The Official ebook Reader Thread

[Crusader]

It probably is the publishers stipulating prices, but Kalahari should be putting some pressure on them to have prices on a par with their global competition. I went to India on holiday, and books there were dirt cheap, publishers had special "For sale in India only" editions. South Africa should have similar concessions, and doubly so when it comes to ebooks. IMHO of course.

Agreed!

 

[BigAl-sa]

Just got Kalahari's eBook launch email and I agree with everyone so far - their prices are ludicrous!

Also, with the Adobe trick they're pulling, I doubt whether their eBooks are Kindle compatible. I'll just have to stick with Amazon in spite of "This title is not available for customers in your location: Africa", and carry on building my own books from Burgomeister's truly-free.org...

 

[Crusader]

Just got Kalahari's eBook launch email and I agree with everyone so far - their prices are ludicrous!

Also, with the Adobe trick they're pulling, I doubt whether their eBooks are Kindle compatible. I'll just have to stick with Amazon in spite of "This title is not available for customers in your location: Africa", and carry on building my own books from Burgomeister's truly-free.org...

They aren't pulling any Adobe trick. Adobe Digital Editions is used by most shops offering the open ePub standard. ADE is just used for the DRM layer, most devices except for the Kindle offers support for ePub so Kalahari seems to be catering to those devices. It would be silly of them to try and take on Amazon in the .mobi format.

I also just noticed that Kalahari is selling ebook readers as well. They currently have the Cooler Reader for R2599. The Silver and black editions are 24 hour delivery. Apparently more devices will soon follow.

Aside from the ebook pricing this a great thing. Previously you had to import readers yourself. If Kalahari truly embraces ebooks it will make it much more likely that they could get Sony etc. to release their devices in the local market.

 

[maestro777]

Hi guys. I see a few of you own ebook readers and want to draw on your experiences. I have
killed my eyes because of to much time on the pc, so now I have an very low tollerence
for any kind of displays, and I'm looking for a way to keep reading my pdf's digitally.

- How did you guys find reading on your ebooks for long hours 6+ hours, in terms of your eyes,
and does the non backlit e-ink really make a difference?
- I noticed that the "native" format is .epub for most e-readers. What's the difference when it comes
to reading .epub versus .pdf?
- Can I read my pdf collection with e-readers, or will have to repurchase them
in .epub format.
- And the readers that support pdf natively, what does it mean to support pdf natively. Does it
mean that it's been built to handle pdf's out of the box the same wat it supports .epub, so why
then buy .epub?
- I guess it also depends what the quality of the pdf's are or do all pdf's read the same way?
- If pdf's do not work as well as .epub as I suspect, how available are .epub
ebooks for South Africans since we'll have to buy them with credit cards and most likely they
won't be available to us because of restrictions because of our geographic location crap?
- Are there many titles available in .epub format, and what companies can be trusted with my credit card
info?
- Which readers would you recommend, the cheapest I've seen is the Cool-Er on Kalahari for R2600 but I'll
pay a bit extra for something that you guys think is better. What the most important features to look for?
For starters, support for .epub format. I guess it's between the Opus, Eslick, Cool-Er the sony's seam very
expensive?

Thanks Guys
Maestro

 

[herbertk]

Having just gotten a Kindle as a gift, I'm becoming pretty disillusioned with "This title is not available for customers in your location: Africa". The biggest joke of this is the John Wyndham book "the day of the triffids". This was first published in 1951, so I really can't see why it's restricted (fortunately, I have all of John Wyndham's books in paperback). Most of Dean Koontz's books also seem to be restricted to us down here. I haven't physically counted, but about half of Amazon's "recommendations" for me are restricted, which is also a joke...

Change your country to US, you can still pay with SA Credit card works for me...

 

[Crusader]

- How did you guys find reading on your ebooks for long hours 6+ hours, in terms of your eyes, and does the non backlit e-ink really make a difference?

E-ink makes the world of difference. I couldn't read for more than about an hour on my PC/Laptop before my eyes got itchy. With the e-ink I've read for around 8 hours straight (finishing a novel in one day) without any problems. The black flash on page refreshes take some getting used to at first, but after a while you don't even notice it anymore. Definitely much more comfortable to read on than a LCD.

- I noticed that the "native" format is .epub for most e-readers. What's the difference when it comes
to reading .epub versus .pdf?

PDF isn't really a ebook format per se. It's great for complicated layouts and technical manuals but not that good for ebook readers since most PDF's are designed for A4 size so they don't translate well to smaller screens.

ePub has been created to be used for ebooks. It allows text reflow and you can adjust font-size etc quite easily. Works exceptionally well for fiction.

- Can I read my pdf collection with e-readers, or will have to repurchase them
in .epub format.

That will depend on the pdf files you have. If it is straight text (e.g for fiction) chances are that you would be able to read it reasonably comfortably on a ebook reader. You might have to zoom in/out to fit text and pagination might be awkward.

Fiction PDFs would be reasonably easy to convert to ePub using free software such as Calibre so you wouldn't have to purchase them again.

If it's more technical stuff that rely heavily on layout you might struggle. For this purpose you'd want to look at the larger format readers (8"+).

- And the readers that support pdf natively, what does it mean to support pdf natively. Does it
mean that it's been built to handle pdf's out of the box the same wat it supports .epub, so why
then buy .epub?

Native PDF support means that it is built to handle the format out of the box. No conversion necessary. As I said previously PDF isn't really viewed as an ebook format, since it's more aimed (and formatted) for the print world.

ePub offers better flexibility with the loss of some advanced layout capability. For fiction it's not a problem at all. With technical stuff it's more of a problem.

- I guess it also depends what the quality of the pdf's are or do all pdf's read the same way?

Quality and formatting would matter. If the PDF contains scanned images of pages instead of actual text they would be pretty useless.

- If pdf's do not work as well as .epub as I suspect, how available are .epub
ebooks for South Africans since we'll have to buy them with credit cards and most likely they
won't be available to us because of restrictions because of our geographic location crap?

ePub's tend to be widely available. Geo-restrictions is another thing. How badly this affects you would depend on what you like to read. Some restrictions are easy to get workarounds for if you are willing to use a proxy/VPN etc., but there are quite a bit of novels that are available to South Africans without restrictions. Just do a bit of research to see if what you'd want to read would be available.

- Are there many titles available in .epub format, and what companies can be trusted with my credit card info?

Yes, and the number is growing every day. If restrictions are finally sorted out then there would be no problems at all. Sadly currently you still have to take that into account.

Companies to look at:
www.fictionwise.com (Great deals at times. Try an advanced search to look for books available to SA)
www.smashwords.com
www.booksonboard.com
www.ebooks.com (Haven't used them yet, but looks like they cater to SA as well)
www.feedbooks.com (Great collection of classics and freebies)
www.webscriptions.net (Great for fantasy/scifi - no DRM on books and they are available in multiple formats)

- Which readers would you recommend, the cheapest I've seen is the Cool-Er on Kalahari for R2600 but I'll pay a bit extra for something that you guys think is better. What the most important features to look for?
For starters, support for .epub format. I guess it's between the Opus, Eslick, Cool-Er the sony's seam very expensive?

Depends on personal needs. I've got an Opus and it works beautifully as a portable reader. The Cool-Er looks good and since it is locally available it might be a good thing to get. With the others you'll have to have it imported and it could cost more, without much warranty support. Try to read some reviews and watch vids to see if they will suit you and your needs.

 

[Crusader]

Kalahari.net eBooks at R69.95

For the month of April Kalahari has over 300 eBooks on sale for R69.95. This puts their pricing on par with international sites and in some cases they are even a bit cheaper!

 

[BigAl-sa]

For the month of April Kalahari has over 300 eBooks on sale for R69.95. This puts their pricing on par with international sites and in some cases they are even a bit cheaper!

If you have a Kalahari compatible reader

 

[Crusader]

All readers except the Kindle support ePub and should work (at least all readers released in the last 2 years or so).

 

[Shake&Bake]

See that kalahari.net is selling an e-reader: COOL-ER Ebook

Looks are appealing.

http://www.kalahari.net/electronics/COOL-ER-Ebook-Reader-Ruby/76591/36257884.aspx

Format: E-Reader
Weight: 200g

The COOL-ER uses E-Ink, a new technology that gives you a screen with a ""like paper"" display, replicating the experience of reading a paper book. Using power only for ""button clicks"" means that a single charge can last for up to 8000 pages and unlike a book, the electronic display allows you to change the text size to suit you!

Screen
Size: 6""
170 pixels per inch
8 Levels of Greyscale
E-Ink Vizplex

Hardware
Linux OS
Storage 1GB
Memory 128 MB
Samsung® S3C2440 ARM 400MHz

Processor
Li-Polymer battery (1000 mAh)
Battery Life (single charge) 8000 page (approximate)
Memory Expansion SD (up to 4GB)

Compatibility
PC Yes
Mac Yes
Supported formats PDF, EPUB, FB2, RTF, TXT, HTML, PRC, JPG AND MP3

Content
DRM PDF. EPUB
Page Orientation Easy Switch Landscape/Portrait Options

Accessories included: White USB cable, Quick Start Guide.

EDIT:
Seems to be lacking according to Gizmodo.com

http://gizmodo.com/5271551/cool+er-ebook-reader-review

 

[Crusader]

I think the Cool-er has gotten some firmware updates since that review. It is a basic reader, but apparently does reasonably well. Personally I'd spend a bit more to get a slightly higher-end reader. Something like the Bookeen Cybook, or Pocketbook although it might be a good idea to wait for the new readers to hit the shelves.

I also see Incredible Corruption is carrying the Cool-er (at least on their website) at R2999, so you could get a hands-on review in a IC store and then order from Kalahari @ R2699.

 

[fastesthamster]

I think the Cool-er has gotten some firmware updates since that review. It is a basic reader, but apparently does reasonably well. Personally I'd spend a bit more to get a slightly higher-end reader. Something like the Bookeen Cybook, or Pocketbook although it might be a good idea to wait for the new readers to hit the shelves.

I also see Incredible Corruption is carrying the Cool-er (at least on their website) at R2999, so you could get a hands-on review in a IC store and then order from Kalahari @ R2699.

For the same price you can get a Kindle from Amazon plus Belkin cover for ~R2,700.

 

[Crusader]

For the same price you can get a Kindle from Amazon plus Belkin cover for ~R2,700.

True, if you want to go with Amazon as your major supplier of eBooks.

 

[fastesthamster]

True, if you want to go with Amazon as your major supplier of eBooks.

Fair enough, for the average consumer it might not be the best idea, but you and I can both deDRM books and convert to any format. I am a very happy Fictionwise customer

 

[BigAl-sa]

Fair enough, for the average consumer it might not be the best idea, but you and I can both deDRM books and convert to any format. I am a very happy Fictionwise customer

I see fictionwise has some "kindle compatible" books available. I assume these don't have drm added?

 

[Crusader]

Fair enough, for the average consumer it might not be the best idea, but you and I can both deDRM books and convert to any format. I am a very happy Fictionwise customer

True. Too bad that Fictionwise has taken a turn for the worse after the whole agency pricing model. They seem to be mostly listing only eReader format books. Hope they can get this mess sorted.

I see fictionwise has some "kindle compatible" books available. I assume these don't have drm added?

Yes, their Multiformat books are available in various formats without any DRM, including PRC/MOBI which should work with the Kindle.

 

[BigAl-sa]

True. Too bad that Fictionwise has taken a turn for the worse after the whole agency pricing model. They seem to be mostly listing only eReader format books. Hope they can get this mess sorted.

I can't understand this whole agency pricing thing - Amazon have pulled (or were forced to pull) quite a few of their books. Personally, I have bought more books since I got my reader than I bought in the last couple of years. From comments on kindleboards this is the case for many folks, so I can't see the publishers' profits being down.

 

[rurapente]

I'm very happy with Amazon though. I dont think I'll ever look elsewhere.

I'm gonna get me an iPad when i go over in May, but not for reading. Nothing will replace the size, weight, screen and ease-of-use of the Kindle. It takes me under 5mins to find, buy and get the books I want from Amazon. Its truly so amazing I could cry

But i want the iPad for general other everyday use, showing people stuff in meetings etc.

 

[cerebus]

I have battled with getting a standalone e-ink device, but the variety of the reading content I need wouldn't work I think. Magazines, multimedia etc.. it's very appealing but also a bit limited for me. I'm going to actually wait and see how the Notion Ink Adam performs before making a decision.

 

[LazyLion]

Top 10 Websites to Download Free eBooks

http://techpp.com/2010/03/31/top-ebook-search-engines-download-ebooks-free/

Digital Books or eBooks as they are popularly known have become a rage ever since the influx of eBook hand readers like Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Sony PRS eBook reader etc. Reading eBooks was never more fun. Here are some useful websites indexing hundreds and thousands of Free eBooks. Some are simple search engines, while others host free eBooks.