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Old 11-13-2008, 12:26 PM   #1
maxyn83
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Want to buy itouch but...

Hi, Hope someone can help. I love to read!! and watch movies or listen to music. I currently use my sony ericson P990i as an ebook reader and sometimes I watch movies on it too though the battery gets low pretty fast if I do that. P990i is fairly easy to use, just transfer any PDF files from my computer to my phone and I can read it on the phone anytime, anywhere and battery can last up to 4hours too! Problem is, text is too small.

I've been looking around for something better but it seems a waste to buy an iRex just for reading. The main thing is want to do is read on the road but I also want to be able to watch movies and listen to music which makes iTouch the best solution I've found so far.

But, reading on iTouch seems a bit complicated from what I've gathered in some posts... Can I just transfer my PDF files on iTouch and be able to read it or do I have to convert the PDF files? Any more info about how to use ereader/stanza on iTouch?

Also, where do you download free games/apps for iTouch? Are they easy to install?

Any suggestion of other good portable eReader device (very important!) where I can also watch movies, listen to music, and has good specs will be greatly appreciated... or am I dreaming and there's no such device?

Thanks all!

PS. Hope I'm posting in the right section!
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Old 11-13-2008, 12:56 PM   #2
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Also, where do you download free games/apps for iTouch? Are they easy to install?
Yep they are very easy. You just press the appStore icon on your Touch and you will be brought to the app store. Here you can browse through the apps and press a button to buy/download them and they are installed automatically.

Stanza and eReader are two of the apps on the app store and they are both free. Once you have stanza on your reader you can open stanza on the PC, open a PDF ebook and then it will show up in stanza in the online catalog of your touch and you can d/l it. Stanza will do the necessary convertion. I don't know how will it handles PDFs though.

BTW: To do all this on the iPod Touch you will need to be connected via WiFi. Of course you don't need a connect to read already downloaded ebooks.

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Old 11-13-2008, 12:56 PM   #3
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It's pretty easy, but I don't read PDF's I use eReader, I prefer it to Stanza which imho is a little laggy sometimes. Just download eReader and you can log into free sites like manybooks or paid sites like Fictionwise right from the app. There is also a personal content feature at Fictionwise where you can upload any .pdb file (free converters are on-line for this) and download it the same way.

Unless you 'jailbreak' you ipod, which has its risks, you pretty much have to get apps from the iTunes store---but there are plenty of free ones. Jailbreaking can be a little tricky, and can damage your ipod if you screw it up. I am too skittish for it, and have found everything I need in the app store anyway, but I am not a 'power use' and all I needed was a reading program, some games and a few other little programs. I am not interested in hacking it to be a computer replacement, so jailbreaking it did not interest me. I just wanted to consolidate my devices a little so I didn't have to carry around so many things. Reading plus ipod plus games in one device is a pretty sweet set-up for me.
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Old 11-13-2008, 01:05 PM   #4
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I have an iPod Touch which I don't use it as a reader but I'll try to help you out as much as I can.

Quote:
Originally Posted by maxyn83 View Post
But, reading on iTouch seems a bit complicated from what I've gathered in some posts... Can I just transfer my PDF files on iTouch and be able to read it or do I have to convert the PDF files? Any more info about how to use ereader/stanza on iTouch?

Also, where do you download free games/apps for iTouch? Are they easy to install?

Any suggestion of other good portable eReader device (very important!) where I can also watch movies, listen to music, and has good specs will be greatly appreciated... or am I dreaming and there's no such device?
If you read through this thread you'll see samples of several reading programs for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

I've been able to use Stanza to upload content wirelessly via their Desktop component. You should visit the Stanza site.

Instructions on how to use Stanza and eReader come with the apps. I think they were pre-installed (I've forgotten). If I'm wrong, I know they can be downloaded for free via the Apps Store which is part of iTunes. That's where you'll get all your apps including game apps (very easy to install).

I think for your needs an iPod Touch is the perfect fit!
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Old 11-13-2008, 01:24 PM   #5
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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
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Old 11-14-2008, 06:13 AM   #6
HarryT
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The iPod Touch makes an excellent music player and portable video player, but I honestly couldn't recommend it as a book reader. It doesn't even begin to compare with eInk devices. A Palm/Pocket PC type device makes a far more versatile book reader if you want a "pocket sized" device. I say this having read on such devices for more years than I can to remember, before switching to eInk devices. I tried reading on my iPod Touch, but it just wasn't a "pleasurable experience" at all. I use mine primarily as a video player, a task at which it excels.
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Old 11-14-2008, 11:13 AM   #7
maxyn83
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BTW: To do all this on the iPod Touch you will need to be connected via WiFi. Of course you don't need a connect to read already downloaded ebooks. BOb
Is it easy to connect to the Wifi? With my sony ericsson P990i, it's pretty hard to connect to a wifi. I have to add a new account every time I encounter a different wifi and fill in the account details before I can connect! Since I'm not tech savvy, I usually end up not getting connected!

Thanks for all your comments! I'm gonna do some more research before I buy the iTouch but I'm definitely leaning on toward buying one... If the ebook reader is not as good, the movies, music and games are still enough to buy an iTouch but as ficbot said, reading plus ipod plus games is pretty sweet and being able to read on it would definitely be a big plus!
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Old 11-14-2008, 01:19 PM   #8
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Well, just a thought; connecting to Wifi is pretty easy. Generally, when you are not connected to a site, it will bring up a list of any wifi hotspots in the area and it will show you which ones are password protected. You choose one; if it is password protected, you can enter the password, and then it will remember the site when you connect again in the future.

Mind you, those details are important regardless of whether you want to use it as a reader or not; the app store works over wifi as well.

As for the reading experience; I would say, that once I got Stanza and eReader configured, that reading was pretty decent. That being said, the larger screen of my Jetbook, is definitely nicer. Also, I did notice less eyestrain with the Jetbook (though personally, I didn't think the iPod Touch was too bad).

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Old 11-14-2008, 04:50 PM   #9
TallMomof2
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I use my Touch as a backup reading device and I like it better than previously owned Palm/Palm clones. I find it very easy to use wifi, probably the easiest of any portable device I've owned.

My Touch is used primarily as a PDA and music player but I do play the odd game and read occasionally. One of the best news apps is the New York Times. You have to be connected to wifi for the news to update but it's really good and even includes pictures.

Hope your PDFs do not have DRM or you won't be able to read them on a Touch.
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Old 11-14-2008, 04:53 PM   #10
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Is it easy to connect to the Wifi? With my sony ericsson P990i, it's pretty hard to connect to a wifi. I have to add a new account every time I encounter a different wifi and fill in the account details before I can connect! Since I'm not tech savvy, I usually end up not getting connected!
Based on my own experience with my son's device... yep. Not hard at all. But, then again I run an open WiFi router at my house so there is no need for a password.

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Old 11-15-2008, 04:20 AM   #11
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Is it easy to connect to the Wifi? With my sony ericsson P990i, it's pretty hard to connect to a wifi. I have to add a new account every time I encounter a different wifi and fill in the account details before I can connect! Since I'm not tech savvy, I usually end up not getting connected!
It really couldn't be easier. Simply go to the WiFi settings page on the iPod Touch, slide the slider to "On" and it'll show you the names of all the WiFi networks within range. Select the one you want to connect to; if it has encryption it'll ask you for the password (it'll only do that the first time you connect). That's all there is to it.
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Old 11-15-2008, 04:56 AM   #12
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Good luck buying an iTouch as there is no such device.

That said, the iPod Touch makes one heck of a poor eBook reader compared to a 6" eink reader. It'll be fine for music and video. But reading it through a haze of fingerprints is not my idea of fun.
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Old 11-15-2008, 06:33 AM   #13
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All naysayers aside, the iPod Touch makes a great portable reading device that you can carry with you anywhere. The argument it's "not as good as a 6" eInk device" is moot when you consider the fact that you can't very well stick one of those devices in your back pocket or the inner-pocket of your jacket. I own both devices and each serves their purpose where applicable. If you're thinking portability & all-in-one device, get the iPod Touch or similar device, if you don't mind carrying around a larger device that only serves as a book, get an eInk device with a large screen.

Lastly, if you're serious about using a device you will learn all the in and outs of it to get it to do what you want. That's the beauty of the Internet, there is so much info available that you will find what you're looking for provided you have the right amount of motivation. Good luck & don't be balked by how difficult people say things are until you've tried them yourself. Everyone's a hacker at heart, just do it.
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Old 11-16-2008, 08:10 AM   #14
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One of the best news apps is the New York Times. You have to be connected to wifi for the news to update but it's really good and even includes pictures.
Hi,

This sounds really interesting. Not being able to download news is one thing I miss on my Cybook, and I am also thinking of getting an iPod Touch. That way I could read the Cybook at home and have a more portable and multipurpose device to carry with me.

My question: once you updated the news through your Wifi connection, can you read them offline also?

Thanks
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Old 11-16-2008, 08:39 AM   #15
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I haven't tried the New York Times app yet, but if you open Google Reader (in the built-in Safari browser) and then go offline, you can still read any of the items that were displayed (even if you didn't expand them from the preview). I found this pretty neat.
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