Send a lot of personal documents to your Kindle but sick of mucking around with emails to get them there?  Amazon has just released the free Send to Kindle for PC  application. Using Windows Explorer, right click on any supported file format (.doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf,.jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .png, .gmp, .pdf) , and Send to Kindle will send your document to your Kindle Personal Documents ready to be downloaded to your Kindle device and supported Kindle reading application. You can also “Send to Kindle” from any Microsoft application that can Print and documents will be delivered in PDF format.

The application gives you the option to send to select Kindles if you’ve set your account up that way; however, it appears that there’s no convert option.  Be warned though, if you download this document to your Kindle using 3G (if you have the option), standard Whispernet charges will apply.

Available soon for Mac as well.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Kindle

Send to Kindle for PC – Personal documents just got easier originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

FLEx Lighting has created an illuminated optical film that may eliminate the need for reading lights with e-ink readers (amongst other applications).  The 50 micron film is flexible, edgeless, and invisible when turned off and produces a soft, low uniform light when on using a single low power consuming LED .  It can be implemented either as a back-light or a front-light and integrates with touchscreens.

No more heavy lighted covers or external lights in the future?

Check it out at FLEx Lighting

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, eBook reader, LED Light

FLEx Lighting Illuminated Optical Film – A Bright e-Reader Addition originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 15, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Microsoft Office 2010: Tips and Tricks [affiliate link] is an eBook that offers more than 50 tips and tricks focused on making sure that you get the most out of Office 2010, which is one of the most popular and user friendly office suites in the market. With Office 2010, Microsoft made it bigger by integrating features for Office Web Apps and Mobile Office and significant changes to User Interface and included a lot of new features in Office Suite.

This book is divided into seven sections. Section 1 will be covering Office 2010 features as a whole while Section 2-5 covers features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook respectively. Section 6 includes some additional utilities for Office 2010, and Section 7 will dive into Office Web apps and Office Mobile Apps.

There are a few hoops to jump through to get this guide, but it helps The Gadgeteer to earn some some affiliate fees that can help us to bring you more cool product reviews.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: ebook

Microsoft Office 2010: Tips and Tricks – Limited Time Offer Get this $7 Value eBook Free! Expires 11/16/2011 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 9, 2011 at 9:15 am.

Last week Amazon went a little crazy and announced 4 new devices all on the same day. The Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G and the Kindle Fire. The first 3 devices are e-book readers and the Fire is a tablet. That is a lot of devices and of course we plan to review all of them because that’s just what we do We have to wait a little while for the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire devices to become available, but we’re happy to give you the scoop on the $79 Kindle today. For this review, I’m enlisting the help of our own e-book reader expert Janet. She’s been fan of Sony eReaders for a long time until she dumped them for the iPad. She’s never used a Kindle before, so it will be interesting to see what she thinks of the most popular e-book reading device on the market. For me, I’ve purchased all the Kindle devices in the past (except for the DX), but didn’t continue to use them once I reviewed them. I find that I use my phone as an e-book reader most often. This new smaller Kindle might make me change that… Let’s find out.

My comments are in Black and Janet’s are in Blue italics.

I’m very excited to do my first co-review.  Thanks for letting me help, Julie!

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

Package Contents

Kindle wireless e-reader
USB 2.0 cable
Quick Start Guide

Hardware Specs

Display: 6″ diagonal E Ink display 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale
On-device Storage: Up to 1,400 books or 2GB internal (approximately 1.25GB available for user content)
Cloud Storage: Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion
Wi-Fi Connectivity: 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication or Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS); does not connect to WPA and WPA2 secured networks using 802.1X authentication methods; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks
USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)
Battery Life: A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks
Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 3 hours via the included USB 2.0 cable connected to a computer
Size (in inches): 6.5″ x 4.5″ x 0.34″ (166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm)
Weight: 5.98 ounces (170 grams)

Here’s a family photo of the original Kindle, Kindle 2, Kindle 3G (which Amazon now calls the Kindle Keyboard) and the latest Kindle that we’re looking at today. It’s fun to see the evolution of these devices. The original was really ugly wasn’t it? One thing to note is that since the Kindle was introduced back in 2007, the display has stayed at 6 inches diagonal (not counting the DX of course) through all the new versions.

That first one was a bit wedge-shaped, wasn’t it?  I like the 6″ screen.  It makes the reader about the size of a paperback book and keeps it light.

Here we see the latest Kindle next to the previous Kindle Keyboard. All of Amazon’s new Kindles lack a physical keyboard now. That might be a deal breaker for some of you… I rarely use one as I don’t tend to add annotations or do a lot of searching in the Amazon store on the device itself. But more about the keyboard in a bit. First let’s take a tour of the whole device.

When I first took the Kindle out of the box I was really surprised at how much smaller and lighter it was over the previous model. It’s almost pocketable if you happen to have big pockets

And it fits nicely in a purse!  It’s so small, it’s a bit hard to hold.  I can’t decide where to put my hands.  I ordered the lighted case for it, which I think will make it easier to get a grip on.

It’s only available in one color, which is grey. The bezel looks like it is made of aluminum, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

This latest Kindle uses the same e-ink screen technology as the previous Kindle, so there’s nothing new there. I find it to be very crisp and clear and it’s easy to read in most lighting conditions. It’s great for very bright environments like outdoors on a sunny day, as well as slightly dim light indoors. Basically, wherever you can comfortably read a regular physical book, you’ll be able to read on the Kindle. How do you think the Kindle’s e-ink screen compares to Sony eReaders?

Amazon’s specs for this reader says it has the Pearl screen.  That’s the same screen that was used in the last Sony Reader I reviewed, the PRS-650.  I love this screen, because it is so sharp and easy on the eyes.  The page refreshes very quickly, and I haven’t seen the slightest hint of shadowing on this screen.

The back is the same color as the front bezel, but it’s made of plastic with a thin rubberized coating that helps you grip the device. You’ll notice two metal contacts along the bottom edge that appear to be used for some sort of charging dock that we’ve yet to see.

I’m thinking those contacts are for the lighted Kindle case, but I can’t be sure until my case gets here in mid-November.  The new lighted case requires no batteries; it pulls power for the light from the Kindle itself.

Oh, I bet you’re right!

There are several buttons below the e-ink display that help you navigate through the on-screen menus. From left to right, there’s a back button, on-screen keyboard button, 5-way navigation button, menu button and home button. All the buttons are raised and have very good tactile feedback.

On the Left side (and right side) of the reader, you’ll find two narrow buttons that allow you to page forwards and backwards through books. For me, these buttons feel almost too small. I find it a little awkward to hold the device in one hand and press the paging buttons with my thumb on that same hand. I usually just rest the Kindle in my lap as I read and hold it by one of the upper corners with one hand and use the other hand to press the page buttons.

They feel a little awkward to me, too.  I always want to push in on them, but you have to push them to the back to make them work.  The thing I find confusing about them is their size.  Both sides have one big button on the bottom and one smaller button at the top.  I think the big button on the right side should advance you one page and the big button on the left should take you back one page.  Amazon thinks differently, because both big buttons advance a page and both small go back one page.  

It would be nice if there was a way to remap two of the buttons below the display to page forwards and back. Then you could more easily hold the Kindle in one hand and use your thumb to press the buttons.

One thing I noticed is that the Kindle doesn’t have the little slots on the Left side for special cases that don’t require elastic bands. I’m slightly disappointed in that fact, but I guess it’s not a big deal.

Kindle is changing the style of their cases.  You can imagine I spent a long time pouring over their official cases before I decided on the lighted case.  I noticed that both styles – lighted and unlighted – now hold the Kindle in a “shell”.  You snap the Kindle into the shell, and it covers the back and wraps up around the Kindle’s sides.  Closer inspection of the lighted case does show two metal contacts that should connect with the contacts on the back of the Kindle.

Of course we’ll start seeing a bunch of cases that use elastic bands too…

I don’t like the elastic band cases.  I like to see my gadget’s face.

On the bottom edge you’ll find the micro USB port for charging / copying content from a computer, the charging status LED and the power button.

Speaking of USB charging, I wish Amazon had included the AC power adapter, but I guess you can’t have everything at these prices…

The Kindle is comfortable to hold and carry because it’s so lightweight. It’s made well and feels solid, but since it’s so light, at first I felt like I could snap it in half just by looking at it cross eyed.  After using it for a few days though, I’m sure that it can withstand everyday abuse without any problems. It passed the good old Gadgeteer squeeze and flex test with no problems.

The Sony readers didn’t seem heavy to me at the time I was using them, but they did all have metal bodies.  The Kindle feels so light I thought I’d throw it over my head when I picked it up!  Even though it’s mostly plastic, it is very sturdy.

You probably have noticed that our Kindles are showing ads in some pictures, but not in others.  The shots without ads are Julie’s Kindle.  She opted for the slightly more expensive version ($109) without “Special Offers”.  After four generations of Sony readers costing $250-$350, I was ready for a discount.  I bought the discounted version($79) with “Special Offers.”  The “Special Offers” are simply ads; agreeing to them earns you a a 27% discount off the Kindle’s purchase price.  The ads replace the screensavers that are normally artist pictures or book covers, or the like.  They also display in a banner at the bottom of the home screen, as shown in the picture above.  You click on them and they take you to learn more about the offer.  They never show up within the books.

I find the ads very easy to ignore.  For the review, I have made an effort to notice the ads.  So far I’ve seen mostly ads for Amazon products and services – 50% off the power adapter and extra charging cable, an Amazon credit card with rewards and a $50 gift card, books for $1.  I also have seen an ad for pet supplies, so I assume they check my Amazon purchasing records to gauge my interests.  They also have an app called Amazon AdMash you can download to the Kindle if you’d like to vote on the appearance of possible future ads.

My question to you is – are ALL the screensavers ads? Do you never see a non-ad? If that’s the case, I’m glad I opted to pay a bit more. I have come to enjoy the screensaver images and often wonder what the next one will be when I put my Kindle in idle mode. I also noticed that you can login to your Amazon account and adjust the types of pictures you want to see more or less of – Nature, Architecture, etc. Too bad you can’t add your own images though…

Yes, all the screensavers I’ve seen are ads; the same ad shows up in the banner when you turn the Kindle on, too.  I just went to see if I could adjust the type of ads I see, but my only option is to turn off the special offers.  If I do that, I’ll be charged $30 plus tax.  I guess my Kindle would have screensavers like yours if I decide to do that.

That’s nice that you have the option to switch to no ads if you desire and don’t mind paying for that option.

This Kindle doesn’t include the free 3G access to the Kindle store, but you can still shop and purchase books anywhere you can connect to WiFi.  Connecting to my home network was easy; I simply selected my network from the list it found and entered my password. I was a bit worried about how it would connect to networks in public places.  My experience with those networks on other devices is that I choose the network, then I have to go to the browser and accept their terms of service.  This Kindle does have an “experimental” browser, but I was still afraid it would be difficult to connect.  It turns out to be a snap.  I took it along on a family visit and was able to connect to their network as easily as my own.  I took it to Starbucks Sunday morning, and found that I only had to select the network and I was connected.  I didn’t even have to use the browser to accept terms.  The Kindle even remembered my home network and reconnected me when I got home from Starbucks.  I was just looking at the info on Amazon, and it may be that you only connect to AT&T public hotspots so effortlessly, though.

That’s great. So far I’ve not tried any of my Kindles on another wifi network other than the one I have at home.

It looks different than the online version, but you’ll have full access to the content in the Kindle store.

Most of the time I look for new books via my laptop or desktop. It’s amazing how fast the Kindle downloads new content. As soon as I click the buy or download sample link, it’s on the device within a few seconds.

I find the on-screen keyboard a pain to use.  You use the 5-way navigation buttons and the page forward and back buttons to move around on the keyboard.  You have to select each letter then close the keyboard before you can navigate down and select the button to search the store. 

You can actually press the on-screen return button to search the text you’ve entered instead of closing the keyboard and selecting the search store button. I’m not a big fan of on-screen keyboards either, but this one isn’t too terrible for occasional short searches. I’m pretty fast at entering text with it due to years of using similar on-screen keyboards for other devices.

The search is “intelligent” and starts showing you a list of possibilities based on the text you’ve entered. You can close the keyboard as soon as you see what you’re looking for and move up to select it from the list.  There was a bit of a delay, but it populated this list without me having to hit the return key.  The keyboard is pretty quick and responsive, but it’s a pain for me because I just can’t keep myself from tapping on the screen to select a letter.  The last two Sony readers I owned had touch screens, as does my iPad.

Just like the online store, you can read about the book or even download a sample chapter to read before buying.  Purchasing is easy.  Press the Buy button and your book starts downloading.  You can also download previously purchased books to the Kindle.  Every book I’ve downloaded has taken far less than a minute.

My favorite feature is the ability to download a sample chapter. I always do that before I buy anything because I’m pretty picky when it comes to books. It takes a great author to grab my attention.

The books look great on the Pearl screen.  Letters are sharp and easy to read.  A status bar at the bottom shows you how far you’ve progressed in the book.  At any point, you can press the Menu button to read a book description, search the book, add a bookmark, or view your notes and highlights.

Also, when you press the Menu button while reading a book, you’ll see the time of day and the page number at the bottom of the display.

I love this feature!  I tend to lose track of time when I read, and I can’t risk forgetting to pick up Rachel from school!

If you don’t like the font face or size, you can change it.  You can choose from three typefaces and eight font sizes.  You can adjust the amount of white space on the page using the line spacing and words per line options.  You can also read in vertical or horizontal orientation, and choose the position of the control buttons for each.

You can jump to the book information page from the home screen, too.  Move the cursor to the book, then press the right arrow on the 5-way navigation button.

This is also the screen that allows you to move your books to Collections (aka folders).

The Kindle has a multitude of dictionaries available to you.  Mine defaulted to using The New Oxford American Dictionary.  Look up a word by moving to the beginning of it with the navigation buttons.  If the dictionary has a definition, it pops up a small window displaying the information.  You can click to see the full definition.  I’ve found the dictionary sometimes shows you strange definitions.  For example, I stopped on the word “speed” and I was shown the definition for Alfven wave.  It often showed me definitions as I navigated down the linked table of contents, too, but it would jump me to the desired location when I clicked the linked entries.  

You can also choose to add a note or a highlight by navigating to the word in the above manner. 

You can download multiple dictionaries from your Kindle account, open one like a normal book, and search through it.  My Kindle arrived with two dictionaries on it, and there were 5-6 other dictionaries available for download in my archived items.  I had not purchased these dictionaries separately, so I assume they come with the Kindle.

They did come with the Kindle… I had them too. Several alternate languages, right? I ended up deleting them since I’ll never need them…

I plan to delete those other dictionaries, too.  I can’t even tell what language some of them are for!  I held on to them just in case I needed them for the review.

Settings lets you do a variety of things, from connecting to a network, to finding the email needed to send your own materials to your Kindle, to backing up your annotations.  You can even turn on “Popular Highlights” and “Public Notes”, if you want to see what other people had to say about the book you’re reading.  You can even share notes about books using your social network accounts.  Here’s where you can change the default dictionary the Kindle uses to look up words as you read, too.

I’m not sharing what I’m reading because people would make fun of me One of my friends at work still thinks I’m looney for saying that the Harry Potter series is my favorite book(s) ever. Come on J.K. Rowling, pleaseeeeeeee write something else soon.

I don’t care what other people have to say about books.  If I like them or if I hate them, that’s what matters!  (Although I think everyone should love Dean Koontz as much as I do!)  

As mentioned above, the Kindle does have an “experimental” browser.  It’s a pain to enter long URLs, and I haven’t found a way to store favorites.  It’s slow, but it does work if you need to look up something and you have no other way to connect to the internet.  You launch the browser from the book list menu (press the menu button to see it).

I think I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than use the Kindle’s browser. It’s way too painful. But speaking of experimental features… It’s important to note that this Kindle can not read books to you. It’s not only that the feature isn’t in the experimental menu, but this Kindle doesn’t have a headphone jack. That’s a bummer for those of you that like to use the text to speech feature or even play background MP3s while you read.

I was actually glad that there were no audio functions.  I’ve never used the text-to-speech feature, and I never wanted music on my readers.  I never liked paying even a few cents for the audio functions.  The volume buttons on the Sony readers were always some place easily bumped, and I swear that somehow drained the battery faster.

I never use them either but I’m guessing some people thinking about upgrading from a previous Kindle model might miss that feature if they were used to it.

The browser doesn’t always display the pages perfectly, though.  I couldn’t make this dark box go away, and I couldn’t read through it.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to search for a book in the book list.  You can sort the books by title or author.  You can also sort them by collections, which you can create and populate on the reader.  Yes, creating collections requires a lot of clicking on that on-screen keyboard.

Searching for a book on your Kindle is easy. Just click the Menu button on the home screen and then select Search. You’ll have to use the horrible keyboard to type in the name of the book though It will also show other books that have the same words located somewhere in them. So if you’re just looking for a particular title, you need to be specific.

Hmm, I just searched for Dance With Dragons as you described.  The only search result was the book “A Dance With Dragons”, but clicking on it opens up a list of locations within the book where it found that phrase, or dance, or dragons.  It didn’t just open up the book for me to read, although I guess I could open one of the search results and navigate to the beginning.

Ok, I’m sorry, you’re right. It works but not as expected…

You can search all your books to find every instance of a word, and the same option allows you to launch a search in the dictionary, the Kindle store, or online.  Too bad it doesn’t let you find a book this way.

The Kindle really shines when it comes to battery life. Unlike reading on a tablet or a smartphone, it seems like the Kindle’s battery takes ages and ages to drain. Actually Amazon says it will run for 1 month on a charge. That’s with wireless turned off and 30 minutes of reading per day. It also never gets hot while you’re using it.

I decided to test out the battery.  I received the book on September 29th, charged it up, and started using it about 7:00 pm that night.  I’ve left the WiFi on continually.  I leave the Kindle in standby when I’m not using it, and I’ve read and played around with it to learn the features for at least an hour a day.  My battery icon shows about a 2/3′s charge still remaining.  That’s not bad!

When will smartphone batteries last this long?

Amazon recently announced that you can now check out library books and read them on your Kindle.  I tested that out and found it works great.  You go to your library’s website (on your computer), search for the Kindle books, and go through the Overdrive checkout procedure.  You then click on the “Get for Kindle” button; you’ll go to Amazon where you’ll choose which Kindle device you want the book downloaded to.  The book was automatically downloaded to my Kindle.  It looks like any other book on my device; it’s not marked as a library book in any way, and I can make highlights and notes in the book.  (I can back up my notes using an option in the Menu.)  The book will be automatically returned on its due date, or I can go to Amazon’s online “manage my Kindle” option to return it early.

One other feature worth mentioning is how the Kindle handles embedded images.  You use the navigation button to move the cursor to the image, then click to select.  The image will enlarge to fill the screen.  Click again to return to the book page.

Speaking of embedded images, the Kindle can view PDF files. Using the special email address that each Kindle receives, I sent a PDF to my reader and a few minutes later, I was able to view the PDF by zooming in and out. Viewing PDFs on a 6″ screen isn’t that fun, but it’s doable.

This is my first experience with any Kindle reader, and I find that I enjoy reading on the e-Ink screen again.  Reading on a backlit screen, like my iPad, doesn’t bother my eyes at all.  I can and do read for hours on that bright screen.  However, I find that I don’t read as many books when I use my iPad exclusively.  I guess there’s just too many other things I can do on the iPad.  Trust me, I won’t find myself tempted to go surfing on the experimental browser, so I’m sure I’ll be reading more books with my Kindle. I just hope my lighted cover gets here sooner than the expected date.

I think this new Kindle is a great little e-book reader. The $79 price tag makes it a no-brainer for anyone wanting to try one. If you already have Kindle Keyboard though, I wouldn’t be overly gungho to upgrade if it were me as they both have the same display and features. This is especially true if you happen to do a lot of searches and annotations and prefer the physical keyboard.

Will I continue to use this Kindle to read e-books or will I go back to my normal habit of using my smartphone? I actually think I might start using both. I’ll use my smartphone and the Kindle app when I’m not home and the Kindle when I am home. We’ll see if that works for me…

One down, 2 more Amazon devices to go

Update:  Because I’m such a dedicated reviewer, I decided I’d “upgrade” my Kindle to the non-ad version.  It was very easy to do.  I went to Amazon’s Manage my Devices function and agreed to the $30 charge, to be paid with 1-Click, just like purchasing a book.  I then had to turn on my Kindle, waited a couple of seconds then got a message that my Kindle had been converted to the non-ad version.  I now have no ad banner at the bottom of my library pages, and I have non-ad screensavers.  Quick and easy!

I also tried returning my library book early.  I just went to the Amazon Manage my Kindle function again, and used the option to return the book early.  I got an email at the account I use for Amazon telling me the book had been returned, and it no longer showed up in my book list on the Kindle.  

Update on 10/19/11:  Because I truly had learned to tune out the black flashes, I didn’t notice until today that the Kindle doesn’t do the flash-to-black for every page turn.  As Erin asked in comment 18 and Bryan explained in comment 21, the Kindle is like the Nook.  It simply changes the text for 5 page changes, then it flashes to black for one page change.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Amazon, ebook, ereader, Kindle

Amazon Kindle e-Reader Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 6, 2011 at 11:00 am.

So I’m sitting on the Reunification Express on my way to Hue from Hanoi in Vietnam.  It’s a 13 hour trip and I need something to while away the time.  This is the third overseas trip I’ve done with my Kindle and figured why not write a quick review of how useful the Amazon Kindle 3G is as a travel companion.

Note 18/1/2011: - We’ve just established that only the UK/International Kindle 3G has any coverage in Vietnam see comments below 

Everyone knows how good it is as an ereader.  The capability to carry multiple books certainly helps relieve those boring plane flights and waits in Airport terminals. In many destinations it’s very hard or expensive to find books and taking books with you isn’t realistic because of the size and weight that this would curtail.

I always used to pack at least a Lonely Planet Guide and often a Frommers as well, these are now readily  available as ebooks and are much easier to carry on the Kindle and leave much more room and less weight in your travel bag. The ability to quickly search and find information quickly is invaluable.

One of the most asked questions I’ve seen on Kindle forums is “Is it worth the extra money to get the 3G version ?” Well I suppose  it’s really a case of YMMV, primarily based on how and where you use.  Now Amazon sells the 3G mainly as a means to instantly download a book wherever you are without needing WiFi but I must admit I don’t see myself sitting on a beach and getting the urge that bad to obtain a book that I must have straight away. For the connected traveller however it’s the “experimental” browser coupled with the 3G that’s the real bonus.

Lets be honest, the browser is slow to  refresh,  only monochrome and it’s very slow to navigate, but for a quick email, a check of Facebook or to keep up with a text based forum it’s pretty good and works just fine. Push it a little bit harder with a more graphic intensive site and it’s not unusable but can be slow to load or refresh graphics. Here’s a picture of  the-gadgeteer site. Apologies for the quality but I’m now in a dark Vietnamese Hotel Room  You can see the zoom section ( with the magnifier ) that you can move around with the cursor, as I say not unusable but not the most efficient way of viewing a web site. 

Now here’s the kewl part, Amazon’s 3G covers a multitude of countries and best of all….. it’s free ! Just be aware that in some countries you will only get the Amazon Store and Wikipedia ( I can’t actually find a full list of access by country ) and not full web access.

You don’t have to be tethered to finding a Wifi hotspot or accumulate big International Data fees. A lot of your basic stuff can be done right on your Kindle.

So here’s some of my hints how to make this free service work for you while overseas.

1. Don’t have 3G turned on all the time.  Only enable it when you’re going to attached to the Internet.  One of the great things about the Kindle is its long battery life.  3G sucks the battery life big time.

2. Use mobile versions of websites.  It’ll display quicker, better and be quicker  to navigate. There are some exceptions though. If I want to just view Facebook then I can use the mobile version but if I want to update my status the cursor won’t find the status input bar. I need to use the full Facebook site.

3. Now Australian telecommunication companies International Roaming fees are horrendous.  A single SMS send back to Australia is three times the normal cost. I have set up an account with an Australian VOIP provider.  Using the service I can use the mobile version of their website on the Kindle  to send SMS at a fraction of the cost back home, in fact I use these guys to sent SMS even at home as they’re so cheap. The service is set up to display my Australian mobile number as the sender so people know its from me and there’s no charge while roaming to receive an SMS back to my mobile.

4. Similarly my VOIP provider allows me to do Webcallback. By using their site I can put in my current hotel phone number, the person I want to calls number and the provider will connect the two all at their much lower cost (especially compared with hotel rates ).

5. Use it to keep up to date with currency exchanges via  www.xe.com

6. Here in Vietnam some ISPs block Facebook.  I’m guessing it’s political but can’t find the exact reason and I’m not sure why it only seems to be some.  Because the Kindle 3G uses Amazon’s proxies access isn’t an issue. Facebook away. I must admit I’m not a big Facebook user but it allows me to put the odd post up so family and friends know where I am and that I’m all right. This should also work in other blocked countries.

7. Store documents like your itinerary, travel insurance, medical notes in either PDF or Mobi format on you Kindle so it’s always available and not subject to paper creasing, ripping or accidental disposal. Being on the Kindle means no connectivity required.

8. Subscribe to a “cloud” service like Evernote or Springpad to keep online copies of documentation accessible via you Kindle.

So is 3G worth the extra money ?  To me it’s a resounding YES!! It allows me anywhere, anytime internet access to quickly check emails, Facebook and all my regular forums. It keeps me up to date with all the latest news from home via newspapers online and stay in contact with the loved ones. It helps fill in those hours waiting or travelling . Sure it’s slow and clunky, but it does the job.  I know I’ve saved more money in a single trip than the extra dollars for the 3G.

Oh and did I mention that 3G access is free all over the world ?

The downsides ? Page loads, screen refresh and navigation is cumbersome. The keyboard is also the same. Its painful to type too much and its handling of numbers (two input methods ) and especially punctuation is atrocious. But let’s not forget that this is meant to be an ebook reader. The experimental browser is really just the cream on the top

Hopefully these hints help someone out there and if you’ve got any more hints please post them.

(Oh and in the interest of full disclosure this article WASN’T written on my Kindle.  The keyboard just isn’t good enough for an article of this length. This was written on my other travel companion,  my Galaxy Tab 7″ using Swype)

(Oh and apology for any spelling, grammatical or other mistakes. Let me tell you, I’m glad we went with the “soft sleepers’ on the train because I’d hate to think what the “hard sleepers” are like !!!  Not a lot of good sleep.  :) )

( Final Oh, I promise. I’ve just edited and amended this article from my 3G Kindle using the WordPress mobile web page in bed, in a hotel in Hoi Anh. For some reason every room I’ve had this trip seems to be a WiFi deadspot )

Available from Amazon for $189

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: ebook, Kindle, Travel

Amazon Kindle 3G – The Perfect Travel Companion originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 11, 2011 at 11:05 am.

I heard the sad news on Wednesday that Michael S. Hart had passed away at 64. Who is Michael S. Hart you may ask? He is the founder of Project Gutenburg (PG), which is one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects. The picture for this article is a screen grab of “ebook #1″ the Declaration of Independence added in 1971. That’s right, 1971. If you have ever enjoyed an e-book, you have Michael S. Hart to thank.

You can read a complete obituary over at Project Gutenberg written by Greg Newby, The web sites seems to be up and down, so I’ll share the highlights after the jump.

The obit mentions him as the “inventor of electronic books”. Seeing as he started this all in 1971, I can’t figure who could contest that title. From the obit:

On July 4 1971, after being inspired by a free printed copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, he decided to type the text into a computer, and to transmit it to other users on the computer network. From this beginning, the digitization and distribution of literature was to be Hart’s life’s work, spanning over 40 years.

Starting from these very humble beginnings, PG has grown to over 36,000 titles and is hosted in 60 different languages. I remember discovering it when I was looking for books to read on my PalmPilot Personal. That seems so long ago, and yet PG had already been around for over a quarter century at that point. I have read numerous novels by Alexandre Dumas, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.G. Wells as well as many historical works like the Memoirs of Gen. William T Sherman.  In fact, I recall cutting and pasting OCR errors I discovered into a Palm Memo to send to PG for updates to that book, and how courteous the owner was in receiving them. He even gave me a little credit in the header for the proofreading. That highlights, to me, one of the lasting impacts of PG. The sense of being able to contribute to the project. My contribution is incredibly minor, but still is a source of pride to me.

It has been incredible to see his creation evolve. He was a passionate ASCII text advocate, but over time allowed other more accessible and nuanced formats to exist side by side. The passion he instilled in the volunteers, and the development over years is truly inspirational. When you think of leaving your mark, he did it.

So next time you sit down to read an e-book, take a few moments to remember this pioneer. I cannot say it any better than Greg Newby, so I will end with a quote from his obit:

Michael S. Hart left a major mark on the world. The invention of eBooks was not simply a technological innovation or precursor to the modern information environment. A more correct understanding is that eBooks are an efficient and effective way of unlimited free distribution of literature. Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy. Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous

Tagged: ebook

In Memoriam: Michael S. Hart originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Over the past few years Amazon has created Kindle reading software for just about every electronic device in existence. Today, they announced they were taking the Kindle to the cloud with their HTML5 based reader.  Now anyone running Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari on Windows or Mac OSX or Apple’s Mobile Safari on the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone can forgo having to download an app and just go to www.amazon.com/cloudreader to access their personal libraries. Support for Internet Explorer, Firefox and many other mobile browsers is in the works as well. The new version of the reader was seen as a response to Apple Computer, Inc. forcing Amazon, and others, to remove access to their online bookstore from Apps distributed through the Apple App Store.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Kindle

Amazon Sends Kindle to the Cloud originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 10, 2011 at 8:55 pm.

The Amazon Kindle is a very popular ebook reading device because it’s so portable and has the ability to store 100′s of books in such a small package. It’s also very easy to use except if you happen to be a person that lacks fine motor skills. How can a person that does not have the ability to press the small Previous and Next Page buttons enjoy reading with a Kindle? They can use a PageBot switch-based access solution from Origin Instruments. They offer over-sized buttons for easier page turning. Origin Instruments also offers a Sip/Puff system that enables page turning by breath control. The PageBot button switch systems are compatible with the Kindle 2, Kindle 3 and Kindle DX and are priced between $279.95 and $299.95 (Kindle not included).

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Health Related Gadgets, News

Tagged: ebook, Physical Challenges

PageBot – Easier Kindle eBook Reader Interaction for the Physically Challenged originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 27, 2011 at 10:55 am.

Kobo now has a touch screen version of their eReader called the Kobo eReader Touch. It is very similar the Nook Touch, but has no hardware buttons, and is a little narrower. The key specs are:

• 6″ Pearl high contrast E Ink display
• Infrared touch screen
• 2 GB of storage
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• SD Card slot (up to 32 GB)
• Supports EPUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG,BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF as well as the comic book formats CBZ and CBR.
• 7 Fonts in 17 sizes

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook

Kobo eReader Touch Edition originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Dedicated eBook reading devices tend to fall in one of two categories: E-ink or Color. Examples of E-ink eBook readers are the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook (the original and new Simple Touch version) and various Sony Readers. The most popular color reader is currently the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. But today I’m going to show you another, the Nextbook Next6 tablet. Is it a better choice than the Nook Color? Let’s see.

Note: The images in this review can be clicked to load a larger size.

Hardware Specs

Android OS 2.1
CPU: ARM926EJ Dual Core 600MHz
7” TFT 800×480 Capacitive Color Display
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Built-in 4GB Memory Storage
Built-in G sensor
Build-in Speaker
SD/MMC Card Slot for Memory Expansion
Ebook Supported Formats: PDF, EPUB (open and Adobe DRM), TXT, FB2, PDB, RTF
Music Supported Formats: MP3, WMA
Photo Supported Formats: BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG
Video Supported Formats: FLV, MKV, MOV
Built-in Rechargeable Li-polymer Battery
Dimensions: 7.48 x 5.11 x 0.44″
Weight: 0.92 lbs

Package Contents

Next6 Multimedia tablet
Protective case
AC Power Adapter
USB Cable
User’s Manual

The Next6 is a very nice looking device with its completely flat top surface that reminds me of an iPad. I love that it doesn’t have a raised bezel. The top is a very shiny Black plastic, while the back surface is also Black, but with tiny sparkles.

The display is bright and vivid. It doesn’t have has high a resolution as the Nook Color – 800 x 480 vs. 1024 x 600, but this didn’t cause me to have problems reading books, webpages or viewing videos. Of course, color eBook readers have a big disadvantage over E-ink readers – glare and outdoor visibility. Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to use the Next6 to read your favorite novels out in the direct sunlight. The display washes out and is very hard to read. If you’re an avid outdoor reader, stick with E-ink.

There is a button on either side of the display that can be used to page forwards and backwards through your ebooks. These buttons are generously sized and have very good tactile feedback.

All of the ports and switches are located along the bottom surface of the device. There’s a power button with a tiny LED that glows red while charging and turns green once charging is completed. Next the power button is a somewhat old fashioned mini USB connector that you can use to copy files to and from the reader. Next in line is an earphone jack, a full sized SD card slot and the power port. The two horizontal slots that you see are the built in speakers.

I have no major complaints as far as the Next6 hardware goes. This device looks nice, has a quality feel to it and is very solid. There’s no flexing, creaking or cracking of the case while you use the reader.

The Next6 is powered by Android OS version 2.1. The good news is that the interface is easy to navigate if you’re already familiar with Android.

There is a bar at the top of the display that has icons that will take you back to the Home screen, back one ‘screen’ and bring up the menu for the currently running application. You have 4 home screens that can be customized with widgets and app icons just like you’re used to with your phones and other Android tablets.

The bad news is that the Next6 doesn’t have a full installation of Android. Some important (to me) apps are missing.

What you see above minus the Android Pipes game, Kindle reader, app and Aldiko reader apps, which I installed, are all the apps that come installed on this device. Missing are the calendar, contacts, Gmail and Android App Market.

I did test the photo viewer, music player, video player and web browser apps, which all worked pretty well. I did experience a few random app force closes though.

Although the official App Market is not included, you can install 3rd party apps through the SlideME Marketplace. Weird name huh? There are many paid and free applications available for download through your wifi connection, but you won’t find all the apps that you can find in the App Market. For example, searching for Angry Birds yielded a whole bunch of apps that have absolutely nothing to do with the ever popular game. But, I was surprised to find the Kindle and Aldiko apps. The Kindle app is a pretty old version (1.1) though. However, the Aldiko app is up-to-date.

I should note that the SlideME Marketplace app is a bit buggy. More often than not, it would freeze up on me with a syncing routine when I would try to do searches.

Since the Next6 is being sold as an Android tablet and not just an ebook reader device, it’s unfortunate that the full version of Android hasn’t been included. Another gotcha is that this device can’t be upgraded to newer versions of Android.

Let’s read some books…

The Next6 is preloaded with 2 eBook reader applications and 25 free books. The books include classics such as Huckleberry Finn, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities and many more. These books are read using the main reader app that you see above. The interface is attractive and easy to navigate.

Reading using this application is pretty straight forward as it lacks any advanced features. Basically, all you can do is change the font size (not type or color) and turn pages. The hardware buttons can be used to turn pages or you can use the touch screen. If you’re familiar with the page turning animation that the iPad has, where it looks like you’re turning an actual physical page, this app does that too. The biggest problem with this app is that it doesn’t save your place in the book and saving a bookmark doesn’t work at all. You can create a named bookmark, but when you try to use it, it doesn’t take you anywhere. I ended up creating a bookmark and naming it the page number that I wanted to remember. When I would go back to reading, I’d have to look at the bookmark name and then use the go-to feature to go to that page number. Not very elegant to say the least.

Another problem I noticed with this reader app is that when you turn the reader to landscape mode and back to portrait, it will skip ahead a page. Argh.

There is another reader included with the Next6. It’s the Kobo reader and book store app. You can use this app to buy current books as well as download a large selection of free books. It works better than the other reader in that it accurately saves your place when you leave the app. But, it feels pretty sluggish to me and it seems that I was always staring at the spinning timer when turning pages and going from chapter to chapter. My advice is to use Aldiko.

The Next6 claims to get about 10hrs battery life per charge. I didn’t do any detailed tests to verify this claim, but 10hrs does sound about right. I know I was able to read a couple hours a day for several days without needing to recharge.

Nook Color on the Left, Next6 on the Right

I like the Next6 hardware quite a bit. Sometimes it actually feels a little snappier to me than the Nook Color and I found the multi-touch capacitive display to feel more responsive than the Nook as well. The things that bother me about this player are the buggy reader and market apps and the fact that it can’t be upgraded to newer versions of the OS. For these reasons, I’m torn as to whether I can really recommend the Next6. Although the advertised price for this reader is $279.99 on the Nextbook website, I have found it for $100 cheaper on Amazon. That makes it more attractive. As is, I wouldn’t pay $279.99 for it and would be more likely to pay $249 for a Nook Color because I am more confident that it will be supported with firmware updates. I’m not confident that the Next6 will be supported with any updates at all. Since receiving this reader to review, Nextbook released the Next7, which has a 1GHz processor and Android 2.3. Sounds like that one is the better choice…

Filed in categories: Android related, eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Android, ebook, Tablet

Nextbook Next6 eBook Reader Tablet Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2011 at 5:29 pm.

Even minimalists who prefer not to use a case with their favorite tablet and eReader devices needs extra protection at some point or another. Ever take your Kindle to the beach? Use your iPad to display recipes in the kitchen? You can see how those environments might not be the most friendly for your expensive gadget. www.CleverWraps.com are clear disposable sleeves with a zip closure that are available for the iPad, iPad2, Galaxy, Kindle 2, Kindle 3, nook, nook color and Sony Daily Edition. Slide your device into the sleeve, zip it up and it’s now protected from sand, rain, dirt, grease, etc. Each package contains three sleeves and is priced at $14.99. My only question is… why not use a ziploc baggie instead? Full press release after the jump.

CleverWraps® Announces New Protective Sleeves for iPad 2, Tablet and eReader Models 
 
Clear, disposable sleeves protect electronic readers and tablet devices from life’s mishaps
(SAN DIEGO– March 15, 2011) – CleverWraps® (www.CleverWraps.com), creators of disposable protection for electronic devices and makers of RingerWraps®, announces their new line of CleverWraps for eReaders and tablets—the first-ever disposable, protective sleeves for electronic reading devices and tablet devices.  Like the company’s original line of mobile phone sleeves, the new series protects against incidental contact with water, sand, grease, dirt and other harmful materials. The size variants are designed to fit popular tablet and eReader models such as the iPad, iPad2, Galaxy, Kindle 2, Kindle 3, nook, nook color and Sony Daily Edition—with sizes to fit other devices coming soon.
 
CleverWraps are made of crystal clear, high-grade poly and feature a double channel zip closure and re-sealable tape for double protection and a custom fit. The translucent, lightweight but sturdy and protective material gives a precise fit and allows for full device functionality, including use of the power switch, keyboard, touch screen and speaker. 
 
CleverWraps protect devices from moisture in even the most extreme environments, can withstand quick submersion in water, are 100 percent recyclable, and made in the USA.
 
“Tablets and electronic reading devices have flooded the market over the past year, but CleverWraps is the only affordable, easy-to-use protective solution that does not interfere with device functionality, look, or feel,” says Karen McElaney, Co-Founder of CleverWraps. “They’re perfect for reading at the beach or by the pool, and they save electronics from those ‘uh-oh’ moments.” 
 
Each package contains three sleeves and is priced at $14.99. CleverWraps for eReaders and tablets are now available for purchase on Amazon and www.CleverWraps.com. Versions for more eReader and tablet models will be unveiled soon.
 
About CleverWraps®
Affordable, custom fit, disposable protection for personal electronic devices like mobile phones, electronic readers, and tablet pc’s; all susceptible to damage when subjected to water, sand, snow , rain, perspiration, grease and other damaging elements. All devices are completely functional while protected by CleverWraps. For more information or to purchase, visit www.CleverWraps.com or amazon.com.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: ebook, iPad

Protect your eBook Reader or iPad 2 with a CleverWrap originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

You can think of eBook Fling as the Netflix of eBooks. With this site, you can borrow thousands of books from other readers across the US for FREE for 14 days through the Kindle and Nook. Don’t have a Kindle or Nook eReader? No problem. eBook Fling also works with iPad, iPhone, Blackberry or Android smartphones using the Kindle or Nook apps. The way it works is that you list your own books and create wishlists for books that you want to read. It’s free to join, and for each book that you lend out, you’ll earn a credit. Each book you borrow, you’ll use a credit. To get started, you can purchase 3 book credits for $8.99. Right now the eBook Fling site is pretty klunky - if you click on a book title or thumbnail, it will take you right back to the home page. But I think it does show promise. What do you guys think? Would you use this service?

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook

eBook Fling Uses Crowdsourcing to Offer Unlimited eBook Swapping originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 16, 2011 at 11:57 am.

Openmoko’s WikiReader handheld Wikipedia viewer, which we reviewed late last year, is now able to display the entire contents of Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library which contains more than 33,000 digital books. All of these books have been converted and compressed so that users can download the entire Project Gutenberg library onto a 4GB microSD card, which can then be installed in the WikiReader for reading without a need for a connection to the Internet. Current WikiReader owners can update their device to add this capability by visiting http://www.thewikireader.com/update/.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Spotlight Gadgets

WikiReader Can Now Be Used as an Ebook Reader originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 15, 2010 at 10:15 am.

Do you own multiple ebook reader devices? Maybe you own a Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone or other smartphone with multiple Reader apps. When you find a book that you wish to purchase, do you spend time checking all the online stores to make sure you get the best deal? An easier way is to use Leatherbound. It’s an easy to use website where you can make one search and see the price at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and the iBook store. As an example, a search on the book Tom Sawyer would allow you to get the book for free via the iBook store and Amazon, as opposed to paying $2.99 for it through Barnes & Noble. Definitely worth a shot to check the site before you buy your next eBook.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook

Leatherbound is your eBook shopping assistant originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2010 at 8:30 am.

Barnes & Noble just announced the next version of their Nook eBook reader. It’s the NOOKcolor. It has a 7″ 1024 x 600 color display. However, unlike the original Nook, the entire display is touch enabled. It’s also interesting to note that the display is 169 dpi. By comparison the iPad is 132, iPhone 3gs 163, iPhone 4 retina display 326 and 6″ e-ink displays are 167 dpi.

Other hardware features include built in WiFi (no 3G), 8GB on board for six thousand book capacity with expansion on microSD. You’ll be able to read for up to 8hrs per charge as long as you turn off WiFi. It is powered by Android OS and will have a special B&N app store. Why it won’t run regular Android apps and have access to the regular app market remains to be seen.

Reading features… isn’t that the main reason why you’d want the NOOKcolor in the first place? … include special kid features that will allow for interaction and the ability to have the book read to them. The book lending and borrowing features appear to be unchanged. Lend a book to a friend for up to 14 days once and that’s all. You can tweet and update your Facebook page with details of what you’re reading, as well as surf the web via the installed browser.

The NOOKcolor is priced at $249 and will be shipping on or around November 19. With pre-ordering open now. Will you be buying one?

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, nook, Spotlight Gadgets

Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor Unveiled originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 26, 2010 at 5:18 pm.

Amazon has just announced a new and improved version of their larger eBook reader, the Kindle DX. It has an improved screen, better battery life, free worldwide connectivity and is available in dark gray (to list some of the upgrades). Amazon’s Kindle continues to be the iPad’s biggest competition in the eReader game. Priced at $379, the latest generation Kindle DX has come down in price while improving its specs/features but is it enough to not loose its market share to the iPad and other more capable tablets rushing to the market…

It will have the following specs/features:

• • All New, High Contrast E-Ink Screen: Our graphite Kindle DX uses our all new, improved electronic ink display, with 50% better contrast for the clearest text and sharpest images
  • Beautiful Large Display: The 9.7″ diagonal E-ink screen is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines, and blogs
  • Read in Sunlight with No Glare: Unlike backlit computer or LCD screens, Kindle DX’s display looks and reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room
  • Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
  • Books In Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
  • Free 3G Wireless: No monthly payments, no annual contracts. Download books anywhere, anytime
  • Long Battery Life: Read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks.
  • Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
  • Buy Books Once, Read Them Anywhere: Kindle books can be read on all your devices. Our Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across your Kindle(s), PC, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Android phone, and BlackBerry device
  • Social Networks: Share your passion for reading with friends and family by posting meaningful passages to Twitter and Facebook directly from your Kindle
  • Global Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries. See details. Check wireless coverage map.
  • Built-In PDF Reader: Carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go. Now with Zoom capability to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics
  • Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
  • Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Kindle, Spotlight Gadgets

Amazon Upgrades the Kindle DX originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 1, 2010 at 10:03 pm.

The new release of the Amazon Kindle firmware, 2.5, was downloaded to my Kindle DX the other day.   (It has been steadily downloaded to Kindles over the past several weeks.  If you own a Kindle, just turn on the wireless mode and then choose the Sync & Download New Items  option.)  Among other things, the two most important features (or the ones that I think are the most important) include 1) a way to categorize your book titles and 2) provide a zoom feature for PDF documents.  Here are a few scream shots of the new version in action.

Closer-upper shot of the KDX home page; I have several "collections" which are shown at the top

Previous versions of the KDX software did not allow for categorizing of titles — everything was dumped into one long (and large) list.

Native screen capture of the KDX "home" page -- shows the collections and non-categorized titles

Native screen capture of a page from a PDF document. In previous versions of the KDX, this view could only be expanded by turning the KDX on its side.

The PDF sub-menu which appears when you press the font button on the KDX keyboard.

Same page as above, zoomed in at the 150% level

And zoomed in at the next higher level

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Kindle

DeKlutter Your Kindle with Firmware Update 2.5 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 17, 2010 at 10:30 am.

DIY scanners can be pretty complex

If you’ve decided that your e-book reader is your new body part, you may have stumbled upon some of the DIY book-scanner forums or sites such as diybookscanner.org.  While the designs presented on the internet are intriguing, they are not always practical for klutzes.  Ahem.

So I was equally intrigued by this, the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner.

Other portable scanners (such as the DocuPen) have been discussed on the The-Gadgeteer, but this one is affordable and looks large enough for a decent sized scan.  It can be found on Amazon.com for $97.   Note as Julie mentioned in the DocuPen review, performing a scan sideways may render a better result with some hand-helds.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Scanner, Spotlight Gadgets

What a Difference 300 Years Make originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 8, 2010 at 8:00 am.

Amazon will soon be releasing a software upgrade which should provide a solution to one of the annoying nuisances of the device: the lack of a decent way to organize items. Currently, items on the Kindle are listed without sophisticated organization. Additionally, a zoom feature for PDF files is supposedly on its way. Currently, the only way to zoom PDF content is to rotate the Kindle to landscape mode.

From the Amazon Kindle information site, here is the list of features to look forward to:

• Collections: Organize your books and documents into one or more collections.
• PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.
• Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you’re not using it.
• More Fonts & Improved Clarity: Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience.
• Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle.
• Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you’re reading.

I hope they also include a fix for the problems with the back button.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, Kindle

Kindle 2, DX Software Upgrade End of May May be Worth Wait originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 3, 2010 at 1:45 pm.

If you’ve not yet jumped over into the world of eBooks, BookAse is an online price comparison shopping engine that allows you to compare prices for books and helps you the find the cheapest possible prices.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook

Find the Best Prices for Books originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 22, 2010 at 12:51 pm.

Amazon has released the long-anticipated “Kindle for Mac” app today.  The application, which is free, allows users with or without a Kindle to access the 450,000 e-books from Amazon’s Kindle Store.

If you are a Kindle user, you will experience a seamless integration between your Kindle device and the application on your Mac (Intel-based machines only).  You will be able to access your Kindle library when you don’t have your Kindle with you, and your most previously read page (whether read on your Kindle device or your Mac) will always be synchronized using Amazon’s Whispernet service. System requirements after the jump.

• A Mac with a 500MHz Intel processor or faster
• At least 512MB of RAM
• Screen resolution of 800×600 or greater
• Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
• 100MB of available disk space

[Courtesy of Engadget]

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: Apple, ebook, Kindle

“Kindle for Mac” App Now Available originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2010 at 9:07 am.

A Kindle-DX showed up on my door step after about a month from its original order date. Must have nookitis. I chose the Kindle-DX mainly because of the screen size, native PDF support, and I was accustomed to the Kindle user interface with my Kindle 1st generation. Plus the KDX is already available on the market. I really liked the K-1 but wanted more functionality and a few of its nuisances addressed.

You might consider the KDX an anachronism with the iThing is on its way in 60 or so days.  In fact when I heard the IPad had a starting price close to the KDX I cringed and secretly wished I had waited until the Ides of March.  After spending a few days with the KDX I have come to a conclusion about that secret wish.  Curious about what that conclusion is?  (Probably not, neither am I actually.)  Anyway, following is a quick bit of information on the KDX, with some comparisons with the Kindle 1 that I’ve used up till now and some things to think about when thinking about the iPad.

MAIN SPECS

These are taken from the Amazon Kindle DX information page:

• Display: 9.7″ diagonal E Ink 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 16-level gray scale
• Weight: 18.9 ounces
• Storage: 4GB internal (approximately 3.3GB available for user content)
• Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.
• Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint’s 3G high-speed data network (check wireless coverage). [The-Gadgeteer note: this wireless connectivity is free, you do NOT have to pay a fee for this; this is how you can download books and browse the internet.]
• USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-USB connector)
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, built-in stereo speakers
• Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
• Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, battery. Leather book cover sold separately.
• Warranty and Service: 1 year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2 year Extended Warranty sold separately.

FRU-FRU STUFF

Now for the fru-fru obligatory photos of the thing  . . .

First, it’s very thin — it almost looks like part of it is missing.

Thin thin thin thin thin (diet coke not included)

Bottom of the KDX -- the connector is a micro USB

This is the USB cable. The standard PC-side connector is on right, the micro-connector on left. In the center is the 120v/60Hz wall wart that attaches to the USB cable. The wall wart is not much bigger than a regular plug.

Top of the KDX. KDX uses a momentary switch to put it in ON, SLEEP, or OFF modes. Getting it OFF requires holding the button closed for about 6 seconds, which is annoying. Note that I don't have enough data yet to judge the battery life.

Right side of the KDX showing the main navigation buttons. Oddly enough the Kindle 1 got a lot of flak about the placement of the Next and Prev buttons. On the K-1 it was difficult to hold the unit without accidentally hitting the buttons. I thought the KDX would have had a great improvement on this problem, but I still think they are easy to hit accidentally if you do not put the unit into a case.

I had read bad things about the joy stick, but to me it seemed fine. A little small, but not a big deal. It's a little slower to scroll through a page with this joy stick, but you can scroll to the left and right, which you could not do with the old K1.

The keyboard is ridiculously small. The K-1 keys were small also, but they were at least usable. You can use the keyboard to enter annotations in the books, enter text into web search pages, and a few other things. Really disappointed with the keys.

Left side of the KDX. This shows one of the "book" holes on the edge of the KDX, there are two of these. I had read and had been warned by Amazon about the use of the Amazon KDX leather cover which is made especially for these book holes. Some customers were busting their KDX console trying to fit them into the Amazon cover. I didn't find them to be too troublesome, though and think it is a good improvement over the K-1's problem of falling out of its Amazon cover. The cover, by the way, does not come with the KDX -- it's an add-on. And an expensive one. A video below shows the attachment of the Amazon cover.

ACTUAL READING EXPERIENCE

So how does it work for actual reading?

First, the text quality is great. You can not only adjust the font size, but the column width as well. This latter feature may be helpful if you are a fast reader. The clarity of the text is another reason that I went for the KDX, I was happy with the K1 and they did not degrade the quality on the KDX. Another cool feature they added to the font size adjustment is an auto-preview of the page with the highlighted font size; in other words you are given a preview of what the page will look like with a new font size without committing to that font size. This is really a great addition.

Screen reflection -- again I knew from experience with the K1 that this is not as big of an issue as this photo implies. I had heard about bad reflection on the Sony and LCD devices, but I knew the reflection on the Kindle was not that bad. This is a really bad photo showing some reflection on the display -- don't get too worried about this, it looks worse in the photo than in real life. Again, I know from experience with the K-1 that the screen is not that bad. I would like to see a similar comparison with the IPad screen, though.

While the text is clear and a pleasure to read, holding the KDX in couch-potato mode is uncomfortable. This was the biggest problem with the KDX - it's just not comfortable to read. It's heavier than the K-1 and when reading in normal couch-potato mode, I found my wrist getting very fatigued. Note that in this photo the KDX is in its Amazon KDX cover and the cover has been bent backwards (like a paperback book cover).

In "landscape" mode with the Amazon cover acting as a prop to help hold it, was a little less awkward. (Rotating the KDX flips the text too.)

With the KDX in portait mode and the cover open, reading in a couch potato slouch was tolerable. But I gotta say, I really preferred the size of the K1 for comfort. I wonder if this will be an issue with the IPad.

Page turning on the KDX is performed via the Next and Prev buttons.  Page turning was not as slow as it was on the K1 and I did not notice that it was all that sluggish when reading regular books.  When graphics are involved, page turning is slow, though.  A video at the end of the article demonstrates page turning.  A note about “pages” within the context of the KDX (and other e-readers I’d imagine) is that a “page” on the reader does not correspond to a page number in the hard copy version of the book.  Instead, KDX uses the concept of a “location” to keep track of your position in a book.   You can see this in some of the figures below.   (By the way, the Kindle has an option to capture a screen shot which is a neat unadvertised feature.)

The KDX will maintain the last point in the book at the time that you close the book (by going to the Home page, for instance, or turning the KDX off or place it in sleep mode).  If you swap books and then go back to a different book, it will bring you back to the last location.  That’s a good thing.  It also has a “Sync to Furthest Location” menu item which is supposed to act as a dynamic bookmark if you maintain multiple copies of your book on multiple devices.  So you could read your book at home up to, say chapter 15, then pick up at the same location from another Amazon-compatible reading device.  This feature only works, though, if you have the wireless connection turned on (which in turn eats up your battery).  The photo below is actually a  screen capture taken right on the Kindle, saved automatically as .GIF files, then uploaded to here.  That’s kind of a neat feature I hadn’t used, but it’s there.

Nice feature to maintain location across multiple readers, but requires wireless to be turned on. This figure is a native screen capture using the KDX's Alt, Shift, and G keys simultaneously.

In addition to the font selection size, if there is a figure in the book, you can jiggle the joy stick to the location of the figure and click and zoom in on the figure to increase its size.  This does not appear to work on PDF files, though.    The photos show the zoom-in on a figure in a book on yoga.

KDX book with an image

Select the image via the joystick and a little "+" icon appears.

Click on the zoom icon and the figure is increased.

Finally, as mentioned, you can rotate the KDX and the screen will auto-rotate as well.    You can even turn it upside down and have the Next Page button be used by the left hand. You can also lock the rotation if you are reading in a refrigerator box and need to hold the reader at an odd angle.

Reading Experience UPDATE for Reading Technical Books

After several months now with the KDX, I’ve got some problems with it when reading  technical books (think, for example, text books or other reference manuals).  Something to consider when purchasing the KDX for storing and using technical books:

1. It is very difficult to jump around in the books.  Some books have internal links to figures and sub-sections where by you can jump to a section easily.  But not all books have that feature and the “back” button on the KDX (to return from where you came) does not always work.  That can leave you lost somewhere in the book unable to return immediately from where you started.  (NOTE: when you find that the “back” button no longer works, you can to a “hard” reset on the KDX to restore its [the "back" button's] functionality.  To perform a “hard” reboot go to the “Home” page, then hit the “menu” button, then go to “Settings”, then hit the “menu” button again and select the “Reset” option.)
2. It is difficult to skim through books.  Page turning, while fine for novels and page-by-page reading materials is adequate, is gruesome for technical books.  There is no way to skip from, say, chapter to chapter, as many of us do.  You can bookmark the start of each chapter (see the Bookmark Feature further in the review), and then jump to them using the bookmarks, but that is time-consuming and something that should have been considered by the publishers.  You could bounce back to the Table of Contents and skip to chapters that way, but again, that is just more steps than necessary for an electronic device.  (It also depends on whether or not the particular publisher of the ebook in question has a link to the table of contents; some do and some don’t.)
3. All of the ebooks that I’ve purchased from Amazon (both technical and non-technical) have had footnote formatting problems.  Specifically, the footnotes appear in the middle of the text area, not at the bottom of the screen, as one would expect.  This makes reading through text very confusing.


Native screen shot of a technical manual with a footnote appearing in the middle of the text.

4. Bookmarks in the technical books tend to become cluttered and hard to navigate.  If you bookmark each chapter by hand (as I do with some books), then other legitimate bookmarks you make will also appear in the bookmark list.   There also does not seem to be a way to delete bookmark entries from the bookmark screen — instead you can delete a bookmark only when you are physically at the page in question.

Native screen shot of bookmark page; this can get cluttered and hard to navigate too.

It will be interesting to see if the IPad can simplify some of these problems with technical books.

FEATURES

Unfortunately I was having problems with my camera in that it would not focus properly, so I am just providing a quick summary of the main KDX features and am providing photos and videos only when my camera had happened to be cooperating.

Content Management (List of Items on the KDX)

As you may know, the Kindle can be thought of like a USB memory stick.  When you hook the USB cable to the KDX and to your PC, the Kindle displays three folders — audible, documents, and music.  Then, when using the Kindle, the “home” page or screen is used to navigate to your various items.

When connected via USB cable to your computer, the KDX contents show up with three folders. The "audible" folder is for audible book files; the "documents" folder is for .AZW, .MOB, .TXT, .HTML book files, the "music" folder is for MP3 files. The "photos" folder was created by me. More on that folder in the article.

List of items in the "documents" folder. Note that you can create sub folders here (e.g. the "THIS_IS_A_TEST_FOLDER") but when displayed on the Kindle itself, only the items within the folder appear -- the folder itself does not.

List of items in my "audible" folder; they are in sub-folders but when displayed on the Kindle, the individual audio files in each sub folder are shown.

Shot of the Kindle "home" page (using its screen capture capability rather than a photo shot), note that the contents in the "audible" sub folders are listed without the sub folder that was created on the PC. Note that the type of file ("pdf", "audio") appears in the left-hand margin.

Contents of my "music" folder. Note that these appear to be "in order". However, as pointed out later in this article, the files are not played in the order you see here. By the way, MP3 files placed in the "music" folder do not show up on the "home" screen of the KDX.

You can add items to the Kindle via the USB port in sub-folders as shown here, including creating sub folders, but, when the Kindle itself displays the items, it displays them in a flat list, i.e., without regard to your folders that you set up.

Kindles use a main or “home” screen page to list the items (actually most of the items) on your Kindle (it doesn’t list MP3 files).  As with the K1 this home screen is still a pain –the list of books (or audio books) is just a flat list — no sub-categorizing available. I’m hoping that a software upgrade will someday remedy this.  Also, note that the home screen/page does not show you a list of MP3 files that you may have loaded onto the KDX.

A very nice surprise in content management was the addition of an item called "Archived" which, when clicked, opens a list of books previously purchased through Amazon and which can be re-downloaded to the Kindle. This is really nice. For someone who is upgrading his or her Kindle, this is a great feature. For someone new to the Kindle, maybe not so much. But I like it.

Searching

You can search within an individual book (when you have that book open); search within all of your books; and search on the Internet (when wireless is on).  This works okay but is awkward due to the keyboard keys when entering your search word or phrase.

Example of search initiated from the home page. You can search your books and search on line.

Dictionary Look-up

A video at the end of this article shows an example of the dictionary look-up feature.  With a book open, you use the joy-stick to position a cursor at the word you are interested in.  A mini definition for that word then appears automatically at the bottom of the screen.  If you would like a more thorough definition, a button click brings up the entire definition from the on-board dictionary.  Hitting the back button then returns you back to the book you had been reading.  (UPDATE: as mentioned above, the KDX’s “back” button can stop working, you must perform a hard reset in order to restore its functionality.  See the note above on how to perform a hard reset.)

Move cursor to a particular word (here "diminutive") in the text and a brief definition appears at the bottom of the screen.

Annotations

A video at the end of this article shows an example of entering an annotation or note to a book.  The annotation appears as a footnote number in the text and you have to select it via the joy-stick and click to read it.  This feature is unremarkable.  Everyone knows that when you want to mark a book in real life, you want to see the note.  Again, it’ll be interesting to see if the IPad has a similar capability.

An annotation added at a previous time; cursor to the annotation and its contents show up at the bottom of the screen.

Bookmarking

This feature is a lifesaver especially when reading technical books.  The bookmark feature allows you to mark a location (sort of a page) and then jump back to a bookmarked location on demand.  This can all be accomplished through the menuing system (there are some keyboard short cuts).

Adding a bookmark

A bookmarked "page"; note the dog ear in upper right corner

Selecting among previously bookmarked locations in a book

Audio Books

You can place audio books onto the KDX into the audio book folder and play them.  But I’m going to say this about audio book support:  realistically, only Audible  files (from Audible.com) or single, full-length MP3 files are going to work for you.  The reason I say that is that audio books that are split into many small MP3 files (as is the case with Librivox audio books, for example) can only be played one-file-at-a-time and requires user intervention to select the files to be played.  In other words you cannot get an automatic continuous play back of each of the individual MP3 files.  The photo in the Fru-Fru section showing the home page in fact shows this very problem:  I had an audio book which was split into many small MP3 files and each of those files show up as an entry in the home page.  I can play individual audio book MP3 files on demand, but once one file is finished playing, I’d have to go back to the home page and select the next file.  Note that most audio books that are in MP3 format usually run about 1GB so you wouldn’t be able to add too many audio books at a time.

This is the screen when playing an audio file, basic player controls show up

MP3 Player

Not to be confused with the audio book support, the MP3 player is considered “experimental”.  Contents dropped into the Music sub folder  are played, according to the user manual “in the order in which you place them on the folder”.   So I’m not really sure what order they are played in.  (The files that I loaded into the Music folder did not play in the order I expected them.)  And yes, you can listen to MP3 files while you are also reading.  Apparently that is a big issue for potential IPad users.

Text To Speech

Not to be confused with the Audio Book support, the text-to-speech feature is also experimental.   Some books have this capability locked out.  The voice can be either set to male or female and one of three different speeds chosen.  It’s kind of difficult to listen to since it is computer generated and choppy,  but you could get used to it.  It’s also a little sluggish when you enable it; it takes about 10-20 seconds before it kicks in.  A video at the end of this article demonstrates text-to-speech.

Photos

This is a feature that is not advertised but has been mentioned on several blogs about the Kindle; you can create a “pictures” subfolder on the Kindle and place sub folders and photos files into the sub folders.  The sub folders show up as entries on the home screen and clicking on them brings up the photos therein.  Why they could not use this philosophy with books, I can’t really imagine.  The figures below show a screen capture of the home page when a set of three photo subfolders were added and a few photo renderings.  Be forewarned that this feature is very slow and possibly buggy; in the course of preparing for this sub-section of this article, my KDX froze up and I had to induce a reset to bring it back to life.

Optional unadvertised "photos" sub folders show up on the home page.

Personal JPG photo from my "animal_photos" sub folder

Although unadvertised, display of photos has its own sub-menu, as shown here

Unusual Books

There are a few non-traditional books for the Kindle which attempt to imitate a miniature application.  A few examples include a calendar app, a Sudoko app, and shown in the example below, a word morphing game app.  Most of these are pretty lame and are based on the annotation capability of the Kindle, not the lower level Kindle’s API.  I haven’t tried the Sudoko game but read that it actually interacts with the wireless capability so I’m not sure if it uses a more sophisticated web interface messaging or not.   Hopefully it does, which means that there are more possibilities waiting.

Tic-tac-toe game on the KDX

Magazines, Newspapers

I had heard that magazine and newspapers on the KDX were hindered by the screen size.  Below are a few shots from the Newsweek issue I downloaded.  In this case the hindrance does not seem to be from the KDX screen, but from the content of the downloaded issue.

Newsweek table of contents

Article from Newsweek

Shopping for New Books

This is one of the reasons I went with the KDX; I like the shopping experience right from the Kindle itself.  With the wireless capability on, following are a few shots of shopping right from the Kindle.

Shopping for new Amazon books on the KDX; average price for novels is about $10-$15; for technical manuals, however, only about 10-20% less than hardback versions.

Searching for a particular book on Amazon

NOTE: there are many ways to get items onto your Kindle, including these which I know of and have used personally, and again, this is one of the reasons that I like the Kindles:

1. Shopping on Amazon from the KDX itself.
2. Shopping on Amazon from a PC and have the book delivered to the KDX wirelessly at a later time.
3. Downloading contents (TXT, MOBI, previously-purchased Amazon books) via USB.
4. Downloading public-domain free MOBI books wirelessly from the KDX itself via Feedbooks.com.
5. Emailing attachments to the KDX and have them delivered to the KDX wirelessly at a later time (this costs you 15 cents per email attachment).  You can send TXT, DOC, and PDF file attachments this way; DOC files are converted to the AZW file format.  This is great because if you find a PDF file on line that you would like to read on the KDX at a later time, you can just email it to your Kindle and then turn on the wireless feature of the Kindle at your leisure — you don’t have to carry the USB cable and Kindle around with you everywhere.

Screen capture when on line and searching through public domain books on Feedback.com. Just click and file is downloaded.

Web Browsing

The wireless feature in the Kindles allow you to connect to and do some web browsing.  This is slow, choppy, buggy at times, and limited.  It is very useful, though, to download MOBI files and check on the mobile version of CNN.  The battery power decreases when using this feature.

Browsing on KDX

GMail on the KDX

PDF Support

This works.  Period.  (UPDATE: see update section below)  This is the one of the reasons I went with the KDX — the screen size, especially when viewing PDF documents.  I am not disappointed here.  Note with PDF files, though, you cannot “zoom” onto the figures, nor does the adjustable font feature work, nor can you annotate nor highlight information in the file.  For PDF files that I have where the text is tiny, I just flip the KDX on its side and the contents become larger.  You can see this in the two photos below.

Example PDF file UPDATE: this particular PDF file just happened to be the right size for viewing when the screen is rotated (see photo below)

Same PDF file, with KDX rotated UPDATE: again, this particular PDF document just happened to be the right size for viewing. Other PDF documents are not necessarily going to be as readable.

(03-2010 PDF Update)

After having used the PDF feature of the KDX for several months now, my initial enthusiasm has dimmed a bit.  There are several problems/issues I’ve found to be annoying and something you should think about if you plan a lot of PDF viewing, as I had.

1. The PDF renderer is nowhere near as robust as a PC-based readers (such as the Adobe or Foxit readers).  There are only two resizing capabilities on the KDX for PDF files: as-is and a little bigger when rotating the KDX screen.  There is no zoom.   And not all PDF files are well-sized.  While you can rotate the KDX screen so that the contents of a PDF are enlarged, not all PDF files will fit the screen as well as the example shown in the photos above.  In fact most of the PDF documents I’ve tried to read when rotated will over-shoot the screen and you will need to scroll to the next page to see the rest of the contents.   This might not seem like a huge issue, but it is when viewing technical diagrams.  It will be interesting to see if the IPad will handle PDF viewing in a more interactive manner, i.e. having the ability to zoom in and out.


Example as-is PDF view in portrait rotation of the KDX



Rotating the KDX to landscape renders larger view of the file, but also splits it across pages. There is no other zoom option.

2. While you cannot highlight nor annotate in PDF files, you can submit the PDF file to Amazon for conversion to “.azw” (aka Kindle) format for a small fee.  But the PDF conversion  is similar (if not the same) as the conversion that is used by the MobiPocket converter program.  Neither of these handle certain PDF items (tables, footnotes, some headings) well.  While tables that are viewed in an Adobe or Foxit reader appear fine, they can become de-formatted, skewed, and practically unreadable on the KDX (as is the case with the MobiPocket converter).

Native screen shot of a PDF file. Here, note the diagram at the top of the page.

The same page as above, but after having been converted to ".azw" format. The diagram has been wiped out. This happens with both the conversion service offered by Amazon and with the MobiPocket converter.

Summary

I think that covers most of the main features of the KDX.  My conclusion is that a big screen is sweet but the heft of the KDX is a little awkward for reading.  A cover can help alleviate some of that problem.  The screen can show some reflection but not enough to be a show-stopper.  The amount of memory is limited but you can off-load Amazon-purchased books wirelessly and then download them again wirelessly on demand.  Categorization is still not available but I’m hoping a software fix will cure that issue.  I’m hoping that a software fix can also fix the issue of MP3 file play-back ordering.

Another note for those who are interested in using an e-reader for technical books:  the Kindles are not the most gracious at allowing you to bounce around in a book.  In other words, if the text is referring to a figure that is a few pages away, it is awkward to scroll forward to view the figure and then page back to the text.  (And the “back” button frequently stops working.)  Something else that will be interesting to see on the IPad; does it allow for multiple screens?

Now that I know more about a larger device such as the KDX, I think I am not so enthused about the IPad — I think it will be even heavier and probably hotter.  Plus battery life?  Who knows.  I guess I”m not all that enthralled about the KDX either, but I’ll stick with it for now.

VIDEO DEMOS

This video demonstrates choosing a book from the home page and flipping through a few of the pages.

This video demonstrates adding a note to a page in a book and the basic word definition capability.

This video demonstrates inserting the KDX into the Amazon cover.

This video demonstrates text-to-speech.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: ebook, Kindle

Amazon Kindle DX Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2010 at 6:00 pm.

Those of you considering the purchase of a dedicated eBook Reader may be under the impression that your only choices are from Sony, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I’d like to show you one affordable alternative. It’s the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro.

Hardware Specs

RAM: 117MB free
Display: 5″ (12.7cm) ePaper display
Supported formats: PDF, TXT, FB2, EPUB, MOBI, PRC, RTF, BMP, JPG, GIF, and animated GIF picture, MP3
Expansion slot: SD up to 32GB
Dimensions: 6.0 x 4.25 x o.5 in
Weight: 8 oz.
Battery Life: 24 hours (2 weeks standby time)

Package Contents

eBook Reader PRO
2GB SD card filled with 100 books
USB Cable
Power Charger
Hand Strap
Earphones
Carrying Pouch
Quick Start Guide
Warranty & Registration Card

Let me start out right away by telling you that the Libre Pro does not offer a wireless feature like the Kindle and Nook. You will be required to load your books manually instead of buying them through the device. Aluratek helps you out by providing an SD card with the reader that has 100 books preloaded. They are classics such as Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, War and Piece, Wuthering Heights, etc.

Books can also be purchased through ebooks.com

Having owned both the Kindle and Nook, the small size of the Libre was immediately noticeable when I first took it out of the box. The display is only 1 inch smaller though. Click the image above for a larger view.

The Libre’s case is made of charcoal colored plastic that doesn’t show fingerprints or smudges. In hand the reader feels solid and does not flex when squeezed.

The slightly recessed display takes up most of the front of the device, with buttons on both sides and below. The back of the reader has a slight ‘hump’ that holds the non-user replaceable battery.

The main controls are located below the display. On the Left is a combination page next/page prev button and next to that is a grouping of buttons that offer font resizing, screen rotation, menu, and also another set of page next/page prev buttons (left arrow and right arrow).

The Left edge of the Libre offers a third page turning method with a spring loaded sliding bar. Slide it down to turn to the next page, slide it up to go back a page. Raised ridges allow your thumb to keep a grip on this bar. I don’t like this method and find myself using the dedicate paging buttons below the screen.

On the opposite side, there are ten numbered buttons that are used to select books from the list view. These buttons are also used to enter text for search terms.

The top edge has a power status LED and an attached cover…

…which protects a mini USB port and SD card slot. The USB port is used to charge the device and for data transfer of the device itself and the inserted SD card. The Libre mounts as removable drives automatically on Windows and Mac computers.

The bottom edge has the power button and 3.5mm headphone jack.

The interface is pretty simple. Turn on the device for the first time and you’re greeted with a list of installed books. To read a book, you can either press the corresponding numbered button next to it or scroll to the desired title with the Dpad and press the OK button to select it.

The Libre does not use an E-ink display like the Kindle, Nook and Sony Readers. Aluratek calls their display ePaper. It reminds me exactly of the old days of PDAs. Specifically the Palm V. Back in the day, the Palm V/Vx was my favorite PDA because the screen was so easy to read. The Libre is just as easy… as long as you’re in a well lit room. This reader does not have a backlight. For those of you that don’t like the E-ink flashing that occurs when turning pages, this reader does not suffer from that affliction.

The display can be rotated and …

you can choose from 6 different font sizes.

The initial load time of books can take several seconds depending on the size of the book. But once loaded, there is no lag in page turning. I tested the reader with plain old text files, ePub files, PDF files and JPG images. I didn’t have any problems viewing TXT or ePUB files, but some PDF files would not display and the reader would sometimes freeze when trying to load or display some JPG images. I also encountered issues with the reader freezing when using the Find feature.

The Libre is able to bookmark pages, but it does not offer any type of annotation features. It does offer a couple of interesting features that other readers don’t offer though. It has the ability to play MP3s in the background while you read, and it also has an auto page turning feature.

I’ve been really impressed with the battery life. I’ve been reading on and off with the Libre since receiving it the 2nd week of January and it’s still going strong on its initial charge.

Conclusion

I like the size and price of the Aluratek Libre Pro eBook reader (you can find it for less than $150 at various online retailers) and I think it’s a good device for someone that doesn’t need higher end features like annotations, dictionary and wireless. I do think that the software is a bit glitchy and hope that a firmware update takes care of JPG and PDF freezing issues. Even with those occasional issues, I still recommend this little ebook reader as a good alternative to the big boys.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: ebook, ereader

Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2010 at 11:20 am.

Do you need a latter, er ladder to get to the top shelf?

With a nod to The Book Of Joe, check out the titles from “The 10 Best Years That Are Books” by Laurence Hughes.  So I guess the question (for me, anyway) would be, can you download these while sitting in a doctor’s office or do you have to go to an internet-connected computer and connect your reader via a cable and then download them?  I’m lazy so the former is preferred over the latter.  But then again I can’t ever remember which is the “former” versus the “latter”.  Anyway, just check out the list!

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook

Some Titles for Your E-Book Reader originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 22, 2009 at 4:48 pm.

When I reviewed the nook eBook reader last week,  I concluded the review by saying that I couldn’t make up my mind if I liked or disliked the device and that I couldn’t recommend it until the performance issues were resolved. Last night Janet asked me if my nook had received the firmware update. I had seen murmurings all day that it was happening but I totally forgot about it till she asked me. Sure enough, when I took a look at the device information summary page, I saw that the firmware had been updated to version 1.1.1 – yay! I’m happy to say that overall performance feels much snappier with this update. Touch area navigation, button page turning and and even swipe page turning are all much faster now. Initial book loading times still feel slow, but  I can live with that as font changing time and load times when going back and forth between multiple books have been fixed. I’m happy to say that I now have no qualms recommending the Barnes & Noble nook ebook reader.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: ebook, nook

Nook Gets a Firmware Update and Now I Can Recommend It originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 22, 2009 at 9:02 am.