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Paper? That's like a baby's toy! [eReaders]

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Posts

  • KalkinoKalkino Buttons Londres Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I've started noticing that the Kindle 3 sometimes makes a single ticking sound (or if you have ever heard an electric fence, it also sounds like that) when the screen changes, either for a page turn or when the screensaver changes. It does not happen all the time nor does it seem to happen if I take the cover off, so I wonder if it is linked to the cover issues people were having a whiles back. I have an Amazon unlit cover. The battery life seems to be holding up ok though, since I noticed this a week back.

    Kalkino on
    Freedom for the Northern Isles!
  • mr_michmr_mich Mmmmagic. MDRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I'm kicking around the idea of getting a Nook Color just to flash it to android and dick around with stuff. Any thoughts on this?

    mr_mich on
  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Might be worth also asking in the Android thread. Quite a few people there have done exactly that, and they seem pretty happy with the outcome. Considering it's rootable and flashable and relatively cheap, it's probably the cheapest good Android slate option out there.

    Cyvros on
  • Pipe DreamerPipe Dreamer Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    My five-month-old Kindle just got stolen.

    Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK.

    Of course this has to happen just as I was starting to think that I'll never go back to pleasure reading on a backlit screen again.

    The next price drop/hardware refresh can't come fast enough.

    Pipe Dreamer on
  • JollusJollus Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Be sure to disconnect it from your account and report it stolen to Amazon. Maybe they can lock it down so it can't be used?

    Jollus on
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Jollus wrote: »
    Be sure to disconnect it from your account and report it stolen to Amazon. Maybe they can lock it down so it can't be used?

    This right here. I don't think Amazon can lock it down entirely, perhaps from their store but you'll never be able to stop them from using it to read books from say, Project Gutenberg or stolen books.

    Darmak on
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  • Pipe DreamerPipe Dreamer Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Yeah, I already deregistered it. Of course Kindles are more or less completely unknown around these parts so I honestly doubt the guy would even get past the screensaver.

    (This is what makes it so infuriating, why would you want to steal it? Its resell value can't be that good if no one's ever heard of it.)

    Anyway, a friend of mine said that he could lend me his Kindle for about a month while he's away somewhere he won't be able to use it. It... should be possible for him to deregister it from his account, and then have me register it to mine, right? I'm guessing that the machine will be wiped when I register it to a new account? Or is there some vile Amazon trickery that would prevent this from happening?

    (Seriously there better not be any vile Amazon trickery)

    Pipe Dreamer on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    There shouldn't be a problem with de-registering it from his account, and re-registering it to yours, and then back again when you give it back.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    So it looks like the Kobo Touch is indeed fairly hot shit when it comes to PDFs. PDF handling has been my big hangup in terms of buying an e-reader (and in fact PDFs are the majority of what I'll be reading) so once again I find myself on the cusp of a purchase. I figure a mixture of cropping + Kobo's PDF handling will mean that I should be about as fine as I can be without buying a Kindle DX or waiting for someone else to make either a giant eReader or an eReader with a processor fast enough to handle PDFs like the Kobo. Right?

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Oh, sweet, in addition to CBZ and CBR support, the Kobo Touch now supports MOBI. My Kobo 2 also supports JPEGs now, I suspect due to CBZ/R support.

    E: Did Gizmodo forget that the Kobo supports goddamn ePubs, so you aren't restricted to the Kobo store?

    Cyvros on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Yeah, I read that. The Wi-fi, keyboard, touchscreen, and book selection suck? I don't give a shit! I'm just going to be reading PDFs. The locking up/crashing sounds like not a ton of fun but I haven't seen anyone else report anything like that.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    The locking up/crashing sounds like not a ton of fun but I haven't seen anyone else report anything like that.

    Yeah, as said above, its wide format support means its limited store doesn't matter that much. And the crashing is lame, but probably a result of rushing it to make that critical beating-the-others-by-a-week release date. I strongly suspect they'll be worked out in a few months with a firmware update, or something.

    gilrain on
  • summerycleptsummeryclept Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Question!

    I picked my first edition nook up today, the e-ink version, not color, and there's a horrible mark on the bottom left of the screen. It looks like a triangle with vertical lines going through it, and it's always there. According to the B&N forums, this implies a cracked screen - furthermore, a lot of people have this problem, in the exact same location, and they're claiming it's a manufacturer's defect.

    So I have to call Customer Service tomorrow and ask them about it. Problem is, I don't have the receipt or anything for it. It was a Christmas present. Does anyone know what I'll need to provide them for a replacement? Anyone have any experience with this?

    summeryclept on
  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    It doesn't look like this
    488px-Deathly_Hallows_Sign.svg.png
    does it?

    Skoal Cat on
  • Junior YankJunior Yank Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Question!

    I picked my first edition nook up today, the e-ink version, not color, and there's a horrible mark on the bottom left of the screen. It looks like a triangle with vertical lines going through it, and it's always there. According to the B&N forums, this implies a cracked screen - furthermore, a lot of people have this problem, in the exact same location, and they're claiming it's a manufacturer's defect.

    So I have to call Customer Service tomorrow and ask them about it. Problem is, I don't have the receipt or anything for it. It was a Christmas present. Does anyone know what I'll need to provide them for a replacement? Anyone have any experience with this?

    I think that if you give them the serial number (accessible from the Settings menu or by taking the back off), they should be able to verify that it's covered by the free warranty.

    Junior Yank on
  • AridholAridhol Daddliest Catch Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Wife broke the kindle :(
    She's pregnant and not so agile and accidentally rolled on it with an elbow in bed. Half the screen is toast.

    I used amazon's "call me" feature on the website and they called me within 5 seconds and I was talking to someone in less than 30. They are mailing me a new kindle with pre-paid return postage and it should be here Friday or Monday.


    I have to say, Costco, Shaw and Amazon have the right idea for customer service. I full intend to buy another kindle and more books from the amazon store as a result of this experience.

    Aridhol on
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    So guys, I think I should get me an ereader. I love me some hardcover books and I probably will not fill my ereader with those. Instead I'd probably load it on up with pdfs and ebooks related to photography, my major. Some of my books I have been able to get as pdfs and they suck on screen, I hate it, but ereader, hey, now we're talking.

    I sell cameras and such at Best Buy but I have from time to time helped customers and while I know pretty much the basics, most people use their ereaders to buy books off of the proprietary store. I am not most people so I am looking to see what might be the better option for me.

    Lucky Cynic on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    If you're looking to primarily use PDFs, I'd go with the new Kobo Touch. Those seem to be the best designed to handle PDF reading at the moment, since you can scroll around the PDF page without the refresh rate making everything take forever.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I have a Kindle 3, and if I can't find a book in anything other than PDF, I just skip it or resign myself to reading on the computer. The PDF support is really clunky. It makes reading the book a chore.

    A Kindle DX might work, or maybe the Kobo Touch. I haven't really heard reports of anyone happy with PDFs on ereaders, though. Sadly.

    gilrain on
  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Download Calibre and convert the PDF to Mobi or other Kindle compatible format. You may have to play around with the settings to make sure things display ok if they don't convert correctly the first time.

    Cormac on
    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    It depends on how complex the formatting in the PDF is. Even without complex formatting, there is a decent chance it'll come out looking like balls. It is worth trying a few different settings, but it is nowhere near a hundred percent.

    That said, it's impressive that Calibre can even do conversions as well as it does given how much worse some commercial software is at the same thing.

    Cyvros on
  • floobiefloobie Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Question:

    I hope this hasn't been discussed already, but a straight answer from someone in the know is a lot easier than searching through 99 pages of thread.

    I've been working my way through the Millennium Trilogy over the past half year or so, taking a break between each book. I read the first one pre-Kindle, the second one on my Kindle, and just attempted to purchase the final one to read on my Kindle. I know the Kindle Store had these before. And yet, when I searched through it this morning, there was nothing to be found. None of the three books in the trilogy are listed in the Kindle store anymore. Any ideas what the problem is? Is this a a by-product of the spat between Penguin and Amazon? Or is this yet another case of Canadian Kindle users getting screwed out of content?

    floobie on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    The American store still has the books listed.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • floobiefloobie Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    The American store still has the books listed.

    Blargh. So it is Canada getting screwed out of content again.

    Edit: I just had a look through some more items I've been wanting or previously bought. William Gibson's entire catalog has been removed from the Kindle store (I have his three latest novels on my Kindle, and they too are gone). Turns out Penguin is also his publisher. I can only conclude that Penguin suddenly hates Canada. Dicks.

    floobie on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    New thread.

    Let's move it on over there people.

    Bionic Monkey on
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