That Techno Beat…

Although I have been using a computer since the late 1980’s and I’ve owned an iPod for 4 years and an iPhone for the past 1.5 years… I’m not that knowledgeable in the techno world. I use Facebook. And I simply adore Twitter. In fact, I find myself trying to re-tweet Facebook status updates, only to remember, it’s not Twitter. I have met so many wonderful people via “on line social settings,” such as the Twilight Lexicon (http://www.twilightlexicon.com/) and Twitter. My family thinks it’s crazy that I’m “meeting” friends online. I try to tell them it’s not like I’m trying to pick up a date or meet for some sleazy porn romp (well, maybe…). I’m meeting people with interests like mine – mostly a love of reading and books. In fact, it was some of those great people on Twitter that motivated me to start a blog (I hope Ms. Bells, SexyRexy, Ms. Eden, Larissa, JoJo and others don’t regret it!)

So this brings me to my other techno gadget… the Kindle. I purchased my Kindle (aka Kendra) about a month ago. I was in love. I still am in love. I want all my books to be in Kindle format. When I was deciding which ebook reader to purchase, I did my research. I asked lots of questions, read blogs, etc. And I finally decided on the Kindle. It made sense. I already owned 2 dozen Kindle titles because I’d been using the Kindle application on my iPhone. I pretty much buy 75% of my books from Amazon and I’ve always been happy with their customer service.

For those of you who may have been under a rock this weekend… Amazon and MacMillan Publishers had a big tiff. My basic understanding… MacMillan wants to dictate how its ebooks are priced (and raising the price of new hard cover ebook release from $9.99 to $14.99), Amazon felt it should decide the price. Amazon feels strongly about proposed changes and pulled all MacMillan titles off its site. This is where the story was at on Friday night and all day Saturday. I’m panicking… Are the books I’ve preordered MacMillan titles? (Have you ever really paid attention to the publisher?) Will my Kindle become obsolete now that I’ve paid the extra money for the extended warranty? I was searching high and low for all available information. I’d like to send special thanks to the one and only Kindle Vixen (http://www.kindlevixen.com/) for answering the thousands of questions I had. She is very knowledgeable and I recommend her site to anyone owning or looking into ebook readers.

On Sunday Amazon announced that it had to “cave” to pressure to allow its customers access to the books. Prices will go up on MacMillan ebook titles and Amazon will let the buyer decide what to purchase. I hope this doesn’t impact other publishers! I refuse to pay $14.99 for a book that I can’t resell, loan to a friend or read on another devise. But I won’t think of that now. I need to stay calm and not worry about things I can’t control. I have about 15 paperbacks still in my TBR pile and a few in my ebook TBR list. I really want to buy a lot of new ebooks, but I have sworn myself to NO NEW series purchases until I read all of my paperbacks. I can buy ebooks for existing series I read. SO meanwhile, I look forward to the release of Nalini Singh’s Archangels’ Kiss … Which will be delivered to my Kindle on Tuesday because it is NOT a MacMillan title! And I will go back to my ignorant world and read my books.

Until the next big techno fight/deal/device… And I will count on my online social network to update me and keep me informed. Ignorance is bliss. Now pass me a cup of tea and my book!!

What technology devices do you count on to make your life a better one?