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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Free Overnight Shipping; Clothes and Accessories for your Kindle

I know there are a lot of women getting either a new Kindle (or even a a Kindle DX for Mother's Day), but they won't be getting Amazon's Burgundy Red Leather Cover ($34.99) unless it's already been ordered, as it's now out of stock (so is the Pink one). If you haven't placed an order and need it by tomorrow, you are in luck, as Amazon has Free Overnight Shipping on both Kindle models today.

That won't help with a new cover or skin, though, as even the black cover is two to three weeks behind on shipping. There are, however, some third party choices available and some of those are at amazing bargain prices. I haven't tried any of these myself and some have one or two bad reviews, but the overall reviews seem pretty positive (and some of these covers look just like M-Edge or other high dollar covers). Most of these will incur third-party shipping charges and I doubt you can get them overnight (which would negate the bargain prices), but they are a nice option for those shopping for themselves or who aren't in quite as big a hurry on their gifts.

Her Abstraction and Pink Tranquility Protective Decal Skins ($14.99). No idea if this one is completely new, but it's new to me and would match a pink cover quite well. I like having a skin on my Kindle, as it was picking up smudge marks from handling, before I covered it.
  • Each kit covers the front and back of the Amazon Kindle 2
  • Non permanent adhesive backing that allows you to simply peel off the skins with no sticky residue
  • Scratch resistant protective shields made out of high-quality vinyl
  • Thin enough to maintain compatibility with most accessories and cases; tough enough to absorb the minor abuse that makes a device look dingy
  • Compatible with Kindle 2 only. NOT for Kindle 1.
CrazyOnDigital has a super price on their Red Leather Case ($8.98), which ships with both an anti-scratch screen protector (which I personally see no need for) and a free CrazyonDigital wristband (these come with many of their products and again, see kind of a waste of space, but your kids might want it). They also have a Black Leather Case for $12.98, with screen protector (but no wristband).
  • Securely holds Amazon Kindle 2 in place with flexible strap on each corner
  • Sturdy and stylish leather exterior protects Kindle
  • Soft suede interior protects screen from scratches
  • Premium quality leather case for latest generation Amazon Kindle 2 E-book reading device
There are also a number of case styles available, such as these: the Brown Executive Leather Sleeve ($3.99), the Purse Style Carrying Sleeve ($4.99), theCrocodile Skin Case ($4.99) and the Executive Designer Leather Case Cover ($4.99), as well as a number of NeoPrene Cases and Sleeves, for those who are avoiding leather.

One item I'd pick up for sure, if I was using a Kindle 2 instead of a DX and original Kindle, is this stand: Sync and Charging Dock Cradle ($4.99). If they come up with one for the DX, I'm going to snap it up - charging and angled for reading all at the same time, it would be perfect for use in the Kitchen.

I'm also a bit tempted by some of their accessory kits, such as the one with Green Lime skin case + Auto Car Charger + Home Travel Charger + 2X Screen Protectors for $1.99 -- the skin won't fit mine, but both chargers will work (with the DX), as will the screen protectors (on my K1). Even with shipping, it's under five bucks.

I don't think the Hard Crystal Cases ($1.99) have been all that popular, but the Silicone Skins (this one's pink) ($0.99) seem to be a pretty good deal and can be bought in sets of several colors ($7.99) or picked up as part of a massive Accessory Kit ($14.99) that has four skins, a hard case, a travel charger, a car charger, two screen protectors and a set of earbuds along with a unique Crazyondigital fishbone headphone winder.

See all the CrazyOnDigital products for Kindle, HERE.

If you prefer to stay with a larger name brand (and I'm very happy with the products I've purchased from them), M-Edge has several new styles to choose from, including a purse-like Journey Bag, which is currently on sale for $29.99 (down from $39.99) and comes in several solid or bright color combos, as well as in three different colors of camouflauge. I have the orange and cream version, shown here and my original Kindle will fit inside, but only without it's M-Edge jacket. The K2 should fit inside fine, even with a cover (especially the original cover or some of the CrazyDigital versions above).
  • Perfect for travel, the Journey Bag allows for storage of your Kindle and all its accessories in one compact and attractive messenger bag.
  • The Kindle-Compatible Journey Bag is made of durable ripstop nylon with a polar fleece interior
  • The interior zipper compartment is specially designed, sized perfectly to accommodate Kindle. Users can slide the naked device into the polar fleece compartment for secure storage of the device while on-the-go. The opposite wall contains two mesh pockets for even more accessory storage.
  • The bag has a fully adjustable shoulder strap for comfortable carrying while on-the-go. The front flap contains a hidden latch underneath for extra secure closure.
  • The center compartment of the Journey Bag is generously sized to accommodate M-Edge covers, chargers, e-Luminator, pens, and other Kindle accessories. The center compartment zips closed to ensure that Kindle and accessories will never fall out.
  • Available in six colors: red, orange, yellow, lime green, navy blue, and black.
There are a lot of more traditional covers to choose from at M-Edge as well, such as the Halsea Kindle Jacket, currently marked down from $59.99 to $39.99. And for most of the M-Edge selections, you still have time to get them for this weekend, as they are fulfilled by Amazon and qualify overnight shipping (even if it isn't free), but only if you hurry.

It looks like you also get an additional $2.50 off the purchase of an M-Edge e-Luminator2 Booklight ($24.99) if it's bought at the same time as the jacket; if the style you want qualifies, you should see this special promotion under the link for Special Offers and Product Promotions just under the product's picture.

Self-Help for under Three Bucks

These three books share a theme of self-help, but are all from very different aspects of the genre. They are also all from the publisher Hatchette and are marked down under three dollars (most likely for the entire month, but there are no guarantees).

Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Joseph Cardillo

Book Description
his entertaining and enlightening guide reveals the philosophy behind the martial arts techniques that lead to a creative and fulfilled life. For anyone interested in deepening their quality of life, karate expert Joseph Cardillo delivers an inspiring and essential guide to the spiritual wisdom of the martial arts.Contrary to what many might think, self-defense is not the main purpose of martial arts training. "See with Your Skin; Find Your Range; Be Like Water" are just some of the wise messages at the heart of all martial art practices that help seasoned warriors, Buddhist monks, even kung fu champions like Bruce Lee maintain their trademark calm in the face of chaos. Now, in 16 easy-to-read chapters, Joseph Cardillo outlines a variety of disciplines from Korea, China, and Japan, and provides narrative examples for how they translate into spiritual well being. Complete with reflective exercises, BE LIKE WATER is a well-grounded, step-by-step approach to applying the warrior mind-set to life's daily challenges.

Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Dan Millman

Book Description
The author of the bestseller, Way of the Peaceful Warrior presents an important, practical guide that reveals twelve keys to transform everyday life into a spiritual adventure. This text is the culmination of Dan Millman's insights and explorations of human potential. The process, he believes, is a journey of awakening, comprising of 12 gateways which must be passed to fulfill potential in relationships, work, finance and health.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Ronald S. Miller

Book Description
In this revolutionary and compassionate book, Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi guides older Americans through a spiritual transformation. He teaches readers how to use their life experiences to enrich their elder years, face mortality, repair relationships, develop a regenerative spirit and transmit wisdom to future generations National print ads & publicity. Using brain/mind research, Zalman shows you how to create radically different ageing processes characterised by adventure, passion, mystery and fulfillment.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Free Book (kobo) - Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch ($9.59 paperback), by Marc Strange, isn't available in the Kindle store (and is out of stock in print), but (this week) you can get the ebook for free from KoboBooks.

Book Description
Joe Grundy is an ex-heavyweight boxer whose main claim to fame was that he got knocked out by champ Evander Holyfield. Now he's chief of security for a posh old hotel, the Lord Douglas, in downtown Vancouver, and life is pretty good. But then a young neo-hippie inherits more than half a billion dollars and decides to give it all away. As soon as the kid checks into the Lord Douglas with the intention of holding a press conference to announce the scheme, Joe knows big trouble is headed his way, especially when the kid winds up dead.

Grundy sets out to discover who murdered the would-be philanthropist only to collide with suspects and sucker punches around every corner. Joe had some pretty tough battles during his days in the ring, but this time the stakes are higher, the opponents are lethal, and the final count could be fatal.


Click HERE to get the free download at KoboBooks. It's a DRM'd EPUB, so you'll need Adobe Digital Editions or the reader software from B&N or Sony.

Two Buck Books: Mystery and Romance

Two mysteries and two romance books from Hatchette are on sale for $1.99 this month. If you picked up the two by Elizabeth Peters last month, be sure to grab the ones this month, which include the start of the series. If you missed them, you can still get The Curse Of The Pharaohs and Seeing A Large Cat for $1.99 at Kobo (but in DRM'd EPUB format, which doesn't work on the Kindle), as they have not yet updated their database with the new books this month.

Crocodile on the Sandbank ($1.99 Kindle, B&N & Sony) by Elizabeth Peters, is the first in her Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
Thirty-one-year-old Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody has not only inherited her father's fortune, but she is also blessed with his strong will as well. Now she's headed for Cairo, accompanied by a girl with a tarnished past, to indulge her passion for Egyptology. Little did she know that murder and a homicidal mummy lay in wait for her.

The Hippopotamus Pool ($1.99 Kindle, B&N & Sony), by Elizabeth Peters, is the eighth in her Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
A masked stranger offers to reveal an Egyptian queen's lost tomb...and Amelia Peabody and her irascible archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are intrigued, to say the least. When the guide mysteriously disappears before he tells his secret, the husband-and-wife team sail to Thebes to follow his trail, helped-and hampered-by their teenage son, Ramses, and beautiful ward, Nefret. But before the sands of time shift very far, all will be risking their lives foiling murderers, kidnappers, grave robbers, and ancient curses. And the Hippopotamus Pool? It's a legend of war and wits that Amelia is translating, one that alerts her to a hippo of a different type-a nefarious, overweight art dealer who may become her next archenemy!

A Highlander Never Surrenders ($1.99 Kindle, B&N & Sony), by Paula Quinn

Book Description
Defending Her Was His Duty

Skilled with a sword and quick with her wit, Scottish rebel Claire Stuart cannot be tamed. And nothing can deter her from rescuing her beloved sister and saving them both from arranged marriages--not even the handsome Highlander who vows to protect Claire. His scorching gaze and fiery kiss bring her to the brink of surrender, but she belongs to no man...

Seducing Her Would Be His Reward

Graham Grant has had his share of lasses. But he has never met one as headstrong or as bonnie as Claire--or one with such desperate, dnagerous plans. Helping her could betray his honor, his country, and more. Graham can't claim her. Yet everything in him says: Take her, make her yours, teach her pleasure, and never let her go.


Between the Sheets ($1.99 Kindle), by Robin Wells

Book Description
How do you have a life when everyone in America thinks you gave the president-elect a fatal heart attack during an illicit sex romp?

Emma Jamison never thought she'd have to answer that question, but here she is, smack dab in the middle of a political scandal that would make Monica Lewinsky blush. Trouble is, nobody believes that Emma wasn't the call-girl who killed the president-to-be with her, uh, carnal skills.

So Emma packs up and moves to small-town Chartreuse, LA, to escape her infamy and to start over. But when her grandmother starts dating the grandfather of district attorney Max Duval, the quiet life she was seeking blows up in smoke.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Free Game - Tradewinds Classic

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Tradewinds Classic ($6.95 Amazon Game Downloads). The precursor to the Tradewinds 2 and Tradewinds Legends, both of which have been offered for free by Sandlot Games. Legends is one that I played for 10 hours straight and completed one character's story mode (I need to back sometime and try the other characters, to see if the story mode changes, plus I unlocked at least one new captain that I haven't tried).

Game Description
  • Buy Low, Sell High And Build Your Fortune.
  • Choose From 4 Unique Characters.
  • Buy More Ships To Dominate The Seas.
  • Collect Bounties By Defeating Villainous Pirates.
Travel back in time to a world of danger and mystery; a place where the open waters can mean anything but smooth sailing. Set in the 19th century Far East, go back to the very beginning where buying and selling exotic goods, or collecting bounties on previously thought-to-be-dead pirates, can lead to untold wealth...or ultimate doom. With enough wisdom, courage and luck you too can become a Tai-Pan!

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.