Kindle Unlimited Is Actually Very Limited

It's been called the Netflix of books but is Amazon's new Kindle Unlimited service actually any good. Well, not really. The service offers a choice of 600,000 books to read whenever you want and however you want (it's available on Kindles and the Kindle app on Android and iOS) but the problem is that the 'Big 5' publishers which consists of Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster haven't signed deals with Amazon leaving Kindle Unlimited with mostly smaller, independent publishers. Of course, these independent publishers have some pretty good books including Life of Pi and the Harry Potter series but there's definitely a huge hole which the 'Big 5' would fill.

Kindle Unlimited launched last week for US customers only and it's not currently known if they'll release the service in the UK but at $9.99 (<£6) would you sign up? Leave your comments below.

Top 3 Reads This Week

Here's my top 3 tech stories and blogs to read this week: 1. The Problem With Founders -TechCrunch

This really well written piece by Danny Crichton discusses startup founders in Silicon Valley. I don't want to give much away but it's really worth a read, hence why it's in this week's top 3.

2. Tech Tent: Girl Power and Solar Power - BBC

This is a listen rather than a read. In this BBC podcast presenter Jane Wakefield discusses, among other things, how and why woman in the Middle East are getting in to tech more than those in the West.

3. Edward Snowden Plans to Work on Privacy Tech - Re/code

This story on Recode.net by Arik Hessaldahl is all about a recent interview/talk from Edward Snowden where he talks, of course, about security and privacy in the tech world. He also hints that he may do some of this work himself. At the bottom of the article is the full Snowden video - it's 90 minutes long but well worth a watch.

Microsoft Stock Jumps on Lay-Off News

Microsoft's stock has jumped today by almost 4% on news that is laying off 18,000 staff, most of them from it's recently acquired Nokia division. The stock has been rising steadily since the start of 2013 as investors have become more confident of the computing giants future. Microsoft's tablets and smartphones have been doing reasonably well, even with the strong competition from Samsung and Apple. There also seems to be confidence in it's new leader, Satya Nadella and these cost cutting measures prove he's got a good idea of Microsoft's future strategy.

At the time of writing the stock was at $45.

Top 3 Reads This Week

Here's my top 3 tech stories and blogs to read this week: 1. The next phase of smartphones - Benedict Evans

In this blog post Benedict Evans, who's somewhat of a mobile expert, talks briefly about what the last 7 years have been all about for smartphones and then details what he thinks will be next for them.

2. Amazon, a friendly giant as long as it's fed - The New York Times

In this article David Streitfeld who covers technology for The New York Times brilliantly discusses the ongoing battle between Amazon, writers and what remains of the publishing business.

3. Software Entrepreneurs Must Go Mobile-First Or Die - TechCrunch

This post from TechCrunch talks about the importance of  having a mobile first mindset when developing software for today's market and goes on to give some useful hints and tips about app development.

Combat Jet Lag with this new app

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an iPhone app, called Entrain, that they say can help combat Jet Lag and adjusting to new schedules. The app calculates a new biological rythym, formally known as a circadian rythym from information you enter about your current cycle and the time zone or new cycle you're going in to.

The researchers point out that light is the most important factor in our circadian cycles so the app uses a mathematical formula to calculate the best times for you to be in and out of light to enable you to get over the jet lag in the fastest possible time.

Entrain is available now, for free, on the iOS App Store.

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