reader

Open social-reader links on Facebook without installing them

Facebook is a place for sharing (and sometimes oversharing) information between friends and family. As of the last few months, more and more "social reader" apps have been making their way to your Facebook timeline. You'll see that a friend watched a video on something like SocialCam, and when you go to click the video, you're asked to grant the service access to your Facebook.

Instead of authorizing a bunch of social-reader apps to post on your Facebook wall or gain access to your information, you should try Unsocialize. With this Web browser add-on you can … Read more

iPad still dominates tablet traffic, but Nook surges past Kindle Fire

While the iPad continues to dominate tablet traffic, there is a new leader in the e-reader battle between Barnes & Noble's Nook and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

Apple's tablet accounted for 91 percent of the hundreds of millions of Web traffic impressions sampled by the Chitika Ad network during the week of June 4 -10, a decline of 3.5 percent from 94.6 percent in May. Coming in at a very distant second place was Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which captured only 1.7 percent of tablet Web traffic, followed by Acer Iconia, Toshiba Thrive, and Asus … Read more

Instapaper vs. Pocket: Battle of the bookmarkers

When you're on the go, it might not always make sense to dive into that lengthy article or start watching that 6-minute video, all on your mobile device. That's when a short-term bookmarking app comes in handy.

A bookmarker lets you put lengthy articles or videos away with just a couple of taps, so you can easily queue them up for reading and watching later, from any of your devices, including your desktop. On Android, the longtime fan favorite has been Pocket (formerly Read It Later). But with iOS-darling Instapaper entering the fold, the stage has been set … Read more

Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know

Note to readers: I originally published the article back in 2008 and have updated it a few times, most recently on June 13, 2012. This article primarily addresses self-publishing a print book, though many of the tips apply to e-books as well. For specific information about publishing an e-book, see my companion article, " How to self-publish an ebook."

I know, I know. This is a column about cutting-edge electronics. So, apologies to gadget-heads as I take a brief sojourn into the land of self-publishing, which has become a lot more high-tech than a lot of people realize.

A few years ago I wrote a book. A novel. "Knife Music." Contrary to what you might think based on my day job, it's not a cyber-thriller, though it is a mystery/thriller with a medical/legal slant.

Its short history is this: I worked on it for several years, acquired a high-powered agent, had some brushes with major publishers, then, crickets.

I could have tried to go for a small publisher, but I was told mine was "a bigger book" with more commercial aspirations and prestigious small publishers were interested in more literary tomes. I also learned that many small publishers were being wiped out by the "self-publishing revolution," a movement that's not so unlike the "citizen journalism" or bloggers' revolt of recent years that's had a major impact on mainstream media, including this publication. The basic premise is anyone can become a small publisher. You call the shots. You retain the rights to your book. And you take home a bigger royalty than you'd normally get from a traditional publisher--if you sell any books. … Read more

State Department offers Amazon up to $16.5M to hand out Kindles

The only e-reader fit enough to meet the U.S. State Department's needs is the Kindle Touch. The iPad and Nook simply won't do. The government has asked Amazon to negotiate a no-bid contract of up to $16.5 million to pass out Kindles to the country's embassies overseas. This was first reported by Nextgov.

If Amazon proposes a contract based on the State Department's needs, it would theoretically provide at least 2,500 Kindle Touches preloaded with 50 titles each to the State Department; but this number could grow because the government is looking to … Read more

The 404 1,068: Where it's a small world (podcast)

The time has come for every Internet denizen to take a stand against the worst atrocity (and probably the biggest problem) on the Web: vertical videos. Big thanks to the puppets in this PSA spreading the word about Vertical Video Syndrome.

You can blame Flip video cameras, the ubiquity of videos shot with an iPhone, or just the tech-ignorance masses, but it has to stop. With the help of Ariel, Richard, and Joseph on today's episode, we all hope to put an end to the vertical video travesty.… Read more

Save lengthy articles for later with Instapaper

Instapaper is a tool that lets you quickly and easily save articles for reading later, even when you're not connected to the Web. So, if you don't have time to dive into that lengthy blog post or interview, you can easily pull it up when you're ready, with just a few taps.

The way it works is simple. While you're doing your reading in another app, simply go to Android's Share menu and hit Instapaper. From there, Instapaper, will quickly download just the main content of that article, so you can access it later. In … Read more

Square to sell credit card reader at Walgreens, elsewhere

Business owners looking to turn their mobile devices into credit card machines can now purchase the Square Card Reader at Walgreens, Staples, and FedEx stores across the U.S., according to a Market Wire press release.

The card reader enables anyone with a mobile device, like a smartphone or a tablet, to accept credit card payments.

Square, the company that makes the Square Card Reader, announced today that the technology is now sold in more than 7,000 Walgreens stores, 1,500 Staples stores, and 1,500 FedEx Office stores, making the product available at more than 20,000 retail … Read more

Instapaper now on Android

To the delight of many an avid reader, fan-favorite iOS bookmarking app Instapaper has finally made its way to the Android platform. Built by mobile-app developer Mobelux, the official Instapaper app brings its dead-simple interface and monochromatic design to a swath of new users.

If you're not familiar with Instapaper, it's a tool that lets you quickly and easily save articles for reading later. So, if you don't have time to dive into that lengthy blog post or interview, you can simply use Instapaper to create a short-term (or long-term) bookmark, and easily pull it up at … Read more