Tag: amazon

Amazon Japan Kindle made with manga book storage in mind

The new version of the Paperwhite device has huge available storage for the graphic novels.

The new Amazon Japan Kindle Paperwhite has been unveiled and this device has a massive amount of storage. It was created this way to help readers to be able to store books with much heavier file sizes. The reason is that manga books are immensely popular there and the graphics need far more room.

The Kindle Paperwhite manga version provides users with 32 GB of storage.

This is about eight times larger than the traditional model of the Amazon Japan Kindle – and those from around the globe for that matter – which is only 4 GB. This makes it possible for readers to store several whole series of manga comics on their ereaders, said an Amazon statement. Moreover, slow page-turning rates won’t get in the way of users of this new model. That function has been sped up by 33 percent to ensure that readers stay lost in the manga world.

Amazon Japan Kindle - Image of Kindle e-ReaderUntil now, the new manga Kindle had yet to be released. That said, Japanese consumers could pre-order it for only slightly more than the cost of the standard device. The pre-order price was about $157 (¥16,280). Amazon Prime subscribers can enjoy a hefty discount at about $118 (¥12,280).

The Amazon Japan Kindle manga version will start shipping today, with preorders heading out first.

This version of the Kindle e-reader will be the first one with the accelerated page turning rate. That said, the faster page turning performance will also be updated into other Kindles. Amazon expects that those improved features will become available to ereaders other than the manga-focused device by the end of October.

It is likely that the Kindle Paperwhite version for manga will remain a product exclusive to the Japanese market. The reason is that while manga does have a notable following around the globe, it doesn’t even approach the level of popularity in Japan. Moreover, the standard 4 GB devices are not small when it comes to standard books.

One ereader with 4GB can easily hold a library of up to thousands of standard books. As a result markets outside the Amazon Japan Kindle don’t have much reason to try to expand their capacity.

Streaming music service launches at Amazon

The online marketplace has released its full on-demand service called Amazon Music Unlimited.

It feels as though rumors about an Amazon streaming music service have been around forever. As of this week, the company launched Amazon Music Unlimited. It is meant to function as a rival to Google Play Music, Apple Music and Spotify. That said, Amazon has worked hard to make its offerings stand out.

There are many ways in which Amazon Music Unlimited is different from other options on the market.

That said, the price of a subscription is likely what makes this streaming music service the most different. In the U.S., it has launched at $79 per year or $7.99 per month for Prime members. This is notably less expensive than the premium Spotify and Apple Music options. Moreover, customers who own an Amazon Echo voice-controlled gadget will be able to subscribe for music at only $3.99 per month.

Streaming Music Service - Google Play MusicThat said, at the very heart of the service is one that is quite similar to the competition. It has an enormous catalog of songs. It also includes a recommendation engine to help users to discover new music. The service has a contract with the three largest music labels in addition to a solid number of indie labels. It can allow users to create their own playlists though algorithmic playlists are also available.

The Amazon streaming music service is available for Android, iOS, Sonos and desktop users.

Naturally, it is also available through the Amazon set-top boxes as well as its Fire tablets. The company’s new Music apps have been entirely recreated and overhauled. They have new navigation, typography and place a greater focus on album art and imagery.

These applications also offer a number of interesting features. For instance, users can automatically download music the company’s algorithms think they will like. This function occurs in the background so users can benefit from offline listening, too. Lyrics integration has also been included in the mix.

Amazon is focusing the marketing of its new streaming music service on its sleek integration with the Echo devices and with Alexa voice assistant.