Total newbie questions

[MrAngus]

Hi,

I'm the proud owner of a brand new iliad 2nd edition, but I still have lots of questions. I'm sure some of them have been answered elsewhere on this forum, but I don't understand jack sh*it about the technical explanations.

So, if you want to answer my questions, please keep in mind that the term 'newbie' is still too much credit for me.

1. Can I download e-books directly onto my Iliad without a computer? If so, how?
2. I have subscriptions to The Washington Post through pressreader and to the NY Times reader. Can I somehow get these on my Iliad?
3. If I install one of the browsers you smart guys developed, can I then just surf on the internet in hot spots, without having to do anything else? And what about the company's warranty if I install this.

I'm sorry about the basic stupidity of these questions, but I'm a guy who just about knows how to switch on and off his computer...

[pauli]

1) No
2) No
3) No, unless... you are a linux expert

[MrAngus]

Thanks, I guess

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by pauli

1) No
2) No
3) No, unless... you are a linux expert

I think this is in terms that "a guy who just about knows how to switch on and off his computer..." can understand.

That was unnecessarily rude. Please apologize to Mr Angus.

Mr Angus: I'm sure you will get the help you need shortly. Sorry about the un-welcome you received. I don't know the answers to your questions, but there are plenty of helpful experts at this board who can help you. Welcome! Come play with us at the Lounge threads.

[Adam B.]

Let me answer your questions one by one.

Originally Posted by MrAngus

1. Can I download e-books directly onto my Iliad without a computer? If so, how?

Right now, this is possible to do with public domain books through the iNewsStand application. You can also subscribe to and download RSS feeds as well.

2. I have subscriptions to The Washington Post through pressreader and to the NY Times reader. Can I somehow get these on my Iliad?

I've never used pressreader. I suspect you have to read the paper through the program. Unless you can ouput the paper to pdf of some other format, it's not possible.

3. If I install one of the browsers you smart guys developed, can I then just surf on the internet in hot spots, without having to do anything else? And what about the company's warranty if I install this.

I see you have the "book edition". This version does not include wifi. Unfortunately, you won't be able to jump on a wireless hotspot. You should still be able to install a browser and connect to a wired network however.

Edit: Looks like you have a 2nd edition, not book edition. If the hotspot is open (without protection, or login information), you should be able to connect without too much difficulty. You'll need to open the connection manager first, then create the connection. Then, you can use the "Start Networking" scripts included with the browsers and surf away.

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by MrAngus

1. Can I download e-books directly onto my Iliad without a computer? If so, how?
2. I have subscriptions to The Washington Post through pressreader and to the NY Times reader. Can I somehow get these on my Iliad?
3. If I install one of the browsers you smart guys developed, can I then just surf on the internet in hot spots, without having to do anything else? And what about the company's warranty if I install this.

The iLiad is a difficult device to get the most out of without investing in some Linux skills. Here are some suggestions:

1 & 2. Check out the "Feedbooks" service and the iNewsstand software. In short, you install iNewsstand on a PC connected to the internet, and have it subscribe to RSS feeds or select books. Then when you sync your iLiad, you get your NewsStand updates. You can sync over the wireless connection, but you still need a PC on the network to get your books.

3. Getting the browser to work and opening up your iLiad to be able to connect to internet hot spots is going to take some time and research so you know what you're doing and what the risks are to opening networking on your iLiad that way. Someday hopefully it will be simple, but currently it isn't. However, if you'd like to ask some specific questions about how to get started, please feel free and we'll try to help.

If you really want a device that doesn't require learning Linux to use, I'd honestly suggest a different device. I really enjoy my iLiad, but it's not the most user-friendly device out there.

[MrAngus]

Thanks guys! I guess there are different answers than just 'no', even though the outlooks are not too great yet.

[pauli]

1) there are only a few newspaper available that can be downloaded through the iDS: NRC in Holland, Les Echos in France and a few Chinese newspapers
2) if they are provided as or you can convert the newspapers to a pdf format you can copy them to the iLiad and read them. Html might be an option. There is an application that imports RSS feeds, converts them to html and prepares them so they can be read on your iLiad. It was not totally foolproof. I'll check later what is was...
3) this is tricky, especially if your not a techie. You need to get the developer package from iRex, this allows full access to the filesystem. And there you can do a lot of harm to the device, rendering it useless or "bricked". The warranty voiding only applies to the software. iRex cannot support every application that developers create, which can cause problems. After the device is restored and a problem like "I cannot connect to iDS" persists iRex will still support. They might charge you some for "unbricking" the device. But there are a lot of possibilities:
http://blog.adamrb.com/2007/11/thing...our-iliad.html

sorry about my earlier rude answer... (thanks DixieGal for your reply)

[DixieGal]

sorry about my earlier rude answer... (thanks DixieGal for your reply)[/QUOTE]


We all have bad days - now come on around to the Lounge and have some fun with us!

[pauli]

@2) http://www.codeplex.com/dailyrssdownload

it's a scheduler that downloads RSS feeds to your PC, all you have to do is synchronize or copy the html pages to your iLiad.

"bugs": some original RSS feeds have mutiple pages. When I tried this program a few months ago only the first page was imported.

the RSS feeds from f.i. the Washingpost are here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/rss/index.html

[MrAngus]

[CleverClothe]

Originally Posted by Adam B.

Let me answer your questions one by one.


Right now, this is possible to do with public domain books through the iNewsStand application. You can also subscribe to and download RSS feeds as well.

There is also a plugin for the autodownload script for books purchased from Fictionwise.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26064