Kobo Announces Three New Readers

The Amazon announcement is still an hour off, so I've been surfing the web, looking for leaks (such as the new Kindle commercial). I found rumors that Barnes & Noble will be bringing out a new tablet this fall, although it may just join their current offerings, rather than replacing the original Color and current Tablet, both of which are still available, and across the big news from Kobo. They scooped Amazon by announcing three new reader devices, two of which are eInk based: Kobo Glo ($129.99), a side-lit 6" eInk reader similar to the nook Glow, and Kobo Mini ($79.99), a 5" touchscreen reader for those who want the most portability - just don't try to walk around with it in your pocket as shown on their web page or you'll probably break the screen. The Kobo Arc ($199.99), looks a lot more like a nook Tablet than the old Kobo Vox, which I thought was a very disappointing tablet; the specs on this new tablet look like they may have a winner, this time. One great feature of the Kobo Arc will be full access to the Google Play store, which B&N and Amazon both lock you out of.

There are also some accessories announced, but nothing can be pre-ordered yet; after my very bad experience pre-ordering a Vox (because they are in Canada, many US credit card companies can stop transactions; despite many confirmations from Kobo, my Vox never shipped and I had to get someone in the company to assist personally to get one here), I'll hold off ordering one until they are actually shipping. I know I used to be able to buy Kobo's readers at Books-A-Million, locally, but they seem to have discontinued them and have adopted B&N's nook as their ereader of choices (which seems to be a very bad business choice, since that would then give you much faster access to B&N's ebookstore and not BAM's), so mail-order will probably be the best way to get a reader in the US. Kobo is starting to partner with independent bookstores, but I don't know if any local stores will be signed up. Those of you in Canada and Japan will probably be able to find the devices in local retail stores.

Back to those Amazon rumors: some people think they saw an iPad size Kindle tablet in the commercial that was leaked, but it really looks more like an ultraBook (there are shots with a keyboard and a mouse). Others are talking about an Amazon phone, which would probably be a great mid-range Android based phone, that (like the Kindle Fire), doesn't try to scoop up the high end/business market, but will be an irresistible choice for those who have a lot of content in the Amazon Cloud.

Free Audiobook - The Mountain [UK]

The audiobook edition of The Mountain, a short story by J. J. Bell, narrated by Cathy Dobson, is free in the UK Audible store.

Book Description
'The Mountain' is a humorous story in the vein of Compton McKenzie's Whisky Galore. When a tourist visits a remote Highland Glen and lets it be known that he has left a full bottle of the region's finest whisky on top of the nearest mountain, the crofters need all their collective cunning to devise a plan to retrieve it. The story takes an unexpected twist at the end.

J.J.Bell (1871-1934) was a journalist and author who lived and worked in Glasgow. He was probably best known as the creator of the humorous "Wee McGreegor" stories for the Glasgow Evening Times, which were so popular they were turned into a series of books and later a film. Many of Bell's tales were written in the vernacular, which is partly what made them so popular.

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Free Audiobook - The Link [UK]

The audiobook edition of The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor (Kindle Main/UK), by Colin Tudge, narrated by Robert Petkoff, is free in the UK Audible store.

Book Description
For more than a century, scientists have raced to unravel the human family tree and have grappled with its complications. Now, with an astonishing new discovery, everything we thought we knew about primate origins could change.

Lying inside a high-security vault, deep within the heart of one of the world's leading natural history museums, is the scientific find of a lifetime - a perfectly fossilized early primate, older than the previously most famous primate fossil, Lucy, by 44 million years. A secret until now, the fossil - "Ida" to the researchers who have painstakingly verified her provenance - is the most complete primate fossil ever found.

Forty-seven million years old, Ida rewrites what we've assumed about the earliest primate origins. Her completeness is unparalleled - so much of what we understand about evolution comes from partial fossils and even single bones, but Ida's fossilization offers much more than that, from a haunting "skin shadow" to her stomach contents. And, remarkably, knowledge of her discovery and existence almost never saw the light of day.

With exclusive access to the first scientists to study her, the award-winning science writer Colin Tudge tells the history of Ida and her place in the world. A magnificent, cutting-edge scientific detective story followed her discovery, and The Link offers a wide-ranging investigation into Ida and our earliest origins. At the same time, it opens a stunningly evocative window into our past and changes what we know about primate evolution and, ultimately, our own

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Free Audiobook - Lonesome Dove [UK]

The audiobook edition of Lonesome Dove (Kindle Main/UK), by Larry McMurty, narrated by Lee Horsley, is free in the UK Audible store.

Book Description
Lonesome Dove is a dusty little Texas town where heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers embody the spirit and defiance of the last wilderness. Larry McMurtry's American epic, set in the late 19th century, tells the story of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, a drive that represents not only a daring foolhardy adventure, but a part of the American Dream for everyone involved. Lee Horsley, one of TV's most popular leading men and star of the Old West series Paradise, narrates this compelling saga.

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Free Audiobook - Headhunters [UK]

The audiobook edition of Headhunters (Kindle Main/UK), by Jo Nesbo, narrated by Sean Barrett, is free in the UK Audible store.

Book Description
With Headhunters, Jo Nesbø has crafted a funny, dark, and twisted caper story worthy of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers. FIRST TIME PUBLISHED IN THE U.S. NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM MAGNOLIA PICTURES.

Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, and he’s a master of his profession. But one career simply can’t support his luxurious lifestyle and his wife’s fledgling art gallery. At an art opening one night he meets Clas Greve, who is not only the perfect candidate for a major CEO job, but also, perhaps, the answer to his financial woes: Greve just so happens to mention that he owns a priceless Peter Paul Rubens painting that’s been lost since World War II—and Roger Brown just so happens to dabble in art theft. But when he breaks into Greve’s apartment, he finds more than just the painting. And Clas Greve may turn out to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to Roger Brown.

Get the free audiobook from Audible UK (some geographic restrictions may apply)