Digital readers

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: hgilmer3

I read Ben Hur which is a pretty good book and a book I would have never read without having the Kindle.  I got Ben Hur for about $1.

Look around; you shouldn't have to pay anything for classics where the copyright has expired. Try Project Gutenberg.

BTW a note for my fellow Brits yet to take the plunge on a book reader, whereas there is no VAT chargeable on printed books it is on e-books. There is therefore a significant price premium and the electronic versions actually end up costing much the same. In the case of big-sellers you can pick up discounted in stores, the e-book is usually more expensive.

[hgilmer3]

Yes, I have heard of Gutenberg, not sure if I can get those on Kindle, but most older stuff like that is at a very good price. Some are free. I got Dracula, Frankenstein and a few others for free already.

That's interesting that it costs more in England for the electronic version. Doesn't make sense to me. Electronic saves a tree.

Edit: Just looked and it says they do have Kindle format, just not sure how they can be downloaded to my Kindle.

[Adam Parker]

Judge here's a picture of the 9.7" Kindle DX with a PDF manual of a game I'm currently playing in all its glory.

Pretend you're looking at something roughly 26cm long and 18cm wide for the total Kindle unit. Its superb:

[Adam Parker]

Gotta clean that scanner screen!

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks all - but I specifically wanted it for reading pdfs. I think the only real option is another monitor in the future.

Adam - I was hoping for a "little" reader - not the likes of the DX and if that is my only real option for a pdf, then it just reinforces that they are what I'm looking for.

Thanks to everyone for saving me £150 [&o]

[Adam Parker]

Actually Judge, I think a DX sized system is exactly what you need, whatever the brand.

Remember that these things are only a couple of cm's thick. I've got the whole Battles From the Bulge manual on mine and the font Matrix has chosen is uber easy to read.

The 213 pages are all there, any can be bookmarked and jumped to with ease. Unless you want to be tied to a computer screen, it is the way to go. You just miss out on the color.

For me it will be the way I'll be following along with the War in the East tutorial [;)]

[JudgeDredd]

What's the greyscale like with pictures on the DX Adam?

[Adam Parker]

I can try to scan you something a bit later from BFtB - I'm actually laid up with a cold, my iPhone for the Internet and my DX right now [:D]

All the mod cons hey with a box of aloe Kleenex [;)]

But for description sake, the screen pics in all 45 game manuals on my DX are clear. For extra help everything can be zoomed or looked at in landscape mode that auto-adjusts the size just by tilting the unit too.

PDF pics seem to offer a greater resolution than the average pic found in a Kindle book - those are usually just optical scans.

[nelmsm1]

ORIGINAL: hgilmer3

Yes, I have heard of Gutenberg, not sure if I can get those on Kindle, but most older stuff like that is at a very good price. Some are free. I got Dracula, Frankenstein and a few others for free already.

That's interesting that it costs more in England for the electronic version. Doesn't make sense to me. Electronic saves a tree.

Edit: Just looked and it says they do have Kindle format, just not sure how they can be downloaded to my Kindle.

Yes, you can download from Gutenberg onto your computer and from there to your Kindle. I use Calibre, makes it pretty easy. You can also use Calibre to move PDF's from your computer to your Kindle.

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: nelmsm

I use Calibre, makes it pretty easy. You can also use Calibre to move PDF's from your computer to your Kindle.

Just to emphasize the above and earlier posts (inc mine), Calibre really is a kick-ass bit of software. Does everything you actually want an e-book organizer to do with none of the cr*p you don't want it to do.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

What's the greyscale like with pictures on the DX Adam?

Try this Judge. Note this is a scan of the unit not a photo hence the slight blur - I didn't preview it first - and also that the hyperlinks can't be clicked on. In a manual like this where color coded elements are talked about a lot, I'd expect to have the game fired up in front of me whilst I navagate around. Either that or look at it on an iPad - but that's something I don't envisage doing in the foreseeable future (ie: couple of years as new technology without doubt comes about [;)] ):

[JudgeDredd]

It does look good...but the DX doesn't seem to be available here...besides, I really was hoping for alot cheaper

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: nelmsm
You can also use Calibre to move PDF's from your computer to your Kindle.

I presume this is done via Copy and Paste instead of via "iTunes" or any other 3rd party thing.

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[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

It does look good...but the DX doesn't seem to be available here...

You actually have to go to the US site amazon.com and click "Live outside the US?". That's how they coordinate the various country set-ups.

Once bought, the thing is then already registered to you, given a temporary name like "Judge's Kindle" and able to be ordered on (via your PC) whilst its still with the courier on its way to your door!

There's country-specific power adaptors you can then order too if you don't want to always power-up via USB. It's worth it.

Hey I was sceptical about the whole thing but its proven an easy/profitable investment (I've more than made the money back on redundant printing and delivery fees already) - I'll have no qualms updating it with the latest model every couple of years if new tech brings even more improvements. They got me [;)]

[nelmsm1]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

ORIGINAL: nelmsm
You can also use Calibre to move PDF's from your computer to your Kindle.

I presume this is done via Copy and Paste instead of via "iTunes" or any other 3rd party thing.

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No, it's pretty much a point and click system to do it. Do a google search for Calibre and check it out. I believe it works with all e-readers.