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How to Personalize Your Kindle Using GIMP

TravisVS — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:13:29 +0000

If you are looking to create a screensaver for your Amazon Kindle, you can use free and simple software called GIMP. A GNU Image Manipulation Program, you can download it at www.gimp.org. In addition to creating a screensaver, you can also use the program to retouch photos so it is a multi-tasking program that is definitely worth the hard drive space and the time it takes to download.

A screensaver is a fun way to truly personalize your Kindle. Here are the steps to resize and recolor your image in GIMP to make it work for your Kindle. So in order to get going with this project, download GIMP, and have an image ready.

Open the GIMP program;

Open a new image file by clicking on “file” and then “new”;

Create a canvas. When the “create a canvas” window opens, choose these attributes:

Width:600
Height: 800
Color space: Grayscale (you can find the “color” space” choice under “advanced options”)
Fill with: Foreground color (the black will create the screensaver’s border.)

Now add your picture, by clicking on “open as layers” under “file”. From here you can navigate directories for your image. The picture should open up centered automatically and in Grayscale.

You may discover that your picture needs to be cropped. If this is the case, here are the steps to crop in GIMP.

Click on the rectangle tool in the toolbox to the left of the image.

Then click and drag, creating a rectangle around the image.

After you are satisfied with the area to crop, click on “layer”, and choose “crop to selection.”

You will need to re-center the picture after the crop. In order to do this task:

1. Select the alignment tool from the toolbox
2. Click your image to select it
3. At the toolbox-make it relative to: image
4. Select “align center of target”
5. Select “align middle of target”

The picture should now be cropped and centered on the GIMP canvas. In order to resize your picture, simply:

1. Click on “layer”
2. Choose scale layer

When resizing your picture while keeping its proportion, GIMP is a great tool. All you have to do is adjust either the height or width, change it and GIMP automatically adjusts the other measurement. After you are done with your image, save it as a .JPG, .GIF, or .PNG file extension.

Perfect! Your image is now ready to be loaded into your Kindle.

The Sony PRS-600: Could Its Touchscreen Be More Liability Than Asset?

TravisVS — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:22:19 +0000

With the recent launch of the Sony PRS 600, bookworms and gadget geeks alike are now scouring the web, hoping to find more about Sony’s latest addition to its growing family of ebook readers.

Being a little of both myself, I did the same and found this short but interesting post at engadget.com, complete with videos. The review highlighted a major feature of the Sony PRS-600 where it should have supposedly soundly beaten the Amazon Kindle – the touchscreen.

On the one hand, its being relatively button-free (although it still has a few buttons for page forward and backward, home, and search) allows the user hand or stylus interaction with the e-reader, making annotating and highlighting easier, and allowing faster page turns.

There’s one small catch, though — the glare that tends to be more pronounced on the touchscreen. That, plus its weak contrast as compared to the Sony PRS-505, (again, perhaps owing to the new type of screen) makes reading on the PRS 600, well, not so reader-friendly. And isn’t the better reading experience the main reason why we get portable ebook readers in the first place? Hmmm… it turns out this “small” catch may not be quite so small after all.

Many ebook reader fans aren’t thrilled with this development as well. When I checked out the comments section of the post, I found not too few individuals who completely agreed that an e-reader with a glare issue is no fun at all – even with the touchscreen thrown in. Here’s part of one of the comments:

“Touch seems like the new fad right now, but as has been said in this thread already, just puts smudges on your screen and what’s the point if the contrast is bad. It’s primary function is a reading device, not an iPhone wanna-be.”

Puts it quite aptly, don’t you think? Oh, and there’s even one comment purportedly from the same guy whose video comparisons were used by the engadget.com post, who said that after a whole weekend using both the PRS-600 and the PRS-505, he decided in the end to “put the PRS-600 back in its box,” and send it back to Sony. Now, whether there is truth to this “original poster” comment or not, one thing’s clear: the touchscreen isn’t as great as people expected it to be.

With its $299 pricetag, the Sony PRS-600 is said to have been designed as the Kindle 2’s direct competitor. The touch was a nice try, but no thanks. Convenience is welcome but not to the point of forgoing readability. This is where the Kindle 2 comes out ahead of the PRS-600. It may not come with a touchscreen, but its glare-free, crystal clear reading experience is more than enough for most people. Plus, the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX are currently the only ebook readers in the market today that offer wireless capability.

Visit Amazon.com to Buy the Amazon Kindle 2 Today!

Sony’s Ebook Store Swells to 600,000 Titles Thanks To Google

TravisVS — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:18:10 +0000

A half-million classic books will be added to the Sony ebook store thanks to Google. A deal was announced Wednesday night that Google will be partnering with Sony by providing them with mostly books that were published before 1923. These are books whose copyrights have expired.

According to Sony, the collection of books added to their library will include some well-known classics such as “The Awakening,” “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” and “Sense and Sensibility.” It will also include lesser-known classics as well as titles in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and other languages.

With this deal the Sony ebook store will now have around 600,000 compared to Amazon’s Kindle Store which has roughly 250,000 titles. While this may seem like the Sony Reader and the selection of titles has taken a huge leap over the Amazon Kindle, think again.

The bulk of the titles available at the Kindle Store are today’s best sellers and other modern, well-known titles. In addition, the Kindle Store has a growing list of today’s popular newspapers and magazines – not to mention a number of blogs.

By contrast, if you strip away this deal with Google, the Sony ebook store really only has 100,000 titles of modern titles with no access to newspapers or magazines. Unless you are an avid reader of pre-1923 classics, this deal does very little to help boost the availability of content on the Sony Reader.

Source: CNET News

Kindle for iPhone? Get the Skinny on the Kindle iPhone App

TravisVS — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:51:57 +0000

Just a week after shipping out the Kindle 2, Amazon also launched its Kindle iPhone app in early March. The move created a big buzz within the gadget-hooked community, with the free Kindle for iPhone topping the App Store’s list of free apps since its release, prompting even more buyers for the Kindle 2.

So, what’s so great about the new Kindle for iPhone? Take a look at this video that walks you through this new app.

First, it’s like having your Kindle right in your iPhone. Even if you think the Kindle is a great way of carrying all your books with you wherever you go, sometimes even that can be too much when you’re just waiting in line for your coffee or having a short bus ride. The Kindle iPhone app allows you to catch a few pages of reading when you just don’t want to miss out on the suspense, even while your Kindle is perfect for those lazy Sunday afternoons when you can do hours of uninterrupted reading.

The Kindle iPhone app also lets you access all your Kindle books in your iPhone even without the Kindle with you. Just access your Amazon account, choose from any of your Kindle purchases stored there (even all of them), and download it right to your iPhone. Even with such a small device, the readability is still good enough. You can choose from five font sizes and ‘flip’ through pages by just a light swipe of the screen left to right or vice versa. A single touch can also give you a list of choices of going to the cover page or the table of contents, or bookmark pages. The Kindle iPhone app is available for both the iPhone and the iPod touch.

If you’re worried that you’d always have to scan page by page to find where you left off in either device, fret no more. Through the Kindle’s Whispersync technology, changing reading devices is a breeze because whichever one you’re holding will automatically go to the last page you read across both gadgets. Just don’t forget to sync the Kindle or iPhone before you leave.

Convenient as the Kindle for iPhone may be, it cannot however do away with the need for the Kindle, but instead serves as a perfect substitute for it for short chunks of reading. The iPhone’s LCD screen also allows one to view images in full color. For the ultimate reading experience however, the Kindle’s e-paper technology, 16 shades of gray, and wider screen still comes closest to having a paperback on hand.

Lastly, while the Kindle iPhone app, has some great features, it isn’t quite the end-all and be-all of ebook reader to mobile phone technology…yet. Purchasing ebooks from the Amazon site directly from the Kindle iPhone app is not yet possible as of the moment (you’d have to use the iPhone Safari browser). Also, Kindle for iPhone is exclusively for ebooks at this time so your regular dose of news from newspapers and magazines can’t be accessed from the iPhone app yet too.

All in all, this pretty impressive technology is a must-have for techies and gadget geeks who have both devices. Check out the video above for a closer look at the Kindle for iPhone app and how it works. Then download it from the Apps Store and experience yet another dimension of this unique reading pleasure.

The Amazon Kindle 2: Casting a Brighter Light

TravisVS — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:57:27 +0000

Editor’s Update Oct. 2009: The Amazon Kindle 2 is now available at a reduced price of $259. In addition, there is already a Kindle with U.S. and International Wireless that can be shipped to over 100 other countries. Priced at $279, the international Kindle version is available for preorder before shipping starts on Oct. 19, 2009. Visit Amazon.com for more details on the Kindle international version.

Just when you thought that wireless reading couldn’t get any more exciting, Amazon comes and launches the Amazon Kindle 2, a sleeker, thinner, and lighter version of the hugely successful and much-raved about Amazon Kindle.

Watch an In-Depth Video Review of the Amazon Kindle 2

Click Here to Read What Current Kindle 2 Owners Think of It

Amazon Kindle 2: Everything You Loved About The Original – Except Better!

The eBook technology just got on a whole new level with the enhanced features of the Amazon Kindle 2. As slim as your typical magazine at just over 1/3 of an inch, and weighing less than most paperbacks at 10.2 ounces, that’s what I would call light reading. But there is definitely nothing light about this Kindle’s capacity to give you hours of reading pleasure. It now has seven times storage capability, allowing you to keep over 1,500 books, each of which you can be delivered in under 60 seconds.

Maybe your eyes would want to quit on you, but the Amazon Kindle 2 just goes on practically forever. With 25% longer battery life and 20% faster page turns, you can read for days without needing to recharge. Plus, it now has 16 shades of gray for sharper images and text, so it doesn’t only read like real paper but reads well in any lighting condition.

The Cool New Feature of the Amazon Kindle 2

Tired of reading but you just can’t put that book down? No worries. Try out the “Read to Me” feature of the Kindle 2. This new Text-to-Speech feature lets the device just read out loud any book or magazine to you!

Pricing of the Kindle 2

The Amazon Kindle 2 is available for only $359 (now at $259, see note on top of page. -Editor). Better pre-order one now before they run fresh of stock as this has the makings of another runaway hit just like its predecessor.

While the device itself may cost a pretty penny, book prices including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases are available for just $9.99 each. You can choose from a wide range of over 230,000 US and international books, magazines, blogs, and newspapers, with no need for wireless bills and plans.

While all these features sound great, I’ll be comparing the Amazon Kindle 2 to the new Sony Reader to see how it stacks up.

Kindle vs. iPhone: Is Apple Setting Its Eyes on the Amazon Kindle?

TravisVS — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:45:55 +0000

Kindle VS iPhone

For those considering an ebook reader such as the red-hot Amazon Kindle, a main stumbling block (besides it always being out of stock) is that you’re paying a lot of money for a device that basically does one thing: allow you to read books.

Contrast the Kindle’s capabilities to the iPhone and it’s no contest. For about the same money you spend on the Kindle, the iPhone has numerous functions and has revolutionized how we communicate and entertain ourselves when we’re on the go!

It would seem to be a no-brainer then that reading ebooks on the iPhone would be a natural extension of its capabilities. It does telephony, audio, and video so using it as a reading device seems simple enough. The reason the iPhone hasn’t been a major player in the ebook reader marketplace is due to its display.

The obvious differences between the iPhone display and the Kindle is the size. With the Kindle you get a display that is six inches diagonal while the iPhone is about half that – 3.5 inches. Have you ever tried reading a book on a 3.5 inch display? You’ll go nuts after about three pages!

The other major difference, and the more important one, is the type of display that is used in these devices. The Kindle’s display doesn’t emit light like the iPhone. It uses e-Ink technology to display text. I won’t bore you with the technical details but basically what this technology does is produce a display that is like reading text on paper. It’s “relaxing” to the eyes so there is no eye strain like there is when reading text on the iPhone or your computer screen.

It is for these two reasons – display size and display technology – that the iPhone may never be a real contender with dedicated ebook readers like the Amazon Kindle. However, Apple is going to try and given the popularity of the iPhone and iPod Touch they may give this reading device a run for its money sooner than later and here’s why…

Major publishers Houghton Mifflin, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Hachette and Penguin Group USA have signed deals with ScrollMotion, a New York mobile application developer. ScrollMotion is also in talks with many other publishers. With these deals, ScrollMotion will produce newly released and best-selling ebooks as applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In short, Apple is quickly becoming an ebook vendor not unlike Amazon’s Kindle Store.

ScrollMotion isn’t the first ebook reader in the iTunes App Store. Stanza is one that has been popular especially for classics. What makes ScrollMotion unique from Stanza and other ebook reader apps is that stand-alone and newer in copyright titles and best-selling novels will be available. And for Apple, it puts them directly into the ebook business since they pick up a certain percentage of each sale since the books packaged using the ScrollMotion app are wrapped in the Fairplay iTunes DRM.

The big question is, will consumers be willing to read books on iPhone’s and iPod Touch’s small display? These devices are great to read the occasional newspaper article but I’m not so sure consumers will be comfortable using them to read full length novels. I guess only time will tell how the great “Kindle vs iPhone battle” unfolds.

Source: The New Zealand Herald

Foxit eSlick: The New Bargain eBook Reader on the Block

TravisVS — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:36:20 +0000

Foxit eSlick is the new ebook reader to hit the street. Foxit Software, a PDF software developer, is hoping to carve out a niche with it’s incredible low price.

The eSlick will be available for just $229.99-that’s $130 less than the red hot Amazon Kindle and $170 less than the Sony Reader 700. It will begin shipping in 5-7 weeks but can be preordered sometime in January from its website.

Like the Kindle and the Sony Reader, it will have a six inch display capable of displaying four levels of grayscale with a resolution of 600×800. It also uses e-Ink technology.

This eBook reader, however, will be slightly smaller and lighter than its competitors. The eSlick is just under an inch thick (0.4 inches to be exact) and weighs about as much as a 200 page paperback book (6.4 ounces).

It supports PDF and text files and audio files in MP3 format. The internal memory is half of that of the Kindle and the Sony reader at 128MB. The eSlick comes with a 2GB SD card and supports cards up to 4GB.

A rechargeable lithium battery powers the eSlick and is good for about 8,000 page views on a single charge. It can be recharged in about three hours.

You can buy the Foxit eSlick in three colors: black, gray, and white.

Other than its low price and slight size and weight advantages, I’m not sure how it’s going to compete given that you’ll be restricted to PDF and text files. There’s ample material in PDF and text format but you won’t have access to current best sellers or the vast selection of books found at the Kindle Store or Sony’s eBook store.

You also won’t have access to newspapers and magazines like you do with the Kindle and there is no wireless access to download material like the Kindle either, but then again the Sony Reader doesn’t have those features either.

So who will the Foxit eSlick be for? Most likely business people and academics who work with a lot of PDFs and text documents. Given the limited files it supports and not having an ebook store itself, the eSlick definitely is not geared for the avid book reader.

Given its weaknesses, will it be able to compete and carve out a niche for itself? It will be interesting to wait and see!

Print Publications Are Going Digital

TravisVS — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:33:32 +0000

I always like to look at the brighter side of just about everything in life. I figure I can see the good or bad in something and if I look for the good then I’m going to be happier then if I look at the bad.

So with this economic downturn, as it has been called, I started to look for what good has come out of it. Well for me the price of gas has come done to a price that I can actually afford and travel a bit more then before. And some other products have come down in price as well. So that’s a good thing!

Another good thing that has taken place is that traditional print publications are going digital in an effort to save money and attract more subscribers. Newspapers and magazines across the country are jumping on the electronic bandwagon and are offering their publications in electronic format. Some are even going to the extreme of ending their print versions all together. PC Magazine is an example of this. They announced recently they will be ending their print magazine and going strictly digital.

And as can be seen at the Kindle Store, more and more book publishers are offering ebooks in addition to their traditional printed books. With the costs of everything going up these days, more and more publications are going to be making the switch to electronic media. This is good news for both businesses and consumers. They save money and so do you. Plus, what can be more convenient than downloading your favorite magazine or newspaper within seconds no matter where you are?

If you’d like to jump on the digital media wave then an ebook reader is an absolute must. Right now the most popular device is the Amazon Kindle. With its free wireless access, you can download your favorite books, magazines, and newspapers within seconds virtually anywhere you are!

Fisher King Press Adds eBooks to Kindle Store

TravisVS — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:16:53 +0000

Having an eBook reader is great but if you don’t have any books to read on it then what good is it? With Amazon behind the top eBook reader, the Amazon Kindle, you know that more and more publishers will be adding books to be downloaded.

Fisher King Press has just released a series of books priced at just $9.99 each that are now available for download at the Kindle Store.

The list of recently added ebooks by Fisher King Press:

Enemy, Cripple & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero’s Path by Erel Shalit

Guilt with a Twist: The Promethean Way by Lawrence H. Staples

Timekeeper by John Atkinson

LeRoi (Book 1 of The Malcolm Clay Series) by Mel Mathews

Menopause Man (Book 2 of The Malcolm Clay Series) by Mel Mathews

SamSara (Book 3 of The Malcolm Clay Series) by Mel Mathews

Journey to the Heart by Nora Caron

These are just a few of the titles available to download at the Kindle Store. More and more titles are added all the time. If your favorite book is not available as an ebook, just sit back and relax. Soon enough as the ebook reader craze takes off all of the books that you want will be online and ready to add to your library.

Just about everything will be ready for you to download and read in the palm of your hand! So if you are thinking about getting an ebook reader don’t worry if your book isn’t available yet, it will be soon! There is plenty for you to read at the Kindle Store while you wait for your favorites to come out!

Amazon Kindle Celebrates its First Birthday

TravisVS — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:49:46 +0000

The Amazon Kindle celebrated its first birthday this week. Amazon has not given the complete numbers, but the sales have been through the roof. Right now there is a 3-4 week wait to get one and that’s at over $350.

The new generation of the Kindle should be out sometime next year. The best guess right now for a release is in the first part of Q1. Some of the new features is a joystick to replace the scrollwheel, and also the redesign of the keys to help avoid accidental page turning. Kindle 2.0 will use a mini USB cable to charge the battery. There is also word out that they will have a larger screen version for students.

Some other interesting news about the Amazon Kindle is that the NY Times reports that they have over 10,000 subscribers, at around 14 dollars a month that brings in over 1.5 million a year. So anyone that thinks that the Kindle will soon go away, they might want the think again. Other papers and even magazines are sure to see this type of success and will jump into this market.

Just think no more waiting for your paper to arrive, no longer will you have to carry it around, folding and unfolding. Just press a button download and read. I have not seen it reported anywhere, but I would assume in the future they will have a color screen. Be on the lookout for more news and updates, I will post them as I find out more.