So I downloaded the free Barnes & Nobel eReader 1.0 this morning, to check it out. I’m on a Mac and was glad to see that B&N rolled out versions of the readers for iPhone, Blackberry, PC and Mac all at the same time. That’s a good move.
The first thing I tried to do was open some pdf’s, mobi, epub and prc files…
Continue reading Barnes & Noble eReader for Mac – My Thoughts
United Kingdom-based BookDepository has opened up shop on our virtual shores. The BookDepository has been raking in awards around the world as a leader in the online bookselling world and seems to be the only current site that can compete with Amazon and B&N.com on price.
I price compared three titles that I would like to purchase soon and they were all cheaper on BookDepository, with a price difference ranging between a penny and 62 cents. So not major savings (they do claim free shipping worldwide though), but it sure is nice to have someone else trying to be competitive.
One thing I really do like is that they are using Google Preview API on their site. It’s nice to be able to read enough of a book that you know you’re making an informed purchase. It’s not as nice as being in a real bookstore, but the extra preview pages are the next best thing. Let us know if you’ve had any experience buying from them.
I read this post this morning and thought about students being forced to use Amazon’s new Kindle DX. While I don’t shy away from eBooks and think the Kindle DX is a step in the right direction for textbooks and newspapers, I really think this is a bad move, for one major reason. That is usability.
It’s true that the screen is bigger and as a dedicated reading device the Kindle is pretty good. But reading texts for school is a TOTALLY different type of reading and the Kindle is only going to slow students down and tick them off.
I mean have you ever tried to cross reference something between two separate works on a Kindle? It’s the worst. The device is just not made for easy navigation. Even if you have the forsite to use the bookmark feature and know exactly where the info you need is (remember no page numbers) and you are only using two books for your work, it could take you almost a full minute to close a book, navigate to the other book, find reference, make a note and navigate back and load original text. Killer!
That little flip-flop between titles would take seconds with two books open side-by-side on a desk. The Kindle is just not built with usability in mind. It’s built to deliver books and ease eye-strain. So until they fix the navigation and allow multiple texts to be loaded into the RAM all at once, I’m afraid it’s going to be slow going.
I’m all for saving the environment and spreading the eBook love, but not at the expense of time and productivity.
Amazon announced they will hold an event this Wednesday (May 6th:10 a.m.) in New York. Most are expecting the unveiling of a large-format e-reader geared towards newspaper subscriptions. Which would be a smart move for Amazon, as many newspapers aren’t happy with the Kindle and its inability to serve up newspaper styles content and ads as the industry needs. That’s a fact that has many of the major newspaper chains partnering with other e-reader device manufacturers to develop their own e-ink devices.
A trend that Amazon would no doubt like to curb with its potential to cut into it’s growing revenue stream of (on avergae) $14 a month per newspaper subscription.
