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.

Jul

15

This Reviewer Likes the eReader App for the iPhone

Filed Under eReader, iPhone | Leave a Comment

The Mobile Gadgeteer at ZDNet recently named his top 10 favorite applications for the the iPhone. The eReader app for using the iPhone as an ebook reading device is at the top of the list.

I am an ebook fan and have a Sony Reader that I think now may see a bit less usage with actual support for offline reading on the iPhone. I have been a Mobipocket user for years due to its ability to work across all mobile platforms, but eReader also has this support and it looks like I am now making the transition. This was made possible mostly by the fact that Fictionwise purchased eReader and now I can access all the books I have purchased over the years in eReader format at Fictionwise and any books I have purchased through eReader. You simply login on your iPhone with your username and password from either website to view your bookshelf and download the titles you want on your iPhone. Unfortunately, you can only download one title at a time so if you have a large library this may take a while.

To read a book you simply tap on the title in your Bookshelf and then flick across the page from right to left to turn the page or the other way to turn it back. You can also tap on the display to bring up four bottom icons for the Table of Contents, search function (two icons for this?), and font settings (3 fonts and 4 sizes). I hope to see more functionality brought to the iPhone such as bookmarks and auto scrolling. If you have a dictionary loaded you can also tap and hold on a word to look it up. Landscape mode is also supported by simply rotating your iPhone.