The Navajo with Jake and Rusty by Jonathan Wyler is today’s Free eBook of the Day.

The book is a romantic spy novel that takes place in the 1940s. Check it out: “Rusty is a hot-headed redhead Marine from California whose Quaker parents have disowned him. Although they initially irritate each other, they soon learn to work together for common purposes. They encounter Molly, a youngish Indiana country girl running from something, and Gabrielle, a fashionable New York model on her way to break into Hollywood. But something is wrong; someone wants something they may have. Follow their story in the best Agatha Christie Orient Express style. Follow Jake & Rusty from Chicago to California.”

Amazon has the free download today only.

For more free eBooks, check out our Free eBook of the Day archive.

Consumer Intelligence Research Panel (CIRP) released new findings on phone bills showing iPhone users paying much more than other smart phone users. The survey shows that on average, 60% of iPhone users had monthly bills of at least $100 compared to only 53% of Android users. 33% of Android and Blackberry users were able to obtain average rates between  $25-$50 per month compared to only 6% of iPhone users. Michael Levin of CIRP explains:

“We think it has to do with their data plans and carriers, rather than their usage habits… They are all on expensive data plans, unlike Android users, some of which are on prepaid or unsubsidized plans with regional carriers.”

Read more

TheBump.com, the website dedicated to expecting parents, has released a new app called My Pregnancy Calendar, that helps pregnant women track the progress of their baby’s fetal development and remember how to take care of themselves in the process.

The free app aims to be a guide to pregnancy every step of the way. It includes information like weekly updates on the development of both the mother and the fetus. For example, users will learn that during week 8 of pregnancy, their embryo is the size of a raspberry and in week 10, a prune. The app also has a photo gallery, reminding women to track their progress and snap a photo of their growing belly each week.

It is full of pregnancy safety advice and helps remind a pregnant woman which foods to avoid and which to remember to eat. It also includes check-up and testing information, as well as customizable to-dos and appointments.

Daft Punk is a cultural phenomenon, despite being largely absent from the music scene since 2005 (unless you count their contribution to the TRON soundtrack). The band’s new contract with Columbia records and subsequent new spring album has also brought some much-needed updates to their fabulous soundboard app, iDaft.

The app is a simple soundboard that allows you to remix classic songs like “Technologic” or “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Just push on the large buttons and iDaft plays the accompanying sample. The app mostly benefits from the artist’s characteristically sparse lyrics, allowing users to easily impress or annoy coworkers with lunchtime DJ sessions.

Most Daft Punk fans familiar with the app will be happy to know that Around the World and many other songs are getting added soon – sooner than the new album actually. Read more

The Baltimore Ravens will face off against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday and to help you prepare for the big game, we’ve put together a list of five apps that will guide you through it.

1.  Superbowl XLV II Guide app: The Version 3.6 of the app, which was designed by Phunware, has been updated for Super Bowl XLVII, which takes place in New Orleans on February 3rd at 6:30 PM ET. The free app, which is sponsored by Verizon, is designed for game goers and includes a guide to official Super Bowl events in New Orleans, maps, local restaurants, nightlife, and sites.

2. Super Ads: Super Bowl Commercials: “The Super Ads iPhone app features over 200 Super Bowl commercials, including NEW 2012 ads, commercials from 2006-2011, and all-time popular ads spanning the last four decades. The app enables users to view the best Super Bowl commercials from an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad device. Browse fan favorite Super Bowl commercial videos by year or lookup ads by the company or brand name. Users can also share their favorite ads via Email, Facebook, and Twitter.” Read more

Dropping the price of your app in Apple’s App Store can help increase revenues, according to a new report by Distimo. The report, which looked at the effect of downloads based on price drops found that cumulative downloads grew by an average of 1665 percent five days after a price drop in the Apple App Store for iPhone. While not as huge, cumulative downloads grew by an average of 871 percent on the iPad.

Despite a lower price point, this huge spike in downloads leads to increases in revenue. According to the report, revenue increased by 95 percent for iPhone apps three days after a price drop and revenue increased by 51 percent for iPad apps within three days of a price drop.

Here is more from the report: “The effect on downloads of a lower price ends, when the price increases again. Download volumes in the Apple App Store for iPhone drop by -46%, aggregated over five days after a price raise. In the Apple App Store of iPad, the drop in downloads is somewhat higher, -57%.”

The American Library Association (ALA) has created a new report to help libraries manage eBook licensing terms, called “The Business Model Scorecard.”

The scorecard helps inform librarians about the different variables involved in library eBook license contracts to help them negotiate eBook licensing deals with publishers. The objective is to give public libraries ideas to craft their own contracts. The report breaks down 15 different eBook contract variables for libraries, including factors such as eBook pricing and access to patrons.

Here is an excerpt from the report: “All ebook titles available for sale to the public should also be available to libraries. Libraries may choose not to purchase some titles if restrictions or prices are deemed unacceptable, but withholding titles under any terms removes the library’s ability to provide the services its patrons need and expect.”

The ALA Digital Content & Libraries Working Group (DCWG) created the report, which is a follow up to the ALA’s 2012 report, “Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries.”

Tumblr has added a mature rating to its app listing in the App Store. According to the app’s listing in the store, “You must be at least 17 years old to download this app,” because of “Frequent/Intense Sexual Content or Nudity.”

The change in the Apple rating comes after a couple of popular photo and video sharing apps have gotten in trouble for having questionable content show up within their apps. 500 px, for instance, faced shut when nude photos surfaced within its user generated photo network. Vine, on the other hand,  ran a pornographic video called ‘Dildo Play’  as an Editor’s Pick (the content has since been removed, and the app remains).

Tumblr doesn’t appear to have changed its rating in Google Play, where the app is listed as “Low Maturity.” This equates to a PG listing, as apps in Google Play are rated on a four tiered system — everyone, low maturity, medium maturity, or high maturity. (Via CNET).

In a move to compete with Apple and Android, Research in Motion has BlackBerry has introduced a new operating system for BlackBerry along with two new phones — a touchscreen model Z10 and the Q10 a new BlackBerry with a QWERTY keyboard.

Like other smartphones popular today, the new BlackBerry Z10 has a touchscreen and offers access to third party apps through the BlackBerry App World. The BlackBerry Z10 is a touchscreen phone with a high-resolution 1280 x 768, 4.2-inch screen. It has 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with MicroSD cards up to 32 GB. It is Wi-Fi enabled and has an 8 megapixel camera. The Q10, on the other hand, incorporates the new operating system while providing a phone with a QWERTY keyboard for loyal keyboard enthusiasts. Both devices will be available in the U.S. in March. Read more

Video games and mobile games are not known to be violence-free, but they rarely encourage real, physical abuse like Boyfriend Trainer. The “free” iPhone game encourages users to “Crack that whip and teach your guy a thing or two about being the Perfect Boyfriend! When scolding doesn’t work, just zap him, whack him and train him to be your ideal man!”  The game consists entirely of girlfriend characters smacking, hitting, or choking their significant other in order to level up.

The app comes from an India-based company. India has gotten a lot of negative attention from the numerous rape cases that have prompted policy changes to deal with crimes against women. The app, however, moves away from constructive means to deal with unhappy relationships.

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