It's Magic

On 7 November 1991, Magic Johnson announced his retirement from basketball. He was 32, at which time, he'd already been MVP three times and won the NBA championship with the Lakers five times. I think I still have clippings of the Philippine Daily Inquirer's issue somewhere in the papers I've accumulated over the years.



Contrary to everyone's fears, he is still with us twenty years later. And, if such a thing is possible, he has actually managed to be a better person than he was a basketball player. (Skip to the 1:00 mark in the video below, for his press conference yesterday)



To this day, he remains my favorite Laker and basketball player of all time.  I'm so happy you are "managing" HIV, Magic, stay well.

Review: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260

I recently purchased  the Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 for about P1,270 from PCX. As its name implies, it is a wireless keyboard-and-mouse set.

The keyboard is comfortable but it doesn't look and feel much different from a generic keyboard except that it has 8 "hot keys"  in the upper left option which provides for volume control and a power switch, among others. Thus far, the only "hot keys" which have worked for me are the mute button and the calculator button. The other keys don't seem to work as advertised. I like the wireless mouse, it is way better than the models that CDR-King sells.

Installation was a breeze, and it worked fine with Windows 7.  The USB receiver has good range - I'm using the MK260 on my desktop and I placed the receiver at the back of the CPU. Both the wireless keyboard and mouse easily detected the signal from the USB receiver.

Apart from my gripes with the "hot keys" which I rarely use anyway, I only have one problem with this product : it has no Caps Lock and Num Lock LED indicator. This, for me, is a significant omission in this age of case-sensitive passwords. If the generic keyboards have this LED at 1/5 the price of the Logitech (free, if you have a PC assembled), I'm not quite sure why Logitech would leave out this feature.

To give you an idea of the stuff which comes with the box of the MK260, see TechTigerTV's unboxing video which I found in YouTube:



Note: Windows 7 can help you out if you have one of those keyboards, like the MK260, which doesn't have a LED indicator. Go to Control Panel, click Ease of Access and choose "Change how your keyboard works." Check the box for "Turn on Toggle Keys" to hear a tone when you press Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock.

A Dance with Dragons available on Asia-Pac Kindle Store

I am happy to report that George R. R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons, the 5th book in the A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy series was made available, for pre-order and on the first day of release last 12 July 2011, on Kindle's Asia-Pacific store. Good job, Amazon!

Audible audiobooks on the Kindle 3

Great news for those (like me) who "read" books by listening to them. Audible and Amazon have tied up to allow audiobooks to be accessed through the Kindle.

First, you can now order audiobooks through the Kindle and the books can be downloaded directly to your Kindle.

Second, your Audible books can be transferred to your Kindle via USB as indicated in the FAQ page of Audible:

To transfer audiobooks to your Kindle, follow these steps:

Step 1. Connect your Kindle to your computer, using the USB cable that came with the device.

Step 2. Your Kindle should appear on your computer in the same location you would normally find an external USB drive.

Step 3. Open your Kindle. You should see a folder entitled "audible." Drag any audiobooks you want to play on your Kindle into this folder.

 By default your Audible audiobooks file will reside in the following locations:

▪ Windows XP Users:          C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Audible\Downloads
▪ Windows Vista/7 Users:    C:\Users\Public\Documents\Audible\Downloads
▪ Mac OS Users:                 Location of your Audible Audio files will vary

 Audible.com offers four versions of its audiobook format. Kindle is compatible with format 4 (file extension: .aa) and Audible Enhanced Audio (file extension: .aax). Formats 2, 3, and audiobooks provided from other sources are not supported.

Step 4. Using your computer, eject your Kindle from your computer. The content you transferred should now appear in Home.

Ad-supported Kindle

Heads up, folks! An ad-supported Kindle is now available, and it's sellling for US$25 less.

Here are the features, according to Amazon:

New, Lower Price

When you buy Kindle with Special Offers, you are getting the same bestselling Kindle for $25 less—only $114. Special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen—they don't interrupt reading.

Special Offers

You'll receive special offers directly on your Kindle. Examples include:

• $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
• $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
• $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
• $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop

Sponsored Screensavers

Our goal is to display sponsored screensavers that you want to see. That's why we've created a free Kindle app and website (coming soon) called AdMash. Anyone who's interested can download AdMash and help pick future screensavers. Two prospective screensavers show up side-by-side, and you pick the one you find most attractive. The ones preferred most by customers qualify to become sponsored screensavers.

You can also set your personal Kindle Screensaver Preferences to give us hints on the style and types of sponsored screensavers you'd like to see on your Kindle. For example, you can indicate that you'd like to see more or fewer screensavers that include elements such as landscapes and scenery, architecture, travel images, photography, and illustrations. Together, AdMash voting and Kindle Screensaver Preferences help us select the most attractive and engaging sponsored screensavers to display on your Kindle.

Personally, I think a Kindle with ads should be free.

Timbuktu!

My Kindle case finally arrived!

Kindle 3: software update v. 3.1

As you may already know, Amazon has come out with an "early preview release" of the Kindle's software (version 3.1).  Because it's a preview, it is not yet being pushed to our devices.  It is, however, available for download. Please note that the "early preview release" is only for the newest generation Kindle 3.


The following are the new features, according to Amazon:

•  Public Notes -- This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see. Any Kindle user -- including authors, their fans, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere -- can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community of people who love to read. This is a new way for readers to share their excitement and knowledge about books and get more from the books they read. To review and turn on Public Notes in your own books, view the Public Notes of people you follow, track your reading activities, see Popular Highlights and your annotations, and view your full library of books, go to https://kindle.amazon.com. Learn more.
• Real Page Numbers -- Our customers have told us they want real page numbers that match the page numbers in print books so they can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class. We've already added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books. Page numbers will also be available on our free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps in the coming months. If a Kindle book includes page numbers, press the Menu key in an open Kindle book to display page numbers. Learn more.
• Before You Go ... -- When you reach the end of the book, you can immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author. Learn more.
• New Newspaper and Magazine Layout -- We're introducing a new and improved layout for newspapers and magazines. This new layout gives you a quick snapshot of the news and helps you decide what you want to read first.

PC Mag likewise has an article with a slideshow detailing the changes brought about by the new software.

And here, according to Amazon, are the instructions for download:

1. Determine your software version: From Home, select Menu, then Settings. On the Settings screen you will see the Kindle version at the bottom of the screen. If you see "Version Kindle 3.0.3" or earlier (3.0.3, 3.0.2, 3.0.1, or 3.0), please proceed with the steps below to update your Kindle to the latest software.
   
   
2. Download your software: Click on the appropriate link below to download the software update file directly to your computer:

---

Kindle Wi-Fi: Download 3.1 (Early Preview Release)Your serial number will start with "B008"Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) - U.S. and Canadian Customers*: Download 3.1 (Early Preview Release) Your serial number will start with "B006"Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) - European Customers*: Download 3.1 (Early Preview Release)Your serial number will start with "B00A"
3. Transfer software to your Kindle: Turn your Kindle on and connect it to your computer using the USB cable. Drag and drop the new update file from your computer to the root Kindle drive. (The drive contains a number of folders - such as "audible," "documents," and "music" - and is typically displayed as a "device" icon).
4. Monitor file transfer and disconnect: Check your file transfer progress to ensure file transfer to your Kindle is complete before disconnecting. After the file has transferred successfully, eject the Kindle to safely disconnect Kindle from your computer. Disconnect the USB cable from your Kindle and your computer.
5. Start the software update: Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select "Settings." Press the Menu key again, and then select "Update Your Kindle." (This option will be grayed out if the most recent update has already been installed or if the file transfer was not successful.) Select "Ok" when prompted if you want to perform an update. Your Kindle will restart twice during the update. After the first restart, you will see "Your Kindle is Updating".
6. Once the update is complete: Your Kindle will automatically restart a second time. When you go to the Settings page, you should notice Version: Kindle 3.1 at the bottom of the screen. Once you see this, you know your update is complete.

I downloaded the new software and promptly installed it in my device. The Kindle will display this message while it is updating the software: 

Thereafter, if the update is successful, the following message will be displayed on the screen:

This process will be repeated twice and then you get this screen:

You can check that you have the current software version in the Settings menu.