Amazon plans to launch a new virtual currency for users to make purchases on the Amazon Appstore. Kindle users will be able to use Amazon coins to make purchases from their device. Users can be excited about the launch that is happening in May, because Amazon plans to give users free coins to use toward purchases. The Amazon coins can only be used to purchase Kindle apps, games and in-app items.

The hope of this launch is to bring more customers to the Amazon Appstore, and also to give developers another incentive for creating and adding apps to the Amazon Appstore. While the Kindle Fire has a decent selection of apps, Google and Apple still have nearly ten times as many apps. Amazon wants to continue growing the variety and availability of content within the Amazon appstore, and the Amazon coins is just one of the innovative ways they are working toward this goal.

Amazon Coins presents a great area for growth and an easy way to make in-app purchases, which is good for the user and developer alike. In-app purchases increase the profits of developers, allowing them to continue creating apps and expanding ones they’ve already created. Plus, by having an easy virtual currency to make in-app purchases, consumers can make their purchase with an easy transaction that doesn’t require pulling out their credit card all the time.

With Amazon’s forward thinking, there are other potential uses for Amazon Coins. For example, Amazon Coins could be used in conjunction with Kindle FreeTime, giving parents the ability to award kids some digital spending money, while still using the FreeTime system to keep their kids safe from content they don’t need to be viewing. This is just an idea of course, one that Amazon has not endorsed or released plans of using.

Amazon continues to grow the platform for the fantastic Kindle Fire, making it a great choice for individuals and families alike. Tablets are all the rage, and finding one that fits the needs of individuals and families can be difficult. Kindle Fire takes this difficulty out, and with Amazon bringing new and innovative features to the table all of the time, you just can’t go wrong when getting a Kindle Fire.

With the Kindle came a new format for publishing books, and many authors have taken advantage of this digital format. This has lead to much controversy between writers, publishers, and other gurus of the writing industry. It was thought at first that self-publishing books to Kindle would limit an author’s career, and limit the exposure and platform for marketing a book.

Those thoughts are being changed as many self published Kindle books are gaining popularity, and even rising to the top of the Amazon best seller list. As more books and authors are joining the self published ranks, these numbers are sure to increase. And while not all self-published books may reach the best sellers lists, there are authors finding this to be a viable source of income.

The biggest drawback for authors that choose to self publish their work to the Kindle is that they are responsible for building and maintaining their own platform and fan base. While building a platform and fan base is important for authors who choose more traditional forms of marketing, those authors often receive marketing support from their publishing house. Word of mouth proves to be an invaluable asset to marketing for authors no matter how they choose to publish their work, however. As we all know, when someone reads a book they love, they share the title with their friends and encourage the reader base to grow.

The perks of self-publishing aren’t limited to just the author, but readers are reaping the benefits as well. The amount of books available for entertainment and learning is growing daily, and many self-published titles are available at a lower price than traditionally published books. This allows a reader to fill their library with countless titles for a fraction of the cost. For readers that aren’t concerned with big name publishers, or even best sellers, some of these obscure finds or lesser known titles prove to be a great literary adventure.

Along with the cost savings, there are a huge variety of self-published titles available. Plus, purchasing self-published Kindle books is like “shopping small” – you know, like shopping at a local shop as opposed to a gigantic retailer. These titles may, in fact, be supporting an author and his or her family.

With the recent lawsuit between major e-book publishers and the government, Kindle owners will most likely see a reduction in the price of many e-books. Amazon announced that when the settlement is finalized (expected to happen in February 2013) many of their customers would receive a credit on already purchased e-books. Amazon is committed to bringing you the latest content, and the greatest devices, at affordable rates. Amazon was not part of this recent lawsuit, but the company acknowledges that this lawsuit and settlement are a big win for customers, as Amazon will be able to continue offering the same great content at lower prices.

More to come on this soon!

It looks like even Amazon didn’t realize how many Kindle Paperwhite models would be flying out the door. Amazon recently let it’s customers know that, due to overwhelming demand, any orders of the Kindle Paperwhite will not ship until October 22! So, if you were thinking about getting one but haven’t pulled the trigger yet, you might have to wait a bit before it shows up! (Check out our Kindle Paperwhite review.)

This is great news and it actually excites me. as much as I love the Kindle Fire and think most people are going to flock to a more typical tablet, I absolutely love reading on my Kindle. I still have my old school Kindle and still love the e-ink screen, and it looks like this type of e-reader is not going anywhere anytime soon!

By the way, if you are thinking about getting a Kindle Paperwhite, I would suggest doing it now, evn if you do have to wait. Demand for Kindles goes through the roof around the holidays, so those waiting times may just get worse, not better! Click here to check out the Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon.

Conan O’Brien announced this week that Amazon was launching a new, even cheaper Kindle – the Amazon Wendell! Haha! Check out the video below -

The Kindle Fire has a pretty standard photo viewer. Despite the Fire’s lack of a camera, there is still built-in photo functionality for any pictures you want to save from the internet or transfer from a storage card.

But what if you want to have all your photos – from Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook, for example – in one spot? That’s where Woven wants to help. Woven is a recently released free app that provides iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire users with an easy-to-use photo album viewer.

Woven’s interface is very intuitive. Some apps have trouble integrating with touch-screens, but according to early reviews, Woven has been designed to seamlessly integrate with touch-screen devices.

So how does Woven work? Well, users put all their photos from their smartphone, Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, and other accounts into one single app with a simple interface. Let’s say you want to show your friend a new profile pic on Facebook. Instead of having to log in to Facebook manually, you can just go to Woven, tap the ‘Facebook’ section and see a grid of all your recent photos.

Woven automatically pulls photos from all your social media accounts. There’s no manual dragging and dropping. Instead, Woven keeps track of recent updates across all your accounts, and any new photos are instantly added into your Woven account.

Here are all of the social media accounts that are currently integrated with Woven:

• Flickr
• Facebook
• Picasa
• Instagram
• Windows Live
• Photobucket
• Dropbox
• Shutterfly
• SmugMug

It’s important to note that Woven doesn’t pull photos from friends’ Facebook accounts. So if you’re planning on stalking your Facebook friends from the safety of a third-party app, forget about it.

If you’re looking for a free, simple, and effective way to manage all your photos, then Woven can certainly help. Check it out today on the Amazon app store.

Public sector workers and government employees of all kinds face unique challenges in their line of work. Often, even as they labor to serve the public, they are resented by the very people they work to support. Working successfully in government requires skills in maneuvering through bureaucracies and entrenched systems that may differ greatly from private sector work. For the many dedicated and hard-working government employees out there, here are four great books available on Kindle to guide and inspire.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by kodomut

1. Managing Your Government Career:

Success Strategies that Work, by Stewart Liff. The author has more than 30 years of experience in government work, and his advice throughout this book is based in that invaluable firsthand experience. Liff covers everything from how to get that first job to how to ascend through the ranks in the public sector. The scope of the book is broad enough to make it of interest to new workers and those still contemplating the possibilities of government work as well as more seasoned public employees.

2. The First 90 Days in Government:

Critical Success Strategies for New Public Managers at All Levels, by Peter H. Daly, Michael Watkins and Cate Reavis. There are many good books on management and leadership, but this one specifically looks at the public sector and how new managers can navigate in environments where they may be in a far higher-profile position than a typical business leader as well as being answerable to the entire population of a city, state or country, among other challenges. Daly, Watkins and Reavis identify a number of concrete, practical strategies that managers can use to ensure success.

3. Confessions of a Tax Collector:

One Man’s Tour of Duty Inside the IRS, by Richard Yancey. Twelve years after answering the mysterious ad that led to his employment with the Internal Revenue Service, Richard Yancey quit his job and sat down to write about his strange and varied experiences as a revenue agent. His book is engaging and funny, not at all the dry tome one might imagine emerging from a stint with the IRS. Many public sector workers are likely to laugh with recognition and sympathy at some of Yancey’s misadventures as an employee in one of the more disliked governmental institutions in the United States.

4. The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

For government workers in need of inspiration, this classic of American political science and history serves as a reminder of the foundation of this system of government and why it matters. Hamilton, Madison and Jay wrote these 85 articles over the course of nearly a year as part of an effort to encourage the ratifying of the Constitution. Today, it’s a look at the early ideas underpinning the first documents that defined the nation and serves as a reminder of the principles that continue to unite this country today.

All career fields have their high and low points, and government work is no exception. With these four books loaded on their Kindles, however, government workers can chart their careers, laugh at the mishaps inherent to public sector work and remind themselves of the noble roots of their profession.

Carl Fallon is a city administrator and guest author at Best MPA Programs and Degrees, a site which discusses the career opportunities available for those who pursue MPA degrees.