Gear Diary » eReaders http://www.geardiary.com Everyone can understand technology; sometimes it just takes a little translating. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:00:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 ePillow Tablet Pillow reviewhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/epillow-tablet-pillow-review/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/epillow-tablet-pillow-review/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:00:14 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=176103 Every now and then we are invited to review something that just looks… well… ridiculous but we end up agreeing to take a look anyway. When the "ridiculous review item" first arrives and we open the box our first impressions are, for the most part, confirmed. Yes, more often than not the product is silly, looks like a bad joke and poses a bit of a challenge with regard to actually writing the review. Every now and then however, once we actually start using the item we discover that our first AND second impressions were actually wrong! Sure, the item still looks silly but it actually works well. That was my experience with the ePillow. I'm not fully sure why I agreed to review it since the pictures didn't impress me but I'm actually glad I did. I've used it to watch some movies on my iPad this weekend and I actually found it quite useful. Seriously! Photo 12 25 2011 25 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/28/epillow-tablet-pillow-review/feed/ 1 eReader Critical Mass and Other Vacation Tech Tidbitshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/13/ereader-critical-mass-and-other-vacation-tech-tidbits/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/13/ereader-critical-mass-and-other-vacation-tech-tidbits/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:15 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173843 During my week away I noticed that eReaders seem to have hit critical mass. Yes, this year, more than any other, saw Kindle's, nook's and iPads in use on the beach and at the pool. (Interestingly, I did not see a single Kindle fire!) I have seen an uptick in the use of devices over the past few years but this year seemed to show a huge jump in their presence. In fact, a cursory look this past Saturday saw MORE electronic devices than dead-tree reading material at the pool. But that was only a small part of the tech I witnessed while traveling. Here are a few more tidbits. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/13/ereader-critical-mass-and-other-vacation-tech-tidbits/feed/ 0 Cyber Monday: Kobo eReader Touch on Sale on Buy.comhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/28/cyber-monday-kobo-ereader-touch-on-sale-on-buy-com/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/28/cyber-monday-kobo-ereader-touch-on-sale-on-buy-com/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:30:22 +0000 Douglas Moran http://www.geardiary.com/?p=171691 Okay, yes:  the Kobo Touch eReader is not exactly up there in sales figures with the various Amazon Kindles, the B &N Nook, or the iPad.  But it's out there, kids, it's not a bad reader by any stretch, and as we've reminded you often here on Gear Diary, We Believe in Competition®!  No, really; we do!  It puts downward pressure on the prices of the competitors, helps push innovation, provides you the happy consumer with more choices, and in general is a good thing. So I'm happy to inform you (especially from the "downward pressure on the prices" department) that Buy.com is offering the Kobo Touch for the almost-absurdly low price of $69.99--a $30 savings Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/28/cyber-monday-kobo-ereader-touch-on-sale-on-buy-com/feed/ 0 NOOKTablet Rooted, but There’s a Big, Honking Catchhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/20/nooktablet-rooted-but-theres-a-big-honking-catch/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/20/nooktablet-rooted-but-theres-a-big-honking-catch/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:45:41 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=170215

Last week I asked if the NOOKcolor had more hacks than apps...and the comments seem to indicate the hackability were a big part of what attracted many buyers to it. At the time, the NOOKTablet was not yet rooted, but it looks like there's finally been some success on the rooting front. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as easy as the NOOKcolor's. First of all, the hack is still very rough around the edges. It involves using the Android SDK, which isn't hard to install, but it is a pain to use if you aren't terribly computer savvy. If you read through Liliputing's step by step, you'll see this isn't something you do when Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/20/nooktablet-rooted-but-theres-a-big-honking-catch/feed/ 1 Were More NOOKcolors Rooted Than We Thought?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/18/were-more-nookcolors-rooted-than-we-thought/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/18/were-more-nookcolors-rooted-than-we-thought/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:12 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=169911 (image courtesy Put Me In Coach)

The new NOOK Tablet is out, and slowly but surely more details about how it is different from its NOOKcolor predecessor are being released. For most users, the Tablet is a great upgrade; better screen, more memory, more multimedia options...it's a win all around. But what about the people who loved their NOOKcolors for their supreme hackability? According to The Digital Reader, it appears that B&N has locked the bootloader on the NOOKTablet. In english, this means they've added an additional level of security, making rooting (and installing the Android marketplace, etc) a far more difficult proposition. It's hardly the easy sailing it was for the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/18/were-more-nookcolors-rooted-than-we-thought/feed/ 4 Holiday Gift Guide: For Your Favorite Readerhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/17/holiday-gift-guide-for-your-favorite-reader/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/17/holiday-gift-guide-for-your-favorite-reader/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:00:49 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=168731 From the Editorial Staff of Gear Diary: Is there someone in your life who loves to read? If so, here are five gifts with which you can't go wrong. Safari Kindle/NOOK: Either one, but this is a must for anyone who loves reading. And the entry-level prices make them an affordable tablet companion even if you already have an iPad. Kindle prices start at $79. nook touch is $119.99 in our Amazon Affiliate Store. Safari eReaders are a bit delicate so you need a sleeve for protections. Carly's favorite is the Timbuktu sleeve. It is lined in soft fabric Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/17/holiday-gift-guide-for-your-favorite-reader/feed/ 0 Kindle Fire Shows Android Cross-Market Problem; Nook Tablet Limits Revealedhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/16/kindle-fire-shows-android-cross-market-problem-nook-tablet-limits-revealed/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/16/kindle-fire-shows-android-cross-market-problem-nook-tablet-limits-revealed/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:30:49 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=169606

I wrote about the Android app TouchDown by NitroDesk as an 'App I Can't Live Without', so naturally when I got my Kindle Fire, one of the first things I did was load up TouchDown from the Amazon Appstore for Android to configure my work email account. The problem came when I went to switch from a 'trial' to licensed mode. On any other Android device I would simply download the TouchDown License from my 'purchased apps' on the Android Market. But, since there is no access to the Android Market, I couldn't do that on the Fire. Further, when I asked the developers, they said that different terms and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/16/kindle-fire-shows-android-cross-market-problem-nook-tablet-limits-revealed/feed/ 1 Kobo Touch Gets a “Price Drop” with Some Ad Supporthttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/14/kobo-touch-gets-a-price-drop-with-some-ad-support/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/14/kobo-touch-gets-a-price-drop-with-some-ad-support/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:59:12 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=169236 It looks like Amazon's "Special offers" strategy is contagious! Kobo, the #3 ebook retailer is being acquired by the Rakuten, the "Japanese Amazon", and they are already looking to copy some of Amazon's success. The most obvious example of this is that they will be offering an ad-supported Kobo Touch for $99. This new "product" will allow Kobo to have a reader at the $99 price point "sweetspot" without breaking the bank since sponsors will foot some of the bill. Fortunately, Kobo is taking the same discreet approach as Amazon by placing the ads on the screen saver and home screen but not in the books themselves. I find it interesting that ad support has become the path to Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/14/kobo-touch-gets-a-price-drop-with-some-ad-support/feed/ 0 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Woman Who Has (Almost) Everythinghttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/holiday-gift-guide-for-the-woman-who-has-almost-everything/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/holiday-gift-guide-for-the-woman-who-has-almost-everything/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:00:24 +0000 Judie Stanford http://www.geardiary.com/?p=166674

Is it even possible to have everything? Of course not. But it is possible to have a happy home, well-balanced kids, a loving spouse, and the proper tools to keep things running smoothly or to at least enable an occasional escape when everything gets crazy. The Holiday season has officially begun, and we have a few gift suggestions that can help take the stress out of finding something special for the women we love. Happy Shopping! =)

Keurig Mini Plus Personal Brewer

Whether she likes tea, coffee or hot cocoa, she'll be able to brew up a fresh cup with a minimum of effort. And with brewers available in red, black, platinum, green and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/holiday-gift-guide-for-the-woman-who-has-almost-everything/feed/ 1 Can You Guess the Kindle Fire’s Achilles Heel?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/27/can-you-guess-the-kindle-fires-achilles-heel/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/27/can-you-guess-the-kindle-fires-achilles-heel/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:00:59 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=166333 The Kindle Fire is ready to take the world by storm when it is released next month. It is already SO popular that Amazon has reportedly upped the production numbers significantly. The interface looks great. The combination of 8GB of storage (with about 6GB available to the user) is enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books. That isn't anything to sneeze at, but it is not a tremendous amount of storage, and the Fire doesn't have an expansion slot. [I'm comparing it to the iPad, whose capacity STARTS at 16GB and goes up to a whopping 64GB!] Thankfully, Amazon is leveraging their Cloud Storage to compensate for the diminutive amount Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/27/can-you-guess-the-kindle-fires-achilles-heel/feed/ 16 Gear Diary at 5: The “Book ‘em Carly” Giveawayhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/01/gear-diary-at-5-the-book-em-carly-giveaway/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/01/gear-diary-at-5-the-book-em-carly-giveaway/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:00:12 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=162884 Amazon made a splash a few days ago by rolling out three new eInk readers and their first tablet. The Kindle 3 is still available and is cheaper than ever. The NOOKcolor is going strong but we suspect there has been a lot of aspirin popped at B&N headquarters over the last few days. We reviewed some great Speck cases for the Kindle 3 and the NOOKcolor and we are giving them away. Here's what we have... NewImage There's the WanderFolio:
This design is excellent as it lets you keep a number of items with you without the need for
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/01/gear-diary-at-5-the-book-em-carly-giveaway/feed/ 3 WaterField Designs Heats Things Up with New Cases for the Kindle Firehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/09/30/waterfield-designs-heats-things-up-with-new-cases-for-the-kindle-fire/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/09/30/waterfield-designs-heats-things-up-with-new-cases-for-the-kindle-fire/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:30:03 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=162753 Photo 5 When a new device comes out it is almost inevitable that one of the first companies we will hear from is WaterField Designs. They make some of the most protective sleeves and cases around. Better still, their products -- while not the most inexpensive -- are always made from quality materials, have fantastic build-quality, and they last… and last… and last! In fact, I still have the very first laptop sleeve I bought from them years ago, and it looks pretty much brand new. When Amazon announced the new Kindle Fire, it was a sure bet that Waterfield Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/09/30/waterfield-designs-heats-things-up-with-new-cases-for-the-kindle-fire/feed/ 0 New Sony Reader Leaks: How Badly Do They WANT to Fail???http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/28/new-sony-reader-leaks-how-badly-do-they-want-to-fail/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/28/new-sony-reader-leaks-how-badly-do-they-want-to-fail/#comments Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:45:04 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=158424 Big news if you're a Sony fan! A Dutch site has leaked pictures and specifications of the new Sony Readers. (The same ones Sony has been denying were coming) They look...well, let's check out the specs and then I'll give my opinion. Translated from Google:
Description The Sony PRS-T1 watching his brother looks on Mobile, the Xperia, with its curves and high quality chrome finish. Thin and light, so easy to take. The Sony PRS-T1 weighs only 168 grams. The screen is of the highest quality and provides optimal reading conditions. And while the battery will not suffer it. The Sony PRS-T1 read it one month at a charge. Modern functions you may well expect from Sony, and fortunately, the Sony
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/28/new-sony-reader-leaks-how-badly-do-they-want-to-fail/feed/ 5 Tablet Accessory Review and Giveaway: The Stump Stand; Sometimes Simplicity Is Besthttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/20/tablet-accessory-review-and-giveaway-the-stump-stand-sometimes-simplicity-is-best/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/20/tablet-accessory-review-and-giveaway-the-stump-stand-sometimes-simplicity-is-best/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:00:09 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=157789 Sometimes the simplest accessories are the best accessories. That's right, something it doesn't need to be complicated for it to be remarkably useful. That's the case with this new tablet/eReader stand The Stump. The Stump is what it claims to be – it is a stump of rubber. It looks like a tree trunk that's been cut down at an angle. It's simple. It's not exciting. Best of all, it does the job. Here's a quick look and a chance to win one. Stump The Portable Tablet Stand iPad Holder 2 Truth be told, there isn't a whole lot to say Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/20/tablet-accessory-review-and-giveaway-the-stump-stand-sometimes-simplicity-is-best/feed/ 5 Kindle Cloud Reader iPad Review: Simple to Use, Awesome to Behold!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/12/kindle-cloud-reader-ipad-review-simple-to-use-awesome-to-behold/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/12/kindle-cloud-reader-ipad-review-simple-to-use-awesome-to-behold/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:00:53 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=156861

Carly highlighted the new Amazon Cloud Reader a couple of days ago, which provided a web-based solution for reading - and purchasing - Kindle books from Amazon.com on pretty much any device regardless of native app support (except for the BlackBerry Playbook, which is just in a woeful state at this point). While many companies, Amazon included, have discussed moving more apps to platform-independent HTML5, the timing of this release seems to good to be true, as Carly indicated with her 'Don't Tread on Kindle' tagline. We have just seen a rash of changes, starting with Kobo, then Amazon, and then Barnes & Noble all removing the ability Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/12/kindle-cloud-reader-ipad-review-simple-to-use-awesome-to-behold/feed/ 5 When Is an eReader an Impulse Buy?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/09/when-is-an-ereader-an-impulse-buy/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/09/when-is-an-ereader-an-impulse-buy/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:15:46 +0000 Gary Bunker http://www.geardiary.com/?p=156370

Amazon started selling the Kindle 3G With Special Offers ("Kindeal 3G) in May, for $164 - a drop of 25 from the full non-ad-supported version. Two weeks ago, they dropped that price further, to $139. This week, they have started selling the refurbished Kindle WiFi for $100 and the refurb Kindle 3G for $130. These are not ad-supported versions of the device, but the full versions that sell for $139 and $189 respectively, in their non-refurb models. This sure looks like the typical inventory-clearing moves of a manufacturer about to introduce a new model. The current generation was introduced right around one year ago, and speculation is rife that they are going to introduce a touch-screen version to compete Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/09/when-is-an-ereader-an-impulse-buy/feed/ 0 New Sony Reader Is Coming, but Does It Have What It Will Take to Be a Hit?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/03/new-sony-reader-is-coming-but-does-it-have-what-it-will-take-to-be-a-hit/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/03/new-sony-reader-is-coming-but-does-it-have-what-it-will-take-to-be-a-hit/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:15:18 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=155765 Rumors are pointing to a refreshed Sony Reader coming up soon! According to Teleread Sony is still trying to maintain a foothold in the increasingly competitive ebook world, but they're going to need to be aggressive in key areas to break consumers from the NOOK/Kindle clutches. What can Sony do to improve this next round? Price: This is an easy one. Sony loves to price in a premium, but it gets very difficult to justify paying $50-$90 more for a device than the more popular competitors when there's no WiFi on board! Looking at current device price points, where should Sony be aiming for a refreshed line? Assuming there's a device with no WiFi Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/08/03/new-sony-reader-is-coming-but-does-it-have-what-it-will-take-to-be-a-hit/feed/ 1 Zinio Releasing Zinio 2.0 in the iTunes App Storehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/29/zinio-releases-zinio-2-0-in-the-itunes-app-store/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/29/zinio-releases-zinio-2-0-in-the-itunes-app-store/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:00:16 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=155278   UPDATE: We were told it would be live at 3pm EST. We're still waiting too! UPDATE: It is now available. It is no secret I'm a big fan of Zinio and their "buy once, read it everywhere" approach to electronic magazines. (The call it UNITY.) I love eMags for a whole host of reasons, and Zinio has always made it easy for me to buy, download and read my favorites. No, not all of the magazines I want are available on Zinio (yet), but there is a huge selection and it is growing all the time. Now Zinio is pushing out version 2.0 of their iPad app. As you Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/29/zinio-releases-zinio-2-0-in-the-itunes-app-store/feed/ 0 How Can Apple Improve iBooks Without Ruining Other eBook Stores?http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/25/how-can-apple-improve-ibooks-without-ruining-other-ebook-stores/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/25/how-can-apple-improve-ibooks-without-ruining-other-ebook-stores/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:00:33 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=154630

Something very fishy is going on at Apple. It looks like they're taking in-app purchasing very seriously, and are enforcing what has been rumored for months: eBookstores can no longer link to their respective stores in Safari in any way, even for account sign-ups. Kobo was forced to change over, as did NOOKkids; Google Books has gone entirely MIA from iOS. Plus, the Wall Street Journal has removed all links and in-app sales options. If book sales are not through Apple, they can't offer anything in-app. Obviously this has negative implications for consumers, annoys developers and content partners, and for what? Why is Apple creating and enforcing these rules? Let's assume there's Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/25/how-can-apple-improve-ibooks-without-ruining-other-ebook-stores/feed/ 9 Breaking: More eBookstore Changes for Apple Deviceshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/24/breaking-more-ebookstore-changes-for-apple-devices/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/24/breaking-more-ebookstore-changes-for-apple-devices/#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:30:47 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=154624

(underlying image courtesy Lyrics Fever)

Nate over at The Digital Reader caught some new changes this morning for ebooks on iOS. Google Books is gone from the App Store, and NOOKkids is now the same as Kobo -- you can sync and sign in, but you can't shop or create an account. So far there's no word from Amazon, and the regular NOOK app is still unchanged as well. This is, to say the least, UGLY. All it does is punish the consumer, it doesn't prevent anyone from using the applications and it doesn't add to the reading experience. Apple is acting Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/07/24/breaking-more-ebookstore-changes-for-apple-devices/feed/ 14 Apple iOS 5.0: Some Thoughts on Why It Won’t Kill Ziniohttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/09/apple-ios-5-0-some-thoughts-on-why-it-wont-kill-zinio/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/09/apple-ios-5-0-some-thoughts-on-why-it-wont-kill-zinio/#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:00:58 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=148681 I spent a good bit of time this week thinking about Apple's announcements this past Monday. Much of what will be coming in version 5.0 of iOS is impressive. There are a number of areas where Apple clearly took plays from Android's playbook (Notifications anyone?) as well as from numerous independent developers. I'm not surprised and, as an end-user, I'm quite pleased. I'm running iOS 5.0 Beta on a few devices, but am going to respect the beta-user agreement and NOT go into any detail. Safari I will say, however, that the new notification system is fantastic and does a great Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/09/apple-ios-5-0-some-thoughts-on-why-it-wont-kill-zinio/feed/ 0 PSA: Borders eBookstore Moving to Kobohttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/05/psa-borders-ebookstore-moving-to-kobo/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/05/psa-borders-ebookstore-moving-to-kobo/#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:15:24 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=147832

(image via Flickr)

If you're one of the five people who purchased eBooks through Borders, I strongly recommend you log into your account and follow their instructions to port your library to Kobo. Teleread is reporting that Borders is no longer operating their own eBookstore, and any attempts at logging in or purchasing will lead you to instructions on how to move to Kobo instead. This should be fairly seamless, since Kobo was doing all the behind the scenes work on Borders eBookstore. Any Borders eBooks you might have should work fine in Kobo's desktop and smartphone applications, and of course those books will continue to work on Kobo eReaders and any Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/06/05/psa-borders-ebookstore-moving-to-kobo/feed/ 1 Zinio Magazine App Now Available in the Android Markethttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/31/zinio-magazine-app-now-available-in-the-android-market/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/31/zinio-magazine-app-now-available-in-the-android-market/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:43 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=147060

It took far longer than we hoped or expected but, as of this morning, Zinio's app is live in the Android Market. That's right, if you have a device running Android 2.2 or above Android Honeycomb you can now get hundreds (thousands actually) of magazines right on your Android device. Zinio is one of my favorite apps on my iPad, and it was one of the things most lacking for me each time I tried to make the move to Android. And there's more good news. Thanks to Zinio's commitment to being cross-platform, if you already have a Zinio account, then you can simply add your Android device to it and access all your magazines in seconds Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/31/zinio-magazine-app-now-available-in-the-android-market/feed/ 5 Kobo Announces the eReader Touch Editionhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/24/kobo-announces-the-ereader-touch-edition/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/24/kobo-announces-the-ereader-touch-edition/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 16:15:52 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=146166 Poor Sony. Yet again they're ahead of the ebook reader curve, and left with nothing...they were putting touch based eInk screens on their devices over a year ago, but now that the Sony Reader line is outpriced and outmatched, everyone else is jumping on the touch bandwagon! The latest entrant is Kobo, with their "eReader Touch Edition", and it looks like a great device at an amazing price! The eReader Touch looks like it takes with it the best part of Kobo's other devices, the soft, quilted style back, plus the touchscreen lets them include a keyboard! My big gripe with the Kobo WiFi edition was how difficult the d-pad/keyboard combo felt, so this is a big improvement! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/24/kobo-announces-the-ereader-touch-edition/feed/ 10 NGD Deal: Get a Certified Pre-Owned NOOK eReader for Under $100http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/06/ngd-deal-get-a-certified-pre-owned-nook-ereader-for-under-100/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/06/ngd-deal-get-a-certified-pre-owned-nook-ereader-for-under-100/#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 12:45:28 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=143521

Certified Pre-Owned Nooks and accessories now available starting at just $99! Shop now!

The NOOK by Barnes & Noble
The NOOK 3G+Wi-Fi eReader has 3G Wireless access with AT&T, the nation's fastest 3G network as well as built-in Wi-Fi allowing you to download eBooks in seconds. Get bestsellers and new releases, your favorite eNewspapers, and eMagazines all delivered fast and free via Wi-Fi. Browse the vast BN eBookstore and sample any eBook for free. Store as many as 1,500 eBooks, eNewspapers, and eMagazines on your NOOK's 2 GB of internal storage, so you'll never be without your
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/06/ngd-deal-get-a-certified-pre-owned-nook-ereader-for-under-100/feed/ 0 How To View Free Books and Blogs on the Kindlehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 22:00:32 +0000 Gary Bunker http://www.geardiary.com/?p=143322

Now that the ad-supported Kindle with Special Offers (aka the Kindeal) is out, sales are apparently through the roof again. With that in mind, it seems a good time to bring up the question on many (some?) people's minds - how do I get free stuff on the Kindle?

Books

There are a truly remarkable number of free digital books on the internet, legally. Everything eventually goes out of copyright and becomes public domain (and there's a huge discussion following from that statement we'll not get into today). Project Gutenberg is likely the oldest of the many free-text archives on the internet (OpenLibrary is another big one), filled with public domain works in various Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/feed/ 7 Why the eBook World Makes Me Nutshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/20/why-the-ebook-world-makes-me-nuts/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/20/why-the-ebook-world-makes-me-nuts/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:00:30 +0000 Douglas Moran http://www.geardiary.com/?p=128877

Image taken from the Wayback Machine

In the beginning, there was Peanut Press . . . Seriously, though; as you've probably noticed from Carly's great postings, the eBook industry is . . . well, the polite way to put it is, "In flux."  The less-polite way to put it is, "A big friggin' mess."  The same book cannot be read on different eReaders; paperbacks are cheaper than eBooks; eBooks are being delayed to give hardcover books a chance to sell more; books can be summarily deleted from your library without notice; and on and on.  It's enough to drive you nuts. My personal peeve is both the plethora of eBook readers available Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/20/why-the-ebook-world-makes-me-nuts/feed/ 43 GD Quickie: Kobo eReader Gets Featured on the Office!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/20/gd-quickie-kobo-ereader-gets-featured-on-the-office/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/20/gd-quickie-kobo-ereader-gets-featured-on-the-office/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:11:38 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=128425 Tonight on The Office our friends at Kobo snuck in a great bit of product placement! I won't spoil the whole scene, but it's very amusing and manages to add in a pitch about how many books the Kobo Reader can hold! We're working on getting a screenshot, but until then head over to the official Office site to catch the episode online! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/20/gd-quickie-kobo-ereader-gets-featured-on-the-office/feed/ 2 Review: The Wikireaderhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/10/review-the-wikireader/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/10/review-the-wikireader/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:00:39 +0000 Joel McLaughlin http://www.geardiary.com/?p=126390

A while back the OpenMoko project created the goal of bringing out a Linux based smartphone called the Freerunner.  Then Google brought out what became the most successful Linux based operating system of all time, Android.  Well, needless to say, the writing was on the wall.  The clunky OpenMoko OS, with the behind the times hardware, was enough to make OpenMoko irrelevant in the smartphone arena.  Well, it seemed to be such a waste to throw out the work they did on the OS, so the next choice was to bring out another device.  This time, they didn't even try to look at bringing out another smartphone.  They, instead, brought out the Wikireader Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/10/review-the-wikireader/feed/ 3 Gear Diary 2010 Gear of the Year and Predictions for 2011http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/02/gear-diary-2010-gear-of-the-year-and-predictions-for-2011/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/02/gear-diary-2010-gear-of-the-year-and-predictions-for-2011/#comments Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:00:52 +0000 Joel McLaughlin http://www.geardiary.com/?p=124256

The past year has seen interesting developments in the gear we all use: the term iOS replaced iPhone OS as the OS that started on iPhone was also on the new iPad when it took the world and Gear Diary writers by storm, Android phones blossomed and became real competitors to the iPhone, and the iPad got its first real competition in the Samsung Galaxy Tab just a few months before 2010 drew to a close.  While there's much more that happened in the past year, I thought let's ask the following questions of the Gear Diary Team. 1. What was your favorite gear in 2010 and why? Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/02/gear-diary-2010-gear-of-the-year-and-predictions-for-2011/feed/ 5