Oh Hail yeah!

We had another great day yesterday.  Started off our morning with a trip to the Royal Gorge!  It was HOT!  The view was amazing and we had a great time

Then we decided to take a jeep trail over to Cripple Creek.  This is where all the REAL fun started!! We could tell it was raining over that way and Craig's famous last words were.....  it looks like it has hail in that storm.

He was right, here is what happened....

It was exciting and fun and scary at the same time.

Kindle News: Plans to escape Apple's stern, over-protected grove

APPLE CLEANUP OF OTHER BOOKSTORE LINKS: WHAT NOW?

EBookMagazine in the UK
"Removal of in-app store links prompts anger, complaints and confusion" as a result of the Apple requirement that rival ebooksellers either 1) make a link to purchase at Apple's store, giving Apple 100% of the other bookstore's 30% revenue share of a book sale (the 30% share for a bookseller was Apple's idea in the first place, causing higher book pricing, or 2) remove any and all links to the other bookseller's stores.

  One thing I had not expected to see:

' The Kindle app’s iTunes listing now has a majority of ‘one star’ reviews alongside negative reviews lamenting the loss of the store link."  [How ironic.]
Users have described the updated, link-less app as “defunct” and “a big step backward”.

Other Kindle app users have made use of the reviews facility to denounce Apple’s policy and to insist that they won’t – as some suggest the iPad maker was hoping – defect to its iBooks store. '

Not surprisingly, though, many regular users were not aware that the link that led to opening the Safari browser to go to the bookstores was just the web-location of the online store.  All that's needed is a bookmark on the device that will take the e-reader owner to amazon.com or to bn.com etc.

  But the inconvenience of having to close the reading app first is not intuitive and has been annoying.  EReader owners wind up irritated at both the app and the suddenly not so magical or revolutionary device.

Tight reins: "Staff employed by Kindle rival Kobo have complained that Apple’s rules even prevented them from explaining why store links have been removed from apps.

That is what happens when you become the richest company around, with $76 billion sitting there and apparently not growing fast enough for comfort.


WallSteetDaily: Is Apple About to Lose its Gatekeeper Status?
Juatin Fritz points out that the Financial Times decided to ignore Apple, withdrew its app and released a [web-based] HTML5 app last month, explaining, "There’s not a single thing we couldn’t do in HTML5 that we could do in our native app [for Apple]."

HTML5 allows coding language developers "to create rich, full-featured webpages" without requiring plug-ins like Adobe Flash.

  Apple has been counting on increasing adoption of HTML5 to provide features that Flash currently does, since Apple doesn't recognize Adobe Flash.
  But now, HTML5 may be helping other companies grow their extra features outside that walled garden tended by Apple's heavy thumb.

  Fritz reminds us that "Mobile developers for the iPhone and iPad can use HTML5 to create applications, too. So instead of storing apps on a mobile device, developers can run them on the web." and adds:

' Tech publisher, VentureBeat, says, the “HTML5 movement has so much momentum that it could defeat the native app — an application that’s designed to run on a single platform — in as little as two years.” '

  Developers won't need permission to upload their own apps online, and HTML5 programs can also be used offline, functioning in areas with no connection. They can run on any operating system.  "So instead of customizing apps for each platform, developers only need to create one universal application."

  The Google Books app doesn't seem to be back in the Apple store, Fritz says, and "starting in August, Google will start supporting all of its web apps, like Gmail and Docs, with HTML5."  He adds that Microsoft announced in June that it was going to HTML5 in Windows 8, and Pandora is making the switch also.

  So, we see a couple of escape routes, with apps for the fast-growing Android market and with HTML5

Amazon announced in December their coming Kindle for Web, which will allow full text of Kindle books to be read in your web browsers - no download or installation required.  This will also allow the usual features - synchronizing of your libraries, last page read, bookmarks, notes & highlights, with your other devices.

 And, Amazon adds, "bookstores, authors, retailers, bloggers and other website owners will be able to offer Kindle books from their own sites, let their readers start enjoying the full text of these books instantly, and earn affiliate fees for doing so."


Photo credit: Communicatrix


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Next stop, Colorado Springs....

We are in Colorado Springs now!  It's just as pretty here! 

 After we got settled in at the RV park, we took off to explore the area and ended up at the Air Force Academy.  It was a little late in the day, we didn't get to visit the Chapel, it was in use (darn it!), but loved seeing the history of the academy and the plane.

 We are planning to go back and see the chapel before we leave!  I'm hoping that we can fit all the fun stuff we have planned in our short time here!

Then we HAD to make a stop at my favorite shopping place - Whole Foods.  We picked up some supplies and goodies and we are going to have a big feast tonight!  We were too tired to cook last night, so we ended up going out for Mexican and then a walk in Manitou Springs.  After that we came back to the RV park to sit by the fire pit and chat! It was a GREAT evening!

Even though I am on vacation, I have been sticking with my fitness plan.  I've been having my shakeology every day, ( I brought the top part of the vita mix with me, but forgot the base.....  first thing I did was go buy a new blender to keep in the RV.  Hello NINJA!)


Moving as much as possible.  I've been averaging about 14,000 steps per day and of course, we have been hiking as much as possible.  My eating has been pretty good.  We usually pack our lunch and take it with us.  Lots of fruit, veggies and hummus and some pretty good sammy's!  I've had a few drinks, but not gone overboard, we've eaten out a couple of times, but mostly we cook in the evenings too!   So, I don't expect to see any big changes on the scale when I get home.

Today we are off to the Royal Gorge and a fun jeep trail over to Cripple Creek!  Gonna be a GREAT day!  Enjoy yours!

one happy bookworm

I went to the condo after work to wait for my mom who had to attend a wedding somewhere in Valle Verde. To kill time, I went to the mall and of course, my first stop was at Fullybooked. I wasn't really expecting to buy anything since most of the books I'm waiting on will not be released until next month, but I just had to browse. And to my pleasant surprise, I saw this on the shelf:

The official release of this 3rd installment is not until next week so I'm really glad that it's already available here. Now I just need to get copies of the 1st and 2nd books at High Street. Maybe I'll drop by there on Monday after work. Hihihi.

I was about to head to the cashier when a stack of boxsets on the floor caught my eye. I decided to check it out and I almost jumped for joy when I saw this hidden at the back:

I've been so frustrated that I'm not able to get this from Amazon and seeing the last set at a cheaper price totally made my day. Without any second thoughts, I told the saleslady that I'll be getting it. Happiness indeed! I just love how all the books look like all lined up...

And the covers are so nice!

I still need to figure out where I'll put these but I'm indeed one happy bookworm today :)

see you soon, Singapore!

What happens on a slow Friday afternoon with not much work to be done and just waiting for the clock to strike 5? An impromptu trip to Singapore! Ochie was just browsing Cebu Pacific's site and noted that they're offering 50% off for flights to Singapore and we were like, let's go then! The next thing we knew, our flights are already booked for a December trip. Hahaha! This time around Ros will finally be joining us and it didn't take much to make Roland to say yes. Too bad Joel and Sharon are already going this September...it would have been just like our Hongkong trip last year. I've never been to Singapore yet so I'm really looking forward to it. Can't wait to have some yummy chili crabs, go to Universal, shop at Charles and Keith (shoes!!!) and explore what the city has to offer. I'm glad I'll be experiencing this with my travel buddies...for sure it will again be a blast! :)

Digitimes Adds Yet More to Rumors re Amazon TabletS

EVEN MORE FROM DIGITIMES ON YOU KNOW WHAT

Subtitle: Send in the Chips!

Can we take any more of these Android tablet rumors?  Just launch them already! :-)  But by everything that's said at Digitimes, they're not quite  ready.  Each time, the latest is whatever myriad of of companies are involved in getting orders or doing shipments for this or for that.

  So far, we haven't read of units being assembled, tested, delivered, refined, etc. (though we can't expect that either), although Quanta was said at one point to have delivered some 7" tablets already but if true, they could have been samples or proposed prototypes.

On July 27, Digitimes's Cage Chao and Steve Shen reported that several Taiwan chip design houses may see their sales increasing 'vigorously' in 2011's 3rd quarter due to "their shipments of IC parts to the supply chain for Amazon's 7- and 10-inch tablet PCs to be launched in the quarter, according to industry sources."  They add:

' With Amazon targeting to ship four million tablet PCs in 2011, IC [integrated circuit] orders from Amazon have become the second largest order from the tablet PC sector, trailing only the iPad, the sources indicated. '

So, this report has the 10" tablet in view for this year also, although that was a secondary target in other reports, with the basic expectation for early 2012 on those.

Their sources are almost certainly from those involved with a "number of Taiwan-based IC design houses", who are hoping to strengthen their presence in the tablet segment and be more competitive against international IC players.

The resourceful Digitimes adds an interesting table of suppliers:

Amazon tablets: Major suppliers for parts and components
Item	Vendor
Touch panels	Wintek, J Touch, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT)
CPU	Nvidia
Touch controller ICs	ILI Technology (Ilitek)
LCD driver ICs	Novatek Microelectronics
Ambient light sensors	Capella Microsystems (Taiwan), Sitronix Technology
Power management ICs	Richtek Technology, Global Mixed-code Technology
Gravity sensors	Sitronix

Sources: Industry sources, compiled by Digitimes, July 2011

Also see the ongoing List of stronger Amazon tablet rumors with dates, titles and links to the Kindleworld blog articles and sources.



Old-fangled dedicated e-readers at lower prices:
Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Dead Island

Dead Island has an impressive trailer for a first person survival shooter. If you like Zombie games then this is the one to get. You can preorder the game now while you watch the trailer.

Buy it here
Dead Island

New active content for Kindle: Hidden Expedition: Amazon + Nonogames

NEW ACTIVE CONTENT FOR KINDLE

Hidden Expedition:
Amazon.

  The image on the right caught my eye last night, and the game that it's from reminds me of the old text games with clues to be picked up and used except that this is more visual.  The image was in color, and of course the Kindle readers (K2, KDX, K3) are not.

  I liked the quality of the b&w images though, and the lead example is from that set.

  It already has some good customer reviews (8 out of 9, with 5 stars).  The Product Details section shows a July 12 release date, but I hadn't been taking note of games for Kindle recently because they're not yet available for international users.  But this looked interesting.

  Hidden Expedition®: Amazon™ has been popular in other editions, and Big Fish just announced the launch of the Kindle edition.

  Businesswire's press release describes the game:

' ...players join the Hidden Expedition team as they search for a missing professor in the mystical world of the Amazon jungle.  With a tattered passport as the only clue, players embark on an adventure deep into the rainforest, exploring cities, temples, and ruins while unlocking the secrets of an ancient yet advanced civilization.  The game features 19 beautifully rendered hidden object levels and four puzzles to challenge the mind. '

  VentureBeat's assessment:

' Hidden Expedition is a hidden object game, where the goal is to search through scenes to find items.  The graphical detail on the Kindle — even though it is in black and white — looks pretty cool thanks to what Big Fish Games was able to do with the latest E-Ink Pearl technology behind the Kindle’s low-power screen.  Each scene has been remastered for the E-Ink display. '

Also new, a Logic puzzle for Kindle
Nonograms is designed for logic and number puzzle lovers, per the Product Description, "simple yet challenging" with the goal of uncovering a hidden black and white pattern.  It has three difficulty levels, for "beginners and experts alike."
  Hints can be requested, and there's an optional time clock. The maker,
Metalgrass Software, says that those who like sudoku and similar number grid puzzles will especially enjoy these.

There are many new Kindle apps at the Active Content pages and you'll see them when you click on either of the above.  These two were chosen as examples because they are so different and will attract different groups.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Amazon's deals with CBS and NBC to Offer Streams of more TV Shows-Movies

On June 20, The L.A. Times's Meg James and Ben Fritz reported that Amazon reached a deal to offer streams of older CBS-owned tv shows, including "Frasier," "Cheers" and "Star Trek."

Financial terms and length of the deal were not known but analysts believe, the L.A. Times said, that the arrangement is for 18 months to two years.

' Beginning next month, customers who subscribe to the Amazon Prime streaming service will have access to episodes of 18 TV series owned by CBS, including Showtime's "The Tudors," and the complete "Star Trek" franchise [as well as "Frasier" and "Cheers"]...

With the deal, Amazon will have more than 8,000 movies and television episodes available through its Prime service plan.  That's still significantly less than the estimated 20,000-plus available from Netflix, which doesn't disclose the exact number.
. . .
Wall Street appears slightly concerned about Amazon's upcoming expenditures as it amasses entertainment content that could be viewed on a variety of devices, including the online bookseller's anticipated competitor to Apple Inc.'s iPad.

"Amazon can potentially succeed in streaming, but not without material startup losses," Barclays Capital media analyst Anthony DiClemente said in a report. "Streaming media is likely to weigh on Amazon margins." '

That would match the news of expected huge expenses projected for the next quarter which some experts expect will be affected by the ramping up of activity in connection with the rumored tablet[s].

TODAY, Bloomberg's Lisa Rapaport reports that Amazon also reached an agreement with NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution, and this deal will include films such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Gosford Park,” and “Elizabeth.”

This adds another 1,000+ to the catalog of streaming video included at no extra cost with the Amazon Prime program, for a total of more than 9,000.

Kindle owners have expressed interest in Amazon's expected tablet and what will be offered for what would be a supplemental or complementary device.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Marvel (TBT-10C) 7 inch Mercury Pad Tablet

Here is a new Tablet from Marvel Digital called the Marvel TBT-20C 7 inch Mercury Pad Tablet. It features Samsung S5PV210, ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 1GHz systhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifem clock, Capacitive Multi Touch Screen, Android 2.3 OS and more. The Tablet is available now for $259.

Product Page HERE

Drinks for 6, dinner for 4, but sleeps 2!

Good morning!  It's a cool one in Colorado today.  We are going hiking again today.  Can't wait!

Yesterday, we took the day off from hiking and went into Loveland and Ft. Collins.  We took the brewery tour, sampled some beers,

had a GREAT lunch at the Beachhouse Grill on the rooftop

and then wandered around the square and made a stop at one of my favorite places - Whole Foods!

On the way home, we stopped at a couple of roadside stands for some local produce and cherry cider.  It's delicious!

This is my favorite photo from yesterday:

We stopped to look at some beautiful flower gardens and Brian decided he didn't need to take a look, but instead catch a little nap!

This is what he missed:

I think I got the better end of the deal!

If you are thinking maybe you'd like to stow away with us on our next trip, here is what Brian has to say about that - "Drinks for 6, dinner for 4, but sleeps 2!"

Discussion:  What is your weather like?  Hope you are able to enjoy your day!

The beauty surrounding me!

It's another beautiful day in Colorado today!  We have been hiking and jeeping and have seen some amazing wildlife on our treks around the countryside.

Elk and deer, moose and bear.  We saw the moose when we were driving into town and I didn't have my camera out.  The bear was in a field not far from our RV park and the only camera I had was on my cell phone.  It's not a very good photo. But, it's the best I have!  I'm hoping to see another moose (from the safety of a long distance or in the vehicle LOL) and get a photo!

I've also seen some beautiful flowers and plants.  It's just a pretty place!  Look how huge this dandelion is!!!

Yesterday my exercise was a 5 mile hike and of course we walked in town as well.  We had a great time and I can't wait to go on another hike!

Discussion:  Do you find time to fit your exercise in while you are on vacation? What do you like to do?

Latest Amazon Tablet Rumor - on a 7" model due end of September

MORE FROM DIGITIMES ON EXPECTED SCREEN DISPLAY

Another update from Digitimes, which is considered a somewhat more solid source of rumors than most, but they tend to give conflicting information.

  Last time out, Quanta was already shipping 7" tablets to Amazon.  This time, they say Quanta "will be solely responsible for assembling the tablet, the sources noted."

Yenting Chen and Adam Hwang write:

' Amazon has settled on a Taiwan-based supply chain for its tablets to be launched in the third quarter of 2011, with TFT-LCD panel maker Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) to supply touch sensors for use in 7-inch G/G (Glass on Glass) touch panels, according to supply chain makers.
...
While Wintek will be the major supplier of ITO touch modules for use in the G/G touch panel, CPT will provide touch sensors for J Touch to make such touch modules, the sources indicated. Based on Amazon's launch plans, 2.0-2.4 million touch panels should be shipped by the end of September and Wintek will account for 70-75% of the volume, the sources pointed out. '

E Ink Holdings is the liaison, and it seems E Ink will become a shareholder of CPT, making it possible for them to use CPT's 6G production capacity.  In addition, the touch screen of Amazon tablets may involve use of E Ink's FFS (fringe field switching) technology.

See this blog's article on E Ink's FFS technology earlier.


Also see the ongoing List of stronger Amazon tablet rumors with dates, titles and links to the Kindleworld blog articles and sources.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Business Insider's look at possible 'Dethroning' of Kindle e-reader

Business Insider's SAI: Tools looks at the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

As with other comparisons I've read, I've been interested in seeing which review sites note the lesser screen-contrast of the Nook Touch after being mesmerized by the touchscreen aspects.  In this article, headlined "Can the Kindle be Dethroned? Here's Our Ultimate E-Reader Showdown," the photo slideshow comparison is marred by glare from lighting in the room, and you can see the pink-orange light and lack of detail where it falls, but you can still see what they're getting at.

  The examples and header text below are straight from Business Insider's article, without the usual reduction, which would change the comparison properties:

Text on the Kindle has high contrast and looks the best. Blacks look the blackest on Kindle.

Text on the Nook looks good, but not great. There's noticeable jagginess on letters

They also note that with page turning, both the Nook and Kobo 'flash' black only every few pages, "which makes the reading experience more immersive" but they add that it sometimes "ends up being a distraction" because the screen flashes are more unpredictable and the screens can contain remnants of previous pages, so it's a "tradeoff."

The review of features with emphasis on touchscreen aspects doesn't go into the other features the way a Melissa Perenson would (PC World) nor with the thoroughness of Ars Tehnica, but they illustrate pretty well the pros and cons they mention.
  To the left is a photo of a Kindle 3 and an iriver Story HD.

Here's an earlier article on Kindle 3 screen contrast vs the lesser screen-contrast in new touchscreen models.  It includes the NY Times story by Nick Bilton about Amazon sources reporting noting less contrast while working with e-Ink touchcscreens in their labs.  It also includes links to the earlier thorough comparisons.



Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

more from the Boy Who Lived

The story of the boy who lived has ended but the magic continues. I can't wait to get a copy of this book!

"Harry Potter: Page to Screen opens the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the closed film sets, and rare memorabilia. As the definitive look at the magic that made cinematic history, Page to Screen is the ultimate collectible, perfect for Muggles everywhere."

It will be releaesed not until October though. I hope it would be available here. But if not, no worries, it's already waiting in my Amazon cart :)

Snow Day in July?

We are having a blast in Colorado and yesterday we got to experience a complete change in temperature.  We are in the Rocky Mountain National Park and when we headed into the park it was in the 90's.  As we climbed to the top, we played in the snow and the temperature had drastically dropped.  The thermometer in the car said it was in the 70's, but it was colder than that!!

Snow day in July is awesome, especially when you drive a few more miles and it is over!  That is MY kind of snow day!

 Climbing up was a lot easier than climbing down.  More like sliding down!!!

We have seen some amazing wildlife as well.  Elk, moose, deer and even a bear last night!  Tomorrow I'll post photos of those!

For now, we are off on a 6 mile hike to the lake!  This should be another fantastic day!

Discussion:  Do you have vacation plans this summer?  Where are you going or where have you been?

Kindle books still readable on Apple devices but Buy button removed -- 100 newspapers + magazines now readable via Kindle Apple app

KINDLE BUY BUTTON REMOVED FROM APPLE DEVICES

Amazon explained today (along with Barnes and Noble, Kobo and others) that offering books via a 'Buy' button within a app on an Apple device will no longer be done.

' The Amazon Kindle team says:
(AMAZON OFFICIAL)
Initial post: Jul 25, 2011 8:17:43 AM PDT

We wanted to let you know that we've updated our Kindle app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.  The big change is that you can now use the Kindle app to read over 100 Kindle newspapers and magazines including the Economist, as well as share favorite passages from your reading via Facebook and Twitter.

 In order to comply with recent policy changes by Apple, we've also removed the "Kindle Store" link from within the app that opened Safari and took you to the Kindle Store.

 You can still shop as you always have - just open Safari and go to www.amazon.com/kindlestore.  If you want, you can bookmark that URL.  Your Kindle books will be delivered automatically to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, just as before.

Thank you,

The Kindle Team '

Apple did 'soften' its rules (or face the DOJ?) to nominally allow e-readers to allow apps to increase the product price by 30% to give Apple the entire profit margin of a book (it's assumed by all the articles that Apple wanted that full 30%).
  But Amazon is not likely to want the customer to think Amazon is raising the price that high.

  In the meantime, the 30% share that Apple wanted is exactly the entire profit Amazon, B&N, or Kobo would make from a sales of any of the Big6 publishers' books, by Apple's own 'Agency' model used (and which Steve Jobs encouraged the publishers to use in place of traditional wholesaler models).

  So, Apple wanted 100% of the online-bookstores' take on books that would be bought from a link to an external site within the app -- or those vendors would have to offer the customer the option to buy a book at the same price from Apple instead and therefore make $0.00 profit from a sale after Apple's take.

In my February 24 blog article, I explained the title: Why Kindle books will be readable & sync'd on Apple devices no matter what.

Also, for the first time, Kindle users can do something on the Apple devices that they've been able to do on Android devices for months

' Read over 100 newspapers and magazines including The Economist and Reader's Digest with high resolution color images.  Visit the Kindle Store to subscribe to a newspaper or magazine and have each edition automatically delivered, or purchase individual issues ... '

According to Cnet's David Carnoy, Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis said recently, during a visit to CNet offices:

' "Aside from not having any links to an e-bookstore," Serbinis said, "you can't even mention your Web site or explain to readers from within the app how to purchase books and get them onto the device. It's very simple to do, but some people downloading the app for the first time might not figure it out."

... But at least Apple has allowed e-reading apps from other companies to remain in the App Store. You can choose to see that as a magnanimous gesture--or not. '

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For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics - USA: by: NEW:  May  June  July 2011    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

Thrive in 30

I have been participating in the Thrive in 30 program.  It is a free 30 day online wellness program designed to increase your knowledge of plant based nutrition.  During the 30 days, I've been watching 12 video enchanced lessons on key health topics including nutrition, fitness and lifestyle tips.  Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive:  The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. 



I've had this book for a couple of years now and really enjoyed the book as well as many of the recipes.  Brendan is an athlete and I love that he is promoting vegan fitness.  Most people think that vegans aren't able to compete at a higher level and Brendan has proved this theory wrong!







Thrive in 30 is an easy program for me to follow since I eat a mostly vegan diet anyway, but I truly believe that anyone can follow the program.  It is about making small changes to your diet and fitness routines.  Adding in more fruits/veggies, drinking a green smoothie daily.  Small changes will increase your energy levels, you will sleep better, look better, and feel better!

What I have learned from these lessons: 

eating a vegan, plant based diet makes me:

feel my best
sleep better 
lose a few lbs
take a little longer to plan  and prepare my meals
and realize that total health nutrition can come from a plant based diet.

I am glad that I am participating in this program.  It has made me re-connect to why I wanted to eat a mostly plant based diet in the first place. 

My Health Story:
 

I was suffering from migrane headaches all the time, I mean, at least one per week.  I felt horrible every single day.  I had a headache every day, it was just a matter of how intense it was.  I was trying to be a mom to 3 very active boys, my husband and I owned a construction company and were trying to keep our 30 employess working, so stress was a huge \factor for me.   I was taking so much medication for my headaches that I developed an ulcer and was starting to get arthritis in my joints.  I was only in my 30's.  This shouldn't be happening to me.  My doctors were baffled as nothing was really helping.  I was getting bi-weekly massages to help with the headaches and my amazing massuese, Connie Brown, told me that maybe it was my diet.  I was like the typical American eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) and thought she was nuts, but I was so miserable, I was willing to try ANYTHING!!  So, I followed her advice and changed my diet - drastically.  I started eating a RAW diet.  That is so hard to do in Missouri in the winter, however, I noticed major improvements within a few days.  I had to get over the sugar and caffeine withdrawals and then I noticed my headaches were lessening.  I stuck with the raw diet for 30 days and decided that I would just eat a vegetarian diet.  I started reading health and diet books and found that Marilu Henner's book Total Health Makeover worked the best for me.  Over the years, my diet evolved into a total vegan diet.  This worked for a long time.  No more headaches, my doctors couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it.  Today I eat a mostly vegan diet.  I do have some fish and eggs on occasion and the only dairy I have is in my shakeology and as soon as the vegan version is available, that will be going by the wayside as well.  I still get headaches occasionally, but honestly, I can't remember the last time I had a migrane.  I've been so happy that I have now incorporated my new health/fitness regime into a job!

Before

 After

If you are at all even remotely interested in trying out a plant based diet, head over to Thrive in 30 and give this a try.  You definitely have NOTHING TO LOSE!  Your health will change for the better and you will feel better!  I promise you that!  It may not be easy, but it is so worth it!

Sign up here to get started today! 

http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=BLOG 


Discussion:  Have you changed your health around?  If so, what did you do that made the biggest impact?