A Cheaper Kindle and a Look at Windows 8

Discounted $114 Amazon Kindle to Come With Ads

Amazon is slashing $25 off the price of its popular Kindle e-book reader, but there's a catch: it will feature ads. The new $114 e-reader is a 6-inch Wi-Fi Kindle (normally $139) but it will include advertisements on the home screen and in screensavers. The move hopes to make Amazon's Kindle e-reader more accessible. Amazon says it has no plans to display ads in more expensive Kindle models.

Starbucks Pumps Digital Content in Stores

Starbucks has quietly amassed a fairly huge array of publications and resources, including the New York Times (via its special eReader edition), WSJ.com, USA Today, and Rodale fitness and health titles, all free to in-store Starbucks customers.

Stop Paying Too Much for Wireless Service

Have you ever actually studied your wireless service bill? A recent report suggests that a majority of users wildly over-estimate their needs and end up overpaying for service. There is a pretty good chance that you are giving too much money to your wireless provider one way or another.

Windows 8 Secrets Revealed

When we set out to divulge some of the secret new features in Windows 8, we knew that we had information no one else was going to get. We also knew that doing so was risky, and that Microsoft might ask us to stop or, worse, shut us out of future, legitimate briefings and reviewer workshops. Indeed, the original plan was to silently collect this information in advance of our next book, but with builds leaking publicly and various enthusiast blogs trumpeting their finds, we felt we had to act.

Best Free Genealogy / Family Tree Software

Genealogy software provides a method for recording the subjects of our research, e.g. their names, relationships, and events of their lives. Evidence (citations and sources) should be recorded to support the conclusions reached. They also print the reports and charts to show off the results of our labor. I looked at several free genealogy programs which will do a reasonable job for the novice or advanced genealogist.