Amazon's Kindle App is Now Available for Android

Android and ebook fans can rejoice! Amazon has just released their Kindle app for Android devices.

Here's a list of the major features from the Kindle for Android website:

• Get the best reading experience available on your Android phone. No Kindle required
• Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you
• Automatically synchronize your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync
• Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible device
• Read in portrait or landscape mode
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages

The Whispersync technology seems to be one of the most unique features of the Kindle app. It will synchronize where you last read on multiple kindle devices (iPhone, Android, Kindle, iPad). This a cool feature, that might help transition regular book readers into ebook readers.

You can find the Kindle application on the Android Market and the App Store for Apple Devices.

More eReaders Are Coming

At the beginning of the year, if you wanted to buy an ereader there were three main choices: the Amazon Kindle, the nook from Barnes and Noble, or a Sony Reader. Since then, the market for ereaders has exploded.

One of the new entries into market is the Apple iPad. Though developed as a mulit-function device that can surf the web, play games, and more, Apple made sure that the iPad can function as an ereader. Apple added the iBookstore to iTunes which gives iPad owners the ability to download ebooks direct to their device. While reviews of the iPad overall have been positive, reviews of it as an eReader have been mixed.

Another new eReader coming to market is the Kobo eReader. Developed through ebook retailer Kobo (which is partially owned by brick-and-mortar book retailer Borders), the Kobo eReader is basic: It doesn't feature a color touchscreen like the nook, nor does it feature wireless connectivity to download books like the Kindle or the nook. What it does have is a low initial price: $149.99, which is lower than the cheapest offering from Sony. With this low price and promotion through Borders, the Kobo eReader should be a popular device that will introduce many more people to ebooks.

A third new anticipated eReader is Spring Design's Alex eReader. The Alex eReader features a double screen display and is powered by Android like the nook, but the bottom color LCD is much larger. This allows the Alex eReader to run basic Android apps such as a web browser, email, and calculator apps, and also allows you to watch videos from sites such as YouTube. Early reviews have been generally positive; however many believe that because of the high price ($399), people would be better buying an iPad.

eBooks have seen tremendous growth over the past year. In 2009, ebook sales reached $169.5 million. No longer are ebooks and ereaders associated with a single store and device, like the Kindle. With the launch of the iPad and other new ereaders, ebooks sales will undoubtedly continue to grow.

Celebrate Read an E-Book Week

Read an E-Book Week was started in 2004 to help promote ebooks and the concept of reading electronically. While ebooks did take some time to catch on, they have become increasingly popular in recent years with the launches of such devices as the Sony Reader, the Amazon Kindle, and the Barnes and Noble nook. In 2009, ebook sales reached $169.5 million. With the upcoming launch of the Apple iPad and other ereaders, these sales will undoubtedly continue to grow.

The Troy Public Library offers two services that provide ebooks: NetLibrary and OverDrive. But did you know that several other eResources offered by the Library also contain ebooks? Each day this week, we will be profiling a different source of ebooks available from the Troy Public Library.

Click here for more information about Read an E-Book Week, and be sure to check back daily for more information about ebook offerings from the Troy Public Library.

A Look at nook

Here at The Tech Desk, we have been following the rise in popularity of ebook readers. Until recently, we have not had any hands-on experience with these devices. Because we have seen an increase in the number of questions about them, I decided to purchase one to better understand the technology involved and to better help patrons who have questions regarding them. After considering the pros and cons of the different ereaders available, I decided to purchase the nook from Barnes and Noble.

The nook features 2 display screens. For viewing ebooks, the nook features a 6” diagonal E-Ink screen that displays content in 16 shades of gray. It also features a smaller color LCD touch screen at the bottom of the device which is used to navigate through the nook’s contents. The nook supports many popular file formats, including EPUB, PDF, MP3, JPG, and GIF. It also supports DRM protected content, such as ebooks checked out through OverDrive, one of the Troy Library's suppliers of downloadable content.

Like the Kindle and the Sony Reader Daily Edition, the nook features free wireless connectivity so that you can purchase ebooks directly from the Barnes and Nobel website, and have them directly loaded into the ereader without having to sync with a computer. The nook uses AT&T’s 3G network. Firmware updates are also sent wirelessly.

Setting up the device was easy. The nook comes with a Micro-USB cable and also an AC adapter. After taking it out of its package I plugged it into a wall outlet. After the device started up, it walked me through a brief tutorial on how to use it. When plugged into a wall outlet it is available for use, so while it was charging I was able to access the Barnes and Noble eBook store and purchase an ebook. Within a minute I was reading a new ebook while my nook was finishing its initial charge.

Having finished reading a 400 page novel on the nook, I can say that reading is a pleasure. There are 3 font styles available, along with 5 different font sizes. Like most current ebook readers, the nook is not backlit so you need to have light in order to read. Additionally, it does take a second for text to refresh when you turn a page; however, recent firmware updates have reduced the time this takes.

The biggest drawback with the nook is that the main reading screen is not a touch screen. For example, if you need to look up a word (the nook comes with a copy of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary), you have to use arrows displayed on the touch screen to highlight the word. This process would be much easier if the main display screen was a touch screen.

As mentioned above, the nook is compatible with OverDrive. I was able to go to the Troy Library's website, and checkout and download a title. Transferring ebooks downloaded from OverDrive to the nook was straightforward. OverDrive content on the nook is DRM protected, and you will not be able to access it on your nook after the checkout time expires.

I have had some small problems with my nook. It has a tendency to freeze at times, especially when turning the wireless on and off. This is easily remedied by turning the device off and on again. It also seems that battery life does not last as long as indicated on the Barnes and Noble site. Again, this is a minor complaint.

Overall, I believe the nook is a great ereader, especially for someone who likes immediate gratification of being able to purchase books wirelessly and also wants to be able to download ebooks from a library.

Amazon: eBooks Outsell Print Books on Christmas Day

Amazon.com recently reported that it sold more ebooks than physical books on Christmas, a first for the company. The online retail giant also announced that its Kindle ereader has become the most gifted item in the company's history, but didn't provide specific sales numbers.

Read more at Yahoo! News.

Troy Library Offers Titles for eBook Readers

Are you buying an ebook reader as a gift for someone? Or thinking of taking the plunge and purchasing one for yourself? Here at The Tech Desk, we have been following the skyrocketing use of portable electronic book readers.

The Troy Library offers many titles, free of charge, in the .epub format, which can be used with two popular readers: the Sony Reader and the Barnes and Noble Nook. (Sorry, not Amazon’s Kindle.)

Go to the Library's home page and click on the Downloadable Audiobooks, Video link under the Library Links. Then click on OverDrive. There, you will be able to browse and download (with a Troy Public Library card) ebooks to use on your new gadget.

For more information, contact the Library's Technology Department at techroom@troymi.gov or chat with us online from the Library's home page during open Library hours.

Early Look at Nook

The hype has been building since the October 20, news conference about the Nook, the new eBook reader available from Barnes and Noble. Now the first hands-on reviews have started to arrive. Is the Nook a better option than the Kindle or Sony Reader? Take a look the following and decide for yourself:

• Your First Look at Nook: The Technologizer Review (via technologizer.com)


• Barnes and Noble Nook Review (via gizmodo.com)


• Barnes and Noble Nook Review (via cnet.com)


• Barnes and Noble Nook Review (via engadget.com)

eBook Popularity Continues

Are you looking to purchase an eBook reader this holiday season? Now may be a good time. The popularity of eBooks is increasing. Cinthia Portugal, a spokeswoman for Amazon.com, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "for every 100 books we sell in physical, we sell 48 Kindle books."

Additionally, the variety of available eBook readers is also increasing. You are not just limited to a Kindle. Sony has introduced several new models, and Barnes and Noble has introduced its new reader called the Nook.

To help in making a purchasing decision, check out the following links:

• 7 Reasons Why eReaders Make Great Gifts This Year (via pcmag.com)
• Something to Read (via nytimes.com)
• Best e-book Readers (via cnet.com)

Amazon Releases Kindle for PC Application

Competition for ebook readers has been heating up.

Sony has introduced new versions of its Reader. Barnes and Noble's new device, the Nook, will be shipping soon. Instead of a new device for the holidays, Amazon has launched a new, free, application that allows Kindle books to be more accessible. Kindle for PC joins the Kindle for iPhone app that allows Kindle books to be read on devices other than a Kindle, like on your home computer.

Still a beta release, Kindle for PC, like the Kindle for iPhone app, features Whispersync technology which keeps tracks of your place in a book when you switch between devices. It is currently only available for Windows, but a Mac version is promised.

For some reviews, check out this story at wired.com and this review from PC World.

Apple to Launch Kindle Competitor this Fall?

Apple is getting ready for a Fall launch of a tablet computer with a touch screen like the iPhone or iPod, reports the Financial Times. The new computer will not run the full Mac operating system, but a slimmed down version limited to running one application at a time.

Apple hopes that its new machine will increase the sale of its music downloads. The new tablet will have a larger screen than an iPod or iPhone, to give users the experience of looking at a 12" album sleeves from the recording industry's past, when music was recorded onto vinyl. The bigger display might include videos, photographs, sleeve notes and lyrics for a song or album.

The device is expected to have Wi-Fi capabilities and to be able to download and stream music and run applications. There are no indications about the price or screen size of the machine.

Some of the impetus for this new tablet is believed to have come from record companies which have seen their incomes plummet because far fewer now buy entire albums; Apple's iTunes Music Store, launched in 2003, allows people to download single tracks rather than buying the whole album at once – drastically cutting the income for the record company.

There is also speculation that the computer will contain ebook capabilities, making it an immediate rival to Amazon's Kindle. "It would be a color, flat-panel TV to the old-fashioned, black and white TV of the Kindle," one publishing executive told the Financial Times.

[via Guardian Online]

eBook Readers Buying Guide

We have written a lot about the Kindle -- Amazon's ebook reader which is transforming the way people read novels and newspapers.

Kindle is not the only game in town, however. Sony, Plastic Logic and other companies have developed their own ebook readers, which they hope will compete with the Kindle.

If you are shopping around for an ebook reader, you might want to check out this buying guide on how to choose an ebook reader, from Wired.

Kindle 2: To Buy or Not to Buy -- That Is The Question.

Earlier this year, Amazon released the Kindle 2 and according to the website TechCrunch, 300,000 have already been sold. If you are thinking about purchasing a Kindle 2 but haven't quite made up your mind, you may want to read the article, 10 Reasons to Buy a Kindle 2 ... and 10 Reasons Not To. This article contains some useful and practical information that may help you decide.

For additional information about the Kindle 2, check out Honeymoon Over for Kindle 2? , EBook Readers Compared; Selection Grows , Kindle 2 Reviewed , and More Kindle 2 Reviews