Chicks On Lit discussion
Using E-Readers (all brands)
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Elizabeth (Alaska)
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Apr 13, 2011 01:21PM
Any tips, tricks, or other things you'd like to share?
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Me first, me first! ;-)I learned today that it is possible to transfer notes, etc. out of the Kindle onto my computer, into a Word document or other text reader. I think this will be very helpful for the upcoming Forsyte chunky read, but probably also very helpful with some of my non-fiction reads.
Transfering on the Kindle is pretty easy. Simply attach it via the USB cord to your computer. Via Explore, transfer the "documents" folder in the Kindle menu to another place on your computer. It is then available to open in whatever text reader you have and can be edited and saved.
If you have a kindle and want to free up space just "remove items from device" and they go to archive. You can download again when you want them.I have over 1600 in archive, most were free.
I have "works of" authors that take up a lot of space. They seem to meet the needs of a lot of challenges. When the "works" cost $5 or less it sure keeps the cost at a minimum as well as not taking up shelf space.
I have an iPod Touch, and I think it's the best e-reader of all, because it's the ultimate everything-in-one device! I have music, tv shows, games, and books on it, I can go online with it onto any website, and I could put movies on it too if wanted to.I have several e-readers on my iPod Touch, and so I can shop around for books I want and get the best price. Like with all other e-readers, I also have access to all of the free classics out there. I can also borrow ebooks and audiobooks from my library and read them on it.
I honestly think it's the best money I ever spent, and would personally not consider buying an e-reader because my iPod serves that function, and so much more.
So for those of you contemplating an e-reader purchase, I recommend the iPod Touch (or iPhone)!
Rachelle wrote: "I have an iPod Touch, and I think it's the best e-reader of all, because it's the ultimate everything-in-one device! I have music, tv shows, games, and books on it, I can go online with it onto any..."I thought about this when I was shopping for an e-reader. The reason I decided to stick with my kindle is that I thought I'd have issues with reading on a smaller screen. Do you find that inconvenient??
I saw this last night in another group I have not tryed it yet:Hey folks, I released a new feature that you can find by going here:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/kindle_...
What it does is let you (if you have a 3rd gen Kindle) set your currently reading and already read books on Goodreads automatically through your kindle. So if you're currently reading a book on the kindle and you have sharing turned on in that book, your Goodreads profile will show that you're currently reading that book.
It also will sync your highlights as quotes on Goodreads if you have that featured checked
@Dianne -- Really? That is such an interesting tip! I haven't tried it, but thanks for sharing. I've never tried the sharing option on Kindle. I'm not sure how it works, and I'm reluctant to share all of my highlights/notes.
Viola wrote: "@Dianne -- Really? That is such an interesting tip! I haven't tried it, but thanks for sharing. I've never tried the sharing option on Kindle. I'm not sure how it works, and I'm reluctant to share ..."I am not going to be using it either Sometimes my notes can be just plain rude.
I saw it on the amazon kindle group. And thought it was a great tip for other people.
I use my iPhone and thought I would not like the small screen. I've found that it doesn't matter to me at all. I would probably like a bigger screen, but this has been very convenient. I have about 6 ebook apps plus I have my audible.com books on here, too. At first, I was shocked that I would even pay that much for a phone, but now I know that I got a bargain. Even this GPS is better than my Sony!
Audible books can now be sent directly to your Kindle (over wifi), but I prefer to listen to audiobooks on an mp3 player since it's smaller to carry around. Still, though, it is a nice option for those who want it.
Carrie, I don't find the size of the screen inconvenient at all. In fact I find it more convenient than I think I'd find a bigger screen, like the size that is typical of an e-reader or the really big size of the iPad, because it slides easily into any pocket and I can hold it very comfortably in the palm of my hand. As for the amount of text that shows up on a given page, like I said to a friend of mine, you only read one word at a time! And of course the font size is adjustable, so you can make the words smaller or bigger, depending on your preference.In response to what Jenny said about her iPhone, I myself have not had a single problem/bug with any of my e-reader apps, including the ones she mentioned. Also, I personally don't mind reading off of an LCD backlit screen, as I've read for hours on my iPod Touch and haven't had any problems with it. I can appreciate, though, that some people may have issues with that, especially those that are prone to headaches or migraines. That's not the case for me, so I have no issues with it. Oh and also, you can change the colour of your background from white to black, and change the brightness of your screen, which may help with this problem.
I hope that answers your questions!
I have an Android phone that has the Kindle. I also bought the Nook Color. Honestly, I prefer the Nook. I am knocking the Kindle app of the Android. It reads good. No glitches. It doesn't hurt my eyes. However, as a preference, I like the Nook better.
I love my Nook. I read like 10 books off it since I got it for Christmas. It isn't the color though and that's okay.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I love my Nook. I read like 10 books off it since I got it for Christmas. It isn't the color though and that's okay."LOL!!
I was really hoping that, instead of comparing devices, we would talk about how we best use them, or if there are tricks we've discovered along the way.
Have an Author Sign Your E-Book. this is for all e-books It shows how you can get a signed copy of your books it's pretty coolhttp://www.autography.us.com/
Very cool, Dianne, I'll have to check that out!
As far as tips go for the Kindle, you can hold down the right or left button on the 5 way button and it'll skip to the next chapter (or previous chapter).This might be a basic tip, but it's helpful for flipping through a book. I've also found that this doesn't work on all books.
For me, I think the thing that I miss the most about a physical book when I'm on the Kindle is being able to flip through the book quickly. So any other tips along those lines would be helpful to me.
I love how a 300 page books takes only a few days to read on a Nook vs a week with a physical book.
Thanks Viola. I am always flipping back in a book and that is the one thing I miss.
I find that in a physical book, I was regularly wanting to know what page I'm on. Recently, the Kindle added page numbers to many, but not all of its books. To see the page number, if that version has them, simply press the menu button.
@Elizabeth -- YES! I love that new feature.
Very fun conversation. I have an iPad with multiple readers - but before that, I've read books on my iPhone, Droid and years ago on my PALM. Martha and Rachelle - totally agree. I have no problem on the smaller screen. What I like about the Kindle Reader is that it automatically syncs up - So I can read on my iPad at home, or if I'm waiting somewhere, I can pull out my Droid and pick up where I left off.
Plus, I've got my Audible books on my Droid for my commutes.
It's pretty magical.
Sounds like you're totally set, Becky!
I have recently started using Instapaper. It's a way to clip web articles to read on your eReader.You download this widget onto your browser, and then click it whenever you come across an article to read later. Then you can transfer these files to your Kindle (or other device) and read them later.
This just in today. I am SO excited about this!Kindle is going to have library lending later this year! They are working with Overdrive, which is the provider that has library lending for all other types of ebooks.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1552678
Viola wrote: "This just in today. I am SO excited about this!Kindle is going to have library lending later this year! They are working with Overdrive, which is the provider that has library lending for all o..."
Yay! Best news on a Wednesday ever!
Yay! Thanks for sharing that Viola!
Now if I can just find a library in a bigger city in Texas that has ebooks. I live about half-way between Austin and Dallas. It would be worth the trip to get a library card :)
Our library doesn't have them either, Collin, but perhaps this will tip the balance.
My hubby bought me a Blackberry Playbook for our anniversary. I'd never heard of it before today. Apparently it has a built in e-reader app. I actually wanted a Nook but with a bit of research he discovered I could read books plus so much more. Anybody familiar with Play book?
My library has a subscription to a lot of online journals, magazines, poems, etc. The problem is that they all get saved as PDF's that are "locked". So, it will only display a full page- in other words the text is to small to read on the ereader. It can't be resized, I tried. So, I used http://www.2epub.com/ to convert the files to epub and they were readable. I think it would be less successful for articles with tables, charts, graphs, etc. The formatting is sometimes off- if there's a text box in the article, it will display on a separate page. But at least I don't have to read it on the computer every time. (Although for some reason some won't convert right)
Today at http://www.ereaderiq.com/ was a link to a Kindle app called Notepad. Yes, the Kindle has a note taking feature, but this looked better because I can separate out notes for a specific book from other books. Or, as the sample suggests, you can make a grocery list while you're reading. ;-) Anyway, it was only 99 cents. I haven't tried it yet, but am thinking this would be an excellent app.
I bought that one last week but have not been able to play with it yet.
I figure for 99 cents, it's hard to go wrong. Apparently there are other apps for the Kindle, and I assume for the Nook as well, but I don't know what they are. I think I will find this one especially useful when we get to The Forsyte Saga reading and discussion.
Collin wrote: "Now if I can just find a library in a bigger city in Texas that has ebooks. I live about half-way between Austin and Dallas. It would be worth the trip to get a library card :)"I live in your area too. If you find one let me know. :)
Go to www.overdrive.com and put in your zip code. It will give you libraries near you that use this library service.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Go to www.overdrive.com and put in your zip code. It will give you libraries near you that use this library service."It says that they use the Central Texas Digital Library. http://ctdl.lib.overdrive.com/0436D0F...
And 4 libraries in Waco subscribe, too!
I think this is similar to my ListenAlaska. I haven't looked any further than what I've entered here, but I'm guessing that you have digital services available to you through your local library's membership.
Cool! Thanks Elizabeth. I'm already trying to figure out which ebooks I should checkout.
I am so excited! Elizabeth, thank you for that tip! I was wrong in my assumption that the Waco Public Library wouldn't have any ebook titles. They have lots of titles AND the library down the street from my house, in a smaller little town, participates in the Central Texas Digital Library, which has even more titles. I can't wait to pass this information along!
Mother's Day is next weekend, and the Kindle just had another price drop! :)
Be careful! These titles won't be available for the Kindle until later in the year.
I have to keep reminding myself of that! :)Just the thought of it being in the works makes me very happy!
I remember doing my initial ereader research/shopping, and telling my husband my only negative thought about the Kindle was not being able to borrow library books, whereas the other ereaders had that ability. It is now (or soon to be) the perfect ereader for me! My mom has used mine while visiting and seems to really like it, so I'll be excited to give her one and tell her about the future library lending.
I love love love love my Nook Color. If anyone has a Nook add me as a friend and we can share books! PM me for my email address!
Here's a tip if you are borrowing or lending Kindle books. The rules for lending are: lending is for a 2 week period and during that time, the owner cannot read that book. When the 2 weeks are up, the ebook is supposed to just delete itself from your device.But, from my own experience, I just found a way to circumvent these rules. You just don't turn on your wireless. If your Kindle is not connected to any network, than your material will not be "deleted" from your machine. I found this out with my friend, who lent me a Kindle book. By keeping her wireless off, she was able to read the same book that she lent me at the same time. And also, by keeping my wireless off, I could keep the ebook for longer than 2 weeks. Anyways, I just found this out and thought that others might find it useful.
Keeping the wireless off helps battery life too. I normally keep my nook in airplane mode just for that reason.
I just got a Kindle today as a Housewarming gift. This was helpful.....
Oh, Kristie, I hope you love it as much as I do!
I have had the app on my droid for months anticipating buying one for myself. There is so much out there that I am getting absorbed in looking at stuff!!!
I think the tool - any ereader - is a definite contribution to one's book buying addiction. I just added a whole 10 book series yesterday to my wish list.
Chicks On Lit
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