amazon ereader for mac
amazon ereader for mac
Is the Ipad over hyped?

I am not an apple hater or a microsoft fan boy, but I truly think the ipad is overrated. It is an iphone/ipod touch on steroids. It might have a better web/interface interface because of the screen. The only thing special is the ibook store. I think the ibook store might come to the iphone. It looks cool and everyone talks about it because its a freaking apple product. I have an ipod touch and love it. I am getting a mac because I like them too and the high school I want to go to uses them. No one was hyped up about the Sony Ereader or Amazon Kindle. The Ipad does do things the other 2 dont such as Internet, apps, and the media. I might get one, but as a computer, no. It might be good for someone who wants a book, movie, internet on the road. If you want really nice internet, doesnt need to run multiple apps at the same time, and can sacrifice flash player then get it Otherwise get a Touch or iphone.

The biggest problem with the iPad is that it was announced a year late. Originally it was supposed to have been announced last year, when e-readers were all the rage at the electronics shows. Once you look beyond the fanfare, the iPad is pretty dissapointing. It really IS just an iPod Touch with a larger screen. Honestly, it looks like one of those over-sized TV remotes or calculators you see at stores marketed to senior citizens with bad eyesight. It’s ridiculously expensive – $500 for a 16GB model with Wifi!?! Is Apple insane? $500 will buy you an older (Windows) laptop with WiFi, and for $35-40/mo I can get one of those 3G USB modems from my cellphone provider.

The iPad’s main competitors are supposed to be the e-readers, like the Nook or Kindle, but honestly, why bother? Why should I spend $300-500 (or more!) on a device whose primary purpose is displaying nicely formatted text files of books? Oh yes, and I have to purchase these text files too! Sure I may not be able to shove 200 paperbacks into my bag, but even at $8/each I’m still spending less per-book than the suckers who spend $500 for the honor of buying a text file for $15. Also, unlike their electronic counterparts, I can buy and sell used books. I can get paperbacks for $2-5 and hardcovers for $5-10.

Honestly, the upcoming netbooks from ASUS and others that will feature Google’s Chrome OS/Browser is going to annihilate the iPad.


Caselogic VNA210 10.2-Inch Netbook/iPad Attache (Black)

Caselogic VNA210 10.2-Inch Netbook/iPad Attache (Black)


$12.99


Fits any book/iPad /tablet up to 10.2″ even with extended battery packStreamlined front Power Pocket fortably fits bulky power cordsAccessory storage pocketsFront Speed Pocket for cell phone wallet or keys11 5/8″ W x 10 1/4″ H x 2″ DBlackIncludes detachable shoulder strap…

Ion ISC12 Document Scanner

Ion ISC12 Document Scanner


$129.99


HANDHELD SCANNER FOR BOOKS PAPERS PHOTOS &;OTHER DOCUMENTSHIGH-RESOLUTION COLOR SCANNING IN JPEG FORMAT;UP TO 600 DPICOLOR MONOCHROME & RESOLUTION OPTIONS FOR;FULL-PAGE SCANS AS FAST AS 2 SECREALTIME DISTORTION COMPENSATION & CAPTURE OPTIMIZING FEEDBACKTRANSFERS SCANS QUICKLY TO COMPUTERSCANS ONTO MICROSD(TM) CARDS UP TO 32GBINCLUDES 2 AA BATTERIES SCAN-TO TEXT SOFTWARE & USB CABLEUPC : 0812715012…

Ion iSC08 Document Scanner

Ion iSC08 Document Scanner


$79.95


For hassle-free mobile scanning, the ION DocuScan Document Scanner is here to help! The ION DocuScan Document Scanner is a photo and document scanner, scanning in color or black and white in the 300dpi JPEG format….

Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve for Tablet / eReader / Apple Macbook up to 11-Inch

Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve for Tablet / eReader / Apple Macbook up to 11-Inch



…

Amazon Kindle for Mac Review (Very similar to PC version)


How To Choose an eBook Format

There are currently many different ebook formats from which to choose. As the ebook industry develops, the amount of formats will probably decrease, as some become standard and others fall away. We’ve already seen this happen to some extent with older e-readers being discontinued and their ebook formats disappearing with them.

These are the most common current ebook formats:

PDF — .pdf
EPUB — .epub
Microsoft Reader — .lit
Mobipocket — .prc
eReader (Palm) — .pdb
Kindle — .azw

There are other formats that can usually be read by e-reader devices, such as .txt and .doc files, but I don’t really consider those to be actual ebooks. It’s nice that e-reader devices can display those types of files but they’re really just general files that you use on your computer.

The best way to choose the format that’s best for you is to make your decision based on what kind of computer or e-reading device you’ll be using. Here is list to get you started:

PDF — Windows, Mac, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, Cool-er, Cybook, BeBook, Pandigital Novel
EPUB — Windows, Mac, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, Cool-er, Cybook, BeBook, Pandigital Novel, iOS devices (iPhone, iPad)
Microsoft Reader — Windows, Windows Mobile
Mobipocket — Windows, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Blackberry, iRex iLiad, Nokia
eReader (Palm) — Windows, Mac, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, iOS devices (when read through Stanza)
Kindle — Amazon Kindle

You should always check the tech specs for your particular device to verify the ebook formats that it can use.

I used to recommend that people consider whether they need to print the ebook when choosing a format, but so few ebooks are printable now that it’s almost becoming a non-issue. Your best choice for printable ebooks is PDF, but many (if not most) book publishers disable the printing function on their PDF files because they are concerned about copyright protection. In general, if you need a book on paper, it’s best to just buy the paperback.

The formats listed above are the most common that I’ve seen. If you have an e-reader that reads a different ebook format, please leave a comment and mention it. That might be helpful for others who are trying to figure out which ebook format they should use.

About the Author

I love reading and I love technology. eBooks are an interesting combination of the two. My blog at eBook Reader Software is updated regulary with related articles.

Other articles you might like;

Tagged with: • • • • •

Filed under: Other eReaders

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!