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Old 10-04-2008, 02:19 PM   #16
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I have both Stanza and eReader on my iPod Touch. I use both of them sporadically, but do most of my reading on my 505.

It's nice to be able to read on my Touch in a pinch, but I wouldn't want it to be my sole reader! If I had to choose between keeping my Sony 505 and my Touch, the 505 would probably win out--even though the Touch can do so much more.

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Old 10-04-2008, 07:01 PM   #17
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I am wary of Bookshelf. I am unconvinced it has features that would make it worth paying for in the face of so many free options.

For those interested, I have posted a very comprehensive review of Stanza and eReader over at Teleread. Apologies for the two typos---I don't have my own posting account there, and with David in the hospital, I had to send this via in-line text in an email to someone else, and editing was a pain for both of us I had promised this to David before he got sick, so I really wanted it posted. I'll probably wait until he's back in business before submitting any other articles

Anyway...

http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/10...he-ipod-touch/

As a personal update, I have found I am just reading a ton on it now. I am used to the small screen. And I love it. LOVE it! I have got a great system going where I'll spring for a pricey new release on Fictionwise if it has 100% Micropay rebate, and then spend the Micropay on other Fictionwise stuff I am keeping stats on what I spend versus how many free and paid books I read, and it is much cheaper than buying paper books I think because the ipod is so small and convenient, I am pulling it out more than I would have with my eBookwise. The eBookwise is more of an 'I am planning to sit down and read for an hour' kind of thing. This is better for when I happen to be on the subway, already have it in my hand because I was listening to music on my way there, why not read until I get where I am going. I just am so loving the ipod and Fictionwise and Manybooks and the whole set-up I have right now.

My one caveat would be that I have no idea how hard it is to set up the network so you can download content without using a PC, and that worries me a little because right now I have free wireless internet included in my apartment. I share with my landlady, and she already had it going. When I moved it, I literally plugged my macbook into the wall, and there I was, on-line. Same with the ipod. It just found the network, connected me, and everyone was happy, books for everyone etc. If I did not have this cushy little already-set-up network, I ave no idea how hard it would be to get internet working on the ipod, and it seems you pretty much need wi-fi or internet to get books because you can't drag and drop from your computer.

But assuming you have a network that works for you, it is fun and easy. I am thrilled. It is just what I wanted.
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Old 10-07-2008, 06:51 AM   #18
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I finally deleted Stanza last night. It is just sloooooow as anything. It took 25 secodns for a book to load, and there was no way to just go to the menu and stop it from loading. I also found a setting on manybooks.net where you can click the link and get an ipod-optimized view of the site which lets you browse it the same way you browse Stanza's on-line catalogue. That facility, coupled with ow slow Stanza is and how it crashes from time to time finally pushed me into the 'don't need it, adds no functionality eReader doesn't have' camp. I can read new releases from Fictionwise and read public domain books from Manybooks, and browse them just as prettily. What else could I ask for? Sorry, Stanza! Work out the bugs and run a little smoother, and we'll talk.
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Old 10-07-2008, 08:33 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ficbot View Post
I finally deleted Stanza last night. It is just sloooooow as anything. It took 25 secodns for a book to load, and there was no way to just go to the menu and stop it from loading.
...
Sorry, Stanza! Work out the bugs and run a little smoother, and we'll talk.
I run Stanza on my iPod Touch 32Gb (not the new one), and books seem to take on average maybe 5 to 10 seconds to load the first time (they seem to have to uncompress), and then 1 to 2 seconds after that. And though I had crashes on a couple of specific books initially, I don't get that anymore. The books aren't tiny either - I've just retried it with Clive James's Cultural Amnesia, The Complete Works of Plato, Harvard Classics, Tolstoy's War and Peace, the King James Version Bible (one minute! to open the first time - one second after that). For what it's worth, all books I've sent from my iMac to the iPod have been mobi-format files, almost all of them from Mobileread (I don't post the above titles for any "bragging" rights - I've read none of the listed titles other than Cultural Amnesia...I just have a whole lot of stuff on there I hope to read one day. )

I'm not disagreeing with your decision or opinion, and rejecting the software is exactly what I'd do if I was having those repeated problems with it, but I don't seem to experience the same timeframes (other than on first opening) nor the bugs to be able to second your final sentence. It runs a treat for me.

Cheers,
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Old 10-07-2008, 09:00 AM   #20
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Just curious, did you have the latest version of Stanza? I downloaded my copy a week ago (after I had to reset my iPod after a botched firmware upgrade) and I am on my second book on it since then. I noticed it might be slow to load a book the first time, but only a few seconds when you restart the application. I have been using it to read books from the Baen Free Library since they don't currently support eReader format.

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Old 10-08-2008, 11:29 AM   #21
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1 Million iphone sold on 2008. However, the apple's iphone reader is not good as an ebook reader, it still rely on 3rd parties application for support the ebook function. So I'm not sure if it is the biggest ebook reader or not.
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Old 10-08-2008, 11:42 AM   #22
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DickyCheung22,
Huh? What does 3rd party support have to do with it not being a good ebook reader? I will tell you now, though the small screen and the back lit LCD may not be to everyone's taste, the iPod Touch (and iPhone) make a very solid reader. I enjoy reading with it quite a bit. Since I have no problems with the back light, if I was given a 5" version tomorrow I would probably stop my search for a dedicated ereader.

I will admit its hard to compare downloads with purchases. I freely admit that free or low cost software downloads don't give an accurate picture of how many people are actually using the device to read. That being said, Fictionwise could probably give us a good idea regard how many people are actually buying books and downloading them to the device....

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Old 10-12-2008, 03:54 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale View Post
DickyCheung22,
Huh? What does 3rd party support have to do with it not being a good ebook reader?
What will you use to actually read your ebooks? Almost certainly, third-party software. Mind you, this will be true for any device not designed to be an ebook reader in the first place.

I read ebooks on a Palm OS PDA. Yes, an older version of Palm Reader (now eReader) was bundled with it, but I seldom use it. With one or two exceptions, all of my ebooks are in formats that require third party software to display. I use Plucker, MobiPocket, PalmFiction, and PalmPDF, in about that order of frequency. (And Palm Reader is third party software, too, even if bundled.)

Quote:
I will tell you now, though the small screen and the back lit LCD may not be to everyone's taste, the iPod Touch (and iPhone) make a very solid reader. I enjoy reading with it quite a bit. Since I have no problems with the back light, if I was given a 5" version tomorrow I would probably stop my search for a dedicated ereader.
I wouldn't mind a device just like what I have now, but with a larger screen. Backlit LCD doesn't bother me, and I can turn the backlight off to read outdoors.

I'm not in the market for a dedicated reader because I need color, and the ability to do other things besides display ebooks.
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Old 10-12-2008, 10:14 PM   #24
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I use it as a "crap, i forgot my copy of "Notes from the Underground" or to check out a reference in a religious text.

I like Stanza a lot, as a Mac app, but I really don't want to see ebooks on the iPhone take off as I think it's generally detrimental to the health of larger ebook readers.

I mean, I'm not a big fan of a unitasker ebook reader, but I want a bigger, non-LCD screen (like all the eInk readers out there) and don't want to read a book on my iPhone if I don't absolutely have to.
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Old 10-12-2008, 11:01 PM   #25
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I disagree. One of the reasons I bought the Touch was that I was tired of carrying around so many devices with me all the time. For me, the Touch replaced: regular ipod, PDA and ebook reader. I was initially hesitant about a smaller screen for reading, but have gotten used to it and enjoy having something I can comfortably hold in one hand. I even find I am eyeing some ebook versions of print books I own, just because it would save so much space to have them in e-form!

My one reservation about ebooks 'taking off' is that I can just see iTunes trying to capitalize on this and introducing some sort of proprietary software or something we all must use. I like the eReader program, have many secure eReader titles from Fictionwise because eReader seems to be the most enduring and least intrusive of the 'secure' options, and would be really angry if the option to read them on the ipod disappeared.
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Old 10-12-2008, 11:25 PM   #26
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I like the iPhone as a multi device, too. But ultimately, I don't want to read books on it - the screen is too small, and sitting around with the screen on forever drains the battery too fast.

Personally, I'd love to see something like the iPhone but about 3x it's size (screen about the size of Sony Reader/Kindle's). The trick is having a device that does the phone/ipod stuff but taking the controls and allowing you to use it without holding the device (headsets, etc.)

But as that isn't the case yet... eh. I just find reading anything on it very long to be unpleasant, and really don't want to see the market move in that direction at all. I also don't think I'm alone in this, and getting many people to want to read on a device like that isn't terribly likely. The eBook market, as something somewhat legitimate, is still fairly new and I'd hate to see it put its eggs in the wrong basket for long term success.
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Old 10-13-2008, 07:08 AM   #27
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Gideon,
I doubt we have much to worry about with respect to the market putting all its eggs in one basket. If e-publishing has proven anything is that they are always trying to carve out new -niches. That being said, if a relatively open device (by ebook standards) was to become a new standard, it might force the more dedicated readers to open up as well. In addition, it might pave the way for apple to make larger devices with the same sorts of functionality that the iPod Touch has.

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Old 10-13-2008, 08:10 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by ficbot View Post
I finally deleted Stanza last night. It is just sloooooow as anything. It took 25 secodns for a book to load, and there was no way to just go to the menu and stop it from loading. I also found a setting on manybooks.net where you can click the link and get an ipod-optimized view of the site which lets you browse it the same way you browse Stanza's on-line catalogue. That facility, coupled with ow slow Stanza is and how it crashes from time to time finally pushed me into the 'don't need it, adds no functionality eReader doesn't have' camp. I can read new releases from Fictionwise and read public domain books from Manybooks, and browse them just as prettily. What else could I ask for? Sorry, Stanza! Work out the bugs and run a little smoother, and we'll talk.
Aside from books using a single text flow, I don't see any reason why it would take 25 seconds to load.
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Old 02-22-2009, 02:26 PM   #29
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1 Million iphone sold on 2008. However, the apple's iphone reader is not good as an ebook reader, it still rely on 3rd parties application for support the ebook function. So I'm not sure if it is the biggest ebook reader or not.
Downloading a third party reader onto the iPhone/iPod Touch is very simple. I think you underestimate how many people use the app store.

I read on my iPod Touch every single day. That will change when I get my Kindle though

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Old 02-22-2009, 02:41 PM   #30
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Actually, the iRex DR1000S is the biggest reader out there. The iPhone is a rather small reader.
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