RDYoung

This thread is to discuss Electronic Books and readers. We can talk about dedicated readers(franklin ebookman, Gemstar/Nuvomedia Rocket E-Book) or PDA's, and the books available.


Okay, here is a list of the different e-book systems available. Thanks go out to Startide and everyone else who contributes to this thread!

Computer Based

• Microsoft Reader--I don't really know much about this reader. It uses a proprietary format, but you can create content easily for it. It also can be used with Pocket PC's. It's free, and seems like it could work well(I've never used it.)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader--Reads Adobe documents. In beta for a Palm OS reader. Again, free, and works for documents that have been created in pdf format.
• yBook Reader--Startide mentioned this a few days ago, and I looked at it a little. This is shaping up to be one of the better bookreaders I've seen for the PC. The creator e-mailed me(yes, he reads this forum!) and he welcomes comments about the book. I've e-mailed him a few comments, and he's responded by making some changes and e-mailing me a new version. It takes txt and html files and formats them in a 2 page format. Definately worth checking it out!
• There used to be a desktop rocket edition reader, but I can't find it, so I cannot confirm that it exists anymore since the gem-star coup.

Handheld Readers

• PDA--Any pda has the capability to read books. They cost anywhere from $99-700(and maybe more, depending on what you get.) I could never get into it, but if you use a pda, it would be pretty easy. Microsoft reader, the franklin ebookman(see below), and adobe all have some sort of reader for palm and/or pocket pc formats. One of the more notable is the Peanut Reader.
• Franklin Ebookman--Franklin has come up with a reader/pseudo-pda/mp3 player. There are 3 varieties, that range in the $129-229 price range.
• Gemstar ebook reader--I have a Gemstar e-book reader, and I love it. I originally bought the rocket to read X-Files Fan Fiction, but have since found many, many public domain texts that I can convert(from project Gutenberg, among other places), and even have purchased several books(primarily John Douglas criminal profiling books). I can also download text based urls (news and the like) to read, and take my own work with me. Because I have one, it's easy to be biased, but it's just one of the options.
• Hiebook Reader--This looks to be the next cool thing. Seriously. It will really make gemstar stop and think about alienating all the former Rocket ebook owners(of which I am one of). It supports html, txt and doc formats, seems pretty affordable, plays mp3's, and has some pda functionality about it.

Free Content
There are several places to get free content. I'm only going to provide links to the non-copywritten works here. There are places to get other things, tho.

• Project Gutenberg Lots and lots of public domain texts.
• Net Library
• Rocket Library--It's down. The company decided that it was too hard to police legal content, and in part of thier takeover, Gemstar Axed the library. Too bad, because there was a ton of content there.
• Franklin Ebookman Freelibrary--There seems to be many books here for download. Again, public domain.
• The On-Line Book Page--From the University of Pennsylvania, I think. Lots and Lots of texts.
• Baen Free Library--Contains complete and free eBook versions of actually-published books. A number of authors volunteer their books to do this such as David Weber and Eric Flint. You can also buy them at the usual B&M. The eBook offerings can change from time to time, so it is worth re-visiting to see what new eBooks have been posted.
• Univ of Virginia eText Archive[/b][/i] -- has 5,000 texts, 1,600 eBooks for both the Palm (AportisDoc format) and Microsoft Reader, and 164,000 images. All of these are free.
• ABIKA.COM--This is the site that lets you download commercially printed books, scripts, magazines, and newspapers (like those sold at Barnes & Noble bookstores). If you are willing to put up with ads or website URL on each page, then you can download and use the eBook for free. For more detailed info, go to Startide's Post a little further down.
• Blackmask--Another legal ebook site which comes highly recommended. it's taking the best of all the sites, plus a lot of stuff (out of copyright pulp fiction, for example!) and putting it all in one place.
  

General Info

Knowbetter.com--This site used to be mostly about the REB, but is generally good for all things e-book. They had a forum, which was down the last time I checked. Otherwise, it's a great place to go when researching e-books and hardware.


If you have anything to add to the above, let me know!

So, are you reading e-books?

robyn

<small>
[I verified the links that remain--10/12/02]

Alien Redrum

How is it on the eyes? I mean is it a comfortable read?

-Steve

RDYoung

Deja vu!

I love mine. It has 6 levels of backlighting--None, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. It also has a contrast adjustment. Between the two, I find it pretty easy on the eyes. I read in bed a lot, and with the lights out, I find the 20% setting pretty comfortable.

They used to joke about being able to use the REB as a flashlight on the higher settings.

Anyway, I find it much more comfortable than reading a computer screen, and the size is much better, too. All in a compact little thing.

robyn

<small>one night, I woke up at 3am and couldn't sleep. I thought I'd read, so I turned on my book at 20%, and it damn near blinded me. It took my eyes about 3 minutes to adjust to the brightness!

Alien Redrum

I should get one. I didn't even consider it using it to read in bed. My girlfriend hates any kind of lamp on when she tries to sleep (I wonder why ), but I love to read in bed and I hate those book lights. A book reader would be a great alternative.

Plus I love to read in the car and we'll be going on a 9 hour trip soon.

Any suggestions where I can get one at an affordable cost?

-Steve

RDYoung

Ebay. Seriously. They run about $299 for the gemstar, and you can easily get one for about $225 plus shipping on ebay. I want to say that there was a coupon for office max running around a little while ago, and that would help you get it from office max for about $240.

That's about as cheap as you will probably get. It's really pretty proprietary. If you do go with the gem star, there are many, many things you'll probably need to know regarding making your own books, getting free content, etc.

You could also try looking at some of the other alternatives(franklin ebookman--$130-260, PDA).

I like the REB because I have one, but there could be other people with other opinions. Could never get into reading on a pda(I tried).

robyn

renaldow

I use a Handspring Visor Deluxe to read e-books. I get most of my e-books online through the newsgroups such as:

alt.binaries.e-book
alt.binaries.e-books
alt.binaries.ebook
alt.binaries.e-books


I thought the small screen would be a hinderance, but I actually read faster on it than if I was reading a real book. There are a lot of readers available for the Palm platform, and books are actually pretty small. At one point I had about a dozen books on it, and wasn't even close to being pressed for memory.

Startide

For reading eBooks, I mostly use my Dell Laptop along with a software-based reader program (or Notepad).

There is an online eBook FAQ that is being developed by contributors to the various Usenet eBook newsgroups. This eBook FAQ is located here. I recommend that you visit this site. It even has tables that briefly compare various readers and places to download eBook reader programs. Like good FAQ websites, the webpages are sprinkled with URL for your convenience. A list of sites with eBook downloads is also available there. "Give someone an eBook file and they can read for one day; teach them how to make their own eBooks and they can read for a lifetime." -- adapted Usenet proverb.

The FAQ also mentions how to make your own eBooks. I often do this because I'd rather read the book in my laptop than carry a bunch of paperback books with me. The FAQ also makes clear that there are hardware-based readers and software-based readers. The software readers are for use on your laptops/desktops and have various styles of interfaces designed to make reading an eBook more intuitive or easier. Well, supposedly, heh. I still read them with Notepad (not the default one, but a customized one) with a dark background (minimizes glare at nite).

<hr>
Usenet newsgroups related to eBooks and their readers are:

alt.binaries.e-book
alt.binaries.e-books
alt.binaries.ebook
alt.binaries.ebooks
free.ebooks.emanuals
free.ebooks-2000
alt.ebook
alt.ebook.readers
alt.binaries.e-book.flood --> lots of reposts
alt.binaries.e-book.rpg --> manuals as well as novels
alt.binaries.emanuals
alt.books.electronic

<hr>
There are plenty of websites that have free eBooks too. Some of the commercial sites allow free downloads of various eBooks. The offered titles change over time. This is similar to those websites that offer free image sample downloads in order to get you to visit the site.

As an example of a publisher providing free samples or complete eBooks, Baen Publishing does so. They have four different types of free online eBook offerings:

Baen Driblets -- Contains future or edit-still-in-progress versions of books. Sometimes, entire chapters read herein aren't in the actual printed book and vice versa. If you are interested in the behind the scenes changes, this is it. I've seen alternate storylines for Lois Bujold's "Memory" (Miles Vorkosigan) chopped out, for example, and it was worth the experience. Evidently, she wanted to move that plot into a separate book (or not).

Baen Library -- Contains complete and free eBook versions of actually-published books. A number of authors volunteer their books to do this such as David Weber and Eric Flint. You can also buy them at the usual B&M.

Baen's Free Sample Chapters of Published Books -- Contains sample chapters of past published books.

Baen's Free Sample Chapters of Current/Future Books -- Contains sample chapters of current and future book offerings.

As you can see, the offerings are diverse and have a lot of depth. They also make for entertaining reading. Particularly if you decide to go out to eat and want to read on your ePod (slate tablet) over a wireless internet modem or 802.11b wireless device.

Baen also sells eBook subscriptions at their website http://www.baen.com<small>

[Edited by Startide on 04-25-01 at 06:36 PM]

RDYoung

I just started using usenet about a month ago. Unfortunately, my internet provider only carries one of the e-book newsgroups(alt.binaries.e-books), but that leads you to several FTP sites that have tons of books. I've also found that many of the free newsreader sites don't let you download or do other things. I'm currently in the process of talking to my isp about carrying more newsgroups, but haven't received a reply.

robyn

Scarecrow

I'm not sure you guys want to be discussing the binaries groups here since most, if not all, of the books posted there aren't exactly "legal". I don't think Geoff could get into any trouble over it, but you never know.

Startide

The same problem occurs with all of the coupon and bargain posts in all of the bargain forums and boards. In most cases, the original issuer doesn't allow posting of coupon codes, or the URL plus usercode from the postcard. However, this is done far far far far more widely than simple discussion of the existence of Usenet newsgroups. In fact, providing of codes and coupons is way more specific than mentioning a mere newsgroup name.

A thread that contains a lot of Usenet information is at http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...threadid=88322 and is the long "Best alternatives to Napster" thread. Geoff even posted a "Great Post" compliment in that thread since it diverged to cover many topics including spyware (Geoff found some secret spyware in his PC using info from that thread). Careful reading of the thread will show some Usenet resources that lead to free Usenet servers.

Scarecrow

I hear you, but while the coupon issuers might not intend for them to be posted there is no kind of copyright being violated that I know of.

I just seem to remember some site getting in trouble a while back because info was posted in their forum on how to obtain various movies and software (from binaries groups).

I'm sure you're right and I'm just overly cautious. I just don't want anything to cause problems for this site. That's all.

Alien Redrum

Thanks a lot for the info about the EBook Readers. I will definately be buying one in the next couple months.

-Steve

Startide

GENERAL:

Some readers have black characters on off-white backgrounds. I got around this by setting the background image on my laptop to NONE (black background) and changing my text display program to use yellowish-orange font on a black background. The black background means the laptop doesn't resemble a "flashlite" at nite. Also, this gives good contrast in the daytime and nitetime. This seems to be a good non-fatiguing colour/contrast. Are there better non-fatiguing colours for use at nite? I selected the yellowish-orange because I thought the closer to red, the better for not interefering with night vision. Or does that logic make sense to anyone?

REB 1100 READER:
(info from Usenet newsgroup alt.binaries.ebook)

Tech Support said, "Unfortunately, the REB1100 does not support a software application for uploading or creating your own content from text or html files."

Hmmm. What Rocketbook probably meant to say was that the RB supports .RB and .HTML formats (provided that the HTML is very simple and clean). I guess it is good to research what formats are compatible with a dedicated hardware reader. It would have been nicer if the RB supported straight text files.<small>

[Edited by Startide on 04-25-01 at 06:23 PM]

RDYoung

Well, the thing about the REB 1100 is that the librarian software that shipped with it dropped the rocketwriter completely. So, to the new purchaser of the REB(having never had a rocketbook), Gemstar says that they don't support it. Well, the old rocket librarian(that shipped with the franklin and nuvomedia rocket ebooks) will convert html, txt, and urls very well.

I had this problem when I upgraded to the 1100. Since I converted a lot of text(fan fiction, mostly), I knew it was possible, but searched the software, only to find that they had removed the writer. When I called gemstar, the guy politely told me that the rocketwriter feature was no longer supported. So, I use the old software. I also told them that they were doing a great job of alienating customers.

I'm waiting for the new Heibook. Check this out... http://www.ebookad.com/hiebook/

The Hiebook is going to give the reb a run for its money...

robyn

Scarecrow

Do you guys feel that eBooks take anything away from the reading experience? Just wondering. I've got a few books on my Palm and find it kind of hard to read them. The text and stuff is fine, it just feels weird holding it in my hand and reading a story. It is nice when I'm waiting somewhere though. I don't have to just sit there and stare at the walls.

darkside

The Sony Clie is an excellent ebook reader. I only payed $250 for it and besides being a fully functional Palm PDA its a top notch book reader. Just download the Palm Reader from http://www.peanutpress.com and you can read any doc ebook or buy the ones peanut press sells. Their software takes full advantage of the jog dial on the Clie so turning pages and placing bookmarks is super easy. The Clie also has an awesome indiglo type backlight so reading in any light is easy. I fill up the 8MB memory stick with tons of books and I have some great books to choose from right in my shirt pocket. I will never buy paper books again. BTW check out project guitenburg for tons of free public domain text ebooks. You will need to convert them to doc for the Palm.

http://www.promo.net/pg/

Startide

Scarecrow, if I'm reclining in any lounger, I will use a "Laptop Laidback" with my laptop. Same when in bed. I make sure I am in the middle of the bed though, because if I fall asleep, I don't want the laptop carrier to tilt over and spill the laptop to the floor and break the laptop. So far, there is plenty of room as it is a big soft bed and the laptop would sink into it rather than bounce off onto the floor. Using a device that takes all the weight of the laptop off me makes it much more pleasant to read the laptop while lying down. (sometimes, I even read email that way). What I need is a giant flat panel on the ceiling and a Dvorak keyboard mitt for each hand...

RDYoung

Not at all. That's why I have a REB. It is ergonomically designed to fit really well in the palm of your hand, and you don't have to turn pages. Those are two things I really like. Makes reading a book really a one hand operation. You can also change so it is right handed or left handed. When I had my handspring visor, that was not so convenient because the buttons were at the bottom, instead of the side. Plus, the screen was too small for me, as well as the fact that the backlighting was kinda funny.

I tried reading my stuff on a laptop, but it just didn't allow me to get comfortable with a book. Nor did it really let me read in bed without being in some wierd position.

robyn

renaldow

I don't. It was awkward at first, but now I've read a couple dozen books on it, and truthfully, holding a real paperback feels more awkward! You mean I have to turn pages? I need both hands?

renaldow

I hear what you're saying, and know exactly what you're talking about as I visit usenet often. The binaries ebook groups may contain some copyrighted material, but not all material in there is copyrighted. Much of it is original works posted by the authors, Project Gutenburg texts, and so on.

They're not like the moviez binariez groups that are all about posting the latest blockbusters and DVD rips online.

Startide

Has anyone tried the "yBook" software-based eBook reader? It is freeware and can be downloaded from here. I am thinking of making it my main software-based reader.

It displays two pages side-by-side and is fairly configurable. Unlike .LIT, it remembers the last page that you were reading and opens up to that page just like if you set the opened book down to come back to it later.

RDYoung

The newsgroups had a question similar to that. When I get home I'll read the thread. Since you use your computer as a reader, it could be a good alternative. I forget. Does it seem to be going in a proprietary route, or does it do txt and html?

robyn

Startide

RDYoung, the yBook reader does both Text and HTML and some other format that is proprietary because it is encrypted. However, you can buy the encryption program ($18) to create these eBooks. Thus, this gives safety in case someone gets a hold of your machine or copies out the files. This way, the eBooks remain encrypted, particularly if they are proprietary user manuals from work.

yBook isn't made by a company. It is made by an individual and is frequently updated as shown at the website in my prior post. I like how you get some example screen shots to see if you want to download it or not.

I wish he had compiled one for use with Win CE 2.0 since that is compatible with the ePod. I could store quite a few eBooks on the 128 MB CF.

Gooch

I just want you all to know.......you've just created a monster.

RDYoung

I just went back and read the newsgroup comments on it, and most folks are pretty impressed with it. I might download it to check it out, but really, I don't read anything on my computer, so I probably won't use it. my only real issue with computer reading is that I sit hunched over my computer trying to get comfy all day. It't a real drag to try to do that at home(which is usually why I rarely get online at home, either.)

Later on, maybe I'll download it and see how it works.

Oh, It seems like if you e-mail the guy who created it with suggestions for changes, he'll do them for you. Pretty cool concept, if you ask me.

robyn