Kindle Lending Library details = limitations

It was exciting to hear about what some have called "Lendle", a Kindle Lending library, until I read many more details about the various limitations (need to be a member of Amazon Prime, one book per month and only one at a time, 5000 titles, none from the biggest publishers....). Here is an excellent overview posted by Sue Polanka at No Shelf Required.

Kindle Fire on Order

Read the commentary by Business Week:

Amazon, the Company That Ate the World - BusinessWeek via kwout

Kindle Downloads and Returns on Overdrive

At some point our library may consider loaning books out to Kindles via Overdrive. Read more about the deal recently reached with Overdrive at the amazon.com website.
Here's a video from a library which is already doing this:



Teaches you to download Overdrive titles to your Kindle. From the High Plains Library District


Read Bobbie Newman's  thoughtful post about what libraries may not be getting as a result of the Overdrive deal with Amazon.

Kindle Books from your local library

Amazon announced yesterday (9/21) that Kindle and Kindle app customers can now borrow books from more than 11,000 local libraries in the United States.

According to the press release:

"Customers will use their local library's website to search for and select a book to borrow. Once they choose a book, customers can choose to "Send to Kindle" and will be redirected to Amazon.com to login to their Amazon.com account and the book will be delivered to the device they select via Wi-Fi, or can be transferred via USB. Customers can check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any generation Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry or Windows Phone, as well as in their web browser with Kindle Cloud Reader....

When borrowing a Kindle book from their local library, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle books, including:

• Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
• Real Page Numbers let you easily reference passages with page numbers that correspond to actual print editions
• Facebook and Twitter integration makes it easy to share favorite passages with your social networks
• Popular Highlights show you what our community of millions of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books
• Public Notes allow you to share your notes and see what others are saying about Kindle book"

Kindles in the Classroom Webinar

I joined the Kindles in the Classroom Webinar tonight to hear the moderator Will @ eReadia discuss what is helpful when using Kindles and other ereaders in the classroom. It seems that the most difficult problem is to get your students focused on the same passage for discussion.  What is helpful is for the teacher to embed the teaching notes for the text you are using by selecting and highlighting passages for easy reference. Some teachers use a doc camera to supplement teaching notes to make it easier for students to follow along. Will referred to the excellent Kindle resources shared by Buffy Hamilton on her web presences.  Kindle page numbers are supposed to help with this but they are not available as yet for all books.  One participant suggested that it helps to have students set all settings the same, such as font size.  Another problem is that many books teachers use are not yet available on Kindle. Teachers may have to consider using Open Source textbooks; this is another obstacle which involves changing to a new textbook. CourseSmart is a digital textbook library used by many major textbook publishers and this is definitely a work in progress. CourseSmart advertises the largest selection of etextbooks available online at low prices.

Visit the eBook Educators Group Ning to join forums and ask questions. Webinars are archived on the ning.higher education.

Kindle Nation Winter 2011 Citizen Survey Results

LibrarianbyDay shared this on Twitter today: Results of the Kindle Nation Winter 2011 Citizen Survey

Some items worth noting:
93% of respondents were from the U.S.; only 3% a resident of a country other than the U.S., Canada, or the U.K.

70% of respondents are earlier adopters of new technologies, so there is much potential for growth

Reading on Kindles: A superior experience 4.9/5 rating

A majority of users are interested in free books

Sharing Your Kindle Notes on Amazon

A couple of days ago I posted a short piece on Nick Bolton's new book:  I Live in the Future and Here's How it Works.  He examines the spirit of our digital age, providing commentary on how a radically changed media world is influencing human behavior.

Now, even before reading it, I can see others' notes on the book! shared from their highlights and Kindle notes.


See Jenny Levine's [Shifted Librarian] notes for this book shared at Amazon.

Kindle Singles

or the reinvention of print continued... Amazon announced today that it will launch "Kindle Singles"--Kindle books that are twice the length of a New Yorker feature or as much as a few chapters of a typical book.

Arguing that writing and expression of ideas should find its natural length and not be constrained by economic concerns from publishers of full length texts or magazines, Amazon is asking writers of 10,000 to 30,000 words (roughly 30 to 90 pages) to join in making their work available to readers.

According to the press release, like all Kindle content, Kindle Singles will be "Buy Once, Read Everywhere"--customers will be able to read them on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices.

Mossberg: Reading With the iPad's E-Reader Apps

Let's let Walt Mossberg speak for himself as he reviews e-reader apps for the iPad in today's Wall Street Journal (may have a 15 second intro to his ~4 minute talk):



We should be experiment with these apps. I am curious about others' experience with reading on a Kindle vs. and iPad. Do you agree with Mossberg that the iPad is a "very good e-reader" or are you someone who prefers dedicated e-reader hardware like a Kindle or Nook?

New Kindles to ship soon

According to a New York Times article, "the new Kindles, which will ship Aug. 27, have the same six-inch reading area as earlier Kindles but weigh about 15 percent less and are 21 percent smaller. The Kindles have twice the storage, up to 3,500 books."

And the expected price? $139 (yes, one hundred thirty-nine dollars).

No wonder the articles also notes that "some analysts are predicting that e-readers could become this year’s hot holiday gift." Summer birthday, anyone?

Get the Kindle experience on your PC

Amazon now offers 360,000 Kindle books on your PC with their free application for your Windows PC with a simple software download.

Read Kindle Books on Your Computer

* Get the best reading experience available on your PC. No Kindle required
* Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you
* Automatically synchronizes your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync
* Create bookmarks and view the annotations you created on your Kindle

Mac version coming soon!

E-texts and Student Use

Today’s Wall Street Journal includes an article discussing e-books: “Book Smarts? E-Texts Receive Mixed Reviews from Students”. It raises some question about the technology -- such as ability to highlight and post notes -- and about the cost needing to be lower relative to traditional print textbooks. However, many schools (including California K-12 and several colleges) and publishers are continuing to experiment with this technology. We will hear more about this option in the future.

Fantasizing about the Kindle 2

Having read David Pogue's review of the new Kindle 2--The Kindle: Good Before, Better Now -- which came out last week, I am thinking about purchasing one. I just read Kathy Schrock's enthusiastic blog post about her new Kindle which has the added bonus of staying connected to your Personal Learning Network (PLN) via Twitter and Facebook. I found Shrock's blog post via her earnest Twittering.

Some features worth mentioning are the the 10.2 ounce weight (lighter than a paperback),about 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines, text to speech option, the highlighting feature,25% longer battery life (read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on...turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks, and new buttons making it easier to hold and handle. The price tag is still $359 @ Amazon. The Kindle Store has more than 240,000 books available,(most under $10)plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. I am thinking for travel that it's a must! Does that mean I also have to schlep my laptop along to charge it via USB? hmmmm....