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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Lightning Deal: Belkin Vue Kindle Sleeve $24.99

This morning's Lightning Deal is $5 off the Belkin Vue Kindle Sleeve, which is normally $30, making it $24.99. You get a choice of four colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Coral Pink and Plum (which is going fast). For those who want to read their Kindle naked (as I've been doing since the last update, as my Kindle has started rebooting in the lighted case, as it did when it was first introduced and hasn't done since the first update they released to cure the issue), this looks like a nice protective case and there's a clear section in the front where you could slip in an ID or credit card when out and about.

The sale goes until 10 AM in Seattle (1PM EST) or until the stock runs out. Be sure to put the item in your cart on the Lightning Deal page to get the discount, but remember that you only have 15 minutes (or until the deal expires) to complete your purchase.

Description
Featuring a Perfect Plum color scheme, Belkin's Vue Sleeve (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle) is designed to protect your Amazon latest generation Kindle so you can safely take it with you wherever you go. The unique Vue design offers a custom fit with a secure zipper closure and an expandable, see-through pocket for accessories. The durable neoprene sleeve has a slim profile with a surprising capacity. For added protection, a reinforced panel guards your device's screen, and the soft lining helps to keep it free of scratches.

Keep Your Kindle Safe from Harm
Built to fit both your Amazon Kindle and your favorite accessories, the Vue sleeve keeps your Kindle in top shape by protecting it from mishaps and jostling. The sleeve prevents it from rubbing against keys, pens, and all the other essentials in your day bag, safeguarding your e-reader investment. A reinforced panel offers added protection for your device's all-important screen. And the sleeve's soft lining prevents nicks and scratches.

See-Through Design with Room for Accessories
Whether you use your Kindle for casual reading or to review important documents on your way to the office, you know that the device's biggest virtues are convenience and portability. Naturally, you'll want a sleeve that's every bit as convenient and portable as your device. The Vue Sleeve delivers exactly that by ensuring quick access to your Kindle via a twin-zipper design. For further convenience, the sleeve opens along the full height of your device, and it features a large-capacity see-through pocket that makes your favorite accessories both easy to bring along and easy to locate.

Durable, Lightweight Materials Stand Up to Daily Use
Dependable and lightweight, the Vue Sleeve is made of durable neoprene for long-term use. And caring for your Vue Sleeve is easy. If it needs a cleaning, you can simply hand wash the case with mild soap and water.

This Belkin Vue Sleeve is backed by a one-year limited warranty.

Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging
This product features Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging that is recyclable. It comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, or wire ties. The packaging is designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife, and it will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging. Products with Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be shipped in their own boxes, without an additional shipping box, saving on resources and reducing waste. In addition, the packaging materials that are used are easily and frequently recycled, composted, or reused by our customers, and all the inks and dyes are biodegradable.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Free and Bargain Book Update (EPUB/nook)

The Sourcebooks 99 Cent Book Sale at Amazon for books from publisher Sourcebooks, has spread to both B&N and Kobo. The books are $0.99 at B&N and $0.89 at Kobo, but there you can use coupon code mar22ww1 ($1 off, unlimited use, expires March 24, 2011) and get them for free (two are not available at Kobo or are full price). I expect this sale to evaporate soon, so grab the free ones while you can (and decide quickly on the others). I already had a few of these and picked up a couple this time at Amazon; after I added the rest of the free ones from Kobo, that left only one that I'm going to pass on (even if it is only 99 cents).

Newly added at B&N and Kobo:
  1. Dating Mr. December, by Phillipa Ashley ($0.99 Kindle, B&N)
  2. Beautiful People, by Wendy Holden ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  3. Miranda's Big Mistake, by Jill Mansell ($0.99 Kindle, B&N)
  4. Amelia O'Donohue Is So Not a Virgin, by Helen FitzGerald ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  5. Lady of Hay, by Barbara Erskine ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  6. Greatest Knight, by Elizabeth Chadwick ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  7. Kingmaking, by Helen Hollick ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  8. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, by Amanda Grange ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
  9. Willoughby's Return, by Jane Odiwe ($0.99 Kindle, B&N)
  10. Other Mr. Darcy, by Monica Fairview ($0.99 Kindle, B&N; $0.89 free Kobo)
These by Jane Austen are still only available from Amazon or B&N:
  1. Emma: The Illustrated Edition ($0.99, B&N)
  2. Mansfield Park: The Illustrated Edition ($0.99, B&N)
  3. Northanger Abbey: The Illustrated Edition ($0.99, B&N)
  4. Persuasion: The Illustrated Edition ($0.89 Kindle; $0.99 B&N)
  5. Pride and Prejudice: The Illustrated Edition ($0.89 Kindle; $0.99 B&N)
  6. Sense and Sensibility: The Illustrated Edition ($0.89 Kindle; $0.99 B&N
Indie books that are repeat freebies in the Kindle store:
  1. Get Some, by Daniel Birch 
  2. Whirl of the Wheel, by Catherine Condie 

    Amazon Opens AppStore with free Angry Birds Rio

    As has been rumored for some time, this first day of Spring is the day chosen to launch the Amazon Appstore for Android. You are going to want to bookmark the Appstore for Android Deals page, because they are promising to give us one free app every day! If you have a browser that lets you designate multiple tabs for your Home page, be sure to add it (and hey, you could add Books on the Knob, too!); if not, then set a bookmark that you'll remember to open each day (I have an entire group that I open daily, called (of course) "Daily Pages"; with Firefox, I can open the entire group each day, which I do while waiting for the coffee to get ready). Another one to bookmark is the Free Apps for Android page, where there are currently 1,439 free Apps. One great feature (ok, two) is that you can manage your apps and devices, just like you do with the Kindle (and you can re-download any app that you have deleted on your device) and, since it's Amazon, you don't have to worry about processing the payment (they'll even come off your gift card balance, just like Kindle books, if you want to avoid having lots of tiny charges on your credit card to reconcile or if your bank is one of those that tends to mark such activity as fraudulent and freezes your card). once you've made an app purchase in the Amazon Appstore, you can run it on any of your Android devices (without having to repurchase). They are also going to let you testdrive apps on your desktop, before you purchase, but that feature seems to be turned off for the moment (I've seen a few press stories about how it works, but the TestDrive button isn't showing up for me, in FireFox or IE).

    Today's free app is Angry Birds Rio ($0.99 FREE!), by Rovio Mobile

    Book Description
    Just when you thought they couldn't get any angrier, the Angry Birds flock gains new cause for vengeance. Swept away by smugglers to Rio di Janeiro, their captors soon find out that these caged birds don't sing. It's time to bring back their unique brand of weaponry--the finger-powered slingshot--and launch the newest adventure in the world's most popular physics-based casual game.

    In the original Angry Birds, this peace-loving flock was hoodwinked by greedy green pigs with a hunger for poached eggs. After the pigs stole their precious eggs, this flock was friendly no more: unleashing an arsenal of angry bird artillery, the avian army smashed through the green pigs and their hideouts. The world pulled the trigger with glee as these ornery birds made bacon out of swine.

    Free Book (noDRM) - Rampant

    Rampant ($9.99 Kindle), by Saskia Walker, is free from Mills & Boon on their Everyone's Reading page. This, at last, is the mystery book that has been "coming soon" on that page for months and you heard it here first (because I wrote them and asked if it would ever be making an appearance). It's available in DRM-free EPUB and Mobi (although I couldn't get this format to download, so I'll just toss the EPUB into Calibre and email it to my Kindle from there).

    Book Description
    The moment she arrives at her rented vacation cottage in Scotland, Zoe Daniels feels it--an arousal so powerful she's compelled to surrender to the unusually forceful carnal desires...with nearly anyone who crosses her path. Crawford Logan, the boat builder with the wayward grin. The devilish restaurateur Cain Davot, who seems to know more about Zoe than he lets on. Even her sexy neighbor Grayson Murdoch, whose eyes delve into her soul as he explores every inch of her body.

    Yet there's something unsettling about the way the locals watch her, something eerie about these overwhelming encounters. Zoe knows she's not quite in control and wonders if there's any truth to the legend of Annabel McGraw, a powerful, promiscuous eighteenth-century witch who once owned the cottage, and whose spirit is rumored to affect anyone who stays there. Zoe doesn't believe in anything occult, but now strange visions are turning frightening...and only one man's touch can bring her back to earth.


    Click HERE to get the free book (and the other eleven on the page, if you haven't been there before).

    Support Japanese Disaster Relief at O'Reilly

    If you buy technical books or videos (computer programming, business, using Microsoft/Apple products, etc), you may want to check out O'Reilly's Deal of the Day. Today only, you can use coupon code DDJPN during checkout to get 50% off ebooks and videos and all revenues after author royalties will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society. So far, they have raised $40,000 and hope to reach $200,000.

    If you just want to donate to disaster relief, you can do so on the Amazon website and the entire amount will go to the American Red Cross (donations over $250 will get receipts for tax purposes). But, if you need a few technical books, today's deal at O'Reilly lets you get them at half price and a portion will go directly to Japan (the American Red Cross fund is for future disasters, with the amount they direct to Japan coming out of past contributions).