Amazon lets you switch from e-book reading to listening with just a tap

The following is from:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9248980/Amazon_lets_you_switch_from_e_book_reading_to_listening_with_just_a_tap?taxonomyId=15

Amazon lets you switch from e-book reading to listening with just a tap
Free Kindle software update might keep prying eyes from reading over your shoulder By Matt Hamblen
June 10, 2014 10:03 AM ET
Computerworld – If you ever wanted to switch between reading an e-book and listening to it being read — maybe by a famous actor or the author — Amazon now has just the thing for you.
Amazon on Tuesday announced a free software update to both Kindle for Android and Kindle for iOS that allows quick switching — with just a tap — between reading a Kindle e-book and listening to its companion audiobook from Audible.
Of course, you have to pay for the audio upgrade version, which runs from 99 cents to $3.99, with the top price going for the most popular bestellers in a series. Professional narration is available for more than 45,000 Kindle books.
The update is designed to help avid readers never have to put down a favorite book, said Amazon Kindle Senior Vice President Russ Grandinetti. Avid readers can start reading at home, get in the car and tap a button to continue listening without losing their place.
Audible CEO Donald Katz said there are a growing number of Whispersync for Voice users who already switch back and forth between reading and listening, and the instant switching ability is expected to be popular.
The new version of the Kindle app is available in the App Store, Google Play and Appstore for Android. Amazon posted a Web page to describe the innovation, along with a cute video depicting a young woman reading a romance novel and then switching to the audio account to prevent another woman on her bus ride to work from reading over her shoulder.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at Twitter @matthamblen or subscribe to Hamblen RSSMatt’s RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

New Google Now Alarms Wake You Up For Correct Stops During Public Transport

The following is from:
http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/06/google-now-lets-set-alarms-case-fall-asleep-public-transport.html

New Google Now Alarms Wake You Up For Correct Stops During Public Transport Published on June 8, 2014 by Jamil Bryant
Ah Google Now
Okay, so this has happened to all of us. We’re tired and weary from the long day at work and all we want to do is go home and get a good nights rest. The same goes for those party people who love to stay out all night getting drunk. With gas prices being so high or you are being responsible in attempts to avoid a drunk driving charge, a lot of us will turn to public transportation as a way to get to and from destinations we so desire to go to. Usually, rolling around on a bus half asleep (or drunk) can be soothing and you can’t help but let yourself go into the world of dreamland. Most of the time when this happens we miss our stop and end up on the end of town that we wish weren’t on. Next thing we know, we’re either calling up our entire call log or calling it a night and camping out at the bus station. Well Google has solved our dreary problems with a new feature that they have integrated within Google Now.
Now when you are using public transportation, you can open Google Now and you will be given the option to set an alarm for saved locations like Home and Work. The alarm knows approximately when and where to let you off so you don’t miss your stop. All you have to do is just tap the alarm when you are on the bus or train and it will be ready for when you take that little nap that is hard to come over. The alarm alerts you before you reach your destination so you can be aware of where you are and have time to get off the bus before it closes its doors again. The newly integrated feature is nifty. One thing to keep in mind is that this feature is not part of the Clock app that is on your device The alarm is only in Google now and shows up when you use public transportation. Its easy to use, just tap it once to set the alarm and tap it again to disable it. This entry was posted in Android App News.
SOURCE: Android Police

Notes From Today’s NUT Meeting

Here are a few things we talked about at today’s NUT meeting…

Ship Rack
This service with apps for both android and IOS enables you to track packages from different carriers and puts the results all in one place, the Ship Rack app on your phone.
We’ve had to use one app to track Federal Express shipments, another one for UPS, and then having to go to the web site to track a package from the post office. The way Ship Rack works is you send an email to:
packages@ship-rack.com,
You don’t need to tell them which carrier the tracking number is from, they can figure that out by the tracking number. You can either copy and paste the tracking number into an email or just forward a copy of a shipping notification that has the tracking number. Their service will find the tracking number in the email.
Once Ship Rack as the tracking number, they send the results to the app on your phone. You can label the item so instead of it just showing the tracking number and details, you can label the item as shoes or coffee, just as a way to remind you what is in the shipment.

When there is a change in the delivery status, the app on your phone is updated. For more information visit the Ship Rack web site at:
http://www.ship-rack.com/

AccuRadio
This again is a service that is available to both android and IOS devices. They also have a web site you can access via your computer.
AccuRadio streams music to the app on your phone or your browser if listening via a computer. They have a very large selection of music channels to listen to. If you like two channels, you can even blend the channels together.
There are buttons in the app to ban a song, add to your favorites, play / pause and skip to the next song.
There are ads at the bottom of the app, that is how they are able to provide the service. You’ll hear songs you’ve been singing to for years and maybe another song from the same artist that may not be as popular. There are ads now and then while listening to music. Sometimes you’ll hear 3 or 4 songs then an ad, sometimes 2 songs and then an ad. There ads are short and to the point, no five minute documentary like YouTube sneaks in sometimes. There is usually a button to buy the current song you are listening to. For more information about AccuRadio visit their site at:
http://www.accuradio.com