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GntlmnBndt · 11-13-2008, 01:24 PM

I use mine pretty much as you are looking to use one, though I do play the odd game as well. I play music (and several podcasts every day), watch videos, and read quite a bit (ebooks and offline web content). I also surf occasionally, but since I commute for a total of about four hours daily, and I only have WiFi for a bit over an hour of that, it is hardly worth the battery drain -- easier to stick to saved content.

The big difference is that I do not use PDF files at all (they never worked all that well on my old Palm devices), so I cannot say how best to read those. As for eReader and Stanza, both are great apps, though I getting content loaded on the Touch is more complicated than it needs to be, as you point out. Getting eReader books loaded directly from a web site is very easy, but if you make your own ebooks in eReader format, you do need to go the extra step of loading them on the eReader bookshelf, or setting up a web server on your home machine.

I use Stanza more than eReader (I mainly use eReader for DRMed content), and it is very well done. The biggest problem with Stanza is that there is no batch loading of files, though there are several threads on the Stanza forums about that, so hopefully it is coming soon. Loading from Stanza desktop requires that you open the book on the desktop and turn on sharing in the application. Not difficult at all, but tedious if you want to transfer lots of books. Note: I use a mac, and I understand the PC experience is different. Also, I understand Calibre now works with Stanza, so that may be easier.

One other option, depending on what you read, is InstaPaper. Needs some work, but damn simple to use. Setup a bookmark on your desktop, click it when you are at a site you want to read later, and you can download optimized views of the page from your mobile. Not much as ebook readers go, but great for offline web content.

Installing apps is VERY easy. The app store is an icon on the Touch, buy or choose a free app/game, and it downloads and installs immediately. Both Stanza and eReader are available this way, and both are free. Though I should mention the Stanza desktop is currently still in beta (but very functional), and I do not know how much it will cost once version 1.0 hits.

The Bandit

11-13-2008, 01:24 PM	#5
GntlmnBndt Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 142 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: iPod Touch, iPad	I use mine pretty much as you are looking to use one, though I do play the odd game as well. I play music (and several podcasts every day), watch videos, and read quite a bit (ebooks and offline web content). I also surf occasionally, but since I commute for a total of about four hours daily, and I only have WiFi for a bit over an hour of that, it is hardly worth the battery drain -- easier to stick to saved content. The big difference is that I do not use PDF files at all (they never worked all that well on my old Palm devices), so I cannot say how best to read those. As for eReader and Stanza, both are great apps, though I getting content loaded on the Touch is more complicated than it needs to be, as you point out. Getting eReader books loaded directly from a web site is very easy, but if you make your own ebooks in eReader format, you do need to go the extra step of loading them on the eReader bookshelf, or setting up a web server on your home machine. I use Stanza more than eReader (I mainly use eReader for DRMed content), and it is very well done. The biggest problem with Stanza is that there is no batch loading of files, though there are several threads on the Stanza forums about that, so hopefully it is coming soon. Loading from Stanza desktop requires that you open the book on the desktop and turn on sharing in the application. Not difficult at all, but tedious if you want to transfer lots of books. Note: I use a mac, and I understand the PC experience is different. Also, I understand Calibre now works with Stanza, so that may be easier. One other option, depending on what you read, is InstaPaper. Needs some work, but damn simple to use. Setup a bookmark on your desktop, click it when you are at a site you want to read later, and you can download optimized views of the page from your mobile. Not much as ebook readers go, but great for offline web content. Installing apps is VERY easy. The app store is an icon on the Touch, buy or choose a free app/game, and it downloads and installs immediately. Both Stanza and eReader are available this way, and both are free. Though I should mention the Stanza desktop is currently still in beta (but very functional), and I do not know how much it will cost once version 1.0 hits. The Bandit