Raoul's China Saloon (V5.0) Beta
The Bar Room => The Bar (ON-TOPIC) => Tech Talk, or If Yer So Damn Smart, What The Hell You Doin' Teachin' English? => Topic started by: Arnold J. Rimmer on February 24, 2012, 03:22:53 AM
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Has anybody bought a decent e-book reader that will display *ahem* not entirely legal e-books?
I'm not sure about getting a Kindle as I heard you absolutely have to buy everything for it. And the price is high too.
I was looking at this one on TaoBao: http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=10223245219&prt=1330002313031&prc=1 (http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=10223245219&prt=1330002313031&prc=1)
Any opinions from anyone who knows what they are talking about on this subject? (I sure as hell don't) bfbfbfbfbf
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I have a Kindle and I love it.
I get all of my ebooks for it from a Taobao seller that does them for 8RMB apiece. Haven't had ANY trouble with it yet. I choose the books, they do the dirty work. There's a thread about this in the library I believe.
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I avoided the kindle for the reasons you mentioned in the OP, because I was not sure of the answers then. I picked up an aluratek one when I was back in Canada last summer and think it was one of the best things I did. I just downloaded through torrents about 80,000 books. I think i will be reading for a long time. While some of the downloaded books do not display as well as a purchased one the majority do and they read many different formats. I really enjoy it - especially when travelling. bjbjbjbjbj
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I too have a kindle bought on taobao and it can with some dvds with thousands of books. I also dl some via bit-torrent and have not bought a book at all. No problems with it at all but I have not activated via Amazon website which I guess may be the cause of some problems.
BTW the kindle seems very sensitive to cold. I am in Harbin and when it exposed to the cold it does need to be reset.
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I have activated mine with Amazon and no problems either.
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I have several...err...less than legal books on my kindle and they read just as well as the legal ones.
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I have several...err...less than legal books on my kindle and they read just as well as the legal ones.
Interesting. I had the impression that they come locked or something like that, so you can't put your own files on them.
How do you actually put the files on? Some kind of data cable?
Which model do you have?
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I have the normal one, the one that came before the new, smaller one. It is easy to get books on it. You can download huge compilations of Kindle books on most torrent sites, you can download books in non-MOBI format and format them using a program called Calibre and you can, without breaking any laws, download books from Project Gutenberg and loads of free books from Amazon.
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Generally the same cable to charge the unit is used to transfer data from your computer to The e-reader. Every tablet I've seen does this. Kindle and iPad included.
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I have a kindle- just drag and drop pretty much anything with the right format, including less-legal ones..
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Yeah, I have a kindle with thousands of "totally legit books" on it. Not a single problem getting them on or off.
If u use Calibre, which is a Free e-library type program, then any format works no problem. (It auto converts it when you add it to the kindle.)
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I don't have an E-Book Reader of any sort, but I thought I'd mention that calibre works well on regular computers, too. I have it on my Macbook and iMac. As a reader for a computer, it's OK. Larger script and various tools for annotating, printing, etc. Also, the converter ability goes without saying, it's calibre's prime feature. Too, interestingly enough, books from Apple's iTunes Bookstore can be downloaded to my Mac, but can only be read on an iPad, iPhone or iPod. They cannot be read on a Mac or Macbook. (I guess Apple wants you to get an iPad/iPhone/iPod. But with calibre, I can read them on my 2 'puters.
Since y'all were talking about calibre I just thought I'd mention it for the benefit of non-E-Reader readers like me.
P.S. It's available in Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux formats here:
http://calibre-ebook.com/download (http://calibre-ebook.com/download)
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A while back people here were all talking up e-books and I was curious to see what it was all about but couldn't see myself buying a reader. Then one day it occurred to me I could try it out on my phone (smartphone, runs Android, has 3.7" screen, 480 x 800 pixels). Originally I just wanted to see if it would work, and wasn't expecting much because of the not-book-sized screen. But it turned out really well and I read with it every day now. No issues with eye strain or page size. (Moon+ Reader Pro, 18pt serif font, 5-8 words a line, 17 lines a "page", a yellowish wallpaper that looks like a paperback page... the books themselves are mobi-to-epub conversions produced by Calibre, the original mobis coming from torrent libraries.)
Using the phone is a tad awkward sometimes if I can't rest it on my knee, but otherwise I have no problems (except when people call...).
I take it Kindles are more like paperback size and reproduce the appearance of a "book" page more?
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I take it Kindles are more like paperback size and reproduce the appearance of a "book" page more?
Yeah, but the biggest benefit is the "e-ink." It isn't backlit like a computer or phone so there is no eye strain no matter how long you read it (I do tend to get eye strain on a computer after awhile. I have a crap phone so I have never tried that.)
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What Borkya said...I find reading on a Kindle is the same as reading a normal book...I tried reading on an iPad once and found it made my eyes hurt after a while, which never happens with a Kindle. I have tried reading on several back-lit e-readers and must admit that they all fall short of being as nice to read on as the Kindle.
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Right. I can read my Kindle for hours on end without it hurting my eyes. I have the newest version of Kindle, the very inexpensive one with the ads. It is only $79 USD from Amazon. It is just like a book -- if you're reading in the dark you have you use a book light.
The new Kindle tablet, the Kindle Fire, IS backlit, so if the non-backlit thing is important to you (and if you do a lot of reading, it probably will be) then stay away from that model. On the other hand, if you're looking for a tablet it is very inexpensive (for what it is) and can do most of the fun stuff that other tablets can.
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I heart my kindle.
I seem to manage to get wireless connections where others can't. It can be dangerous when I'm bored though. I just buy the next book.
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You can connect your Kindle to a USB port on your PC, transfer PDFs of whatever type across and then read them. As mentioned above, Project Gutenburg ( http://www.gutenberg.org/ (http://www.gutenberg.org/) ) has enough free stuff to keep you going for a few centuries.
I'd really recommend paying a little extra to get the Kindle version with the keypad at the bottom. This makes it much easier to navigate reference books and search for things to download. If you get the 3G version, you can also use it for emergency internet browsing and email on the move in many countries. It's far from perfect for that, but just about workable.
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Apparently Kindles are now available to buy in China, at Amazon China and Suning.
Admittedly you could get them fairly easily on Taobao anyway.
http://gigaom.com/2013/06/07/amazon-starts-selling-kindle-paperwhite-and-fire-hd-in-china/
Amazon started selling Kindle e-readers and tablets in China on Friday. The front-lit Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is ¥849 (USD $138), and the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is ¥1499 (USD $244) for the 16 GB version and ¥1799 (USD $293) for the 32 GB version.
Amazon launched a Chinese Kindle store, with iOS and Android apps for reading ebooks, in December. The store contained around 25,000 ebooks at launch and is now up to about 47,000 titles. When I surfed around a Google Translated version of the store today, I noticed that the device page translates as “Optional Kindle device,” perhaps to remind users that they don’t actually have to buy a Kindle in order to read ebooks. Most of the books in the Chinese Kindle store are priced very, very low, with the top 15 bestselling books in the store all priced under 3 yuan (USD $0.49) and many at 1 yuan (USD $0.16).
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Has anybody bought a decent e-book reader that will display *ahem* not entirely legal e-books?
I'm not sure about getting a Kindle as I heard you absolutely have to buy everything for it. And the price is high too.
I was looking at this one on TaoBao: http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=10223245219&prt=1330002313031&prc=1 (http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=10223245219&prt=1330002313031&prc=1)
Any opinions from anyone who knows what they are talking about on this subject? (I sure as hell don't) bfbfbfbfbf
I have limited experience with e-books, but what I do know is how to ahem.
I've had success with the Nook, as well as the Korea Nuut. Both loaded up .pdf and/or .docs just fine. Had to fiddle with the formatting for some.
For an more information PM wakethenight. She's a writer and spend oodles of time messing around with different ereaders.
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Mr. Benn I too had noticed the Chinese Amazon site had finally started carrying Kindles and e-books.
Interestingly, the Amazon version is not really significantly cheaper than the American import version you can get on Taobao, and the Japanese version is actually even cheaper. I've been thinking of upgrading my basic Kindle to a Paperwhite but I think I'll stick with the American version in case I need to use it outside of China. I wonder if I give my basic Kindle (bought in America) to my husband if he could get Chinese Amazon e-books on it?
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just rediscovered this thread. I'm heading back to Canada for the summer, looking for work so maybe longer, and dread the thought of packing 40+ boxes of books. Thinking about a kindle, but also a Kobo. My niece has one she swears by. Think I'll talk to her, maybe get one as soon as I get there. (We're going to a cottage 5 days after I arrive, so I better get one quick)
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I recently acquired a Kindle Paperwhite from the Chinese Amazon. Had no problems sync to my amazon.com account. Nifty reader, in-built light. I have not tried any other e-reader, but I too have to fly home this summer and all I am bringing are two Kindles and my computer. These gadgets are good agagagagag agagagagag
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I got a Kindle a year and a half ago and after packing up our stuff for our move I am so glad I did. So much so that I sold off my entire collection of paperbacks and used the money to upgrade to a Kindle Paperwhite. :)
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Thinking about a kindle, but also a Kobo.
DO NOT GET THE KOBO. The Kobo is a proprietary device issued by (haha) Borders which is no longer in business. You can still get books that are non-DRM, but for the sake of convenience and no headaches, stick with the Kindle. I've got a Kindle Fire and a regular Kindle and find them to be awesome.
For the record, I also have a Kobo I purchased two years ago, but now it's pretty much just a paperweight.
I've heard rumors Nooks are on their way down, too, what with B&N showing record losses in all departments.
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Thinking about a kindle, but also a Kobo.
DO NOT GET THE KOBO. The Kobo is a proprietary device issued by (haha) Borders which is no longer in business. You can still get books that are non-DRM, but for the sake of convenience and no headaches, stick with the Kindle. I've got a Kindle Fire and a regular Kindle and find them to be awesome.
I use a Kobo mini and love it. The size is perfect for me. I don't really care if Borders is gone as I download .epub books and throw it on. I use Calibre to organize the books on my computer and put what I want on the Kobo. There's no headache and didn't do anything differently with my Kindle I had before except I needed .mobi files which are more annoying because they are proprietary.
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Stil has a good point with regards to downloading books and mobi format, however, I must say I like the one-click-one-second delivery system from Amazon.
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I think it has all been said but I love my Kindle. I download from several free sites, as well as Amazon, and have had no problems. I look forward to taking it to China this year. I even have some of my "maybe I will need them" texts on my Kindle now.
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So I'll be getting my Kindle Paperwhite in the next 2-5 days. (I went to the local Suning store and they ordered it from the Suning online shop - an ass backwards process, but it suits me.) So...
Non-Amazon books... there's issues with them going in the "documents" folder and and you don't get all the features (like page numbers)?
But Kindles can be jailbroken.... so you can have screensavers?!
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No experience with these e-readers. Assuming you download the PDF's or whatever format file to the e-reader directly from a service like Amazon, can you then conveniently save that electronic file to your home computer?
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If you use amazon, your purchased order will be stored in the Cloud and, if there is no wifi for the e-reader, you can have the electronic file sent to your computer and then you can transfer it to your e-reader. You can also use calibre to store and manage your e-books.
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You can choose where you want the e-file. You can easily download it to your computer OR to your kindle. You can have the file in both places at the same time with no problem. You can download the files again at any time to either the kindle registered to you, or computer registered to you on amazon. I have never had any problem. You can download the kindle reader to your computer to read the files on your computer.
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What of the books not purchased from Amazon? I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
In due course I suppose one day I'll use the service as intended. It might even be more convenient than other sources. Maybe even "cheaper", too, after factoring all the costs. But torrents, my friends, torrents! The books have rained down upon my computer. In torrents.
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No problem CP. Practically none of my ebooks are "legit" but as long as they're mobi files the kindle will read them. Like ETR mentioned, it is easy to convert other formats to mobi using calibre.
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Thanks for the answers :)
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But torrents, my friends, torrents! The books have rained down upon my computer. In torrents.
As a writer whose books have been torrented and exchanged in sites such as mobilism, this makes me really sad.
Because, y'know, really, 2.99 is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE, to pay for something that took me the better part of half a year to release.
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This is going to sound churlish...
Well, it is churlish. But, compared to free? We'll see how I go with the Amazon system, but what they're competing with in terms of delivery is whatever doesn't cost as much as they make me pay--and not just in terms of money. Sticking with one book seller, like the Kindle will supposedly make me do, is a cost. Credit card security questions are a cost. Not being able to transfer to my phone is a cost. Opportunity is a cost--is the Amazon system sufficient? If I stick with them, do I lose out on other kinds of books? I don't know yet. Will I have to deal with ads?
I think I recall reading somewhere that online content market experience is showing that lots of people are fine with shopping in a market like Amazon (or Netflix or whatever). They like ads too. They like that everything's all set up for them and they're willing to pay what to them is a small cost. The success of paid music streaming and buying seems to bear this out. Is downloading more like breakage and wasteage than lost earnings?
The Chinese system is interesting. They have websites with original content. The authors crank out chapters per week which people download for tiny sums. It's a brutal system for the authors, apparently. But if you get famous you can make money until you burn out. The thing is, apparently people do pay. I actually don't know if those get pirated as well.
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I have a nook. They offer free books weekly on the BN blog and other sources around the net.
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Most of the books I have read recently on my kindle have been free books I have downloaded from Amazon itself.
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If you want to read classics and such, project Gutenberg is a good place for all e-books published before 1923 and thus they have become public domain.
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Kindle Paperwhite - Day 1
Wow, that's one crude-ass device, and a lot of money to learn I like my phone better. Here's hoping it grows on me. My phone did, so maybe this slow, clunky, seizure-inducing piece of branded plastic will too. I know the damn thing is deliberately lo-fi, but jeez.
Meanwhile, Kindle store doesn't work. And I still haven't read anything yet. I'll know more tomorrow.
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What is wrong with it? When mine arrived, all I had to do was plug in the charger to give it some juice, then go into 'settings" and deactivate it from being linked to China Amazon, type in e-mail address and password for English/American Amazoon, have it appear on my Amazon account, add everything from the cloud and presto, reading in a jiffy. agagagagag
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Probably my internet is being crappy. I'm sitting right next to the wifi router but the Kindle Store is slooooo--
Whoops, it loaded. I shall browse.
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Kindle Paperweight - Day 2
You know what blows? The Kindle blows. An ebook isn't a book, it's the content of a book, and I'm pretty sure the Kindle is some kind of engineering in-joke. My phone does a better job of handling the content of a book than the Kindle does. It's faster, more capable, better equipped for note-taking, dictionary look-up, and goddamned internet connection. It's hugely more capable at handling pdfs.
My phone doesn't buy books or work outside. Using the settings I've found best, it displays one less sentence per page than my new paperweight. It doesn't provoke epilepsy, but it does display relative page numbers.
My career as a technology tipster is over. I bought a Kindle.
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Well, a Kindle is not supposed to handle PDF's, it is supposed to handle books in mobi format. I can't help but wonder at the product you have bought. I have two Kindles, one with a keyboard and one Paperwhite. The first I use for work, the second for leisure reading. Neither of them has been slow, caused sezizures, the internet is normal speed and they have never cut off any sentences. Are you sure that the product you have is not flawed or even broken? Did you buy this directly from Amazon or from another seller? If from another seller and this being China, is there any chance that the machine you are upset with looks like a Kindle, feels like a Kindle but is not a Kindle?
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Unfortunately, what I have is a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Moon Reader Pro, the Concise Oxford, a simple and useable AK Notepad, wifi, and Chrome. It is immediately responsive to touch, doesn't pulse, does multi-task, and has a properly functional cut, copy, and paste system for handling text. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite.
This particular device looks and works just like the devices I see in the review videos, except this one refreshes the whole page with every page turn, no matter how many times I turn that feature off. So I get the black flash every page instead of every six pages. This appears to be a popular issue (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197534) and not indicative of fakery. Some research suggests it is related to temperature, and it's been 35C all week so maybe that's it.
Meanwhile, it's just not a well-appointed phone with four cpus. I'll try it again in the autumn. Let's just pretend this whole thing never happened.
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Hmm..well, all I can say is that my machine and I are both in hot-as-the-devil's-ass Hangzhou and my Paperwhite is doing none of the things that you describe. As for the phone....I have a somewhat useless HTC, model name Piece of Effing Crap...
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Seeing as how I just spent three hours reading on the sofa, this device may yet find a place in the pantheon of adequate technologies. No promises, though.
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Kindle Painfullife - Day 3
So last night under the air conditioner, the Kindle was turning pages nicely - the black flash of a full screen refresh came once every 6 pages, a gentle but quick fade between words otherwise. This morning after sitting in an un-air conditioned room all night it's back to black flash every page. I tried the supposed fix (leave it alone, don't press the power button, let it go to sleep by itself), but no dice.
(http://www.cartridgeexpress.net/recycling-blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/old-style-mobile-phone1.jpg)
lo tech + book = stick your finger through your forehead.
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CP neither of my Kindles have done that either.
I have an iPhone so of course I could read on my phone as well, but it really strains my eyes after awhile and I can't just curl up on the sofa with the phone the way I could a book. I read a lot and the Kindle is a much more comfortable reading experience.
Also? Battery life. CP, if you go on long trips at all your phone is going to die on you but your Kindle won't. I charge my Kindle maybe once a month. I have to charge my phone daily, sometimes more than once a day if I'm using certain features heavily.
The Kindle is meant to simulate the paper-book reading experience. Like you said before, it is low-tech on purpose. The "high tech" Kindle is the Fire, but that is basically just another tablet.
CP, if you got a defective Kindle, return it. Amazon has a very good return/replace policy. Did you buy it from Amazon.cn? If you bought it from a seller (and in the future, with Kindles, just buy from Amazon. My Amazon.cn purchased Kindle is no different from my USA bought one) find out what you need to do to get it replaced. Amazon will usually send you a new one right away.
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I agree with TLD. You seem to have a defective Kindle. Mine does not do the things yours does, nor have any of my Kindle-owning friends experienced these problems.
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According to a commenter on an Amazon Kindle discussion forum (http://www.amazon.co.uk/forum/kindle?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3IRFCNF3E5K2W&cdThread=Tx1QAGHRZH06GNP), it ain't broke:
I have just had a call from Amazon Kindle support confirming the post I made above viz:
Below 15 degrees C and above 32 degrees C the Kindle will perform a full refresh of the E Ink display regardless of the Option setting. This is an operating parameter requirement for the display and has been designed into the Kindle ereader.
It's a feature.
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Kindle Pulpywhite - Day 4
I'm getting used to it. Buyer's remorse is giving way to lengthy spells of book reading. We may yet be okay.
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Don't let go of your disappointment. Read some articles about Iphone charger electrocution. It could have been you.
/luddite
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Don't let go of your disappointment. Read some articles about Iphone charger electrocution. It could have been you.
/luddite
Pffft. You never need to use a Kindle while it is charging. The thing holds a charge for about a month and charges up fully within an hour.
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I can't believe it. Two weeks before I leave for China and I have killed my Kindle.
I have - had - a keyboard model which I loved (for playing scrabble) now I have to find another, and they are so expensive in Australia. Oh well off to the shops tomorrow - I'm already having withdrawals, nothing to read in bed last night and nothing to read with my coffee this morning.
I wonder what I will come home with?
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Why buy it in Australia?
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Not sure if this works in Australia, but the Nook HD+ is $149.99USD for the 16gb model with expandable memory of up to 64gb. They ported Google Play and got rid of their proprietary web browser and now use Chrome as the browser. Right now, it's the cheapest tablet of that caliber on the US market right now. You should google up reviews for the Nook HD+ if you have access to this particular model in Australia.
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I didn't want to go through withdrawals again so bought a new keyboard Kindle and I love it. Was great on the plane and I am settling back into Chinese life with my Kindle in my bag.
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At the advice of the esteemed forum bought my Kindle in 2011 and have had many happy hours curled up on sofa/in bed .All well so far.Have a friend whose son's kindle broke -Amazon sent a replacement no questions asked. bfbfbfbfbf