Tech-Knowledgy: Sales on Kindle Books, iPad Set Up, Handy Tips and More!

The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes

Welcome back to Tech-Knowledgy, where your tech question are answered!

Q. Thanks for letting me know about the Kindle with ads. I had been saving up to buy a Kindle and the $25 off really helps. I ordered one today. I don’t think the ads will bother me on the screen saver. I feel like I’m getting paid to look at the ads which isn’t so bad.

While I’m waiting for my Kindle to arrive in the mail, I want to buy some Kindle books, but I don’t have a lot of money left over for books. I know there are a lot of free books but I don’t want to load up my Kindle with books I don’t even want to read. A friend of mine told me she got a Kindle book on sale from Amazon, but the price went up the day after she got it. Any advice on how to find books on sale for my new Kindle?

A. Congratulations on ordering your new Kindle! (See, RIP Flip; iPad 3D, Kindle and Social Network News! for information about the Kindle with ads.) At Amazon’s Kindle eBook Store, there is a list of the 100 best selling paid and free ebooks. If you don’t find books to buy there, check out Kindle Singles which are short pieces by authors in the ebook format. Most of the titles are under $2.

You should also check out the website Zoolert.com which will notify you when products go on sale. They have a special section for Amazon products, such as Kindle books. You enter the title of the Kindle book, set a target price and Zoolert will send you an email notifying you when the price of the ebook you requested drops to your target price or lower.

Zoolert is a handy website no matter what you’re shopping for, but it’s especially useful for Kindle books as it’s difficult to know when Kindle books go on sale.

Q. I’m so mad! I accidentally ran over the power cord to my laptop with my car and now it is smashed. I tried contacting the manufacturer to get a new laptop cord, but they don’t have any. Any ideas on where to get a new one?

A. Sorry to hear about your laptop cord. Accidents happen but it’s frustrating when you can’t replace the damaged item.

Try the Targus Compact Laptop Charger, available at Amazon for $38.48. This charger includes nine commonly used laptop tips and gives you a voucher for one extra tip to increase the chances of compatibility with your laptop.

Another place to try is eBay, a great source for hard to find items like laptop cords. Good luck!

Q. I’m so excited, I’ve been waiting forever and I’m finally getting the ATT iPad this week after ordering it online in March. Will it come with instructions as to how to set it up for the ATT Internet? Will it automatically download my iTouch apps or are the apps completely different?

A. Congratulations, your patience has paid off! To set up your 3G data with AT&T, you either need to call AT&T, 1-800-331-0500 or 611 from an AT&T cell phone, or go into an AT&T store with your iPad. The process is very simple and takes about five minutes (not including any time you spend on hold) and your connection will happen immediately. There is no need to sign a contract, the data will renew automatically each month until you cancel it. You can cancel at any time and there is no penalty.

When you get your iPad, sync it with your iTunes account. You will be asked whether you want to Sync As New or Sync from your iPod Touch. Choose Sync from your iPod Touch  and iTunes will put all of your apps from your iPod Touch onto your iPad in the same order as they were on your iPod Touch. You can easily delete any apps you don’t want on your new iPad, but that’s easier than manually adding your apps to your iPad.

Your iPod Touch apps will work with your iPad, but to take advantage of your larger screen, you will want to get some iPad apps. Check out the game Infinity Blade in the iTunes App Store which is a great way to show off the amazing graphics display on your new iPad!

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Navigon Sale!

If you’re looking for a GPS app for your iPhone or iPad, check out Navigon Mobile Navigator, on sale now in iTunes App Store:

• North America* – $44.99 sale price, $59.99 original price
• USA – $34.99 sale price, $49.99 original price
• Europe – $74.99 sale price, $119.99 original price
• Middle East – $79.99 sale price, $99.99 original price
• US MyRegion East – $24.99 sale price, $29.99 original price
• US MyRegion Central – $24.99 sale price, $29.99 original price
• US MyRegion West – $24.99 sale price, $29.99 original price
• Mexico – $39.99 sale price, $59.99 original price

*Note that North America only includes the US and Canada.

All of these apps are rated at least four stars in the App Store. These apps work on both the iPhone and iPad so no need to buy one for each device.

No word on how long this app sale will last so grab these deals now!

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Kindle DX Sale!

The Kindle DX, the larger version of the Kindle, is on sale at Amazon today only for $299, marked down from $389. Amazon Kindle DX If you like the idea of a Kindle, but want a screen the size of an iPad, check out the Kindle DX today!

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Have a tech question? Either post your question in the Comments section or email me at [email protected].