Author of Mobile Strategies for Digital Publishing 

Interview starts at 13:21 and ends at 37:37.

 There may not be a lot of new readers coming into the eReader space, but it’s a device that’s got legs still, despite its apparently sort of old-fashioned and monochrome presence.

News

Kindle Convert for PC at Amazon.com ($19)

“Amazon Echo Review: Talking Helper Alexa is No Match for Siri†by Geoffrey A. Fowler at The Wall Street Journal – February 3, 2015

“Amazon Echo adds voice controls for Spotify, iTunes and Pandora, plus new ‘Simon Says’ feature†by Todd Bishop at GeekWire – January 31, 2015

“Jeff Bezos on ‘Transparent’ and Amazon’s ‘insurmountable opportunity’†by Jason Kashdan at CBS news (video)

“UMass Amherst Collaborates with Amazon.com to Create Virtual Bookstore†– January 13, 2015

“Amazon Is in Talks to Buy RadioShack Stores, Report Says†by Klint Finley at Wired – February 3, 2015

Tech Tip

How to use Microsoft’s new Office for Android apps on a Fire HDX 8.9 (via Jo Caney):

1. 
   
2. Go to settings, then applications and at the top of this list, ensure that “Apps from Unknown Sources†is marked as “onâ€.
   
3. Install a free app from the Amazon App Store called ES file explorer.
   
4. Go to this website:  http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/how-to-install-microsoft-word-excel-t2958705
   
5. You’ll need to go to the section on the page where it says “Downloads†and get both the APK file and the OBB file for the office app you want on your Kindle. They’ll appear in the downloads folder which you can access by swiping from the left hand side of the screen in your silk browser, or find it in ES file explorer.
   
6. Don’t install the APK file yet. Instead, use the ES file explorer app and navigate your way to the folder marked “Android†which has a cog wheel symbol on it. In this folder, you need to create a new folder called “obbâ€. You can do this by pressing on the + sign at the bottom of the ES file explorer window. Inside your new obb folder, you need to create a new folder for each of the office apps which must be named exactly as follows.
   

Com.microsoft.office.excel (for excel, and for powerpoint and word, you just change the last bit to the relevant app name).

6. 
   
7. Once all that is done, you need to find your downloads folder using ES File Explorer and find your apk file and obb file for each app. Press the file so they are highlighted, then press the “More†menu at the bottom right of the screen to access the “Move†option. Move the apk file into the obb folder, and the obb file into the new folder you created within that folder called com.microsoft.office.excel (or whichever app you are dealing with)
   
8. When all that is done, you can now go ahead and find the apk file which will install the app and press it. One of the options will be “Install†and you can now press this – and it should install and run properly.
   

Note: if you just try to install without getting everything into the right folders first, the app will appear to install but it won’t be able to load properly and will tell you forever that it is downloading files from the internet.

Interview with Thad McIlroy

Mobile Strategies for Digital Publishing: A Practical Guide to the Evolving Landscape by Thad McIlroy

The Future of Publishing website

Wattpad

Video: The Wattpad Moment

Hugh Howey’s Author Earnings website

iPhone 6 Plus at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 at Amazon

Content

Brain Pickings by Maria Popova

Comments

“My personal library is smaller and bigger than ever†by Eolake Stobblehouse at eReader Joy

“Amazon is the Reader’s Friend†– a debate on January 15, 2015 presented by Intelligence Squared

Outro

This week’s show is dedicated to the memory of my aunt, Edna Stiles Tighe (March 27, 1925 – January 31, 2015).

Music by my niece, Fran Betlyon

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