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[Raistlin]

I've had a Kindle 3 since September and have had zero crashes or freeze ups. No idea what that is all about. :::shrugs::: No issues here.

Me neither. Had mine a bit longer and it's never had an issue.


I wonder if Help Me! might be using one of those cases that shorts it out?

Just posted this in the Game of Thrones thread:Is this a common occurrence? I love the Kindle for the plethora of free books (no more publishers profiteering on authors who died a century ago) but I'm disappointed by my first actual purchase.

While I haven't read enough to get a good sampling, I will say it seems to happen more than I'd like. Some typo's, formatting, and words bunched together (I read English, not German lol) ... seems to happen.

Second class citizens

 

[Necromanti]

EDIT: Derp, nevermind.

 

[HiroProtagonist]

LOL. How long have you had yours? The good thing seems to be that Amazon CS is pretty good about shipping a new one to you. Although, if you don't buy it from them...

I've had it since October of last year, and use it for about 2+ hours a day.

I have 80 dollars in Amazon credit from pre-ordering games, so I'm thinking about buying a Kindle and have a few questions.

I'm on a treadmill 5 days a week, 30-40 minutes a day. Is reading on a treadmill with an e-book reader viable? I usually have my iPhone playing music, but it would be nice to read a few times a week while I'm jogging.

Is a cover recommend? Are covers just to make it look fancy or are there benefits in having one like protecting it from drops or scratches?

Thanks!

Can you read normally on a treadmill? I ask because I cannot. Individual words register, sentences even, but inevitably I finish a page and have no clue what I just read. If you don't have that problem then you should be fine...unless you sweat a lot.

If your going to be active with your Kindle (leaving the house with it) then you will probably need a case. Here is the mobileread cover thread:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112944

 

[UltimaKilo]

Can you read normally on a treadmill? I ask because I cannot. Individual words register, sentences even, but inevitably I finish a page and have no clue what I just read. If you don't have that problem then you should be fine...unless you sweat a lot.

If your going to be active with your Kindle (leaving the house with it) then you will probably need a case. Here is the mobileread cover thread:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112944

I really wouldn't put my Kindle on a treadmill. I run 5-7 miles a day and sometimes if there is a good enough article in a magazine, I'll take it with me on the treadmill. I can only read it until I start running. After that, I don't know how you would read bouncing up and down.

If you own a treadmill with a TV., plug your iPhone into a treadmill and read on the T.V. screen of the treadmill. Theoretically, you could do it. I don't own my own treadmill so I've never tried but it would be kinda cool!

 

[SmZA]

He must have an older version of A Game of Thrones ebook. The ones released on March 22nd were re-proofed for those errors. I just did a search of my book and there are 0 instances of the word "bum" and no mispellings on Dorne into Dome.

Yesterday was the first time I downloaded it; I purchased it directly from the Kindle via the sample (that process is way, way too easy - need to remove my credit card from the site!). I just redownloaded via amazon.com and manually transferred it via USB. The errors are still there:

The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they bum bright with beauty. - two occurrences

Her sons could rule from the Wall to the mountains of Dome. What is so wrong with that? - five occurrences

I am in Australia; they may have different downloads here. I know we get messed around with prices or availability on some books. I'll contact Amazon and see what's up.

 

[Manics]

Yesterday was the first time I downloaded it; I purchased it directly from the Kindle via the sample (that process is way, way too easy - need to remove my credit card from the site!). I just redownloaded via amazon.com and manually transferred it via USB. The errors are still there:

The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they bum bright with beauty. - two occurrences

Her sons could rule from the Wall to the mountains of Dome. What is so wrong with that? - five occurrences

I am in Australia; they may have different downloads here. I know we get messed around with prices or availability on some books. I'll contact Amazon and see what's up.

Here's the second passage you posted, I checked both on my copy and they're fine. This is Location 1082

 

[Sleepy]

I wonder if Help Me! might be using one of those cases that shorts it out?

Oh, I don't have one yet, but I was a bit worried about it. Hiro's posts (and your post!) helped me out, though.

 

[SmZA]

I'll contact Amazon and see what's up.

One of the fastest responses I've ever gotten from a Company:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I am going to take this item off of our website until the issue has been resolved.

I've issued a full refund in the amount of $8.52, which removes your access to that title. The refund will be applied to the payment method used for the original purchase and should be completed within the next 2 to 3 business days.

 

[Manics]

One of the fastest responses I've ever gotten from a Company:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I am going to take this item off of our website until the issue has been resolved.

I've issued a full refund in the amount of $8.52, which removes your access to that title. The refund will be applied to the payment method used for the original purchase and should be completed within the next 2 to 3 business days.

Bloody Aussies. How hard is it to copy the right digital file to their distribution channel? Sounds like they were selling the OLD version of the ebooks that contain all the OCR errors. The entire point of the March 22nd re-release was to get clean ebook versions of this series out.

 

[Snaku]

Bloody Aussies. How hard is it to copy the right digital file to their distribution channel? Sounds like they were selling the OLD version of the ebooks that contain all the OCR errors. The entire point of the March 22nd re-release was to get clean ebook versions of this series out.

So all four were cleaned up?

 

[Manics]

So all four were cleaned up?

Yep. March 22nd they re-released all 4 books as "re-proofed" editions. Well they released all 4 in one big 4-book bundle I would HOPE they released the individual ones cleaned up as well.

In fact a few days after I got the 4 book bundle I got an email from Amazon saying there was an update to my download to fix some TOC issues.

 

[SmZA]

They definitely have regional restrictions:

 

[leroy hacker]

Sounds like they were selling the OLD version of the ebooks that contain all the OCR errors.

Something I don't understand: why would one use OCR to make an ebook of a contemporary title like A Game of Thrones, as the publisher clearly did here? How could it be that they didn't have the text in a file?

The only possible reason I could imagine is that the publisher used a pirate edition as a basis of the original ebook to save time.

 

[Manics]

They definitely have regional restrictions:

I really don't understand all the legalities. They have a right to sell the Ice&Fire books, why not sell the newly corrected versions? I assume its the same publisher so wouldn't all the monetary issues be handled? Not as if they have to print and ship these copies to Australia, it's a digital file. Blows my mind that a screwup like this could happen in this day and age.

 

[Manics]

Something I don't understand: why would one use OCR to make an ebook of a contemporary title like A Game of Thrones, as the publisher clearly did here? How could it be that they wouldn't have the text in a file?

The original book was written in 1996 before the ebook craze, that's the only reason I could see. But you're right, Martin uses a computer to write so you would think he has digital copies they could easily convert to any ebook format.

 

[Manics]

Hmm so checking Amazon maybe they didn't re-release the individual ebooks as corrected versions. I checked Storm of Swords and it says the release date is 2003, but the 4-book bundle has a release date of March 22nd 2011. That would be REALLY stupid if they only released the corrected versions in the 4-book bundle.

I took my 4-book bundle and split the books individually myself so it's dead easy to do.

 

[SmZA]

I believe the final corrections are done when the typesetters are preparing the book for print, well after the author's submitted their 'final' version.

As far as regional variations go, Australian books are generally governed by British publishers so it's unsurprising Amazon would have different downloads for different regions in order to comply with their contracts. They probably neglected to update all versions at the same time.

I guess e-books are still pretty new and it's going to take some time to force the old publishers into the 21st century. Thankfully Amazon are offering refunds within 7 days of purchase which should eventually discourage publishers from making a quick buck by rushing poorly digitized versions.

Reminds me of George Bernard Shaw:
"I object to publishers: the one service they have done me is to teach me to do without them. They combine commercial rascality with artistic touchiness and pettishness, without being either good business men or fine judges of literature. All that is necessary in the production of a book is an author and a bookseller, without the intermediate parasite."

 

[Manics]

I believe the final corrections are done when the typesetters are preparing the book for print, well after the author's submitted their 'final' version.

As far as regional variations go, Australian books are generally governed by British publishers so it's unsurprising Amazon would have different downloads for different regions in order to comply with their contracts. They probably neglected to update all versions at the same time.

I guess e-books are still pretty new and it's going to take some time to force the old publishers into the 21st century. Thankfully Amazon are offering refunds within 7 days of purchase which should eventually discourage publishers from making a quick buck by rushing poorly digitized versions.

Reminds me of George Bernard Shaw:
"I object to publishers: the one service they have done me is to teach me to do without them. They combine commercial rascality with artistic touchiness and pettishness, without being either good business men or fine judges of literature. All that is necessary in the production of a book is an author and a bookseller, without the intermediate parasite."

Nice quote. With the rising popularity of eBooks, I can't see situations like this lasting much longer. They'll be more and more of an outcry from consumers who demand that eBooks are the same high quality as print versions. Publishers will be forced to pay more attention to the digital versions of the books.

 

[Sleepy]

Publishers will be forced to pay more attention to the digital versions of the books.

Especially, if it is cheaper to buy the actual print copy. I have noticed some weird pricing issues at Amazon.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I hope they do, there have been a couple books I remember hearing about having sloppy typos. And well known about errors that pubs don't feel any need to fix them quicker than they are.

 

[leroy hacker]

I believe the final corrections are done when the typesetters are preparing the book for print, well after the author's submitted their 'final' version.

But why wouldn't the publisher keep a document file on hand with all corrections? Even before ebooks, such a thing would surely have been useful when a book is published in multiple physical formats, or in a braille edition.

But even if they didn't, I would think that even a file without final corrections would be vastly superior to an OCRed scan.

Or is publishing just far more technologically backwards than I imagined?

 

[Sleepy]

Final question: I promise.

Across how many devices can I use one Kindle book before the licensing agreement is maxed out?

 

[Manics]

I should work for these damn publishers fixing their shitty ebooks. I've gotten good at editing and fixing issues with books.

Example a few times I've gotten ebooks that dont' have the TOC or Beginning properly defined. So on the Kindle when you press "Menu-->Go To" there's no Table of Contents highlighted or Beginning highlighted so you can't jump to them directly. I fix these issues using a program called "Sigil" in like 5 minutes. Why can't the publishers get stuff like that right? Do they not have anyone checking their eBooks for common navigation things?

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Final question: I promise.

Across how many devices can I use one Kindle book before the licensing agreement is maxed out?

There's a limit?

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Just posted this in the Game of Thrones thread:Is this a common occurrence? I love the Kindle for the plethora of free books (no more publishers profiteering on authors who died a century ago) but I'm disappointed by my first actual purchase.

It varies. Having read dozens of books, most are fine and seem like they'd have the same mistakes as their print counterparts. A handful have had more, and one was ridiculous. There were certain words it would split into multiple parts. At first I thought it was a linebreak thing not translating well from print, but it would only happen to a few words, and EVERY INSTANCE of those words. Like pilot was always always "pi lot".

I wish among the highlight/note options was a "complain of error" option.

 

[Snaku]

Yep. March 22nd they re-released all 4 books as "re-proofed" editions. Well they released all 4 in one big 4-book bundle I would HOPE they released the individual ones cleaned up as well.

In fact a few days after I got the 4 book bundle I got an email from Amazon saying there was an update to my download to fix some TOC issues.

Nice, I had just bought A Game of Thrones from B&N the other day, and saw the 4 book bundle there as well. Looks like its the same re-proofed editions. Hope the other three books have been updated on B&N too.

 

[Manics]

Nice, I had just bought A Game of Thrones from B&N the other day, and saw the 4 book bundle there as well. Looks like its the same re-proofed editions. Hope the other three books have been updated on B&N too.

They should be. It's not Barnes & Noble or Amazon that update the books it's the publisher (in this case Bantam). It's their responsibility to get the ebooks out to the different distributors.

 

[SmZA]

Looks like the four book edition isn't available to download in Australia. Change my location to USA and boom, it's there.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Looks like the four book edition isn't available to download in Australia. Change my location to USA and boom, it's there.

And if you change it to Canada it's less than half the price. :lol Fuck the pricing on some of this shit.

 

[Sleepy]

There's a limit?

I watched a tutorial and the person giving the demonstration couldn't download one of this archived books as he had reached his user limit. Or something. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5taUBwo1c It happens around the 6:30 mark.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I watched a tutorial and the person giving the demonstration couldn't download one of this archived books as he had reached his user limit. Or something. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5taUBwo1c It happens around the 6:30 mark.

Not sure, I've never heard of it or seen it mentioned on any of the product pages for the book when I download it.

 

[Sleepy]

No worries. I couldn't find anything on the Amazon site. Thanks!

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

No worries. I couldn't find anything on the Amazon site. Thanks!

If you find something let me know. I wouldn't be surprised if shitty publishers did it.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Oh, I don't have one yet, but I was a bit worried about it. Hiro's posts (and your post!) helped me out, though.

It's the regular Amazon covers that hook into the Kindle that may short it out. I got mine in January with the cover and it began freezing after a week or so. I called Amazon and they were familiar with the issue, fully refunded the regular cover and gave me a $60 promotional credit (to replace it with a cover w/light, which doesn't have the same problem.) Have had zero problems with it since.

 

[Sleepy]

If you find something let me know. I wouldn't be surprised if shitty publishers did it.

This is what I found:

Buy Once, Read Everywhere
Our Whispersync technology synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across your devices, so you can read a few pages on your phone or computer and pick up right where you left off when you return to your Kindle.

So I guess there isn't a limit.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

This is what I found:



So I guess there isn't a limit.

Ya, that's how I understood it also. Glad it wasn't like you thought originally.

 

[SystemShark]

Hmm so checking Amazon maybe they didn't re-release the individual ebooks as corrected versions. I checked Storm of Swords and it says the release date is 2003, but the 4-book bundle has a release date of March 22nd 2011. That would be REALLY stupid if they only released the corrected versions in the 4-book bundle.

I took my 4-book bundle and split the books individually myself so it's dead easy to do.

I purchased the four book bundle as well. How did you go about splitting the books individually? Calibre?

Thanks!

As well, you can have an unlimited number of devices registered on your Amazon account, but I believe you can only have 6 of the devices have access to any one of the books in your collection.

 

[Esiquio]

There's a limit?

Yes, there IS a limit. Just like the price and text-to-speech capability, it's set by the PUBLISHER. You can see the limit on the store page of any eBook at Amazon.

 

[Manics]

I purchased the four book bundle as well. How did you go about splitting the books individually? Calibre?

Thanks!

As well, you can have an ulimited number of devices registered on your Amazon account, but I believe you can only have 6 of the devices have access to any one of the books in your collection.

I use Sigil. However Sigil only works on Epubs, so I first had to convert the mobi to ePub and then split them and then convert back. Bit of a pain but well worth it since I have both the 4 book bundle AND the individual books now.

Of course, you have to remove the DRM from the original file first, if you have moral issues with this than you won't do it. Since I purchased the books and I intended to read them again in the future, I don't want to be tied to any one platform. What if in the future I decide to use something that doesn't support Kindle's format?

 

[Sleepy]

Yes, there IS a limit. Just like the price and text-to-speech capability, it's set by the PUBLISHER. You can see the limit on the store page of any eBook at Amazon.

Where on the page? I can't find it.

As well, you can have an ulimited number of devices registered on your Amazon account, but I believe you can only have 6 of the devices have access to any one of the books in your collection.

Figured as much. The video I linked to clearly illustrates that there is a limit, but nowhere on Amazon's Kindle description does it mention it.

I use Sigil.

Is Sigil as user-friendly as Calibre?

 

[Manics]

Is Sigil as user-friendly as Calibre?

It's different. Calibre is more for fixing metadata and converting, Sigil actualy let's you EDIT the text in the book. Think of it like microsoft word for ePub files. Takes a bit of getting used to cause you're editing HTML and XML files but I've gotten used to it.

In short though, Calibre is easier to understand but it doesnt let you edit the text in a book.

 

[Sleepy]

It's different. Calibre is more for fixing metadata and converting, Sigil actualy let's you EDIT the text in the book. Think of it like microsoft word for ePub files. Takes a bit of getting used to cause you're editing HTML and XML files but I've gotten used to it.

In short though, Calibre is easier to understand but it doesnt let you edit the text in a book.

Sounds cool. I'll check it out.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Calibre lets you edit the book. I've done it to plenty of terribly formatted books.

 

[Manics]

Calibre lets you edit the book. I've done it to plenty of terribly formatted books.

It does? Never seen the option for that, is it a plugin or is it part of Calibre?

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Yes, there IS a limit. Just like the price and text-to-speech capability, it's set by the PUBLISHER. You can see the limit on the store page of any eBook at Amazon.

Do you have a book that's an example? I've looked up a bunch of books off the top of my head and I can't find any that mention a limit.

 

[SmZA]

And if you change it to Canada it's less than half the price. :lol Fuck the pricing on some of this shit.

I temporarily changed my location to Canada and I'm downloading the four-volume edition now. I wonder if anyone's ever had Amazon take action against them for doing this?

 

[UltimaKilo]

It does? Never seen the option for that, is it a plugin or is it part of Calibre?

It's part of Calibre. I've used it a couple of times for PDF conversions that mess up the spacing. You may have not updated your calibre in a while. Calibre jumps leaps and bounds every month or two.

 

[VistraNorrez]

Do you have a book that's an example? I've looked up a bunch of books off the top of my head and I can't find any that mention a limit.

It should say, "Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to __ simultaneous devices, per publisher limits". If it doesn't say anything I think that means the device limit is 6. But that doesn't mean 6 devices only ever, if you delete a book from a device that should mean a new device can count.

If it says "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited", that tends to mean it is DRM-free.

Here are is an example and another.

 

[Sleepy]

It should say, "Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to __ simultaneous devices, per publisher limits". If it doesn't say anything I think that means the device limit is 6. But that doesn't mean 6 devices only ever, if you delete a book from a device that should mean a new device can count.

Thanks for the examples. Most of the ones I checked had nothing about usage.

 

[Manics]

It's part of Calibre. I've used it a couple of times for PDF conversions that mess up the spacing. You may have not updated your calibre in a while. Calibre jumps leaps and bounds every month or two.

Are you talking about the "Tweak ePub" thing where it explodes the ePub and then you use an editor of choice to modify the files?