Nook/Kindle/Kobo/Sony - What is the best e-reader

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Nook/Kindle/Kobo/Sony - What is the best e-reader

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

My Lovecraft book is now available on Kindle and Nook, for those who own those particular devices (does anyone actually own a Nook?).

I'm working to get it on the iPad too, but I can tell you that from a publisher's point of view, Amazon and Barnes and Noble are as easy as can be to work with, and Apple is a huge rear end in a top hat about it. For one thing, you have to be approved to even start the forms for Apple, except the approval (based on the fact that an approval email was sent to me three seconds later) is automatic and just adds another useless screen to fill out. Then they want to tie it to an iTunes account with credit card instead of a bank account like any sane company. Then you seem to have to be using a Mac to upload anything to the store.

Considering that there's Nook and Kindle apps for the iPad, I'm not sure what the incentive is for small publishers to work with all that bullshit.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2010 16:05

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 21:03

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

That all seems really reasonable and polite, man.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2010 23:15

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Got a Kindle 3 and a lighted cover for Christmas. I love it so far. Obviously it works great for reading, but I also was really impressed by how crisp images were on it since I'd heard it wasn't good at that. Every picture I've seen on it looks as clear as an image printed in a book, the way it's supposed to.

I've also been impressed by how well the browser works. I have a work Blackberry, and browsing on the Kindle is a hell of a lot easier than browsing on the Blackberry, which is supposedly built for it.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2010 18:43

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Lascivious Sloth posted:

You should start with this book (99c) because it's awesome and timeless: http://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Cristo-ebook/dp/B002RI9KL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1293610428&sr=1-1

Or you can get it here (free): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184 (not sure if that's unabridged though- which you must read.)

Enjoy.

With non-English books, it's better to splurge and get the version that costs actual money. When you get the free one, you're getting whatever translation they could find, which can often be of poor quality or very dated. For instance, in this case, even if you get the unabriged version of the old translation, it still cut all references to drugs and sex from the story (we're talking cutting entire scenes here).

Basically go wild on the free books in English (although most of them have horrendous formatting), but spend the money to get a decent version of translated books.

In this case the one you want is this one http://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Cristo-ebook/dp/B0049U4ON6

# ¿ Dec 29, 2010 13:18

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Lascivious Sloth posted:

Can you give me an example of scenes that are cut? When the count is on monte cristo with Franz they smoke hashish and Franz gets plastered. So not all drug references were cut out.

If true, you just blew my mind. I thought unabridged meant translated with no edits/cuts. Too bad that version is not available in my country. That is one thing I hate about amazon, is the copyright bullshit making a lot of books unavailable in Australia.

I dunno, here's wikipedia:

"The most common English translation was originally published in 1846 by Chapman and Hall. Most unabridged English editions of the novel, including the Modern Library and Oxford World's Classics editions, use this translation, although Penguin Classics published a new translation by Robin Buss in 1996. Buss' translation updated the language, is more accessible to modern readers, and restored content that was modified in the 1846 translation due to Victorian English social restrictions (for example, references to Eug�nie's lesbian traits and behavior) to Dumas' actual publication."

So any free or super cheap version is using the 1846 censored translation. I dunno exactly what all the cuts were, but I can tell you that the Buss translation is fantastic reading.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2010 18:03

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

z0331 posted:

Do you know if there are any particularly good Kindle-available Dostoevsky translations and if they're much better than the free ones?

Edit: Also, why do there appear to be two Kindle versions of the Buss translation of Monte Cristo but one is $.99 and the other is $12.99?

I guess the $.99 doesn't say it's Buss but it says Latest Edition 2010 and it's the same cover.

Uh, look again at those covers.

One is the Project Gutenberg version, one is the new Penguin translation.

edit: and I'm no expert on translations, but, as I understand it, with anything Russian you basically always want to go with the Pevear and Volokhonsky version.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2011 13:23

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Velius posted:

Welp. My Kindle 3G screen already broke, less than a month after purchasing it. From my reading of the amazon forums this is not an uncommon problem. I didn't do anything untoward to the thing, I never dropped it or anything, but between work and coming home it no longer displays anything on the top half of the display. I'm sure Amazon will replace it, but it's pretty uncool if they're as prone to failure as their forums suggest.

Mine broke last night in the exact same way, also without apparent cause. Interesting...

# ¿ Jan 5, 2011 23:33

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

IRQ posted:

Do you dudes have a case? Apparently eink is not very tough if it's just getting tossed around.

I guess maybe I'm lucky I do the majority of my reading at home, but Amazon is notorious for great customer service so you should be good.

Yep, I had mine in the official amazon cover. Top quarter or so of the screen is just done. No idea what happened. Should be getting my replacement today though.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2011 14:26

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Dave Angel posted:

I've seen this claimed but, having read both, beyond the choice of language employed I've found the content of the feedbooks version to be equivalent to the Buss translation. Are there any examples of where this editing has occurred?

I dunno, here's what Robin Buss has to say about it in the intro to the new version:

Robin Buss posted:

Anyone who has read The Count of Monte Cristo only in the 'classic version' has never read the novel. For a start, the translation is occasionally inaccurate and is written in nineteenth-century English that now sounds far more antiquated than the French of the original does to a modern French reader: to mention one small point of contention, Dumas uses a good deal of dialogue, and the constant inversions of 'said he' and 'cried he' are both irritating and antiquated. [skipping some more complaints about the inaccuracy of the language] Still less acceptable, however, than the language of this Victorian translation is the huge number of omissions and bowdlerizations of Dumas's text. The latter include part of Franz's opium dream, some of the dialogue between Villefort and Madame Danglers, and several parts of Chapter XCVII.

I'm tired of transcribing this, so let me summarize the rest: most of the dialogue implying lesbianism was significantly rewritten to be way more roundabout. Also, there are several cuts which have nothing to do with sex or drugs and just aren't there. The old translation cuts an entire segment describing Albert and Franz's ride through Rome. A few entire pages of dialogue are missing for no apparent reason, as are several character descriptions.

Essentially, Buss argues, the old translation takes a far more complex novel and simplifies it in an attempt to turn it into a children's book, in the process cutting a lot of the historical references and character moments.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2011 14:36

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Is it possible that someone took the old translation and reedited in response to Buss's criticism? That's the only explanation I can think of.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2011 02:05

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

IRQ posted:

If the ebook was commercially sold (ie you paid for it from Amazon or B&N or whatever) it should be identical to the print version in format.

I forget whether it was this thread where I talked about it, but William T Vollmann's Imperial uses all sorts of fonts for effect, and the ebook version (retailing at around $25) gets rid of all of them, completely changing the experience of reading the book.

So, nope.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2011 15:33

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

yeah, I can't really see the advantage of a touch screen, but then I'm interested in something pretty much exclusively for reading, so maybe I'm weird.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2011 23:31

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

In terms of kindle vs book page, I can tell you that I've held up paper books right next to the kindle screen, and if the light is good there is literally no difference.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2011 03:33

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Also I can't imagine a reason why you wouldn't want the lighted case.

Want to read the newspaper in bed when it's still not quite light? In a room that's just dim enough to make the kindle a little hard to read? Problem instantly solved.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2011 16:06

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Google maps works just fine on k3.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2011 23:55

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Why are people asking questions about broken kindles here? Amazon has possibly the best customer service department in the world. Give them a call.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2011 21:24

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

DrDraxium posted:

Sweet. I can't wait. The Kindle pretty much cures all my annoyances I have with reading normal books.

What were those annoyances exactly?

# ¿ Mar 11, 2011 12:53

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

DrDraxium posted:

Hmmm. The growing library shelf. Having to move books everywhere I go. Paperbacks (the majority of my book purchases) becoming tattered and worn quite easily. Hmmm ... having to purchase them from a book store for a steep fee. You know, the usual.

But you still have to purchase them from a book store for an even steeper fee.

The only thing I like better about a kindle is it makes it possible to read places I otherwise couldn't (really really crowded trains for instance). Otherwise I love physical books.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2011 16:27

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

IRQ posted:

This is not true at all. Quite the opposite actually.

Unless you're talking about stealing, which is a lovely thing to do, and something you could do with physical books too, then yes it's very true.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2011 19:46

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Spoilers Below posted:

If you don't mind used copies, any local used bookstore or thrift shop is a godsend. I don't think I've paid more than $5 for a book in years (usually around $0.50 for paperbacks, $1 for hardcovers). Granted, I'm not one for reading new releases right when they are released...

That's my point. I'm saying ebooks tend to be more expensive than physical books, because you can usually get a cheap used copy of any book older than a year.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2011 21:27

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Memory doesn't matter on the Kindle since you can just delete books you're not reading and then redownload them anywhere you happen to be in a couple minutes whenever you feel like reading them.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2011 02:12

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Cartoon Man posted:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=13292040

So who is going to write the bigger check to get these exclusively, Amazon, Apple, or B&Noble? I suppose they could come out for all formats, but with tons of money at stake I won't be surprised to see somebody pay for the rights. Didn't Apple write a huge check to get The Beatles on Itunes exclusively?

Either way, her physical book sales must finally be hitting a plateau for her to consider the ebook market after having held out this long.

Maybe, but frankly I doubt she needs any more money. It's more likely that she's one of those people who really dislike the idea of an ebook and held out until she either was convinced of their benefits or was badgered by the business people who want to enter that market.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2011 17:51

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Ara posted:

I used the screen saver hack the day I got my Kindle and changed them, it really isn't hard.

Yeah the screensaver hack is really easy to install and I haven't looked back once.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2011 11:42

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Fire In The Disco posted:

Apparently I am retarded with this, because I can't get my Kindle DX to display the pictures I put as screensavers correctly. I've resized them to the proper size (824 x 1200, per here) three different times, in hopes that I did it wrong the first two times, and they still show up all stretched out and weird with big blank spaces on the top and bottom.

dunno, the dimensions they give for the regular kindle (600x800) work perfectly.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2011 18:20

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Ara posted:

Yeah, if I remember right you just have to reboot it (a real restart) for the new ones to show up. It's been a long time, though, so I could be remembering wrong.

yeah, whenever you add new ones, you just hold the switch after unplugging for about 15 seconds until it does the real reboot and then they'll show up.

also remember that you can put that "random" file in so they show up in random order, if you want.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 12:34

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Yeah, this would be exciting if it weren't for the fact that I've never seen a single decent book available as an ebook from a library.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2011 15:12

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Levitate posted:

Do people find any utility with the 3G version of the Kindle over the basic kind (beyond getting books whenever and wherever)?

Not sure which to get...some basic web browsing would be welcome especially if it lets me check my email but do people find other uses?

I use it all the time, but if you have a halfway decent smartphone and don't travel much it's probably unnecessary.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 14:56

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

I have the NY Times downloaded to it daily, and it can be helpful to have 3g if I'm away from home or otherwise forgot to download it before leaving. Same with sending documents to it if I'm at work or something.

Also since the Blackberry is absolutely worthless for browsing, I do all my mobile browsing on the kindle. It's not as awful as people say.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 17:13

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Levitate posted:

Do you pay for a subscription to download the Times? That's kind of the big thing for me I think...there are times I'd really like to read the paper, but I'm usually rushing out of the door in the morning so I don't know if I always want to be downloading things before I leave. But paying a monthly subscription kinda blows too

yeah, it's $20 a month and worth it to me. I think there's software that lets you rip the website daily for free or something, but I like the official newspaper format on the kindle and I don't mind paying to support a worthwhile product.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 17:26

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

MegaCharger posted:

Is there a huge difference between the kindle 3 and kindle 2, should I just get a kindle 2 on the cheap? I'm testing the water with this e-reader thing and would like to get a cheap but decent one. I'm 100% going to be only reading text novels on it, no browsing the web or mp3 or any of that. Also I'm only going to be using it outside or at well-lit places, basically anywhere you would read a real book without killing your eyes.

Also what the heck is the $25 cheaper version kindle 3? Does it just display ads when you are not reading the book? Will it hinder my reading in any way?

1. One major one is that it Kindle 3 uses better e-ink (it has higher contrast). It also has longer battery life, about twice the memory, and is slightly smaller. All kindles only work in places with light you could see a regular book by, so that's irrelevant.

2. The cheaper one shows ads when it's in sleep mode and on the home screen (where your books are listed). Incidentally, I'm curious whether the screensaver hack works on the ad supported version.

# ¿ May 1, 2011 14:24

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

All jailbreaking does is allow you to install non-official updates (like, say, the screensaver hack). It doesn't change your Kindle at all, and it doesn't prevent it from getting official updates. It almost certainly voids your warranty if they figure out you did it, though.

# ¿ May 2, 2011 22:25

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Levitate posted:

I feel like they've come out and said that it doesn't do jack poo poo and there's no real reason for needing to turn things off but who knows. probably a bitch to change the rules about it or something

I read an article by a pilot explaining this rule. It has nothing to do with "electric fields" or whatever. It's that if something goes wrong during landing or take-off, they want people to be aware of where they are and able to listen to instructions, something they won't be able to do with headphones on or messing around with a laptop.

It's the same reason they ask you to open your window shade during landing.

# ¿ May 11, 2011 21:03

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Arnold of Soissons posted:

The thing is, I know it isn't magnetic fields. I know it's just a lie.

How the gently caress am I seriously going to not notice the plane crashing?

They might be aware something is going to go wrong before you can feel it. Also if something goes wrong during, say, take-off, they may not have time to wait for you to remove your headphones before issuing instructions that may keep you from dying.

It was the Ask a Pilot column on Salon.com. I don't really feel like digging up which one though.

maxnmona fucked around with this message at 03:09 on May 12, 2011

# ¿ May 12, 2011 03:07

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Vertigus posted:

Sounds like somebody just making something up and going with their gut feeling. If they wanted people to listen to instructions then they'd tell them to stow the magazines and paperbacks too.

I dunno, it was written by a guy who has been a pilot for decades and writes professionally about the air industry. It may not be the whole story, but I don't think he was just pulling it out of his rear end.

# ¿ May 15, 2011 19:36

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

wrong thread

# ¿ May 17, 2011 18:30

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

mister_gosh posted:

I don't have a case for it but intend to buy one soon.

That's a good point though, rather than considering upgrading it, I should focus that money on a case.

It's just ugly seeing an ad when my kindle is out in the open. I've had it for a few weeks, so I think exchanging it at Best Buy isn't an option...and again, a case would solve the "seeing an ad out of the corner of your eye" problem.

Try installing the screensaver hack. If it works, you'll only have the ad on the home screen. Also I'm curious if the screensaver hack works on the ad one (I don't see why it wouldn't)

# ¿ May 18, 2011 16:34

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

I can't find anything on Amazon saying how they judge their one month battery life for the Kindle 3, but someone in the other thread remembered it being based on an hour a day.

So if the Nook's two months is based on a half hour and the Kindle's month is based on an hour, then.....

# ¿ May 24, 2011 16:26

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Here's a question: I know they're a direct competitor, but will Amazon allow a Netflix app on the Fire?

# ¿ Sep 28, 2011 22:51

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Clara posted:

Straight from Amazon:

I'm interesting in hearing how well it works when people get to try it.

That sounds a lot harder to use in a crowded subway, which is how I often use a kindle. The great thing about the Kindle 3 is you can be jammed in place with only one hand free and easily turn pages, and even navigate menus if you're holding it in your right hand.

This set-up sounds like it require two hands for anything but basic page turns.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2011 16:35

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 21:03

maxnmona: Mar 16, 2005; if you start with drums, you have to end with dynamite.

Drunk Tomato posted:

What non-reading activities are you planning on doing with your kindle while stuck in a crowded subway, exactly?

Also, it's not even remotely comfortable to operate the kindle 3 completely one-handed.

1. Well, turning one page back is a reading activity. But besides that I navigate the NY Times or magazines, and also switch between books.

2. It's completely comfortable to do so. And I even have relatively small hands.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2011 17:05

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Nook/Kindle/Kobo/Sony - What is the best e-reader

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