Archive for February, 2009
by Alan Cruz
The new wave of portable ebook readers allows people on the move to take their favorite books and magazines along with them. Digital format certainly weighs less than an equivalent stack of books. In addition, the convenience of being able to gain access to the latest best seller or desired reading while on the move is undisputed. Amazon’s Kindle design and Sony make the most popular portable Ebook readers at present.
Advantages of Ebook Readers
The typical portable ebook reader will hold as many as 200 books, so you can carry almost all of your home library along with you in convenient form. The portable ebook reader often ways only a few ounces, so it is easy to tuck into a purse or suitcase. The titles that are available on the New York Times Best Sellers’s list can be purchased as an ebook so that you always know the latest best read. Because you don’t have to be connected to a computer in order to take advantage of the reader, you can read whenever you have a few minutes to spare. When you find a book you want to read, you simply download the book in digital format. It only requires a minute or so and you can be reading your favorite classic.
Using the Portable Ebook Reader
The convenience of the lightweight portable ebook reader has already been described. There are other features of the typical reader that make it a ‘must buy’ for anyone who loves to read. For example, the size of the font can be adjusted so that persons with vision limitations can still take advantage of the convenience of the ebook reader. Once the optimum size has been determined, the font can be selected as the default size. Ease of use is another reason to make use of a portable ebook reader.
The new wave of portable ebook readers allows people on the move to take their favorite books and magazines along with them.Portable Ebook Readers
Kindle 2 is launched by Amazon
Amazon have launched the Kindle 2w ebook reader. With a sleek and thin design that makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperback, the new Kindle has seven times more storage and now holds over 1,500 books. It has a longer battery life and faster page turns. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clearer text for an improved book-like reading experience. And Kindle 2 even reads to you, with “Read to Me”, Text to Speech feature.
With Kindle 2 Amazon have kept everything that readers loved about the original Kindle—the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting a book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindle’s ability to “disappear” in your hands so you can get lost in the author’s words. The Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks available for the new ebook reader.
It is currently available for pre order at $359 and Amazon expect to start shipping out orders later this month. To order go to Amazon Kindle 2 Order Page
New Features & Enhancements
Slim & Lightweight: Just over 1/3 inch and 10.2 ounces
Books in under 60 seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for crisp images and text; even reads well in bright sunlight
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books
Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
Read-to-Me: Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud.
No Wireless Bills: No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a monthly wireless bill.
Large Selection: Over 230,000 books, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines and blogs available
Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise
For more details or to order Amazon Kindle 2 Information Page
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By E. Hunt
The Amazon Kindle is a neat little gadget that was recently
released, and has been garnering a lot of attention from
bibliophiles and gadget addicts all around the world. While
there are some obvious reasons for why the Amazon Kindle is a
neat little toy, there are a myriad of other factors that make
the Kindle well worth the purchase that most people have not
actively addressed. Are you thinking about buying the Kindle
wireless reader for yourself, or someone else in your life? If
you are not yet sure whether or not the Kindle will make an
excellent gift for yourself or someone else, keep reading.
1. The Kindle may seem like an expensive gift for yourself, but
in the long run you are actually going to observe significant
savings by using it because downloading books in electronic
format for the Kindle is much more cost effective than
purchasing paperback editions.
2. Rather than driving all the way to a bookstore or library to
get the book you want, or waiting for a week for it to be
delivered, you can download eBooks from Amazon in less than a
minute after purchasing them.
3. Purchasing and using a Kindle for your reading is a lot more
eco-friendly than purchasing paper books, which means by using a
Kindle you are helping the environment while getting your
reading fix.
4. The Kindle is excellent if you travel a lot, take public
transportation, or otherwise have a lot of downtime to spend
reading. Rather than carry around a number of heavy books,
fussing with newspapers, or looking desperately for worthwhile
reading material, you can simply bring your Kindle along for the
ride.
5. The Amazon Kindle doesn’t only deliver books, but it also
delivers news so your Kindle can help you keep in touch.
6. The Kindle wireless reader does not require fees to allow
you to browse the internet.
7. The rechargeable battery that the Kindle comes equipped with
can last you for several days, and you can still continue to use
the Kindle even while it is in charging mode.
8. The Kindle also allows you to move plain text files and mp3
files onto your device so that you can listen to music while you
are reading on it.
9. The Amazon Kindle wireless reader is light weight and
extremely user friendly and easy to navigate. It works using
page turning from right to left, rather than forcing you to
scroll up and down.
10. If you know someone who claims to have everything, the
Kindle is an excellent gift. And if they already have one, you
can always purchase some electronic reading material for them.
The price on the Amazon Kindle may be a little steep, but if
you are an avid reader or simply need a portable device to pass
the time on public transportation or between classes, the Kindle
is definitely well worth the investment. It is a great little
gadget that can come with you everywhere, so no matter where you
are at, you always have excellent reading material at your
fingertips.
About the Author: Emily Hunt (co-owner) Electronic wireless
readers and accessories http://www.wirelessreadershop.com
Can I transfer a document like a book from one Kindle to another?
I was wondering if this is a limitation of Kindle…
If you buy a Kindle book from Amazon, you cannot transfer it to another Kindle. It is a limitation of the Kindle.
I am interested in buying one, but would like to know, if I would have to buy books from specific sites, or can I simply transfer ebooks from my computers hard drive onto the device to read it like a book.
-Thanks.
I own a Sony PRS-505 and am absolutely in love with it. Before, you had to use the proprietary Sony Ebook store, which only US residents could use, so that was a problem for me since I am located in Australia, but there's recently been a firmware update which makes it possible to buy secure Adobe and EPub files from other ebook sites.
Also, if the files that you have in your computer are .txt and .rtf or .pdf you can just load them to the reader with no prob. You just can't read mobipocket, Microsoft reader files and other proprietary files like that.
Check out http://mobileread.com
The Sony Reader forum is very active and has lots of great tips for use!
Hi,
I am looking into getting a portable reading device and I am having a difficult time deciding if it is worth buying Amazon's SOLD OUT Kindle or just going for a couple hundred dollar cheaper Sony 505 model.
The Sony I am looking at seems to be comparable in quality to the Kindle. The only MAIN issue I have with the Sony is that I'm worried about where you can buy the books. Since unlike the Kindles you cannot just buy them on Amazon.com as far as I know.
So do you know where to buy the eBooks for the Sony?
So my main question is, is it worth it to buy a Kindle for about $400 or should I go with the Sony 505?
I will add links to the two as well…
Here is the Sony 505 I am interested in:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665480092
Here is the Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/ref=amb_link_6369712_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=16HGKN2ZTHAFPYPAG2SK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=468030771&pf_rd_i=507846
Oh and I would not be able to wait the 4-6 weeks to buy it from Amazon so I am stuck buying it from somewhere else for more expensive which is why the price of the Kindle would be around $400.
If you have any other eBook readers you like or have used you can suggest them as well.
Thank you in advance!
ADD:
I am re-posting this in Books & Authors since I didn't get any responses in Consumer Electronics. Sorry if it's the wrong category.
Hi, I have the reader you want now and I love it.l I too saw the Kindle on Oprah and wanted one. I never even heard of readers and was going to get one later but I guess my daughter heard me and told my husband and he got me the Sony because we always shop Sony.
The big thing that the Kindle pushes is its wireless technology so you can order your books from anywhere wirelessly at any time. Well the Sony works just like I tunes. You install the program once in minutes. You click on the icon on your desktop, the program opens, then from there you click on the ebookstore and u search by category, author, price, etc. Then you just add to your cart, then checkout, then put in your credit card/debit card/gift card info (it saves this for the next time you shop) and you push download. I downloaded 10 books in 2 minnutes. You just hook the USB to the reader and your computer and you just go to your library in the program and drag the books you bought to the reader. It holds 160 books and there is a memory slot to hold so many more. So if I have 300 books on there I highly doubt I am going to run out during vacation and it would be pretty rare I need a book in an emergency so I dont think I need the wi fi function of the Kindle.
The sony reader comes with a great case and it is very thin. It comes with 100 free classic books. You is also an MP3, great for the gym. The battery lasts 7500 pages and you can charge it by simply connecting the usb to it and your computer. You dont have to go on any program it just charges like that. So when I am surfing the net I will hook it up and not even notice it is charging but you dont have to do that often. It does not come with a book light but most readers wont because they drain the battery. I bought a cheap one for 4 bucks for in the care. It is really easy on the eyes. You bookmark your pages so when you turn it on it saves your place. The directions are downloaded right onto it. It also supports other formatis like PDF.
Also, please note that there are many ebook sites to buy books from, not just sony just make sure they support the format for the reader. Note, look up legal site because there are streamling sites where people share the books they got but this illegal copyright just like stealing songs. I like going on the computer to buy my books anyway because I can look at the whole screen to see what I am doing and read about the books. They have lots of sales at the sony book store and publishes give away free books every once in a while to introduce you to their books and they sell book bundles and many really cheap books. I have read reviews where people say the screen turns black as you turn pages but it is like for a split second, I mean by the time you push the button to turn the page it is done so you dont even notice it it is so fast. There are 3 sizes of font too.
I love mine and it is 150 less than kindle.
I got the silver one as a gift but I love the red one better!
when i select some words from it and press right click by the mpuse i can't find the copy option,,, and when i press ctrl+c to copy the word and go to any text , i can't find paste option, you may say that there is a problim in adobe reader but i haven't so please if any one can help me
A PDF is virtual paper. it is not an "image" persay, but it acts just like one. you cannot copy words from a PDF for that very reason. just like you cannot copy text from an image. to copy the text, you need to convert the PDF into a different format. try looking at www.omniformat.com
I mean ALOT!!
THEY HAVE TO BE 100% FREE!!
not all are ebooks, some are podcasts.
http://www.chuggnutt.com/ebooks.php
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://creativecommons.org/text/
http://cosl.usu.edu/openup/
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/
http://www.davidbdean.com/2006/07/27/5-excellent-places-to-find-drm-free-science-fiction/
http://podfeed.net/tags/ebooks
http://www.babblebooks.com/shopping/shoppodcasts.asp
beatles!: http://www.revolverbook.co.uk/
maybe: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Books
http://winksite.com/site/help_bl_view.cfm?blog_id=4065
http://literalsystems.org/abooks/index.php
I would like one that has a built in dictionary and about the size of a hardback book.
You are better off with a low end Pocket PC device like Casio or Acer or Palm based PDA as almost all eBook readers (Franklin,PDAMan etc) have seemed to failed.
PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book (Black) 6 Touchscreen Display E Ink Technology LED Reading Light 7500 Pages Per Charge USB 2.0 Interface Digital Book Readers The PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book from Sony is an ultra-portable e-Book reader perfectly suited for travelers commuters and bookworms. The Reader can store approximately 350 books in its internal memory; storage capacity can be expanded via SD and Memory Stick Duo memory cards.The Reader\’s 6 touchscreen display is designed with text in mind. It can display 8 levels of gray scale at an impressive 170ppi resolution. This makes reading prose on the display as comfortable to the human eye as traditional paper media.The included software for Windows allows you to convert PDF Microsoft Word and BBeB documents for use with the reader. In addition to electronic books the Reader can also play music in MP3 and AAC format. Portable Entertainment General Equipment & Gear Digital Book Readers PRS700BC Reader Digital Book (Black) P R S-700 B C Reader Digital Book (Black) PRS-700BCReader Digital Book (Black) PRS-700BC ReaderDigital Book (Black) PRS-700BC PORTABLE READING SYSTEM(BLK) Sony Sony P R S-700 B C PRS-700 BC PRS700BC PRS700BC PRS-700BC PRS700BC027242746466 P R S700 B C Reader Digital Book (Black) 6 Touchscreen Display E Ink Technology L E D Reading Light 7500 Pages Per Charge U S B 2.0 Interface sonny Sony PRS-700BC Sony Reader Sony Digital Sony Book Sony (Black) PRS-700BC PORTABLE READING SYSTEM(BLK)