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Color eReaders Comparisons

December 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The first eReader to have a full color display and hold nearly 268000 colors is none other than Fujitsu FLEPia. This amazing application is restricted for sales to other countries other than Japan. A number of similar eReaders display a wide spectrum of colors on the screen of the application.

Apple iPad
The Apple iPad’s touch LCD display is similar to that seen in HDTVs. The touch screen tablet boasts of full browsing capability and it can hold nearly 14,000 applications. The amazing pixel resolution facilitates visibility of high quality and colorful images. The iPad comes with a backlid IPS panel display integrated with LED technology.

Alex Reader
The Alex reader launched by Spring Design, similar to the resemblance of Barnes& Noble nook has a dual screen display. Alex boasts of holding a majestic six inch EPD screen. On the second screen which features full browsing capability allows the users to watch videos and photos.

Qualcomm Mirasol
A new display technology known as IMOD is integrated in Qualcomm Mirasol. Being more efficient than LCDs, IMOD facilities color pictures to glisten or shine like the glow seen in the wings of butterflies. Even under direct sunlight, the reflective feature of IMODs allows the users to read easily.

Asus Budget and Premium eReaders
This looks like an open book. The dual LCD screen allows the users to browse on one screen and have the pleasure of reading books on the other screen. Amazing features like web cam, built in speaker and Skype can be witnessed in this version.

More useful eReader applications with extensive features will be launched during the year 2011. It’s possible for the users to witness full video capabilities along with web browsing facility. The e-Readers can be used like a mini PC, where the pages can be scrolled up and down.

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Review of the IPad as an eReader and the iBook Library

December 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

All book lovers those who own an Apple iPad can make a free download of the iBooks application from the iTunes application store.
ibooks Application
Users who have installed the ibooks eReader application can have the privilege of experiencing reading as well as shopping. Two icons are what users can see on the main menu. To do some shopping for ibooks , you can click on the left hand side button which takes you to the iBooks store. For reading, you can access your personal library by clicking on the icon that is visible on the right side.
The iBooks library is similar to that of a physical library. In the ibooks application, you can find the titles of the books. All you have to do is simply tap the book which you want.
The 9.7 inch screen of the iPad offers greater visibility. Apart from black and white texts in the iBooks application, even colorful images, photos, illustrations and graphs can be seen. Graphic novels, books on cooking and photography can easily be accessed.
The pages in the books can be viewed in two styles which include landscape and orientation. The previous and next pages can be turned by just tapping.
Purchasing and downloading of books
The iBooks store has a huge collection of free as well as paid books. It’s possible for you to find what you want easily by just narrowing down the search on the basis of author names, new releases, best sellers , publishers etc. since, iPad supports wireless downloads, shopping and purchasing of books can be easily done.
Different Options in terms of ereader applications
Apart from iBooks application, third party ebook reader applications can be used on an iPad. Having the iPad fully charged while using the ebook reader application is a must.

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Kindle Allows for Their Books to Be Read on Multiple Devices

December 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Kindle is the latest platform that Amazon is taking advantage of, to reach a wider range of audience. With the launch of Kindle Apps for Mac, iPhone, iPod, PC, Blackberry and iPad, Amazon is creating easier access to books.
Features
Offering unique shopping benefits among platforms, Kindle App provides access to paid content as well as books in the Kindle Store that are in the public domain. Amazon’s Whispersync technology, the app’s Kindle friendly reading devices are just some of the unique features.
Book reviews allowed entail sampling the opening chapter to help customers know whether to purchase or not. Amazon’s Whispernet technology allows for eBooks to download to one’s device wirelessly.
Readers can read at their own comfort level by changing the mode to either portrait or landscape, and editing font sizes.
Applications for your Device
If you do not have a Kindle eReader, Amazon offers you a Kindle reading app that would be compatible with your device:
iPhone -The application needs the device to be using iPhone 3.0 OS.
iPod -The same requirements as that of iPhone is required.
PC – A PC with 500MHz or AMD Processor or faster is required.
Blackberry – Blackberry Storm 9530, Storm 9550, Tour 9630, Bold 9000, Bold 9700, Curve 8520, and Curve 8900 are compatible models.
Mac -Mac OS X 10.5 or higher is required to run the app.
iPad -Read more than 750,000 Kindle books on the Kindle for iPad app.
The Pros and Cons of Kindle Reading App
In comparison with the Kindle eReader, the features related to reading are less in the Kindle App for iPhone, iPod, and other devices.
Due to the LCD screens, battery life is short and readability under sunlight reduced. The advantages include display of full color information in a book, and touch responsive screens, except in the case of Mac and PC.
Moreover, the Kindle Apps make possible access to Kindle books from many devices.

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The Concise iPad Review

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The rising popularity of Tablet PCs has paved the way for anything “touch-screen”, over the last few years. Re-iterating Apple’s techno-savvy image have been the iPhone and iPods, maintaining the company’s high-end persona.
The launch of the iPad, however, raises the debate of whether or not it can create such a niche for itself in the challenging market.
Pros of the iPad
Known for producing quality hardware, Apple has released one of its most admirable products so far. Some of the praiseworthy features include:
- Apps from the Apps Store can be easily downloaded from iTunes for use on the iPad.
- Portability is the USP of the iPad. It is small enough to carry around, an large enough to use in the office and home. Advantages over the iPhone include a bigger screen for viewing.
- iBooks give the iPad the edge over its competitors with the release of Kindle apps, making download of iBooks easy and comfortable.
- Movies are made more readily available through the Netflix app.
Cons of the iPad
- Webcam unavailability, with a “Camera Connection Kit” as a substitute, works highly against the iPad.
-Flash is not supported by the iPad, making it counter-productive for a device built for video.
- No USB ports make the product further incompatible, with users having to dish out an additional $30 for installing the kit.
- No GPS app is available on the portable device.
- Apps have not been built not for the iPad, but for the iPhone, causing their appearance to be non-user friendly.
-Price is, much higher than the competition.
Though the iPad was launched amid a lot of expectation and scope for potential, it faces an uncertain future in the market. It may not turn out to be such a huge hit, after all, with its high price tag and tendency for non-compatible features.

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The Problem with iPad Ergonomics

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
iPad wordmark.
Image via Wikipedia

The huge amount of electronic or other devices are used in work or daily life. In one way or another they have effect on human health, especially if they are not ergonomic. Ergonomics is a science field that investigates the ways to design workplace to fit the user. Non-ergonomic environment or devices can lead to back pain, eye and neck strain and other stress injuries. It is necessary to estimate your workplace and devices you are using from ergonomic viewpoint.
In many workplaces a computer is very popular device, so it must be ergonomic. In April 2010 Apple Inc released the iPad, which became very popular. There is no need to tell how important is to evaluate this product from viewpoint of ergonomics.

Lack of ergonomics in iPad
The iPad as tablet PC device is supposed to be held by hand in extend periods of time. Estimating its weight, which is 1.5 pounds, it can be truly said that after some time it may cause hand strain. There are more ergonomic similar devices in the market, for example Amazon Kindle, which weighs 0.63 pounds. The measurements of the iPad are 10 inches in height and 7.5 inches in width. It is hard to hold this device in hand for long periods of time.
The iPad was introduced as a platform for audio and visual media. It is supposed that movies should be watched while holding it in hand which may cause arm strain. If iPad is positioned on the lap, looking down may cause eye strain and neck strain. It is impossible to work with iPad laid flat on surface, because bending the back for long amount of time will cause back pain and other stress injuries.
The iPad has no keyboard included. It is optimized to use a computer pen (stylus) or a finger. This causes problems in typing.

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Use Kindles Free Apps on the iPhone

December 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Amazon Kindle was a new wave in eBook market allowing consumers to read eBooks and magazines easily. There are many applications for multifunctional devices such as computers, cell phones and tablets that allow user to enjoy reading eBooks without purchasing the Kindle. The new application was introduced to fit this group. The new application for the iPhone cell phones tries to imitate Amazon’s Kindle. On the one hand, this is reasonable step, because it allows iPhone users to read books in their cell phones using Kindle environment. On the other hand, this application may disappoint some Kindle fans because of the lack of some features.
Kindle in your iPhone?
The iPhone Kindle application can be downloaded free for users that have Amazon account. There are some features that Kindle application differs from original Kindle. Some magazines cannot be read using it. Also there are problems in reading blogs and newspapers. This may disappoint some Kindle user. However, despite this, the Kindle application for iPhone is fully functional.
The iPhone Kindle application is very easy to use. Firstly you must download it using your Amazon’s account. The download is free. After you have downloaded and put application, it will show you all the books you have archived. Also it synchronizes with kindle stores and allows buying eBooks. This application provides all the features needed for reading. It allows section jumps, scrolling and bookmarking. These features make reading more comfortable and are important for every reader.
There are many applications made for iPhone to read eBooks. It cannot be said that Kindle application is very special or has many new features. Some users claim that it has too many features. Anyway, the release of new application always causes many discussions. It can be said truly, that this application is worth trying, especially for Kindle user.

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Lexcycle Offers the Free eReader – the Stanza

December 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Image representing iPad as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

Huge amount of information can be found on the Internet. Reading digital books is not only a new fashion but also a necessity. Storing huge libraries of DRM free or other digital books can cause some problems. So many electronic devices have multiple features included that can help handle this problem. The iPad Touch an iPhones can be used as eBook readers. A free eBook reader application Stanza by Lexcycle can help to transform iPhone or iPad into eBook reader. Stanza is very flexible and extremely user friendly application.
Read eBooks with Stanza
Stanza allows iPad Touch and iPhone user’s download, store and organize many eBooks. There are features that allow user to organize their books, store and manage them or buy the new ones. User’s background can be customized depending on individual needs. There are possibilities to change background color, font size, foreground color. This helps to create the most user friendly environment possible.
Stanza is compatible with the most popular ePub and eReader formats, also it supports txt files. Many languages can be used with Stanza also. Stanza can be used as eBooks formats converter. This feature is extremely useful for users, who have big libraries of books. The main problem is that Stanza is only compatible with DRM format used on eReader. Other DRM formats are not supported, so Kindle books or others cannot be read. On the other hand, if only DRM free eBooks are needed, Stanza application is a good solution.
Stanza can be downloaded from iTunes application store for free. The only restriction is that user must be registered on iTunes. Stanza can be downloaded directly to iPad or iPhone device. If you do not have a specialized eBook reader, I suggest you to try Stanza application despite the fact that many books are not compatible with it.

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