Dec 18 2008
Stanza and Harlequin Offer 4 Free Minis for the iPhone
Stanza and Harlequin have made 4 free ebook minis for the iPhone reader. One of the minis if from Jayne’s favorite authors, Julie Kenner. You can access the freebies via the “Online Catalog” section of the Stanza program.
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Dec 18, 2008 @ 18:30:33
Just in time, as my DH is having surgery tomorrow.
Thanks for the heads-up once again!
Dec 18, 2008 @ 19:59:54
Groovy! Thanks Jane!
Dec 18, 2008 @ 21:31:13
Woo hoo, thanks for letting us know!
Dec 18, 2008 @ 22:57:01
I’ve put them in my cart, but it says I owe money…. Do I need a code?
Dec 18, 2008 @ 22:58:15
Oh, and I should say I’m trying to use the touch… but I think that is supposed to be valid?
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:03:47
@Beau: You shouldn’t be using the stanza.fictionwise.com store. If you open up stanza and go to “online catalog” there will be a “Free Harlequin Love Stories” choice. Tap that and four books will show up. Tap each book and press the download button in the upper right hand side.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:05:08
Da’oh!
OK, color me embarrassed….
Thanks!
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:06:11
@Beau: No problem!
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:15:39
I have another question if you don’t mind. I’m just staring to use the touch, and I like it. This will be the first downloads I’ve done, directly from a site rather then porting through wifi. What’s my back up/access/sharing ability of this or any other book I purchase this way? (with another device, not person)
Hope that made sense. Are these pdbs? I’ve been reading ebooks for a long time and feel like I shouldn’t find this so confusing, yet strangely, I do.
Thanks
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:26:54
@Beau: Please feel free to ask as many questions as you have. Some other reader might be able to help you if I can’t. Currently the only way to back up your “stanza” books is through using the iTunes backup system. You cannot backup your books separately (unfortunately) and therefore you can’t transfer these free downloads from one device to another.
Any book you purchase, say through the Stanza.fictionwise.com store would be accessible through the web at “http://stanza.fictionwise.com”. These books would be PDB (or proprietary eReader).
Not all the books are PDBs. Instead, many of the Stanza books are called “epub” format.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:35:08
Thanks for your patience. I’ve been playing with the epub format since it is supposed to work on both the ipod and the Sony (505 and newer anyways). I currently have a 500 and was considering an upgrade. Epub seemed an interesting option if I could port it across a number of devices without reformatting. Since they were specifically saying the files could not be read on the Sony or Kindle, I was confused. I have to say, I’m not a fan of pdb.
Thanks again for your help, and BTW this blog is awesome. I visit daily even if I don’t post.
Dec 18, 2008 @ 23:44:12
@Beau: You are super kind to say so.
As for epub, you can read epub on the Sony but only the versions 505 and 700 and the iTouch. There is a program out there called Calibre and it converts epub to LRF which you can read on your Sony. (but again, I think it is compatible with 505. Am not quite sure on that).
With iTouch, though, you would need to use Stanza desktop to get the book onto the iTouch. Have you tried that yet?
PDB works only on the iTouch and computers but no dedicated devices as far as I know. I would love if Sony would add eReader to its platform.
Dec 19, 2008 @ 00:03:45
Yes, I have used the stanza desktop to port onto the touch. It’s a bit fiddly between addressing issues on the network and the anti virus software, but stanza itself works well. The only real issue I have with it is that I can only port story by story as each has to be open in the program.
The significant changes between the 500 and the 505 are why I’m considering the upgrade. I finally got an employee at Borders to open up a 700 to I could see for myself whether or not the screen was significantly compromised. The software seems very intuitive and slick but there is less contrast when looking at the screen. I’m now considering how I would use it, and which I would want.
You can never have too many book readers, right?
Dec 29, 2008 @ 15:28:48
I got an iPod Touch for Christmas and used the 4 free Minis through Stanza to test drive its e-reading potential.
I’m now horribly sad I’ve accumulated quite a TBR pile of .prc books because the Touch has it ALL over the Palm TX for reading. (Actually, the onscreen keyboard on the Touch is so much nicer I’m already using its calendar and note functions, so the Palm would be gone already if not for all those damn Mobipocket books.)
Jan 26, 2009 @ 19:17:15
The ereader app is also great for iphone/ipod touch. It is the same format – the secure ereader format and I download from the regular fictionwise sight. That is until eharl offers it themselves. When I put regular pdfs I already own that are not drm protected on stanza to read, it destroys the formatting. I have stanza on my ipod. It’s probably too late to get the free books. I’l have to check it out!
Dec 29, 2009 @ 08:18:24
you can convert .prc books to .epub (supported by ipod touch) using online tool http://www.2epub.com