iPod Reader
Digital readers unite!
Amazon has released Kindle 2.
For some reason, even apparently enlightened people tend to ignore the fact that Amazon’s Kindle is not the only kid on the ereader block.
Even MacRumors.com, my favorite hangout for all things Mac, gets it wrong when they bash the competition in a recent article about the second version of the bookstore’s ereader.
While they are possibly correct in their assumption that the iPod (and iPhone) have inadvertently - as in “contradicting Apple’s plans” - become the largest ereader format, they are sadly misguided when they fail to mention the fact that eReader.com has been on the market with their (free) ereader application since early summer 2008.
It is not only a brilliant reader, but it makes the iPod a brilliant ereading device. Yes, the ereader format is still locked, but it does support reading other formats too.
I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone wants to drag Kindle 2 around. No keyboard gets near my ereader. But I’m probably too ignorant (not to mention busy reading ebooks) to follow the, uh, ereader trends…
- (4) Comments
- Tags: ebooks, ereader, Ereading, ipod, kindle, misconceptions
Kindle 2 as ugly as #1?
In: Ereading| Gadgets| Tips and tricks
30 Jan 2009
Kindle 2 on the right
But frankly, when I look at the device I can’t help thinking how butt-ugly it is. Kindle 1 is blocky and, ugh, white/grey. According to BoyGeniusReport, the Kindle 2 is rumored to be less blocky and sport rounded corners.
- No Comments
- Tags: amazon, ereaders, Gadgets, kindle
The iPod in a time of crisis
2 Nov 2008
The Bloomberg app has a brilliant UI - and is free!
I can’t remember the last time a month went by so fast. I started with my 10-day visit to the Cleveland, OH, area, and ended with three weeks of intense work (that’s what you get for taking 10 days off out of season). 
And what a month it has been. While I were in the US, the Norwegian Krone dropped about 20% against the US dollar. The global recession hit big time, and we felt it personally in our family as we were selling our apartment in the middle of a complete marked collapse here in Norway (24 showings before we sold well below the appraisal).
The iPod comes in handy during this time of crisis, though.
- (2) Comments
- Tags: apps, bloomberg, financial crisis, ipod, stocks
Ereading 1 - Earbuds 0
In: Ereading
3 Oct 2008I spent 10 hours in the air yesterday traveling from Oslo, Norway to Cleveland, Ohio, where I am visiting a friend. The Oslo-Newark direct flight is a 8 1/2 hour marathon sitdown which, needless to say, is a challenge for any active person.
But my iPod Touch saved my day - for two reasons.
- (1) Comment
- Tags: airplanes, Ereading, headphones, travel, usa
While reading: Anathem
26 Sep 2008
Book cover for Anathem
Some books are simply different. Neal Stephenson has written many of them. His Baroque Trilogy was astonishing, to say the least - but it was also one of the longer trilogies I have ever read. On my Palm T|X I think each of the three books numbered about 5,000 pages.
It’s been a while since I completed Stephenson’s entire back catalogue, and it’s no lie to say that I have been waiting for a new book for a while now. And here it is.
- No Comments
- Tags: book, Ereading, neal, stephenson
iPod as a flashlight
In: Software| Tips and tricks
24 Sep 2008
It is a...flashlight.
Easy scenario to describe: I enter the bedroom and it’s pitch dark. I feel my way around the room to locate the bed. It doesn’t really tend to move around a lot but various other things do, so I bump into my guitars or a pile of books or other junk I happen to store in our bedroom.
It may not be an ereader application, but mighty useful for people like me who tend to go to bed a bit late (particularly when I go to bed after my wife has fallen asleep, which is, uhm, too often).
A nifty iPod app to the rescue.
- (1) Comment
- Tags: app, Ereading, flashlight
Stanza - ereading evolved?
17 Sep 2008
Stanza is an exciting ereader application.
Lexcycle’s application Stanza has been released for iPod Touch and iPhone in the App store. It is a stunningly capable ereader which shows a lot of promise.
While eReader is locked to the PDB format and thus mostly can be used to read DRM-controlled books (meaning you can’t share them or move between devices that don’t support Secure PDB), Stanza supports a lot of open formats.
Stanza is still in beta, but let’s take a look at the features.
The fear of the small screen
16 Sep 2008I sometimes participate in the most degenerating of activities - posting comments on news articles in technology magazines on the net. For some unknown reason, the readership of these sites tend to be angry, misunderstood besserwissers - who are against anything that costs money and generally tell you to STFU if your views tend to differ.
So also with ereading. Whenever I post comments about using the iPod as a reading device, I get a rather predictable, but also very sad, set of responses.
A different use for iPod readers
In: Software
15 Sep 2008So you went through all that trouble to become an ereader, and you still own a truckload of books? No sweat. A two dollar application from Apple’s App Store gets your booklist sorted. And that’s about it.
Second-gen iPod Touch adds nothing to ereading
12 Sep 2008
The new iPod Touch sports a rounded design and an external volume control.
Apple launched a new version of the iPod Touch this week. It has some nifty features like a volume control on the side of the player and a built-in speaker for sound in games etc.
For ereading the most glaring lack of functionality on the iPod Touch (vs for example the Palm T|X) is a brightness control. You still have to hit the Home button and go into Preferences to change brightness. I wish there was a way to move this into the front end design.
So no need for me to switch to the new version. But it looks cool, though.
About iPod Reader
Plain and simple: This is a personal blog dedicated to spreading the word about using digital devices like the iPod, iPhone, Palm or similar gadgets for reading ebooks. An ebook is a digital copy of a print book.
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- Bookstores (1)
- Ereading (9)
- Featured (1)
- Gadgets (4)
- Software (4)
- Tips and tricks (4)
- Tormod: SG, thanks for your comments, they are much appreciated! My point about "un-paper"-like devices w [...]
- SG: Tormod, I think the point of it 'resembling' paper is exactly that, it's supposed to be like paper. [...]
- Tormod: I don't know about eye strain - I have read up to 4-5 hours on my iPod during flights and train ride [...]
- Holger: Well, the main problem with the Ipod (or any reader with backlighting of the screen) is that it's to [...]
- Tormod: No. :) [...]
- Why do people believe Kindle is the only ereader?
- Kindle 2 as ugly as #1?
- The iPod in a time of crisis
- Ereading 1 - Earbuds 0
- While reading: Anathem
- iPod as a flashlight
- Stanza - ereading evolved?
- The fear of the small screen
- A different use for iPod readers
- Second-gen iPod Touch adds nothing to ereading