Archive for: reader
The Kindle app for Mac OS X 10.5 and above is finally available without calling for a glitzy press conference, where this free application weighs in at 22MB. Most folks have been looking out for it since its announcement last October, when the iPad was but vaporware at that point in time. With this app, you can download Kindle books that are under your possession, reading them at your own pace on your Mac. Synchronization of progress is fully automatic, so you can switch between your Kindle and iPhone on-the-fly without missing a beat.
You can Download here.
The new ASUS DR-900 e-book reader has been released at CeBIT 2010 this week. The gadget comes equipped with a 9-inch e-ink display, an integrated WiFi, and an optional 3G connectivity. Its battery will last for around 10,000 page turns on a single change. Too bad, there is no info on pricing at this time. [Slashgear]
Lucidor is a computer program for reading and handling e-books. Lucidor supports e-books in the EPUB file format, and catalogs in the OPDS format. Lucidor runs on the GNU/Linux, Windows and Mac OS X platforms.
Lucidor provides functionality to
- Read EPUB e-books.
- Organize a collection of e-books in a local bookcase.
- Search for and download e-books from the Internet, for example by browsing OPDS catalogs.
- Convert web feeds into e-books.
Install lucidor in ubuntu
First you need to download .deb package from here or using the following command from your terminal
wget http://lucidor.org/lucidor/lucidor_0.9-1_all.deb
Now you need to install this .deb package by double clicking on that or running the following command from terminal
sudo dpkg -i lucidor_0.9-1_all.deb
The Kobo ebook reader is just one of many mobile ebook readers on the market. What makes this ebook stand out from the many out there is the cross platform capability. We are familiar with ebook apps on our iPhone/iTouch, or maybe even our mobile phones, but the Kobo allows you read your selections from the mobile device, a smart phone, desktop, or laptop.
The ebook reader is globally known and backed by the likes of Indigo Books & Music, Borders, REDgroup Retail, Cheung Kong Holdings, and other leaders in technology and retail. They firmly state that they believe anyone should have access to their content and be able to read anywhere, anytime, no matter what. Their support of open standards goes directly against some of the bigger competitors who firmly believe in close systems. According to Kobo’s site, closed systems stifle innovation and growth, thus their support of allowing their product to go across multiple platforms.
They are currently boasting approximately 2 million books and over 200,000 PDF’s to browse through. With top hits from the New York Time’s best seller list to the most popular ebooks, readers should find something of interest and enjoy the fact that the open system allows for them to move from device to device without fearing any sort of lock down.
I find it interesting that they state that even if they have not heard of a device or if it’s not out yet, they can find a way to be on there. A true testament to the fact that the Kobo ebook reader is really part of an open system.
It has been announced that Sony has launched their Reader. The Sony Reader has come out just in time for Valentine’s day and is priced at $329 for the Touch Edition.
The limited edition has a red cover and comes with a light. The PRS-600 Reader included in this bundle is compatible with ePUB, PDF, Microsoft Word, BBeB Book and other text formats. The device also has a built-in 512MB of storage space, which is upgradable via a card reader. Other features include a built-in MP3/AAC player, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a built-in dictionary, the ability to enlarge text, and a stunning two week battery life (7,500 page turns).
Amazon has just released the Kindle Reader software. The Kindle Reader software is available for free for PC download and will soon be available for the Mac.
This release is probably to encourage new users who may eventually upgrade to a real Kindle device, which will be facing competition from the new iPad from Apple and is seeing competition now from the Barnes & Noble Nook.
This is definitely one of my favourite products of 2010 and the year has just begun. It’s a wireless device which allows you to insert an SD card and read it on your PC or mobile phone as thou it were connected via a USB cord. This would be excellent for photographers who need to easily transfer files from their SD cards and indeed those who transport SD cards around with them containing important files frequently.
It’s called the Airstash and is targeted at iPhone users because of it’s portability. However it uses WiFi and as such it can be used in conjunction with any other WiFi enabled device or laptop. It is small, weighs very little and supports cards up to 32Gb.It also acts as a WiFi access point. Unfortunately, the fact that it must be accessed via a browser means that you loose your Internet connection when using it. It can also be used as a USB device. However, in my book, so long as it’s not ridiculously over priced (we’re expecting an RRP to be released in a couple of months) then I think I’ll be buying one!
Barnes & Noble, the popular publishing company, released a competitor to the Amazon Kindle in late November called the Nook. It was equipped with 3G capabilities and WiFi as well as other similar features such as an ink screen and matt finish to avoid glare.
However, fans of the device (who run a site called NookDevs) just released a guide which enables users to easily hack the device. And it really is quite simple. Even a novice user could do it.
All that is required of the user is to pop open the device and remove the memory card. There are then some changes to be made via a PC (namely gaining root access to the operating system) and then the card is re-inserted. You can find the instructions here.
Times are really tough for the traditional print businesses as subscriber numbers shrink, increased costs and less advertising cripple the industry. However, most of these old establishments need to learn that everything is slowly moving online and that they all need to have a strong online strategy.
The NYT has a digital version of its paper called the Times Reader 2.0. The digital version looks much like the real paper and can be accessed via a computer or netbook. The big catch is that the service is a whopping $179.40 for a year.
That is more than many will be willing to pay. Those that do cough up the money for a subscription will get a $100 credit at J&R towards a Samsung Go netbook. The other big catch is that the netbook is priced well above competing offerings already so even after the $100 off it still costs $279.
I though I’d share with you guys an RSS reader that I started using recently called Feedly. Basically it’s and add-on for most browsers including Chrome and Firefox which combines all your RSS feeds into one incredible place that by far surpasses generic readers such as Google.
Here is a screenshot:
What I like most about is that it also combines other services such as GMail and Twitter into the same package so you’re getting all of your information in the one place instead of having several tabs open.
It’s free and its easy to set up once you have installed it as an add-on. Click here to download Feedly.
eBooks are becoming more and more popular these days and Crenk just wanted to let you know the best places on the web to find eBooks.
eBook Search Engines
www.pdfgeni.com
www.pdf-search-engine.com
www.data-sheet.net
Scribd.com
Scribd is basically the YouTube of documents. They have a great library of free ebooks to choose from.
Free Ebooks For Your iPod, PDA, Smartphone, Blackberry etc.
www.gutenberg.org
www.manybooks.net
www.feedbooks.com
www.booksinmyphone.com
Free Tech eBooks
www.freecomputerbooks.com
www.freetechbooks.com
Amazon’s Kindle e-reader has been getting a lot of great reviews ever since its launch in the USA in 2007 and now it is set to make its way to the UK. It has been reported by the The Bookseller that claims Amazon is preparing to announce the device as early as next week. This announcement is of course timed nicely so that the Kindle will have a nice run up to Christmas.
The delay in launching internationally has been down to the internet connection used on the Kindle. The connection works over mobile phone networks and allows users to browse and buy book wherever they can get a phone signal. Qualcomm has reportedly been working on a version of the Kindle compatible with UK mobile frequencies.
Moving the Kindle into the UK market will really help move the e-reader market, in which is still yet to take off here in the UK.
