Barnes & Noble has finally enabled gifting of ebooks and nook apps on their website (they had this sort of working a couple of weeks ago, but you had to know the ISBN and go to a store and have the store clerk send the ebook gift ... way too complicated and prone to error, not to mention requiring driving to a store, which isn't always that easy for everyone). On all non-pre-order ebooks, there is now a small line with a gift box icon that reads Buy As Gift. In addition to pre-orders, you can't gift a free ebook (both restrictions are the same as at Amazon).
I tested this out on a low-cost (99 cent) book (in case I was stuck paying for it) and you are prompted to enter details for the recipient, but I didn't see any way to specify WHEN you want the ebook delivered, so if you want a Christmas surprise, you'll need to stay up late on Christmas Eve. You'll want to be very sure the recipient has a nookColor or nookTablet if you gift a nook App, but being able to send someone an app puts B&N one step ahead of Amazon (who should be able to add this fairly easily, since they already allow gifting of music and Kindle books). For convenience, though, sending a delayed delivery gift of an ebook via Amazon is definitely the way to go.
I just checked today's 10 cent Android apps and none of them have been marked down yet at Amazon (last night, all of the ones on both platforms were marked down, so I wonder if it is only in reaction to being reported by large numbers that they drop at Amazon)? Anyway, there are several interesting games, including DEER HUNTER 3D ($4.99 Amazon) on today's list, including a Swype replacement, a PDF reader, a toddler zoo game and several games for all ages in today's lineup (of eleven, not just 10). I'll report a few of them myself and check the list again later tonight to see if any dropped at Amazon, as I prefer to get them there, so they'll work on the Kindle Fire in addition to my phone and tablet.Update: The apps have started dropping in price! DEER HUNTER 3D is now 10 cents (it wasn't 10 minutes ago), so you should be able to start comparing the list to the ones at Amazon (I have to run out the door in 5 minutes, so won't be able to create a list to click here until later tonight).
Update: These are the apps that are now 10 cents at Amazon:
- SwiftKey X, by TouchType Ltd.
- DEER HUNTER 3D, by Glu Mobile Inc.
- MX Moto, by Camel Games
- ZENONIA, by GAMEVIL, Inc
- Guns'n'Glory, by www.handy-games.com GmbH
- ezPDF Reader, by Unidocs Inc.
- Collapse!, by Real Networks Inc
The Grail Conspiracy ($0.99), the first title in the Cotten Stone series by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.Book Description
Winner of Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award for Best Mystery
On assignment in the Middle East, television journalist Cotten Stone stumbles upon an archeological dig that uncovers the world's most-sought-after religious relic: the Holy Grail. With his last dying breath, Dr. Gabriel Archer gives it to Cotten, uttering "You are the only one" in a language she's heard from only one other person--her deceased twin sister.
What begins as a hot news story for the ambitious young reporter soon turns into a nightmare when the Holy Grail is stolen and strange "accidents" befall her dearest friends. Running for her life, she turns to John Tyler, a priest with firsthand knowledge of religious artifacts, for help. An anonymous source leads them to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, where an abominable experiment is underway that--unless destroyed--promises to unleash an ancient evil upon the Earth.
Ancestor Stones ($1.55 / £0.99 UK), by Aminatta Forna, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).Book Description
Abie follows the arc of a letter from London back to Africa to a coffee plantation that now could be hers if she wants it. Standing among the ruined groves she strains to hear the sound of the past, but the layers of years are too many. Thus begins the gathering of her family's history through the tales of her aunts - four women born to four different wives of a wealthy plantation owner, her grandfather. Asana, Mariama, Hawa and Serah: theirs is the story of a nation, a family and four women's attempts to alter the course of her own destiny.
A Charlie Brown Christmas ($4.99 B&N), by Charles M. Schulz, is the Nook Daily Find; there doesn't seem to be an edition on Kindle and this is a "NOOK Kids Read and Play" edition at B&N, which means it only works NOOK Color and NOOK Tablet.Book Description
When Charlie Brown sets out to find a Christmas tree to use for the holiday play, he takes a step toward discovering the true meaning of Christmas. His scraggly tree-with some assistance from Linus and his blue blanket-thrives with a little love and makes the message of the season shine through!
This NOOK Kids Read and Play book features narration, animation and interactivity. Kids can choose to hear the story read aloud and play activities on select pages of the book. Animations replay with a simple tap. Plus, kids can tap to enlarge text and pinch & stretch to zoom in on pictures.
