather than yet another game (even if I enjoy some of those).



Kindle apps are probably still not available outside of the U.S., but I've seen several articles that indicate the Android AppStore will likely be available before the end of March and maybe Amazon will extend availability of apps soon after, then. We can hope.



Product Description

The 7 Dragons group created the Notepad for Kindle.

With Notepad, you can write and edit text notes on the Kindle-3, Kindle-2, and Kindle DX models. (The Kindle-1 model doesn't have direct user-access to the screen content.)



They mention that you can write meeting notes, grocery reminders, jot down quick ideas, phone numbers and addresses, etc. The sample screen images above give you an idea of what you can do. The Search function should definitely be very useful.



When creating or viewing a note, you can chose between two font types and six font sizes.

"Your notes can be sorted by date or alphabetically by title.

Notepad also allows you to search for text in real-time within the body and title of your notes. Simply start typing in the word you are looking for, and Notepad instantly displays the notes that contain that word. This allows you to find anything you may have previously written, without having to browse through notes individually."



The app was released yesterday and already has a review involving an Amazon Verified Purchase (not always the case, since some get review copies). It's by Jose M Salas and is definitely helpful (to the extent I just bought the app), so I'll insert a copy here while bolding the item headings to make it easier to read in an already wordy blog article.

' Amazing! Fast,Simple and Easy to Use, March 17, 2011



I have been looking for a few ways to get my notes into the Kindle - since I have had it for about 8 months now - and this 'meets' the needs that I had.



Needs:

o Quick - it must be quick

-- Did I mention that it has to be 'Quick'? -- and this is the fastest I've seen on the Kindle - I have about 500MB free (yup - I like books,magazines, etc.) and my kindle is sluggish - but this app works really fast.

-- Disclaimer - I've only put in about 50 notes (so far)

o Easy to use - this is SUPER easy

-- All the key mappings you need are displayed in an intuitive manner - Alt+X (Save and Exit - I really like this)

o Copy Notes to my PC and Vise Versa

-- The video shows that this can be done - I've yet to try it - but it's a simple copy / paste operation

o Font Sizes:

-- I am a fan of small fonts and this allows me to use small fonts - to be able to add more notes

o Search by Note Title

-- This works as advertised - quickly locate notes by title

o Search Notes by Body keyword

-- Again, works as advertised - quickly and painlessly

o Saves work in progress (for the 'all thumbs folks' (like me)

-- I have a tendency to hit the home button - and this saves my 'unsaved' note - so I can go back to it - sweeeeet!

o Simple, Clean UI: [User Interface]

-- This UI reminds me of the Old Palm Days (think Palm Notepad) - but on steroids - so nice to KISS



In a nutshell, this is worth $0.99 many times over,.... BUT only if you are looking for a Quick, Easy and Intuitive UI that allows you to enter notes on your Kindle. '

UPDATE - I contacted Abhi of 7 Dragons and found out a bit more and will include here some notes:

' If your Kindle is shown as D: drive on your computer, the path/folder where your notes are stored will be:

D:\.active-content-data\8a5982e82ae68fb2012bc688405e0026\work\user



. The "e0026" at the end of the long folder name is an easy way to find the right folder.

. Fonts are not anti-aliased to preserve speed.

. Changing font size changes everything - buttons, labels, help, everything.

. There is a time/date stamp and you can sort by time or alphabetically.

. There are lots of other small things:

Press Home accidentally and a copy is saved with your changes.

Progress bars for main page and for a note.

Character count and "Page 1 of 2" for note.

Backup in the app itself.



There are also some caveats:

There's a size limit so the app can't be used for reading Gutenberg books.

For simplicity purposes they had to remove extensions so everything is saved as ".txt" although ".txt" isn't shown.

There are no folders.

The focus on speed means they don't use anti-aliased fonts or pretty backgrounds. '

He mentioned there will be Kindle Notepad Help Videos and a Help Page that will include downloadable help files.



UPDATE2b - The HELP when you press the app's Menu button and then "Help" is voluminous. I had originally used the 'Welcome' link in the default "All Notes" page and mistook the SHORTCUTS there for a help page. No, the Help page is 12 pages long. (Menu >Help).



These are some of the best Help notes I've seen on any app. I also like that the bottom screen reminds readers that the Kindle number keys on the Kindle 3's are always available using the alt key with the top row and displays which top-row key it is to get any number. Great way to remember the alternate way of getting numbers whenever you're using the Kindle 3.



The "About" page in the app (Menu >About) means that on your Kindle you'll have access to their website too. Enter the website link in your experimental web browser:

( Home >Menu >Experimental >Web Browser ) and then, when you arrive at the website, Save that page as a Kindle web bookmark.

When on your computer (but not on the Kindle) you will be able to view videos on their website.



UPDATE3 - (Original post, 3/17/11)

TIP: Because the fonts aren't 'anti-aliased" - to keep speed - they won't be as smooth looking but I prefer the speed (typing and moving around are amazingly fast). I found that instead of using the default font-size '3' I use size '4' which I actually like anyway, and the 'SansSerif' family of fonts. That's done the usual Kindle way, via the "Aa" type/font key at the bottom of the Kindle.



UPDATE4 - 3/21/11. An anonymous commenter wrote today that "Notepad is now available from Amazon in the UK I downloaded it yesterday." I don't know if it applies to other countries yet (or whether the person did it as a resident of a non-US country or was a U.S. person downloading it while abroad, but it happened close to the date that the Android Apps Store is expected to open (Tuesday, 3/22) so it's a possibility they are working on it for the appstore opening.

KinWorm reported in from the UK and was NOT able to find the file in the UK Kindlestore nor download the file from Amazon-US.



UPDATE5 - TIP: The program manager of Notepad has this note on the Amazon Kindle forum thread about Notepad:

' Last edited by the author 15 hours ago

A. Singh says:

Debi, sometimes the encoding used is different.



The KDK supports text files in ANSI format. If you open a text file in Notepad and click Save As you will see the options in the bottom right - UTF-8, Unicode, ANSI, etc.



So if the characters used are ones not supported by ANSI then the KDK (on which the app is built) can not recognize them and it cuts the notes.



Another Kindle owner had a similar problem where note was getting cut at '-' and when she removed that it went away. Notes that are made in Notepad on Computer and saved using ANSI format should open up fine.



**** In particular, the ` and the ... in that note might not be the standard ones.



So if you just open up your note on your computer and replace it with typed out ones using your keyboard it should work fine. '

Kindle 3's (UK: Kindle 3's), DX Graphite

How To Easily Find the Best Adsense Format For Your WebSite

Which adsense format is the best for my website ? Which color scheme should i use to get maximum CTR for adsense ads? Does the 336×280 ad format or the 330×250 rectangle ad format works the best? What can i do to get maximum Click Thru Ratio for my adsense ads?

These are the questions that runs through every webmasters mind when they are concerned about the money from adsense. Most of the new adsense publishers finds it difficult at the initial stage selecting the best adsense format that works for their website. Professional adsense publishers or webmasters advice to keep on experimenting with different adsense formats in your website. But, this takes a lot of time and effort. So, how about testing different adsense formats in your website at the same location simultaneously but randomly? Yes that’s what the professionals do. It seems quite logical too. If you didn’t get the point correctly, then take a look at this example.

You feel that a 728×90 adsense ad format will generate more revenue than a 468×60 banner ad unit you are currently using. So to find it you need to test the leaderboard 728 x 90 adsense format separately. But this can’t be the case some times using the 728 x 90 ad format can affect your earnings badly. But there is a way to display the two ad units, showing each 50% of the time. This is made possible by using a simple javascript. The random function in javascript will help you to easily alternate between your two ad formats. The method is being called A/B testing.

from the adsense blog

Keep in mind that generally, modifying your ad code is against AdSense program policies. However, we’ve checked with our policy folks and they’ve given our publishers permission to modify the code for use with this specific script for the purposes of A/B testing. Please be aware that the AdSense team isn’t able to provide any support or troubleshooting help for this script or this sort of testing.

So lets start.

Testing Different Adsense Ad Formats at Same Location by Displaying Them Randomly

• Create Two Custom Adsense Channels. Name them accordingly as per your needs. In this case its 728 x 90 and 468 x 60 but you can use any other formats too like 336 x 280 and 300 x 250 and so on.
• Now you need to setup the ad formats similarly. What i meant is, when the final code is obtained only google_ad_channel, google_ad_width, google_ad_height and google_ad_format should only be the variables. Every thing else like Title, Color, Font etc should be same, now that would be more logical to test between the two formats simultaneously. However, its not mandatory that you should only use similar looks for the two formats.
• Now we are going to play with the java script code. Here we are mixing up the to different adsense codes so that each of them will be displayed 50% of the time. And it total both counts to 100% in overall. Here is a code shown as example.

• Check out the performance of the two ad formats for a week or two to determine which of the adsense format gives you the best CTR, eCPM. Some times the 336 x 250 ad unit give you more clicks than the 300 x 280. It depends.

The next time after this experiment you can try two formats with a different color format, different font (change fonts in adsense ads), font size etc.

How to Protect Your Google Adsense Ad Code From Unauthorised Usage

Genuine adsense publishers sometimes get banned from adsense due to the reason that they are using their adsense ads on websites that does’t comply to Google Adsense Terms and Conditions. But the publishers may not have actually done that. Their adsense code could have been used by somebody for testing purposes or so on some other websites. When google get a report that adsense is used in websites that doen’t comply to their terms and conditions they will ban them. This can be avoided by following a very simple step. Here is what you have to do.

Go to Adsense Website.
Login with your user name and Password.
Now go to the Adsense Setup Tab.
Under that go to Allowed Sites.
Type in the website you are using Adsense.
If you use blogspot blog and if you add the adsense widget from it you should also add www.blogger.com in the Allowed Sites List.
That’s it.I really appreciate your comments. Post a comment and share your opinions.

How To Change Fonts in Google Adsense Ads

How To Change Fonts in Google Adsense Ads -

Adsense have been experimenting with different types of Fonts in the Google Adsense ads for the last few months. But the users were not allowed to change the fonts and use them as per their wish. Now there google has presented its adsense publishers an option to change the default fonts……

The default Standard Adsense font family will be applied by default. You can customize each ad unit separately or there is an option called Ad Display Preferences (seen under fonts) which allows you to apply one setting to all the ad units you are using in your website.

To change the fonts in Google Adsense ads : Go to Adsense Setup > Manage Ads. Now select the ad unit in which you want to use a different font and save the changes.Presently Adsense have provided only three type of fonts Arial, Times and Verdana.

Changing the fonts will make the Adsense ads get blend more with your website content.

Download Software Backlink Generator

Download Software Backlink Generator is a very determine the level of the Google PageRank of a blog / site. The more backlinks a blog has, the greater the chances of getting a high PR.
One way to get backlinks is to comment on blogs or other sites. As for your site or blog is dofollow or nofollow, apparently according to some experts had no effect, because backlinks from blogs that nofollow was also calculated by Google.
The author has a software that works to provide convenience to the users to provide comments to the hundreds or even thousands of blogs / sites in a short time. Try to imagine, if you have to open one by one blog that is scattered in this virtual world, continues to open the post or article that you are interested in, and provide commented, how many minutes per blog you should spend. If you target the 100 blog comments per day for the berries, then how much time you waste?
Well ... This software works to save our time in providing comments to other blogs, so the speed we get a backlink that we are targeting (eg 100 per day).

The following procedure steps:

    1. Download Software Backlink Generator at http://www.ziddu.com/download/7565438/BLGenerator.rar.html
    2. Extract Rar Files with Winrar, then run the file Generator.exe PR Backlink
    3. will go out the window as follows:
    4. Enter your data to a user information column
    5. click keywords, enter the keywords you are targeting from the blog that will be searchable and will be given comments (for example: Resurrection 2012)
    6. Click Start search to start looking for blogs that have the keywords that you'd write
    7. Klick search result, in the Select column With PR, pake More -> 2 to get blog2 that have a PR above 2, or up to you.
    8. then select the blog that you will visit, then click the Start Process
    9. So did the blog you are targeting will appear at the bottom of the application (browe 1 to 10), click procced to display the blog, click on browse one by one below, and begin to give your comment ..