Up to three thousand 500


John

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Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

Like some who posted, I like the printed book. But I also recognise the future and the sheer handiness of these gismos. A few years ago I lugged 1000 of my books to a new home out of the UK. Maybe I shouldnt have bothered!

Can anyone tell me how you get a new book on your chosen gismo?
Of the gismos mentioned, any opinions on the 'best'?
How much does it cost to get a book?
Are there free, out of copyright books to get?
Are people offering books in the way you can download a free CD?
Are the books available usually just pulp fiction?

I note that Sam's book is available and that's certainly not pulp and is the kind of thing I want to get. For example how much is Sam's book in comparison to a paper book? Is there a financial saving?

I also note that the Municipal Library of Lyon in partnership with Google is scanning 500,000 books. Now that seems tasty if it doesnt cost the earth. Maybe the British Library has /will do the same.

As with any kind of 'gismo', opinions will vary greatly about which one is the 'best'. To answer your other questions I'll use the Amazon Kindle as the example (which has something like 40%+ share of the eReader market)....

Once you've got a Kindle device and the associated Amazon Kindle account (free - just part of the setup), you browse the eBooks part of the Amazon website to find an ebook you want - exactly like you would for buying a printed book.

When you decide to purchase an eBook, it gets automatically downloaded to your Kindle device. You don't have to do anything clever - it just happens.

Prices for eBooks are generally a lot lower than for their printed equivalents. Sam's for example are 13.99 GBP for the paperbacks, but only 8.04 GBP for the eBooks.

Yes - there are loads of free/out of copyright books available. You get a few pre-loaded on the Kindle (e.g. Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice).

eBooks published as PDFs can be downloaded (to put on CD or whatever you like) although these aren't really eBooks in quite the same sense. You can read PDFs on the Amazon Kindle, but the quality is nowhere near as good as genuine eBooks that are produced specifically for the purpose.

Are they all pulp fiction? In a word, no.

There are lots of other places where eBooks can be purchased other than Amazon by the way.

Iain.

As Iain mentioned, buying new books is easy, it's also worth pointing out that the download size of books is very small, so they download very quickly. As an example I have just fired up the Kindle application on my Galaxy Tab to purchase Sam's book 'Into Africa' - The entire process from entering the Kindle Store, finding the book, buying the book and then downloading it to the device took less than 30 seconds to complete. There is certainly a no more convenient way to shop for books.

One thing worth mentioning with the Kindle, they do two version, one connects via WiFi only, the other also has a sim card in it and can be used over 3G/GSM, this connection is free of charge, no download limits, no monthly charges and no roaming charges either. At present it can be used FOC in over 100 countries, not just for buying books, but also as a device for browsing the internet.

Thanx to those who gave info.

I'm looking for the cheapest options as I dont earn money. And it seems that there's stuff out there to suit this...

It's looking interesting!.....

I love printed books and have a massive collection of factual books on history, geography, geology, travel and other 'serious' books. Nevertheless I've looked at the Kindle and I'd agree that if it's a straightforward read-and-discard type of book that you take on holiday and throw before you fly back then the eBook concept is fine. And I like the idea of being able to read out-of-copyright books FOC.

But the moment it's a book you want to keep and read again, or use as reference, then I'm afraid I want paper. And if it's a reference book I might want to use Post-it tabs to quickly delve to sections. I also have a habit of writing 'corrections' in the margins (lol).

I have a couple of old travel books in PDF format that I really want to read, but I can't be bothered sitting at a computer screen to do this. Maybe I should print them out!

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How do these devices hold up in a adventure motorcycle environment anyway? I'm looking to get a Galaxy Tab instead of a netbook. But are they as sturdy? Not having a harddrive could make them actually tougher than netbooks. Has anyone any experience in it?

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I've been using a 'Kindle' app on my iTouch 3G. While the screen is smaller, I prefer the discreetness of it. I store my bike's service manual on it as well. There's a secure app that allows me to store scanned copies of my passport, drivers license, jab record and more.

I'd get a IPad in a heartbeat if I could use it to upload or download waypoints, tracks and routes to my GPS.

daryl

Hey there - I run an iPad, an iPad2, a Galaxy Tab a Kindle and a newer Sony eReader (it's my job, I'm not a geek, honest )

From a build quality point of view the only thing I wouldn't take on the road would be the Tab - it's really badly put together and I would be very worried about the plastic breaking or the screen being killed.

The Kindle is a fab bit of kit and very sturdy. The Sony eReader is basically indestructible and the iPad could kill someone if you whacked them over the head.

From my point of view I'm taking the iPad 2. It's light (but not as light as the Kindle) - I can read on it (but not as comfortably as the Kindle) - I can watch TV & Movies on it (perfect for the plane), I can run all my Lonely Planet apps on there, visit websites as if I was in front of a 'real' computer, back up all my photos to its 64gb SSHD via SD card and edit my videos straight off my HD Cannon Camera via USB. I have a choice of connections (wifi and 3g) but the 3g connections can be expensive if out and about so I would buy a pre-paid data plan and sim from someone like ekit.

If I just wanted an eReader for PDFs and EPUB files (the most prevalent) then I'd go with the Sony eReader. Mainly because it's built incredibly solidly, has better wifi, a better refresh rate (easier to read and faster to turn pages) and has a better battery life. However, no decent web browser (just like the Kindle) and you cant buy books from Amazon, only retailers that sell EPUB (waterstones, WHSmith, Kobo and so on). But from a flexibility point of view you can put pretty much any type of file on an eReader (TXT, RTF, PDF etc) and it will work - the Kindle is a lot more selective.

m

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One thing worth mentioning with the Kindle, they do two version, one connects via WiFi only, the other also has a sim card in it and can be used over 3G/GSM, this connection is free of charge, no download limits, no monthly charges and no roaming charges either. At present it can be used FOC in over 100 countries, not just for buying books, but also as a device for browsing the internet.[/quote]

Although I prefer 'authentic', paper copies of books (and the smell - that's not too strange, right?!), from a space saving point of view, I'm liking the idea of the 3G Kindle. I have read that the browsing capabilities aren't that great - has anyone had any experience of this?

The browser on the Kindle is a little more limited than what you'll be used to on a PC or Mac (or even a smartphone) and obviously the display isn't colour, but it's not bad and certainly good enough for ad-hoc essential use while on the road.

I knew there was a 3 in there somewhere! Must get my hearing aid recharged!!! : )

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