If you’ve just received a new Kindle Fire, it may not be immediately obvious how to watch movies on your device.

Your Kindle Fire comes with a free month of Amazon Prime, which includes not only free 2-day shipping, but also free Amazon Instant Videos (TV shows and movies).

To watch Amazon videos, tap the “Video” label on the home screen of your Kindle Fire. I’ve highlighted where to tap in the picture:

So the Amazon Kindle Fire ereaders are out now and there’s a lot of anticipation in the air as folks wonder what this new device is all about.

Here’s a quick guide I put together, explaining what are ereaders, ebooks, and Kindles. And here’s an overview of the Kindle ereaders now available.

As for the Kindle Fire itself, I put together a quick unboxing video so that you can see exactly what comes . . . → Read More: Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing]]>

So the Amazon Kindle Fire ereaders are out now and there’s a lot of anticipation in the air as folks wonder what this new device is all about.

Here’s a quick guide I put together, explaining what are ereaders, ebooks, and Kindles. And here’s an overview of the Kindle ereaders now available.

As for the Kindle Fire itself, I put together a quick unboxing video so that you can see exactly what comes in the box if you get one.

Once I get to use it more I will post a more extensive review, but initial impressions are quite positive: I connected it to my Wi-Fi network easily and in seconds I was able to surf on the Internet. The Kindle Fire also found my Amazon account and library of previously-purchased Kindle books painlessly–I was reading one of my books with just a few screen touches.

The device itself feels quite solid in the hand (but heavier than the second gen Amazon Kindle) and the touch screen is responsive.

But until I can take the device through its paces more, for now, please enjoy the unboxing.

So I guess this is now the Kendall Fire.

By the way, once I connected the Kindle Fire to my Wi-Fi network and to my Amazon account, this is what the screen looks like.

You can see in the middle Carousel I’ve got a few books opened up and the last web page I browsed to. Along the bottom are pre-installed apps and along the top are the categories of apps, books, movies, etc. that I can view/watch/use.

Related Posts:

• How to watch movies on your Kindle Fire
• What is a Kindle?
• New Amazon Kindles and a Kindle Tablet called the Kindle Fire
• Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011
• Review of Kindle ebook reader — graphite version

Here is the third annual Totally Awesome Gift Guide–a collection of gift ideas that go beyond the mundane.

These gifts are curated based on: my personal review (i.e., after using the item, I found it to be totally awesome), or I just really, really want the item myself (i.e., it is totally awesome, period).

So, here are some totally awesome gifts for totally awesome people (like you!). I’ve grouped them into three categories: . . . → Read More: Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011]]>

Here is the third annual Totally Awesome Gift Guide–a collection of gift ideas that go beyond the mundane.

These gifts are curated based on: my personal review (i.e., after using the item, I found it to be totally awesome), or I just really, really want the item myself (i.e., it is totally awesome, period).

So, here are some totally awesome gifts for totally awesome people (like you!). I’ve grouped them into three categories: Fitness, Electronics, and Books.

FITNESS

1.) DemonBells

Truth be told, these are the kettlebells I covet.

Kettlebells are one of the best ways I’ve found to get in shape, get strong, and ramp up the cardio capacity. This one piece of iron will replace a gym’s worth of fancy expensive equipment.

If you are not quite bold enough for demonbells, then I’d recommend you buy your kettlebell from Dragondoor. Their kettlebells may be a little more expensive, but the Dragondoor kettlebells are the gold standard. For example, I’ve used other brands of kettlebells that just shred your hands because of their poor-quality finish.

Here’s a quick guide I made on how to get started with kettlebells.

If you can learn to use the kettlebell appropriately, then you have a lifetime of fitness gains and health ahead of you.

2.) Chin Up Bar, Pull Up Bar

Whether you do chinups (palms facing you) or pullups (palms facing away from you), a chin up or pull up bar can be one of your most important pieces of exercise equipment.

Not everyone has the space or ability to install a permanent pullup bar, so one that quickly installs over a door frame is a really good alternative.

Here’s a review I did for one pullup bar, plus a list of other popular chinup bars, plus a few pullup routines to get you started.

3.) Klean Kanteen

Looking for something inexpensive, useful, and healthy? I really get a lot of use out of my Klean Kanteen. It is made of 18/8 food-grade stainless steel, which is free of BPA and other toxins, and doesn’t retain or impart flavors. It keeps cold liquids cold, hot liquids hot, and you don’t have to worry about toxic metals leaching into what you drink.

4.) MIR Weighted Vest

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of bodyweight exercises and I use a weighted vest to increase the resistance in order to help build more strength. This MIR Weighted Vest is the one I use.

MIR sells many different kinds of weighted vests in a variety of weights. The one I bought, however, does not come with weights already inside it, but has strong velcro pockets in which you can put your own weights. This makes the weight vest much more flexible and customizable, since I can vary the weights in it, increasing the weights as my strength levels suggest. You can also use the pockets to hold your wallet and car keys in case you want to go for a run in your weight vest.

The weight is well distributed across my shoulders and the vest securely straps around my chest. In addition to using the vest for pullups, I’ve also used it for short sprints, pushups, and squats. I even sometimes use it when taking my dog for a walk, just to get a little workout from even a mundane activity.

I don’t know how long the sale will last, but as I type this, the vest is 50% off…

ELECTRONICS

1.) Amazon Kindle Reader

If you like to read, then it is likely you’ll enjoy an ereader. Never heard of it? Don’t know what an ebook or an ereader is? Don’t know your Kindle from your Kendall? What’s this Kindle Fire everyone’s talking about? Here’s a quick guide I put together, explaining what are ereaders, ebooks, and Kindles.

Here’s an overview of the Kindle ereaders now available.

And here’s an unboxing video I made of the Amazon Kindle Fire.

2.) IronKey USB Drive, 4GB

These days we all know how important it is to keep our files, data, and passwords safe. The IronKey USB Drive, 4GB, is specifically designed with safety and security in mind, including hardware encryption. Numerous security features are built-in to the drive and its case is stainless-steel and waterproof. There’s even a self-destruct mechanism in the event someone steals your drive and tries to guess your password. Keep your data safe with IronKey.

3.) Soundmatters foxLv2 portable speaker

After another brand’s external speaker fizzled after just using it for a few months, I stumbled onto the Soundmatters foxLv2 portable speaker and have been in listening heaven since. Also, here’s my review of the Soundmatters speaker, including a video demo I made.

BOOKS

1.) Audible subscription

Audible is a company that makes audio books, so you can catch up on your reading when on the go. For example, pop in a book you’ve been meaning to read and listen to it while commuting, walking the dog, or working out. I’ve been a member for several years now, ever since Audible saved my sanity.

Audible is now offering 3, 6 or 12 month gift memberships, or you can even give individual titles. Perfect for the book-lover in your life.

2.) Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill

In Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill, when aging rocker Judas Coyne buys a “ghost” advertised on the Internet, his life is turned upside down when he gets more than he bargained for. This is a book of horror, but also redemption. It is touching, moving, lyric, and will make you wonder who is waiting outside your bedroom door. Great debut novel by Hill.

3.) Five Slices of Death, by Kendall Giles

Yes, this is a collection of some of my haunting stories I put together, plus a cherry pie recipe! I think you’ll really like it. Here is more about the collection and where to buy it.

ENJOY!

So, that’s it for this year’s list of gift items–I hope you’ve been able to find at least something of interest. Consider shopping for yourself or someone else using this link to Amazon.com.

Related Posts:

• Great Gift Ideas 2010
• What is a Kindle?
• 12 Great Gift Ideas for 2009
• Exercise while on travel: chin-up / pull-up bar
• Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing

I was on a long flight from Los Angeles to Richmond, Virginia, and I thought I was going to go insane.

It wasn’t because of the long flight itself, nor was it because of the hassles of air travel. No, I was going out of my mind because two passengers behind me were prattling on about some reality TV show and I couldn’t escape.

It’s not like they were discussing an interesting show . . . → Read More: Read more and save your sanity with Audible]]>

I was on a long flight from Los Angeles to Richmond, Virginia, and I thought I was going to go insane.

It wasn’t because of the long flight itself, nor was it because of the hassles of air travel. No, I was going out of my mind because two passengers behind me were prattling on about some reality TV show and I couldn’t escape.

It’s not like they were discussing an interesting show or book, perhaps one of the latest best-sellers. They could have talked about any number of interesting books, say, books about zombies, vampires, or even werewolves. The choices are endless! I might not have minded so much then, because I might have learned about a new book to read or movie to watch. But no, they were droning on and on about some reality show about a dancing competition.

My mind struggled to comprehend their fascination. I would have thought discussing the results of a dancing competition would take just a few minutes:

PERSON A: So, who won the dancing competition on the show last night?

PERSON B: John Travolta. He was born to hand jive.

PERSON A: Oh, neat.

But no. Those two behind me went on for hours talking about what costumes the contestants wore, whether Contestant 1 was sleeping with Contestant 2′s dance partner, and on and on and on. And oh, remember all the riveting excitement that happened last season? Here, let’s recap in detail. And they did.

Multiple seasons of a dancing show?!

Did I mention they kept up this topic for hours?

It seemed my life was flashing before my eyes, and would quickly come to an end:

• I hadn’t heard as much angst and drama since high school.
• I couldn’t read a book on my Kindle because their voices were now like an icepick to the brain.
• I thought for sure I was going to pull the emergency-exit chute and escape to the safety of oblivion, like that Jet Blue flight attendant.

When I finally got home from that flight, I did some research and decided to sign up for Audible, a company that publishes audio books, and I’ve been in book-reading heaven since then.

Now, when I’m driving, walking the dog, grocery shopping, or sitting trapped on a plane next to people chatting about a reality TV show, I can make use of this idle time by “reading” about something interesting by listening to an audio book.

I’ll post more later about how the program works and a neat way I’ve found to optimize your reading time even more, but for now, I just wanted to say that Audible has helped me read a lot more than I used to, and it has even prevented one person (me) from going insane on plane flights. Audible is that good.

If you are interested in trying Audible yourself, here’s a special offer I found: Download an audiobook for $7.49 and save 50% for your first 3 months.

Related Posts:

• 12 Great Gift Ideas for 2009
• New Podcast Series – Episode 1 – Beginnings
• Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011
• What is a Kindle?

Basically, the Amazon Kindle is a family of ereader devices made . . . → Read More: What is a Kindle?]]>
Lately, the news channels have been flooded with talk about “Kindles” and “Nooks” and “ereaders” and “ebooks”. Most of the stories focus on specific products, and rarely are the simple questions addressed, like: “What is a Kindle?” or “What is an Amazon Kindle?”. I’ve even heard: “What is a Kendall Reader?”. So I thought I’d give a short introduction on the Amazon Kindle.

Basically, the Amazon Kindle is a family of ereader devices made by the company Amazon. There are other ereaders, such as the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Sony eReader, but here I’ll just talk about the Kindle.

Amazon is an online company that sells everything from books to groceries to computers to appliances to movies. In fact, they sell most anything, including their own devices used to read electronic books (ebooks) called Kindles.

An electronic book, or ebook, is a digital version of a physical book. Devices specially designed to read ebooks are called ereaders. While devices like computers, iPhones, and tablet computers can read ebooks, ereaders often have a special screen optimized to display text, whereas the other devices most often have a backlit screen which can cause eyestrain when reading text for long periods of time. Ereaders, with their special screens, also have longer battery lives and can be used to read outside in the sun, in contrast to computers and other devices.

Amazon sells physical books, yes. In fact, that is how the company started out. But they also sell ebooks, along with their Kindle ebook readers.

One advantage of using an ereader like the Kindle, as compared to buying the physical book, is that you can fit more than a thousand books on a Kindle, so Kindles are great for having something to read while on travel since a Kindle is light and does not take up much space.

There are several different models of Kindle ereaders available. Different models have different features and prices. For example, here is a brief description of the newest Amazon Kindle ereaders and where to buy them. Retail stores such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max, Radio Shack, Target, and Wal-mart also carry Kindles now, so you can go to the store in person to buy your Kindle if you do not want to buy it online. As always, it is best to call ahead to make sure your retail store has them in stock though!

You can buy ebooks for your Kindle by searching for the book on Amazon and then purchasing the ebook edition (as opposed to the paperback or hardback or audiobook edition). For example, here is the link to the Kindle edition of the new autobiography Steve Jobs, while here is the hardcover edition: Steve Jobs.

If you buy the Kindle edition, Amazon then automatically sends the ebook to your Kindle reader, and in just a few minutes you can start reading your book.

You can also find many ebooks online for free to read on your Kindle, such as classic books compiled by Project Gutenberg. And Kindles can also read .pdf and other personal documents, as well as play audiobooks and audio files (like music). Additionally, you can also borrow ebooks from your library.

Many people now find that they read more than they did when only physical books were available, since carrying a Kindle (or other ereader) is much easier than carrying around multiple physical books.

The basic Kindle is fairly inexpensive now, so you can affordably give the whole “ereader” experience a try. You might like it!

But, in any case, I hope this brief introduction on Amazon Kindles has been helpful to you. If it has, please consider shopping for yourself using this link to Amazon.com.

Related Posts:

• Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing
• Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011
• Review of Kindle ebook reader — graphite version
• Version 2.5 Software Update for Amazon Kindle reader
• Kendall Giles Blog on Amazon Kindle

This is an action-packed set of links to start off your weekend, what with knife throwing, a Sherlock Holmes 2 movie trailer, an exciting Chess Boxing Championship, and a Led Zepplin song done as only Michael Winslow can do it. And, if in all this excitement you lose your ereader, I’ve also included a link with advice on what to do about it.

My new collection of delicious horror stories has just been published!

Here are more details about the book and what’s inside.

Amazon announced new Kindle products, and here is an initial quick look and review of what was announced–great new Kindles and a new Kindle tablet!

It also sounds like Amazon has invested a lot of money and research into improving its IT backend, enabling cloud computing . . . → Read More: New Amazon Kindles and a Kindle Tablet called the Kindle Fire]]> Leaked data indicates Amazon is selling more than 2,000 Kindle Fires per hour! What is the Kindle Fire? More details on this and other new Kindle products below.

Amazon announced new Kindle products, and here is an initial quick look and review of what was announced–great new Kindles and a new Kindle tablet!

It also sounds like Amazon has invested a lot of money and research into improving its IT backend, enabling cloud computing innovations that will help the user’s experiences with storing and accessing movies, and even simply browsing the internet faster than ever before.

Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi

Some Features: 7-inch display, dual-core processor, 14.6 ounces. Full color touch display and access to Amazon’s licensed video and music content–100,000 movies and TV shows, 17 million songs, access to Android Appstore, Kindle books. The user interface is supposed to be custom–not just the plain Android interface. Ultra-fast web browsing. Cost: $199

[UPDATE: Here's an unboxing video of the Kindle Fire.]

Kindle Touch 3G

Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Some Features: Built-in 3G, works in 100 countries, no annual contract nor monthly fees. It’s free 3G wireless. Holds 3,000 books. Cost: $149

Kindle Touch

Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Some Features: no keyboard, no buttons–has IR touch system. lighter and smaller than current 3rd gen model. Holds 3,000 books. Built in Wi-Fi. Cost: $99

Kindle

Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers

Some Features: New version of the classic Kindle–with buttons. Is 30% lighter–weighs less than six ounces–18% smaller than the Kindle 3. Built in Wi-Fi. Cost: $79

It sounds like some of these products won’t ship until November, but they are available for pre-order today, and I suspect they will sellout quickly. According to leaked data, Amazon is currently selling over 2,000 Kindle Fire pre-orders per hour! This is staggering, and suggests that you’d better get your order in sooner than later!

Verdict

I don’t think these products are direct Apple iPad competitors, but then again I don’t think they were meant to be. However, the Kindle Fire is half the price of the iPad, and with a larger selection of books, it may be an attractive alternative to the iPad for some people. Also, these products do greatly improve the experience of people who want an inexpensive way to access great book, movie, TV, and music content.

The fact that the Kindle Fire is built on Android adds great potential to the platform and can only benefit the user, since competition in the app arena will foster innovation and quality increases for the user. Great improvements to the classic Kindle lineup as well.

With these new gadgets, and the raising of the bar for technology hardware and software innovation, this is an awesome time for book readers, book authors, and anyone who wants increased opportunities to enjoy movie, music, and TV show content.

Related Posts:

• Review of Kindle ebook reader — graphite version
• How to watch movies on your Kindle Fire
• Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing
• Kendall book reader: Amazon Kindle DX review
• Kindle 2 Review Roundup

I’ve been using my Kindle for quite a while now and it continues to impress me with the ease and convenience it allows me to find new books and start reading them.

For example, in an earlier post I mentioned how to find free ebooks on your Kindle.

Just yesterday there were three older books I needed to find for something I’m working on and so I marched off to my library to try . . . → Read More: Free books on the Kindle]]>

I’ve been using my Kindle for quite a while now and it continues to impress me with the ease and convenience it allows me to find new books and start reading them.

For example, in an earlier post I mentioned how to find free ebooks on your Kindle.

Just yesterday there were three older books I needed to find for something I’m working on and so I marched off to my library to try to figure out which stack/shelf/closet I’d squirreled them away in. I knew I had copies of them somewhere–they were classics I’d read many years ago: Sons and Lovers, by D. H. Lawrence, The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, and Howards End, by E. M. Forster.

After about a half hour of looking without finding any of them, I mused to myself, “Wouldn’t it be perfect if I could just get Kindle versions? Then I wouldn’t have to root around for my physical copies.”

So I trotted to my computer and sure enough, there were Kindle versions of all three books. Even better–they were free.

In case you are interested, here are the free Kindle versions:

• Howards End
• The Red Badge of Courage
• Sons and Lovers

Related Posts:

• What is a Kindle?
• Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011
• Read more and save your sanity with Audible
• Five Slices of Death, my new horror short story collection, is available now
• Apricot blossoms and galumphing through the Internet

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! And I hope 2011 is your best year yet.

While you are recovering from ringing in the new year, here are some news and stories and just cool things that made the rounds this past week.

Cheers!