Archive for the ‘kindle dx’ tag
Reading PDF Files on eBook Readers no comments
If you primarily use your ebook reader for reading fiction, then you most probably are seldom if ever concerned about how good a job your ereader does at displaying PDF files. If, on the other hand, you are a technician, scientist, or work in academia, and use your reader to read technical literature, this feature will become increasingly important to you.
Most of the recent ebook reader models have at least some PDF functionality, but which are best?
Kindle 2
- Send the PDF file as an attachment to your Kindle’s email address. Amazon will convert the file and deliver it via Wispernet to your Kindle. Amazon charges 10 cents per email for this service.
- Convert the PDF file for free by sending it as an attachment to “your kindle email”@free.kindle.com. Amazon will do the conversion and email it back to your computer at the email address on file for your account.
- Convert the PDF file yourself by using MobiPocket Creator . You can also try saving the PDF document as a Word Doc, and then open the new file with Word and save as txt file which you can then transfer to your Kindle.
Conversion often does not result in perfect documents. PDF docs with DRM can cause problems, being difficult or even impossible to convert. The conversion process often messes up charts, tables and images. Formulae and equations don’t fare well either.
Jesse Vincent’s Savory program, which is a hack for the Kindle 2, seems to do a good job of converting charts, etc. Besides PDF files, Savory also converts epub files to the Kindle format. On his web page there is a shot of a converted scientific paper that looks quite nice. If you go this route, be sure to read all of the instructions and warnings.
Kindle DX
Update: 08/18/09; This post on Gadgets and Toys has some nice screenshots of the Kindle DX displaying medical journals on pdf.
Sony PRS-700BC
Foxit eSlick: If reading PDF files with lots of graphs and schematics is the primary purpose you will put your ebook reader to, then this might be a good choice for you. It allows zooming and panning of PDF documents. This ereader is still nowhere as polished as the Kindles or the Sony products, and should probably only be a first choice if you only want to use it for technical PDF document reading. To read files other than txt or PDF format you will need to convert into PDF using your computer.
iRex Digital Reader 1000S
Which of the current ebook readers will perform best for you when it comes to reading PDF documents will depend of course on your specific needs. Are your PDF documents full of intricate graphics and schematics that you need to make annotations on? Also you may want to balance PDF needs against the other uses you plan to put your ereader to such as general reading; unless, of course, you plan on using it strictly for “business”.
My picks would be as follows:
If heavy duty technical PDF document handling with full featured zoom and panning and the ability to add handwritten annotations is the most important feature set for you, and if you can afford it, go for the iRex iLiad.
For light to medium duty PDF document handling with some graphics, but where tilting to landscape mode will be zoom enough, and if annotating on the device is not a priority, and if you also plan to use your ebook reader for magazines, newspapers, and general reading; go with the Kindle DX.
If you want a smaller and therefore more portable device, consider the Kindle 2 with the Savory software.
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It’s an Orwellian World 1 comment
This week Kindle owners were shocked to learn that certain titles by George Orwell had been disappeared from their Kindles, and their accounts refunded the amounts paid for the titles. What apparently happened is that Amazon got a hold of unauthorized additions of some of Orwell’s titles and when the mistake was discovered, Amazon’s system automatically removed the ebooks from purchaser’s Kindles via the wireless connection. It’s kind of fitting that Amazon should choose a title such as 1984 to introduce us to the dark side of the Wispernet.
Because of the outrage this incident has caused, Amazon has said that in the future it will not just automatically remove purchased books from Kindles if a similar situation arises.
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Mobile is reporting that Amazon is close to finalizing a launch date for the Kindle in the UK, presumably in time for Christmas. Agreements with book publishers have already been finalized, and negotiations with a mobile operator and with newspaper and magazine publishers are in progress, according to the article.
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FreeHand Systems, a global leader in digital sheet music publishing, has announced that its Novato Music Press catalog of over 20,000 classical, traditional and American music titles is now available for the Kindle.
“This is a wonderful boon to musicians who want instant access to a vast library of in-demand sheet music,” said Kim Lorz, CEO of FreeHand Systems, Inc. “In addition to the convenient and comprehensive content selection that we offer, musicians never have to fumble through paper scores or worry about forgetting a piece of music. Everything is wirelessly downloaded and stored in the Kindle and is available for easy recall.”
This is the first time such a comprehensive collection of sheet music has been made available on an ebook reader. FreeHand Systems’ goal is to make all of their more than 130,000 titles available for the Kindle.
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Kindle and Kindle Books Outside of USA no comments
Currently Amazon’s Kindle 2 and Kindle DX are only sold by Amazon in the US. While it is possible to have someone in the US buy a Kindle for you and ship it to your overseas location, or you can buy one on eBay, you then have the problem of not being able to access the Kindle book store unless you have a credit card issued by an American bank with a US billing address. If you are an American, or have a credit card billed in the US, then you can download books while overseas to your PC and then to your Kindle.
If the Kindle 2 or Kindle DX is the ebook reader you are set on, there is a workaround that some are using to purchase books from Amazon, even though they are living in other countries. This involves buying Amazon gift cards and using those to pay for your ebooks. You can find out how to do this here: http://www.nerdgirl.com/2009/03/20/amazon-kindle-outside-the-us/
At some point Amazon will presumably make the Kindle Family available worldwide, but it will need to be rebuilt to have wireless access via the systems in place outside the US. Also Amazon will no doubt have to negotiate with publishers as different publishers usually have the rights to publish a particular book in different geographical areas.
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eBook Readers and Textbooks no comments
One major path to wider implementation and use of ebook readers will be their use for reading textbooks, but are the current devices up to the task?
In May of this year, When Jeff Bezos introduced the Kindle DX, one of his focuses was on textbooks; which this new, larger addition to the Kindle family should be better suited for than it’s smaller sibling, the Kindle 2. Definitely the screen shots of the Kindle DX displaying diagrams are looking good. “We’re going to get students with smaller backpacks, less load”, he said. He also announced five colleges and universities that will be trying out the Kindle DX in the upcoming fall session: Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Reed College, and University of Virginia.
Mr. Bezos also announced that Amazon has reached agreements with three of the leading textbook publishers: Pearson, Cengage Learning and Wiley.
Some pilot programs at universities have met mixed results. In several cases, students requested print textbooks after becoming frustrated with the digital textbook. Most of the problems seem to arise from navigational problems. Results so far would seem to indicate that additional features are needed on the devices before the use of ebook readers for reading textbooks can really take off. Advanced search functions, annotations (including shared annotations), and reliable multiple bookmarking functionality for example. And wouldn’t it be great to have easy access to Wikipedia! Another problem is mismatched pagination between users of printed and e versions of books. And finally, of course, color would be much better for those anatomical drawings! Looks like we’ve still got a ways to go. Certainly the Kindle DX is currently best of breed when it comes to digital textbooks; it does include many of the features necessary. It will be interesting to see how well the device is accepted by the students in the trials this fall.
