Amazon Kindle Mac app update adds gesture features and visually richer Kindle book support

Amazon has refreshed its Kindle app to include support for swiping and other gesture navigation features for Macs running Lion OS X or higher. It will now display Kindle's new Format 8 books, allowing for more complicated formatting, HTML5 support, pop-up text, embedded fonts and other visual accoutrements to spice up your Mac-based reading. The update also adds Japanese language support alongside the typical pile of bug fixes and tweaks. You can download the new reader from the Mac App Store now, right at the source link below.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

Amazon Kindle Mac app update adds gesture features and visually richer Kindle book support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week)

If you can't quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon's already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you'll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.

Update: Care for a thicker plot? CNET is now reporting that Amazon will reveal two new Kindle Fire tablets next week -- an all new 7-inch wonder and a slightly reworked version of the original. While a brand new slab could be an obvious contender for the 7-inch tablet crown, a refreshed version of Amazon's original hardware could very well fit the ad-supported bill. Check out CNET's full report at the source link below.

Filed under: Tablets

WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon, Apple stop taking key account changes over the phone after identity breach

By now, you may have heard the story of the identity 'hack' perpetrated against Wired journalist Mat Honan. Using easily obtained data, an anonymous duo bluffed its way into changing his Amazon account, then his Apple iCloud account, then his Google account and ultimately the real target, Twitter. Both Amazon and Apple were docked for how easy it was to modify an account over the phone -- and, in close succession, have both put at least a momentary lockdown on the changes that led to Honan losing much of his digital presence and some irreplaceable photos. His own publication has reportedly confirmed a policy change at Amazon that prevents over-the-phone account changes. Apple hasn't been as direct about what's going on, but Wired believes there's been a 24-hour hold on phone-based Apple ID password resets while the company marshals its resources and decides how much extra strictness is required.

Neither company has said much about the issue. Amazon has been silent, while Apple claims that some of its existing procedures weren't followed properly, regardless of any rules it might need to mend. However the companies address the problem, this is one of those moments where the lesson learned is more important than the outcome. Folks: if your accounts and your personal data matter to you, use truly secure passwords and back up your content. While Honan hints that he may have put at least some of the pieces back together, not everyone gets that second chance.

Filed under: Internet

Amazon, Apple stop taking key account changes over the phone after identity breach originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon updates Kindle app for Android with improved tablet support

It's not exactly the biggest of updates, but Android tablet users who do a lot of reading in the Kindle app will likely be pleased with what the latest version has to offer. The big addition is the ability to view two pages side-by-side in landscape mode (as seen above). Otherwise, you'll now find additional options for margin and spacing controls, along with a number of bug fixes (including one for a pesky problem that required you to re-register when returning to the app).

Amazon updates Kindle app for Android with improved tablet support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Note 10.1 up for pre-order on Amazon US: $549 with quad-core CPU in tow (update: pulled)

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 was recently caught on camera, which indicates that it's well along the production pipeline. Further evidence: the ICS tablet is up for pre-order on Amazon US. The asking price is $549, and the retailer says it will be available "within 3 to 5 weeks." In line with earlier rumors, it looks like Samsung swapped the Note 10.1's original dual-core processor for a quad-core CPU, though as Unwired View points out, Amazon probably meant a Samsung Exynos processor rather than the Intel Xeon currently listed. Ready to shell out for this S Pen-equipped slate? Click on through to the source link to see the product page.
Update: We've received word from Samsung that Amazon published the page in error, and has since taken it down. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is in fact not available for pre-order at this time.
Galaxy Note 10.1 up for pre-order on Amazon US: $549 with quad-core CPU in tow (update: pulled) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon reportedly adding music rights to Cloud Player, could close gap with iCloud

Amazon's Cloud Player app just made its way to the iPhone and iPod touch, but the company's web-based music service still lacks the license deals that make Apple's iCloud a more seamless experience. While iCloud scans a user's hard drive to match songs and stream them from iTunes, Cloud Player requires listeners to manually upload copies of their music to the cloud. According to CNET's "industry sources," Amazon is looking to close that gap by inking agreements with major labels and has already made deals with EMI and Universal Music Group. This story is still very much in the rumor phase, but obtaining those licenses certainly sounds like a logical step for a service meant to make enjoying files across several devices easier.

Amazon reportedly adding music rights to Cloud Player, could close gap with iCloud originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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