I only have an iPod Touch, but the software and features I will describe in this post are also valid for the iPhone. In the title I carefully avoided calling the iPod Touch an ebook reader. Yet, I do know the expression, ‘If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck’. Ebooks can be copied or uploaded to, stored on and read using the iPod Touch and iPhone, but I am still reluctant to call the iPod Touch an ebook reader. My definition also includes it being based on E-Ink/Vizplex technology that is less straining for the eyes than a computer screen. But that’s just me, if you want to stick with the duck test, that is fine too. Read more…
iPod
ebook, iPod, reader
I have been using my BeBook ebook reader for one month now, so I thought it was time for a first review. In this post I will write about the BeBook, what you can use it for, its features, possibilities, limitations and quirks and give you some advice before you buy an ebook reader. I have used a lot of its features, but not all of them and I also encountered some of the limitations and quirks. I will probably post an extra review in a couple of months when I had the time, the need or felt the desire to explore the rest of the features and possibilities. By the way, I love my BeBook. Read more…
BeBook
BeBook, ebook, Hanlin v3, reader, review
During a conversation about SF & Fantasy books with a librarian he mentioned that he uses an ebook reader, because, like me, at home he hasn’t got enough shelf-space for all the books he owns, let alone for all the books he would like to buy. He also demonstrated his iLiad ebook reader and I immediately loved it.
What is an ebook reader ?
An e-book reader is a device used to display ebooks (in a wide variety of formats: pdf, txt, doc, rtf, mobi, chm, html, …). It may be a device specifically designed for that purpose, or one intended for other purposes as well. The term is restricted to hardware devices, not software programs. The main advantages of these devices are: comfortable reading, perfect under sunlight, weeks of battery life and lightness.
What do you need an ebook reader for ?
- Shelf-space. I have over 300 books and this means that a lot of them are stored in boxes in the attic. Whenever I want to buy a book, I not only have to consider if it’s worth the money, but also if it’s worth the shelf-space, because another book will have to move to a box in the attic. Regardless of whether I buy an ebook reader or not, I will still buy the paper version of the books by my favorite authors like Terry Pratchett and Raymond Feist, on some things you do not compromise.
- Save your eyes. As a webdeveloper I spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen. Also in my spare time I spend some of it in front of a computer. I already own several ebooks and am subscribed to 2 emagazines, but I find myself struggling to keep up, because there is only so much time that I can and am willing to spend in front of a computer screen. The main reason for this is eye strain and ebook readers have the reputation that it’s like reading a paper book.
- Save money. Ebooks tend to be cheaper than paper books. An ebook reader on the other hand costs a lot of money, so you have to buy a lot of books to break even. On the bright side however there are tens of thousands of ebooks available for free (legally) on the internet. No to mention the manuals, texts on websites that can be converted into an ebook, …
- Save the trees.
Read more…
BeBook
BeBook, ebook, Hanlin v3, reader
