ereader

Lots of info. Thanks. I want him to be able to download books from our library here. Sounds like he needs to preload before we leave. Not practical. Is there any eReader that will allow him to do this from Florida? Did he understand from my quick read that it can be done by loading ion computer first

garyhaupt wrote:
I suspectt that many people are repeating what they have heard...or been told. In my case...being in Canada, I am unable to use any of the Overdrive software from my local library because I am using a Kindle. These E-Readers and their propiatary software are very sophisticated and complex bit of equipment. No ONE reader does it all. One must decide what works for themselves, and so forth.


Gary Haupt

Gary brings up a good point, there is no one fit all solution, however there are a number of ways of using Overdrive on a Kindle. It is fairly easy with the tablet style Kindles (like the Fire) simply by downloading the Overdrive App on it. A quick google gave me a Canadian Library instruction sheet for using it on a Fire.
http://www.sclibrary.ab.ca/docs/ebooks/Kindle%20Fire%20handout.pdf
This solution will not however work on most of the e-ink style of Kindles. Other options involve using utilities like Calibre to convert books to a format the Kindle can read, but for borrowed or purchased books, this usually requires you to circumvent the copy protection first which is illegal. Overdrive in the US apparently has Kindle format books, so it could come to Canada one day.

Of course, any Canadian eReader will work just fine in Florida with respect to any ebooks that have been loaded on it before one leaves Canada.

We have a Kobo eReader and have used it in Florida for a number of years. We usually load up all our ebooks before we go but we can still purchase additional ebooks from the Canadian Chapters/Indigo site (redirects to Kobo for actual purchase) while in Florida negating the need for a USA address and credit card.

And also, as has been mentioned, there are tons of free ebooks.

Calibre is a great program to use to manage one's ebooks.

I suspectt that many people are repeating what they have heard...or been told. In my case...being in Canada, I am unable to use any of the Overdrive software from my local library because I am using a Kindle. These E-Readers and their propiatary software are very sophisticated and complex bit of equipment. No ONE reader does it all. One must decide what works for themselves, and so forth.


Gary Haupt

I'm on my forth ereader.
It's a Kobo Aura from Chapters.
It's a true ereader not a tablet, that's a good thing.
It has a back light for reading at night, the best of both worlds.
I like it and I've been on an ereader for close to ten years. I started on a Palm Pilot.
So far Kobo is the best.

Just a few things to look at when looking at a eBook reader
e-ink vs LCD screen:
E-ink is much easier on the eyes and very much like real paper. It uses very little battery and can last several weeks to a month on a single charge. They can be read outside at the beach easily.
LCD are typically the higher end ebook readers, they are really just Android tablets under the hood. They can do far more than read books like surf, check Facebook etc. Graphics look good on them if you tend to read graphic novels or that type of thing. It is harder to read outdoors, especially in the sun like at the beach.
There are two major brands to look at in Canada:
Kobo are usually sold at Chapters. You would have to buy most books from Chapters
Kindle are usually sold via Amazon. You would have to buy most books from Amazon.ca
You can also however download ebooks from the library via Overdrive, or sideload royalty free books on both by plugging into a USB port on your PC for both devices.
You can use WIFI to buy books directly on both types of devices or plug in via USB and buy from their website. However you do not need wifi access just to read the books.

I would consider visiting a Chapters store first, not because it is Kobo but because they seem to be well trained in the technology. They will be able to tell you all the plusses and minuses of the basic, back lit, mini and color models. They really seem to know their stuff on the hardware.

I use an IPad mini or my iPhone 6 Plus to read books from either Amazon or B&N. Have not had issues downloading from either site. i used to have a Nook Color and it worked fine, but decided I did not want a dedicated e-reader when I could use a multipurpose device.

To utilize Amazon, it has to be the Kindle.
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It's true you can only buy books from Amazon for the Kindle, but you can read almost any eBook that you get elsewhere on a Kindle. Books in the .epub format using the free Calibre software.

Calibre

And here is how to do it:

Convert to .azw3

epub is the most common format you'll find free books in. There are tens of thousands up on the web.

There are also a number of sites devoted to listing free or cheap Amazon books:

Kboards

Lots more

I have had a Kindle e-reader for years - had the first and second generation, had the Kindle Fire, and the Kindle Fire HD. I just purchased the small Kindle for $59.00 and I LOVE it. It is small, fits in my purse and my husband's shirt pocket and is great to read on. No, I can't read in the dark on it, but I normally don't sit around in the dark! I will usually have a small light on and that is enough for me.

garyhaupt wrote:
The problem is your address. If you have a CDN address in your records with Amazon, then you don't have access to the same reading materials as those that have an Amazon US address. And I am not meaning E mail address...your actual Amazon records address.

And when you say E Reader...there are several brands. I use the Kindle White. has a backlit screen, etc. Even can do E mail. No movies tho. Just basic reading. To utilize Amazon, it has to be the Kindle. KoBo has it's sources. And some of them may indeed be the library. But..again..it has to do with your address. A person really wants to do research on which reader is best for them.

However, on Amazon, anyway...the list of free books is quite extensive and if you don't care for the one you are reading, dump it for the next.


Gary Haupt

X2. You have to register your Kindle with a "country". If you register it with Canada, you can only download ebooks from Amazon.ca; if you register it with U.S., you can only download ebooks from Amazon.com. If you read best sellers, popular, etc., then it won't be too big a deal. If you read more obscure or local authors, then it can be. For example, Will Ferguson (Canadian humorist author) is only available as an ebook through Amazon.ca - can't get the ebook from Amazon.com.

I have the kindle paperwhite and really like it. I can read at night without having to turn on lights.

If he reads lots of magazines, coffee table books (with lots of photos/artwork), etc., the kindle fire would be the best option. The fire is basically a tablet so will allow Internet use, etc. The paperwhite is just an ereader.