Posts Tagged ‘electrical items’

Kindle Users Will Be Able To Lend Kindle Books In Future

November 16th, 2010 by Alana Kinsalla

A major factor in the enormous success of Amazon’s Kindle reader has definitely been the enormous number of Kindle books on offer for users to choose from. Currently, Kindle owners can choose from more than 725,000 Kindle books – and that’s just the paid titles. There are also 1.8 million books which are out of copyright and can be downloaded to the Kindle gratis.

Apart from making huge volumes of reading material available for Kindle users, Amazon has definitely bent over backwards to make it easy to read Kindle books even if they don’t have a Kindle reader. This has been accomplished by making free Kindle apps, which permit Kindle books to be read on a range of different devices, available.

Currently, there are free Kindle apps for the Windows PC, the Apple Mac, any device which runs the Android Operating System, the iPhone, the iPad and the Blackberry smart phone. You might be forgiven for thinking that Amazon is setting up in competition with itself, but the truth of the matter is that each of these apps acts is an excellent retail outlet for Amazon’s Kindle books.

Amazon has just advised that, in the near future, Kindle owners will have the ability to “lend” each other ebooks. The date for this is yet to be confirmed, but it will commence sometime this year.

Kindle owners will have the option of lending Kindle books to their family and friends for a fortnight. The “borrower” will be able to read the book on their Kindle reader – just as if they had bought it themselves. Whilst the book is lent out, the original purchaser won’t be able to access it. Precisely the same as normal book in point of fact.

Not all books will be able to be lent to friends and family. The final say as to whether or not a particular Kindle book may be lent out rest with the book’s publisher. It will be interesting to discover how different publishing houses react to this.

Amazon has also confirmed that its currently existing free Kindle apps will be extended to include magazines and newspapers in addition to Kindle books. The Apple devices will be activated first, followed by desktop applications and Android devices.

Over the last eighteen months or so, ebook readers and ebooks have really taken off. They are still at a relatively early stage in their market development – but the public seem to have become accustomed to them. Amazon’s latest development brings ebooks ever closer to the full functionality of traditional, printed books. Ebooks can now be considered to be pretty much interchangeable with traditional books – apart from the fact that you can’t mark your place with a dog-ear. It’s another significant step forward for ebooks and ebook readers and will help them to become even more widely accepted by the reading public.

Check out the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.

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What Should You Look For In An Ebook Reader?

November 7th, 2010 by Alison Kinmuir

It’s now been three years since Amazon launched the original Kindle reader. Despite the enormous influence of the Kindle, it’s worth bearing in mind that it was not the first ebook reader on the market. However, the public are quickly becoming accustomed to ebooks – chiefly due to the Kindle’s influence. Whether traditional printed books could eventually become obsolete or not is open to debate – but it looks as if ebooks are here to stay.

Nevertheless, more and more people seem to be getting themselves an ebook reader. The recent ebook reader price cuts from Sony, Amazon and Barnes and Noble has made ebook readers a much more affordable option for a lot of consumers. Whilst the Kindle is the clear market leader, it’s far from the only option available. So, if you’re considering getting your first ebook reader, what are the key points to look for?

Perhaps the most critical factor for consideration is the quality of the display. Most ebook readers use e-ink technology displays. This provides a reading experience which is very close to reading standard text printed on paper. It’s a lot easier on your eyes than a back-lit computer screen. It is also easy to read in direct sunlight or even glare from fluorescent lighting. A further advantage of e-ink technology displays is that they use power only when “turning the page” – so battery life is extended.

In terms of size you may be tempted to go for the largest screen possible. Obviously readers with larger screens cost more than those with smaller displays. They are also physically larger of course – and they weigh more. This will have implications on the device’s portability. If you intend to read mainly at home, then that may not be a problem for you. However, a physically larger reader will be more awkward to use with one hand – something which a lot of users like to do.

One of the major factors in the success of Amazon’s Kindle was its ability to browse and download books in under a minute from virtually anywhere. However, Amazon and Barnes and Noble now have Wi-Fi only versions of their readers available. These cost a little less than the 3G readers and could be a good option for anyone who doesn’t foresee the need to download books without using a computer or connecting via a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Obviously there’s little point in having an ebook reader unless there’s a good selection of books to read on it. At the moment there is no standard format for ebooks. Google uses the ePub format – but Kindle books are in a format which is proprietary to the Kindle. However, Amazon has made free apps – which allow users to read Kindle books on a variety of different devices (e.g. the Windows PC, the Apple Mac, the iPhone, the iPad) – freely available.

The cost of exactly the same ebook can be quite a bit different from one reader to another. If you read a book a week, then making the right choice of reader could save you enough money on ebooks to make the reader pay for itself in a matter of months. It’s well worth your while to check before you come to a decisions as to which reader to choose.

Discover the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise and enhance your reader.

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Is The Efficiency Of Your Domestic Appliances Influenced By A Hard Water Supply?

July 20th, 2010 by Hamish Hayward

The large majority of households will be fed with a domestic water supply which is defined as “hard water”. This is just a definition which is applied to signify water which has a fairly high concentration of minerals in it. Magnesium and calcium are the two most important minerals. According to the World Health Organisation, there are no health problems associated with hard water supplies – but it can affect the effective operation and lifespan of a variety of different domestic appliances.

As a consequence of hard water, mineral deposits can be laid down in water pipes and a range of household appliances. Household appliances which use hot or boiling water are especially at risk as heating the water frees the minerals it contains which then solidify as “scale”. Coffee makers, kettles, steam irons, dishwashers and washing machines are all prone to this effect – as are household central heating systems and boilers.

There are a number of different variables which influence how much scale is generated. The temperature of the water is one of the strongest influencing factors on this process. More scale is produced at higher temperatures. Running dishwashers and washing machines at a lower temperature setting will reduce the amount of scale produced and help to ensure that these appliances continue to operate efficiently and have an extended working life. Using soaps and detergents which have an anti-scaling agent included will also help.

Using a lower water temperature with appliances such as steam irons, kettles and coffee makers isn’t very practical. Some kettles come with filters built in these days, which can prevent or reduce the incursion of harmful minerals (as well as improving the taste of hot drinks). Some modern irons incorporate specially designed, removable scale traps which make it easy to wash away any scale under a running tap. Other alternatives include periodically cleaning your appliances with special anti-scale chemicals.

Although there are no health problems associated with a hard water supply, many people will dislike the resulting taste of hot drinks or boiled and steamed food. On the other hand, some people actually prefer the taste of tea that is made using hard water to that made using soft water – it is, in the truest sense of the word, a matter of taste. If you don’t like the taste of your hot drinks and food, then you can make use of a water filter. A simple, but effective, jug filter will work – or you could install an under sink or whole house filter if you prefer.

It may seem like an inconvenience, but it’s well worth the effort to counter the effects of a hard water supply. In addition to the improved operational efficiency of your domestic appliances, use of the correct detergents and the selection of a lower operating temperature, combined with scale removal from time to time, will save you money by extending the life of your appliances.

Discover how you can cut your ironing time by fifty percent by using a Tefal steam generator iron – it’s a lot faster and the end result is better as well

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E-Book Reader Price Reductions May Be A Sign Of Big Changes To Come In The World Of Digital Publishing

July 19th, 2010 by Hamish Hayward

Amazon, using their Kindle reader family as a vehicle, has been a major player in the development of both the e-book reader and e-book market. The first Kindle was released in November of 2007. In February of 2009, the updated and enhanced Kindle 2.0 hit the market, quickly followed by the large format Kindle DX in the summer of the same year.

The Kindle readers dominated the market with a 60% share of all American e-book reader sales. Sony’s PRS reader – which was actually available in 2006, some time before the Kindle – followed in second place with a 35% market share. Other companies quickly saw the huge potential of the rapidly developing e-book reader market and either launched or updated their own readers in order to get a share of the available sales.

Competitors like Plastic Logic, Sony, Bookeen, iRex and Barnes and Noble fought for their share of the rapidly growing market, but Amazon’s lead position seemed to be almost impregnable. It was only with the launch of the Apple iPad that any credible competition emerged – slightly surprising since the two devices are very different and are, you would suppose, aimed at different market segments.

Since the launch of the iPad, e-book reader prices have fallen quite some way. The Kindle 2.0 is currently selling for just $ 189, a huge reduction over the $ 359 launch price of February 2009. The large format Kindle DX has been upgraded, being fitted with a new improved screen, and has had a price reduction from $ 489 to just $ 379. Barnes and Noble have also dropped the price of their Nook reader from $ 259 to $ 199.

The launch of the iPad may, or may not, have been instrumental in producing widespread reductions in the ticket price of e-book readers, but it was clearly a major factor in pushing the price of the e-books to read on these devices upwards. Apple had set up its own book store prior to the launch of the iPad and had negotiated a deal with the major publishing firms which allowed them to fix the price of their e-book editions at whatever level they wanted – as long as the e-book was not made available on any other platform for a lower price. This pretty much killed the Amazon policy of setting e-book prices at $ 9.99 or less and was a welcome development for the publishers who were concerned about their profits reducing.

Although Amazon had to modify their approach, it wasn’t all bad news for them – or for Barnes and Noble either. Amazon had always given the impression that they were much more interested in book sales – and e-book sales – than they were in hardware sales. How else to explain the fact that they had bent over backwards to make it possible to read Kindle books on such a wide variety of different devices? It’s possible to read Kindle books on the PC, the Mac, the iPod Touch, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry and any mobile device that runs Android. The latest price movements mean that Amazon, and other companies such as Barnes and Noble – and now Apple – who have a significant stake not just in the sale of hardware but also in the sale of e-books, can adopt a policy of selling the hardware cheap and making their profit in the sale of e-books over the life of the reading device.

This trend may tend to favor companies which have a foot in both the book and hardware sales camps. Considering the current number of devices which can be used to read Kindle books, it looks as if Amazon will be a major player in the future of digital publishing for some time to come.

Check out the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.

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How To Choose A Steam Generator Iron

July 12th, 2010 by Hamish Hayward

On the face of it, steam generator irons and traditional steam irons appear to be pretty similar. However, steam generator irons have a different construction and a different mode of operation. They use a larger base unit as both water tank and boiler – unlike a traditional steam iron there is no water in the body of the iron itself. Steam generated in the base unit is supplied to the body of the iron via a hollow tube.

As a rule, steam generator irons cost a little bit more than conventional steam irons – but they offer the user a number of advantages. It’s worth taking a few moments to review the important points before you decide which iron is right for you. The main items to consider when making a comparison of different steam generator irons are the steam pressure, the water reservoir capacity, the soleplate, ease of cleaning and overall usability.

STEAM PRESSURE: The steam causes heat and moisture to penetrate the fabric of the garment being ironed. This makes it more flexible and facilitates the removal of creases and wrinkles. The greater the pressure of the steam, the deeper it penetrates the garment being pressed and the better the finished result will be.

As a rule, steam generator irons will have their output capacity noted in terms of grams of steam per minute (g/min). The higher this number is, the more steam is produced and the easier (and faster) it will be to use the iron. Typical values will range from 70 to 140 grams per minute.

You will also see some irons with their steam pressure quoted in bar. Again, the higher this number is, the more steam that will be produced and the better the finished results will be.

CAPACITY OF THE WATER RESERVOIR: As a rule, steam generator irons tend to have a well sized water tank. This means that you will be able to iron for quite some time before you need to refill it. The exact time will vary according to the type of fabric that you are ironing – but a 1.4 litre tank should be fine for at least two hours of ironing.

If you do a good deal of ironing then you may wish to consider getting one of the larger tanks available. If you have an ironing board which is relatively small, then you might want to make sure that the tube which connects the reservoir to the iron is long enough for you to work with the base unit positioned on the floor rather than on the ironing board itself.

Consider also how easy filling the reservoir is. A lot of the better steam generator irons come with water reservoirs which are detachable, and this makes topping up a lot easier. It’s certainly better than fussing about with jugs of water. Other irons have the option of topping up the reservoir whilst the iron is being used – avoiding the need to disconnect it and then having to wait for it to heat up again after being refilled.

THE SOLEPLATE: The design and material of the soleplate should be such that it glides smoothly across the surface of a variety of different fabrics. It should be durable, scratch resistant and easy to clean. Soleplates with ceramic coatings are very popular these days and are always a good choice.

EASE OF CLEANING: Most modern irons, whether standard steam irons or steam generator irons, use plain old tap water. Depending upon the water supply in your area, this will usually contain a number of different mineral – including both magnesium and calcium. This can cause scale deposits which will reduce the efficiency of your iron if left untreated.

If your house is in a hard water area, then you will definitely want to go for an iron which has some type of anti-scale system. Some iron use a special detachable anti-scale cartridge – others use water to loosen the scale and then flush it out.

USABILITY: As already discussed, you may find it preferable for your iron to be positioned on the floor rather than on the board – which needs a long enough hose connection.

Most people will find a removable water tank to be a convenient feature.

Other features, which may be appealing, include fast heat up systems, easy clean soleplates, auto-rewind power cords etc.

SUMMARY: Be sure to choose a high enough steam pressure for your requirements. Select a water reservoir which is large enough so that you don’t need to keep stopping in order to top it up. Ensure that the soleplate is of a suitable material and design. If you live in a hard water area, make sure that some anti-scaling system is incorporated.

Cut your ironing time in half with a Tefal steam generator iron – you’ll wonder how you managed without one.

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