Google will soon begin enforcing in-app purchase fees for all apps that sell digital content - TeleRead

 Today when Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he found a post at TeleRead about Google's new app sales fees.

Will Amazon play nice in Google's sandbox?

The post at TeleRead by Chris Meadows, says Google just announced they will be charging fees to app developers. Google's announcement says all apps sold in the Google Play app store which sell digital goods in the apps will be required to pay 30 percent of the money they earn to Google. To ensure Google knows how much an app makes from the in-app sales, developers are "required to use Google Play's billing system." The post also discusses the Amazon, Nook and Kobo ebook apps available in the Google Play store. There are several links in this post, including one about Fortnite being removed from the Google app store.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty wonders who can afford to give Google 30 percent of their sales money."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for your reading experience today.

To read the post tootle over to Google

Internet Archive Open Library lawsuit moves forward; arguments set for November 2021 - TeleRead

Panzer hasn't been to the TeleRead site in a long time, so he decided to make a stop there today. With no digging at all our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about the Internet Archive Open Library. Panzer's last update on the publishers' lawsuit against the Internet Archive (IA) was when IA asked the publishers to drop the suit and negotiate.

According to the post by Chris Meadows, in the copyright infringement lawsuit by four publishers filed against the Internet Archive (IA) the judge has agreed to a one year discovery process. This means both sides of the lawsuit will have one year to gather information and put their cases together. The suit should be ready for arguments in November 2021. The publishers filed the lawsuit after Internet Archive refused to stop making scanned copies of copyrighted books and letting people download the scanned copies. IA said it was legal because they were a library. Instead, publishers said IA is a pirate site because the site doesn't have the publishers' or authors' permission to copy the books and neither are paid for the copies. There are links to previous TeleRead posts, to a Publishers Weekly post and a The Digital Reader post about the lawsuit included in the TeleRead post.

Repeat after me: "I will not steal your book."

Panzer says, "It's a long post with all the links, but it explains what's happening and why the publishers filed the lawsuit against IA."

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a glass of ice tea and a  large muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring two thermoses of tea, 12 muffins, 12 chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) and 12 brownies.

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive Open Library
To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to Internet Archive Lawsuit


 

Book distributer Ingram continues to operate during coronavirus shutdowns ... but should it? - TeleRead

Panzer decided to make a quick stop at the TeleRead site today. With no digging at all out brave kitty boy found a post about Ingram Content Group continuing operations during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Of course books are essential.

According to TeleRead's Chris Meadows, Ingram Content Group has been designated an essential business and allowed to remain in operation during the Covid-19 outbreak. Ingram is a major book distributor in the U.S. In the post Chris Meadows discusses the pros and cons of the essential business designation for book distribution. He quotes extensively from a Publishers Weekly post about Ingram Content Group and the designation. By the end of the post it appears he agrees with the decision book distribution is an essential part of the supply chain. There's a link to the Publishers Weekly site included in the post.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The only humans who don't think books are essential are the ones who don't know how to read."

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Ingram

Audible to give away 12 million audiobooks to settle class action lawsuit - TeleRead

Panzer was taking a well-deserved nap when he was shaken awake by clapping and cheering come from the Catosphere. Hopping into the Panzermobile out brave kitty followed all the raucous noise to the TeleRead site. There he found a post about audible.

Six months?

According to Chris Meadows of TeleRead, Audible has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit rather than go to court. The lawsuit concerns the Audible audio book credits. If a customer's credits were cancelled due to the six month time limit or because the customer cancelled their account, they qualify for the settlement. A customer can get at least one audio book based on their Audible credit circumstances. Included in the post is a link to the class action settlement notification.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks Audible should change the length of time the credits can be used too."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Audible

Ultraviolet to close down ... but it need not take your movies with it - TeleRead

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided it was time to make a quick visit to the TeleRead site. With a little digging around in the posts our inquisitive kitty found one about Ultraviolet.

No time to waste. I have to do it now.

According to Chris Meadows, the Ultraviolet site is shutting down. Ultraviolet is the site where if you bought a movie on a DVD/disc you also got the digital copy . Since the site is shutting down, you can save your digital movies from going to the movie cemetery by linking your account to one of five other services/sites. The five services/sites and other options are all listed in the post.

Panzer says, "Vudu is one of the sites listed and Mom has an account there, so I better get those accounts linked."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Ultraviolet

Is Google abandoning Android? - TeleRead

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the TeleRead site. There our inquisitive kitty pilot found a post about Google.

Let's watch it together.

According to the post by Chris Meadows, Google hasn't been making any changes to the Android tablets since the Pixel C. The post explores the question of the possibility that Google is switching from Android to Chrome OS for the tablet. It also addresses the lack of business apps for Android. While there's no conclusion or answer to the question in the post's title, it does contain pertinent information about the situation. The post opens with a link to and quotes from a post by Ryan Whitwam.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks it will be interesting to see what Google does with Android."

Note: This is a longish-medium length post. Bring half a thermos of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Google

Serial Box serial e-publisher snags $1.65 million investment - TeleRead

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the TeleRead site. There with just a little digging our intrepid kitty traveler found a post about Serial Box.

Where's my $1.99 a week?

According to Chris Meadows, Serial Box just got a $1.65 million investment from Book Rocker Media. No one seems to know exactly what Serial Box will do with the money. In Serial Box's service a reader pays $1.99 per week for Serial Box's post of one episode in a story. The stories are from 13 to 18 episodes long. There are links included in the post to other posts about Serial Box and the $1.65 million investment.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... An episode a week? I do one Panzerism a week. I'm willing to do an audio version too."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Serial Box

Is the e-ink reader dead? And does it matter? - TeleRead

Panzer barely had time to lay down for his nap when he heard howling and growling. Our brave kitty boy jumped in the Panzermobile and headed into the Catosphere. Following all the noise took him to the TeleRead site. There he found a post about the death of the e-ink reader.

According to Chris Meadows, it appears the e-ink reader (also known as Kindle and Nook et al) are in their death throes. While ebooks are still thriving e-ink reader sales are not. With the increase in smart phones and tablets as reading devices the e-ink reader has suffered. There are several links to other sources included in this post.

Now for my nap.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Mom has a Kindle, a Paper White and a tablet and she reads on all three."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to e-ink reader

Fire HD 8 first look: Google Play installs easily! - TeleRead

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the TeleRead site. There with a little digging our adventuresome kitty found a post about the new Amazon 16 GB Fire HD 8.

Where did Mom hide that credit card?

According to the product review by Chris Meadows, the new Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet comes with some small improvements and one large one. The small improvements include two cameras, two speakers and more memory.  The large one is the ease of installing the Google Play Store app. Amazon has the Fire HD 8 on sale for Prime members with a $25 discount on the $79.99 regular price. The sale expires September 16. The post includes exact instructions on how to install Google Play.

Panzer says, "Shh ... Don't tell anyone ... But ... If you're not a Prime member ... you can sign up for a free 30 day trial membership."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring two thermoses of tea, two dozen muffins and a sleeping bag for a nap in the middle.

To read the post, tootle over to Fire HD 8