12:04 AM by pilotbob in Miscellaneous | Announcements

Have the price of ebooks been getting you down lately?

Are you tired of the Amazon vs Macmillan mud slinging in the news lately?

Well... I am here to bring you good news...

The MobileRead eBook library now contains over 15,000 ebook uploads. These aren't just scan/OCR and transfer. For the most part the ebooks in the MobileRead library are extremely well formatted and proofread.

So, unearth a gem today in our library.

Congratulations and thanks go to all the creators, editors and uploaders for a job well done. Also, thanks to the existence of public domain laws and creative commons copyrights.

Well done MobileReaders!

03:49 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book Readers | Apple Devices

The iPad has my interest, even though I'm not a fan of closed systems, and I never thought I'd consider a device without at least one USB port and a memory card slot. What follows is my reasons for interest, and the things I wish it had. I.e., if I could have provided input, this is what Apple might have included on an iPad developed just for me.

Why I Am Interested

• Good battery life. Hopefully, real world usage matches 10-12hrs.
• Great form factor - light, slim and nicely sized screen
• Zippy performance - should be much faster than e-ink devices
• Capacitive touch screen
• Lots of developer support, and huge iPhone consumer base
• External keyboard via BT or dock. Eventually wired keyboards will probably be available via the connector.
• Should be a good e-book reader, even for PDFs in landscape. (I don't mind reading on an LCD screen.)
• Price is not much more than an e-ink device, so I can potentially make this as an e-book reader purchase that gets me some additional functionality and a more responsive device as well.

If you go to a full O/S like Win7, then you lose battery life and the lightweight advantage. I.e. In that case, I may as well use my convertible tablet, or get a netbook (still a possibility). The extra weight and shorter battery life is a critical factor for me.

It will be interesting to see what Android tablets come out with 7-10" screens, 8+hr battery life, <2lbs weight and sold for <$500. If there is a good device, and it meets my needs, it might beat out the iPad for me.

I don't think we'll see a Win7 device this year that meets those criteria.

What iPad is missing

• USB ports and Memory card slots
• Flash browser
• e-book format support. Seems to have PDF and eReader and ePub. But is ADEPT ePub going to be available? Is PDF support very good?
• DivX video support (and other formats as well)
• Remote PC control - I expect that LogMeIn Ignition or other apps will support this
• BT tethering to use my Treo as modem data plan. I'm not even sure how I'll figure this out before making a purchase decision, but it would be a big plus if it works.
• GPS and mapping SW. Wish it could run Google Maps with GPS. Maybe it will?
• Flash browsing - especially to allow things like Hulu, Fancast, ESPN360, etc.
• Synching without a computer or iTunes. That goes back to the memory card and USB port, but also I don't really want to even use iTunes unless I have to.
• If you buy an app on an iPad/iPhone/iTouch, do you have to buy it again to use it on another iPad/iPhone/iTouch? If not, and I get an iPad, they may have shifted my future phone desires from Android to iPhone as well.

Are these deficiencies show stoppers? I don't know yet. I'm really looking at this as a stopgap device until I can get what I really want with Win7 inside, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Just better than other e-book readers for my own purposes and tastes. I already expect it to be outdated by the time the second generation iPad comes out - but in the e-book reader game, that's par for the course right now.

Caveat - I'm going by memory in terms of what is available on iPad or not. This info may not be completely accurate. And, obviously, in many cases I already indicate above that I don't know. Please let me know if you have answers!

Anyway, I'd sure be interested to see if others have similar desires for the iPad and what you might also want that I left out.

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Been away? Fear not! Here is your chance to check out what appeared on our frontpage this week:

E-Book General - News and Commentary

• Introducing the new Bebook Neo
• Book Glutton goes Mobile
• Jointech JE200 review
• Apple Event - Live Blogging/Streaming Coverage
• Hands on with the iPad
• Hanvon N516 first impressions

E-Book General - Deals, Freebies, and Resources

• Universal solar charger - Today only [Wed 1-27-10]

E-Book General - Reading Recommendations

• February 2010 Mobile Read Book Club Vote

04:25 PM by daffy4u in E-Book Readers | Apple Devices

Not me but I'm working with a friend who has spent the past month on and off shooting the commercials for the iPad (they aren't finished). He can talk some now because of the announcement.

He has played with the beta software version of it. Based on my quick questions:

- it's close in weight to the Kindle though thicker and bigger
- even here in L.A. where AT&T has issues, the OS was snappy when web surfing
- he called it a "Kindle Killer" - he's not an ebook reader type person so I explained why that was wrong (and not just for the Kindle)
- he liked it but said it was really just "okay" and it really is a niche market product
- it really is just a big iPod Touch

I can throw some questions at him today and tomorrow and post responses as I have time.

11:55 AM by Nate the great in E-Book General | News

I posted some remarks about the Hanvon N516 over on my blog. It's not a full review; that will be coming next week.

My N516 arrived today from Fry’s. I thought I’d take a few minutes and tell you what I think. The full review will come later; I am waiting on a response from Hanvon.

It’s the 5″ E-ink model without a touch screen. I like the simple pared down elegance of the design. There are 11 buttons to the left of the screen (0-9 and bookmark), and a d-pad plus 4 buttons below the screen to the right. The power, USB, and SD card slot are on the upper edge. There is a microphone, speaker, and headphone jack on the lower edge. On the left edge is a jog dial (for turning the page).

It came in a very nice looking box modeled off of the original Kindle’s. Hanvon is making a big push into the US market; there was a sticker on the shrinkwrap with their customer service 800 number on it. The box contained the reader, AC adapter, USB cable, earbuds, and a book-like cover that’s held on by magnets.

Menu response was slow. I don’t mean that the page refresh was slow; I’m fine with that. The delay in going from one menu screen to another took far longer than a page refresh.

I’ve been trying various different ways to hold it, and I’m pretty sure one handed operation is possible. At first glance, it’s a nice eboo reader.

The review will also be posted on my blog.

03:45 PM by dioib in E-Book General | News

BlogsDNA lists a number of websites that provide live blogging ad streaming coverage of the Apple event. Although UberGizmo is listed to stream the event, it seems that they would actually provide blogging coverage. Let's see if the other remaining two will cover it live..

01:21 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

Have you ever wished that your e-Reader battery lasted longer for camping trips, because you can't just plug it in for a recharge? Or maybe you get mobile phone service, but have no way to recharge your phone.

One possible solution for the adventurous might be a three way charging kit offered today only for $9.99 plus s&h at DailySteals. You'll have to make sure it's compatible - current, voltage, connectors and so forth. But if you get that figured out, it includes not only an A/C and USB charging solution, but also a solar charging panel with an 1800mAh Lith-ion battery. Apparently, that means you can charge that spare battery with light, and use it like a supplemental battery even when it's dark.

This would seem to be a workable solution for long term reading away from wall outlets. If you figure out that it will work (or won't work) for your favorite e-book reader, let us know. If you get one, share the results with us - even at a higher regular price, this may be a solution that will interest others.

Product Specifications:
High solar energy conversion efficiency.
5.5V/80 Ma Solar Energy Board.
1350Mah High capacity polymer battery.
Output voltage 5.0-6.0V.
Output Current 350-850Ma.
Charging time: approximately 60 minutes, with results varying by device.
10-15 hours to charge the battery using solar power.
5 hours to charge by computer or AC adapter.

Product Compatibility:
You can use this item to charge many mobile phones, Digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, or MP4 players whenever and wherever you go.
USB Mini-fits Motorola Razr, Blackberry and palm
Nokia fits mostly Nokia Phones
Samsung fits many Samsung phones
New Nokia
LG Chocolate.

09:21 AM by pilotbob in Reading Recommendations | Book Clubs

Help up choose a book as the February 2010 eBook for the Mobile Read Book Club. The poll will be open for 7 days. We will start the discussion thread for this book on February 24th. Select from the following books.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Sometimes only remembered for the epic motion picture and "Frankly ... I don't give a damn," Gone with the Wind was initially a compelling and entertaining novel. It was the sweeping story of tangled passions and the rare courage of a group of people in Atlanta during the time of Civil War that brought those cinematic scenes to life. The reason the movie became so popular was the strength of its characters--Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, and Ashley Wilkes--all created here by the deft hand of Margaret Mitchell, in this, her first novel.

The Accidental Tourist Anne Tyler
Scarred by grief after their 12-year-old son's senseless murder (he was shot by a holdup man in a Burger Bonanza), Macon and Sarah Leary are losing their marriage too. Macon is unable to cope when she leaves him, so he settles down "safe among the people he'd started out with," moving back home with two divorced brothers and spinster sister Rose. Author of a series of guidebooks called "Accidental Tourist" for businessmen who hate to travel, Macon is Tyler's focus here, as she gently chronicles his journey from lonely self-absorption to an "accidental" new life with brassy Muriel, a dog trainer from the Meow Bow Animal Hospital, who renews and claims his heart.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Published a year before her death at the age of thirty, Emily Brontë's only novel is set in the wild, bleak Yorkshire Moors. Depicting the relationship of Cathy and Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights creates a world of its own, conceived with an instinct for poetry and for the dark depths of human psychology.

Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
The classified experiment is the brainchild of renowned scientist Peter Whitney and his brilliant daughter, Lily. Created to enhance the psychic abilities of an elite squadron, it can transform their natural mental powers into a unique military weapon. But something goes wrong. In the isolated underground labs, the men have been dying-victims of bizarre accidents. Captain Ryland Miller knows he is next. When Dr. Whitney himself is murdered, Ryland has only one person left to trust: the beautiful Lily. Possessed of an uncanny sixth sense herself, Lily shares Ryland's every new fear, every betrayal, every growing suspicion, and every passionate beat of the heart. Together, they will be drawn deeper into the labyrinth of her father's past…and closer to a secret that someone would kill to keep hidden.

It Happened In Egypt by Charles Norris Williamson (1859-1920) and Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933)
Lord Ernest Borrow and Captain Anthony Fenton think they know a secret – a secret that could make them both rich. En route, they are sidetracked by Sir Marcus Antonius Lark, a woman who thinks she’s Cleopatra reincarnate, a Gilded Rose of an American Heiress, and Mrs. Jones, a mysterious Irish woman with a past. Will they find the secret? Or will the trip up the Nile on the Enchantress Isis net them another discovery altogether? (summary by Sibella Denton)

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse novels. In this first installment, the author introduces the character of Sookie Stackhouse, a young telepathic waitress from the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and her world, an alternate history where vampires, shapeshifters and other supernatual beings coexist with humans. In Dead Until Dark Sookie begins a romantic entanglement with her vampire neighbor and is faced with a series of murders in town.
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. It's a romantic mystery / urban fantasy. It's actually written by married couple. It has an e-book version.

His Robot Girlfriend by Wesley Allison (HistoryWes)
Mike Smith's life was crap, living all alone, years after his wife had died and his children had grown up and moved away. Then he saw the commercial for the Daffodil. Far more than other robots, the Daffodil could become anything and everything he wanted it to be. Mike's life is about to change.

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
In a sleepy little New England village stands a dark, weather-beaten, many-gabled house. This brooding mansion is haunted by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin upon the last four members of the distinctive Pyncheon family. Mysterious deaths threaten the living. Musty documents nestle behind hidden panels carrying the secret of the family’s salvation—or its downfall.

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Tough minded Jessica Trent's sole intention is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian ballister, the notorious Marquess of Diain. She never expects to desire the arrogant, amoral cad. And When Daines reciprical passion places them in a scandously compromising, and public, position, Jessica is left with no choice but to seek satisfaction...
Damn the minx for tempting him, kissing him...and then for forcing him to salvage reputation! Lord Dain can't wait to put the infuriating bluestocking in her place -- and in some amorous position. And if this means marriage, so be it -- though sebastian is less than certain he can continue to remian aloof...and stell his heart to the sensuous, head strong lady's considerable charms.

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Penelope Featherington fell madly, hopelessly in love with Colin Bridgerton two days before her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, Colin has always seen Penelope as the plump, shy best friend of his younger sister. By the time Penelope is 28 and a seasoned member of the English ton, she's accepted that her love for Colin is destined to remain unrequited and she shall be a spinster forever. Fate, however, has other plans. When Lady Whistledown's Society Papers announce that Colin has returned from his nearly nonstop travels, Penelope is blissfully unaware that her life is about to change dramatically. Colin is equally unaware of the turn his life is about to take. He's not surprised that his beloved mother is determined to marry him off, but he's rather astonished to find himself inexplicably drawn to Penelope. Her dry wit and intelligent mind are delightful, and Colin soon finds himself joining forces with her to deflect his matchmaking mama's good intentions. Together, the two will thwart their mothers' iron wills, face the formidable Lady Danbury, confront the gossips of London society, and resolve the lovely dilemma of falling in love. And, oh yes, there is that matter of the true identity of Lady Whistledown. Will the twosome unmask the elusive journalist? Or will their efforts be doomed to failure like so many others' before?