- Since the Nook is running Android, is it possible to use Android-based eReader apps as well?
- Does anyone here know much about XMDF files? It's the format widely used in Japan for eBooks. Initial Googling didn't turn up much beyond that.
Interesting that they use it for ebooks. I know a very tiny bit about it, it's xml based like epub or bbeb, so it might work with the Sony Reader and Nook. Sorry, don't know much more than that.
Yeah, it has something to do with support for the furigana (readings for the Chinese characters) and manga support, if memory serves. Seems like nothing outside of Japan supports it, though
Hooray, it's awesome. Already hacked it for custom screensavers and set up my Instapaper account with it.
Now, I see there's a service called kindlereeder that'll wrap up your feeds and you have some options for sending it to your Kindle.
I can send it to my normal Gmail address and from there I can forward it to my @free.kindle.com address, but I can't create a filter to auto-forward it (since you have to verify a forwarding address in Gmail)
So: Update on the Kindle Case Conundrum. I think I've fixed my case.
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
So: Update on the Kindle Case Conundrum. I think I've fixed my case.
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
My girlfriend bought me a Kindle 3 and the Amazon non-lit case for Christmas. So far, I've had no problems, but then again, I've only been using it for two days.
Can I do the nail polish trick without any threat of damaging the Kindle?
So: Update on the Kindle Case Conundrum. I think I've fixed my case.
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
My girlfriend bought me a Kindle 3 and the Amazon non-lit case for Christmas. So far, I've had no problems, but then again, I've only been using it for two days.
Can I do the nail polish trick without any threat of damaging the Kindle?
the kindle 3 sends power through the hook slots to power the light on the lighted case, but when they made the un-lighted case they used brass for the hooks and used a single peice for both hooks, so if the paint on them wears off a bit it causes a short and makes the kindle crash, so anything you can put on those hooks to make them no longer electricaly conductive will work. nail polish sounds like an ok idea thoguh I could see it wearing off fairly quickly.
as for damage, the only thing I could think of happening is a buildup of nailpolish in the slots.
So: Update on the Kindle Case Conundrum. I think I've fixed my case.
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
My girlfriend bought me a Kindle 3 and the Amazon non-lit case for Christmas. So far, I've had no problems, but then again, I've only been using it for two days.
Can I do the nail polish trick without any threat of damaging the Kindle?
the kindle 3 sends power through the hook slots to power the light on the lighted case, but when they made the un-lighted case they used brass for the hooks and used a single peice for both hooks, so if the paint on them wears off a bit it causes a short and makes the kindle crash, so anything you can put on those hooks to make them no longer electricaly conductive will work. nail polish sounds like an ok idea thoguh I could see it wearing off fairly quickly.
as for damage, the only thing I could think of happening is a buildup of nailpolish in the slots.
I am planning on picking up some sort of eReader in a few weeks. I got to play around with a new Kindle that my Mom got for christmas, and I liked it. I find myself really wanting a device that will work with my library's eBook program. They use the Library2Go service, which relies on the ePub format, and I think Adobe DRM. I looked at a display model of the Sony Reader, and I really like the touch screen. I think the metal casing and lack of wifi will bother me though. The price doesn't really help either.
I am not to impressed with the Nook, but I haven't gotten my hands on one yet. Might try and visit a B&N and give it a test drive.
Anyone else using the Library2Go service? How has it been working, and which reader are you using?
Jollus on
0
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
So: Update on the Kindle Case Conundrum. I think I've fixed my case.
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
My girlfriend bought me a Kindle 3 and the Amazon non-lit case for Christmas. So far, I've had no problems, but then again, I've only been using it for two days.
Can I do the nail polish trick without any threat of damaging the Kindle?
the kindle 3 sends power through the hook slots to power the light on the lighted case, but when they made the un-lighted case they used brass for the hooks and used a single peice for both hooks, so if the paint on them wears off a bit it causes a short and makes the kindle crash, so anything you can put on those hooks to make them no longer electricaly conductive will work. nail polish sounds like an ok idea thoguh I could see it wearing off fairly quickly.
as for damage, the only thing I could think of happening is a buildup of nailpolish in the slots.
I've been using my Nook pretty much straight for the past 2 days. It's a very slow week at work (the calm before the storm that is the first of the year) so I've had a ton of time to read. Having read 3 books on it since Christmas I have to say I'm incredibly glad I bought an eReader. I can now see why it didn't matter which reader I chose - as long as it was an eInk display I would be happy.
The only complaint I have are the books that simply aren't available in any legal manner. I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series and there's not a way to do it that isn't shady.
Lindsay Lohan on
0
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
I've been using my Nook pretty much straight for the past 2 days. It's a very slow week at work (the calm before the storm that is the first of the year) so I've had a ton of time to read. Having read 3 books on it since Christmas I have to say I'm incredibly glad I bought an eReader. I can now see why it didn't matter which reader I chose - as long as it was an eInk display I would be happy.
The only complaint I have are the books that simply aren't available in any legal manner. I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series and there's not a way to do it that isn't shady.
Rowling refuses to have her books printed in any manner that is not a physical paper book. She feels that kids should read it on paper.
But then there are spoken audio versions and major motion pictures...O_o
I've been using my Nook pretty much straight for the past 2 days. It's a very slow week at work (the calm before the storm that is the first of the year) so I've had a ton of time to read. Having read 3 books on it since Christmas I have to say I'm incredibly glad I bought an eReader. I can now see why it didn't matter which reader I chose - as long as it was an eInk display I would be happy.
The only complaint I have are the books that simply aren't available in any legal manner. I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series and there's not a way to do it that isn't shady.
Rowling refuses to have her books printed in any manner that is not a physical paper book. She feels that kids should read it on paper.
But then there are spoken audio versions and major motion pictures...O_o
It'll be awesome when she finally allows electronic copies and it fizzles like the announcement of the Beatles on iTunes because anyone interested lost patience and pirated them years before they were available.
I've been using my Nook pretty much straight for the past 2 days. It's a very slow week at work (the calm before the storm that is the first of the year) so I've had a ton of time to read. Having read 3 books on it since Christmas I have to say I'm incredibly glad I bought an eReader. I can now see why it didn't matter which reader I chose - as long as it was an eInk display I would be happy.
The only complaint I have are the books that simply aren't available in any legal manner. I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series and there's not a way to do it that isn't shady.
Rowling refuses to have her books printed in any manner that is not a physical paper book. She feels that kids should read it on paper.
But then there are spoken audio versions and major motion pictures...O_o
It'll be awesome when she finally allows electronic copies and it fizzles like the announcement of the Beatles on iTunes because anyone interested lost patience and pirated them years before they were available.
The audio versions of the Harry Potter books that are read by Stephen Fry are my favorite versions of those books. But again, if you don't want to be shady, there is no way to really purchase them in the US. They were UK only.
I've started debating getting a Nook/Kobo versus a Kindle.
The thing that concerns me is the long-term viability of Barnes&Noble/Borders. Generally, the financial news for those two companies has been...less than good. So what happens if my e-reader can only buy books exclusively from a company that no longer exists?
From my understanding, the Nook, and the Kobo both support ePub with Adobe DRM, meaning that you can by books for nearly anyone but Amazon. Also the Library systems across the US use ePub formated books in their eBook offerings.
I have been debating the same thing. It is kinda like purchasing an Apple product. Do I buy the item with the best physical design and polish, and get stuck into a silo with only one option to purchase content. Or, go for the device that is open to many purchase options, and sacrifice some of the polish in the software/form factor.
(not to say that only Apple products are well designed, but you get where I am going with this)
I don't know what it was like before but the recent firmware update apparently fixed a lot of the refresh speed issues. From playing around with a kindle, page turns seem to be slightly faster than a Nook but not by a huge amount now.
I've started debating getting a Nook/Kobo versus a Kindle.
The thing that concerns me is the long-term viability of Barnes&Noble/Borders. Generally, the financial news for those two companies has been...less than good. So what happens if my e-reader can only buy books exclusively from a company that no longer exists?
I guarantee you, if Barnes & Noble went belly up, Amazon.com would buy the licensing right to the Nook in a heartbeat. That's basically a million customers instantly brought into the Amazon fold, and they'll be grateful that their ereaders won't become obsolete with the failing of the company.
I remember the reviews for the Nook saying that it was slugish, both on the eInk and LCD displays.
Is that something that has been resolved with firmware updates, or is that still a problem?
I played with one back when it first released, and it was definitely sluggish and unresponsive, but I hear the firmware updates have fixed a lot of the issues. No idea how much though.
Now, while I don't know for sure about the PDF, I assume the Kindle will be able to read the Mobipocket just fine. So I guess for me, at this time, the library is a wash between them.
The Best Buy I work at sells out of Kindles almost constantly. Ask somebody what days their truck comes in (mine is Wednesdays and Saturdays), and what time the stock get put on the floor, and then show up around then. If you don't want to go to that trouble, ask to do what's called an OMS, and they can have one shipped directly from the warehouse to the store for you to pick up. It'll just take a little longer, but you're guaranteed to get one.
Now I just need to find one at Best Buy.* Got there today as the last one (3G, White) was being sold.
*Yes, I know I can get it from Amazon. But I have a $50 gift card at Best Buy.
FYI, I highly doubt that those files available from the library are unprotected .mobi files.
Edit: According to the technical help site that runs the digital libraries (here), the kindle is not supported.
I admit to being an owner of a Nook, but the big decision for me between a Kindle or a Nook came down to whether or not it worked with the digital library.
The Nook is a very solid device. The latest firmware update vastly improved battery life and made page turns very fast. Do not base your purchasing decision on hardware. Base it on where you want to get your books. Seriously, it's the only significant difference.
Ok, poking around a bit more...I don't see any info on the Mobipocket ebooks. The Overdrive site does specifically say that WMA, epub, and pdf are not supported on Kindle. But digging further, the Mobipocket site doesn't seem to mention Kindle at all. I think I'll err on the side of caution and assume Kindle gets nothing, which is probably a safe bet.
So, I can basically get a Nook and buy stuff from Barnes&Noble and Google, along with using the library...
Or I can get a Kindle, and buy stuff from Amazon.
Hmm, something to think about. I could walk into my Best Buy tomorrow and buy a Nook 3G. (Although I'm not sure if I really want to spend the extra $50.)
Uh, PDF is supported on Kindle. It's like the first feature it tells you about when you boot it up for the first time. Saw it for myself when I was helping my mom set up her Kindle3 I got her for Xmas.
Your library has an eBook service? That is awesome.
We actually just got some partnership with Sony. They are providing Sony readers and kiosks at our libraries for patrons to download books from our site in the building. (Right now they have to do it from their laptop or at home) The eReaders can be checked out like books, just with massive late fees.
Why did OPL start actually getting all the contracts they wanted AFTER I stopped working for them? There was extremely limited eBook lending back when I left in 2005.
Uh, PDF is supported on Kindle. It's like the first feature it tells you about when you boot it up for the first time. Saw it for myself when I was helping my mom set up her Kindle3 I got her for Xmas.
Yeah, that Overdrive site doesn't seem to have the most up-to-date info.
Bear in mind the pdf has to have a simple formatting style. 2 columns - forget it (reads it line by line from the top, both columns at once). I think if it has page numbers those will be included as well.
Other than that, converting from other formats in batch and sending to your device is easy with calibre.
I remember the reviews for the Nook saying that it was slugish, both on the eInk and LCD displays.
Is that something that has been resolved with firmware updates, or is that still a problem?
The firmware made page turns much faster from my understanding (I didn't use mine pre-update). The LCD display initially feels odd because the LCD obviously moves/reacts faster than the eInk screen so at first you feel a bit of a disconnect between what you are doing on the LCD and the reaction on the eInk.
Now that I'm used to it I absolutely love it. The only problem I can see is it makes buying books a bit too easy - I worry for my wallet.
Lindsay Lohan on
0
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
Uh, PDF is supported on Kindle. It's like the first feature it tells you about when you boot it up for the first time. Saw it for myself when I was helping my mom set up her Kindle3 I got her for Xmas.
Yeah, that Overdrive site doesn't seem to have the most up-to-date info.
OPL has Overdrive. Kindles will not read either the PDFs or the .mobis because the pdfs download to Adobe Digital Editions which has DRM that the Kindle won't read, and the .mobis also have anti kindle DRM.
Both of these can be stripped off with some minor searching on the internet, but that enters into a grey area even if you delete them when the loan period is over. (Striping the drm removes the load period script meaning people could just keep the books.)
Posts
Interesting that they use it for ebooks. I know a very tiny bit about it, it's xml based like epub or bbeb, so it might work with the Sony Reader and Nook. Sorry, don't know much more than that.
Hooray, it's awesome. Already hacked it for custom screensavers and set up my Instapaper account with it.
Now, I see there's a service called kindlereeder that'll wrap up your feeds and you have some options for sending it to your Kindle.
I can send it to my normal Gmail address and from there I can forward it to my @free.kindle.com address, but I can't create a filter to auto-forward it (since you have to verify a forwarding address in Gmail)
Anyone manage to figure out an easy workaround?
It was crashing 4/5 times I put it to lock screen while in the non-lit Amazon leather case. After applying a coat of nail polish to the metal clips in the case, I've been crash-free for 3 days of liberal Kindle use (including it goes to idle due to inactivity, multiple locks/unlocks in quick succession, etc.).
Mind you my sample size is currently n=1, so if someone else here who has the same issue wants to give it a shot and report back, it'd be most appreciated.
Best Buy has no clue when they will have Kindles in stock.
My girlfriend bought me a Kindle 3 and the Amazon non-lit case for Christmas. So far, I've had no problems, but then again, I've only been using it for two days.
Can I do the nail polish trick without any threat of damaging the Kindle?
the kindle 3 sends power through the hook slots to power the light on the lighted case, but when they made the un-lighted case they used brass for the hooks and used a single peice for both hooks, so if the paint on them wears off a bit it causes a short and makes the kindle crash, so anything you can put on those hooks to make them no longer electricaly conductive will work. nail polish sounds like an ok idea thoguh I could see it wearing off fairly quickly.
as for damage, the only thing I could think of happening is a buildup of nailpolish in the slots.
Im glad I got the lighted case for christmas.
I am not to impressed with the Nook, but I haven't gotten my hands on one yet. Might try and visit a B&N and give it a test drive.
Anyone else using the Library2Go service? How has it been working, and which reader are you using?
It really is very nice.
The only complaint I have are the books that simply aren't available in any legal manner. I've been wanting to re-read the Harry Potter series and there's not a way to do it that isn't shady.
Rowling refuses to have her books printed in any manner that is not a physical paper book. She feels that kids should read it on paper.
But then there are spoken audio versions and major motion pictures...O_o
It'll be awesome when she finally allows electronic copies and it fizzles like the announcement of the Beatles on iTunes because anyone interested lost patience and pirated them years before they were available.
The audio versions of the Harry Potter books that are read by Stephen Fry are my favorite versions of those books. But again, if you don't want to be shady, there is no way to really purchase them in the US. They were UK only.
From what I've read, Nook vs Kindle seems to come down to:
Pro-Nook
- native epub support
- memory card slot
- LCD screen
Pro-Kindle
- better e-ink screen, slightly faster page turns
- physical keyboard
- $10 cheaper
- better battery life
- better software/file management
Can anyone chime in with anything else?
The thing that concerns me is the long-term viability of Barnes&Noble/Borders. Generally, the financial news for those two companies has been...less than good. So what happens if my e-reader can only buy books exclusively from a company that no longer exists?
I have been debating the same thing. It is kinda like purchasing an Apple product. Do I buy the item with the best physical design and polish, and get stuck into a silo with only one option to purchase content. Or, go for the device that is open to many purchase options, and sacrifice some of the polish in the software/form factor.
(not to say that only Apple products are well designed, but you get where I am going with this)
Is that something that has been resolved with firmware updates, or is that still a problem?
I guarantee you, if Barnes & Noble went belly up, Amazon.com would buy the licensing right to the Nook in a heartbeat. That's basically a million customers instantly brought into the Amazon fold, and they'll be grateful that their ereaders won't become obsolete with the failing of the company.
I played with one back when it first released, and it was definitely sluggish and unresponsive, but I hear the firmware updates have fixed a lot of the issues. No idea how much though.
At this website you can checkout and download…
* Adobe EPUB eBooks
* Adobe PDF eBooks
* Mobipocket eBooks
* OverDrive WMA Audiobooks
* OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks
* OverDrive Video
Now, while I don't know for sure about the PDF, I assume the Kindle will be able to read the Mobipocket just fine. So I guess for me, at this time, the library is a wash between them.
Now I just need to find one at Best Buy.* Got there today as the last one (3G, White) was being sold.
*Yes, I know I can get it from Amazon. But I have a $50 gift card at Best Buy.
I'm using the Nook, and Library2Go is awesome, awesome, awesome.
FYI, I highly doubt that those files available from the library are unprotected .mobi files.
Edit: According to the technical help site that runs the digital libraries (here), the kindle is not supported.
I admit to being an owner of a Nook, but the big decision for me between a Kindle or a Nook came down to whether or not it worked with the digital library.
So, I can basically get a Nook and buy stuff from Barnes&Noble and Google, along with using the library...
Or I can get a Kindle, and buy stuff from Amazon.
Hmm, something to think about. I could walk into my Best Buy tomorrow and buy a Nook 3G. (Although I'm not sure if I really want to spend the extra $50.)
Why did OPL start actually getting all the contracts they wanted AFTER I stopped working for them? There was extremely limited eBook lending back when I left in 2005.
Yeah, that Overdrive site doesn't seem to have the most up-to-date info.
Other than that, converting from other formats in batch and sending to your device is easy with calibre.
I wonder if that will allow Libraries to start supporting it.
The firmware made page turns much faster from my understanding (I didn't use mine pre-update). The LCD display initially feels odd because the LCD obviously moves/reacts faster than the eInk screen so at first you feel a bit of a disconnect between what you are doing on the LCD and the reaction on the eInk.
Now that I'm used to it I absolutely love it. The only problem I can see is it makes buying books a bit too easy - I worry for my wallet.
OPL has Overdrive. Kindles will not read either the PDFs or the .mobis because the pdfs download to Adobe Digital Editions which has DRM that the Kindle won't read, and the .mobis also have anti kindle DRM.
Both of these can be stripped off with some minor searching on the internet, but that enters into a grey area even if you delete them when the loan period is over. (Striping the drm removes the load period script meaning people could just keep the books.)
All other ereaders will work though.