Free Kindle Fire Books for Kids

Posted by HG in Labels: ,
From the popular classics to inspirational bed time stories, here are some of the greatest free kindle Fire books for children.
Books will stimulate your child's imagination, improve analytical and logical thinking while enhancing their vocabulary. Some of the books can be found on Amazon, some are from ManyBooks. Before downloading make sure you choose the appropriate format (.azw, .pdf or whatever).

Free Kindle Fire Books for Kids

The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burges

Delightful and imaginative, The Adventures of Buster Bear is a great bedtime reading for children, teaching about fairness, courage and tolerance.




What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge

We get to know Katy growing up, experiencing life as a real tomboy, and later on dealing with an unexpected accident that has a huge, but positive impact on her personality, teaching her to be good and kind.This is the first part of he series (Next two:What Katy Did at School and What Katy Did Next)



The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Thanks to his parrot, Doctor Dolittle is the only one who can treat animals and understand their language. He achieves success and fame in the animal kingdom and soon, he finds himself in Africa to cure a monkey epidemic, dealing with a series of adventures.


The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a great combination of adventure and morality. A group of inspiring animal friends and their exciting experiences in the English countryside.Timeless classic.


The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse by Thornton W. Burges

As the title says the book unfolds the story of Danny Meadow Mouse and his forest friends. Although he gets trapped, captured and challenged he always gets out of trouble and helps his friend, Peter the Rabbit. Delightful and smart story.


Aesop's Fables - by Aesop

 
Aesop's Fables is a beautiful classic, a collection of moral stories written in an engaging and entertaining style for kids. It contains the well known The Fox and the Grapes, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Ant and many other inspirational short fables.

Little Women - by Louisa May Alcott

Another well written popular classic. Little Women is a post-war American family story giving a detailed view of past strong traditions, what challenges were young girls facing while watching 4 sisters grow up and their spirited mother.


Black Beauty - by Anna Sewell

Black Beauty is a compilation of stories, moral lessons unfolding the world viewed from the eyes of a brave horse, called Black Beauty. We can watch him from his careless stay on a farm to his hardworking days in London.



A Little Princess- story of Sara Crewe - by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A timeless piece by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A story of a young and talented girl, Sara Crewe who lives in a girls' seminary in London. She faces a lot of cruelty and challenges but proves courage and determination throughout the whole story



Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

A story of Peter Pan and his fascinating adventures in Neverland. The boy who can fly and refuses to grow up, spending time with mermaids, fairies, pirates. Well written and captivating.


Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Another wonderful book for kids, centering around the adventures of Pinocchio. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet living the life of a real boy while going to school, getting in trouble, helping others. Filled with magic and morals.


Beauty and the Beast  -by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve,

French fairy tale, an inspiring love story between Beauty, youngest daughter of a devoted merchant and the fearsome and hideous Beast. A beautiful classic.



Heidi by Johanna Spyri

This is another lovely and fascinating book, the story of Heidi, a cheerful and clever young girl. Spiced up with exciting twists, expressive writing style, inspirational characters and the beautiful Swiss Alps makes it a great reading.


Other Popular Free Books for Kindle Fire

 

Sources to Download Free Kindle Books.

Amazon Top 100 Free - Choose from classics, games and the latest deals for children
ManyBooks.net - Manybooks offers a huge collection of free books in Kindle friendly format.
Gutenberg.org - Gutenberg has over 35.000 books that can be downloaded
Archive.org - Browse the children's library filled with a wide selection of free ebooks
Google eBookStore - Select from thousands of free ebooks (PDF format)
Open Library - Another useful source for juvenile literature
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Free Kindle and Kindle Fire Books

Posted by HG in Labels: ,
There are many free books for Kindle you can choose from. Here we have gathered some great and inspirational books you can add to your library. If you want more check out the list at the end with numerous places for free ebooks.

Free Kindle Books - Literature

Letters of a Woman Homesteader - by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

An insightful and entertaining collection of genuine letters written in the beginning of 20th century.
The letters are captivating, descriptive and funny giving a deep look into the life of Elinore, a smart young mother, who fiercely trying to build a life she would love.

The Rosary - by Florence Louisa Barclay

The Rosary is an inspirational and intriguing love story of Gareth and Jane, an upper class couple. She is a simple and bright women, while he is a great lover of beauty, who is blinded later in life. Because of his pride Jane 'is forced' take care of him incognito as his nurse. Vivid and beautiful book.

The prison of Zenda - by Anthony Hope

The adventure novel by Anthony Hope filled with kidnapping, escapes, nefarious villains, plots, manipulations, fights and romance. Definitely a great engaging fiction, intense in events centered around the coronation of King Rudolf of Ruritania.

The gift of the Magi - by O, Henry

A sweet short about a poor couple and their beautiful true love. They both are going as far as possible, selling their only values (her hair and his watch) to buy a worthy Christmas gift for each other. Its ironic twist-ending makes the story timely and inspirational.

In His Steps - by Charles M. Sheldon

In His Steps (What would Jesus do?) is a meaningful christian classic book, about the true values of life bringing up deep taught provoking questions (How should we relate to others, what is our mission and contribution to the world?)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - by Harriet Ann Jacobss

As the title says, the story centers around Linda Brant and her tough experiences as a female slave in North Carolina.
Trough difficult struggles she escapes to the north, trying to free herself and her kids. Inspirational, real story.

Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill

Unfolds the story of an exciting love triangle. After Kate runs away with another man on the eve of her wedding, her sister Marcia offers to take her place. When Marcia falls in love with him, the sister Kate returns. Entertaining book.


Free Kindle Books- Business and self help

Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill

A well written philosophy and personal development book. Definitely a 'must read' on how to achieve success, use our subconscious mind and what principles (desire, persistence, imaginations, knowledge etc) can help us on our path.


The Eight Pillars of Prosperity by James Allen

Although it was written in the beginning of the 20th century the book offers timeless and fruitful advices. It centers around moral and social virtues (integrity, sympathy, energy, system etc.) that prove to lead to prosperity and success.


The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne

You might find it dated in language but the moral lessons in this book are ageless. Wrapped in the story of a inspirational discharged soldier, the Go getter proves that determination, persistence and perseverance can materialize our desires.

 

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

Many of today's productivity and self development books lie on Arnold Bennett's writing A book on how to make use of our time effectively and find more to improve ourselves, how to get the most out of our resources, expand horizontal knowledge and enjoy life.

The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie

One of Dale Carnegie's bestsellers, the book is loaded with relevant and practical tips and tricks on how to be confident in front of your listeners, engage with your audiance and 'sell' your message.


Other Sources to Download Free Books for Kindle

Amazon Top 100 Free - Get the latest Amazon deals, free books in various categories
Amazon Classics - Choose from over 4500 free classics
ManyBooks.net - Manybooks offers a great collection of free books for Kindle.
Gutenberg.org - Gutenberg has over 35.000 books that can be downloaded to your device
Archive.org - Browse the huge library filled with a wide selection of free ebooks
Google eBookStore - Select from thousands of free ebooks (PDF format)
Open Library - Another useful source for free literature
Librivox.org - If looking for free audiobooks then this is the best option

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Christian Android Apps

Posted by HG in Labels: , ,
There are many Christian android apps out there that will help you stay motivated and inspired, while strengthening your faith in Him, reminding His love and grace for you.

Bible

With over 150 Bible versions, 200 reading plans and numerous translations, powerful search feature, the Bible app will help you get closer to the Lord. Furthermore you can bookmark your favorite verses, take notes, attend live church services and events, listen to audio versions of the Scripture, get to know like-minded people (there are millions of You Version users).

Words of Jesus Daily

Start your day with Jesus. The app delivers the teachings and beautiful words of Jesus to your Android device on a daily basis. Verses are presented in a nice small or large widget, depending on your own needs. You can read the whole chapter as weel and switch between the modern or standard version of the Bible. It comes with links to online translations.

Bible or Not

Bible or Not is a fun family friendly trivia game that brings the Scriptures into your life in an entertaining way. Your task is to decide which of the famous quotes are from the Bible. Some of the quotes are the actual verses, while some of them are from famous books, historical figures, music lyrics, movies. etc.
Examples: "Cleanliness is next to godliness.” – Bible or Not? or “The fallen shall rise again.” – Bible or Not?.
If you enjoy Bible quiz, here is another great one.

Bible Verses Live Wallpaper

Stay motivated throughout the day with over 500 Bible verses and various live wallpapers.
You can choose what backgrounds and verses you want on your screen. The wallpapers look good. It needs some improvements, but the idea is great.

Lord Jesus Prayer

A well designed and useful app for Christians to help you maintain a solid relationship with God, reminding you to pray and praise Him more. It comes with the Jesus prayer audio track. During prayer sesseion the app shows pictures of Jesus, bringing Him even closer to you.What is even better the prayer can be set as a wakeup alarm or ringtone. Features beautiful pictures, Bible quotes in three different widget sizes.

Bible Videos

Experience the life of Jesus Christ and deepen yourself in various Bible stories through interactive Biblical environments, beautiful videos, picture slideshows and more.
Engage in stories, get to know more about the Lord and strengthen your faith with this amazing free application for Android devices.
Kids will love it as well.

LDS Gospel Library

Read and study the Scriptures with LDS Gospel Library, a well made spiritual guidance. The application features the Bible, Music, Conference Talks, Videos, Magazines and Manuals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can easily search, annotate bookmark and organize the content. Another helpful and beautifully designed app for Christians. You may want to check out other useful Android apps by LDS, like the Mormon Channel, LDS Youth etc., here

Identity in Christ Daily

Get daily inspirational Bible verses, to help you rejuvenate your faith, reminding His gifts and love for you. The application is a Home screen widget (with 2 sizes) and daily notification, that integrates with BibleGateway as well. You can check out other inspirational apps, such as the Uplifting Psalms, Wise Proverbs, Prayers&Blessings Daily and more by this developer here.

God Bless!
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How to Develop Android Apps

Posted by HG in Labels: ,

Know Your Market

Whether you are developing android apps for tablets or phones it is important to research and analyze the market.
Carefully study your niche, get to know your competition and future users.
Study the top 3 and worst 3 apps that are relevant to your project. (What are their strong and weak points? How can you be better and stand out? How can you add value and make users happy? )
Social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube), forums, blogs and Market user reviews are great to help you in your research and get feedback.
As more and more people turn to smartphones as their primary method of handling everyday activities, it is important to take into consideration what kind of attitudes, behaviors an app may promote. A violent game will promote irresponsability and ignorance on the long run, on the other hand a multi-player word or puzzle game boosts analytical thinking and social growth, while a weight loss or stop smoking app stimulates a positive change by helping users to get rid of their frustrations. On CNN is great article on this.

Love your users and aim to give the best and highest quality application for them. Stand out with a well taught interface, beautiful design, speed and pay attention to the smallest detail. Add value and help them reach their goals with an app that they can easily incorporate into their life and workflow.

Tools and Installation

The two most important tools you will need is Android SDK and a development environment, such as Eclipse.
For Eclipse make sure you are using the latest Java Runtime Environment(JRE) or Java Development Kit(JDK).

 

Coding

To develop android apps you will need to be familiar with the Java programming language. If you are a total newbie on Tuts+ you will find a detailed beginner friendly introduction with everything you need to know about using Java in your Android app project.

Tutorials
Hello World Tutorial - This is the most simple and basic tutorial for beginners. You will learn how to create a new project, construct a simple UI, run an application
Android Video Tutorials - This is the best resource for beginner and advanced android developers. Here you will find 200 detailed, easy to follow tutorials on how to set up a button, add background, images or music, how to create a browser, save data, get location, draw bitmaps or how to use voice recognition. SQLite databases, and many more.
Official Google Tutorials - Another great list with useful how to's of the various types of views, frameworks, layouts available.

Sample Apps
Barcode Scanner - Uses camera to decode and scan barcode  
Android's Fortune - A simple quote and fortune cookie app  
Vidiom - Lets you capture and publish MP4 videos, integrates with social networks    
Mileage - Track car mileage and costs, import and export data etc.   
FeedGoal - Rss/Atom feed reader    
Standup Timer - Meeting timer for Android devices  
Sample apps by Google - A great compilation of open source app from Snake to Tic Tac Toe or Spinner  

Design and UI Tips

Keep it Simple Use colors Wisely - Work with a coordinated color scheme, where elements are linked together by a design or colors. See more on color harmonies here). When comes to background stay as clean as possible and choose something that you can build upon. Avoid Clutter
  • do not abuse font types and sizes
  • avoid overpopulating your app with icons, buttons
  • prioritize and concentrate on the most important thing. Do not overwhelm your users with too many options
  • have enough space between UI elements (spacing is advised to be at least 8dp).
As rule of thumb on dashboard shouldn't be presented more than 6, while on quick actions and tabs more than 4 functions. Also make sure lists are easy to read with contrasting section dividers.

Make it Predictable  
Use platform specific icons and actions - People are used to the Android environment and they identify certain gestures, icons with their specific functions. The last thing you want is to make them confused.
Show progress and give touch feedback - Users like to know what is happening around them, the effects of their actions. Visually indicate progress, which objects were touched, what is enabled or disabled. A nice custom progress bar tutorial you can see here    

Make it Unique Respect your users and offer them a unique visual experience with a clean presentation, beautiful high quality icons and buttons.Induce positive feelings and emotions with your choice of colors and designs. Make your users feel at home. Have a clear message with supporting graphics. You could go organic or retro, mimic real life objects or use textured icons and backgrounds.


Users Comfort First  
Make it fast- Limit the number of objects created, use efficient algorithms, and do not abuse method calls. Profile and optimize your code. A great profiler is VisualVm. You can find the Eclipse launcher of VisualVM here. For more performance tips check out Google Docs .
Size Matters - It is important to find the right balance between usability and aesthetics, especially when there are so many different target devices. The best is to test and improve, test and improve. Use large enough font sizes and tap targets. The size of touchable UI elements should be at least 48dp high and wide. On supporting multiple screen sizes and platform versions click here  
Support both orientations - With the exponential growth of tablet and large -screen smartphone market supporting landscape mode is something that shouldn't be forgotten.    
Integrate with other apps - People look for multi-functional apps that can quickly and easily satisfy their needs. Let them do want they want from within your app and improve user experience by incorporating other tools and applications, such as sharing, texting, GPS and maps, taking photos etc. Android offers an easy way to achieve this with Intents    
Personalize - Offer customization options (change background, font size, color, sounds etc)  
Other things to consider - Allow multi select (for deleting, moving multiple objects at the same time), use auto complete forms/fields, allow search suggestions.


Android GUI Sets
GUI for Android ICS - Google offers a nice GUI Psd collection for developers.
Android Asset Studio - AAS lets you easily generate you own icons. It also comes with a handy device frame generator. Both work great.
Android GUI Psd - A beautiful well made GUI set for Android. The set includes: circle buttons, radio, google search, signal bar, keyboard, main menu and many more
Android Gingerbread GUI - A nice set with many UI elements to help you in your project.
Android Icons - Another great set with vector-built fully editable icons.
Android 2.3.4 GUI - High density Psd set with customizable app icons, buttons, bars, keyboards and so much more.
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