Tablet/"E-reader" Advice, please...

Flint · 10-02-2011, 06:59 PM

I read/research a lot of articles, white papers, and forum threads--I always have a stack of printed papers on my nightstand.

I've said in the past that if I was ever enrolled in an online school that offered all of my schoolbooks in an electronic format, I would invest in some type of reading device. That has happened. WGU offers all-electronic books for a $45 fee per 6-month term.

I know nothing about these devices, but I do know that the WGU "books" are not compatible with the Kindle, etc. but rather must be accessed online through their website. So, I'd need wireless connectivity, and the one other concern: readability. I hate reading from a computer monitor.

I don't need bells and whistles, but I understand that I don't want a device that is instantly obsolete. I see $150 tablets at Radio Shack, is there anything wrong with these? Why would I spend more--what do the "better" ones do? What kind of device do the Cellar experts recommend, for me?

zippyt · 10-02-2011, 10:13 PM

Big v Droided a tablet a while back , i dont rember if it was a Kindle or Not

Pete Zicato · 10-02-2011, 10:23 PM

I think you need to know how the books are offered. Is it web browser based? If so, is it flash?

Once you know that you need to actually try out some tablets. I really like my iPad. I find both the iBook app and the Kindle software for the iPad to be just fine for reading. But some people find the iPad too heavy for comfortable reading.

Flint · 10-12-2011, 05:41 PM

Helpdesk at the school says, to run all the apps for WGU, you need a Windows-based tablet at this point.

I'm not getting a little tiny computer with a tiny screen and tiny keyboard when I HAVE several computers already. Not doing that.

So, I'm thinking, several devices will be needed. 1st, my existing desktop and laptop. Next, best bet, I just need something that reads pdf. Then, my first class, today, had a textbook offered from--guess who--Kindle. Okay, Wikipedia (Comparison of e-book formats article) says Android devices read Kindle format. Android also has a CrashPlan client (pulls files down from the cloud).

So since I want a good "reader" quality screen, NOT a "tablet" screen designed for "watching MOVIES in HD" or whatever people do these days, I'm thinking Nook, running Android.

But, Nook doesn't show as having all the compatabilities of actual Android, nor does it have access to the Android market. Is this where I get a Nook and run Android from an SD card? Or is there a real READER device, intended just for that, that actually runs Android on purpose?

wolf · 10-12-2011, 06:34 PM

First, what devices does the school recommend. You don't want to buy anything that won't work with their system, but you also don't want to buy something that works with their system that sucks ... might as well stick with paper books if that's the case.

Also, what happens to the books after the semester is over? Do you get to keep them for reference, or do they disappear ... if they disappear, how much of an inconvenience will that be to you? Big? Then stick with paper books.

You might want to consider waiting for November 15, and find out if the Kindle Fire lives up to it's expectations ... you will be able to download other reading apps, possibly including the one that your school demands that you have.

Do you know what format the textsbooks are supplied in? EPUB, PDF, or some proprietary crap that you can't jailbreak to read as you like?

If the files aren't DRMed, you can convert them with Calibre and transfer them to a Kindle pretty easily. Word on the street is that the unscrupulous have ways of doing the same to a DRMed file.

As a reading device, I love the Kindle. I've gone on and on about this, actually ... and have "sold" quite a few of them ... live demonstrations are a fact of Kindle ownership ... people just walk up to you and start asking questions.

I'll let you know about the Fire, as soon as I've road tested it a bit.

Hell, get the Fire anyway ... a tablet for $200? I'm buying mine with change I found in my car ashtray. And then you can also get whatever crap tablet will do the job you need, but you'll end up hating because the interface is kludgy.

The Kindle App (and Cloud Reader) are both free ... Don't know if you could read your non-amazon purchased content on the Cloud Reader, but I know you can do it with the Kindle App, you just need to figure out where the files get stored, then send your textbook to that directory. Been there, done that on several different devices (Android, Blackberry, and PC).

Lola Bunny · 10-15-2011, 10:21 PM

Yay! Was thinking of getting the kindle but a friend told me to get the kindle fire. I will wait for you to test drive it.

Flint · 10-23-2011, 02:56 PM

I think an Android device, which I can make a Nook into, has the most flexibility; but the Kindle has free 3G. Don't know if the Nook has something like that or if I'd just have to get on a wifi router with it.

Oh, and more of the discussion about this, I accidentally started in another thread over here.

mbpark · 10-23-2011, 08:28 PM

The Nook can run regular Android. You can just run it over WiFi.

The Nook, when rooted, can also run Kindle from Android Market, as well as the B&N eBooks.

If you want an e-Reader, get the Nook. The Kindle Fire is not as hackable, and they are getting rid of 3G.

If you still have to use Windows, get LogMeIn or a Remote Desktop client from Android Market and run that to get your texts on there. It's a hack, but it works.

Flint · 10-23-2011, 11:26 PM

Thanks, Mitch. Starting from my initial look at the spreadsheets on the Wikipedia Comparison of e-book formats article, I saw either Android or iOS were the compatability champs, and since I am not an Apple guy, I felt like I had to (attempt to) convince myself why I wouldn't run an Android device.

More than a little confusion came from every person I spoke to at WGU, the collective conclusion of which was: I need to run a Windows tablet to be compatible with everything--which, mind you, was not the question at all. I wanted to know formats for reading devices, not "everything" devices.

Also, I had thought that Nook had realized that everyone was cracking their device, and given up and released a real, off-the-shelf Android device. I guess I dreamed that, but it doesn't really matter anyway.

Good point about the remote desktop, too. I had realized at some point that I don't need a computer, I just need to get my peripherals aimed at a computer.

One last thing before I jump into a wifi-based, Android-rooted Nook running remote desktops and cloud storage: I hope they're available with a real, physical keyboard. I'm a touchy-feely keyboard guy. I'm a drummer.

mbpark · 10-24-2011, 09:28 PM

http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/03...-and-headsets/

Already done.

ZenGum · 10-24-2011, 10:16 PM

Quote:

One last thing before I jump into a wifi-based, Android-rooted Nook running remote desktops and cloud storage

: blinks :

backing slowly away from the thread

BigV · 10-25-2011, 10:20 AM

backing away? really? why?

Happy Monkey · 10-25-2011, 11:13 AM

Disregarding all advice except that of Lola Bunny's friend, I've got a preorder in for a Kindle Fire as my birthday present.

Happy Monkey · 11-18-2011, 11:20 AM

I got it! Now I can read all those Discworld books I didn't want to hog my shelf space.

Pete Zicato · 11-18-2011, 05:18 PM

Cool. Give us a review when you've had a chance to play with it.

10-02-2011, 06:59 PM	#1
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Tablet/"E-reader" Advice, please... I read/research a lot of articles, white papers, and forum threads--I always have a stack of printed papers on my nightstand. I've said in the past that if I was ever enrolled in an online school that offered all of my schoolbooks in an electronic format, I would invest in some type of reading device. That has happened. WGU offers all-electronic books for a $45 fee per 6-month term. I know nothing about these devices, but I do know that the WGU "books" are not compatible with the Kindle, etc. but rather must be accessed online through their website. So, I'd need wireless connectivity, and the one other concern: readability. I hate reading from a computer monitor. I don't need bells and whistles, but I understand that I don't want a device that is instantly obsolete. I see $150 tablets at Radio Shack, is there anything wrong with these? Why would I spend more--what do the "better" ones do? What kind of device do the Cellar experts recommend, for me? __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-02-2011, 10:13 PM	#2
zippyt LONG LIVE KING ZIPPY! per Feetz Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arkansas Posts: 7,661	Big v Droided a tablet a while back , i dont rember if it was a Kindle or Not __________________ "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. " Brother Dave Gardner

10-02-2011, 10:23 PM	#3
Pete Zicato Turns out my CRS is a symptom of TMB. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chicago suburbs Posts: 2,916	I think you need to know how the books are offered. Is it web browser based? If so, is it flash? Once you know that you need to actually try out some tablets. I really like my iPad. I find both the iBook app and the Kindle software for the iPad to be just fine for reading. But some people find the iPad too heavy for comfortable reading. __________________ Talk nerdy to me.

10-12-2011, 05:41 PM	#4
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Helpdesk at the school says, to run all the apps for WGU, you need a Windows-based tablet at this point. I'm not getting a little tiny computer with a tiny screen and tiny keyboard when I HAVE several computers already. Not doing that. So, I'm thinking, several devices will be needed. 1st, my existing desktop and laptop. Next, best bet, I just need something that reads pdf. Then, my first class, today, had a textbook offered from--guess who--Kindle. Okay, Wikipedia (Comparison of e-book formats article) says Android devices read Kindle format. Android also has a CrashPlan client (pulls files down from the cloud). So since I want a good "reader" quality screen, NOT a "tablet" screen designed for "watching MOVIES in HD" or whatever people do these days, I'm thinking Nook, running Android. But, Nook doesn't show as having all the compatabilities of actual Android, nor does it have access to the Android market. Is this where I get a Nook and run Android from an SD card? Or is there a real READER device, intended just for that, that actually runs Android on purpose? __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-12-2011, 06:34 PM	#5
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	First, what devices does the school recommend. You don't want to buy anything that won't work with their system, but you also don't want to buy something that works with their system that sucks ... might as well stick with paper books if that's the case. Also, what happens to the books after the semester is over? Do you get to keep them for reference, or do they disappear ... if they disappear, how much of an inconvenience will that be to you? Big? Then stick with paper books. You might want to consider waiting for November 15, and find out if the Kindle Fire lives up to it's expectations ... you will be able to download other reading apps, possibly including the one that your school demands that you have. Do you know what format the textsbooks are supplied in? EPUB, PDF, or some proprietary crap that you can't jailbreak to read as you like? If the files aren't DRMed, you can convert them with Calibre and transfer them to a Kindle pretty easily. Word on the street is that the unscrupulous have ways of doing the same to a DRMed file. As a reading device, I love the Kindle. I've gone on and on about this, actually ... and have "sold" quite a few of them ... live demonstrations are a fact of Kindle ownership ... people just walk up to you and start asking questions. I'll let you know about the Fire, as soon as I've road tested it a bit. Hell, get the Fire anyway ... a tablet for $200? I'm buying mine with change I found in my car ashtray. And then you can also get whatever crap tablet will do the job you need, but you'll end up hating because the interface is kludgy. The Kindle App (and Cloud Reader) are both free ... Don't know if you could read your non-amazon purchased content on the Cloud Reader, but I know you can do it with the Kindle App, you just need to figure out where the files get stored, then send your textbook to that directory. Been there, done that on several different devices (Android, Blackberry, and PC). __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis Last edited by wolf; 10-12-2011 at 06:43 PM.

10-15-2011, 10:21 PM	#6
Lola Bunny Junior Master Dwellar Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,728	Yay! Was thinking of getting the kindle but a friend told me to get the kindle fire. I will wait for you to test drive it.

10-23-2011, 02:56 PM	#7
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	I think an Android device, which I can make a Nook into, has the most flexibility; but the Kindle has free 3G. Don't know if the Nook has something like that or if I'd just have to get on a wifi router with it. Oh, and more of the discussion about this, I accidentally started in another thread over here. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-23-2011, 08:28 PM	#8
mbpark Lecturer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Carmel, Indiana Posts: 761	The Nook The Nook can run regular Android. You can just run it over WiFi. The Nook, when rooted, can also run Kindle from Android Market, as well as the B&N eBooks. If you want an e-Reader, get the Nook. The Kindle Fire is not as hackable, and they are getting rid of 3G. If you still have to use Windows, get LogMeIn or a Remote Desktop client from Android Market and run that to get your texts on there. It's a hack, but it works.

10-23-2011, 11:26 PM	#9
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Thanks, Mitch. Starting from my initial look at the spreadsheets on the Wikipedia Comparison of e-book formats article, I saw either Android or iOS were the compatability champs, and since I am not an Apple guy, I felt like I had to (attempt to) convince myself why I wouldn't run an Android device. More than a little confusion came from every person I spoke to at WGU, the collective conclusion of which was: I need to run a Windows tablet to be compatible with everything--which, mind you, was not the question at all. I wanted to know formats for reading devices, not "everything" devices. Also, I had thought that Nook had realized that everyone was cracking their device, and given up and released a real, off-the-shelf Android device. I guess I dreamed that, but it doesn't really matter anyway. Good point about the remote desktop, too. I had realized at some point that I don't need a computer, I just need to get my peripherals aimed at a computer. One last thing before I jump into a wifi-based, Android-rooted Nook running remote desktops and cloud storage: I hope they're available with a real, physical keyboard. I'm a touchy-feely keyboard guy. I'm a drummer. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

10-24-2011, 09:28 PM	#10
mbpark Lecturer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Carmel, Indiana Posts: 761	When you unlock, you get Bluetooth http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/03...-and-headsets/ Already done.

10-25-2011, 10:20 AM	#12
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	backing away? really? why? __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

10-25-2011, 11:13 AM	#13
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Disregarding all advice except that of Lola Bunny's friend, I've got a preorder in for a Kindle Fire as my birthday present. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

11-18-2011, 11:20 AM	#14
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	I got it! Now I can read all those Discworld books I didn't want to hog my shelf space. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

11-18-2011, 05:18 PM	#15
Pete Zicato Turns out my CRS is a symptom of TMB. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chicago suburbs Posts: 2,916	Cool. Give us a review when you've had a chance to play with it. __________________ Talk nerdy to me.

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