App analytics upstart App Annie put together a good-looking infographic that conveys that Amazon’s app store has a lot of catching up to do relative to the Google and Apple stores, but plenty of ropes to grab to help it get there.
We're kicking off our upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with a special keynote presentation by Ella Chick (left), the digital producer at Anderson Cooper 360°. She'll discuss how the network uses social media for breaking news and leverages social media to draw attention to organizations and causes. Learn more about our program and register here. 
The publisher of a bilingual children’s book written in English and Cornish prevailed upon Amazon to issue the book an an e-book after a petition and a social-media campaign, according to the UK Guardian. But Amazon continues to support a very narrow range of languages for e-readers.
Amazon has finally extended its “Send to Kindle” button for books to websites and WordPress blogs, making it possible for readers to save an article directly from the website and read it later on their Kindles. Announced on March 19, the new button puts the sharing power in the hands of the publishers and facilitates long-form reading.
Blip has teamed up with L4 Mobile to create a new mobile app, bringing their original web series content to iOS, Android and Kindle devices. The app, which launched yesterday, lets users discover, watch and share Blip’s original content on their mobile phones and tablets.
Americans binged on digital devices and media this holiday season, according to data released today by Flurry and Amazon.
Cyber Monday Deals: How to Find the Best Online Sales and Save Some Major Green (The Huffington Post/Reuters)
In a one-day blitz of shopping, consumers are expected to empty their wallets of more than $1 billion on Cyber Monday, the online shopping spree on Nov. 26, according to spending projections from research firm comScore. Cyber Monday 2012 may offer the best deals on technology products this year, said Brian Hoyt, senior writer for RetailMeNot.com, a coupon code site.
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Amazon Updates its Kindle Line of E-Readers (The New York Times)
Amazon announced a barrage of new tablets and e-readers on Thursday that makes its challenge to Apple’s iPad a little more serious. Amazon announced updates to its line of Kindle e-readers, including the Kindle Fire HD, a tablet computer that comes in two sizes, one that is nearly as large as the iPad and that undercuts its price by $200. Mashable Amazon eased into what would become a landmark event with the new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said Amazon actually invented new screen technology for the super-white, ultra-clear and now self-lit ereader. CNET The tablet assault begins with a new $199, 7-inch model with an HD screen that doubles the built-in storage of the previous entry-level Kindle Fire to 16GB. Amazon has also doubled down on that product line with a larger, 8.9-inch model that has a 1,920-by-1,200 resolution, features 16GB of built-in storage, costs $299 and ships Nov. 20. Topping out the line is a new 32GB model with 4G LTE wireless connectivity for $499, which Bezos compared directly to Apple’s $729 third-generation iPad with similar specs. Reuters The latest aggressive pricing move, and Amazon’s variety of gadgets, furthers its goal of getting Kindle tablets into the hands of as many buyers of its online content — from games and books to video — as possible. Apple, by contrast, makes much of its profit from hardware sales. USA Today Barnes & Noble had beaten Amazon to market with a standard e-reader with built-in lighting technology when it started selling the Nook with GlowLight earlier this year. Another rival, Kobo, has just unveiled a reader with an integrated light. Read more
In the latest episode of mediabistroTV’s “Elevator Pitch,” host Alan Meckler meets with Storyville co-founder Paul Vidich. Storyville is a mobile app for short stories that connects readers and authors. A former music executive, Vidich helped Steve Jobs bring music singles to iTunes. He hopes Storyville will do for the short story what iTunes did for the single.
I have found a way to access my Google Calendar information on the Kindle Fire other than by using the web browser. Unfortunately, the solution does require you to spend $9.99 to buy a key to use Exchange By Touchdown beyond 30 days, but you can try out the app for a month free first to see whether you like it.
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Sharing a conventional paper book has been one of the most basic sharing activities for a long time. Sharing comes in the form of informal person-to-person lending or institutionalized library loans. This simplest and most basic of sharing activities has been, however, something that has not been easily adopted for digital books. The latest ebook sharing issue comes by way of the world’s largest trade book publisher, Penguin Books. The Digital Shift reported that…
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