But if I'm not allowed a book as cool as Ender's Game - What other cool books am I going to miss out on?!I still want a Kindle butI'm wondering if it's still worth it now I know that I'm going to be a bit restricted on the titles I can get. I know there will still be millions of books to choose from But if I'm not allowed a book as cool as Ender's Game - What other cool books am I going to miss out on?!
There are ways around it - such as providing an overseas address instead of my one. However, (a) I don't know anyone overseas except for Australia and Rarotonga - both of which are still in the Asia & Pacific region! 
and (b) Not too keen on doing that anyway as it violates the T&C and the books could be taken off me without refund (Which is fair enough).
So, should I still get one anyway? Will the territorial copyright issues be resolved in the near(ish) future? Do I? Don't I?
*increasing hysteria due to procrastinating about this for months and then finding out this little detail as I've finally made up my mind to buy 
*
I am not sure about Ender's Game. You might check around and see if there are other sites that offer the title (legally, of course).
I've had my kindle for a year and a half and still love it, but I am not making a comparison to the other readers -- I haven't used them.
This is all second-hand---correct me if I'm wrong. (I was thinking of a Nook, myself.)
Pretty cheap too.
You are right. At the bottom it has a size total, not a page total. There is a bar that fills up at the bottom with markers for chapters, so you have a feel for where you are.
If a person is gadgety and wants all forms of customization and statistics and word counts, etc., the kindle probably wouldn't be for him. I am pretty simple and want a kindle to read from and nothing more, so it works great.
My wife's grandfather wanted me to show him how to download classical music onto it so he could listen and read at the same time... I think it actually does that, but now that is starting to get into the territory of maybe an ipad would be a better fit.
The other nifty thing about Sony Reader (I am not sure if Kindle has this too) is that you can add up to 5 devices to a single account (devices include other Sony Readers or computers).
I guess the downside of Sony compared to a Kindle is that you have to connect it to computer that has internet access in order to purchase a book. I believe the Kindle has wireless 3G connectivity to the Amazon store.
quote:
So, should I still get one anyway? Will the territorial copyright issues be resolved in the near(ish) future?
I like the real keyboard on the Kindle better but at the same time I like that you can go to B&N for help and classes. Target's people don't know much about the Kindle. I've been there and asked.
As has been said already you can find programs to run the other's e-books so I think it boils down to which one you like better and which ones looks better to you.
That is unless they still have the iPad ones. I found one for $350 at Apple.com and Verzion is suppose to have some for three hundred if they still have 'em.
It's still a bit pricey and they still have more stuff than I want for a reader but they are cool.
About the pages not being listed there, it doesnt bother me at all, although I here there is an update out that changes that anyway. I like the percentage marker. I know if I am 25% trough and so forth at a glance.
(1) I've been through a couple of phases in my life where these great and wonderful new gizmos came out, all of which did more-or-less the same thing, but were all slightly different---and most were incompatable with each other. (Anybody remember eight-tracks? Laserdiscs?) I don't want to get stuck with something that, in a few years, goes out and leaves me having to buy something else.
(2) What about content? Where do I get it? How much will it cost me? How much can I accumulate in one device?
(3) As far as content goes...can I come up with my own? Can I, say, take a bunch of my own Internet Fan Fiction (or somebody else's) and put it on the device? Or can I adapt or reformat it in some way so I can put it on?
two and three can probably be found in the details of the device.
The Nook entered third and has the advantage of being offered by an actual bookstore. All three devices are still in competition; however the format war seems to be winding around to ePub winning out. Most of the devices support multiple formats. I know that my Sony Reader will read PDFs and Word documents, although some of the features like large text work better with actual e-book formats. A year or two ago, the Sony Reader Store gave up on its previous proprietary format and went to ePub as its primary format.
I am not as familiar with the Kindle although I have friends who just love theirs, and one friend who raves about his Nook. I think the trick is to know what features matter to you and do your research.
Just for the record I absolutely adore my Reader.
In addition to the internal memory, it has two slots for memory cards, and therefore can hold more books than I will probably ever own. It can turn approximately 2,000 pages on a single charge and takes 1/2hr or an hour or something unobtrusive to charge up. It’s great for travelling as opposed to carting around 3-4 paperbacks and then deciding that what I really want to read, I left on the shelf back home. 
I bought a special cover for it that has a lightwedge, so I have the ability to read in the dark but the light doesn’t drain my Reader battery. And when I inevitably fall asleep with it in my hand and the light on, all I have to do is maybe replace the two little AA batteries, and there’s no stress on my Reader.
I’ve probably bought over a hundred e-books since I got my reader nearly three years ago. I still buy paperbacks to loan to friends and the occasional hardback to sit on my shelf. But what I’m finding is that I seem to buy those in addition to the e-book.
BTW, my Reader does give me a “page/total pages” running count that even adjusts depending on text size.
If I ever lost my Reader or it broke, I would have to replace it immediately. Much like a cell phone, computer, or TV, it now fills a technological niche that I find that I don’t want to do without.
-Lady Tiger
*****
Hadn't thought of text-size as an issue. I don't know how readable something smaller than ten-point anything would be...I wouldn't want to be trapped in something that's a hard squint.
*****
(Compatability always varied from device to device. I could play my CDs on my laserdisc player, but, after the third time I took the damned thing apart to get a slipped disc out of it, I just hauled out one of my other gizmos to play CDs on.)
But Sony e-readers have been out longer than Kindle??? Kindle has been out what five years or so? I thought the Sony came out just last year, they need to do something about getting the word out better. I saw the Sony, pretty sure it was Sony, at Radio Shake once when I was zipping through the store. Had to take take a minute to look closer at it. From what it said on the packaging I thought it not as good as Kindle and the Nook which as I said in another post I think are tied. Not counting the Color Nook.
Since then I have also seem the Sony at one other store, Target maybe, seemed like it was cheaper than both of the other two.
quote:Sony e-reader came out in 2006 and Amazon's Kindle launched in 2007.
But Sony e-readers have been out longer than Kindle???
quote:Along with the e-reader device you install the Reader Library software on your computer. All the books you purchase or download are loaded into this library and from there you can transfer to your devices.
There's another issue. If your e-reader---whatever it is---gets lost or has to be replaced, can you recover your content? Where do you store it...on your computer? What'll it cost to duplicate it again?
Sony also allows up to 5 devices authorized per account. What this means is that on 1 computer you have the Reader Library software (1 device) and then you can authorize 4 additional e-readers or computers to that same account. This allows you and other family members to have access to the same content. All e-books purchased can then be transferred to any of the authorized devices at no additional cost. You essentially create a virtual library of e-books you own.
quote:
don't know how readable something smaller than ten-point anything would be.
Regarding compatibility - both Sony and Kindle have proprietary formats (.lrf and .azw respectively). Sony e-readers are compatible with the ePUB (open standard) format. There are many e-books available in ePUB format (public domain books). The other format is Adobe PDF for purchased e-books (which contains Digital Rights Management protection). Sony is compatible with Adobe. Libraries also carry a form of DRM on their e-books which allow the books you download to expire after the end of the loan period.
I've had a Sony e-reader since 2009 - it's my own personal portable library. I love it.
[This message has been edited by redux (edited April 09, 2011).]
As I recall, and it's been quite a few months, the one I saw at Radio Shack had no Wi Fi or any other internet connection, it seemed to be very basic. And I'm not sure but I recall something about the price being $99. Could have been the one I saw at the other store or another reader. I also had the impression it was smaller than a Nook. Which I think is slightly smaller than a Kindle.
The Kobo is the e-reader that's $99. It's through borders.
I wish they would turn the Nintendo DS into an e-reader, they could do two paged.
I've been looking into this and I have a few issues.
Page numbers should be standardized: I think we should get away from the thought that the words appearing on the screen at any time is the page, the thing is a scroll, not a codex. The size of the text is irrelevant if the page is defined as a set number of words. This way we can say to our friends, "hey check out the scene on page 113." (Not to mention citation for academic work) A reader who sees that they have only 30 more pages to go is more likely to finish in that sitting than one who has no idea. Then they will buy a new book for their next sitting.
Typesetting needs to be important: Go to a bookstore and compare the boiler-plate classics to the expensive versions. (Which is often the difference between $2 and $7.) The difference is usually typesetting based. In the store you may not notice beyond the expensive one looks nicer, but the differences in readability are dramatic. I once read Heart of Darkness in an anthology, and someone had crammed it into fifty pages. No one in that class who didn't buy a proper 100+ page version of it made it though it. It felt like sitting in a dark cave. I think you can have proper typesetting while still maintaining the customization.
Maybe there's an individual page number count for e-editions. But then why would I care if my page number is the same on my Kindle as someone else's nook?
Considering that there seems to be people who care, it's just a minor software tweak to any of the platforms.
Then in 2004/2005 sometime I first heard of e-ink and that Sony was working on it. This was around the same time that blu-ray was being brought to market. 2006 was a pretty spectacular year for Sony.
I agree that the most current Sony readers don’t really surpass the competition, but I love mine.
One other tidbit, once purchased you can download your titles as many times as you want to. So even if something happened to all of your devices at once (computer, laptop, reader, etc.) you still wouldn’t lose a single book that you had bought from the Sony Reader Store. (Sorry, I don’t have any familiarity with other purchases. Sony’s been so easy that I haven’t bothered to venture farther.)
(I bought my first computer because I wanted to play a computer game. Later on, though, I found other things to do with it.)
. If it does I never found it.
quote:
I'm thinking that eventually I'll have to bite the bullet and just buy something, then live within its restrictions. But I'm not ready yet.(I bought my first computer because I wanted to play a computer game. Later on, though, I found other things to do with it.)
Like listening to my double.
I talked to one of the Nook people today and told him I'm an inch away from buying one...but I've been that inch for six months or more. But I learned something I didn't know you can play music over the Nook. About a month ago I over heard a class on the color Nook and learned you can listen to music on that one but the same thing goes for the $150 model. Neat but they don't talk about that feature.
I tried to see if the Kindle has the same feature but I couldn't find anything that says. Of course I didn't do a long search.
I think if either the Nook or the Kindle were to have a sale I would buy, as the saying goes, yesterday, especially the Nook. I say the last because B&N has a place to go to with people who know the Nook. Kindle doesn't.
It's making me consider buying an ereader now - something I've held off on for quite some time - rather than waiting until I no longer have any choice in the matter.
I've read a couple of stories that dealt with ads directly to our minds.
But as to buying one now. I believe that some day most written literature will be electronic instead of paper but how long that will be I have no idea. Evidently in Feb. more e-books sold than paperbacks. Part of that was e-readers as presents and cards that were given for Christmas so it may not continue throughout the year. But it might also.
That doesn't mean you will have to get an e-reader yet but it does mean that day has moved up.
Except for three things: The advertising, not sure if I really want to be subjected to ads for things I don't want--really don't want. Someone said it was the wallpaper which can be covered up by the book.
Second: they still don't have a physical place for me to go like Nook has. That someone mentioned before said he's Kindle is still doing good and even plays music like the Nook.
Third: The Color Nook.
But $115 WOW. I could almost buy two and keep one as a spare.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited April 19, 2011).]
To be honest with you I don't like the kindle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you cannot go to other stores with the kindle. Every other one I looked at could, I think the term was open network or something. Plus mine (kobo) cost $99
[This message has been edited by JohnColgrove (edited April 25, 2011).]
quote:
Question: do you have to pay for separate internet accessiblity (the way I understand you have to do with a smartphone--and if I understand that incorrectly, please correct me?) in order to download books to your Nook or Kindle or Sony whatever, or can you use wireless internet accessibility at any place that offers a wireless connection?
The Wi-Fi is if you use a free network that is free and they say the 3G is free. Not sure how that works though. And only the $189 and the $379 model has 3G.
And I misquoted the offers if you buy the $114 model. The fifty dollar thing must have been something else, maybe the price of one of their cheaper cases. Or another E-mail offer I got. Amazon does have some nice skins and cases but they are also a bit expensive.
And Nook is suppose to be coming out with a new model. I have no idea if its NookColor two but it seems like its about time. Anyway, watch for it. It could change things..hopefully by making them cheaper.
I believe the Kindle offers free 3G in the same way a GPS does. Once you buy the unit - you get their satellite access free.
You could be on a beach, finish a book, and buy a new one right then. (assuming you had at least one bar.)
Axe
quote:
Kathleen,
I believe the Kindle offers free 3G in the same way a GPS does. Once you buy the unit - you get their satellite access free.You could be on a beach, finish a book, and buy a new one right then. (assuming you had at least one bar.)
Axe
Someone where I work had the same question. I had no idea how to answer him except to say Amazon says free 3G
Could be that since it doesn't involve voice, you're not paying for a phone service.
Re picking one: Best Buy has displays for Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and some others I don't like, e.g. Literati. Go play with them and see which one you like to look at. All e-paper looks whiter under harsh store lights than in typical house lighting, so shade the screen a little as well. They don't have trained salespeople yet, but if you're lucky there's a blueshirt who uses them.
@Delli re territorial limitations on book availability: Yup. That's mostly up to the publisher as well as whatever contracts Amazon has on distribution. I've heard of people just changing their CAN addresses to US addresses to get around it.
Re Kindle formats: No native EPUB support; MOBI, TXT, AZW only (maybe RTF?). Also PDF but they don't look great unless you have the DX model. Any nonencrypted file can be translated through Calibre (free). You can also email Word docs and such to your device and Amazon will translate it for you, though I like Calibre better.
@KDW re 3G/connectivity: The premium cost on 3G models pays for your connectivity. If you get personal documents mailed to your device over 3G instead of WiFi there's a surcharge, so send everything to (youraddress)@free.kindle.com to limit deliveries to WiFi. I didn't bother getting 3G because I'm usually near an accessible network. If you want to buy books or use the web browser on the beach or on a mountain it's probably invaluable. WiFi just connects to any available router: yours, office's, McDonald's, etc. You can also just transfer files from your computer with USB.
@Robert Nowall re losing content: Things you buy in the Kindle store stay tied to your account, so you can just re-download. Things you don't buy there are up to you; I keep my Calibre library on a network drive, and a friend uses Dropbox. I haven't bought anything from Smashwords or the like, so I can't speak to their backup systems.
@JohnColgrove re light: Kindles don't have built-in lights. Amazon makes a case with a light that runs off the Kindle battery, but there have been problems with the non-lighted version causing shorts, and with both of them damaging devices because of the metal hooks. I shoved mine into a Targus case/stand and put an M-Edge light between the Kindle and the case. Works great.
@LDWriter2 re MP3: You can play MP3s on Kindles but their interface is pretty bad. Mostly meant just for loading an audiobook, not a music library.
I also picked up an old Sony PRS-300 on the cheap, and the screen looks pretty good. I like both better than the Nook, and I don't like reading on LCDs at all (Nook Color, any tablet, etc.). I was thinking about one of the newer Sonys for freehand draft markup instead of a Kindle, but (a) they're expensive and (b) I've had the worst support on any Sony product I've ever owned for the past 22 years.
Thanks for the information.
More or less unrelated question (but my mind works that way, sorry, and I figure that in the Grist for the Mill area, we can be more off-topic than we would be elsewhere on the forum):
If I have free texting, can I use it to text to my Twitter account, or would that count as using the internet (see above)?
Now I realize that it was intended to point at JohnColgrove's post:
quote:
I always looked at it that as long as there's service where your at, than you can browse and buy books with 3G
Sorry about that, axeminister.
There are some Kindle-specific Twitter interfaces: http://kintweet.com/login.php (English) http://www.kindletwit.com/ (French).
Regarding your text/tweet question - I believe Twitter is a website, therefore you'd have to use the internet highway to get to it. Thus, you wouldn't be able to text, using the texting freeway to make a Twitter highway post.
Axe
Is it really free? The person I referenced in my posts thinks it can't be since it is a phone service.
Phone companies charge extra for 3G/4G data because, well, they're phone companies and charge for everything.
FAQ: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reader-3G-Wifi-Graphite/dp/B002FQJT3Q#kindle-features-wireless
A few weeks ago I thought of another reason to get an e-reader. But I don't know if it will work. Here at my desk computer I read the various stories, and chapters that I crit during my writing time. If I could transfer the story to a reader I could read it any where and even when my wife is on the computer for her crafts.
So can you share a word processor file with a reader? I might be able to E-mail myself but that would mean I would need a WiFi network. And would I be able to download a .rtf, .doc, .txt file? Or would I have to read it in the body of the E-mail?
If so to any of that, it would give me another reason to get one, maybe push me over the edge. But I may get one with whatever birthday money I get, and who knows maybe in a month and a half someone will cut their price and/or offer a special extra.
Note-taking is a bit awkward; you can't edit the text, just add little footnote-style markups and highlights. I highlight the word or phrase I don't like, then type a little note about it and read it back when I'm at a PC or in crit group. It's an advantage for me personally, since it forces me to think twice before reflex editing the master text.
I've also transferred files to a Sony PRS-300 and a Nook, but I haven't tried taking notes on them yet. Some of the Sonys allow freehand markup with a stylus, which looks nifty.
Update: Can't do it on a PRS-300, but it's a really basic reader. I just tried annotating on a Nook (B&W) using the most current software. It's possible, but I find it annoying. I had to go to a submenu to start an annotation, then use a touchscreen cursor control that didn't work half the time to select a text line, then type on a tiny touchscreen QWERTY keyboard for my note. I fat-fingered a letter and the Nook kicked me back to the main screen -- not even to the text I was reading.
[This message has been edited by muranternet (edited May 13, 2011).]
Why buy an e-reader if you're going to get a tablet?
Less money, except for the color nook and that extra large Kindle they are less than half the price of an ipad. Number two is that I want a reader, they added so much extra stuff to the ipad, it's easy to forget it started as a reader. The reader part almost gets forgotten.
Of course a simple word processor would be nice so I can write if I get the urge. But that is all the extras I want.
And I actually happen to know someone who does use his ipad as a reader, not sure what else he uses it for but I do see him reading.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited May 14, 2011).]
I mentioned what you said about the MP3 files to co-worker who has a kindle. He's never used it to play music but he wondered if you used the built in speakers or headphones.
And I need to check out the prices for audio books on B&N and Amazon. They are kinda expensive elsewhere. Which is why I don't have an ipod. I want to listen to books while at the gym but as I said they cost some money. Or I should say the newer ones do, some of the older ones are less expensive.
All right. The MP3 player is under the Experimental heading (like the web browser). You turn it on, and it just starts playing. No file viewer. The controls are alt+space to play/pause, alt+f to skip forward one track. That's it. Sound quality out of the headphone jack is normal, no weird ground hum or anything that I can discern in mid-grade earcups, though it does hiccup sometimes when you do things like open books for about 40ms. No fast forward, no album skip, no rewind, to track back, nothing. If you turn on text to speech the MP3 player stops, and when you restart it it goes back to the top of the track you were playing. It seems to follow track ID3 tags. I haven't tried mixing albums in the same folder yet to see if they alternate.
I think the intent is for one album of background music if you want to listen while reading. I wouldn't want to use it for audiobooks, as I like to jump around in audiobooks or rewind if I missed a part. Honestly, generic MP3 players are so cheap now I think it's a waste of battery life to use the Kindle's nonexistent interface.
For audiobooks, librivox and some other sites have public domain titles for free.
Next time I'm at B&N I will have to ask those questions about the Nook. Even though they may tell me how wonderful it sounds. But I can get them to show me how it works.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited May 15, 2011).]
Right now it looks like Nook will be it for me. Color. Probably buy it with some birthday money-last part of June- and only some of the money I have. Unless B&N gets on the ball and has a sale or some bonus
I would choose the 20% off coupon but I don't do facebook.
But just from playing with the Kindle I wouldn't mind having one. You did answer a question I had which was how to get books from other sources to work on the Kindle. Like from B&N.I'm really interesting in trying to put my writing on there.
I installed the free Nook Color and Kindle apps, as well as Moon Reader on there for her, so it's a more versatile reader than before (plus Angry Birds!), but I still hate reading on LCD screens so I'll pass. It's a more of a pain to get my own stuff on there for her to first-read than on my Kindle or Sony but that's probably because it's running from a card.
I don't think I'll be getting another one to solve my combination e-reader/portable writing setup because I just don't like the screen or Android, thought I did see a video of a guy who did that using a portable Bluetooth keyboard. (Cyanogen7 turns on the Bluetooth antenna that isn't activated on the stock NC.) There are some office suites for Android but I haven't played with any of them yet.
Still, it looks like a really good tablet modified this way, and $250.
Edit: I'd also steer clear of the Nook "market" if you want apps. It's terribly limited and overpriced.
[This message has been edited by muranternet (edited May 27, 2011).]
I have the kindle software on my droid and on the kindle. When I purchase a title, it doesn't download automatically to both devices. I have to go manually retrieve it with the second device -- which I like. I wonder if it is some setting that you can alter.
Actually, when I purchase it from amazon, it asks me which device I want to send it to.
There's an Office app but evidently you can't transfer its files to another device. E-mail seemed to be the best way to do any writing on either. The back light on the color screen didn't seem to be too bad compared to the usual screen. But at the same time my eyes seemed to get a bit tired while I was there but I can't say it was from reading on the C Nook. But the person I talked said that some people do have that problem.
They have lowered the prices on the first two models since a new is coming out and they are discontinuing those two. The touchscreen on the color is neater than the buttons of the first two. But I had to press the menu buttons more than once in some cases.
They have the tinniest speakers I have ever seen. Two on the bottom just as wide as the Nook is and maybe an inch long. They didn't have any music downloaded on either Nook on display so I couldn't listen to any. But the controls in the control box looks pretty much like the ones I have for my pick up's CD player. I mean it had the same basic controls.
So I guess I need to go back and double check how my eyes react. But so far the C Nook looks good.
I also noticed the touchscreen problems. They mostly went away using custom firmware.
You can turn down brightness/contrast to see if it helps the eyestrain. I did and it seemed a little better but I still don't like it as much as e-ink. It's sometimes hard to tell in the store, since for some people they only really get strained after ten minutes or so and people don't generally stand at a demo stand for ten minutes reading the thing uninterrupted by salespeople. I guess the best way to find out is to borrow someone's Nook Color and try it under normal lighting conditions (not store lighting) for half an hour and see if you can stand it.
If you can't, there's always that return policy.
I was there for about ten minutes playing with the color and non color Nooks, before a salesperson showed up. I did some reading during that time. I even compared both with page from a book on each of them. The page itself on the non-color looked sort of very light brown while the C Nook's page looked white. Interesting and I can see how that alone could make a difference on the eyes.
The Nook lady reminded me of the return policy but its only for two weeks. I would have to make sure I spent time reading almost every day to give it a through check.
Both my lap top and desk computer's screens are okay on my eyes... usually.
Right now, it looks like a giant iPod to me, but, I gather, there's more to it than that.
More as it develops...
Nice device the Color Nook is but it's not over-developed, muscle-bound, or expensive.
Well, sort of expensive but not by much
So it's a matter of (1) moving my Nook unit to somewhere where I can get a connection, or (2) figuring out how to set up and hook up some kind of WiFi connection right here. Probably the latter. After wrapping it up here, I'll research the matter and see what I need to do.
Other than that...man, that "Terms of Service" document was really something else...one of the longest I've ever seen...
What? My Nook, you say? Did I set that up? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll get to that again, in a little while...
That'll do for a start...things nice and familiar, that I can read while getting used to manipulating things on the Nook screen. So far, so good. (Also, I have to assess just how much I want to spend on this format---The Lord of the Rings alone cost eighteen-ninety-nine.)
But could you keep us posted on the battery life? Right now that is a stickler for me. 8 hours can go by very fast esp. with music and the internet.
And how much was the Piper book?
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited June 10, 2011).]
They had several different sets of H. Beam Piper available, with different content---the one I bought cost a dollar ninety-nine. (Space Cadet cost nine ninety-nine.)
I did go looking for a couple of other things, like Edgar Pangborn (no titles available), and Bruce Catton (some, but not what I wanted.)
*****
I found I have Internet access through my Nook and WiFi---I haven't tried it out, just a couple simple sites (including my own).
*****
Overall, I'd say doing this cost me about five hundred dollars---but the WiFi upgrade is something I should'a done years ago.
But could you try something else? Downloading or sharing or whatever the term is for this, word processor files. .rtf and .doc. The Nook lady, I talked to, seemed to be a little unsure of how it would handle those type of files even though it should be able to open pdf files.
I found, with the online access, that I could reach my own site and read my own stuff, and also some Internet Fan Fiction sites where I could also read my own stuff. For the moment, that's good enough, and it doesn't seem to cost anything. I've got a few other things in mind. (For instance, I managed to locate and bring up this very page, just now.)
I don't know, as of yet, whether you could put your own files on it. I'll try it out, sooner or later.
Neglected to mention that, so far, I've charged it just once, Tuesday evening, and haven't as of yet had to charge it up again---but, probably, my overall use of it doesn't amount to two hours. (Puts itself asleep in about two minutes, I think---but I can reset that.)
If anyone has watched the show, Hoarders, you will find yourself eager to clean your house -- and that includes books.
I love ebooks because they take up no room!
If I could find someone local who could scan them into e-books for me, at no more than an e-edition would cost, then I'd be getting somewhere.
Or even, I suppose, find a way to scan and convert them myself.
Any ideas? Any software out there that does that for you?
As far as converting books to ebooks -- there are quite a few that have been done by others and can be found with a google query. Considering that the books in question are not likely public domain, the technical legality comes into question. But if you are trading from an already purchased book to an electronic form, is it ok? I don't know and honestly I really don't like doing that.
If I were going to sell an e-version of a book that did belong to me, that would also be illegal.
But to make an e-version of a book that I already own, to be used for myself on my own e-reader would be the same as my making a photocopy of a book I already own for my personal use.
If I'm incorrect, I would certainly like to know, but I don't think I am.
As to the original question, Ender's game is up there now, but still at the same price as a paperback. The second thing I like is having multiple books along at the cost of a small space. I hate running out of book half way through a long flight.
[This message has been edited by Utahute72 (edited June 11, 2011).]
I'd suggest paying someone to do the scanning for you. Unless you have a good system worked up scanning a whole book can take more of your like than you would like. (I once had to scan every page I referenced in a twenty page paper.) I suggest going for PDF though, scanning into a character recognition program (which Word can do) often comes terribly flawed. You don't get searchability but you get a perfect version of the book. (I have also had to go through character by character and fix a story for Warp and Weave. It would have taken less time had I typed the thing in myself.)
quote:
you have the right to make a copy for personal use.
What is the US law regarding downloading bootleg copies of books you already own? I tried to look up information on the subject, but came up empty.
Robert discussed that he bought Lord of the Rings, even though he already has a paper copy. Since it is sold in a different format, I think he did the honest thing. Is it only ok if you do the work yourself to make a copy? Is paying someone to do it for you the same as going to an illegal site and buying the trilogy for $3 instead of $20 (whatever the price is) on Amazon?
I'm ok with the personal ethics of making a copy, in particular when there is not an official e-version available. I was just wondering if there is a specific policy in accordance with the law of how and when you can make copies.
But why is it that these changes always benefit the big guys, but never the little guys who just want to have a little fun?
Should'a mentioned, too, that the H. Beam Piper edition was cheap because the copyright on Piper's published work has lapsed---something to do with time passed after Ace Books purchased the estate. (Some posthumous publications may still be under copyright.) Somebody compiled it for sale on Barnes & Noble, but there might be cheap versions---maybe even free versions---out there, somewhere. There's a lot of public domain stuff---anything by H. P. Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard, say---and content like that might be worth your while even at the rate I paid.
Copyright is one of those areas where it's hard to find agreement on. But as writers it's important that we know the law. It's how we make our money. We don't actually sell the story or novel we sell the right for someone else to publish it. So how would you feel if someone was stole that right and you were not able to make money off of it? Even if they stole one copy and you only lost a few cents? That's why Smashwords gives a warning not to give a story to a friend, you're suppose to buy it to give it away. (I wonder how many people they expect to really do that but it's there) But as I understand when you buy a song from iTunes you can place it on up to five computers or devices that are registered with iTunes.
There's the fair use clause, which we have been discussing all of a sudden, seems to get a bit foggy at times. Evidently I have the right to upload to my computer a CD I bought but do I have the right to place various songs on a blink CD and give it to someone as a gift? I've heard that you can copy to another CD once for you own use.
The lip-synching thing would be hard to set up I would think. I can see why the artist would think someone is stealing the use of that song (Or pay) from them. After all the Girl Scouts had to pay something a while back for songs sang at a campfire. But as I said it's gets complicated trying to set something up.
Ok, sticking with the music example: let's say I own a certain music cd and want to listen to it on my ipod. My laptop doesn't have a working cd drive, so is it wrong to download a certain song from that same album for free? If I had a cd drive, i'd do it myself. Or what if I got a friend to make me an electronic copy of that same cd for me?
Am I cheating the music band when I burn my own cd to my own hard drive for my own use? Am I cheating the band if a friend does it for me? What if it is someone I don't even know?
Where's the line? And what does the law say about it?
Certain things I don't think they worry too much about but in other situations writers, singers etc, are very strict. Getting back to writing: Like technically all unapproved fanfic is illegal even if you don't get paid for it. I said unapproved because now and then someone will open a contest to the public. Paramount and Star Trek did that, the people who control Dr. Who did it and I'm sure there are others. But with the free fanfic, the copyright is still owned by someone else but a lot of the time they ignore it. Some writers have given their okay for fanfic but others have sent out cease and desist orders.
There's one person here who has that problem with the Nook but you didn't mention computers... as I recall anyway.
Ironically, since I enjoyed modding the Nook Color so much I picked up a used Motorola Droid and turned it into a 3.75" tablet computer, which I'm using to post this message. I like it a lot as a PipBoy 3000, wrist mount and all, and even figured out how to tie a real keyboard to it for a little writing platform. And I hate reading prose on it.
Low battery did sneak up on me, but I was able to grab the recharger and plug it in for an overnight charge without trouble.
I've wondered if I could access my AOL account from its web access...someday, soon, maybe, I'll try it...
$25 off...
If you join their book club.
(Rolls eyes upward) I've been a member for over ten years.
Most likely it's the WiFi, nothing to do with the Nook, though.
Now they are offering 100 e-books with any Nook. But they are certain ebooks, it looks like classics perhaps from the free section. Of course some of them are probably worth reading. Jules Verne etc.
Bought a Color Nook tonight... it's charging,
Learned something new too, you can share your account with someone, in which case they can read your books. And you can have more than one bookmark per book in case more than one person is reading it at the same time.
The quick and dirty description is that the kindle is a specialist geared towards reading e-books as comfortably as possible, while the iPad is a generalist that allows you to read e-books and do a host of other things.
Here is why the kindle is superior as an e-book reader:
- It is much lighter and smaller than the iPad. This means if you are like me, and like to read in bed holding a book up, your arm won't get sore. I can't imagine doing this with my iPad. This makes it more portable and easy to travel with. I can slip my kindle into my front pocket (admittedly I'm a larger than average guy), I can't do this with an iPad.
- The battery life of the kindle is much much longer. I charge my kindle about once a month. The iPad, I charge about three times a week.
- Hardware keyboard. I don't really like to do long stretches of typing on either device, but I prefer the tactile hardware keyboard over the software one.
- Now for the most important reason: the screen. The e-ink matte screen simulates the paper experience far better than the glossy iPad screen. This means less eye strain, and more importantly, no glare. I used my kindle on a flight from Santa Fe to Boston, sitting in the window seat with unfettered sunrays shining on the screen and had absolutely no problem reading it. This would be impossible with the iPad.
Now, why is the iPad a better general device? The kindle has a beta web browser, but it is clunky. There is no question that for checking e-mail, browsing the web, or doing anything BUT reading, the iPad is superior.
So it isn't really and apples to apples comparison. The kindle is designed to replace the hardcopy book, and the iPad is designed to replace certain commonly used, non-intensive functions of the laptop or desktop: e-mail, web-browsing, social networking, and other 'light' applications.
So, all three of these devices (kindle, iPad, pc) serve a purpose in my life. The kindle is for reading e-books at home or on the go. The iPad is for looking up information quickly and checking my e-mail, and the PC is for when I write or do work in my day job from home. There is some overlap in all three devices, but if I hate writing more than a few sentences (such as this post!) on anything but my laptop or PC, and I don't want to wait for a computer to boot up or have to log in if all I want to do is check my e-mail or look up a restaurant on yelp.com.
Hope that helps, if anyone has any more questions on iPad vs Kindle let me know.
On to the other topic...
quote:
But to make an e-version of a book that I already own, to be used for myself on my own e-reader would be the same as my making a photocopy of a book I already own for my personal use.
I've asked my lawyer brother about this before, and he isn't a copyright lawyer, but my sense is that the law is pretty fuzzy about this. The main interest is financial, so copying a book and selling it would be illegal, but retaining it for personal use, I think, would not get you in trouble. I don't think the law has really caught up to the technology. Seems like my thinking on this is supported by this link:
http://geekdrop.com/content/is-it-illegal-to-download-pirated-e-book-if-you-own-the-hard-copy
According to the screen, I've got sixteen books in my library. Five are purchases...two are user's guides...six are "samples" of some kind, only one of which I actually "ordered"...and, somehow, I acquired three "classics of literature" with my last purchase, unintentionally.
Of the three purchases I haven't named yet, there's Eric James Stone's e-book...the [problematic] H. Beam Piper collection...and a public domain text of Verne's Voyage au Centre de La Terre. So far I've only read Stone's e-book---excellent, by the way---and I'm up to the beginning of The Return of the King, taking it a couple of chapters at a time before I turn in for the day. I suppose, once I'm more familiar with it, I'll pick up some more stuff...
I've recharged it three times so far...far as usage goes, the charging is on a par with my iPod.
Didn't buy a case for it but I want to, lets see if they have another sale soon.
Everything works fine so far, I got a anti- glare cover for the screen. I had my wife put it on since he fingers are more coordinated than mine but it looked easier than expected. I wondered about cleaning the screen since it gets smudgy easy but the A-G sheet came with a special cleaning cloth. It even has a nook symbol on it.
Speaking of the Nook symbol, I wondered what that funny symbol was. But a couple of visits ago I was reading the instructions and it stated the symbol was a n. Oh, really? Okay, I can see that now.
So far my eyes are okay a bit tired but not too bad. I must have spent over an hour reading books, two, and figuring out the controls. Changed the wallpaper twice. Oh, I never did get the pinch out to work.
As to if they give a refurbished replacement if something is defective. I was standing in line at the store last night at the Nook booth. The person in front of me was buying one for their daughter... she looked around nine... and the Nook lady said a replacement would be a new Nook, not a refurbished one. Of course that was with the extra protection you can buy. So far mine is working great. A couple of weeks ago I was told that depending on what is wrong with it they could repair it there, or ship it out for certain repairs or give a new one.
Kinda funny thing is the daughter wanted a certain case for it. The computer said they had one in stock the Nook lady tore the booth apart looking for it. Nothing. The father said it might be hidden under a stairwell some place. Later someone else was still looking for it and another Nook person said it could be still packed in the back. So the father may have been right after all. As far as I know no one found it.
Both Amazon and B&N make money on the content; the unit is just a delivery system, and they want to keep the delivery systems out there and the customers happy, even at a loss (well, I saw a system teardown of the Nook Color and the analyst figured they might be making $50 over material costs). I'm impressed with Amazon's customer service.
I didn't buy a case yet but I will. Boy the cases for the Color Nook range from thirty dollars to over a hundred. I would like one that has something to do with writing. Months ago I saw the one with a big & on the front. Thought that might work. They also have one with a bunch of famous writer's autographs
Can't find the & one on the website. But they also have frames that might help protect it, I noticed the kindle skins are suppose to do that.
And I can download .doc files and open them. Can't open .rtf files though. Haven't tried .txt or docx . But when I talked to the Nook ladies about files I don't recall them saying it but there's a file compartment in the library section. I had to find it, it wasn't that hard though.
I managed to get to my site but couldn't check my E-mail for some reason. Wouldn't even bring up the page.
And I thought about trying other sites but as I was about to type in this address I realize I didn't know it. I always use the link. I have to write out the address and a couple of others.
Still need to try buy from smashwords that should be an easy site to recall and I need to look for a Bible or two to download.
Any suggestion for smashwords? I believe a couple of us have stories or at least books up there. Right now stories or a shorter book would be better. But even any not from here that you think are good would be okay to suggest.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited June 27, 2011).]
When I read the part where it says you can have what is on the screen flip as you turn the device I thought "hey this does almost as much as the ipad" and you confirm that thought.
I haven't updated my progress in learning the device so I can here:
No word processor so you have to write anything in an e-mail, which I haven't tried yet, and I seem to be having problems with getting songs into the right file but I may have the cure for that, I just have to remember to try it.
And I haven't figured out the bookmarks yet but I am slowly reading the how to book.
Oh and I accidently bought a book the other day while trying to find the one by KayTi (I forgot what name it was under) but it cost $1.99 so I won't complain too much about that.
Oh and for this book it took like thirty second or less to download. The other two books I've done took a bit longer... I wondered if something went wrong but it's all there.
I'm still having problems getting the music to keep playing. It's suppose to go to the next song but so far hasn't. The song I click on plays fine and the controls work but so far it doesn't go to the next one. A Music video played fine also. Picture and sound were good quality.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited July 10, 2011).]
No, no, no.
He's story isn't about Ms Pacman even though it looked that way on the header.
I can get a Ms Pacman app for my Nook.
And if I take my Nook to the store I can get various articles from writers--including a couple that talk about writing and book tours etc..
I can even read a book for one hour for free.
And supposedly get some deals on books and treats.
Okay, figured out what I was doing wrong with the music.... duh.
I was at work this morning and it just came to me... had to wait all day and then some to try it. I believe it worked.
But I also tried Pandroia radio or how ever you spell it but I accidently clicked-- poked-- the wrong singer and now I can't figure out how to get them off of my stations.
Not as easy to type though.
Bought a book this weekend. Hmm if the other is an e-book should we call the original a P-book?
Somehow I don't think so.
I was going to buy a certain e-book that is only out in hardback but then I saw the price. It's significantly cheaper- somewhere between eight and twelve dollars cheaper- than the hardback but still more than I want to spend. So I guess I'll be waiting for the paperback after all.
Been looking for another e-book to buy but there's so many SF that it takes time to go through the list. And I assume some are just e-books.
But be careful what you look for. I checked out urban fantasy and got not only UF but erotic books with black characters. Wasn't looking for porn or erotic of any nationalities
But in an ad for Ipad two it looked like when you moved to the next page the page flipped. That is it was made to look like the page moved.
Edited to add: I looked it up, and it's one of her mysteries. Nook owners on Hatrack, this is one you really should consider downloading.
[This message has been edited by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (edited August 05, 2011).]
And if I understand it correctly you have to be there on Friday nights to download what they offer. And I forget if I said it here but they also offer articles from writers. A couple deal with the business of writing.
Hey, the Kindle is on Fire.
Well, I guess that's why they call it Kindle Fire.
From the half an article I read it should be compared to the Color Nook. By the description Kindle finally has a Color version and it does pretty much the same as the Nook. A picture of the screen showed something I'm not sure if the Color Nook is programed to do but it could. And the colors might be a might sharper. It is cheaper and the screen takes up the whole front from what I could tell from the pics.
And from what little I read about it I don't think the Fire makes the Color Nook obsolete. It seems to do about the same stuff as the Nook.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited October 02, 2011).]
Okay finally bought a cover for my Nook. Nice one for writing inspiration.
http://tinyurl.com/mynookcover
Got for free since I used a gift card I got from my bank. Took me three trips to B&N to remember it but I did today.
And Nook now has an app for kids to write. Nice idea but they need one for older kids... way older.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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quote:I have a few at SMs, and a nice free one, so you don't need to spend anything:)
Originally posted by LDWriter2:
Any suggestion for smashwords? I believe a couple of us have stories or at least books up there. Right now stories or a shorter book would be better. But even any not from here that you think are good would be okay to suggest.
[/QB]
I still need to save up for the rest of it, though.