Archive for the ‘kindle ereader’ tag
Kindle ereaders will soon be able to borrow library ebooks no comments
Well, this is something I didn’t expect to be writing about any time soon. Amazon has announced that it is indeed working with OverDrive to bring library ebook checkouts to the Kindle ereaders.
The new feature will launch later this year and will work on all models of Kindle ereaders as well as the free Kindle apps. Note taking and highlighting will be supported, and if you borrow the ebook again or buy the Kindle book all of your annotations and bookmarks will be preserved.
Being able to borrow ebooks from public libraries on the Kindle (provided the library is one of the 11,000 plus in the US that are powered by OverDrive) will remove one common complaint about the Kindle and a reason some consumers might have for buying an ereader other than Amazon’s. The Kindle Store seems to get the most free promotional ebooks, and now Kindlers will also have access to public library ebook holdings. At the moment this feature may not seem really important, especially if your local public library does not have many ebooks yet. But in the future the ability to borrow library ebooks will become increasingly valuable as libraries grow their digital collections.
Reading library ebooks may not be a perfect fit for you if your are into the instant gratification of your need to read. There is usually a waiting list, and sometimes it can be quite a long one for popular titles. You have limited time to read the borrowed book and usually can not renew it — if you don’t finish a book in the allotted time you will have to get back in line to check it out again. The maximum checkout period at my library is 21 days. While this is normally plenty of time, it may mean putting down your current read unfinished to accept your requested title when it does become available.
There also appears to be some sort of “When it Rains it Pours” clause written into the fine print on the back of my library card that seems to dictate that all titles on my waiting list shall become available at the same time regardless of whether requested six days or six months prior.
One nice thing about digital books as opposed to the paper books you might borrow from the library — ebooks don’t get stinky, dirty and full of questionable stains. That’s right, you can toss the reading gloves.
Update: OverDrive notes that once the Kindle Library Lending program goes into effect a public library’s existing collection of ebooks will all be Kindle compatible. Libraries will not need to purchase new Kindle versions of their existing ebooks.
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Nautical charts on the Kindle? no comments
The National Imagery and Mapping Agency has released Chart No. 1 for the Kindle. Chart No. 1 defines nautical chart symbols, abbreviations, terms and other chart elements used in NOAA and NGA charts and is a reference that probably should be included in the chart library on every sailing vessel.
When the Kindle DX was first introduced it apparently was demoed with nautical charts, but I’m not sure if the release of Chart No. 1 means that we will actually see nautical charts appearing on the Kindle ereaders any time soon.
If this is the start of nautical charting on the Kindle then we are not off to a very good beginning. There are already comments from users that Chart 1 is very difficult to read.
My Kindle 3 is currently visiting another state (far away and very cold from here), so I could not try on that. I did download the free sample of Chart 1 onto my Kindle DX. It is indeed very difficult to read because the printing is so very faint and I can only imagine that it would be even worse on the smaller 6-inch screen. To make matters worse, you cannot adjust the font size on the pages that are comprised of text.
I also downloaded the sample onto my Kindle for iPad app, which works much better. Not only is it much more readable on the iPad, but you also get color and you can use pinch to zoom to enlarge as needed. This is a Kindle book that works much better on the iPad or on an Android tablet, and that is what I would therefore recommend for it.
The picture below shows a couple of pages — on the left is the Kindle DX and on the right is the same page slightly zoomed in on the iPad (with some banding from scan lines).
The Kindle version of Chart No. 1 is $12.00. You can also download Chart No. 1 on your computer for free from NOAA. Before purchasing from the Kindle Store it would probably be a good idea to download the free sample and make sure it will work for you.
Update: I also tried downloading the free version of Chart No. 1 from the link above and transferring it to my Kindle. It suffered from the same readability issues as the version in the Kindle Store. I think the problem is that the colors used are not contrasty enough to work well when ported to a monochrome e-ink display. Until we have a color Kindle this product will be better suited for use on a tablet.
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Kindle book lending arrives no comments
Amazon has enabled lending of Kindle ebooks as promised. Of course, this feature will also need to be enabled by the publisher — for many titles it isn’t, just as on the Nook ereaders.
You can see if an ebook is lendable by looking in its Product Details on its page at Amazon. If you already own a title you can also check the Your Orders section in Manage Your Kindle
To initiate a Kindle book loan you will also need to go to the Manage Your Kindle page or the ebook’s product page at Amazon. You will need the borrower’s email address so that they can be notified. The recipient will have seven days to accept the loan.
Kindle books that can be loaned can only be loaned one time ever and only for 14 days. When one of your ebooks is loaned out you will not be able to access it yourself until it is returned (same as if it were a paper book). These are the same basic lending rules as on the Nook ereader.
Recipients of loaned Kindle books do not need to have a Kindle — any Kindle device app will do. Currently Kindle book lending can only be initiated by customers in the US. US customers can loan an ebook to someone outside of the US as long as it is not restricted by geographical rights.
One drawback appears to be that Kindle book loans cannot be initiated from the library of the Kindle ereader itself. With the Nook you initiate the loan from the ereader, rather than having to do it from your computer.
The Nook’s LendMe program actually has some cool features, like being able to discover ebooks that are in the libraries of your friends that you might like to borrow (discoverability can also be turned off if you don’t want your friends browsing your library). Of course, all of this is somewhat crippled by the publishers. The Kindle will probably get there too; ebook lending is one area where Amazon has not been the leader of the pack, yet.
For more info, see Amazon’s lending Kindle Books page.
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Amazon announces Kindle book gifting no comments
Kobo announced a couple of days ago that it would soon allow the giving of ebooks as gifts and now Amazon has followed suit. The ability to gift ebooks has been on the wishlists of readers of digital books for a long time.
Starting today, Kindle books can be gifted to anyone with an email address by clicking the Give as a Gift button, which now appears under the Buy now with 1-Click button. The recipient can read the Kindle book on their Kindle ereader or on any of the Kindle reading apps.
All ebooks at the Kindle Store can be gifted and, if the recipient wishes, they may exchange the gifted ebook for an Amazon gift card. Amazon has set up a page
I imagine a similar announcement will be forthcoming from Barnes & Noble very soon.
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eBook Lending and More Coming to Kindle no comments
Amazon announced on the Kindle Community forums
Additionally, many newspapers and periodicals that are available on the Kindle will also be available on the Kindle apps — first for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and later for the other apps.
This is good news, although the lending feature is somewhat limited by publishers.
I’m never one to be satisfied, so there are a couple more things on my Christmas wishlist — ebook gifting and the ability to borrow library ebooks on the Kindle, if Amazon could swing it. Being able to gift ebooks is probably on the cards at some point; library ebooks are a different matter altogether.
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Indie Book Publisher Signs Deal With Amazon 1 comment
Author Solutions today announced that it has entered an agreement with Amazon to publish all new black-and-white AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing and Xlibris titles for the Kindle ereader.
A default price of $9.99 will be set for every ASI title made available through the Kindle, but each author will have the opportunity to set his or her own price. E-book distribution through the Kindle will be included as a free service for all new black-and-white ASI titles.
