Thinking 'outside the box'...new uses...

Reader Paradice · 11-22-2011, 10:35 AM

Well...how wonderful is this new Kobo Vox that I introduced into my lifestyle?...well, I'll tell you you how wonderful this technology is (large grin)

Not only do I enjoy recreational reading, but I am also a musician.

So...yesterday I got to thinking, how else to maximise this new toy in my life?

Got it!.....

Sure reading....but, how 'bout I scan my lyrics and then port them over through Adobe Publisher to the Vox? Actually create my own lyric/music books that can be used while in concert? So....I did! The result is awesome!

I now have in one small form factor (with its very own back-lighting that I can set intensity to house environment) that can be placed upon a music stand, AND...AND...this is the most important aspect,...I can with an easy tap of my forefinger to the right side of the display, advance the lyrics. Not flail with hope 'n prayer that my hand motion will turn over large pages, or that they (horror in live performance) fail to advance or fall off of the music stand (arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.......)

The Vox rocks with any new idea for usage that I throw at it. I am sorry to read that some are having their travails with the product. For myself, it has only been from unboxing, one smile after another. With Wi-Fi turned off (in Airplane mode or by the widget) I get around 6 hours of continuous use. Not bad for a back-lit product.

So...as the title of my post suggests, think 'outside the box' to maximise your purchase. Mechanics can use it with a small self-made stand to read their own tear-down instructions (with pictures) in the shop. Hobbyists can port over their particular needs, etc. Cooking and creating in the kitchen is a no brainer, lol.

The Vox with its ample storage can more than just be a published book reader and Net cruiser. You only have to think....outside the box!!!

Cheers,

Paradice Reader

wilbrich · 11-22-2011, 11:46 AM

Well, this isn't exactly thinking "outside the box", but I downloaded Ambling Bookplayer to listen to audiobooks. And from the player, you can access a gazillion free audiobooks. This player makes listening, saving, bookmarking, etc super easy.

cindiaugustine · 11-22-2011, 09:50 PM

I've set up the gallery to act as a portfolio of my photography. By creating horizontal file folders and vertical file folders so as to have consistent orientation I have a nice selection of small galleries that can be beautifully viewed by slideshow, or swipe. As a photographer it's handy to always have my portfolio ready to show, at a whim.

TonyToews · 11-23-2011, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader Paradice

Sure reading....but, how 'bout I scan my lyrics and then port them over through Adobe Publisher to the Vox? Actually create my own lyric/music books that can be used while in concert? So....I did! The result is awesome!

I now have in one small form factor (with its very own back-lighting that I can set intensity to house environment) that can be placed upon a music stand, AND...AND...this is the most important aspect,...I can with an easy tap of my forefinger to the right side of the display, advance the lyrics. Not flail with hope 'n prayer that my hand motion will turn over large pages, or that they (horror in live performance) fail to advance or fall off of the music stand (arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.......)

Very nice!!!!! I can well imagine the trials of paper. OTOH, did you remember to charge the Vox before the performance? Will it freeze up? The glare of the over head lights?

peterhondak · 11-23-2011, 10:37 AM

I've enjoyed it for my patterns. (knitting/crochetting) I can make notes easily about what changes I may have made, highlight where I left off.

I can make it bigger for when I have to follow line/line, but smaller when needed.

Some patterns I've had to copy and paste and convert, some come as PDFs. But its great.

hieronymos · 11-23-2011, 11:35 AM

I'm learning Chinese. Looking up a word in a Chinese dictionary is painful. You have to count the number of strokes first, and then you also have to know where to start counting. Then you look into the index how the character is actually composed and get a page number where you can finally start looking up the word you're searching. Chances are, your dictionary is worth crap. On the touchscreen, I can simply write the character down and start searching for it. The dictionary, in return, gives out the exact stroke order so next time I could even look it up in the print dictionary. If the word is not in the dictionary, I can search for it on the internet and try to understand the meaning by context.

I use the Kobo as a remote for my PC (which also serves as TV).

I'm also an audiophile with a huge music collection in high quality. I hated it when I wanted to listen to John Coltrane and all I had on my MP3 player was Pearl Jam, because when I transferred the music I just felt like it. And I'm also a little geeky - but I hate cables. So I have a Logitech Squeezebox and an old MacBook in the shelf, which serves as NAS/Home Server. So I use my Kobo as a Squeezebox, the music plays in sync with my home stereo and the kitchen radio. When I'm out, I connect home with OpenVPN (when I was in China I swore to myself that I'd set up my own VPN) and listen to my music at home without the trouble of moving it here or there. Of course, the Kobo is also the remote for the different music players.

I read the US news and watch the German news podcast for breakfast, so I know what my father and mother, respectively, are ranting about on the telephone.
And occasionally I discover what other people are thinking about in the NFB catalogue.

My girfriend showed photos and videos with it the other day, out of our combined albums.

I've organized all scientific articles I had lying around on my computer in Calibre, and annotate them with Mantano.

I hate all these platform games. But I loved Eric Idle in Discworld, so much that I actually kept the CD, knowing I would never again go through the trouble to set up DOS or Windows 3.1. I play it again on the Kobo. Have to ask my sister to send Sam and Max over.

This might sound like a cheap advertisement - but what I mean is really: it's not just about Netflix and Facebook, getting everything served up ready-for-consumption. All the media bombard you with "Flash tablet", blablabla ready, make an account here, buy that. Nearly everything I'm talking about here is based on Open Source or some kind of Open Standard (the Chinese dictionary and probably handwriting as well are based off CeDICT; Squeezebox is open source, written in Perl; RSS and UPnP are based off the internet and are free as in free beer; the NFB is public and ScummVM and Calibre are FOSS)

And in the hacking thread, we still have a few nice ideas coming up :-)

Reader Paradice · 11-23-2011, 01:28 PM

[QUOTE=hieronymos;1846328]I'm learning Chinese. Looking up a word in a Chinese dictionary is painful. You have to count the number of strokes first, and then you also have to know where to start counting. Then you look into the index how the character is actually composed and get a page number where you can finally start looking up the word you're searching. Chances are, your dictionary is worth crap. On the touchscreen, I can simply write the character down and start searching for it. The dictionary, in return, gives out the exact stroke order so next time I could even look it up in the print dictionary. If the word is not in the dictionary, I can search for it on the internet and try to understand the meaning by context.

I use the Kobo as a remote for my PC (which also serves as TV).

(snip)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very cool and imaginative. You go!

Reader Paradice · 11-23-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindiaugustine

I've set up the gallery to act as a portfolio of my photography. By creating horizontal file folders and vertical file folders so as to have consistent orientation I have a nice selection of small galleries that can be beautifully viewed by slideshow, or swipe. As a photographer it's handy to always have my portfolio ready to show, at a whim.

----------------------------------------------------------

To have your portfolio on the Vox....smart move! How many photogs would have KILLED to have this small form factor even ten years ago...and with the beautiful and colour-rich screen output of the Vox, I just might 'borrow' your idea, lol. Dang...I might have to go out and buy a 32 GB card after all (large grin).... Sure, you can keep photos on your camera, but this would be a much nicer professional presentation to clients. Good go!

jefftheworld · 11-23-2011, 01:34 PM

As a musician you might enjoy:

http://anddev.at.ua/load/application...90_85/3-1-0-13

It's a tracker-style sample-based sequencer.

Reader Paradice · 11-23-2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyToews

Very nice!!!!! I can well imagine the trials of paper. OTOH, did you remember to charge the Vox before the performance? Will it freeze up? The glare of the over head lights?

Hi Tony,

My M.O. with the Vox has been to have it always plugged into the mains when using it at home. That way, it is already at peak to head out the door, when needed to.

This has worked out fabulously (beyond expectation in fact) for my musical needs met. Life is funny...until I had bought a 'Christmas present to myself' in the Vox...I had never even thought to use an eReader to advance my musical interests. Actually, I have been kicking myself ever since for not thinking of this sooner. I am looking to also transcribe, as well as merely have lyrics to the songs at the moment. I have a few programs that look to be adaptable to this purpose. It's getting kind of exciting in fact. I love to play guitar at parks, and while camping, and can't wait until next Spring and Summer to hit the road with the Vox. That it can be easily seen laying flat or at an angle in direct sun (I did my sun certification of the unit..and it is as clear as a bell) is a MASSIVE ad-value to its ownership! Also...and you have to please excuse my level of excitement...that I can increase the font, out in the field, is simply amazing! You can not do that with the published page. For two or three persons looking at the Vox and singing the lyrics will now be a snap. Just set the font size to suit all viewers-over-the-shoulder. Playing piano at parties is also going to be a snap. I come to the end of the page in landscape mode....(hand goes up...finger extended, lite tap) and the page is 'turned'. Yehaw! Hand comes back down....and the blues or jazz is carried on!

What you can (or at least what I can do with this unit in application) is only limited by a cup of coffee, and some time to think about the end result.

I love this thing...and am having a blast with it!

Cheers,

Reader Paradice · 11-23-2011, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jefftheworld

As a musician you might enjoy:

http://anddev.at.ua/load/application...90_85/3-1-0-13

It's a tracker-style sample-based sequencer.

Thank you! Thank you, very much....

I'll certainly check it out.

Edit: You have GOT to be kidding?!?!? I just went to your link...and it is an Android app?!?!? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Jeff...again, thank you!

Edit 2: This is my first exposure to the Android O.S., so I'm not truly up on what is exactly out there. Actually, truth be known, this is my first Tablet 'anything'. I'm eating huge amounts of Crow, in that I had stated to others, I would never see the need to have a tablet with also having a laptop. I was wrong....really wrong. There are definite niches where a Tablet is so much more portable. Yeah...I was wrong.....

Reader Paradice · 11-23-2011, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterhondak

I've enjoyed it for my patterns. (knitting/crochetting) I can make notes easily about what changes I may have made, highlight where I left off.

I can make it bigger for when I have to follow line/line, but smaller when needed.

Some patterns I've had to copy and paste and convert, some come as PDFs. But its great.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

How much would you charge for a 60's era Varsity Sweater?

Just kidding...I had one knitted for me by my mother years ago, and have never seen another one like it, since. It is the sweater that has the three varsity black bands on the right sleeve at the middle of one's bicep. It was quite sharp and I always had compliments when wearing it. It makes a great campus gift, if you have the notion.

peterhondak · 11-24-2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader Paradice

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

How much would you charge for a 60's era Varsity Sweater?

Just kidding...I had one knitted for me by my mother years ago, and have never seen another one like it, since. It is the sweater that has the three varsity black bands on the right sleeve at the middle of one's bicep. It was quite sharp and I always had compliments when wearing it. It makes a great campus gift, if you have the notion.

I'll get right on that LOL. I've spent so much time on my VOX that I'll probably get my to do list done when I'm 100.

Reader Paradice · 11-24-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterhondak

I'll get right on that LOL. I've spent so much time on my VOX that I'll probably get my to do list done when I'm 100.

-----------------------------------------------------
Peter, the yarn was coarse, with the body being of a grey colour which really highlighted the three varsity bands. Like I stated, these sweaters are rare...and always solicit complements. The buttons should be true bone with black highlights.

Also, the top button started low enough to have a significant downward 'V' towards the mid chest. A sharp affair, it was!

P.S. I'm sure in between book reading and anything else...you can source out a suitable pattern. Have at it! If you model it...you'll probably have orders, lol.

Edit: Oh...we're talking pure wool, and no synthetics other than perhaps an inner lining if wanted...

Cheers,

Mitch

TonyToews · 11-24-2011, 05:11 PM

I'm quite enjoying reading some online books using the Vox. So much so that the Touch is being neglected. Service Society by http://finestories.com/story/10437 and Picking up the Pieces http://spearfishlaketales.com/21putp/putp.htm. The latter story is a bit of a tear jerker and somewhat explicit in the tasteful sex scenes. One of the main characters is a 6'8" woman.

11-22-2011, 10:35 AM	#1
Reader Paradice Getting Back To Reading! Posts: 206 Karma: 431306 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox and Touch	Thinking 'outside the box'...new uses... Well...how wonderful is this new Kobo Vox that I introduced into my lifestyle?...well, I'll tell you you how wonderful this technology is (large grin) Not only do I enjoy recreational reading, but I am also a musician. So...yesterday I got to thinking, how else to maximise this new toy in my life? Got it!..... Sure reading....but, how 'bout I scan my lyrics and then port them over through Adobe Publisher to the Vox? Actually create my own lyric/music books that can be used while in concert? So....I did! The result is awesome! I now have in one small form factor (with its very own back-lighting that I can set intensity to house environment) that can be placed upon a music stand, AND...AND...this is the most important aspect,...I can with an easy tap of my forefinger to the right side of the display, advance the lyrics. Not flail with hope 'n prayer that my hand motion will turn over large pages, or that they (horror in live performance) fail to advance or fall off of the music stand (arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.......) The Vox rocks with any new idea for usage that I throw at it. I am sorry to read that some are having their travails with the product. For myself, it has only been from unboxing, one smile after another. With Wi-Fi turned off (in Airplane mode or by the widget) I get around 6 hours of continuous use. Not bad for a back-lit product. So...as the title of my post suggests, think 'outside the box' to maximise your purchase. Mechanics can use it with a small self-made stand to read their own tear-down instructions (with pictures) in the shop. Hobbyists can port over their particular needs, etc. Cooking and creating in the kitchen is a no brainer, lol. The Vox with its ample storage can more than just be a published book reader and Net cruiser. You only have to think....outside the box!!! Cheers, Paradice Reader Last edited by Reader Paradice; 11-22-2011 at 11:24 AM.

11-23-2011, 11:35 AM	#6
hieronymos Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 45172 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox	I'm learning Chinese. Looking up a word in a Chinese dictionary is painful. You have to count the number of strokes first, and then you also have to know where to start counting. Then you look into the index how the character is actually composed and get a page number where you can finally start looking up the word you're searching. Chances are, your dictionary is worth crap. On the touchscreen, I can simply write the character down and start searching for it. The dictionary, in return, gives out the exact stroke order so next time I could even look it up in the print dictionary. If the word is not in the dictionary, I can search for it on the internet and try to understand the meaning by context. I use the Kobo as a remote for my PC (which also serves as TV). I'm also an audiophile with a huge music collection in high quality. I hated it when I wanted to listen to John Coltrane and all I had on my MP3 player was Pearl Jam, because when I transferred the music I just felt like it. And I'm also a little geeky - but I hate cables. So I have a Logitech Squeezebox and an old MacBook in the shelf, which serves as NAS/Home Server. So I use my Kobo as a Squeezebox, the music plays in sync with my home stereo and the kitchen radio. When I'm out, I connect home with OpenVPN (when I was in China I swore to myself that I'd set up my own VPN) and listen to my music at home without the trouble of moving it here or there. Of course, the Kobo is also the remote for the different music players. I read the US news and watch the German news podcast for breakfast, so I know what my father and mother, respectively, are ranting about on the telephone. And occasionally I discover what other people are thinking about in the NFB catalogue. My girfriend showed photos and videos with it the other day, out of our combined albums. I've organized all scientific articles I had lying around on my computer in Calibre, and annotate them with Mantano. I hate all these platform games. But I loved Eric Idle in Discworld, so much that I actually kept the CD, knowing I would never again go through the trouble to set up DOS or Windows 3.1. I play it again on the Kobo. Have to ask my sister to send Sam and Max over. This might sound like a cheap advertisement - but what I mean is really: it's not just about Netflix and Facebook, getting everything served up ready-for-consumption. All the media bombard you with "Flash tablet", blablabla ready, make an account here, buy that. Nearly everything I'm talking about here is based on Open Source or some kind of Open Standard (the Chinese dictionary and probably handwriting as well are based off CeDICT; Squeezebox is open source, written in Perl; RSS and UPnP are based off the internet and are free as in free beer; the NFB is public and ScummVM and Calibre are FOSS) And in the hacking thread, we still have a few nice ideas coming up :-) Last edited by hieronymos; 11-23-2011 at 12:04 PM.

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11-22-2011, 11:46 AM	#2
wilbrich Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 1412 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Vox, Kobo (original), Sony Tablet, Sony PRS505	Well, this isn't exactly thinking "outside the box", but I downloaded Ambling Bookplayer to listen to audiobooks. And from the player, you can access a gazillion free audiobooks. This player makes listening, saving, bookmarking, etc super easy.

11-22-2011, 09:50 PM	#3
cindiaugustine Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 3482 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Device: Kobo Vox and original Kobo	I've set up the gallery to act as a portfolio of my photography. By creating horizontal file folders and vertical file folders so as to have consistent orientation I have a nice selection of small galleries that can be beautifully viewed by slideshow, or swipe. As a photographer it's handy to always have my portfolio ready to show, at a whim.

11-23-2011, 10:37 AM	#5
peterhondak Zealot Posts: 108 Karma: 60 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: KoboMini (mine and MIL) KoboVox(returned), sonytouch(mom's),samsung7"	I've enjoyed it for my patterns. (knitting/crochetting) I can make notes easily about what changes I may have made, highlight where I left off. I can make it bigger for when I have to follow line/line, but smaller when needed. Some patterns I've had to copy and paste and convert, some come as PDFs. But its great.

11-23-2011, 01:28 PM	#7
Reader Paradice Getting Back To Reading! Posts: 206 Karma: 431306 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox and Touch	[QUOTE=hieronymos;1846328]I'm learning Chinese. Looking up a word in a Chinese dictionary is painful. You have to count the number of strokes first, and then you also have to know where to start counting. Then you look into the index how the character is actually composed and get a page number where you can finally start looking up the word you're searching. Chances are, your dictionary is worth crap. On the touchscreen, I can simply write the character down and start searching for it. The dictionary, in return, gives out the exact stroke order so next time I could even look it up in the print dictionary. If the word is not in the dictionary, I can search for it on the internet and try to understand the meaning by context. I use the Kobo as a remote for my PC (which also serves as TV). (snip) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Very cool and imaginative. You go!

11-23-2011, 01:34 PM	#9
jefftheworld Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 157090 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo, Kobo Vox	As a musician you might enjoy: http://anddev.at.ua/load/application...90_85/3-1-0-13 It's a tracker-style sample-based sequencer.

11-24-2011, 05:11 PM	#15
TonyToews Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 351398 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kobo Vox and Glo	I'm quite enjoying reading some online books using the Vox. So much so that the Touch is being neglected. Service Society by http://finestories.com/story/10437 and Picking up the Pieces http://spearfishlaketales.com/21putp/putp.htm. The latter story is a bit of a tear jerker and somewhat explicit in the tasteful sex scenes. One of the main characters is a 6'8" woman.

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