Tablet/"E-reader" Advice, please...
 

I read/research a lot of articles, white papers, and forum threads--I always have a stack of printed papers on my nightstand.

I've said in the past that if I was ever enrolled in an online school that offered all of my schoolbooks in an electronic format, I would invest in some type of reading device. That has happened. WGU offers all-electronic books for a $45 fee per 6-month term.

I know nothing about these devices, but I do know that the WGU "books" are not compatible with the Kindle, etc. but rather must be accessed online through their website. So, I'd need wireless connectivity, and the one other concern: readability. I hate reading from a computer monitor.

I don't need bells and whistles, but I understand that I don't want a device that is instantly obsolete. I see $150 tablets at Radio Shack, is there anything wrong with these? Why would I spend more--what do the "better" ones do? What kind of device do the Cellar experts recommend, for me?

Big v Droided a tablet a while back , i dont rember if it was a Kindle or Not

I think you need to know how the books are offered. Is it web browser based? If so, is it flash?

Once you know that you need to actually try out some tablets. I really like my iPad. I find both the iBook app and the Kindle software for the iPad to be just fine for reading. But some people find the iPad too heavy for comfortable reading.

Helpdesk at the school says, to run all the apps for WGU, you need a Windows-based tablet at this point.

I'm not getting a little tiny computer with a tiny screen and tiny keyboard when I HAVE several computers already. Not doing that.

So, I'm thinking, several devices will be needed. 1st, my existing desktop and laptop. Next, best bet, I just need something that reads pdf. Then, my first class, today, had a textbook offered from--guess who--Kindle. Okay, Wikipedia (Comparison of e-book formats article) says Android devices read Kindle format. Android also has a CrashPlan client (pulls files down from the cloud).

So since I want a good "reader" quality screen, NOT a "tablet" screen designed for "watching MOVIES in HD" or whatever people do these days, I'm thinking Nook, running Android.

But, Nook doesn't show as having all the compatabilities of actual Android, nor does it have access to the Android market. Is this where I get a Nook and run Android from an SD card? Or is there a real READER device, intended just for that, that actually runs Android on purpose?

First, what devices does the school recommend. You don't want to buy anything that won't work with their system, but you also don't want to buy something that works with their system that sucks ... might as well stick with paper books if that's the case.

Also, what happens to the books after the semester is over? Do you get to keep them for reference, or do they disappear ... if they disappear, how much of an inconvenience will that be to you? Big? Then stick with paper books.

You might want to consider waiting for November 15, and find out if the Kindle Fire lives up to it's expectations ... you will be able to download other reading apps, possibly including the one that your school demands that you have.

Do you know what format the textsbooks are supplied in? EPUB, PDF, or some proprietary crap that you can't jailbreak to read as you like?

If the files aren't DRMed, you can convert them with Calibre and transfer them to a Kindle pretty easily. Word on the street is that the unscrupulous have ways of doing the same to a DRMed file.

As a reading device, I love the Kindle. I've gone on and on about this, actually ... and have "sold" quite a few of them ... live demonstrations are a fact of Kindle ownership ... people just walk up to you and start asking questions.

I'll let you know about the Fire, as soon as I've road tested it a bit.

Hell, get the Fire anyway ... a tablet for $200? I'm buying mine with change I found in my car ashtray. And then you can also get whatever crap tablet will do the job you need, but you'll end up hating because the interface is kludgy.

The Kindle App (and Cloud Reader) are both free ... Don't know if you could read your non-amazon purchased content on the Cloud Reader, but I know you can do it with the Kindle App, you just need to figure out where the files get stored, then send your textbook to that directory. Been there, done that on several different devices (Android, Blackberry, and PC).

Yay! Was thinking of getting the kindle but a friend told me to get the kindle fire. I will wait for you to test drive it. :D

I think an Android device, which I can make a Nook into, has the most flexibility; but the Kindle has free 3G. Don't know if the Nook has something like that or if I'd just have to get on a wifi router with it.

Oh, and more of the discussion about this, I accidentally started in another thread over here.

The Nook
 

The Nook can run regular Android. You can just run it over WiFi.

The Nook, when rooted, can also run Kindle from Android Market, as well as the B&N eBooks.

If you want an e-Reader, get the Nook. The Kindle Fire is not as hackable, and they are getting rid of 3G.

If you still have to use Windows, get LogMeIn or a Remote Desktop client from Android Market and run that to get your texts on there. It's a hack, but it works.

Thanks, Mitch. Starting from my initial look at the spreadsheets on the Wikipedia Comparison of e-book formats article, I saw either Android or iOS were the compatability champs, and since I am not an Apple guy, I felt like I had to (attempt to) convince myself why I wouldn't run an Android device.

More than a little confusion came from every person I spoke to at WGU, the collective conclusion of which was: I need to run a Windows tablet to be compatible with everything--which, mind you, was not the question at all. I wanted to know formats for reading devices, not "everything" devices.

Also, I had thought that Nook had realized that everyone was cracking their device, and given up and released a real, off-the-shelf Android device. I guess I dreamed that, but it doesn't really matter anyway.

Good point about the remote desktop, too. I had realized at some point that I don't need a computer, I just need to get my peripherals aimed at a computer.

One last thing before I jump into a wifi-based, Android-rooted Nook running remote desktops and cloud storage: I hope they're available with a real, physical keyboard. I'm a touchy-feely keyboard guy. I'm a drummer.

When you unlock, you get Bluetooth
 

http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/03...-and-headsets/

Already done.

: blinks :

backing slowly away from the thread

backing away? really? why?

Disregarding all advice except that of Lola Bunny's friend, I've got a preorder in for a Kindle Fire as my birthday present.

I got it! Now I can read all those Discworld books I didn't want to hog my shelf space.

Cool. Give us a review when you've had a chance to play with it.

Wait, WTF?
You need WiFi to use Kindle?!

Dads has just bought one for Mum. Given that it costs about the same as six books, it was a lovely present. Especially for when they go abroad.
But you have to register via WiFi and there is certainly a suggestion that you need WiFi to buy books.

Grrrrrr.
Don't tell you that on the adverts!

My bro will sort it out for her, but sadly it's meant that an £89 gift has been treated as a bit of a white elephant. Untrue, but with Mum's mood the way it is (understandable given recent events of course) her patience is low.

Bad Kimble.

There is a 3G Kindle, but most of them are WiFi-only.

I'm pretty sure you can put stuff (like files from Project Gutenberg) on the Kindle using a USB cord to a computer, but I'm not sure how or whether Amazon purchases work that way.

The new color Kindle, the Fire, is wifi only, but not yet available in the UK. Looking at amazon.co.uk, the 89 quid model is wifi only, the 149 quid one with the keyboard has the 3G.

You can help your mom get content on it by connecting it to the computer. How do you get online at home?

And she'll be able to take it to the cafes with wifi and show it off to all of her admiring friends.

Or it could be a means of your getting home wifi ... ;)

It does say wifi only in the advert, but you have to read a bit to figure that out.

Don't worry, we'll help you with it!

Just in case it's not obvious. You don't need to be connected to wifi to read the books -- just to download them.

Mum knows her way around the basics of a computer - she emails, checks certain sites and used a complicated mainframe when in the Police.

But like me, if she feels out of her depth, her first reaction is frustration and rejection.
I've learned to work through to an extent (as Dani knows, it's still there) but she is confused and hates it.

Stevo will register it for her (he has Wifi at home and knows Dad's Amazon account and email and password etc)
She won't have Wi-Fi in the house though.
She is SO wary of internet theft and nothing I can say would change her mind.
Ste might end up being the source of purchase for all her books!
Still, she buys >10 a year (for holidays - the rest come from the library or are lent between friends) so it's not a big ask.

It just surprised me. As you say, Wolf, it's there in the smallprint, but not made a big deal of in the advertising.

Then again, if I had access to new books I could keep for 99p I'd read a lot more.
That's 7-9 books for the price of one. And I could halve the bulk in my bedroom...
Maybe I should dissuade her from this venture and just pinch it for myself?
No! Like a serpent at her breast! Evil!

Do any of her neighbors have Wi-fi?

Nope. We're pretty much an old-fashioned crew down here.
S'okay - Ste will sort it out.

You could sneak in a wireless router for yourself and just not tell her ... Connect it in and say that it's a power conditioner or something.

But like I say, I'd get no use of it.
Of all the things I could sneak into the house to have fun with, a router is pretty low down on the list ;)

Mebbe Stevo will get tired of her demands and get her one.
Although the lad is pretty tolerant.

HELP.

An Idiot's Guide to using Kindle without WiFi.
This is driving me batshit crazy.

Ste registered it, I bought two books, now I need to know how to find them and how to download them.
They are there on my computer (under the Kindle folder).
But NOT on Kindle.
Kindle helpfully tells me to disconnect my Kindle from the computer when I plug it is. Ta!

I'm sure this is lovely, quick and easy and not a hideously complicated piece of shit not worth the hassle. I just need a few tips to get me going.

Something tells me we're going to need WiFi after all.

I've downloaded to the computer.
Then "Send To". When Kindle is attached via USB both books show as titles.
I just can't see them on the Kindle.

Will be buying magazines at the station at this rate.
So frustrating.

Plug Kindle into computer. Ignore what Kindle tells you (eject and unplug mean different things). Look on computer for an additional "drive" called "kindle". Drag and drop the books you can see on your computer to this new drive. Unplug Kindle and read your books on it.
Hope this helps.

The files are already on the [J] Kindle drive.
They just don't show on the tablet.

Bringing to Glasgow,
Healthier minds than mine will sort out.

Well, now, THAT'S certainly making an assumption or two ... :right:

Here's the best advice I can give on iPads:

Don't get one here:
Attachment 36054
:eek:

Fastest advice I can give you is to take the Kindle to a coffee place with wifi...

Second fastest is to make sure that when you moved the files you put them in the documents folder on that Kindle drive.

I also have new books occasionally show up in the archived section. Make sure it's not hidden there.

Wolf with angel's wings.
I came back to go through the process step by miniature step, only to realise that Wolf had it.
They weren't in the documents folder.

Mum is happy now.
Any more Kindle advice she needs she can get from friends who already have Kindles. We're sorted out the one issue which they didn't have (transfer via USB).

Thanks to everyone who posted.

Anyone here have the NooK?

I got myself a Kindle over Christmas. It's the £89 model with no keyboard. It's unlikely I'd ever be confortable enough with that little keyboard to write extensive notes, so would be more likely to have a paper and pen with me anyway. Beyond that I don't have any need for the keyboard.

I also bought a cover and little light to go with it, but the light was a bit useless. So...

Ordered one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004CX34KE

Arrived today. What a delightful little piece of kit it is. It's a really powerful little light, without being too bright. I stepped into the pantry and closed the door so it was totally dark and was able to read comfortably with the little clip on light.

Were you reading porn???

Well...it was a dark room...

They found graffiti at some old Roman dig site. Translated:

Dark places are suitable for dark deeds.

oooh. That's wonderful.

Dani have you read The Back Passage yet?
You know, the old fashioned way ;)

I do. Well, SonofV does, a gift from me. I created a thread about hotrodding it around here somewhere...

I like it a lot.

My husband gave me one for Christmas and it was a surprise, because I've been saying all along that I don't really need a reader. But now that I have it, I am really enjoying it. My brother purchased my first book (Stephen Kings new one) for me on Christmas day and I read it in two days. I love being able to go online right there to check something out as I am reading. I also put two of my magazine subscriptions on it because supposedly they are free of charge. It looks like Vanity Fair isn't going to be charged, but I'm not sure of Better Homes and Gardens...Im looking into that now.

I finally just figured out how to get library books by downloading them to my computer first - Im now reading Griftopia by Matt Taibbi (hence the grifter remark in one of my posts-lol).

So you have rooted your Nook? I'm going to have to find that thread. I looked it up online and got scared by the warning that it could cause problems and might void the warranty. But I am still thinking about it - it would be nice to increase my app choices.

Now to the reason I asked in the first place. Are you interested in lending/borrowing? So far I only have 11/22/63: A Novel by King, but if I would love to lend it to you. I think it is a great way to share books. What do you think?

Yes and yes.

OK then. Now I need to research the LendMe program for Nook friends and get back to you.

I think I am going to hold off the on the rooting for a while, since I have the tablet, I'm good for now. But definitely something to do later, if they don't keep up with their upgrades. It definitely will void the warranty.

????

What warranty? What voiding? It is UTTERLY reversible, simple, and cheap. I don't know how anyone can even detect that it's been changed whatsoever.

Hmmm. It is changing the OS right? Im not well-versed on this.

So what can you do now that you couldn't do before? Or what does the android market offer that you appreciate?