Hi - Newbie looking for Advice

chough · 11-02-2009, 11:12 AM

Hi, my name is chough and I stumbled across this forum whilst trying to sift through the myriad of ebook "information" that is out there. Seems like a lot is contradictory and confusing

Hopefully, it seems like this is the place for some unbiased advice on what to look for. I am after a multifunction device that is also a good ebook. I nearly bought a Sony PRS505 until I saw some multifunction devices of a similar price and thought one of those might suit me better.

thanks

Chough

desertgrandma · 11-02-2009, 12:00 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, chough.

A lot depends on where you live.......and what you want to do with your reader. Do you need to see graphs, is it for college texts, or do you just want to read novels?

Are you in the US or not?

Check here for more info.......

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_devices

Good luck with your choice.

Sfenton103 · 11-02-2009, 12:19 PM

Greetings!

I am thinking about buying a Kindle. Will I also be able to download free books as well?

P.S. I have never downloaded a free book so not sure even how to do it. :-)

desertgrandma · 11-02-2009, 12:36 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, sfention103.

You don't even need a device to download the free books here.

You can download mobipocket reader to your computer, (free) then download all the books in .prc (mobi) you want and read away!

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/Downloa...sp?Language=EN

Enjoy.

PS.....there are many other places to download free books, all in public domain.....

kennyc · 11-02-2009, 12:42 PM

Welcome! There is a lot of advice here, check the wiki pages for the various devices as well. I love my 505 and think it is still one of the best, but it depends on your particular requirements.

MickeyC · 11-02-2009, 12:48 PM

Hi Chough and welcome to MobileRead. Lots of friendly advice here.

MickeyC · 11-02-2009, 12:49 PM

Hi Sfenton103 and welcome to MobileRead

kennyc · 11-02-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sfenton103

Greetings!

I am thinking about buying a Kindle. Will I also be able to download free books as well?

P.S. I have never downloaded a free book so not sure even how to do it. :-)

Almost missed you there. Welcome!

Yes Amazon offers some free books on occasion. There are threads in the Kindle section of this forum..

Lady Blue · 11-02-2009, 01:12 PM

Hello chough, and

Click image for larger version

Name: C821.jpg
Views: 224
Size: 13.2 KB
ID: 38461

to Mobileread.

Lady Blue · 11-02-2009, 01:16 PM

Hello Sfenton103, and

Click image for larger version

Name: bunywel.gif
Views: 212
Size: 13.9 KB
ID: 38462

to you also.

Elfwreck · 11-02-2009, 01:16 PM

Some very basic info:

1) There are thousands of free ebook sites on the web. Most of them have mostly public domain classics, but there are also plenty with Creative Commons releases, and fully copyrighted works that have been offered for free.

2) You don't need a dedicated device to read ebooks. All of the formats available for ebooks, except a couple of *really* archaic and weird ones, are readable on your computer; I believe they're all readable with free software.

3) The most common ebook types are PDF, ePub, Mobi/PRC, and (eReader) PDB. (That is, if you don't count TXT, RTF and HTML, which weren't created specifically for books.) Less-common include LIT, LRF, FB2, RB, IMP, and FUB. No, you don't need to remember all of those. But you should be wary of any site that talks about "ebooks" but doesn't mention formats.

4) PDF is by far the most common, but is also one of the most troublesome, because it's set for a particular page size, which means if your reader isn't the same size & shape, it can be hard to read. No dedicated ebook reader is great at dealing with PDFs; they're all a matter of compromise about which features matter most to you. This is not a problem with the readers, but with the PDFs, which are generally designed for print, not for reading on a screen.

5) Converting from one format to another ranges from "very simple" to "impossible," depending on technical details. "Impossible" is very rare, but "complicated, with requirement of installing special software" is not.

6) The most obvious differences between multifunction devices and dedicated ebook readers are (a) battery life and (2) screen quality. Do some research to find out how much those matter to you before making a decision. Expect any details written by the manufacturer to be exaggerated, and sometimes slightly inaccurate. (For example, most manufacturer's lists of supported filetypes are somewhat off; they'll say "supports Ebook Type X" when what they mean is "...with our free software that you'll have to install on every computer you use with our device.")

7) The more specific info you can give, the better answers you'll get. Ask lots of questions; we like talking about ebooks.

8) There are controversies about, hm, everything. Filetypes, best devices, worst customer service, legality/ethics of some ebook practices, history of books in general, corporate activities, etc. Don't worry if you get caught up in those; look for the info you need & ignore the drama. Unless you like drama, in which case, the keywords "copyright law" can cause rather large explosions with very little warning.

chough · 11-02-2009, 05:00 PM

Hi

A big thank you for the warm welcomes and the wise words of wisdom.

I am sure I will enjoy being a member here

Thanks

Colin
(UK

)

11-02-2009, 11:12 AM	#1
chough Nameless Being	Hi - Newbie looking for Advice Hi, my name is chough and I stumbled across this forum whilst trying to sift through the myriad of ebook "information" that is out there. Seems like a lot is contradictory and confusing Hopefully, it seems like this is the place for some unbiased advice on what to look for. I am after a multifunction device that is also a good ebook. I nearly bought a Sony PRS505 until I saw some multifunction devices of a similar price and thought one of those might suit me better. thanks Chough

11-02-2009, 12:19 PM	#3
Sfenton103 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: none	Kindle & free books Greetings! I am thinking about buying a Kindle. Will I also be able to download free books as well? P.S. I have never downloaded a free book so not sure even how to do it. :-)

11-02-2009, 01:12 PM	#9
Lady Blue the snarky blue one Posts: 6,001 Karma: 3877825 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: deep in the heart Device: PRS500, 505 & 600, PRST1 & T2, Kindle PW, Moto Razr, Galaxy Tab 2-10"	Hello chough, and to Mobileread.

11-02-2009, 01:16 PM	#10
Lady Blue the snarky blue one Posts: 6,001 Karma: 3877825 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: deep in the heart Device: PRS500, 505 & 600, PRST1 & T2, Kindle PW, Moto Razr, Galaxy Tab 2-10"	Hello Sfenton103, and to you also.

11-02-2009, 05:00 PM	#12
chough Nameless Being	A Thank You Hi A big thank you for the warm welcomes and the wise words of wisdom. I am sure I will enjoy being a member here Thanks Colin (UK )

11-02-2009, 12:00 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, chough. A lot depends on where you live.......and what you want to do with your reader. Do you need to see graphs, is it for college texts, or do you just want to read novels? Are you in the US or not? Check here for more info....... https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_devices Good luck with your choice.

11-02-2009, 12:36 PM	#4
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, sfention103. You don't even need a device to download the free books here. You can download mobipocket reader to your computer, (free) then download all the books in .prc (mobi) you want and read away! http://www.mobipocket.com/en/Downloa...sp?Language=EN Enjoy. PS.....there are many other places to download free books, all in public domain.....

11-02-2009, 12:42 PM	#5
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Welcome! There is a lot of advice here, check the wiki pages for the various devices as well. I love my 505 and think it is still one of the best, but it depends on your particular requirements.

11-02-2009, 12:48 PM	#6
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Chough and welcome to MobileRead. Lots of friendly advice here.

11-02-2009, 12:49 PM	#7
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Sfenton103 and welcome to MobileRead

11-02-2009, 01:16 PM	#11
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	Some very basic info: 1) There are thousands of free ebook sites on the web. Most of them have mostly public domain classics, but there are also plenty with Creative Commons releases, and fully copyrighted works that have been offered for free. 2) You don't need a dedicated device to read ebooks. All of the formats available for ebooks, except a couple of really archaic and weird ones, are readable on your computer; I believe they're all readable with free software. 3) The most common ebook types are PDF, ePub, Mobi/PRC, and (eReader) PDB. (That is, if you don't count TXT, RTF and HTML, which weren't created specifically for books.) Less-common include LIT, LRF, FB2, RB, IMP, and FUB. No, you don't need to remember all of those. But you should be wary of any site that talks about "ebooks" but doesn't mention formats. 4) PDF is by far the most common, but is also one of the most troublesome, because it's set for a particular page size, which means if your reader isn't the same size & shape, it can be hard to read. No dedicated ebook reader is great at dealing with PDFs; they're all a matter of compromise about which features matter most to you. This is not a problem with the readers, but with the PDFs, which are generally designed for print, not for reading on a screen. 5) Converting from one format to another ranges from "very simple" to "impossible," depending on technical details. "Impossible" is very rare, but "complicated, with requirement of installing special software" is not. 6) The most obvious differences between multifunction devices and dedicated ebook readers are (a) battery life and (2) screen quality. Do some research to find out how much those matter to you before making a decision. Expect any details written by the manufacturer to be exaggerated, and sometimes slightly inaccurate. (For example, most manufacturer's lists of supported filetypes are somewhat off; they'll say "supports Ebook Type X" when what they mean is "...with our free software that you'll have to install on every computer you use with our device.") 7) The more specific info you can give, the better answers you'll get. Ask lots of questions; we like talking about ebooks. 8) There are controversies about, hm, everything. Filetypes, best devices, worst customer service, legality/ethics of some ebook practices, history of books in general, corporate activities, etc. Don't worry if you get caught up in those; look for the info you need & ignore the drama. Unless you like drama, in which case, the keywords "copyright law" can cause rather large explosions with very little warning.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
hello- advice for a newbie	lyceemoliere	Introduce Yourself	5	03-24-2010 08:51 PM
Newbie asking for Advice	keegon	Which one should I buy?	4	12-07-2009 06:04 AM
Little advice for a newbie	lmorgh	HanLin eBook	2	05-12-2009 02:56 AM
Newbie looking for advice, please	CanadianContent	Which one should I buy?	7	07-12-2008 12:12 PM
Yet another Newbie looking for advice	Kilarney	Which one should I buy?	15	08-22-2007 03:41 PM

Advert

Advert