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Aug
25
Reading Books on Your Blackberry - Ereader Apps
Filed Under Mobipocket, PDAs and Handhelds, eReader | 4 Comments
Blackberry owners who would like the capability to read ebooks on their Blackberry device have at least a couple of options. Whether you regard the Blackberry as your preferred ereader, or as a useful alternative to other ereaders in your ebook reading device arsenal, there are apps and online services available to you.
Mobipocket Reader and OTA Bookstore Access
Mobipocket.com offers its free Mobipocket Reader software for the Blackberry, as well as Over the Air (OTA) access to the Mobipocket bookstore via the Blackberry. Books can also be downloaded to the Blackberry user’s desktop PC (the Mobipocket Reader software for Windows Vixta and XP is also free).
The Mobipocket Reader allows the Blackberry user to select font styles and sizes, customize margins, select background colors, and make other custom choices for the ereading environment. Through the Mobipocket bookstore, the Blackberry user has access to thousands of books, book samples, and reviews.
Continue reading on ebooks on the Blackberry . . .
Aug
9
Ereader Devices and the Traveler
Filed Under Kindle, Reader, Reviews, e-Book, eReader, jetBook | Leave a Comment
The potential usefulness of ebook reading devices for travelers has not escaped the attention of bloggers and journalists. For example, we’ve recently noted a review from a Sony Reader user who was about to take the Reader along for a week at the beach, another review about taking an Ectaco jetBook along on a cruise vacation, and the Amazon Kindle’s presence on Time Magazine’s list of “gotta have” travel gadgets.
Concierge.com has also weighed in on the topic of ereaders for travelers. Tom Loftus recently explained why he views the Amazon Kindle as the “most important piece of travel technology since the inflatable neck pillow”:
Say you’re on the road and you suddenly realize that you must have–must have!–Oprah’s new book. All you need to do is turn on the Kindle and connect to the store. (The connection is through Sprint’s EV-DO network. It’s free.) You’ll have to pay for the book, but it will be cheaper than the dead-tree version. Or, if you wish, you can download sample chapters for free.
Earlier, a gear review at Concierge.com discussed the value of the Sony Reader to travelers. Noting a perceived tepid response to the Sony Reader in some quarters, the reviewer had this to say:
To these arbiters of judgment, I offer a single and uncontestable fact: My 80-day circumnavigation would have been much less pleasurable without my Sony Reader. Thanks to it, I was able to take part–whenever I wanted, and for long, memorable stretches–in one of my most favorite of activities: reading.
So if you have a getaway planned for these last few weeks of summer or the upcoming Labor Day weekend, you might want to think about giving the ebook reader of your choice a “field test” during your getaway.
Aug
8
The blogger at Techusers.org recently gave the Ectaco Jetbook a thorough test when she took the Jetbook along on a cruise vacation. She gave good marks to the Jetbook’s built-in dictionary and the device screen:
Dictionary: I love the dictionary included. All I have to do is press the menu button, then select dictionary. This highlights the first word on the page and then all you have to do is to navigate using the jog pad to the word you want and press ok. It was almost like have my Rocket book back, but without the touch screen.
Screen: I was worried that the screen would be green like the Ebookman or Kolin reader. I was worried for nothing. In regular light reading is great, but the brighter the better. In the Sun the screen is better than e-ink, but then again I am not a real big fan of e-ink. Page turns are so much quicker which really enhances my reading experience. I am glad that someone out there is creating alternative devices.
The blogger also liked the Jetbook’s file management, font size choices, and page turning attributes. In the minus column, she placed the lack of support for html, .doc and .rtf document formats, the inability to add fonts, the lack of backlight for the screen, and an awkward on-off switch.
Her overall conclusion: “This is one of the easiest-to-use e-book readers I have come across. There are cons to the reader, but I wouldn’t let that be a show stopper. I think that the Jetbook is excellent as a second reader and [complements] the on-the-go person.”
Aug
6
Amazon Kindle - Sony Reader Comparison
Filed Under Kindle, Reader, Reviews, Uncategorized, e-Book, ePub, eReader | Leave a Comment
A recent post at Blog Shop Review states a preference for the Amazon Kindle over the Sony Reader.
I have owned the first generation Sony Reader since last December, and read over twenty books on it, and just recently purchased the Kindle. While the Kindle is not perfect, it is superior to the Sony Reader in several meaningful ways that make it a far superior choice[.]
The first reason listed for the Kindle preference is available books: “[T]he number of books available for purchase for the Kindle is at least triple the number available from Sony.” (We have noted here at eReader Central that Sony did recently announce support for the EPUB format in the updated PRS-505 Reader, which serves to increase the number of ebooks that are compatible with that model of the Reader.)
In addition, the Blog Shop Review stated that with the Kindle, “[b]uying books is far easier; they are transferred directly to the Kindle without having to be downloaded first to a computer.” Other features listed as in the Kindle’s favor include screen contrast, available font sizes, the ease of changing pages, and the number of books that can be held in the device’s memory.
Aug
6
The Amazon Kindle ebook reader is Number 9 on the Time.com list of 25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets.
Amazon’s first-generation e-book reader certainly needs improvement — the page-turn buttons are awkwardly placed, among other things — but anyone who likes to read on the road should consider it an essential companion. That’s because you can take a veritable library with you. The 10.3-ounce device holds around 200 books; infinitely more if you load books onto external SD cards. Better yet is Whispernet, Amazon’s built-in wireless service — it piggybacks on Sprint’s EVDO network — that delivers books on demand in seconds.
The other gadgets on the Time.com “gotta have” list include an assortment of items for travelers, such as a universal adaptor, camera, battery pack, portable DVD player, and video recorder.
Aug
6
eReader.com has announced that the eReader 1.1 release is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch users.
With the release of the 1.1 version of eReader, iPhone and iPod Touch users are not limited to downloading materials from eReader.com and Fictionwise.com. Version 1.1 incorporates the capability to download PDB files from other web sites.
Other new features include the options to lock the screen’s orientation; to tap rather than swipe to turn pages; to select either a white or a black background; to turn off page animation; and to turn off full text justification.
Version 1.1 also provides users with the ability to sort the iPhone or iPod Touch bookshelf by author, title, or date of download.
eReader.com notes that more features will also be added in the pending release of eReader version 1.2.
Watch this demo to learn more about the features of eReader 1.1.
Aug
4
Amazon and Fictionwise Keep It Simple - and That’s a Good Thing
Filed Under Kindle, Reader, eReader, iPhone | Leave a Comment
People who are users of ereading devices and software like things to be simple, says a recent article at Teleread. The bottom line? “The only people who understand ebooks are Amazon (and Fictionwise). Everybody else doesn’t get it.”
The writer reached this conclusion after using the Sony Reader and Adobe Digital Editions, and apparently finding the process cumbersome.
Hey, people read ebooks and people like things simple.
I’m a people, too, and I like things simple as well. This hit me like a fish in the face when I installed Fictionwise’s eReader on my iPhone. Want a book - go to Fictionwise on the phone and download one. It hit me again, more like a whale in the face, when a I told a colleague about a free ebook being offered by Amazon. He has a Kindle and, while I watched he fired it up and downloaded the book while standing outside in the sunshine. No computer, no USB cable, no card reader, no Sony software, no Adobe software, no Calibre software, no conversion programs, no WiFi router.
Aug
4
An Amazon Kindle - cellphone combo in the future?
Filed Under Kindle, News, e-Book, e-Ink, eReader | Leave a Comment
“Get set–though I don’t know when–for the era of e-reader/cellphone hybrids,” says TeleRead.
It’s difficult to predict who will win among competing display technlogies, the article says.
Who knows which display tech will be dominant? Or whether another company –Sony, or Apple maybe?–might beat Amazon to the marketplace with a full color equivalent of the Kindle blended in with a cellphone. It’s bound to happen, however.
Correctly, while discussing an extra £25 million that the U.K.-based Plastic Logic won in funding from Amadeus Capital Partners and others, PC Pro News noted the Kindle-related possibilities of flexible screens. Flex plastic would not just be more rugged but also lighter and cheaper, and the company says that phones, along with laptops, are another target beyond e-readers alone.
Aug
4
Amazon Kindle and the Textbook Market
Filed Under Kindle, News, eReader | Leave a Comment
A recent Crunchgear article noted the unit sales and revenue success for the Amazon Kindle (240,000 Kindle units have been sold, says TechCrunch), and suggested that the impact may be end up being particularly strong in the college textbook market.
Students are used to paying outrageous prices for textbooks. Even though the excuse “it’s the high cost of paper” wears thin rather quickly, students will always need texts. I’m sure future generations will hear “it’s the high cost of production” as the excuse for overpriced e-texts, but the fact remains students and texts go hand in hand. Just the simple luxury of not lugging around a heavy library should spark the market.
Aug
4
Amazon Kindle - A User Review
Filed Under Kindle, Reviews, e-Book, e-Ink, eReader | Leave a Comment
Over at the Dragonsept Arts & Publishing blog, there’s a user review of the Amazon Kindle. From the blogger’s perspective, the Kindle’s screen is its strong point:
The screen of the Kindle is where it really shines. The resolution is crisp, and it is incredibly easy to read. The text comes out black-on-gray, and very sharp. There is a bit of pixelation at the smallest resolution, but it’s still much better than reading on a small LCD. My preference is settling on the second-smallest text, which is one size lower than the default from the factory. The screen flashes all-black for a moment when changing pages, presumably to reset the electronic ink. It takes less than 1 second to change pages, a very acceptable time.
The weak point identified by the blogger is the lack of open standards compatibility. “Sadly, the only open standards the Kindle natively [are] .txt and HTML. However, it supports Mobi, which you can create from PDFs and other formats without cost. One can also get documents converted to the Amazon format for free by sending them as an attachment to an email address unique to your Kindle.”
Overall, the blogger gives the Kindle a good grade.
I really, really like this device. . . . The electronic ink is a huge improvement over light-emitting screen types. The screen size is wonderful - and this from someone who thought he never cared about the small PDA screen before. The cover that comes with it makes it very easy to hold on to, and protects the screen nicely. It would also be a great place to clip on a book light, if you need to read at night without bothering a bed- or room-mate. I would like it if it supported more formats, but I am content that I am not locked in completely to Amazon’s format.
Do you own a Kindle? We’d love to have your comments and thoughts on. your Kindle experience.