eBooks & eBook Readers

I attended a wonderful presentation about eBooks by a GC student, Emily Chamison, on Friday.  As a result, I plan to write several blogs about eBooks.

Emily shared an eBook that she had written with us.  You can download her eBook, Making eBooks,  from the Georgia College podcasting server at http://podcasting.usg.edu/4dcgi/podcasting/gcsu/episodes/95/15538.epub

This will serve to update earlier blogs on eBooks.  Below is a listing of common questions you may have about eBooks.

What eBook readers are available for laptop and desktop computers?

• Adobe - Digital Editions (http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/)
• Calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/)
• Kobo (http://www.kobobooks.com/desktop )
• FB Reader (http://www.fbreader.org/downloads.php)
• IBIS Reader (http://ibisreader.com/  )
• Google Books (http://books.google.com/ebooks)
• Monocle Books (http://monocle.inventivelabs.com.au/)
• EpubReader (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/epubreader/ ) Note: EPUBReader is an add-on for the Firefox web browser.

What eBook readers are available for mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone, and Android phones?

• iBooks (Apple mobile devices)
• Kobo
• Kindle (access to Amazon books)
• Nook (access to Barnes & Noble books)
• Google Books

I like the feel, touch, and smell of paper books.  What would I want an eBook?

• eBooks are often less expensive that paper books.
• Mobile devices make reading so easy!  Turn the pages by swiping the screen.  
• Depending upon the eBook reader, you can change the font type and size, write notes, and bookmark pages.  When you open an eBook that you are reading, you are automatically returned to where you left off.  
• You do not have to be "online" to read an eBook.  You only have to be online to download an eBook.
• Many rare and  historical books are not available at most libraries; however, they can be downloaded as eBooks.  Examples include books written by Florence Nightingale and Isabel Hampton Robb.
• The really great eBooks do not mimic printed books, instead they incorporate multimedia. Examples include video, images, and audio.