Well, it seems as if the holiday freebies won’t stop coming. Chances are, if you own a smartphone you’re an app collectionista (sorry, guys), and if you’ve got a certain Samsung Galaxy device in particular you’re about to get a major boost to your application arsenal. In the spirit of the holidays, or maybe its 100 million downloads, Sammy’s going to hook you up with some free virtual treats from its Apps store. The selection of up to 16 games won’t be available for the entire line of galactic phones — and may vary by region — but if you own a Galaxy WiFi 5.0, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Ace or Galaxy Gio, then you are amongst the lucky ones. Included in the deal are games such as: Air Penguin, Air Attack HD, Bubble Fish, Samurai 2 and a few others (full list after the break). There’s no word on when the bargain ends, so hop into the store before you miss out.

Continue reading Samsung’s in a gifting mood, is giving away up to 16 free games for select Galaxy devices

Samsung’s in a gifting mood, is giving away up to 16 free games for select Galaxy devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon is trying hard to reinvent the library for the digital age, by offering e-book lending through the Kindle via a “Netflix for books” monthly subscription, as well as by offering Kindle e-books through a public-library lending program it launched earlier this year. But it can’t seem to get anyone to play ball with it on either score. None of the major publishers are taking part in the monthly lending program — which the Authors Guild is also protesting — and Penguin just recently pulled its e-books from the public-library lending service, saying it’s concerned about piracy. Going electronic should make books easier to lend rather than harder, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that way for Amazon.

The public library service was launched in September, fulfilling a promise Amazon made in the spring of this year to rollout an e-book program for 11,000 libraries across the United States. The feature allows Kindle owners to borrow books from those libraries with a single click, and even transfers their notes, highlights and other additions from the borrowed version to their own copy if they decide to buy the book. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, meanwhile, (the Netflix-style service) was announced earlier this month as part of Amazon’s Prime subscription service, and allows users to borrow one book a month from a pool of about 5,000 books — but none of the big six publishers has agreed to allow its books into the program.

Publishers would rather sell than lend

Earlier this week, book-industry observers noted that Penguin had pulled its e-books from the public-library program over what it said were concerns about piracy (although it didn’t provide any details about what those concerns were). On Tuesday, it restored access to its older titles through the libraries who have signed up for the Amazon service, but said it would not be providing any of its new e-books to the program. As PaidContent has noted, this leaves just two of the larger publishers participating in the service — HarperCollins  and Random House — and one of those (HarperCollins) puts significant restrictions on its books, including a requirement that libraries must buy a new copy if they lend an e-book more than 25 times.

While Amazon is getting the cold shoulder from publishers — which perhaps isn’t surprising, given the book retailer has been stepping up competition with its former partners by signing authors to its own in-house publishing imprints — it’s also apparently reaching out to a group it has helped develop: namely, self-published authors. According to one industry report, Amazon is offering self-published writers a share of a pool of 0,000 as well as the promotional value of having their books in the Kindle Lending Library, provided they agree to sign an exclusive deal with Amazon to represent their books.

Authors who have gone the traditional publishing route, meanwhile, are apparently incensed that Amazon is offering some of their e-books through its Kindle Lending Library without notifying and/or compensating them directly. In fact, the Authors Guild posted a statement earlier this month saying it believes that Amazon is actually in breach of contract with some of the publishers whose books it’s offering to lend — since the Guild says buying books in bulk (as Amazon has done in some cases, so it can offer them for free to subscribers) doesn’t allow the buyer to lend those books in the way Amazon intends.

The Authors Guild says Amazon is not playing fair

The Guild also argues that some of the publishers who have signed up for Amazon’s Lending Library might themselves be in breach of contract by offering their books to be lent — according to the authors’ organization, lending rights are supposed to be negotiated separately, and authors should be getting compensation for participating in those programs. While some writers seem happy for the exposure they would get via the program (which could theoretically lead to future sales) the Guild seems more concerned about getting more cash from Amazon and/or publishers up front.

The bottom line is that everyone seems to agree that electronic books are a boon — to readers, authors and publishers — but no one can figure out how to allow them to be loaned the way traditional physical books can. In some cases (as with Penguin’s refusal to join the public-library program), this seems to be in part a result of a fear of losing control over the content, and in part a fear of being disintermediated by Amazon. And in the case of the Authors’ Guild and the big six publishers, neither seems to deal with Amazon because they see it as a threat to the existing power structure in the industry.

Only Amazon seems to be interested in what users want, which is easy (and cheap) access to electronic books — and in the end, that could be the biggest weapon the retailer has when it comes to getting authors and publishers to play ball.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr users Marcus Hansson and Frederic Della Faille

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
• Themes for a connected world: GigaOM RoadMap review
• Disruptapalooza 2011: how Amazon’s Kindle is changing the portable media game

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With this ruggedized, GPS-equipped FinePix XP30 from Fujifilm, you won’t have any trouble proving to your friends that that penguin photo your grandmother uses as her “screen saver” really was taken in Antarctica. Unless it happens to be snowing in Antarctica. Or even cloudy. This otherwise average 14.2 megapixel camera is the first to include GPS, but the gurus at Photography Blog had trouble getting a fix while testing in England. They also had issues with the battery door flipping open when the camera was dropped, and sand getting trapped in the zoom rocker — not problems you want to see on a ruggedized cam. Like most rugged cameras, the XP30′s image quality also doesn’t compare to its land-limited cousins, according to the review, so this 0 Fuji might be a better bet as a second shooter than your be-all and end-all camera. Head on over to Photography Blog for the full review.

Fujifilm FinePix XP30 reviewed: average ruggedized cam, with GPS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Club Penguin 6.5 Inch Series 5 Plush Figure Gary the Gadget Guy (Includes Coin with Code!)

• DISNEY CLUB PENGUIN LIMITED EDITION SERIES 5 GARY THE GADGET GUY

isney Club Penguin 6.5 Inch Series 5 Plush Figure Gary the Gadget Guy

Rating: (out of reviews)

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Price: $ 11.88

Technology Curve

Image by Wonderlane

Police sketching technology
Photo:  Sean Doherty’s desk at the Concord Police Department reveals a mix of old transparency methods, left, and new computer software to create police suspect sketches from a witness’ memory of the event at the Concord Police Department on Thursday, June 10, 2010. Witnesses used to pick out various feature transparencies that matched the suspect, and those transparencies would be laid on top …
Read more on Concord Monitor

Cassidy: Linux could ease schools tech crunch
In the shadow of the world’s biggest technology companies, some Silicon Valley schools are struggling to maintain classroom computers better suited for a history museum. If tech companies aren’t ready to solve the problem, maybe Tux the Linux penguin can ride to the rescue.
Read more on San Jose Mercury News

When we think of gadgets, we tend to think of boys toys, electronic gadgets, geek toys and so forth. Gadgets and gizmos have traditionally been favorite gift items that one would buy for a guy. However, it has become increasingly popular for many women to be into gadgets especially ones that are practical, useful and enjoyable. Here are my top 5.

Digital Photo Frames and Keyrings

These are very popular gadget gifts among women in particular mothers, newly weds and grandmothers where they can proudly display pictures of children, wedding photos etc….The introduction of digital photo frames into the marketplace have transformed our lives to the extent that we no longer have our treasured memories hidden away in the closet. Now with digital picture frames you can display not one, but dozens of pictures through a single picture frame. Even better, with a multi-functional digital photo frame, you can play video clips taken from your digital camera and MP3s. The digital keyring is a similar concept except that you don’t get the music and video function, but the added advantage of the keyring is that instead of carrying one or two precious photos of your loved one in your wallet or purse, you can have many photos beautifully displayed and carried with you at all times.

i-Cushions

Many women, myself included love cushions and you can imagine my excitement when I first came across the i-Cushion. Following on from the hugely successful T-Equalizer T-shirts, the makers have taken their EL graphic equalizer into the household. The i-Cushion is perfect for the home and combines both style and innovation. When activated and positioned in earshot of a stereo, the dancing people comes to life!

i-CY Electronic Musical Penguin

It is without a doubt that the penguin is the coolest animal even if you have not seen the movie Happy Feet. The i-CY Electronic Musical Penguin is a speaker that can hook up to your MP3 player, ipod and most portable and non-portable music players. Depending on the kind of music you play, i-CY bops, wiggles, and light up – her movements and lights will change accordingly. Watch her happy feet dance to the beat. One really needs to see this gadget in action to do it justice.

Sun Jar

This is truly a wonderful eco-friendly product! Jam jar stores jam, but this Sun Jar collects and stores sun-shine so that you can use it at night. Originally designed by Tobias Wong, this masterpiece of a jar is ingenious. The idea is to leave the jar either outside, near the window or under some good artificial light, to collect energy from the sun throughout the day via the solar cell. When it turns dark, the jar gives a warm ambient and relaxing glow. It’s a feel good factor for the ecologist in you and not to mention a money saving device so out with the candles and in with the jar! This great gadget was awarded the Gift of the Year Award 2007 in the UK.

Mopods

Relatively new in the USA is the Mopod, a cell phone accessory that all women and girls are bound to find fascinating. Forget about annoying ring tones, simply attach a MoPod to your bag, belt, clothing, key rings or even your cell phone itself and these cute Mopods will flash, turn and spin when your cell phone receives a call. They make a cute accessory which is both unique and different. The only one snag is that Mopods currently works on GSM networks but I understand that the CDMA technology is being developed and should be available in the future. Costing a mere $10, this is truly a nice and inexpensive gizmo and makes a unique gift.