About Brian

http://dearauthor.com/author/brian/

Brian is an avid reader who loves books of all kinds. He's been known to try just about anything once, but is partial to SciFi, Fantasy, Mystery and Romance. His favorite authors include Jane Austen, Ray Bradbury, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Kleypas, Michelle Sagara West, JD Robb, David Weber, Julie Miller, Lynne Connolly and Lynsay Sands.

Posts by Brian :

Review: Kobo Aura HD

Review: Kobo Aura HD

A couple of weeks ago Kobo announced a new reading device, the Aura HD. The Aura brings something new to the table when it comes to eInk readers, a little bit larger screen with a higher resolution than ever before. While the most common size for eInk readers has for years been the 6 inch(…)

Must Have Apps for your Android Device

Must Have Apps for your Android Device

Here is a brief list of some apps I have found to be among my “must haves” for the Android platform. I look forward to hearing what others find some of their “must haves”.   Reading apps Even though it’s not the best reading app available I find the Kindle app to be just OK(…)

Review: A look at the new Nook HD+ 9″ tablet

Review: A look at the new Nook HD+ 9″ tablet

With the iPad, iPad Mini, Nexus 7 & 10, Kindle Fire HD 7 & 8.9, Nook Tablet and dozens of more generic Android tablets in the market place things are getting very crowded with good tablets. On September 26th Barnes & Noble crowded it further by announcing the 7″ Nook HD and 9″ Nook HD+(…)

Google Nexus 7 Review

Google Nexus 7 Review

A few weeks ago Google released their first entry into the increasingly crowded Android tablet arena, the Nexus 7.  The 7-inch Nexus 7 competes with the likes of the Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, Galaxy Tab 2 and others, as well as older spec’d devices like the Kobo Vox and Nook Color.  Google’s Nexus line are(…)

Using Belvedere to auto add purchases to Calibre

Using Belvedere to auto add purchases to Calibre

This is a follow on to Jane’s post on automating the adding of books to Calibre in Mac OS, but this time for Windows users. There is a neat little program called Belvedere from Lifehacker which is kind of a knock off of the Hazel program Jane mentioned for Mac’s. Belvedere is an automated file manager that(…)

Must have Android Apps (non-reading)

Must have Android Apps (non-reading)

With over 400,000 apps in the Android Market it can be tough finding the right apps for your device. For reading books I find myself primarily using Kindle for Android and Mantano, but what about apps for other things? Below are a few non-reading apps that I’ve found I use all the time on either(…)

A catalog of Android reading apps

A catalog of Android reading apps

Everyday more and more folks are getting Android based phones and tablets. For readers these devices can be a great way to read both on the go and in a more relaxed setting. The problem comes when looking for reading apps. There are so many out there and searching the Android Market often dosn’t give(…)

Review: Kindle Touch

Review: Kindle Touch

When Amazon first announced the Kindle Touch line of readers I was pretty indifferent about it.  I mean they looked nice, but I was perfectly happy with my Kindle 3 (now the Kindle Keyboard) and my older eInk devices (Kindle 2, Cybook Opus & Sony PRS-505) and saw no real need for anything else.  So I(…)

Review: Kobo Vox

Review: Kobo Vox

A few weeks ago Kobo launched their $199 Android tablet for readers, the Vox.  The launch has gotten off to a shaky start with shipping delays and folks experiencing some glitches with charging and waking it from sleep mode.  Despite that Kobo has put out a nice device that many readers are sure to enjoy.(…)

How to install apps on an Android device with no access to the Android Market

How to install apps on an Android device with no access to the Android Market

There are tons of great Android devices out there now, with more on the way. While many of these devices have the official Android Market on them from Google, quite a few (such as the new Kobo Vox) do not since they don’t meet Google’s Compatibility Requirements.  So what’s an owner of one of these(…)

Review: The Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Since its release on April 26th of this year the Asus Transformer has been one of the most popular Android tablets on the market.  It’s price ($399 for the 16GB version) combined with a very nice IPS screen and a fairly unique keyboard dock have ensured that this tablet sells out almost as soon as(…)

Nook Color: Tips, Tricks and Hints

Below are some of the questions I’m commonly asked by users about the Nook Color along with their answers.   How do I take a screenshot? Hold down the n (Home) button and then hold the volume down button for a very short time.  A little camera icon will appear in the bottom status bar(…)

Nook Color: The 1.2 Update

On Monday Barnes & Noble released a much anticipated update for the Nook Color.  This adds some more tablet like features to the “Readers Tablet” and I’m sure will be well received by many. So what does this update add? The NOOK Color Ver1.2.0 update contains new features and enhancements, including: Access to shop a(…)

Amazon’s new Android Appstore and Cloud Drive

On March 22nd Amazon launched their much speculated about Android Appstore.   This presents an interesting addition to the Android ecosphere, an app store that has the potential to outshine the official Android Market provided by Google.   All in all Amazon's Appstore isn't really too different from the Android Market.   At this point it's basically the(…)

Reading with Android: Sony

Sony has at long last followed Amazon, B&N, Borders and Kobo and released a reading app for the Android platform.   Was it worth the wait?   Upon opening the app you are presented with the >>˜Home’ screen.   At the top of the screen you’ll see your most recently opened book.   Below that is >>˜Books’ which(…)