Nov 20 2011
Yes, You Can Read ePubs on the Kindle Fire
While Amazon Kindle Fire runs a forked Android system and is designed so that readers only install what is in its Amazon App Store, you can easily sideload nearly any Android App. The neat thing is that Amazon treats these sideloaded apps just like an app you purchased from the Amazon App Store. It shows(…)
Nov 20 2011
Comparison Review of the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire
I haven’t used either devices very long. I picked up the Nook Tablet on Tuesday and the Kindle Fire on Wednesday. After using both for this short time, I long for a 7″ iPad but the iPads are twice as expensive as the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire and to compare the 7″ models to(…)
Nov 13 2011
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.(…)
Nov 6 2011
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(…)
Nov 4 2011
Nook Tablet v. Nook Color v. Kobo Vox v. Kindle Fire Comparison
Updated on November 7, 2011, to reflect the release of the Nook Talbet. Price decreases of the other nooks include: Nook Touch $99 Nook Color $199 Kindle Fire Kobo Vox Nook Color Nook Tablet Screen 7″ multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16(…)
Oct 30 2011
Using Kindle Collections Plugin for Calibre
Introduction Organizing your books on the Kindle device is one of the greatest struggles (and one of the greatest flaws) of the Kindle devices. I admit to not being encouraged by Kindle Fire screenshots that user organization will be improved with the new devices. This screenshot, for example, shows only the standard sorting features. About(…)
Oct 23 2011
eBook Reader Help Desk Day
Today I am hosting an ebook reader help desk day. Throughout the day, I’ll answer, to the best of my ability, any digital book related question whether it involves setting up the cloud, converting ebooks, working with Calibre, and the like. Ask anything. If I can’t answer it, I’ll try to point you in the(…)
Oct 19 2011
Kobo Vox, Android Tablet Designed for Reading
I’ve ordered this and it looks like I will be able to receive and review it before I get the Kindle Fire. The feature set of the $199 Kobo Vox is really good: It has full open access to Android 2.3 and the Android Marketplace rather than the Amazon forked access. This means you could,(…)
Oct 16 2011
Managing Personal Documents on the Kindle
Kindle’s Personal Documents Service (PDS hereinafter) is Amazon’s version of sideloading. Using their servers, Amazon would accept documents mailed to a kindle.com address and convert them into a format readable by Kindle devices. According to the help page, PDS is not available for Canadian users. I have no idea why. I am sorry Canada! In(…)
Oct 16 2011
Catalog Support for IOS5 for the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad
For those who are upgrading to iOS5 or getting the new iPhone 4S, you may have noticed that Stanza is dead. The app crashes and is completely unuseable. But do not worry, folks, because there are three fairly decent alternatives. 1. eBook Search. Free but ad supported. $.99 to remove ads. This app is merely(…)
Oct 16 2011
Aspen Mountain Press Owner Accused of Using Royalties For Personal Use
This story broke late last week. Unfortunately, there have been low level rumors about Aspen Mountain Press for a few months but no concrete details. One of the principals broke her silence and admitted that AMP is a mess. What we discovered when we took over was a nightmare: Hundreds of emails in all the(…)
Oct 9 2011
REVIEW: Sony Reader PRS-T1BC WiFi Touch Edition
The Sony Reader WiFi Touch Edition (Model PRS-T1BC) has a different look and feel than past Sony Readers. In the past, the Sony devices have had all metal chassis. This made the device a little heavier but solid in feel. Because of the price point and the metal chassis, it was easy to label the(…)
Oct 2 2011
Authorial Stickiness and Self Publishing
I’ve been buying and reading a number of self published books of late, primarily because of the price point of $.99. I find that the $.99 price point overcomes a lot of reservations I might have about a book. One thing I did notice, as I was going through my purchases, is that I don’t(…)
Sep 28 2011
New Kindles: Basic Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Kindle Fire
Amazon held its press conference today to launch a new line of Kindles. Kindle Touch 3G $189/$149 The $149 is with special offers that appear as screensavers. Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees. Learn more Download books anywhere, no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots 3G wireless works globally Most-advanced E Ink display,(…)
Sep 25 2011
The Bloated eBook File
In the past, I’ve advocated for various things to be included in the ebook file, mostly in an effort to convince publishers that digital format was something that readers actually did want. (yes, dear readers, we had to fight for books to be digitized in the not so distant past). Some publishers (and self published(…)
Sep 18 2011
The No Name Tablets and Customer Confidence
Why buy a Nook Color at $249 or a Kindle Tablet at $250 when you could buy a Lenovo IdeaPad running Android for $199? Lenovo has announced that it will sell at an Android tablet for $199. It has a 7″, 1024×600, capacitive touchscreen and runs on a single-core processor. There is 8 GB of(…)
Sep 11 2011
Kindle Collections Expands to Desktop Software
So two weeks ago, I was complaining about things I felt the Kindle software could do but isn’t doing. No. 2 was synchronized collections. Today I opened up Kindle 4 Mac and it updated to version 1.7 and with version 1.7 was a new look to the home screen. More importantly, there was a new(…)
Sep 11 2011
A Publishing Seal of Approval, a step toward standarization
A couple of days ago, I received an email with a press release announcing a joint venture of sorts to bring a Publishing Seal of Approval to digital books. The seal will be called QED and it is owned by Digital Book World, a division of F&W Media. Barnes & Noble, Sony, and Kobo(…)
Sep 4 2011
How Agency Pricing Helped Barnes and Noble Gain a Foothold in eBooks
On June 21, 2011, BN happily announced $7 billion in sales due, in part, to a 50% increase in sales at BN.com. The WSJ’s lead in the July 20, 2011, article is “Meet Barnes & Noble Inc., software company.” The original nook was announced in October 2009 and released in November of 2009. At that time, it(…)
Aug 28 2011
Amazon’s Read Anywhere Is a Sad and Unfufilled Promise
Amazon is supposedly the leader in ereading technology but from the Kindle devices to the web app to the desktop software, the reading experience is inconsistent and even crude. If not for the one click buy which Amazon had patented in September 1999, Amazon’s apathetic attitude toward the software and user reading experience may have(…)
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