The local Best Buy has a display with different eBook readers, so I got a chance to hold them all in hand and compare them. Nice way to entice customers, by the way!
Price wars are all the rage right now. The new Nook reader came out, and the price dropped to $149 (no 3G). Amazon followed suit and dropped the price of the Kindle to $189 (with 3G, compared with $199 for the nook 3G). Sony interestingly still sells ebook readers, and those were on display, too.
Admittedly, considering that the device is not the major buying factor for either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the price of the device is still way too high. At the very least, the companies should offer discounts for buyers of the respective devices to cover their cost, since you are buying something that ties you to a particular vendor (still).
Of the devices on display, the Nook clearly had the upper hand. The Sony readers were quite nice, but the decision to put the touchscreen on top of the e-ink dims the latter considerably, giving the whole reading area a washed out, grey-ish look. The price is right, though, and Sony e-readers are not affected by the usual Sony price inflation.
Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts
2010-07-03
2010-06-24
Kindle and Calibre
I've been using Calibre on and off to get content to my Kindle, and I have to admit the software is gaining a lot in functionality as it matures. The version label (currently 0.6.42) doesn't do functionality, stability, and ease of use justice at all, and I highly recommend it to anyone with a Kindle, regardless of use.
What do I do with it? I mainly add all those files I couldn't otherwise read on Kindle. Calibre allows me to easily do the following:
To get a web page onto your Kindle, for instance, you just save the page as HTML and convert it by simply adding it as a new ebook to Calibre. You automatically get the best feature of Calibre: once you tell it what the target device is (Kindle, in this case), it will automatically convert to a format (.mobi) that works on that device, and it will format the ebook for he device properties.
RSS feeds are solved differently (and justly so) in that they are scheduled in a separate module. You can add your own RSS feeds, and there are some pre-defined ones. The adding process is not as straightforward as it could be, mostly because RSS feeds are so different - some come with full articles, others with a brief preview, others still with just a link. Once you choose the feeds your are interested in, you decide how often you want them updated, and Calibre will download, convert, and push as often as you'd like.
For PDF and ePub files, the process is the same as for web pages. The main difference here is that some PDF and ePub files are protected. Calibre doesn't know how to deal with that (which is quite to be expected). Otherwise, it does a pretty good job, handling only headers and footers poorly.
Gutenberg is finally smarting up to Kindle and is starting to publish some of its ebooks in .mobi format. That means you can download them straight to your computer and either add them using Calibre of simply adding them to your Kindle documents folder. Really dead simple.
I would be perfectly happy with Calibre if it added just two features:
What do I do with it? I mainly add all those files I couldn't otherwise read on Kindle. Calibre allows me to easily do the following:
- Display web pages
- Get RSS feeds
- Convert text-based PDF files
- Show ePub files
- Access Project Gutenberg ebooks
To get a web page onto your Kindle, for instance, you just save the page as HTML and convert it by simply adding it as a new ebook to Calibre. You automatically get the best feature of Calibre: once you tell it what the target device is (Kindle, in this case), it will automatically convert to a format (.mobi) that works on that device, and it will format the ebook for he device properties.
RSS feeds are solved differently (and justly so) in that they are scheduled in a separate module. You can add your own RSS feeds, and there are some pre-defined ones. The adding process is not as straightforward as it could be, mostly because RSS feeds are so different - some come with full articles, others with a brief preview, others still with just a link. Once you choose the feeds your are interested in, you decide how often you want them updated, and Calibre will download, convert, and push as often as you'd like.
For PDF and ePub files, the process is the same as for web pages. The main difference here is that some PDF and ePub files are protected. Calibre doesn't know how to deal with that (which is quite to be expected). Otherwise, it does a pretty good job, handling only headers and footers poorly.
Gutenberg is finally smarting up to Kindle and is starting to publish some of its ebooks in .mobi format. That means you can download them straight to your computer and either add them using Calibre of simply adding them to your Kindle documents folder. Really dead simple.
I would be perfectly happy with Calibre if it added just two features:
- Sharing of "recipes." Things like RSS feeds and header/footer detection need advanced settings that are recipes of some form (XPath for header/footer, for instance). It makes very little sense to write a recipe if you are the only one that uses it, and there is no easy way to share them. I know it's a pain to set up a repository for automatic sharing, but it would make like so much easier. The current recipe for PDF header/footer, for instance, detects the headers and footers that web browsers put on printed pages. Admittedly a good default - but what am I going to do with the PDF of a book, with the standard chapter heading and page number as h/f?
- Direct download of URLs. It annoys me that I have to download a file from the web - be it HTML or .mobi - to add it to my list of books. I guess direct integration with ebook providers (for free or for pay) would be really welcome, as would an option to add a book from URL.
2010-05-19
R.I.P. Kindle
The disturbing trend of electronic gadgets dying earlier in their life span continues. My Kindle gave up yesterday. I turned it on, and the e-ink display was broken, showing me weird streaks on the top right portion. It looks like blunt force, but the reader was not exposed to any force.
Well, I was kinda happy with my Kindle - loving the wireless connectivity, long battery life, and clarity of the display. I didn't like a great many things, either - the lack of display formats (no native PDF?), the one-shop-only policy, the DRM (including remote deletion), the lack of apps, and the unusually unfortunate hardware choices (no touchscreen, terrible keyboard).
Time for a reality check. Let's see how Amazon handles a customer whose beloved Kindle is dead. I bought it on September 4th, 2009 and it was shipped on the 7th. According to their customer support, the device is good for warranty repair until October 2010. There are companies (like iRiver) from which I won't buy products anymore because of the terrible customer service when I needed a repair. Let's see how Amazon handles this.
Update #1: Got a call from Amazon, they are going to ship a replacement within the day. PERFECT customer service! So far, 10/10 stars.
Update #2: Replacement shipped, sent the defective unit with the shipping label provided, and everything is good. Loading books on the Kindle is a snap, and I am absolutely, perfectly happy with Amazon customer service this time around!
Well, I was kinda happy with my Kindle - loving the wireless connectivity, long battery life, and clarity of the display. I didn't like a great many things, either - the lack of display formats (no native PDF?), the one-shop-only policy, the DRM (including remote deletion), the lack of apps, and the unusually unfortunate hardware choices (no touchscreen, terrible keyboard).
Time for a reality check. Let's see how Amazon handles a customer whose beloved Kindle is dead. I bought it on September 4th, 2009 and it was shipped on the 7th. According to their customer support, the device is good for warranty repair until October 2010. There are companies (like iRiver) from which I won't buy products anymore because of the terrible customer service when I needed a repair. Let's see how Amazon handles this.
Update #1: Got a call from Amazon, they are going to ship a replacement within the day. PERFECT customer service! So far, 10/10 stars.
Update #2: Replacement shipped, sent the defective unit with the shipping label provided, and everything is good. Loading books on the Kindle is a snap, and I am absolutely, perfectly happy with Amazon customer service this time around!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
