Ebooks?

[MarciaCat]

(PS to MarciaCat: Sorry for hijacking your thread, I just figured there are probably enough threads asking about eBook details that I should post in an existing one.)

No problem! It helps keep the thread alive.

Meanwhile the books I'm looking for still aren't available in LIT format. Using their customer service form I asked Simon & Schuster about the lack of LIT format for the four most recent Trek books. It's been six days and I haven't gotten a response yet; maybe next week. I would have emailed directly but couldn't find the address. When/if I get a reply I'll update here.

 

[Karnbeln]

ebooks are sold at different prices depending on where you buy them; it does seem like S&S pricing is a bit wonky, but if you look at Kindle prices, for instance, the ebooks are more or less reliably cheaper, if only a little.

Thanks. I guess I'll have to look at other sites.

It was really just the Kobayashi Maru thing that got me... I have no idea why the eBook could possibly be more expensive than the paperback. Maybe there was a sale or something. Oh well!

 

[ATimson]

I've got a question. I was poking around the Simon and Schuster website as I'm curious about ebooks. There were two books that I remember clicking on for details, SCE's Wounds and Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru. I was kind of shocked looking at the cost comparisons to the mass market paperbacks; Wounds showed no difference in price between the print form and the eBook form, and Kabayashi Maru... well, it actually cost two dollars more to buy the eBook.

Simon and Schuster, as part of their recent website revamp, appears to have decided to shove their heads up their asses as far as ebooks are concerned.

 

[MarciaCat]

I've got a question. I was poking around the Simon and Schuster website as I'm curious about ebooks. There were two books that I remember clicking on for details, SCE's Wounds and Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru. I was kind of shocked looking at the cost comparisons to the mass market paperbacks; Wounds showed no difference in price between the print form and the eBook form, and Kabayashi Maru... well, it actually cost two dollars more to buy the eBook.

Simon and Schuster, as part of their recent website revamp, appears to have decided to shove their heads up their asses as far as ebooks are concerned.

So I've noticed! I just wish they'd get the last four Trek releases out in MS LIT format; I'm getting impatient!!

 

[Marie1]

Thanks!! I couldn't get over the fact Microsoft had it hidden even from their own search when I had 209 Ebooks waiting to be read!!!

Microsoft Search.

See, that's where you went wrong. Nothing is hidden from Google:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Micr...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

And in a ridiculously delayed reaction... guess I missed credit in my prior list, thanks a lot for that link LS!!

 

[Marie1]

I just got an email from Amazon, for those of you who like Ebooks- I guess there is a new Kindle 2. (Yeah, I know if you have one already or don't want to spend the money, this sucks).

I've never used it, I prefer to read off my laptop, but apparently this is [blah blah blah] ( ) ... but more importantly ( ) has "Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud." (Is that new? I have no idea.)

So for the readers who are dyslexic etc. and who want Trek books, and are having trouble getting formats like MS Lit or whatever so those text-to-speech things can read them to you... maybe this wouldn't be a bad idea?

I dunno... the email sounded good, lots of selection and fast downloads... I feel really bad for people with reading disabilities, as I love to read, and to have to go through that stress to get a book, or to have to pay for a device to read it to you... That is dedication.

 

[DimesDan]

I just got an email from Amazon, for those of you who like Ebooks- I guess there is a new Kindle 2. (Yeah, I know if you have one already or don't want to spend the money, this sucks).

There was a news story on the Beeb's website today about that (well I think it was today not just that I read it today and it's old) and it's say's it will cost around 250 quid which is, um, yeah, taking the piss just a bit.

 

[LightningStorm]

I just got an email from Amazon, for those of you who like Ebooks- I guess there is a new Kindle 2. (Yeah, I know if you have one already or don't want to spend the money, this sucks).

Thank you for that!

Recently I have been seriously considering getting a Kindle, but based on the reviews of it and the Sony Reader(s) I wanted to wait until the Kindle 2 came out that fixed some of the things people didn't like about it (And from reading the reviews I believed I would also hate about it).

Finally this is within striking distance and I may finally move to all e-books. Of course with the ~$350 price tag I'll still be waiting on some of the extreme good and extreme bad reviews to make a final decision on whether or not to do so.

 

[JWolf]

The cost of the Kindle 2 is $359 + $29.99 for the cover (not included).

A lot of people are unhappy that the Kindle 2 does not have an SD (or microSD) slot and it does not have Folder support.

The Sony PRS-505/700 do not have true folders. But they do have collections so you can organize your eBooks in an easier way then just a list.

 

[Marie1]

Dumb question- but what is the cover? My email mentioned them, but called them "accessories" and mentioned "Cole Haan, Patagonia, and Belkin" so... are those just... decorations?

And why on earth does a 359$ unit that can hold 1500 books not have "folder support"?
Does that mean you can't sub-divide your books at all? I guess if you had them in alphabetical order etc... but still... thats not cool...

It seems like a neat and useful gadget though. Especially if it can read to you out loud.

 

[Thrawn]

It looks to me like the new Kindle is pretty much identical to the old one, but slightly harder to navigate, slightly easier to hold, and holding more books but I don't think you'd ever max out the old one so that doesn't matter to me at all.

 

[Marie1]

Haha... I can't imagine 1500 ebooks... O.O

TBH, that "under a minute" downloading time seems rather high too, doesn't it? Or am I just spoiled by high-speed internet?

 

[leola]

I posted this in one of the eReader threads, but I'm new and have lost myself I have a Sony eReader but the software doesn't work on my computer. Sony doesn't know why or how to fix it. I have Vista. Anyone had that issue?

I convert everything to .rtf and it's fine for now. I absolutely love it, use it daily, wouldn't want to be without it. Having a bit more ease with it would be good, however.

TIA

 

[ATimson]

It looks to me like the new Kindle is pretty much identical to the old one, but slightly harder to navigate, slightly easier to hold, and holding more books but I don't think you'd ever max out the old one so that doesn't matter to me at all.

Oh, I would've maxed out the old one. At the moment, I've got roughly half a gig of ebooks (and Mobipocket files are, IIRC, about the same size as MS Reader ones, so it should be a fair comparison).

 

[MarciaCat]

I posted this in one of the eReader threads, but I'm new and have lost myself I have a Sony eReader but the software doesn't work on my computer. Sony doesn't know why or how to fix it. I have Vista. Anyone had that issue?

I convert everything to .rtf and it's fine for now. I absolutely love it, use it daily, wouldn't want to be without it. Having a bit more ease with it would be good, however.

TIA

Have you ever visited MobileRead? (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/)
There are lots of helpful people there who could help you with your problem. I know I've seen other people find help there for their Vista/Sony store problems. Here's a link to the Sony 500/505 forums: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100 A little searching through the Reader Troubleshooting sub forum might lead to a solution to your difficulties.

Good luck!!

 

[Marie1]

It looks to me like the new Kindle is pretty much identical to the old one, but slightly harder to navigate, slightly easier to hold, and holding more books but I don't think you'd ever max out the old one so that doesn't matter to me at all.

Oh, I would've maxed out the old one. At the moment, I've got roughly half a gig of ebooks (and Mobipocket files are, IIRC, about the same size as MS Reader ones, so it should be a fair comparison).

1500 seems like a crazy number, but then I remembered the 750 free books from some other site... if you could get those for Kindle, then that would be half your space! Then if you were really avid... The idea of being able to carry around that much stuff, especially if you're a student... I'd still have my spine!

 

[leola]

Have you ever visited MobileRead? (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/)
There are lots of helpful people there who could help you with your problem. I know I've seen other people find help there for their Vista/Sony store problems. Here's a link to the Sony 500/505 forums: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100 A little searching through the Reader Troubleshooting sub forum might lead to a solution to your difficulties.

Good luck!!

Thanks so much for this tip. Never been there but I'm going now.

 

[leola]

And it's fixed! One attempt at purging corrupt files and reinstalling the software. Thank you.

There is a warning that it messes up your library, but that didn't apply to me since it had never worked on my computer.

I'm thrilled! Off to buy some ebooks! Thank you.

 

[jezor]

Now, if only the ST book folks would follow the lead of Baen Books and put their back list up for free, legal download! {ProfJonathan, who has bought ST books only in e-form when he's bought them at all over the past few years, through Fictionwise and EReader for his Palm handheld}

 

[jezor]

Oh, and if you're interested in some publisher-permitted downloads of a whole bunch of books...

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

I take it from the site's text that this site is treated somewhat the way ST fan movies are treated; infringing, but acceptable, as long as no money is being made. Considering how Baen places those CDs in its books, including those sold to libraries, it's not really too much of a stretch. {ProfJonathan, who has more than 100 e-books on his Palm T|X}