aluratek ebook purchasing question

[kbrand]

Hello all,

I am new to the ebook scene, and I just recieved an aluratek as a gift. Where can I purchase books from besides www.ebooks.com. I know I cant buy from amazon, but can I buy from Borders or Barnes and Nobles? Thanks for your help and advise!

Kevin

[jlg432]

This response is over kill but there is a list included that should provide you with various sources of books - purchasable and free.

When you purchase a book or download one from your local library you will have to make sure that they use Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) DRM for ePub or PDF. Usually on checkout you will be supplied with a file that you will download to your PC. Then if you click on that file and everything is setup properly it will start up Digital Edition which will then download the book and add it to it's bookshelf.

Then you can transfer that book to your Libre via USB2 and ADE.

****** Note:ADE is a free program that you download from adobe and install on your PC. It becomes one of your ebook managers as well as the authenticator for purchased books. The Aluratek Libre Pro uses ADE to manage DRM controlled books on your unit as well as your PC. You can read your books on your PC using ADE as well.

****** When purchasing from Online stores such as Barns and Noble you have to be careful that the book is available as ADE-ePub as there are other ePub DRM formats that are not compatible with ADE.

****** Note: if you do not want to keep DRM in play there are methods that you can use to remove the DRM so that in the future you can read the ebook on any other ereader that supports that book's format. This allows you to use ebooks that you purchase on ereaders that do not support DRM such as the Ectaco JetBook (The JetBook-lite supports B&N DRM).


This is a selection of what I have gathered since my involvenment with e-books and e-readers.

Here is my text file on resources for ebooks and ereaders

Various Formats and e-Readers explained:
--------------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transreflective_LCD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCD_backlight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCD

http://ebookarchitects.com/conversions/formats.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...e-book_formats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/



Both wikipedia as well as mobileread contain direct links to vendors of ereaders, ebook sources, reviews, Format converters, forums, how too's and PC base ebook readers/manager software.



My firsthand notes on the following two readers:

http://www.aluratek.com/product_info...02&display=All

http://www.jetbook.net/



Note: jetBook and Aluratek Libre Pro are identicle hardware device offered by two different companies. The Aluratek offers ePud and PDF DRM via Adobe Digital Editions. The jetBook only offers DRM through it's jetBook-Lite variant (powered by 4 AA batteries).


Aluratek handles PDF documents better by allowing "Text Flow" to be turned on or off. In the Off set-up the PDF doc is displayed the same way on both readers.

**** Update June 24-2010 ****

Within this forum is a new firmware for the Ectaco jetBook (regular model) - Firmware .35a that gives the jetBook ADE DRM ePub/PDF support now as well a TOC support in both ePub and PDF documents. You also get "Text Flow" support for reading PDF documents.

You lose Dictionary support within ePub as well as the search or find option within an open ePub book.

******* End of Update *************

The jetBook offers a built in dictionary look-up for words within an open book. It also offers translation of the selected word between Russian, German, Spanish and Polish with English as the common source. The only problem is that the English dictionary is weak - Having english and my main language I found that most words that I search on were not in the dictionary's database.

Both readers offer only 2 font styles and 6 levels of size within each font.

Custom fonts are only available when built in to a PDF document.



Related Links, Blogs and Forums:
-----------------------------------------

http://calibre-ebook.com/

http://indiekindle.blogspot.com/

http://www.kindle-pages.com/

http://www.teleread.com/

http://www.thekindlechronicles.com/

http://www.bookspot.com/ask/

http://www.ereaderforum.com/forum/

http://wolfmont.com/wordpress/?p=143

http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/

http://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/m...on-kindle.html

http://i-u2665-cabbages.blogspot.com/





Links to various sources of free & non-free e-books:
---------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.baen.com/library/

http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/

http://www.bookyards.com/

http://www.bygosh.com/thebestnovels.htm

http://www.digitalbookindex.org/about.htm

http://www.ebooks3.com/

http://www.feedbooks.com/

https://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/freebooks.htm

http://www.free-online-novels.com/

http://www.free-ebooks.net/

http://www.literaturecollection.com/

http://manybooks.net//

http://www.outpost19.com/

http://delicious.com/pd_workman/kindle

http://www.online-literature.com/

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

http://www.webscription.net/

http://www.webscription.net/

http://www.omnilit.com/category234_3.html

http://www.smashwords.com/

http://www.kobobooks.com/

http://infomotions.com/alex/



http://digital.library.upenn.edu/wom...html#B_Section

http://www.bibliomania.com/

http://www.classicreader.com/

http://www.ebooklobby.com/

http://www.balajisebookworld.com/page_1.html

http://www.starry.com/novel/authors.htm

http://www.borders.com/online/store/...185&kids=false

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.literaturemaster.com/

http://lib.virginia.edu/digital/coll...g_digital.html

http://www.fictionpress.com/



http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com/

http://www.literature.org/

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

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/

http://www.readprint.com/

http://www.readbookonline.net/

http://www.truly-free.org/

http://www.worldwideschool.org/libra...bject-top.html


The End - enjoy

[kbrand]

WOW!!!!!!

all I was looking for was a couple of web sites to buy books. I read the quick guide explaining how to buy books from fictionwise I was just looking for other sources. You listed Amazon.com, but it is my understanding that Amazon ebooks can only be read on a kindle, maybe I am wrong. Anyway, thanks for the very informative post. If you had to chose your top three places to buy (not free) ebooks for the aluratek what would those three be? Again, thanks for the time you took to answer my original question, I really appreciate it.

[ficbot]

Kobo
Sony Store
Fictionwise (multiformat)

Kobo has the best selection (for non-Americans) and Fictionwise has a lot of multiformat stuff of variable quality---they have gone way downhill over the past year as a store and as a customer experience, but they do still have some okay backlist.

[kbrand]

thanks for your response. I have looked at sony, but I couldn't tell if I could use them or not with my aluratek. I'll have to checkout kobo. Thanks for the recommendations.

[jlg432]

Like I said it was overkill and as many people read these post I thought that I would kill a few birds as well.

Even though Amazon's eBooks are designed for the Kindle they also can be read through the various free kindle products for PC and mobile devices.

If having the ability to look up key words (search or Find) is important then stay away from PDF and ePub formated ebooks as you will notice that option is not available within the open book. That leaves you with TXT, RTF, FB2, HTM/HTML, MOBI and PRC - all non DRM.

The local library's usually partner with the "Overdrive" company to administer lending control via DRM for the ebooks and multimedia they offer.

As the other Poster stated Kobo is the eBook store for Chapters-Indigo here in Canada. It looked like Borders would be the USA partner but I believe I read somewhere that they may be in $$$ trouble.

I am not sure but I also believe that one of the other ebook online vendors may be affiliated with Amazon and some with Barns and Nobel.

John

[rscudder]

Here are some additional eBook resources - with a bit of a bias to SF & F. The links are annotated.

http://www.bookviewcafe.com/ Site maintained by writers - Has well know names and new writers, no DRM that I know of, and posts short stories and chapters for free on a regular basis. Several formats. Many SF & F writers, some other genres.

http://craphound.com/ Cory Doctorow - SF & F writer - publishes with Tor and other well know publishers. His site has all the books he has written available for download with a CC license. He accepts conversions from readers into other formats and hosts the files. His contracts with publishers allow him to offer the free versions. No DRM at all. There are links on site to buy copies as well.

http://www.sfwa.org/for-readers/member-fiction-online/ SFWA site - lists online fiction by SFWA members. List is growing. Has both free downloads and link to purchase books online. List can be sorted for free books. There are some Nebula award winners available for free download.

http://jiltanith.thefifthimperium.com/ Collected Driblets of Free Baen: A Frankly Promotional Endeavor - chapters of upcoming Baen books, updated regularly with additional chapters until the book is released.

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ - same site - zipped CD iso files with promotional Baen books - these were released with selected hardcover editions and contain some books not in the Baen free library. He recommends you if you download any of these, mention it at the Webscription site if you make a purchase, so they stay willing to keep them available. One CD contains a fairly complete collection of all SF & F related titles from Gutenberg.org.

My Aluratek came with a list of eBook sites - but I think jlg432 hit them all in his very comprehensive list.

Many author sites have either samples or downloads on them for interested readers.

Happy reading.

I've read 13 books since I received my Aluratek at the end of May