Amazon Celebrates National Reading Month with Discounts on Kindle - TechnoBuffalo

By Sean P. Aune | March 4, 2014

Were you aware March is National Reading Month? Well, in case you are late to the festivities, Amazon has you covered with one day discounts on two of its most popular Kindle e-readers.

For today only, Amazon has marked down the basic Kindle from $ 69 to $ 49, and the Kindle Paperwhite from $ 119 to $ 99. These, of course, are the models that come with the special offers, but at these prices, it’s hard to say no to seeing a few ads that really aren’t obtrusive at all. If you prefer them without ads, however, those models are also discounted with the Kindle running $ 69, and the Kindle Paperwhite setting you back $ 119.

We’re big fans of the Paperwhite aroung the TechnoBuffalo offices, and if you’ve been on the fence about taking the plunge, today would be a good day to do so.

Amazon Discounting the Kindle Paperwhite 2 e-Reader - Good E-Reader (blog)

There might be some credence to the rumor that Amazon might announce the Kindle Paperwhite 3 before Mothers Day. The Seattle based e-Commerce giant is not really known for big discounts on their current generation devices. Today only, you can get the Kindle Paperwhite 2 for $ 99 and the 5th generation Kindle for $ 49.99. It is basically a twenty dollar savings to pick either of these up from the US Amazon website.

Michael Kozlowski (3589 Posts)

Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about electronic readers and technology for the last four years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the Huffington Post, CNET and more. Michael frequently travels to international events such as IFA, Computex, CES, Book Expo and a myriad of others. If you have any questions about any of his articles, please send Michael Kozlowski an email to michael@goodereader.com

Ingredients of Young Outliers Hosts "Kindle your Inner Outlier" Giveaway on ... - PR Web (press release)

Scottsdale, Ariz. (PRWEB) March 04, 2014

Fans who follow Ingredients of Young Outliers on Instagram can enter to win a Kindle Fire HD as well as a signed copy of Ingredients of Young Outliers in the “Kindle your Inner Outlier” contest.

Held from March 3-17, 2014, The “Kindle your Inner Outlier” contest requires entrants to repost the competition photo that will be posted on the official @ TheOutliersTeam Instagram. Entrants also must “follow” @ TheOutliersTeam and use their accounts to repost the official competition photo with @ TheOutliersTeam tagged and # iamtheoutlier written in the caption. Each participant may enter a maximum of once daily.

Outliers Publishing will notify the winner on March 19, 2014 by commenting on their winning entry via Instagram @ TheOutliersTeam. The winner will receive a Kindle Fire HD as well as a signed copy of second book in the Outlier Series,, Ingredients of Young Outliers: Achieving Your Most Amazing Future written by John Shufeldt,. The book and kindle will be shipped to the address provided by the winner through email contact, post-contest. The contest is open to US residents only; entries from other regions will be disqualified.

For updates on future books in the Outlier Series, contests, scholarships and promitions, visit http://www.ingredientsofoutliersblog.com/johnshufeldtoutlierseriesblog/.

About the Outlier Series:
“Ingredients of Outliers,” written by John Shufeldt was released July 2013 is the first book in the Outlier Series. This book is a life-guide filled with advice and stories from Shufeldt’s own personal endeavors, as well as those of historical figures and influential acquaintances. Throughout the book, John describes the characteristics that make someone an “exceptional” individual who stands apart from the crowd, an “outlier.”

Ingredients of Outliers will be followed by the publication of Ingredients of Young Outliers on March 15, 2014. Subsequently, at least 8 other books will be published over the course of 2014-2015. The books are intended for students, college graduates and anyone interested in entering or furthering their career. The goal of the series is to offer books specific to sought after career fields with insider information and recommended channels for pursuing that career from experts in each respective profession.

Kindle Fire HDX: Smooth operation, great screen (hands on) - ZDNet

Kindle Fire HDX first impressions

The Kindle Fire HDX TV ad explains the selling points of the tablet to someone who sounds like Jony Ive offscreen. It’s lighter, has a higher resolution display, and is cheaper than the iPad Air. This sums up the best features of the Kindle Fire HDX, and the special Fire OS interface is also pretty good.

I’m testing the 8.9-inch model Kindle Fire HDX and the claims in the TV ad are accurate. Barely bigger than the iPad mini, and weighing about the same, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a screen not much smaller than the iPad Air.

Hardware specs as reviewed

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core (APQ8074), 2.2 GHz
Memory	2GB
Display	8.9-inch, 2,560 x1, 600, 339 ppi (Qualcomm Adreno 330, 450 MHz)
OS version	Fire 3.0 (compatible with Android 4.2.2, API level 17)
Camera	Front: 720p; Rear: 8MP
Storage	16GB
Ports	microUSB
Connectivity	Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
Battery	12 hours (18 hours reading ebooks)
Dimensions	9.1 “X 6.2″ X 0.31 “
Weight	13.2oz

Hardware

The Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Adreno graphics processor run the Fire OS on the Kindle Fire HDX nicely. This tablet runs faster and smoother than any Android tablet I’ve used, and that’s quite a few. All apps and the interface scroll more smoothly than other Android tablets, making the Fire HDX a joy to use.

See related: Top 15 Android tablet apps for work and play | 10 cool Android apps to start the year | Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

The tablet is very thin and light, making it very comfortable to hold. The decision to put the volume rocker and power button on the back of the Fire HDX allowed Amazon to make these controls a good size for easy operation. The construction is solid and the tablet is not slippery in the hand as is common with other tablets.

The high-resolution display is the jewel of the Kindle Fire HDX. It is bright and vivid and gorgeous. Text appears crisp and watching video is as good as it gets on any tablet. The 339 pixels / inch means everything is legible, even tiny fonts.

The 8MP rear camera takes decent photos for those who actually use a tablet as a camera. The front web cam makes video calling a reasonable experience although it’s not very resolute (no actual resolution is specified other than 720p).

Amazon rates the battery life at 12 hours for normal use and 18 hours for reading ebooks. This seems accurate in testing so far.

User Experience

Amazon has designed the UI to be easy for anyone to use, and while Android purists will turn up their noses at this, it’s actually quite pleasant to use. The carousel on the main screen makes it a breeze to cycle through the most recently used apps and content. The content displayed consists of apps, videos, music, Kindle books, and photos. Just spin through them and return to the desired activity.

Home screen (Image: James Kendrick / ZDNet)

Beneath the carousel is a row of recommended apps to buy. Those who pay the extra $ 15 when buying the Kindle Fire HDX can turn off these ads.

The bottom of the screen displays three rows of apps (in portrait), making it a dock of sorts. The apps displayed and the order can be customized by the owner. Swiping up on the home screen exposes additional apps.

Silk is Amazon’s web browser for the Kindle Fire, and it’s not bad. Web pages are rendered quickly and Silk is even fast with a number of tabs open at once.

What’s Hot on ZDNet

• Amid weak Android launches, it’s Apple iPhone time to shine
• Apple takes Siri for a spin: Hands-free software for drivers
• Top 10 excuses for sticking with Windows XP
• Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

It is not possible to access the Google Play store for apps nor content, as this is replaced with Amazon’s own store. While Amazon doesn’t have nearly as many apps as Google, I have been able to find all my main Android apps. My favorite Android keyboard, SwiftKey, is unfortunately not compatible with the Kindle Fire HDX.

Fire OS is optimized for working with Amazon content, including Kindle books, music, and video. There is a large selection of Amazon Instant Video which can be used on the Fire HDX with ease.

Amazon has added features to Fire OS 3.0 designed to make the Kindle Fire HDX more at home in the enterprise. These include wireless printing support, good Exchange support, integrated VPN handling, and the ability to view Microsoft Office documents.

The Kindle Fire HDX is so much fun to use that when I set it down for a while, I am quickly enticed to pick it up again. It’s good to use and it draws me in to do so. This is a mark of a good tablet with a nice user experience. Using the Kindle Fire HDX just feels right. It is better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 I’ve owned for a while and can easily replace it.

The Kindle Fire HDX with 16GB of storage as reviewed is available from Amazon for $ 379 with ads and $ 394 without.

Reviewer rating: 9 out of 10

See the unique Origami Case in action on the following pages

Kindle Fire HDX: Smooth operation, great screen (hands on) - ZDNet

Kindle Fire HDX first impressions

The Kindle Fire HDX TV ad explains the selling points of the tablet to someone who sounds like Jony Ive offscreen. It’s lighter, has a higher resolution display, and is cheaper than the iPad Air. This sums up the best features of the Kindle Fire HDX, and the special Fire OS interface is also pretty good.

I’m testing the 8.9-inch model Kindle Fire HDX and the claims in the TV ad are accurate. Barely bigger than the iPad mini, and weighing about the same, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a screen not much smaller than the iPad Air.

Hardware specs as reviewed

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core (APQ8074), 2.2 GHz
Memory	2GB
Display	8.9-inch, 2,560 x1, 600, 339 ppi (Qualcomm Adreno 330, 450 MHz)
OS version	Fire 3.0 (compatible with Android 4.2.2, API level 17)
Camera	Front: 720p; Rear: 8MP
Storage	16GB
Ports	microUSB
Connectivity	Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
Battery	12 hours (18 hours reading ebooks)
Dimensions	9.1 “X 6.2″ X 0.31 “
Weight	13.2oz

Hardware

The Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Adreno graphics processor run the Fire OS on the Kindle Fire HDX nicely. This tablet runs faster and smoother than any Android tablet I’ve used, and that’s quite a few. All apps and the interface scroll more smoothly than other Android tablets, making the Fire HDX a joy to use.

See related: Top 15 Android tablet apps for work and play | 10 cool Android apps to start the year | Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

The tablet is very thin and light, making it very comfortable to hold. The decision to put the volume rocker and power button on the back of the Fire HDX allowed Amazon to make these controls a good size for easy operation. The construction is solid and the tablet is not slippery in the hand as is common with other tablets.

The high-resolution display is the jewel of the Kindle Fire HDX. It is bright and vivid and gorgeous. Text appears crisp and watching video is as good as it gets on any tablet. The 339 pixels / inch means everything is legible, even tiny fonts.

The 8MP rear camera takes decent photos for those who actually use a tablet as a camera. The front web cam makes video calling a reasonable experience although it’s not very resolute (no actual resolution is specified other than 720p).

Amazon rates the battery life at 12 hours for normal use and 18 hours for reading ebooks. This seems accurate in testing so far.

User Experience

Amazon has designed the UI to be easy for anyone to use, and while Android purists will turn up their noses at this, it’s actually quite pleasant to use. The carousel on the main screen makes it a breeze to cycle through the most recently used apps and content. The content displayed consists of apps, videos, music, Kindle books, and photos. Just spin through them and return to the desired activity.

Home screen (Image: James Kendrick / ZDNet)

Beneath the carousel is a row of recommended apps to buy. Those who pay the extra $ 15 when buying the Kindle Fire HDX can turn off these ads.

The bottom of the screen displays three rows of apps (in portrait), making it a dock of sorts. The apps displayed and the order can be customized by the owner. Swiping up on the home screen exposes additional apps.

Silk is Amazon’s web browser for the Kindle Fire, and it’s not bad. Web pages are rendered quickly and Silk is even fast with a number of tabs open at once.

What’s Hot on ZDNet

• Amid weak Android launches, it’s Apple iPhone time to shine
• Apple takes Siri for a spin: Hands-free software for drivers
• Top 10 excuses for sticking with Windows XP
• Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

It is not possible to access the Google Play store for apps nor content, as this is replaced with Amazon’s own store. While Amazon doesn’t have nearly as many apps as Google, I have been able to find all my main Android apps. My favorite Android keyboard, SwiftKey, is unfortunately not compatible with the Kindle Fire HDX.

Fire OS is optimized for working with Amazon content, including Kindle books, music, and video. There is a large selection of Amazon Instant Video which can be used on the Fire HDX with ease.

Amazon has added features to Fire OS 3.0 designed to make the Kindle Fire HDX more at home in the enterprise. These include wireless printing support, good Exchange support, integrated VPN handling, and the ability to view Microsoft Office documents.

The Kindle Fire HDX is so much fun to use that when I set it down for a while, I am quickly enticed to pick it up again. It’s good to use and it draws me in to do so. This is a mark of a good tablet with a nice user experience. Using the Kindle Fire HDX just feels right. It is better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 I’ve owned for a while and can easily replace it.

The Kindle Fire HDX with 16GB of storage as reviewed is available from Amazon for $ 379 with ads and $ 394 without.

Reviewer rating: 9 out of 10

See the unique Origami Case in action on the following pages

Kindle Fire HDX: Smooth operation, great screen (hands on) - ZDNet

Kindle Fire HDX first impressions

The Kindle Fire HDX TV ad explains the selling points of the tablet to someone who sounds like Jony Ive offscreen. It’s lighter, has a higher resolution display, and is cheaper than the iPad Air. This sums up the best features of the Kindle Fire HDX, and the special Fire OS interface is also pretty good.

I’m testing the 8.9-inch model Kindle Fire HDX and the claims in the TV ad are accurate. Barely bigger than the iPad mini, and weighing about the same, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a screen not much smaller than the iPad Air.

Hardware specs as reviewed

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core (APQ8074), 2.2 GHz
Memory	2GB
Display	8.9-inch, 2,560 x1, 600, 339 ppi (Qualcomm Adreno 330, 450 MHz)
OS version	Fire 3.0 (compatible with Android 4.2.2, API level 17)
Camera	Front: 720p; Rear: 8MP
Storage	16GB
Ports	microUSB
Connectivity	Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
Battery	12 hours (18 hours reading ebooks)
Dimensions	9.1 “X 6.2″ X 0.31 “
Weight	13.2oz

Hardware

The Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Adreno graphics processor run the Fire OS on the Kindle Fire HDX nicely. This tablet runs faster and smoother than any Android tablet I’ve used, and that’s quite a few. All apps and the interface scroll more smoothly than other Android tablets, making the Fire HDX a joy to use.

See related: Top 15 Android tablet apps for work and play | 10 cool Android apps to start the year | Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

The tablet is very thin and light, making it very comfortable to hold. The decision to put the volume rocker and power button on the back of the Fire HDX allowed Amazon to make these controls a good size for easy operation. The construction is solid and the tablet is not slippery in the hand as is common with other tablets.

The high-resolution display is the jewel of the Kindle Fire HDX. It is bright and vivid and gorgeous. Text appears crisp and watching video is as good as it gets on any tablet. The 339 pixels / inch means everything is legible, even tiny fonts.

The 8MP rear camera takes decent photos for those who actually use a tablet as a camera. The front web cam makes video calling a reasonable experience although it’s not very resolute (no actual resolution is specified other than 720p).

Amazon rates the battery life at 12 hours for normal use and 18 hours for reading ebooks. This seems accurate in testing so far.

User Experience

Amazon has designed the UI to be easy for anyone to use, and while Android purists will turn up their noses at this, it’s actually quite pleasant to use. The carousel on the main screen makes it a breeze to cycle through the most recently used apps and content. The content displayed consists of apps, videos, music, Kindle books, and photos. Just spin through them and return to the desired activity.

Home screen (Image: James Kendrick / ZDNet)

Beneath the carousel is a row of recommended apps to buy. Those who pay the extra $ 15 when buying the Kindle Fire HDX can turn off these ads.

The bottom of the screen displays three rows of apps (in portrait), making it a dock of sorts. The apps displayed and the order can be customized by the owner. Swiping up on the home screen exposes additional apps.

Silk is Amazon’s web browser for the Kindle Fire, and it’s not bad. Web pages are rendered quickly and Silk is even fast with a number of tabs open at once.

What’s Hot on ZDNet

• Amid weak Android launches, it’s Apple iPhone time to shine
• Apple takes Siri for a spin: Hands-free software for drivers
• Top 10 excuses for sticking with Windows XP
• Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

It is not possible to access the Google Play store for apps nor content, as this is replaced with Amazon’s own store. While Amazon doesn’t have nearly as many apps as Google, I have been able to find all my main Android apps. My favorite Android keyboard, SwiftKey, is unfortunately not compatible with the Kindle Fire HDX.

Fire OS is optimized for working with Amazon content, including Kindle books, music, and video. There is a large selection of Amazon Instant Video which can be used on the Fire HDX with ease.

Amazon has added features to Fire OS 3.0 designed to make the Kindle Fire HDX more at home in the enterprise. These include wireless printing support, good Exchange support, integrated VPN handling, and the ability to view Microsoft Office documents.

The Kindle Fire HDX is so much fun to use that when I set it down for a while, I am quickly enticed to pick it up again. It’s good to use and it draws me in to do so. This is a mark of a good tablet with a nice user experience. Using the Kindle Fire HDX just feels right. It is better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 I’ve owned for a while and can easily replace it.

The Kindle Fire HDX with 16GB of storage as reviewed is available from Amazon for $ 379 with ads and $ 394 without.

Reviewer rating: 9 out of 10

See the unique Origami Case in action on the following pages

Kindle Fire HDX: Smooth operation, great screen (hands on) - ZDNet

Kindle Fire HDX first impressions

The Kindle Fire HDX TV ad explains the selling points of the tablet to someone who sounds like Jony Ive offscreen. It’s lighter, has a higher resolution display, and is cheaper than the iPad Air. This sums up the best features of the Kindle Fire HDX, and the special Fire OS interface is also pretty good.

I’m testing the 8.9-inch model Kindle Fire HDX and the claims in the TV ad are accurate. Barely bigger than the iPad mini, and weighing about the same, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a screen not much smaller than the iPad Air.

Hardware specs as reviewed

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core (APQ8074), 2.2 GHz
Memory	2GB
Display	8.9-inch, 2,560 x1, 600, 339 ppi (Qualcomm Adreno 330, 450 MHz)
OS version	Fire 3.0 (compatible with Android 4.2.2, API level 17)
Camera	Front: 720p; Rear: 8MP
Storage	16GB
Ports	microUSB
Connectivity	Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
Battery	12 hours (18 hours reading ebooks)
Dimensions	9.1 “X 6.2″ X 0.31 “
Weight	13.2oz

Hardware

The Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Adreno graphics processor run the Fire OS on the Kindle Fire HDX nicely. This tablet runs faster and smoother than any Android tablet I’ve used, and that’s quite a few. All apps and the interface scroll more smoothly than other Android tablets, making the Fire HDX a joy to use.

See related: Top 15 Android tablet apps for work and play | 10 cool Android apps to start the year | Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

The tablet is very thin and light, making it very comfortable to hold. The decision to put the volume rocker and power button on the back of the Fire HDX allowed Amazon to make these controls a good size for easy operation. The construction is solid and the tablet is not slippery in the hand as is common with other tablets.

The high-resolution display is the jewel of the Kindle Fire HDX. It is bright and vivid and gorgeous. Text appears crisp and watching video is as good as it gets on any tablet. The 339 pixels / inch means everything is legible, even tiny fonts.

The 8MP rear camera takes decent photos for those who actually use a tablet as a camera. The front web cam makes video calling a reasonable experience although it’s not very resolute (no actual resolution is specified other than 720p).

Amazon rates the battery life at 12 hours for normal use and 18 hours for reading ebooks. This seems accurate in testing so far.

User Experience

Amazon has designed the UI to be easy for anyone to use, and while Android purists will turn up their noses at this, it’s actually quite pleasant to use. The carousel on the main screen makes it a breeze to cycle through the most recently used apps and content. The content displayed consists of apps, videos, music, Kindle books, and photos. Just spin through them and return to the desired activity.

Home screen (Image: James Kendrick / ZDNet)

Beneath the carousel is a row of recommended apps to buy. Those who pay the extra $ 15 when buying the Kindle Fire HDX can turn off these ads.

The bottom of the screen displays three rows of apps (in portrait), making it a dock of sorts. The apps displayed and the order can be customized by the owner. Swiping up on the home screen exposes additional apps.

Silk is Amazon’s web browser for the Kindle Fire, and it’s not bad. Web pages are rendered quickly and Silk is even fast with a number of tabs open at once.

What’s Hot on ZDNet

• Amid weak Android launches, it’s Apple iPhone time to shine
• Apple takes Siri for a spin: Hands-free software for drivers
• Top 10 excuses for sticking with Windows XP
• Top Android tablets (March 2014 edition)

It is not possible to access the Google Play store for apps nor content, as this is replaced with Amazon’s own store. While Amazon doesn’t have nearly as many apps as Google, I have been able to find all my main Android apps. My favorite Android keyboard, SwiftKey, is unfortunately not compatible with the Kindle Fire HDX.

Fire OS is optimized for working with Amazon content, including Kindle books, music, and video. There is a large selection of Amazon Instant Video which can be used on the Fire HDX with ease.

Amazon has added features to Fire OS 3.0 designed to make the Kindle Fire HDX more at home in the enterprise. These include wireless printing support, good Exchange support, integrated VPN handling, and the ability to view Microsoft Office documents.

The Kindle Fire HDX is so much fun to use that when I set it down for a while, I am quickly enticed to pick it up again. It’s good to use and it draws me in to do so. This is a mark of a good tablet with a nice user experience. Using the Kindle Fire HDX just feels right. It is better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 I’ve owned for a while and can easily replace it.

The Kindle Fire HDX with 16GB of storage as reviewed is available from Amazon for $ 379 with ads and $ 394 without.

Reviewer rating: 9 out of 10

See the unique Origami Case in action on the following pages