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E-Reader advice

Discussion in 'Tilted Gear' started by CoffeeBee, Aug 15, 2011.

  1. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    We have a huge ebook push this year. Having to contact authors for our entire backlist to alert them to the exploit of mechanical sub rights and royalty share.
     
  2. Daniel_

    Daniel_ The devil made me do it...

    "Mechanical sub rights" sounds like some BDSM robot...
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Random McRandom

    Random McRandom Starry Eyed

    It looks like B&N may be dumping the Nook because of the cost of manufacturing and marketing. The Nook will still exist, but it will be from the manufacturing company and not B&N. So while it will help B&N stop bleeding cash, it may disrupt the amount of content that it offers that for now is superior to Amazon.
     
  4. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member


    And it's here already. Reason number eleventy billion why I love Amazon and Amazon's customer service.
     
  5. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    dammit, now you've made me think I need to do something like this for my Garmin 3490LMT.
     
  6. Zweiblumen

    Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Iceland
    Too even take this thread further away from the original topic.
    I read an article about the down side of eBooks with Amazon as the villain.
    Currently eBooks are not as beneficial to blind persons as one would think. The biggest hurdles are copyright issues and hardware/software limitations.
    The article focused on Amazon primarily because Amazon is in all the areas that contribute to limit the usability for the blind. That is Amazon publishes (in specific format), controls the format, manufactures the hardware (Kindle) and software.
    The issues are limitation of hardware and software to support 3'rd party screen readers and braille screens.
    Even when the book is in English and the user can benefit from Kindle's English screen reader it isn't always an option since many authors (publishers) have opted to disable the Kindle built in screen reader on their "books".

    Here is a link in English that is related to this http://scifair.org/electronics/schools-shun-kindle-saying-blind-cant-use-it.html

    Yours
    Zweiblumen
    PS: I apologize if I'm not using politically correct terms on disabilities.
     
  7. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Many of those coverages have to be purchase within 30 days, so don't wait too long to decide. :)
     
  8. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    I don't think that it is Amazon's fault. Amazon can't make changes to this as it's about the rights holder who states that Amazon must not allow the speech to text reading via the Kindle. In the US there are companies that purchase braille rights specifically and they make their books for specific braille machines.

    The other article I read where the complaint is that it cannot be read on smartphones etc, is only again, 1/2 of the battle about the Kindle Format. I'm not a fan, just like I wasn't a fan of Apple's FairPlay and proprietary AAC format.

    I don't think it will put the blind back by decades, but will in fact accelerate their adoption because there is even more content out there to be consumed.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. Zweiblumen

    Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Iceland
    Like I said Amazon was focus of the article I read because they play part in all areas (publish, format, hardware and software ) and the link I set was because it's was the first that I found. All these issues mentioned apply more or less to other eBook readers, specially the hardware limitations.
    And I don't see how the braille rights can affect how the user consumes what he has bought as the user is not going to publish it again.
    If that is really the case then a case can be made that the eBook is limited to specific hardware and all software that allows you to read eBook on a computer, tablet or smartphone is violation of that right. I think Sony has demostrated that this doesn't work when they tried to prevent users from listening to their audio cds in computers.
    The article also pointed out problems related to non English material.
     
  10. CoffeeBee

    CoffeeBee Slightly Tilted

    The Kindle Fire did not go over too well with my daughter. I cannot even begin to tell you what I went through when I gave it to her. Let's just say she held it in her hand for less than an hour and I took it back. I returned it. Amazon is really good with returns, so there was no worries with that. Maybe it was not good for a 14 yr old? I think she is just so used to the iAnything apps that she could not get her mind around using an android OS. Perhaps I should have just bought an e-reader without all that extra stuff that the Fire has.
     
  11. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    That stinks. :(

    She probably/maybe had her heart set on a $600 iPad2?
     
  12. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    that sucks. hard to gauge kids these days, and even when you are the parent, you still can't tell.

    I definitely prefer iOS over Android, but more so I do like my plain reader a lot. I just wish it was smaller, and by smaller I mean the size of my ipod touch. Maybe one day they will make one that is $40 and is that small.
     
  13. Zweiblumen

    Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Iceland
    Sorry to hear that, we know how much thought and time you put into selecting it for her. I don't think a 14 year old would like a vanilla e-reader more than the Fire, even if that is my preference. It is my opinion that teenagers (and not only them) take looks and "cool factor" over usability and need. When iPhone (and Android) first appeared then lot of people were going on about how good it were and how much they needed it but when asked they couldn't show me any practical advantage, all they could show was some prank app or nice game. Before people pull out the flamethrowers I will point out that there are now available useful and practical apps for both iOs and Android.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Speed_Gibson

    Speed_Gibson Hacking the Gibson

    Location:
    Wolf 359
    I would buy a E-reader with the Ipod touch size, touchscreen, and wifi and not much else beyond what you need for downloading new books (like a B&W screen) in a heartbeat if the price was right. I appreciate the iBooks app on the touch but having a simpler device without all of the frills would be no brainer for a purchase.
     
  15. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    Haven't read the whole thread from front to back, but I'll toss in my two cents. I have been into e-reading for years now. Started on a Palm M-100. I have used both the Kindle and the Nook, but not either very much. They are both good experiences, but seem to have limited scope.

    I read now on my iPhone and iPad. I wouldn't have bought my iPad just as a reading device, but I think it's a great platform for reading. I'm really excited to see what they do with textbooks.
     
  16. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    Here's the advice I recently gave someone who asked me about my ereader:

     
  17. CaptainBob

    CaptainBob Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Kingston, eh?
    I just received an Aluratek Libre as a gift.

    http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...der-pro-aebk01fb-black-aebk01fb/10141728.aspx
    I fully intend to get an iPad3 when it comes out. We're an Apple family. We have two iMacs and an iPhone, an iPad and an iPod. And a dock.
    The problem with the iPad as an e-reader is trying to read in the sunshine. The iPad overheats and is hard to read in the sun. The Libre is made for reading in the sunshine. We got two of them with leather cases for about $150. We going to Cuba next month and we're only taking the Libres. No cellphones, iPads or laptops. If we lose a Libre it won't be as big a deal as if an iPad disappeared.
     
  18. EventHorizon

    EventHorizon assuredly the cause of the angry Economy..

    Location:
    FREEDOM!
    they're never going to put textbooks into ebook format because of how much money they would stand to lose. remember when music went digital and the millions of dollars were lost? these people make textbooks, they're not dumb. textbook piracy would become the next big thing and then we'd have cheap education and that just can't happen now can it?
     
  19. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    actually people are already digitizing text books. College students have a lot of time on their hands. They make crude book scanners and then they digitize and stitch the book together.

    Lots of torrents are text books. While the textbook app is just a lookie what I can do, text books will be digital by hook or crook.

    Getting digital rights for all the authors, contributors, photo permissions, is going to be the toughest thing.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Digital textbooks are just getting started. Some people are projecting digital texts taking up as much as 50% of the market after about five years.

    Also, I doubt piracy would be as big an issue for textbooks as it is/was for top 40 music. Sales growth is already occurring in the digital textbook area, and it will likely continue to eat into sales of printed and used textbooks.

    I think textbook publishers know that they need to scale up their digital products. The trend is going that way. The big publishers are already on the move, especially with the strong growth of digital education.