eBookGuru.org

I’m sure we already have a kindle review onsite. In fact, I know we do, it was posted by Don Shey last year. Well, it’s 2010 and it’s time for a new Kindle review. This time it will be by yours truly, and I will be reviewing the kindle based on my experiences after receiving this excellent eBook reader as an early Christmas gift.

With the Kindle’s wireless network now available in Canada, I’ve found that the Kindle is now my main reading device, and I felt the need to tell the world why. For those who don’t know what the kindle is, it’s Amazons vision of what an eBook reader should be, and after using one for about a month I think I agree with them.

My Review of the Amazon Kindle

Okay, so here it goes. You get this new shiny box in the mail, it’s from Amazon, and what do you know it’s a new kindle. At first glance this eBook reader may not seem like anything special, but I assure you once you start using it, you’ll soon find that it is.

There are a few features that I really like about the kindle, so here’s the list:

1. Simple to use and with the wireless access buying books is a cinch.
2. Read-out-loud feature allows me to stay with the action even when I’m doing something else.
3. I can read all night (for 4 – 5 days in a row) without killing the battery. To accomplish this I do turn the wireless off (wireless access is a battery killer).
4. The big page turning buttons make it simple to read with.
5. It actually learns what you enjoy reading, makes book recommendations based upon that, and so far the recommendations have been good ones.
6. Amazon’s pre-order feature allows me to order books by my favourite authors when I find out they are being released, and they automatically download to my kindle on the release date.

I could actually keep going with this list. But the things I like most about the Kindle are it’s book recommendation features (this is probably done by Amazons’ website) and it’s convenience. I can decide I want to read a book, buy it right on the Kindle, and then 2 minutes later be sitting in my lazy boy enjoying the book.
A couple of recommendations I do have for those who decide to invest in a kindle: Get a clip on light to make it easy to read in the dark, and be sure to get a case for it. The protective case is an excellent tool when you accidentally drop it (and yes I did this). Other than that I would recommend the Kindle to anyone who enjoys reading.
Another thing you’ll find great about the Kindle is the huge number of books available for it. I’ve owned the device for just over a month, and my book list is already up to about 20. I’ve read books like Under the Dome by Stephen King, Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers, and By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer.

My recommendation is that anyone looking for a reading device should put the kindle at the top of their list.

Click to Visit Amazon and Get Your Kindle

It was just over two months ago when I published a post (The Future of eBooks) that included a chart from Forrester Research Inc. showing the growth drivers for eReaders. It predicted a $199 price point at sometime around mid 2010 to 2011.

The new Cool-er reader (Price Matters…) came out in mid July, right around the same time that Amazon lowered the price of the Kindle 2 by $60, and I stated that I really didn’t expect to see an eReader break the $200 mark before the end of the year.

Well Sony has done it. There have been lots of articles about this but best one so far is this post by Canada’s own Globe & Mail. The ‘Pocket Edition’ of the Sony eReader will be retailing for $199 at the end of August. The Pocket Edition is smaller and a little limited compared to current eReaders. At 5 inches (vs the 6 inch Sony readers , the Cooler, & the Kindle 2), it can’t play music and can ‘only’ hold 350 books but the sub-$200 price point

“breaks an important psychological barrier”

In an ironic twist, the article includes a quote from Sarah Rotman Epps, a media analyst at Forrester Research.

“This is something that is affordable for the holiday season, and I think that you’ll see sales of e-readers outpacing current forecasts”

The current forecast has sales of eReaders doubling this year to 2 million, up from 1 million in 2008.

Sony is also announcing a higher-end eReader, the Touch Edition (note: Sony seems to finally be catching on that names are a lot catchier and easier to remember than model numbers – the Pocket Edition replaces the PRS-50 and the Touch Edition replaces the PRS-700). This model will retain the same 6 inch size and touch screen abilities, losing the built-in light that seemed to cause more trouble than it was worth.

Another major milestone for the new Sony eReaders is their compatibility with both PC’s and Mac’s.

Neither of these readers has the same wireless access that sets the Kindle apart but given the recent furor over Amazon’s bungled book recall, this isn’t such a bad thing. Certainly for those of us outside the US this isn’t a limitation as Amazon’s Whispernet is limited to US states, with the exception of Montana and Alaska. Even in covered states, it has been reported that coverage is often close to non-existent outside of major urban centers.

Sony is apparently working on a wireless eReader but won’t say when it will be available. Hopefully it will be soon as a new eReader from iRex is entering the marketplace. The 8.1 inch eReader with wireless 3G capabilities and a touch screen is slated for fall 2009 and is rumored to be able to connect with a large on-line eBook store.

The eBook market is also progressing with the recent launch of Barnes & Nobles eBook eReader software and eBook store (An Embarrassment of Riches).

The eBook market will change in ways that we can’t foresee but for the moment the future for eBooks is here.

I monitor a variety of RSS feeds and I am always on the lookout for news on eBooks and eReaders. This week there seems to be an embarrassment of riches in terms of the number of articles available.

Here is just a sampling of a few of them:

PCMag.com reviews the new Barnes & Noble eReader software for PC, Mac and iPhone and overall rates it 3½ out of 5. It also takes a shot at Amazon and the Kindle, stating that B&N allows you to read titles on devices you already own. It also compares Amazon’s Kindle library (300,000 titles) to B&N’s eBook library (700,000 titles). Overall the B&N appears to be an attractive eBook store alternative to Amazon, and the addition of an eReader from Plastic Logic that promises to start shipping in early 2010 will only make the comparison even easier.

Adding insult to injury to the beleaguered Kindle is a damning article in the New Yorker. The article has some harsh criticism for the device and Amazon’s proprietary format, although to be fair some of the criticism is specific to eInk devices, notably the lack of color and back-lighting. Overall the author does seem positive about eBooks but seems to prefer the Sony eReader for eInk and the Apple iPhone / iPod Touch where color, illustrations, and back-lighting are important.

Another interesting article appeared in IT Canada regarding the EPUB format, which was developed by the Toronto based International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It states that the EPUB format

is quickly becoming an e-book industry standard as support from publishers and tech giants such as Adobe Systems Inc., Sony Corp. and Google Inc. continues to grow.

In sharp contrast to Amazons proprietary DRM restricted AZW format, EPUB is an open, non-proprietary, XML based format, in which DRM is optional.

The industry has gone into two camps: Amazon and everyone else … You have Amazon and they’ve got their proprietary, closed standard, DRM, one-source-for-everything (approach) and you’ve got the rest of the world trying to agree on an open standard for which you can have multiple book stores.

There is also the news that Samsung has launched their eBook reader, although it is only available in South Korea for the moment. The device is smaller than a Kindle and will offer some neat features like hand-writing recognition.

Finally there is the possibility of Apple competing against Amazon with the rumored introduction of a Tablet PC. The combination of a Tablet PC and the iTunes store could

blow Amazon and other e-book makers out of the water…

The success of iTunes for music and iPhone applications indicates that there is market potential for eBooks by making eBooks just as easy to download. It goes further to speculate about à-la-carte ordering books, something that already possible through the Shortcovers program from Canada’s very own Indigo Books.

The one thing that none of these articles dispute is that there is a future for eBooks. What this future looks like, how we will be reading eBooks, and what format the eBooks will be available in, are all very good questions. Personally having seen what DRM has done to the music industry, not to mention how Amazon bungled it’s recent recall of illegally published Kindle books, I’m hoping for the success of an open format like EPUB and as many readers as possible.

A Kindle in Every Backpack. This is the title of a proposal by the Democratic Leadership Council that argues that the government should provide students with Kindles. The proposal argues that this could improve education quality and save money.

It’s an intriguing concept but according the proposal traditional textbooks cost $109 per student, rising to $115 per student in 2016. Currently the Kindle 2 costs significantly more than that for the hardware alone, not to mention the cost of the content. The Kindle DX, which is better suited for use as a textbook replacement, costs almost $200 more than the Kindle 2. Admittedly if a Kindle was provided to every student this would result in lower costs but it’s hard to see the economic benefits.

The proposal states that the costs of eTextbook materials would be about $200 initially and then drop to $80 by 2012. Looking at the proposal here and now however, the comparison is an outlay of $499 ($299 for the Kindle, $200 for the eTextbooks) vs. an existing cost of $109 for a difference of $390. It gets even worse if you propose using the Kindle DX, rising to a difference of $580. That’s anywhere from 3½ to over 5 times more costly per student. Or to put it another way for the same cost as equipping a student with a Kindle, you could equip another 3 – 5 students with traditional textbooks.

Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great idea. I just think that it’s perhaps a little ahead of its time. eBooks are still a nascent market and we really don’t know where the market is going to end up.

Reports of cracked or frozen Kindle screens don’t inspire a lot of confidence in the proposal either. Even investing in the cover for the Kindle doesn’t seem to help, as a recent class action lawsuit against Amazon (see Update below) attests. Given the high cost of ownership, most Kindle owners are very protective of the devices yet they are still having problems. Somehow I can’t see a group of school students, for whom the device would be essentially free, being more careful.

Flexible screens like the Readius could be the answer to this problem but the recent bankruptcy of Polymer Vision, the company behind the Readius, means that it will probably be a long wait before this technology becomes mainstream.

Given that plans are already underway to make the Kindle DX available to University students, it would seem prudent to wait for the results of this pilot program. The pilot program will

…evaluate the impact of the device on the learning experience, determine if faculty delivered the information in new ways, and determine if students approach their reading and assignments differently.

As much as I would love to see kids with Kindles, I think there are too many unknowns. Advances in technology and lower production costs could change the landscape for eBook readers dramatically as more people start to use them. After all, look how long cell phones have been around and how much they’ve changed today as they morph into smartphones. Perhaps the eTextbook reader of the future will be a touch Netbook. To me this makes more sense for students, who would likely use the device for more than just reading. Given that Netbooks are comparable in terms of cost to a a Kindle DX, it’s hard to argue for a single function device, as good as it is.

Still, the very fact that this was proposed is a good indication of the strength of the eBook market. Regardless of how we end up reading eBooks in the future, it seems pretty clear that eBooks and eTextbooks are the future of reading.

UPDATE: Amazon has just announced that they will replace cracked Kindle 2 readers for free.

But it isn’t everything. Often usability trumps price. Most Linux based operating systems are free but witness the paucity of Linux desktops compared to Windows and Mac Systems. As of May 2009 Windows commands 88% of the market share for operating systems.

The same applies to eBook readers. The Cool-er eBook reader from Coolreader was the brainchild of Niel Jones who created the Cool-er when he tried to buy an out-of-stock Sony eReader. He immediately saw the market potential of eBooks and decided to capitalize on it.

While I applaud the effort to bring down the price of eBook readers, it only works if you are getting value for your money. While the $249 price of the Cool-er is less than the $299 price of the Kindle, the value isn’t quite as alluring as it was less than a week ago when the Kindle was $359. When you factor in the cost of books that you can use on the Cool-er and other intangibles such as user experience, the Cool-er isn’t really that much of a bargain. In fact Wired magazine states in a product review of the Cool-er that

The up front fee for the Kindle or Sony Reader is greater yes, but they more than make up for it in robust content, extra features, and superior hardware.

One thing is for certain – we are getting closer to the sub $200 price point that I referred to in an earlier post where sales of eReaders will start to really take off. In fact I expect that this will likely occur earlier than the mid 2010 to 2011 timeframe predicted by Forrester Research. In less than a year and half, the price of the Kindle has dropped by 25% or $100 from it’s original starting price of $399. While I would be pleasantly surprised to see an eBook reader reach this price point before the end of 2009, I really don’t see it happening. If it does, then I would certainly caution potential purchasers to heed that ancient Latin saying caveat emptor or buyer beware.

I recently came across an article on CNET about the shortcomings of the Kindle and how these short comings represent opportunities for competitors to exploit.

“Competitors will attack Amazon’s market position Read the rest of this entry »

As of right now Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for the Amazon Kindle 2.0. This next generations e-reader includes some upgrades that may actually make it worth it’s price tag. With Amazon’s first entry into the world of eBooks, they made waves in the marketplace. The original Kindle sold well over 1,000,000 units, and with the new version they promise to further their foothold in the marketplace.

The new Kindle 2.0 is lighter at only 10.2 ounces, and it’s smaller. It is only 1/3 of an inch thick and is about the size of an average paperback novel. It boasts a longer battery life, a new read-to-me text-to-speech system that will let you listen to your eBooks on the go, and it includes more storage than previous Kindle did. With the Kindle 2.0 you can take 1500 ebooks with you when you go.

The complete list of upgrades includes:

• Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch
• Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces
• Wireless: New 3G wireless lets you download books faster and without any wireless plans or monthly fees.
• Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Improved Display: New 16 shade e-ink screen has better contrast and crisper images.
• Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life means you can read for days on a single charge.
• More Storage: Holds over 1,500 books, it’s like taking the library with you.
• Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
• Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for their Kindle 2.0, and the units will begin shipping on February 24th. I was somewhat leery about the first Kindle. With a $359 price tag, and some users having problem I never bothered to order one (my wife eventually did and enjoyed it). With the new Amazon Kindle 2.0 and it’s updraded features, and with Amazon now having some experience in the eBook market, this one will definitely be on my list of devices to buy. It’s my feeling that the new upgrades make Amazons new e-Reader well worth its price.

Click Here to Learn more about, and to pre-order your own, Amazon Kindle 2.0

This article actually comes from the search terms that refer people to our site. Upon looking at our site stats, it seems that there are alot of people searching for information related to getting eBooks onto their mobile devices. I will assume that these people are looking for a how to article, and as always if it has anything to do with eBooks we’re here to help.

With my own reading material, if I’m reading during the daytime, I will use my BeBook. The Amazon Kindle is another popular e-ink device. The larger screen, and paper-like look provides a pleasant way to read an eBook. In the evening though, I prefer the backlit screen of my Blackberry, and it is also handy when I travel (it’s in my pocket anyway).

There are actually a few ways to get eBook reading capabilities onto any mobile device. If you had a Palm for example, you likely already have the capability to read PDF eBooks, and some of them even come with MobiPocket already installed. For a Blackberry, or other mobile device though you will have to install the software yourself. Luckily this isn’t difficult at all, and in fact you can do it in three steps.

The instructions I am providing here are for a Blackberry (it’s the only mobile device I own), but the steps for other devices will be similar. Also I am installing Mobipocket here. Since it allows you to adjust font sizes, colors, etc I find it easier to make eBooks readable on the small screen that my BlackBerry has (PDF’s are hard on the eyes).

Step 1: Download the Software for Your PC and For Your Blackberry

Head over to the MobiPocket download page and download their software. You will need the desktop version, which you will use to sync your blackberry when you buy books, and you’ll also need the BlackBerry version. Install the desktop software now, and then move onto the next step. You will want to save the BlackBerry version to your desktop (or any other location where you’ll be able to find the file).

Step 2: Install the Blackberry Version of MobiPocket

Next you need to get MobiPocket capabilities on your Blackberry. With the Desktop Manager that came with the device this is quite simple. Simply start up the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and then click application loader. Click install software and then find the MobiPocket file that you saved to your desktop. The software will install automatically after that.

Step 3: Enter your PID and then Buy eBooks

Your next step is to purchase the eBooks you want. Now I don’t generally buy from MobiPocket, they are a wholesaler (a big ebook distributor) and they tend to charge full price for their eBooks. The exception to this rule is when they have a book from a lesser known publisher that doesn’t get distributed to other sites. For the most part I buy my eBooks from Diesel-eBooks.com. Their pricing is better, and their rewards program adds to the discount.

You will need to sign up for an account at their store, and then you will need to add the device ID’s for your PC. Some MobiPocket eBooks are sold in secure format, and entering the ID’s directly into your Diesel-Books

account will save you a headache later when you can’t figure out why that one book won’t work. Click on the “My Account” menu on Diesel’s site, and then on Update Info. Scroll to the bottom of the page:

You will need to find the MobilPocket ID for both your PC, and your Blackberry. To do this on your PC, open MobiPocket, and then click “About” on the help menu. Look for PID and enter that into box one on Diesel’s site. On your Blackberry open the MobiPocket software, and then click the menu button and find about. The PID will be listed in the window that pops up. Enter it into your Diesel account an then click the Update Account button.

That’s it. You’re done. Your next step is to shop to your heart’s content and fill your Blackberry with good reading material. When you download your eBooks from your Diesel-Ebooks account, simply open them with the MobiPocket software on your PC and then plug in your Blackberry with the USB cable. The software will automatically synchronize your books with most mobile devices.

Once you’re done reading your eBook, you may want to write a review for it and enter our Review Writing Contest to win your own BeBook!

With the resurgence of the popularity of eBooks in the past few years, there
has also been a resurgence of devices specifically made to read digital books.EBoo
ks can obviously be read on your PC, and if you own a Palm device, or an advance
cell phone (Blackberry, iPhone, etc) it is also quite simple to keep your eBooks
with you. The problem with reading on your PC is that it keeps you in one place
(the exception being a laptop). With the smaller handheld devices the small
screen size can be a problem for some people.

An eReading device fills that gap between the two extremes with a book-sized
gadget specifically made for reading. Most of these devices have paper like
displays, high contrast screens so that they can be read under any lighting
conditions, and most can display many different document formats. If it is within
your budget to spend $349 +, then it will be well worth your investment when
you have one device that allows you to take your whole collection of 10,000
ebooks with you where ever you do.

#1 BEBOOK Reader

Our top pick eReading device is the BEBOOK. The BEBOOK weighs in at 7.3oz (220g)
and is about the size of a thin paperback novel. With this particular reader
you can display many types of documents, and it even allows you to listen to
audio books in MP3 format (or music while you read). The device comes with software
pre installed for the most popular types of eBooks. It has Mobipocket, Palmdoc,
a PDF, and more. It has a high contrast screen that can be read even in the
sunlight, and it has the most paper-like look when you read.

The BEBOOK tops our list because of its price and its features. It beats out
the kindle simply because it can display more document types (without the need
for conversion) and it can play music where the Kindle can’t. When compared
to the iLiad, the price it what sets it apart. The BEBOOK will set you back
about $349, where the other devices we list cost more.

Document Types: pdf, mobi, prc, epub, lit, txt, fb2, doc, html, rtf, djvu,
wol, ppt, mbp, chm, bmp, jpg, png, gif, tif, rar, zip, mp3

Dimensions: 220g – 184mm x 120mm

Display: 600 x 800 6″ E-Ink Screen

Click learn more about BEBOOK – Our Top Choice for eReading Devices

#2 Amazon’s Kindle eBook Reader

The next eReading device on our list is Amazon’s Kindle. Now I know some of
our readers will likely shout out saying “hey, Kindle is the best eBook
reader out there”. I would agree with that assessment if it wasn’t for
three factors. First – the screen doesn’t have the contrast that the BEBOOK
does, and it can be harder to read under direct sunlight. I could get over that
though, if it wasn’t for the next two problems.

Kindle only supports Kindle books. With 220,000 books in the Kindle store,
many of which are the latest bestseller, you would think that this is enough.
For many it isn’t though, and to read that PDF book, the MobiPocket book, or
any other document type you have to covert it to Kindle format first. BEBOOK
I have millions of books immediately available, and I don’t have to convert
them. For the tech savvy conversion may not be a problem, but for the average
person it’s simply a pain.

I will say that the Kindle has come along way since it’s first versions. It
can support other formats (through conversion) where it couldn’t at first, and
it isn’t as bulky as the first releases were. It also has wireless downloads
where the BEBOOK doesn’t. With that, and with a company like Amazon backing
the device, it does beat out all of the other eReaders that didn’t even make
our list, and it is worth the money that you spend on it.

Click to Learn More about Kindle: Amazon’s Wireless Reading Device

#3 The iLiad Book Edition

The last eReading device I want to discuss is made by iRex Technologies, and
it is
iLiad Book Edition. Now feature for feature no other eReading device can
compare to the iRex lineup. They have cutting edge technology, more realistic
page turning, better screens, more memory, and in reality they are the most
advance eReaders on the market today. The least expensive iLiad would have taken
first place except for one factor – price!

Yes the iLiad is an excellent piece of technology. No other eReading device
can even come close as far as features are concerned. But with the cheapest
iLiad costing $599USD it’s simply too expensive for an eReader. You could buy
a small form factor laptop for less money, and for a little bit more you could
buy a handheld PC.

Personally I wouldn’t spend this much on an eReader when I could get a device
that does so much more for the same price. To it’s credit though, the iLiad
does what it was meant to do, and it does it well.