Kindle 2 Archives ⋆ Be the Cat

Sony Steals a March on Kindle

Liana Gardner — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:17:56 +0000

Sony has finally made a bid to take back the e-book market which Amazon’s Kindle has been dominating since it was released. Sony has released the Reader Touch Edition. Yes, you read that right. Sony has a touch screen e-book reader, which gives you the choice of colors (something Kindle has yet to offer.) Okay, the color selections are minimal: black, silver or red, but it is still a selection.

Let’s get down to the more nitty gritty aspects of the differences. For those who prefer a touch screen to pressing buttons, the inclusion of a touch screen is huge. It also has a graphical interface which is becoming more and more the interface of choice. The usual graphical keyboard is present and the stylus can be used to take freehand notes. **Note** The reason I use a keyboard is my handwriting deteriorates as I write so by the time I’m finished it is completely illegible and I have lost the thoughts I meant to preserve. So I would continue to type my notes.

Here is a brief comparison between the two products. For further details, such as formats, etc, check out their respective websites:

	Kindle 2	Sony Touch
Dimensions:	8” x 5.3” x 0.36”	6.9” x 4.8” x .4”
Weight:	10.2 oz.	10.1 oz.
Display size:	6”	6”
Touch screen:	No	√
Rotating Display:	No	√
Storage:	1.4GB user	512 MB user
Expansion:	No	√
GrayScale:	16 levels	8 levels
Font Size:	6	5
# Books:	1,500	350
Text-to-Speech:	√	No
Dictionary:	√	√
Battery Life:	2 weeks	2 weeks
Wireless:	3G	3G

One of the discussions I found most interesting was that Sony is promoting the ability to download library books (both e-books and audio books) using your library card from your local library which then expire at the end of the check out period. I think this is a very cool feature because now there is no waiting for someone else to finish reading the library book and returning it – you simply download it and it is no longer available once it has expired. You don’t even have to remember to return it to the library. Why wasn’t that included in the comparison above? Well, it seems that there is also the ability to do this with the Kindle 2, but it is not an advertized feature and the instructions are somewhat buried. If you would like to read more about obtaining library books on the K2, read this forum thread on the Kindle Boards. Also, there is a great thread on some hacks for the K2 at MobileRead including what they call the Visual Kindle Guide which is well worth your time to check out.

Of the things Sony has done with the e-book reader, one of the items I question was why the small storage? Sony had full advantage of knowing what Amazon had out on the market and instead of matching or besting it to make their product more attractive, they fell woefully short. Of course, they might argue that they returned the expansion slot to us, so have made the capacity once again unlimited (and easy to carry with), but really, 512MB as opposed to 1.4GB? You’ve got to be kidding me. It makes the expansion slots a necessity instead of the luxury it should be. By the way Amazon, this should be an indication to you how much we miss the expansion slot. Please put it back where it belongs.

Sony has hit a hot smash in Amazon’s direction. The ball’s in your court Bezos, the question is what will you do with it? I can’t wait to find out.

Originally written for the LL Book Review

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When Is It My Turn?

Phoenix — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:05:11 +0000

I usually don’t complain about much (except for when Mama gets an idea to put a hat on my head), I go amiably along with what my family is doing. I even wrestle with Elsa from time to time to keep her happy. I sit on Papa’s lap when he’s watching TV, and keep his chair warm when he goes to get something to eat, or play with his airsoft gun. I sit beside Mama when she’s working on her books, so I can offer some suggestions to help keep the story flowing. But, now, I’ve had enough.

Mama got a Kindle 2 and she hasn’t let me even put a paw on it yet. The K2 is so cute – sleek and petite, just like me. It looks really easy to operate, but I haven’t been given a chance yet. Think how much easier it would be for me to turn the pages. I could even use my nose if necessary. She’s had it for weeks now, and has been reading story after story on the K2, but I get bupkiss. Last night, I crawled into her arms while she was reading, just so I could get a closer look at the screen. It was wonderful. Nice easy to read font, easy to turn pages, and especially nice for me, you can set the cursor next to a word you don’t know and have the definition pop up at the bottom. I was enthralled. Now, I’m really itching to get my paws on it. So the big question is, Mama, when is it my turn?

All for now. Until next time. Paws Up!

PS – If she lets Elsa touch it before me, I’m going to sit on Elsa’s head.

About the Author:
“Just call me Your Highness” ~ Phoenix
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Here’s information about my Mama’s stuff:

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The Arrival of K2

Liana Gardner — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:10:06 +0000

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment I couldn’t miss, so I left my husband on the front porch with a book to wait for the UPS delivery truck. Before you think I’m unjustifiably cruel, let me tell you about the UPS deliveries in our neighborhood. UPS will come to the door, knock once and as the knuckles are grazing the door the driver is already turning to leave. I sometimes think that the only sound I hear is that of the driver putting the We missed you slip on the front door. I’m sure our Machiavellian driver is laughing like mad as the truck pulls away from our house. Denny, the aforementioned husband on the porch, has run after the truck screaming like a mad man to get the truck to stop on more than one occasion. Suffice it to say, if I didn’t post him out of the front porch, I would not be in possession of my Kindle today. My Kindle 2 arrived about 5 minutes before I returned home. There awaiting my arrival home was the smiling Amazon.com box. After putting down my things, I grabbed my small scissors and cut the tape holding the flaps down. Inside were two brown sturdy boxes which have the zip to open feature. The reason for the two boxes is I also purchased a cover for the Kindle because otherwise I might inadvertently hurt it. To heighten the anticipation of the moment when I saw my K2 for the first time, I opened the cover first.

I am actually quite impressed with the cover. On the original Kindle, I didn’t like the cover it came with. It was pretty much a leather jacket with elastic bands to attempt to keep the Kindle within. The cover wasn’t even as wide as the Kindle (1), so the edges stuck out making the propensity to hit the Next page button a likely occurrence. This cover is different. On the inside spine of the cover are two doo-hickeys which allow you to snap the K2 into place, and it doesn’t fall out, even if I just hold it by the edge.

Next, the moment I had been waiting for. I unzipped the box holding my K2. The way Amazon.com packages the Kindle, it appears to be thicker than what it actually is. I tried to prepare by looking at photos of the K2 all over the internet, but somehow, I still wasn’t prepared for the thinness in actuality. If they make it any thinner, it simply won’t be there. Once you put it into a cover, however, it feels just like a slim volume book. Once I had it in my hands, forget the quick start guide that comes with it, forget learning about how to use it, forget checking to see whether it needed to be charged first – I just had to turn it on.

As I think I may have mentioned, I pre-sent Misfit McCabe to my K2, so as soon as I turned it on there was my book, which was a very satisfying feeling. I also downloaded the Smashwords Kindle version of Misfit McCabe so I could compare the two versions. The top picture is the version which was formatted using the Amazon Digital Text Platform (DTP) service and the second picture is the Smashwords version. They both look very similar, except the DTP version has more left white space than the Smashwords version. This was entirely my fault being so new to the game when I did the DTP version. I have corrected several formatting errors with DTP, but have not purchased the book again so I can see the newer version in action.

Originally written for the LL Book Review

____________________________________________________________________________
LK Griffie
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit: Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other e-book formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Griffie, visit: The LL Book Review

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Waiting on Kindle

Liana Gardner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:58:53 +0000

The day has finally come. The one I’ve been waiting for. I am so excited it feels like Christmas. My Kindle 2 arrives today! I have wanted a Kindle since before they were first available and have been telling myself I would get one . . . someday. There was always a reason I needed to put off making the purchase. I did get my mom the first generation Kindle when they came out, so I have actually seen one, touched one, and used it (albeit briefly). While that assuaged my immediate lust for the Kindle, in a way it also increased my longing for one. Well, someday is finally here. All I have to do now is wait for UPS to arrive. It could be excruciating because they can deliver between 9 AM and 7 PM – so when will they get to my house?

What’s the big deal? Here are some of the reasons I have wanted a Kindle since I heard about them: in no particular order

The ability to carry hundreds, if not thousands of books with me at one time

Dust reduction. I have a severe allergy to dust, and the pages of books decompose and create dust. If I can convert the majority of my books to Kindle – I can reduce the amount of dust created.

No more waiting for a book. I don’t like to shop in stores, so I eliminate the trip to the store. I can get a book downloaded direct to the Kindle at a moments notice, should I desire. And since I buy the bulk of my books from Amazon anyway, I don’t have to wait for them to be delivered.

Conversion of PDF files to read on the Kindle. Since I review books for the LL Book Review, the bulk of my reviews are done from PDF’s, which believe it or not, I prefer versus reviewing directly from a book. This way, I won’t have to scroll back through the document when I leave off because the Kindle will keep track of where I am for me. I’ll also still have the PDF file so when I need to extract a quote from the actual work, I am able to do so easily. With a hard copy book (whether hard bound or paperback), I have to type any quotes I use – which while not difficult certainly takes more time and is more prone to error than the simple copy and paste method from the PDF’s.

Reduction of eye fatigue. With the e-ink technology, the Kindle is more like looking at the page of a book than looking at a computer screen, so this will reduce the amount of eye strain. Plus, when my eyes are getting tired, I can always increase the font size.

I will be able to get books from Smashwords.com as well as Amazon, because Smashwords has a Kindle format available. Plus, more sites like Smashwords are opening up, so one of the purportedly negative things about a Kindle, which is you are tied to Amazon, is quickly going away.

The ability to highlight, bookmark, and make notes throughout a book. While I am not a student, I see this as having huge potential from the textbook angle. Plus, sometimes you just want to mark something to come back to it at a later time, or put a note as to what you were thinking for sharing with someone later.

Well, those may not be all of the reasons I am excited, but should be enough to start with. It was a choice between the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX, and I did have to think long and hard about which one to get. Both have definite pros to them. My final decision was made due to the size of the Kindle 2, making it more portable. I didn’t want to carry around what amounts to a letter size device. If I had been getting it to strictly keep at home, then it would have been the Kindle DX all the way. What a wonderful pre-birthday birthday gift from my mom. Thanks Mom – I am now a part of the e-book revolution. My mom has read Misfit McCabe on the Kindle, now I can too.

____________________________________________________________________________
LK Griffie
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit: Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe in an instant.
For other e-book formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Griffie, visit: The LL Book Review

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