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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Save $20 on coffee & tea essentials (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers:

Save $20 on a $50 purchase of coffee & tea essentials at Amazon.com

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page to receive an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on August 28.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Special Offer page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until September 28 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

This offer can be used more than once per account, so long as you have more than one KSO registered. Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

When I first saw this offer, I first thought "ooh, we can always use more coffee", then I saw the word "essentials". My next thought - "how did Amazon know we were talking about getting a new, glass French Press?' Alas, neither is on this sale. Instead, there are dozens of items, from gorgeous to whimsical: coffee servers (some porcelain, some silver and goofy red tower that includes the cups), tea pots, cups, thermoses, travel mugs, cream and sugar sets, glassware and a lot of stuff that isn't "coffee" related, at all - cake stands, serving platters, knife sets, cutting boards, etc. There is one french press, but it's a travel mug version (and I actually have one of those, already). I don't doubt I'll find a few things there I might like; for those starting out, though, there are several essentials that would work well, so be sure to check out the list if you have any graduation or newlywed gifts on the horizon. I noticed a few of the items also qualify for a 4-for-3 promotion, so you may be able to double up on that with this offer, as well (I saw one Tea For One Set (a pot/cup single serving combo) on this offer, for example, that worked out to getting four of the item for the cost of about 2; or you could get three of them and the discount and pick any item on the 4-for-3 promotion as the "free" item).

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Free and Bargain Book Updates

The $7.95 audiobook at Audible today is Watership Down, by Richard Adams, narrated by Ralph Cosham. It looks like we can access the previous books for at least a couple of days (maybe even throughout the sale).

Some updates on free books:
  • The Promise, by Robert J. Morgan, is now free in the Kindle store (and from iBooks, as well).
  • Whispers in the Sand, by Barbara Erskine, is no longer free from B&N and isn't likely to drop at Amazon.
  • Both Itsy Bitsy, by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, and The Lake, by Tananarive Due, are now free from B&N, making all three three short stories in this post available both there and from Kindle.

New Kindle Games - Diamond Crosswords

If there is one thing readers like in a game, it seems to be more words! Puzux, maker of Diamond Crosswords - 50 Easy Puzzles, has expanded this line of crosswords and added three new selections:
Game Description
Diamond Crosswords, is a unique twist on the classic crossword puzzle.

Diamond Crosswords combines the fun of classic crossword puzzles with a unique, diamond-shape design. Each puzzle is smaller than a traditional crossword and features everyday vocabulary words. You can navigate clues and change the solving direction - Across or Down - using quick keyboard shortcuts, and an indicator will always show you which clue you're working on and in what direction. You can also zoom in or out to increase or decrease the puzzle grid size to fit your preference, as well as check for errors, reveal a letter, or get a puzzle completely solved if you're stuck. Designed by professional puzzle writers and developers Myles Mellor, Bob Williams, and David L. Hoyt, Diamond Crosswords is sure to be enjoyed by crossword lovers.

Try Diamond Crosswords on Kindle today!
As with all Active Content, these are restricted from export, so only available to US Kindle customers.

New Kindle App - Doodle for Kindle

Doodle for Kindle, a line drawing app from 16 Hands, really seems to be pushing the envelope, as far as possibility with the Kindle hardware. Essentially, they've given us an etch-a-sketch app on Kindle and I suspect most of us will be hard pressed to draw anything that is easily recognizable, while the artists amongst us will create breathtaking images that the rest of us can't imagine how they achieved. Unlike that etch-a-sketch, though, you can save your masterpieces. It looks like it might be a good time filler for kids (assuming you let your kids play with your Kindle, especially an app that uses the five-way extensively) and I suspect it won't be long before some enterprising groups start using it as a bar game or during charades. Amazingly, it has all 5-star reviews, so far, and I have to wonder if it will work even better on any new Kindle hardware that might be released later this year (rumors abound of a touch screen version of the Kindle).
App Description
A great drawing tool for kids, Doodle makes creating line art easy and fun.

We know how much kids like to take a break and draw every once in a while, and Doodle for Kindle helps kids create line drawings as simple or as complex as their imagination allows. Your kids can use the 5-way or keyboard to start drawing on Kindle right away, and they can use drawing features that include a press-and-hold to draw mode, a continuous mode in which they can press once to start drawing, and press again to stop, or use a step mode which lets them draw short, precise segments with each press. It's easy for them to change segment lengths, save their drawings, change drawing speeds, and choose between black on white drawings or white on black drawings.

Doodle comes with drawing samples that include an elegant swan, the Mona Lisa, a mouse, and the Seattle skyline. Don't worry about the samples being drawn over. Your child can save the drawings with their changes or reset them back to their original state.

Have fun watching your kids create their own works of art, or even enjoy the fun of doodling on Kindle yourself! Get Doodle today.

Kindle Game Sale - Learning Games for 99 Cents

As part of a back-to-school sale, it seems, Amazon has teamed up with several of the Kindle Game developers to bring you an even dozen learning games at a sale price of 99 cents (thru Aug 29). At these prices, I've picked a few that I had resisted earlier.
  1. Scripps Spelling Bee: Word Games, by THQ
  2. Math Star, by puzzle.tv
  3. Spelling Star, by puzzle.tv
  4. Spelling Star Spanish Edition, by puzzle.tv
  5. Ultimate Math Skills Quiz, by HandyX
  6. Ultimate Shakespeare Quiz, by HandyX
  7. Letter Lander, by Gameblend Studios
  8. Flash Cards: Basic Math for Kids, by Digi Ronin Games
  9. Flash Cards: Fractions for Kids, by Digi Ronin Games
  10. Flash Cards: Animals for Kids, by Digi Ronin Games
  11. Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling for Kids, by Digi Ronin Games
  12. Flash Cards: Foods for Kids, by Digi Ronin Games