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E-readers are fast becoming as ubiquitous as smart phones, giving us gem of a solution that offers a veritable library of books in a handheld device. Amazon’s Kindle is one of the more popular e-readers, but you might want to try out its functionality before deciding to move forward with a purchase.

Amazon has released a free E-reader application that essentially emulates the functionality of the Kindle, giving you a chance to see if this is something you’d like to include in your arsenal of gadgets. It allows you to read books you’ve purchased from the Kindle store, along with synchronization that links your Kindle with a PC.

Installation is quick.

After that’s complete, it’ll ask you to sign in with your Amazon account, though registration isn’t necessary should you be without one.

Once signed in, its functionality will become obvious, with helpful tips included in balloon pop-ups that appear at the top.

After you’ve loaded a book, navigation is easy, the controls allowing you to bookmark a particular section or jump to one.

Font sizes are varied, with 10 different ones available.

Depending on what you prefer, navigation is available via your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Want to switch to another book? From your Windows 7 taskbar, you can access a jumplist from which a new title in your library can be selected.

On the upper-right, there exists a menu that includes various options, such as synchronization of Kindle for PC with your actual Kindle reader – which ensures that your content on Kindle for PC mirrors that on your actual reader.

Want to add a book to your collection? Just visit the Amazon bookshop by clicking on the “Shop in Kindle Store” option.

While this is only for Windows users, a Mac version is anticipated. Additionally, even more features are planned, including the ability to rotate images. For those of you who have a touch-enabled laptop, this takes advantage of the Windows Touch feature, effectively transforming your touch screen laptop into a Kindle.

This is an excellent way to test drive Kindle, and you can retrieve Kindle for PC here.

A renowned pioneer in web technology, creating the most popular search engine in use today, Google stands at the forefront of companies pushing towards a future that is tied to the rapidly evolving world of the internet.

With some of the most brilliant minds at work beneath their roof, the services resulting from their ingenuity have fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another. From Gmail to Google Wave, to products from competitors who’re invariably playing “catch up,” evidence of this company’s forward-thinking innovation abounds.

One of their more interesting services is Google Voice, a telecommunications marvel that extends users a unique phone number from Google, to which any calls to your actual phone – or, if you so choose, multiple phones — will be transferred.

How it works:

• User creates (assuming it isn’t taken) a new phone number or selects one from a pool of numbers made available by Google.
• Once the Google Voice number has been selected, inbound calls to that number will be forwarded to the assigned phones.

As an example, take the following scenario as testament to the convenience afforded by Google Voice:

While in the kitchen fixing dinner, you’re awaiting a call from your brother about your sister-in-law’s pregnancy, knowing that she’s due any minute. Your cell phone, which is your primary means of communication, is upstairs. Yet, your home is also outfitted with a land line, with one phone located just a foot away from the kitchen counter. Not knowing if you’re home or not, your brother excitedly dials your Google Voice number, resulting in his call being forward to every phone assigned to it – including your land line.

With configuration requiring just a few steps, use of this service is that easy, gathering our disparate modes of telecommunication under the umbrella of Google Voice.

Additional features include:

• Voicemail
• Call History
• Conference Calling
• Call blocking
• Voice transcription (translating your voice mail into text messages)
• Call transitioning, which allows you to migrate from one phone to next in the midst of a call.

Google now allows you to use your existing phone number with Google Voice, a feature that was only just announced. Your existing number can be used in tandem with a new Google Voice number. To read more about this new feature, visit here

For those of you who’re interested in taking advantage of this service, you can request an invite today.

Geek Choice prides itself on educating you about the daily advances introduced to this world in which our company continues to grow. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact one of us.