Ebooks and E-Readers

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

As mentioned in another thread, I received a Sony Reader from my beautiful wife for Chrimbo.

So... where's the best/cheapest place to get ebooks from? I've found the Gutenberg library for classics, but I'm after newer stuff as well.

Any experience?

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

Search through Craster's posts; he's had an eReader for ages and has mentioned before where he buys books from.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Will do. Or, I'll wait for Craster's dinner to wear off and he can tell me himself

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

DavPaz wrote:

I'll wait for Craster's dinner to wear off

Based on his cooking, I'd imagine that could take until New Year's Day.

Dimrill · **Posted:** Fri Dec 25, 2009 22:12

From Bitterwallet the other day. An insight into privacy concerns with such a device.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

good job I got the sony reader then!

Cheers Dimdim

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

Trick one: Always buy from the US. You save money purely because things are cheaper in the US. Based on that, I've used http://www.booksonboard.com a fair bit, it's pretty decent - often I just google 'book name ebook' and buy it from wherever it throws up. If you like sci-fi, Baen Books offer loads of free books (usually the first in every series) and offer the rest very reasonably priced and DRM free - http://www.webscriptions.net.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

http://gizmodo.com/5434636/kindle-miles ... ks-on-xmas

Quote:

Amazon's Kindle hit an important and startling milestone yesterday: On Christmas, the company sold more Kindle books than physical books. Yes, this is obviously the result of everyone who got a Kindle for Christmas (lots of folks) firing it up and ordering a bunch of eBooks on a day in which most physical-book readers weren't shopping. But it's still important and impressive.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

Holy shit, that is impressive.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Cheers for the advice Cras, I forgot I'd asked

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Finally found a few spare hours to sit and have a jolly good read of my ebooks. Very comfortable and natural feeling. I are happy.

RuySan · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 3542

I just don't get E-Books. Books are the prettiest object in the world. Put in me in a room filled with shelves and books and i'm a happy man (as long as the shelves have glass, as i'm allergic to dust).

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

Quite. Take you out of that room and put you on a bus, and you can't read the pretty books any more! Hence, eBooks. Seemples.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Or sat at your desk at work, looking like you're doing something techy, but actually reading The Gunslinger (Revised Edition)

myp · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:36

Which one have you got, PavDaz?

RuySan · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 3542

Craster wrote:

Quite. Take you out of that room and put you on a bus, and you can't read the pretty books any more! Hence, eBooks. Seemples.

actually i always take one with me on the subway. I can't read on the bus though, makes me dizzy.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

The Sony Reader PRS-505. No wireless options, but, meh, that'll save me money in the long run. It came with a CD of 100 classic books which'll keep me going for a few months, if I don't read Dark Tower all the way through again.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

Excellent choice, sir.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Craster wrote:

Excellent choice, sir.

Quite. And not mine either. Entirely the wife's choice. I assume you have the same?

myp · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:45

Does that means you can't buy ebooks online for it, then? I don't know anything about them, but I'm tempted to ask for one for my birthday. I currently read ebooks on my iPhone through Stanza, but I expect a dedicated device would have a much nicer screen for this, though.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

The screen is indeed lovely. You can buy online and transfer them through USB or memory card. The Reader software just redirects to Waterstones and WHSmiths though, so I followed the badgerman's advice and bought from the US (daemon books or similar)

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

myoptikakaka wrote:

Does that means you can't buy ebooks online for it, then?

Depends what you mean by 'online'. You can certainly buy books online, but have to sync them to the device via a PC.

myp · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 13:38

Craster wrote:

Depends what you mean by 'online'. You can certainly buy books online, but have to sync them to the device via a PC.

That seems a little... primitive.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Can you buy tunes online through your ipod?

(genuine question BTW, I have no idea if you can)

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

List for me the number of times you've been out and about and thought to yourself "I really wish I could suddenly download [book X] to my device and start reading it right now".

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

DavPaz wrote:

Can you buy tunes online through your ipod?

Yes. Well, on iPod Touches (via WiFi) and iPhones (WiFi and cellular network) anyway.

myoptikakaka wrote:

That seems a little... primitive.

The Kindle can buy books over a mobile phone data connection. And yet, it can only be bought from amazon.com, with enormous shipping fees and import duty to pay. Which is just as offensive.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

You have to pay shipping charge on an ebook??!?!?!?!

myp · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 14:12

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

The Kindle can buy books over a mobile phone data connection. And yet, it can only be bought from amazon.com, with enormous shipping fees and import duty to pay. Which is just as offensive.

Good point.

Grim... · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 14:53

myoptikakaka wrote:

Craster wrote:

Depends what you mean by 'online'. You can certainly buy books online, but have to sync them to the device via a PC.

That seems a little... primitive.

You mean like plugging a device into a computer just to get a software update? I agrAAAAAARGH MY RADIUS BONE!

Grim... · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 14:54

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

shipping fees

Zardoz · **Posted:** Mon Jan 11, 2010 14:58

LOL Books. Electric books WTF LOLZ

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

Hurrah! SistaFlapjack has let me borrow her credit card and address to order two Kindles (one for me and one for Grim...), so I too will be ebooked up soon.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

Kindle schmindle.

Dimrill · **Posted:** Tue Jan 12, 2010 22:51

Craster wrote:

Kindle schmindle.

Will you stop it with the Kindle already? Oy vey, I think I got gas. Is the air very dry in here?

myp · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 0:15

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Hurrah! SistaFlapjack has let me borrow her credit card and address to order two Kindles (one for me and one for Grim...), so I too will be ebooked up soon.

So why did you choose a Kindle?

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32619

Free built in 3G, with lifetime data[1]. Same price as the Sony PRS-505 (because I am bringing them into the country myself, so no shipping fees or VAT). Reasonable format support, as it will do TXT, PDF, Amazon's own AZW, and some others; it can use all of the legal content from Amazon and (I think) most of the places Craster uses, and any amount of PDF ebook torrents. Whispersync, which automatically synchronises where you are in each book between the Kindle and the iPhone Kindle app (and the PC app too if you care about that).

[1] in anywhere except the US, you have to pay an extra $1.99 fee when you buy a book over the cell wireless. You can get around this by using the Amazon website and transferring the book over the USB cable. Other use of the cellular wireless is free.

myp · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:06

See, that's a bit more like the technological wizardry I was hoping for!

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:39

I look forward to my Kindle.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

...transferring the book over the USB cable.

Luddite

devilman · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:49

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Hurrah! SistaFlapjack has let me borrow her credit card and address to order two Kindles (one for me and one for Grim...), so I too will be ebooked up soon.

It must be love!

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:18

Or a scam.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Two weeks later, a desperate PM from the middle of the Arizona wastelands creeps over the oldest telephone line in the world.

To: Grim...
From: DoccyG
Message:
"Send Help. And clothes."

Zardoz · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:22

A Nigerian Prince has got a Kindle for me, he just needs my details now so he can send it to my bank account.

kalmar · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 13:35

DavPaz wrote:

Two weeks later, a desperate PM from the middle of the Arizona wastelands creeps over the oldest telephone line in the world.

To: Grim...
From: DoccyG
Message:
"Send Help. And clothes."

"Also: ointment."

Malabelm · **Posted:** Wed Jan 13, 2010 14:18

kalmar wrote:

"Also: oinkment."

Deliverance FTFY.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

I'm having trouble finding 'His Dark Materials' in ebook format. Any tips?

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Jan 20, 2010 13:56

DavPaz wrote:

I'm having trouble finding 'His Dark Materials' in ebook format. Any tips?

Buy the paperback?

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Grim... wrote:

DavPaz wrote:

I'm having trouble finding 'His Dark Materials' in ebook format. Any tips?

Buy the paperback?

High-larious. Anyone else feeling funny?

EDIT:

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49232

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/t/ser ... iesid=2083

The first one's expensive, for some unknown reason.

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38464

Cheers dude.

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Ebooks and E-Readers

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