iPad as e-reader?

[mark28]

I was checking iBooks but there are still very limited selection of books to choose from?

The books that I want are not on iBooks.

Do you guys get your e-books from Amazon or something? And how are e-books from 3rd party vendors like amazon on the iPad? ( i suppose it's in pdf format? )

 

[Matthew Yohe]

Barnes and Nobel and Amazon both have their own reader apps. No, they aren't PDFs, but you can read PDFs in iBooks.

So, anything on the kindle is available on the iPad.

 

[mark28]

Barnes and Nobel and Amazon both have their own reader apps. No, they aren't PDFs, but you can read PDFs in iBooks.

So, anything on the kindle is available on the iPad.

Does it look as good as books from iBooks?

 

[Matthew Yohe]

Does it look as good as books from iBooks?

That's subjective. There are screenshots available in the store.

 

[seajay96]

well, the Kindle app is free and there are some free books available in the store, why not check it out yourself? The selection on Amazon will likely always be better than Apple.

the only thing i don't like about the Kindle app for iPad is the landscape orientation. i really like the 2-page view in iBooks, much closer to a real book feel.

 

[japanime]

I purchase e-books from whichever source (iBooks, Amazon, Booksonboard, Fictionwise, etc.) has the best deal, and then use whatever reader (iBooks, Kindle for iPad, Stanza) supports the purchase.

All three readers look slightly different, and I do like iBooks slightly better than the other two, but once I'm settled in and enjoying the book, I don't really pay much attention to or care how the reader app itself looks.

The iPad really is a great e-reading device!

 

[MRU]

I purchase e-books from whichever source (iBooks, Amazon, Booksonboard, Fictionwise, etc.) has the best deal, and then use whatever reader (iBooks, Kindle for iPad, Stanza) supports the purchase.

All three readers look slightly different, and I do like iBooks slightly better than the other two, but once I'm settled in and enjoying the book, I don't really pay much attention to or care how the reader app itself looks.

The iPad really is a great e-reading device!

I do exactly the same. It's the cost of the book that is the most important factor rather than the app I'm using. So at times it will be Kindle, and at others it can be Kobo & iBooks.

Whilst I too prefer the GUI of iBooks and the options for font size and font itself over the other too there is a major problem with it for those that like to carry a lot of books.

IBooks does have 1 issue, it's management of a large number of books say 300+ can make the app very sluggish and has on occasion made the iPad not only crash, but reboot itself.

 

[caubeck]

I use Kindle and Readdle, the iBooks store isn't very good. Readdle is where I store my ebooks in folders.

iBooks lacks folders, Pages lacks folders, and currently iPad apps lack folders. I sense a pattern...

 

[TraceyS/FL]

well, the Kindle app is free and there are some free books available in the store, why not check it out yourself? The selection on Amazon will likely always be better than Apple.

the only thing i don't like about the Kindle app for iPad is the landscape orientation. i really like the 2-page view in iBooks, much closer to a real book feel.

I bought my first book on saturday and this view was the deciding factor on which version to buy. I really like the 2-page view and don't think I'd enjoy reading in landscape at all on the iPad ala kindle.

I do like the sepia tone amazon uses better, but I adapted.

Also my daughter has a vision issue and they recommend sans serif fonts, I'm going to have to get her something to try on the iPad!

Anyway, oddly enough my next purchase is only in iBooks. Well, I haven't tried BN....

 

[nixiemaiden]

I get 99% of my ebooks through Kindle. I do prefer the iBooks app better for reasons already stated. Kindle kinda sucks because it doesn't support the side by side pages...however I have gotten kind of used to it.

Where Kindle wins is that it has the largest selection. It has a large number of free / really cheap books (not just classics ... they have all kinds of promotions as well). I have also bought a few books through bn.com as well because I had a gift card from them...I like that it offers the pages side by side in landscape but I like the preset color schemes of Kindle better. Also I have found a larger selection of books on Kindle.

I plan on getting a Kindle for daytime / outdoor reading within the next month or so. It will be awesome to be able to have the Kindle pick up where I left off on my iPad.

 

[3lionsbecks]

Agreed with all above.

iBooks looks great...much better than Kindle app. but it is a no brainer because Amazon has such a huge selection of books where iBooks is very limited (Canadian experience) and the books are more expensive than on Amazon as well.

Plus, the kindle app. allows my books to be read on the Kindle, iPad, iPod Touch and MBP.

Kindle app. for the win (but I wish they'd make it look a little better!)

 

[Diane B]

The Barnes and Noble/Nook is probably the most flexible overall but looks the same as Kindle in landscape. I use Kindle and Nook the most, also have Stanza (which Amazon owns now also) and Kobo. For pdf reading I prefer Goodreader. Lots of reading options on Ipad snd I check them all out for price and format.

 

[seajay96]

Btw, for all of the people with complaints/suggestions for the Kindle app, have you sent the comments to Amazon? I have, but the more responses they get, the more likely they will implement the changes we want...

 

[Seamaster]

Kindle, FTW.

 

[tomatillo]

Kindle and Stanza apps are good.

I've bought a couple of books in iBooks, but really, it doesn't have the books that I want to read and it's obviously going nowhere. I fear that it's not a good investment because my purchased "virtual library" will probably just disappear when Steve inevitably pulls the plug on it. The animated page turns are just annoying and a waste of processor cycles, especially on my iPhone 3g. Speaking of which, syncing the libraries across multiple devices is very clunky, with multiple password and credit card info entries and inexplicable failures.

Actually, I'm reading a paper book this week and it's such a drag. Standing in line at the supermarket, I whipped out my iPhone to read a few pages. Hey... there's no synch...

 

[Don Kosak]

My wife is an author, and we both read a lot on the iPad.

IBooks is great when people send you books in Word or other file formats. (My wife gets these from other authors and publishers now and then. I just open them in Pages, and save as ePub, then drop them into iBooks.)

The Kindle App is where most of our purchased books are.

One thing you should do is turn off "Basic Reading Mode". Amazon has this on by default, and I think on older iPhones it might make sense. On the iPad, with its IPS screen and fast processor, the visuals are much nicer with Basic Reading Mode off.

To turn off basic reading mode, from the Kindle Home Screen (the one with the person reading a book under a tree) do the following:

* Tap the circle "i" in the lower right corner
* Tap "Settings"
* Tap the on/off switch next to Basic Reading Mode to OFF

Now you'll get similar visual effects to iBooks.

Enjoy.

 

[Night Spring]

Speaking of which, syncing the libraries across multiple devices is very clunky, with multiple password and credit card info entries and inexplicable failures.

Actually, I'm reading a paper book this week and it's such a drag. Standing in line at the supermarket, I whipped out my iPhone to read a few pages. Hey... there's no synch...

Multiple password/credit card entries? I've never had to do that. Setting up syncing was as simple as tapping "yes" when asked "do you want to sync?"

As for sync failures, I've noticed two common causes. 1. One or other device was offline last time I closed out of a book. 2. It sometimes takes a while for iBooks to sync. If you open a book and it isn't synced to last location, give it a minute without tapping anything. Nine times out of ten it eventually flips to the correct page.

 

[tomatillo]

Oh, I should also mention "Papers" as a reader app, although it's a bit more than that. Finally bit the bullet and trashed all of my paper (scientific) journals this year. It feels kind of weird to pay a couple of kilobucks a year for journals and just get a few emailed tables of contents in return. Papers indexes and stores all of my downloaded journal articles and annotations. (PDF format.) It uses several different databases to match bibliographic data to a PDF. If the DOI info is entered correctly, it's fairly effortless. You can also browse several standard databases like PubMed and Google Scholar from within the app. Papers synchs automatically with your desktop over wifi whenever you start the app. The iPad version is good for reading, but adding files is best done on the mac version. Supposedly, you set up a special iPad safari "bookmark" that will automatically drop any article you're reading into Papers, but it doesn't always work with paid subscription sites.

 

[IrishVixen]

Personally, I find iBooks to be all flash, no substance. (bad pun intended) But then again, I've been reading on a Kindle for almost two years now. The Kindle apps for the iPad and iPhone are very well done, and have the dual advantages of being able to synch across devices AND be used on non Apple devices...even on an ordinary PC. My library won't just disappear if Apple gets out of the book business, or if I decide to move away from Apple's tablet platform to someone else's.

My husband prefers iBooks, but unfortunately little of what he reads is available.

 

[tomatillo]

Multiple password/credit card entries? I've never had to do that. Setting up syncing was as simple as tapping "yes" when asked "do you want to sync?"

I meant synching the library, not bookmarks. Your purchased books do not appear automatically in other devices. You have to go through menus looking for them, and type in passwords to get them to download. Then an error message usually appears that says something like - "account last accessed on different device - re-verify credit card information." Even when trying to download a "free" book. Sometimes this takes up all the time I was going to use to, well... read.

The second point was supposed to be a joke, but I really did reflexively get out the phone, as if it was going to synch with the hardback on my nightstand, back at home. D'Oh!

 

[nixiemaiden]

One thing you should do is turn off "Basic Reading Mode". Amazon has this on by default, and I think on older iPhones it might make sense. On the iPad, with its IPS screen and fast processor, the visuals are much nicer with Basic Reading Mode off.

To turn off basic reading mode, from the Kindle Home Screen (the one with the person reading a book under a tree) do the following:

* Tap the circle "i" in the lower right corner
* Tap "Settings"
* Tap the on/off switch next to Basic Reading Mode to OFF

Now you'll get similar visual effects to iBooks.

Enjoy.

Thank you that is awesome. Now if only I could see 2 pages side by side like an actual open book...is there a hidden setting for that as well?

 

[CalMin]

I bet the farm on Kindle. I like that it's device agnostic meaning that if I leave iPad and go to a Kindle or Android, or Mac or PC or Deviceyettobeinvented(tm) my library will be portable.

eBooks are where iTunes was a few years ago. A mess of DRM and restrictions. Kindle at least means I get some freedom to read how and where i like.

Back to the original question though, I've read a couple books on iPad now and it's been a good experience. As a pure e-reader my wife's Kindle 3 has the edge in most situations, but the iPad's backlight is handy late at night.

Either way, I love that these devices enable reading in a convenient manner. I'm reading more now than in a long time!

 

[Night Spring]

I meant synching the library, not bookmarks. Your purchased books do not appear automatically in other devices. You have to go through menus looking for them, and type in passwords to get them to download. Then an error message usually appears that says something like - "account last accessed on different device - re-verify credit card information." Even when trying to download a "free" book. Sometimes this takes up all the time I was going to use to, well... read.

I just sync all my devices to the same itunes library, so all books I buy pretty much appear automatically on all my devices. As for that error message, it should only appear the first time you use a new device. Its true that I had to go through that procedure a few times, but once the system settles down from the addition of a new device to your iTunes account, it doesn't happen again.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Outside of one author I haven't had any trouble finding books with iBooks. The ones I want to read are there so I've been lucky. And they are the same price that I find on Kindle.

The reason I don't like the kindle app (a big reason for me): when searching, browsing, buying -- it goes to your browser to Amazon. Which I think is so stupid. Why even have an app then?

 

[phenixdragon]

I use Kobo and then crack the DRM and use it in iBooks. Kobo uses the epub format. You can do this with Amazon and others too, just you need to convert it to epub and sometimes it doesn't look exactly the same. It works, but sometimes things look a bit off.