Google's gazillionaire co-founder Sergey Brin said yesterday “we want Google to be the third half of your brain.” But at the rate Google is going they'll soon form all three halves. As you know, Google announced yesterday Google instant which predicts your search queries before you type them. Rather than having to construct an entire query all by yourself, you can now type a couple of letters and then choose from the options... 

I wrote a column recently about the use of Google Earth in one Long Island town to catch swimming pool permit violators . Riverhead, Long Island, busted some 250 residents with illicit pools and collected $75,000 in fines. Now the local newspaper Newsday is reporting that council members have voted to stop using Google Earth to check for permit violators . I would have preferred a lawsuit by the federal government and a Supreme Court case so... 

Amazon’s reader behemoth is about to get a little more behemoth-y, as Best Buy will begin selling Kindles this fall. With the devices already selling out , we can only imagine what the nation’s largest electronics retailer will do for sales. [CrunchGear] More  Read More →

Suddenly, Google is in the prediction business. Three new initiatives – two launched this week, one still in the lab – show that Google believes instantaneous isn't fast enough. Right now isn't soon enough. And the present moment is yesterday's news. The user's speed of thought has become the slowest part of any Google process. So by eliminating user thoughts, or rather by thinking them for you before you think them, Google... 

Once you’ve purchased an Amazon Kindle e-book reader, the wonderful world of public domain, Creative Commons and free e-book promotions opens up to you. This regular Kindle Reader feature points you to a few of the most interesting new free (or very cheap) e-books available for download from the web. Free e-book selections for this week include two free sci-fi novels you won’t want to miss, a first person narrative of life on board... 

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Media interviews are a popular way for writers to introduce new books they hope will catch the viewer’s eye and generate interest in their work. Here’s a selection of forthcoming Kindle books by authors scheduled for interviews on TV and radio programs. Books are arranged in chronological order by the date of the scheduled interview. ON NPR’S ALL THINGS CONSIDERED (31 AUG 2010): Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life,... 

Many best-selling authors are going direct by publishing through epublishers instead of traditional publishing companies. Here’s why. More  Read More →

Spend less time searching for new genre fiction and more time reading it as I watch for newly-released genre fiction in the Kindle Store so you don’t have to. Recent genre fiction releases in sci-fi, romance and western fiction include: SCIENCE FICTION The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton. Del Rey. Print Length: 704 p. Kindle edition $14.74. Text-to-Speech: Disabled. “Exposed as the Second Dreamer, Araminta has become the target... 

News – 1) Scattered reports of Kindle 3 freeze-ups and crashes echo my own experience.  Late-breaking news from Abhi indicates Amazon may be working on a software fix soon.  2) Sony announces three new Readers. 3) Staples to begin selling Kindles. Tech Tip – Via A Kindle World , I learn about an easy way to convert Google …  Read More →

Amazon is offering a whole slew of cases , covers, sleeves and skins for the new Kindle, including nice looking stuff from Diane von Furstenberg, Timbuk2, Belkin, BUILT, and, my favorite, LeSportsac. Who said ebooks couldn’t be beautiful? [ Amazon ] More  Read More →

Why does Apple dominate all aspects of the digital music market, but fail in TV? Why does Microsoft do so well in desktop operating systems, but can't translate that winning formula to cell phones? Why is Google so good at search, yet so clearly miss with Google Orkut? How did a guy like Mark Zuckerberg create a runaway success like Facebook? The answer to these questions can determine the winners and losers in the $174 billion per year... 

Each week Entertainment Weekly reviews a small selection of popular new books. Titles available for the Kindle reviewed in the September 3rd issue include: Freedom , by Jonathan Franzen. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Print length: 576 p. NOVEL. EW’s slant: “…a deep dive into a fascinating family that feels very real, and fully grounded in our time.” Amazon customer rating: 4 stars (5 reviews). Kindle edition $14.99. Text-to-Speech:... 

Steve Jobs launched an insta-meme today by suggesting in his keynote that Apple’s new multi-touch iPod nano could be worn as a wristwatch. The meme becomes a fad next week when the nano arrives in stores and people start actually wearing them on wrists. It’s going to happen, especially when third-party companies begin offering special-purpose wristwatch straps for it. I know it’s going to happen because I’m going to do it. But serving... 

Media interviews are a popular way for writers to introduce new books they hope will catch the viewer’s eye and generate interest in their work. Here’s a selection of forthcoming Kindle books by authors scheduled for interviews on TV and radio programs. Books are arranged in chronological order by the date of the scheduled interview. ON NPR’S MORNING EDITION (27 AUG 2010): 101 Places Not to See Before You Die , by Catherine...