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E-Reader advice

Discussion in 'Tilted Gear' started by CoffeeBee, Aug 15, 2011.

Page 4 of 8
  1. Zweiblumen

    Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Iceland
    But it will be limited to Amazon appstore ? I read somewhere that everything Google related (ie. Android Market ) will be removed from this custom Android.
    I would be bit skeptical about buying such restricted device.
     
    Zweiblumen, Sep 28, 2011
    #61
  2. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Amazon has been working like mad with all the major app developers to get their appstore's selection increased. Considering the way they've been aggressive about adding content for everything else (ebooks, streaming video, music, etc.) I expect them to do the same here.
     
    Borla, Sep 28, 2011
    #62
  3. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Of course they're going to be aggressive. It represents the largest growth in their business, I imagine.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Sep 28, 2011
    #63
  4. Arc101

    Arc101 New Member

    Will look at the new Amazon thing soon, I want something that is good to read books, and play games. I'm sure at some point one will be able to do all this, and have a camera and be able to make phone calls. Yes I am greedy and I want one thing to be able to do everything, I hate carrying around lots of gadgets as I take to brake / lose them. I read so many books, that I really need to see how good the e-readers are.
     
    Arc101, Sep 28, 2011
    #64
  5. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    At the price points they are at now, along with the huge infrastructure (and absolutely phenomenal customer service!!!!) Amazon puts behind them, they just became an incredible buy. I highly recommend them to anyone who will listen, as I got my first Kindle almost 2 years ago and love it. But for $79? Wow. And even if you want no ads and a touch screen you are till talking about spending under $150.
     
    Borla, Sep 28, 2011
    #65
  6. Carbonic

    Carbonic Getting Tilted

    No question about it after today's announcement: Get a Kindle. Personally, I'd go with the Kindle Touch or Kindle Touch 3G. Easy interface plus fantastic battery life.
     
    Carbonic, Sep 28, 2011
    #66
  7. Random McRandom

    Random McRandom Starry Eyed

    yup..

    still like my Nook Color.
     
    Random McRandom, Sep 29, 2011
    #67
  8. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Until Amazon somehow work out a way to do library lending in Canada, the Kobo Touch is still the better choice. As of now, it's only the Kindle that can't do library lending.

    Amazon is hardwired into their propriety format and so they don't do the existing library ebook formats (e.g. through Overdrive).

    I'm not sure how they're doing it in the States. My guess is that they are getting the libraries to use their format. Anyone know?
     
    Baraka_Guru, Sep 29, 2011
    #68
  9. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Could be coming. They just announce a massive library lending program for the US.
     
    Borla, Sep 29, 2011
    #69
  10. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yeah, sorry, see my edited bit above if you didn't read it.

    I'm wondering if they get libraries to use their own system or if they get their format to be compatible with existing systems like Overdrive. The Overdrive system allows multiple formats from multiple sources (except Amazon's, of course).

    EDIT: Okay, never mind. I'm sure it's coming.... :) http://overdrive.com/news/OverDrive-and-Amazon-launch-Kindle-compatibility-with-Library-eBooks
     
    Baraka_Guru, Sep 29, 2011
    #70
  11. Redlemon

    Redlemon Getting Tilted

    Location:
    New England
    So, how does an epub book translated through something like Calibre come out? Do they transfer cleanly, or are there conversion issues? Also, does the Kindle "call home" to identify books that weren't purchased through them?

    Daring Fireball has very good analysis today of just where the new Kindles land in the competition. The whole thing is worth a read, but here's an excerpt:
     
    Redlemon, Sep 29, 2011
    #71
  12. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I got a very good indication from a good friend of mine regarding the likelihood of success for Amazon and its Kindle Fire. He's a poli-sci academic who reads voraciously: books, magazines, newspapers. He's been using a non-touch Kindle for a while now and has a number of subscriptions and buys books all the time. He loves it.

    He texted me yesterday when he heard about the Kindle Fire. He was all excited about what he considered "the perfect device" for people like him: voracious readers of digital media.

    He sees the Kindle Fire as an incredible device for digital consumption. It's not a laptop replacement. It's a tablet device for consuming content, pure and simple. And priced at less than half of an entry-level iPad, it's poised to be attractive to many.

    He realizes that much of the recent content delivery at Amazon is still unavailable in Canada, but in terms of what is available currently, he's completely sold on the new device and sees Apple products as irrelevant for his uses.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Sep 29, 2011
    #72
    • Like Like x 1
  13. Zweiblumen

    Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Iceland
    From Sony.co.uk : "You are also able to borrow eBooks from your local public library." I'm not sure what readers are supported in addition to Sony's Reader and the list of public libraries is still rather short.
     
    Zweiblumen, Sep 29, 2011
    #73
  14. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    I can't tell conversion from my kindle to Sony to iPad from epub to mobi. You can always tell pdf conversions.
     
    cynthetiq, Sep 29, 2011
    #74
  15. Hektore

    Hektore Slightly Tilted

    I checked out a book from the library on my kindle through overdrive just yesterday. Once you 'check out' the book through your library/overdrive site you're directed to the book's amazon page where you'll have the option to have it delivered to your kindle through their management site. I had mine delivered wirelessly (not 3g, but over my network, whispernet or whatever they call it) and it worked just fine. I don't know how the expiration works yet, so we'll see when it comes up, but yes it does use the kindle format.
     
    Hektore, Sep 29, 2011
    #75
  16. ALISTAIR

    Alistair Eurotrash

    Location:
    Reading, UK
    I had a Kindle, but once I set up the Kindle app on my smartphone, I found I preferred using that (smaller, easier to use on public transport, one less thing to carry, etc.).
     
    Alistair, Sep 29, 2011
    #76
  17. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    I absolutely agree.
     
    Borla, Sep 29, 2011
    #77
  18. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Reading books on my Droid 3 is quite nice, and the selection of free books is good.
     
    snowy, Oct 3, 2011
    #78
  19. telekinetic

    telekinetic Vertical

    Still no epub support? pass.
     
    telekinetic, Oct 4, 2011
    #79
  20. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    If you use calibre you can have epub on a Kindle. It's incredibly simple.
     
    Borla, Oct 4, 2011
    #80
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