We have learned a little about e-readers and we have read reviews about some of the major e-readers that are out there. Some of us may have a desire to convert a book; either a book that we have written or a book that we own. The process of changing or converting a book to an e-book is explained on many websites. The explanation provided on the website for the company Convertabook seems to be very clear (even though there are some terms that may require some additional research, which I am happy to provide if needed or that can be looked in the company’swebsite as well).
How to do physical book to e-book conversion
“With the ever-increasing popularity of e-readers, more and more literature is following the physical book to e-book trend. Don’t be left behind. Here’s how you can jump on the bandwagon and make the physical book to e-book change.
Step 1. Prepare to scan. To start physical book to e-book conversion, you must get your book ready to be scanned. The simplest way to do this is to cut off your book’s binding, leaving the pages loose. Trim the pages well so they will not get caught in a document feeder. Then load
these loose pages onto a scanner with an automatic document feeder.
Step 2. Scan your book to a digital format. The next step of the physical book to e-book conversion is to scan your book. To have a successful physical book to e-book change, scan your pages at 300 DPI at minimum. For most physical book to e-book formatting, you will want to createdPDFs from your scanned images.
After your images are scanned, they may need editing. Take a look and crop, rotate, adjust brightness, and de-skew your images as needed. Some software may allow you to make these edits in batches; other software may require that you change each page individually.
Step 3. Use OCR. The third step of physical book to e-book conversion involves Optical Character Recognition, or OCR. OCR is a way to translate the scanned images from your physical book into printed text in your e-book. This then allows you to search for words or phrases and
edit text within your e-book. It also compacts your book files, saving you a lot of memory space as you go from physical book to e-book. OCR capabilities are included in multiple software programs and can even be found online.
While OCR is very effective in the physical book to e-book translations, errors can occur. It will be necessary for you toproofread your digital pages after applying OCR.
Step 4. Enjoy your read. By following steps 1–3 of the physical book to e-book conversion process, your book will ready to read on your e-reader. During this physical book to e-book process, however, keep in mind which e-reader you will be using. For example, Amazon’s Kindle employs a different format than do most e-readers.”
There are other explanations out there that could complement this explanation or that may be slightly different since there are different forms to do it. The website www.convertabook.com offers very good insight for different things related to the conversion of books as well as explanations about how to get books on the market, if what you are looking for is to market your book.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Review of the HTC Evo View 4G (by owner)
The HTC Evo View 4G is my first tablet. In my search for a tablet that suited me I knew I wanted a fairly powerful device that was relatively inexpensive. With the HTC Evo View 4G I received both.
PROS
Speakers- The two rear facing speakers of the tablet are amazing. The full volume of the device is sufficient to allow me to listen to music from another room.Honeycomb - Although it comes shipped with Gingerbread Android, the OS can be upgraded to Honeycomb, specifically designed for tablets.Screen- The screen automatically adjusts to the light you are in, to provide better visibility.Size - The 7 inch screen makes it ideal for reading and it is very light weight, not much heavier than an average book.Scribe Pen- This tablet features HTC Sribe technology which allows you to use a battery powered stylus which is quite responsive and fun to play with.Battery- I use the tablet throughout the day with wifi turned on and still by the time I plug it in each night there is still around 40% battery left.Camera - The camera takes great clear photos!
CONS
Occasionally I need to perform a reset on the tablet because it has slowed down and the apps have become very unresponsive. Flash videos on web pages don't always load properlyOnly a very few apps I wanted were not available for this tablet
Note: I don't have the Sprint contract so I'm only using wifi(which has worked great), but wouldn't know how the 4G service is.
PROS
Speakers- The two rear facing speakers of the tablet are amazing. The full volume of the device is sufficient to allow me to listen to music from another room.Honeycomb - Although it comes shipped with Gingerbread Android, the OS can be upgraded to Honeycomb, specifically designed for tablets.Screen- The screen automatically adjusts to the light you are in, to provide better visibility.Size - The 7 inch screen makes it ideal for reading and it is very light weight, not much heavier than an average book.Scribe Pen- This tablet features HTC Sribe technology which allows you to use a battery powered stylus which is quite responsive and fun to play with.Battery- I use the tablet throughout the day with wifi turned on and still by the time I plug it in each night there is still around 40% battery left.Camera - The camera takes great clear photos!
CONS
Occasionally I need to perform a reset on the tablet because it has slowed down and the apps have become very unresponsive. Flash videos on web pages don't always load properlyOnly a very few apps I wanted were not available for this tablet
Note: I don't have the Sprint contract so I'm only using wifi(which has worked great), but wouldn't know how the 4G service is.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Review of Nook Color (by owner)
The Nook Color for graduate students of the humanities - a review
As I looked into an ereader or tablet as a possible tool for graduate school, I
looked at everything from the Kindle to the iPad. Money was a factor, so the
iPad, for all it's coolness was out. On the other end, the e-ink Kindles and
Nooks looked attractive, but videos of their pdf support has me less than
impressed. So, I paid a bit more ($250, still half the price of an iPad), and
went for the Barnes and Noble Nook Color. This review will focus mainly on its
usefulness for me as a graduate student of the humanities (Spanish in
particular).Reading BooksThe Nook Color has a sharp
7-inch lcd touchscreen. Compared to e-ink, this has the disadvantage of "washing
out" in direct sunlight, but I really don't ever read outside. I have turned the
screen's brightness all the way up, and had no problem seeing the screen while
outside in the shade with the sun shining. Color and contrast are great, and
since you can adjust the brightness, I have found reading comfortable in a range
of lighting conditions. The screen size is also nice, as the entire device is
about the same size and shape as a trade paperback.As for reading, the
Nook comes with access to Barnes and Noble's ebook store, and you can load up
any epub file you download online. However, you can "root" the Nook, which
allows you to access the Android operating system that Barnes and Noble's
software runs over. This essentially makes the Nook Color an Android tablet, and
allows you to install Amazon's Kindle app as well, making both marketplaces
available to you. In the vast majority of cases, Barnes and Noble and Amazon
sell the same books for the same prices, but I have found that the Kindle store
has a better selection of free public domain books.As a graduate student
in Spanish, I do have to admit that the selection of ebooks in Spanish has a way
to come, but it appears to be getting better. My reading list includes a lot of
public domain books, so it's great being able to download those free, but the
more recent books are lacking. It seems that some new books are being put out in
ebook as they are published, though. For example, Edmundo Paz Soldán's latest,
Norte, is out for Nook, even though it has only been published in Spain.
It looks like I'll be able to save a lot on a book or two a semester this way,
but I expect the selection to keep getting better.One nice thing is that
you can highlight the text and make notes in both the Nook and Kindle apps, as
well as search for specific words or phrases. This is quite nice, but if you are
going to be writing a paper on a specific text, you'll still need a physical
copy, at least until the MLA recognizes ebooks and has a way of citing them. I
can see myself search the text, then seeing what chapter I'm in to find it in
the physical book for citation.PDFsOne of the main
reasons I have the Nook Color is to view PDFs. I was tired of printing off reams
of paper to read once, so being able to read it comfortably on a screen seemed
attractive. The native PDF reader is OK, but I highly recommend springing 99
cents and getting the app ezPDF. Pinch to zoom makes adjusting to different
kinds of pdfs (one or two columns, etc.) easy, which was one of the big
advantages over the e-ink readers. You can highlight, make notes, and such, and
if the PDF is one of the good ones with selectable text, you can read the PDF in
reflowable text rather than its PDF formatting. A lot of my PDFs are bad scans,
so even though you can't select the text, you can highlight by drawing a box
around the parts you want to remember.Other Good
StuffOther than that, if you root it, you can install all sorts of
other apps. I have Netflix and Youtube running on it, games like Cut the Rope
and Angry Birds, and the screen is great for surfing the web. Even though I
mainly use it as an ereader, there are lots of other uses for it.
As I looked into an ereader or tablet as a possible tool for graduate school, I
looked at everything from the Kindle to the iPad. Money was a factor, so the
iPad, for all it's coolness was out. On the other end, the e-ink Kindles and
Nooks looked attractive, but videos of their pdf support has me less than
impressed. So, I paid a bit more ($250, still half the price of an iPad), and
went for the Barnes and Noble Nook Color. This review will focus mainly on its
usefulness for me as a graduate student of the humanities (Spanish in
particular).Reading BooksThe Nook Color has a sharp
7-inch lcd touchscreen. Compared to e-ink, this has the disadvantage of "washing
out" in direct sunlight, but I really don't ever read outside. I have turned the
screen's brightness all the way up, and had no problem seeing the screen while
outside in the shade with the sun shining. Color and contrast are great, and
since you can adjust the brightness, I have found reading comfortable in a range
of lighting conditions. The screen size is also nice, as the entire device is
about the same size and shape as a trade paperback.As for reading, the
Nook comes with access to Barnes and Noble's ebook store, and you can load up
any epub file you download online. However, you can "root" the Nook, which
allows you to access the Android operating system that Barnes and Noble's
software runs over. This essentially makes the Nook Color an Android tablet, and
allows you to install Amazon's Kindle app as well, making both marketplaces
available to you. In the vast majority of cases, Barnes and Noble and Amazon
sell the same books for the same prices, but I have found that the Kindle store
has a better selection of free public domain books.As a graduate student
in Spanish, I do have to admit that the selection of ebooks in Spanish has a way
to come, but it appears to be getting better. My reading list includes a lot of
public domain books, so it's great being able to download those free, but the
more recent books are lacking. It seems that some new books are being put out in
ebook as they are published, though. For example, Edmundo Paz Soldán's latest,
Norte, is out for Nook, even though it has only been published in Spain.
It looks like I'll be able to save a lot on a book or two a semester this way,
but I expect the selection to keep getting better.One nice thing is that
you can highlight the text and make notes in both the Nook and Kindle apps, as
well as search for specific words or phrases. This is quite nice, but if you are
going to be writing a paper on a specific text, you'll still need a physical
copy, at least until the MLA recognizes ebooks and has a way of citing them. I
can see myself search the text, then seeing what chapter I'm in to find it in
the physical book for citation.PDFsOne of the main
reasons I have the Nook Color is to view PDFs. I was tired of printing off reams
of paper to read once, so being able to read it comfortably on a screen seemed
attractive. The native PDF reader is OK, but I highly recommend springing 99
cents and getting the app ezPDF. Pinch to zoom makes adjusting to different
kinds of pdfs (one or two columns, etc.) easy, which was one of the big
advantages over the e-ink readers. You can highlight, make notes, and such, and
if the PDF is one of the good ones with selectable text, you can read the PDF in
reflowable text rather than its PDF formatting. A lot of my PDFs are bad scans,
so even though you can't select the text, you can highlight by drawing a box
around the parts you want to remember.Other Good
StuffOther than that, if you root it, you can install all sorts of
other apps. I have Netflix and Youtube running on it, games like Cut the Rope
and Angry Birds, and the screen is great for surfing the web. Even though I
mainly use it as an ereader, there are lots of other uses for it.
Review of Kindle Touch (by owner)
I was pretty opposed to owning any eReader, being a wanna-be librarian and preferring the feel of a book. Ultimately, I decided to purchase one in order to take advantage of the library loans as my actual library is very small, but their ebook collection has much more variety. I chose the Kindle Touch because I own an iPhone and knew that not being able to use the screen to maneuver would drive me crazy. I like the simplicity of dealing with two buttons (the menu button and the power button) and just tapping on the screen to make my reading choices. I borrow more ebooks from my local library than I purchase from the Kindle store at the moment, and it is as easy and convenient as I hoped it would be. Purchasing from the Kindle store is even easier as there is an option that takes you straight there (via Wifi or 3G) from the Kindle menu. It's easy to search and purchases are downloaded immediately to your Kindle. It is also easy to navigate and search within a book while reading on the Kindle Touch. The operating manual (already loaded on the Kindle when you purchase) is clear and concise when explaining where and how to touch the screen to get the options you would like to use. Another reason I chose the Kindle Touch, is for the screen itself. I needed a screen that was not back-lit and read more like paper. The draw back to this feature is that you need a light in order to see the screen, but the strain on the eyes is not as bad and getting a book light is relatively inexpensive. I love having an eReader for work, travel, doctor's office visits, etc. It is compact and the battery life is long and lasting. I've only had to charge it fully twice in the last four months and I use my eReader almost every day. My only major concerns have been that the screen responds to any touch (unlike an iPhone, which only responds when it's touched by your finger), this means I've lost my place a couple of times when my Kindle has been in my purse, accidentally turned on, and hit against my wallet and other items. This could probably be avoided by using a cover, but it can be a hassle. Overall, I have been very happy with the Kindle Touch and it's features.
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