# Fire for eBook reading -- any alternative apps possible?



## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Folks,

It's a very long story, but basically I'm trying to get my wife an eBook reader she can live with.  My iPad is too heavy for her (and too $$$ for me to buy when the iPad 3 is just around the corner).  She HATES e-ink -- so that's completely out of the question (at this point I've already filled out the Amazon return for the Touch I gave her yesterday).

I've already asked (elsewhere on these forums) about reading on the Fire and it seems like it's worth a try for her (she won't use it for anything else).  However, today I found out the Kindle software on it doesn't do collections, and that's basically a deal breaker since ALL of her books are collections (she loves those friendly Vampirey sort of bodice rippers).

Before I cancel the Fire order (as it won't ship today for a holiday) it occurs to me that since this is an Android device perhaps it can run other software.  I'm using Stanza for my iPad (which I love) and I *think* there is a version for Android (maybe not -- that's something else I could check).  So my questions are:

1) Can the Fire run another eBook Reader app?  (I assume so).
2) If so, is there one that has collections and has as nice a reading experience (font selection, etc.) as the Kindle software?

All of our files are in Calibre and can be output to any format so that's no issue.


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## melodyyyyy (Feb 11, 2009)

Mkelley

  I have a Nook color that has been rooted with a sd card.  The Nook is an android unit.  I have the kindle app on the nook and i love it (both the nook and being able to read my kindle books)  I would cancel the order just for today and check out the Nook color.  There is information here and on the nook color boards  that you should check out.  I do not have the Kindle fire but I have had every kindle made and I do love the kindle.  I just decided to give my money to someone else for a change.  Check out the "other ereaders forum here"  there are very helpful folks here that are totally awesome when it comes to info on both the kindle and the nook.  Good luck


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

I may be answering my own question.

Apparently Aldiko is an app I'd like to use.  It looks to have everything we'd want from an eBook reader app, and it runs on Android tablets.

So forgive this (really stupid) question -- can I just download and use this app on the Fire?  I say "really stupid" because, although I have an iPad and iPhone and am very familiar with downloading and using apps from the Apple store, I know *nothing* about Android and am dimly aware that not all Android devices are created equal.  In particular, I worry that the Fire (in lockstep as it is with Amazon) won't allow you to put apps on it not from Amazon (this concern comes from Apple, which is well known for such behavior).

So that's my question -- can I run Aldiko on the Fire?  Anyone have a clue?  (And how does one actually load in an app on the Fire that doesn't come from Amazon?)


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Best thing to do is go to a Best Buy and let her pick up the different small tablets. Fire, Nookcolor and Nook tablet and there are even more on those tables at the store. That way she gets a feel for them. 

I know you can put other apps on the Fire even if they are not in the Amazon Store. There are threads about it right here in the Fire forum you can read through. There is also a section for non kindle devices and there you can find out about the Nooks and others.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Melody,

(I had *just* hit post when your reply was posted -- we cross posted and I didn't think you could do that on this forum :>).

The Nook was something I *was* checking out -- my two concerns are:

1) Not being from Amazon the return policy may be nowhere near as easy (or even possible).  Given I'm having so much difficulty getting something suitable, I don't want to end up with something I can't return "just because."

2) It doesn't appear the Nook charges via USB and reports I'm reading are the charging adapter is VERY unreliable (of course, YMMV but it always makes one worry when you see multiple reports on the same issue).

But let me ask you this -- people here complain the ratio of the screen for the Fire doesn't look right for reading.  Do you think this is true of the Nook?  And do you have any sense of whether the Nook screen is very different from the Fire (in terms of size)?  And, of course, can I make collections in the Nook?


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## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

To get that on the Fire you may have to "sideload" it from another app store. As a fellow apple user that is about the extent of my knowledge! LOL!!

I don't understand the lack of organizing on the fire and in the kindle app for iOS, it drives me nuts. iBooks is so nice with it's folders and such... Why oh why doesn't amazon address this?!?!

Good luck with finding a solution, hopefully someone with a fire can see if that app will run for you


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Atunah,

What you say makes perfect sense... unless you knew my wife.

It's hard to describe, but I need to kind of "feed her" the technology.  She wasn't even happy to inherit my old iPhone 3G when I got the 4s, but now she can't live without it.  If we went to the store (assuming I could even get her to go, which is unlikely) she would basically say "forget the whole thing, I'm fine with reading on the iPhone" even though I *know* she isn't (for one thing she's getting hand cramps just holding the thing).

She WANTS an eBook reader -- or rather, she NEEDS one -- but she doesn't want to be bothered finding what's best.  I'm positive if I get the right one she'll be in love with it (reading is one of her passions but she doesn't want our retirement home cluttered with more books).  So it's really up to me to get this right.

But are you saying the Nook Color is at Best Buy?  I didn't realize they sold it -- that's a good place to buy it since I CAN return it there within a reasonable period of time.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yep, they got them all at Best Buy. As to hand cramps, I highly suggest no matter what device you get to get a cover. I have to have a cover with my Fire and used to with My e ink kindles too. My hands cramp up easy trying to hold for long periods. 
There are even the type of covers I have seen that have a hand strap on the back so you just slip your hand in and its relaxed. 

The other option is one of the holders, like a pillow or the products you find in the accessory section. I have a coyl cushion which is a bean bag type of item and I don't even have to hold my device that way. 

But if you can't get her in the store I guess getting from a place like Best buy would be good so you can return if needed. Sounds to me like you might have to return a few until you get to something she can live with.


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## melodyyyyy (Feb 11, 2009)

Mkelley

  I purchased my NOok color refurbished. Barnes and Noble and Barnes and noble Ebay sells the also.  Mine came with a one year warrenty jut like the new ones. You have a 30 day return policy on both the new and refurbished ones.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

You should go down to the  other e-readers section of the boards. Or maybe ask at mobilereads.com. They'll be better able to answer your questions about devices other than Kindle/Fire.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks, all -- I do appreciate your patience (I have patience, but you don't live with my wife <bg>).

We'll try the Fire and see. I've already ordered it, she knows it's coming, and we'll see how it goes. It might just be me (it probably is) but I don't like the look of the Nook (no rhyming intended). It looks weird compared to the Fire.

I've done the research and know how to get Android apps on the Fire, so I think we'll be fine with Aldiko -- it offers some pretty nifty reading features even the Kindle software doesn't have. It might be a little more (a lot more?) awkward to get to the app since I understand Amazon has disguised the Android interface pretty much, but I'm hoping she can just leave the app up and running all the time (which is to say, I hope that when she turns off the Fire and then turns it back on again it comes back to where it was turned off -- if not, still one more thing to consider...).

And don't get all mad at me, guys and gals, but I'm really hoping Apple comes out with their own 7" tablet, because that would be the ideal solution (and if so, that will be something I'd buy anyway -- I'm not a Mac fanboy by any means, but they really do hardware right and IOS5 blows away all this Android nonsense).


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

mkelley said:


> I may be answering my own question.
> 
> Apparently Aldiko is an app I'd like to use. It looks to have everything we'd want from an eBook reader app, and it runs on Android tablets.
> 
> ...


I have the Aldiko app on my Fire and it works just fine. I think I got it from GetJar, but I am not positive.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> And don't get all mad at me, guys and gals, but I'm really hoping Apple comes out with their own 7" tablet, because that would be the ideal solution (and if so, that will be something I'd buy anyway -- I'm not a Mac fanboy by any means, but they really do hardware right and IOS5 blows away all this Android nonsense).


Well I'd completely disagree with that.  I think it's mostly what you get used to first. . . I was playing with my son's iPad yesterday and while some things were quite intuititve, there were other things that I couldn't figure out. . . .but I'd have known exactly how to do it on any of my android devices. However, I feel certain that given a bit of time with the thing, I would have gotten used to it without difficulty.

Still. . . it does sound like you want a mini iPad. . . . . .


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Well, that's what *I* want...

I'm really trying not to insert my own prejudices here, which is why I went ahead and bought her the Touch.  The fact she *hated* it (and I'm not exaggerating -- and this is a woman who is all sweetness and light and whose strongest words on a serial killer would be "well, they don't seem very nice") really caught me by surprise.  But the e-ink thing was just abhorrent to her (as it is to me but I kept my mouth shut and was very encouraging).

I really think she'll be happy with the Fire, but my track record isn't too good at the moment...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> But the e-ink thing was just abhorrent to her (as it is to me but I kept my mouth shut and was very encouraging).
> 
> I really think she'll be happy with the Fire, but my track record isn't too good at the moment...


gonna put on my "dr phil" hat here a minute. . .feel free to ignore. 

You _think_ you're keeping your opinion to yourself but no doubt you expressed it previously. Or she knows you well enough that she picked up on it. She may not even be aware but has just sort of absorbed your opinion without really thinking about it. Happens between husbands and wives all the time. So she couldn't figure out why you'd given her something that she knows, for a fact, that you think is horrible. 

Here's my evidence: you've not been even a little subtle about expressing that opinion here, amongst a bunch of strangers who you ought to have known were actually fans.  You have said that you 'hate Kindle devices', that you find the screen 'dingy' and it must be 'tolerated', and describe the OS of the Fire as 'android nonsense'. I'm dead certain your wife knows exactly how you feel. . . .you may think you're keeping it to yourself, but you're not.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> I may be answering my own question.
> 
> Apparently Aldiko is an app I'd like to use. It looks to have everything we'd want from an eBook reader app, and it runs on Android tablets.
> 
> ...


Yes you can - it's my favorite ePub reader and I have it on my Fire (and my rooted Nook Color as well). I don't remember where I got the file for the Fire, but it runs just fine. I believe I had to say I had a different Android device that runs the same basic Android flavor as the Fire and got it from Getjar. And it looks like you can download it from the 1mobile.com app directly to the Fire.


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## melodyyyyy (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks Meemo!!

  I tod himI had smart friends here.  I hope you had a Merry Christmas


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> The Nook was something I *was* checking out -- my two concerns are:
> 
> 1) Not being from Amazon the return policy may be nowhere near as easy (or even possible). Given I'm having so much difficulty getting something suitable, I don't want to end up with something I can't return "just because."
> 
> ...


As someone who has both a Nook Color AND a Fire (I got impatient for the Fire to be announced and picked up a refurbished Nook Color back in September - I run it with an N2A card as an Android tablet.

1. If you buy the Nook Color as a gift, you have a 30-day return policy, same as Amazon's. I'd suggest buying from a B&N if you have one locally, since they'd take it back "just because" if you decide you don't like it. Most B&N stores also have classes for the Nook - your wife could get some hands-on help if she needs it. Just be sure to get that gift receipt. If you were sure you'd like and want to keep it, I'd suggest buying a refurbished one for the savings. I've seen them go as low as $119 on eBay, buy.com, etc recently. But since you're undecided, that's probably not the best route for you.

2. I believe B&N has fixed the charger issue - I haven't had any problems with my charger. And while B&N doesn't recommend it, I believe it will charge via USB - just much more slowly than with the wall charger. Lots of folks have reported charging it via USB on mobileread.

3. a. The Nook Color and the Fire have the same screen size. I don't think that it's so much that it doesn't look "right", but people accustomed to the Kindle's (or Nook's) 6" screen might need a period of adjustment to the 7" screen on the Fire & Nook. I like the 7" screen a lot myself, you don't have to make quite so many page turns. 
b. The Nook Color does support collections (Nook calls it "Shelves") when you run it in its regular mode. (I had to boot it up in regular mode to check, I normally run it as an Android tablet using an SD card.) But the Nook app, which I use when running it in Android tablet mode, doesn't support Shelves. I actually prefer the app because the night mode, which I use when reading in bed at night, is better for me than the regular Nook Color's night mode. And I keep fewer books on the NC and the Fire. My eInk devices are my primary readers - call me crazy, but I prefer eInk for long reading sessions. 

One thing to keep in mind - you can put Aldiko on the Fire (a much better ePub reader than the Nook or Kobo or other apps tied to bookstores) without having to root it with a card or internally. For the Nook Color, you'd have to root it somehow, as I did with the N2A card. The Color doesn't allow sideloading of apps. The Tablet did, but I believe they closed that door with an update.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

melodyyyyy said:


> Thanks Meemo!!
> 
> I tod himI had smart friends here. I hope you had a Merry Christmas


It was great - hope yours was as well!


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

That's good info about the Nook -- we'll see how it goes with the Fire, though.  I'm really encouraged that it will run that eReader app.

Ann (and my wife is named Annie) -- while you're probably spot on about my projecting my feelings, it undoubtedly had zero influence on her.  I love her to pieces... but she is the most willful girl I've ever met (and I've known some pretty stubborn two year olds, including my granddaughter).

The fact that I dislike e-ink would only be of passing interest to her.  Heck, I couldn't get her to love my iPad, despite loaning it to her for 10 days while she visited relatives a few weeks ago (she did watch a couple of movies on it, but overall her feeling is "meh").  OTOH, she loves her iPhone, although I had to give her that over her dire objections (she kept saying "why would I need a smartphone?  My current phone is just fine".  Now she can't be more than a few feet from it on any occasion).

So she makes up her own mind, and in this case her mind got made up about five minutes upon getting it in her hand.  "How do I adjust it so the background is white?" was her only real question, and when she learned she couldn't I don't think she had any further interest in it.

The good news is that, although I sprang this on her unprepared, she is now accepting the fact the Fire is coming and seems to be looking forward to it.  If psychology plays any part in this (and it probably does) her acceptance level is apt to be much higher, at least at first, and that may be all that is needed.  Given her voracious reading appetite (about a book every other day -- and she is always reading three books or so simultaneously.  Well, I guess not exactly at the precise same time, but concurrently :>) she really does need an eReader (we have books strewn all over the house and that doesn't include her reading on her iPhone).


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Anyone have any idea why I can't find Alkido in Getjar?  I hve other apps enabled from outside sources.  It just does not come up on a search for me and I'm wondering if Amazon disabled outside apps or if I am just doing something wrong?
Thanks


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't believe it's available through Getjar....but you can find it at the help site for Alkido:
http://aldiko.zendesk.com/entries/402881-download-the-latest-version-of-the-aldiko-book-reader-application

Betsy


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

corkyb said:


> Anyone have any idea why I can't find Alkido in Getjar? I hve other apps enabled from outside sources. It just does not come up on a search for me and I'm wondering if Amazon disabled outside apps or if I am just doing something wrong?
> Thanks


Definitely not disabled - I answered on another thread, but I think it doesn't see the Fire as being compatible. I've also put the 1mobile.com store app on my Fire, and was able to get as far as installation of Aldiko on my Fire (I stopped there since I already had it).


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## Vicki G. (Feb 18, 2010)

Meemo said:


> One thing to keep in mind - you can put Aldiko on the Fire (a much better ePub reader than the Nook or Kobo or other apps tied to bookstores) without having to root it with a card or internally.


I'm clueless and definitely not arguing the point, just asking. I wanted to put Aldiko on my Fire but the app is X'd out on Amazon. How does one go about doing this?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Make sure that in Settings, you have 3rd party apps allowed.  (Tap on the Gear, "More," "Device," "Allow Installation of Applicatons.")  Then, on the Fire, navigate to the link I posted below and tap; it should download and install.

Betsy


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## Vicki G. (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks, Betsy.  I had only seen Aldiko in the App Store at Amazon and it was X'd out there.  That worked a treat when I FINALLY got the address typed without any goof ups.  Fire screen is ultra touchy, isn't it?  On some things.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Vicki G. said:


> Thanks, Betsy. I had only seen Aldiko in the App Store at Amazon and it was X'd out there. That worked a treat when I FINALLY got the address typed without any goof ups. Fire screen is ultra touchy, isn't it? On some things.


You should have been able to navigate to this thread and click on the link either using Tapatalk and the web browser?  Sorry you had to type it in... But glad you got it to work!!

Betsy


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

mkelley said:


> I've already asked (elsewhere on these forums) about reading on the Fire and it seems like it's worth a try for her (she won't use it for anything else). However, today I found out the Kindle software on it doesn't do collections, and that's basically a deal breaker since ALL of her books are collections (she loves those friendly Vampirey sort of bodice rippers).


Just checking here....you do know that books that are collections themselves are just fine, right? The collections referered to for the Kindle are just "folders" to store different types of books in such as "Paranormal" or "Nonfiction" or whatever the user designates. Collections of short stories work just fine.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Ah, shoot -- I wrote a message but then didn't see Vickie's.  Sorry.

As to collections -- I mean collections of books.  All of my wife's books are part of a series (like the Harry Potter series, only with vampires).  And as they run to 20 to 30 books or more, they need to be sorted into individual folders or collections for ease of management.  As I understand it, the Kindle app for the Fire doesn't do this (it doesn't on the iPad, that's for sure).


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Mkelley, I did it, too, before I posted the link...  Just navigate to the link and tap on it.

Betsy


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

No you are right about that then. You can, however, sort by author, which is what I do. I also enjoy reading series books and have some that are very large (almost 40 books in one series). I personally find them easier to find on the Fire but then I just like the carousel and touch-screen access.

I think optional folders would be nice. I don't care for the way collections work in the regular Kindles so I hope they won't add that. I'm looking forward to hearing if your wife likes the Fire or not! Funny how personal the reading experience is!

Good luck!


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## Vicki G. (Feb 18, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> You should have been able to navigate to this thread and click on the link either using Tapatalk and the web browser?  Sorry you had to type it in... But glad you got it to work!!
> 
> Betsy


I'm on the computer, didn't even think about using Tapatalk and the Fire. Sometimes I'm sure I'm becoming completely techno stoopid.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Vicki G. said:


> I'm on the computer, didn't even think about using Tapatalk and the Fire. Sometimes I'm sure I'm becoming completely techno stoopid.


I found it on my iPad first, and downloaded it to my Dropbox...and then opened it from Dropbox on the Fire. Then I remembered that I could have navigated to it on the Fire, so you're not alone, LOL!

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Vicki G. said:


> I'm on the computer, didn't even think about using Tapatalk and the Fire. Sometimes I'm sure I'm becoming completely techno stoopid.


LOL! No. . . I think what happens is we become so used to a thing working one way that we never consider that there might be another way to do it!

For example a friend of ours took some pictures of us back in October -- we were all dressed up for a formal type event and 'prom pictures' were required. 

Anyway, I asked him to send them to me but he never did. I mentioned it again a few weeks later and he said he'd sent them already but would do so again. Nope. They never came. The next time I asked he said, "well the files are too big to go through email." Now this is a smart guy. . . . but he was talking about how he could reconfigure mail servers to make it go and what was the biggest file we could receive so he could send as much on one go as possible and finally my son said, "why don't you just put them on a thumb drive?" 

o'course, my next mission is to figure out how to get them onto my Fire.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

EllenR said:


> I'm looking forward to hearing if your wife likes the Fire or not! Funny how personal the reading experience is!


Yeah, if it doesn't bother anyone I'll post back on this thread with the results.

I'm hopeful -- I've been seeding her mind with things you all have said here ("Some folks like reading on the Fire a LOT!") so perhaps she'll be inclined to love it. Truth be told, I'm more than a little curious about it (from doing a little reading on the web I'm now of the opinion that Apple will not release a 7" tablet next year, if ever. As much as I love my iPad, I would not mind a smaller eBook reader at times, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility that I would get one for myself. Like I don't have enough gadgets around the house).


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> Ah, shoot -- I wrote a message but then didn't see Vickie's. Sorry.
> 
> As to collections -- I mean collections of books. All of my wife's books are part of a series (like the Harry Potter series, only with vampires). And as they run to 20 to 30 books or more, they need to be sorted into individual folders or collections for ease of management. As I understand it, the Kindle app for the Fire doesn't do this (it doesn't on the iPad, that's for sure).


Actually, since you already use Calibre, it's much less "necessary" to have the collections feature. Change the name in the metadata to show the series name & book # before the title. Then sort by title and your series will all be together. It isn't perfect, but up until about 18 months ago none of the Kindles had collections, and we made do - this is how I made do, at least. Still do, even with Collections. Example:

Twilight 01 - Twilight
Twilight 02 - New Moon
Twilight 03 - Eclipse
Twilight 04 - Breaking Dawn


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Oh, I know I can do that, but once you get more than 100 books or so it becomes extremely cumbersome to find what you're looking for, even on the iPad (and from what little I've seen on the Kindle, it's much worse, as it's much less responsive).  You're reading, say, book 17 of the third series by Jane Doe and then you want to switch to the fifth book of the second series by Paul Zod and you might spend 10 minutes just finding it.

I'm now using Stanza on the iPad, a better app for reading than Kindle in every way, and I put each series in a collection which itself is in a collection of the author, so now I only have to find that author, and then choose the series (although I don't have the series that my wife does -- all 100+ of her books are in various series of just four authors so far).

It wouldn't be so bad just using the search engine (I assume there is one in the app -- never used it) if you knew precisely which book you wanted, but when I'm reading I never know exactly what I want to read, and want to browse.  So far I've been putting my books in separate collections (you can add them, just like the Kindle, to more than one collection) so I can browse my sci-fi stuff, my spy stuff, my humor, etc. or I can look by author.  If there is a way to aggregate your search results like this I don't know how to do it, but putting it into a collection makes it easy.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> Oh, I know I can do that, but once you get more than 100 books or so it becomes extremely cumbersome to find what you're looking for, even on the iPad (and from what little I've seen on the Kindle, it's much worse, as it's much less responsive). You're reading, say, book 17 of the third series by Jane Doe and then you want to switch to the fifth book of the second series by Paul Zod and you might spend 10 minutes just finding it.
> 
> I'm now using Stanza on the iPad, a better app for reading than Kindle in every way, and I put each series in a collection which itself is in a collection of the author, so now I only have to find that author, and then choose the series (although I don't have the series that my wife does -- all 100+ of her books are in various series of just four authors so far).
> 
> It wouldn't be so bad just using the search engine (I assume there is one in the app -- never used it) if you knew precisely which book you wanted, but when I'm reading I never know exactly what I want to read, and want to browse. So far I've been putting my books in separate collections (you can add them, just like the Kindle, to more than one collection) so I can browse my sci-fi stuff, my spy stuff, my humor, etc. or I can look by author. If there is a way to aggregate your search results like this I don't know how to do it, but putting it into a collection makes it easy.


Well, that's how Collections work on an actual Kindle device. The way I see it (and possibly Amazon sees it) is that a Kindle or Nook or Kobo app on an iThing or Android device or a computer is a "gateway drug" to get you to want an actual full-featured Kindle - gives you a taste without giving you all the features. Stanza, Aldiko, and other reader apps are full-featured apps unto themselves, without a corresponding device. They aren't trying to "lead" you anywhere - you're as "there" as you're going to get with them.

I've got over 1000 books on my Kindle. Yes, collections make it easier and make my "Home" page on my Kindle more compact. But if I want to go to "Zod" I can do that quickly by sorting by author, typing in "Z" from my home page and it'll go to the "Z" authors. Or sorting by title, typing in "T" and finding the Twilight series. It's never taken me 10 minutes to get to a book, unless I just don't remember a darned thing about it. Now if I'm just meandering around looking for a read, it could take that long or way longer - sometimes I just can't decide what I want to read - the curse of too many choices. 

I've not used Collections in Aldiko so I can't speak to how well that feature works - I love the app but I only put a few books on it at a time, ones I want to read in the near future. When I'm ready to add more, then I'll pull them from Calibre via USB or better yet, wifi, a particularly awesome feature of Aldiko and Calibre - also possible with Kindles, for that matter. But that's just how I use the Fire. At any rate, it sounds like Aldiko is the reader app for you if you keep the Fire. It's actually my preferred reading app because of all the choices of text & background colors, the Calibre "catalog", and other features. (Example - to change brightness you just run your finger up or down the left side of the screen.)


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## Vicki G. (Feb 18, 2010)

I spent a good part of this holiday weekend getting my books transferred onto my new Touch.  Another big DUH!!!  I seemed to remember downloading books and putting into Collections in batches.  NOT!!!!!!!!  Oh well, it didn't break anything but it certainly didn't make the process go very fast either.  I had 550 books.  HAD, I say because yesterday I then decided the searching, etc. was entirely too slow and deleted 200 of them.    Yeah, they were all Freebies that I would likely NEVER read in this lifetime.  Still, it takes time to plow through all the muck and junk and..  And then I went to MYK and deleted them from the archives.  An all-day project but it's done!!  A clean house to begin 2012.

The Touch does something that I believe (not sure but if I'm wrong, some better-informed soul will advise me) no other Kindle does and that is to sort Collections alphabetically!!!!!!  It is wonderful!!  I kept waiting for things to change as I worked through organizing but they never did.  I have a Collection named Nightstand and that's where I keep what I'm reading or at the most, 2 of 3 books if I can't make up my mind - and the next one up on the TBR list.  It was always 'most recent', always at the top but now it was down in the N's.  hmmmmphhhh  I quickly figured out I could use a symbol and get it to show up first, which I did.  Also wanted a TBR list but realized I needed more than one so I made #1 TBR, #2 TBR, etc. and they sort perfectly.  * go by the number there is so ** sorts before *****.  

I am a very happy camper!!!  

As for the order of books in a series, might I recommend FictFact.  If I couldn't get to my computer or iPad or something, I would be inclined to print out the list and carry it with me.  So much easier than trying to figure out how to do metadata in Calibre and then PANIC when you get a new Kindle and get to do it all over again.  

Sorry, I totally got away from the fact that we're talking about reading on the Fire...  something I don't do.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm curious, as I've seen a couple statements about Stanza and Aldiko being better reading apps than the Kindle in every way.  Other than the ability to use Collections, what do you like better about Stanza and/or Aldiko over the Kindle app?  I've used Stanza, and I've looked at Aldiko, now on my Fire, and they are perfectly fine apps. But since all I do with books when I read them is to tap "next page" and occasionally "previous page" and the Kindle app seems to handle that perfectly well, I'm wondering what, other than collections, makes them better apps for you?  Just curious....

Betsy


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

I guess managing your collection is a whole subject onto itself (and another one where individual preferences play a big part).  In terms of my own goal here (which is to simply get my wife into an eBook reader she'll enjoy) it might not be all that big a deal how the Fire works, but I just thought I had better make it as easy as possible given my first misstep in this direction.

My own preference is just to have as many options as possible, but I definitely want the ability to sort within type (so if I'm looking for a cooking book I can go to that collection, or for some sci-fi I can go there, etc.)


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Betsy,

I can't speak for anything other than Stanza on the iPad versus Kindle, but immediately I love the running of your finger up and down to adjust brightness -- this is actually so cool I wish the iPad had it for all programs somehow (perhaps a three finder up and down versus 1 or 2 for scrolling?).  You can adjust exactly the brightness you need for wherever you are instantly. Obviously this is a null factor for those of you who use e-Ink (but isn't this forum for the Fire?).  

Aldiko also supports importing of your own book catalogs, which sounds intriguing (don't have the Fire yet so can't say how it works).


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Vicki G. said:


> The Touch does something that I believe (not sure but if I'm wrong, some better-informed soul will advise me) no other Kindle does and that is to sort Collections alphabetically!!!!!!


You're right, Vicki, and I never noticed that before. My collections on my Touch are alphabetical and the collections on my Kindle Mini are by most recently accessed.... Hmmmmm....


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Oh, I notice you use Aldiko on your Fire -- it supports that finger brightness adjustment thing as well.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, mkelley, I'm always interested in knowing what people like and don't like about various apps. I tend to get all of them because I'm an app


Spoiler



ho


. Plus I end up answering questions about them.  I don't adjust the brightness very much on either my iPad or my Fire. I keep them both mostly at about half bright and that works most the time.

I did just try it on the Aldiko for the Fire within a book, and nothing happens swiping up and down? Anyone else using it already on the Fire who can confirm how this works? Or doesn't?

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For me, I see no need for another reader app for most things, though the ones that handle PDF files are useful on the Fire as they allow a little more adjustment than the regular Kindle PDF viewer.  But, honestly, Adobe reader or one of the office apps are just fine for that.  I'm not generally taking notes or having to hightlight stuff and I tend to find things via an index in, say, tax pubs and then scan for the specific passage I'm looking for.  That's what works best for ME.  I did have Aldiko, Kobo, and Nook all on my phone for a while.  But they were just taking up space as I never used them and never paid for a book anywhere from Amazon.  So I deleted them.

As to collections, I started out wanting everything ON my kindle. . .but got over that fast as I got up past 1000 books.  Searching just isn't efficient with that many books so I ended up doing a random selection thing -- pick a page go to it and start scrolling until something catches my eye.  Having all the books in collections really didn't make it easier, and I think made the searching even slower.   For 'next book in a series' I set up the series I 'follow' on www.fictfact.com (you can do a similar thing on Shelfari and, I believe, Goodreads) and mark things read there so I always know what the next book is.  I can get to it pretty quickly via MYK on Amazon and send it to the Kindle or find it alphabetically in the archive via the Kindle.  Yeah it's one more step to find the 'next book', but works fine for me.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Betsy,

The quote from the Aldiko site says "Adjust the brightness of your device's display by sliding your finger along the left edge of the touch display".  Does that help?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

mkelley said:


> Betsy,
> 
> The quote from the Aldiko site says "Adjust the brightness of your device's display by sliding your finger along the left edge of the touch display". Does that help?


What, I'm supposed to read the manual? 

Let me check.....

OK, that works....  Anything else you want me to check for you while you're waiting?

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's how I sort my books on my Kindle...strangely enough, my paper books are much better organized...










Betsy


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

LOL -- that's precisely the reason putting all my books into Calibre (and by extension, onto our various eDevices) appeals so much to me (I just got through scanning 27 books of one of my own author's series but it was a pleasure knowing I'll never again have to sort it on the bookshelf).

The bravery of getting rid of all these real books is what's next...


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I'm curious, as I've seen a couple statements about Stanza and Aldiko being better reading apps than the Kindle in every way. Other than the ability to use Collections, what do you like better about Stanza and/or Aldiko over the Kindle app? I've used Stanza, and I've looked at Aldiko, now on my Fire, and they are perfectly fine apps. But since all I do with books when I read them is to tap "next page" and occasionally "previous page" and the Kindle app seems to handle that perfectly well, I'm wondering what, other than collections, makes them better apps for you? Just curious....
> 
> Betsy


Short answer: More options.

The Kindle app is just very basic. I like Aldiko - it has lots of choices for background & print colors - for daytime I have a light gray background with black print - it looks very much like the eInk Kindle screen - the contrast is better than eInk but it's less backlight in my eyes than a bright white screen. For night I basically have those colors reversed - so the print isn't in such stark contrast to the background - sometimes that much contrast (white print on black) makes the print start "dancing" a bit for me. There are more font choices, you have more choices for adjusting the margins, line spacing & text alignment, and as I mentioned you can adjust brightness easily by sliding your finger up & down the left side of the screen. I haven't had the need for Collections since I don't keep a lot of books in Aldiko, but the option is there. Then there's the simplicity of connecting via wifi to Calibre - you can do it with Kindle as well but Aldiko makes it a bit simpler because you can create a "catalog" right in Aldiko that is your Calibre Library, and download ePubs or PDFs into Aldiko.

So yeah...options.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Thanks, mkelley, I'm always interested in knowing what people like and don't like about various apps. I tend to get all of them because I'm an app
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Works in Aldiko on my Fire - I usually use the edge of my thumb right at the left edge of the screen - swiping up makes it brighter, down dims it. Only seems to work within a book, though - not on the "home" page.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Short answer: More options.
> 
> The Kindle app is just very basic. I like Aldiko - it has lots of choices for background & print colors - for daytime I have a light gray background with black print - it looks very much like the eInk Kindle screen - the contrast is better than eInk but it's less backlight in my eyes than a bright white screen. For night I basically have those colors reversed - so the print isn't in such stark contrast to the background - sometimes that much contrast (white print on black) makes the print start "dancing" a bit for me. There are more font choices, you have more choices for adjusting the margins, line spacing & text alignment, and as I mentioned you can adjust brightness easily by sliding your finger up & down the left side of the screen. I haven't had the need for Collections since I don't keep a lot of books in Aldiko, but the option is there. Then there's the simplicity of connecting via wifi to Calibre - you can do it with Kindle as well but Aldiko makes it a bit simpler because you can create a "catalog" right in Aldiko that is your Calibre Library, and download ePubs or PDFs into Aldiko.
> 
> So yeah...options.


Good to know. I don't use any of those things, but people will ask....and I did get the brightness control working--it's at the edge of the screen as you say, and does NOT work on the home page but only in books...

Betsy


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

mkelley said:


> LOL -- that's precisely the reason putting all my books into Calibre (and by extension, onto our various eDevices) appeals so much to me (I just got through scanning 27 books of one of my own author's series but it was a pleasure knowing I'll never again have to sort it on the bookshelf).


I agree - some sort of library app is the way to go. I can't understand the need to keep everything on the Kindle/Fire. I understand that some people like it that way, but can't see the reasoning.


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## katbird1 (Dec 10, 2008)

I have installed Aldiko on my Fire, how do I get a Kindle book into Aldiko?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

katbird1 said:


> I have installed Aldiko on my Fire, how do I get a Kindle book into Aldiko?


Aldiko doesn't read Kindle format books, only ePub as far as I know....

Here's a link to information about Aldiko including ways to get the file:
http://www.aldiko.com/support.html#faq12923842343

Betsy


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## katbird1 (Dec 10, 2008)

Thanks, Betsy. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> I agree - some sort of library app is the way to go. I can't understand the need to keep everything on the Kindle/Fire. I understand that some people like it that way, but can't see the reasoning.


Well, I love Calibre, but all my to-be-read books are on my K3. Because when I'm looking for my next book I don't want to have to go to my computer and Calibre and wade through ALL my books, both read and unread. I like being able to pull them all up on the K3 and choose from there. If I want to put it on the Fire or the BabyK I can do that easily. It's what works for me.

The down side, it makes it hard to think about moving on from my K3 to another Kindle. (Not that I want to anyway...but eventually I will and it'll be a pain to make that transition!)


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## artsandhistoryfan (Feb 7, 2009)

mkelley said:


> I guess managing your collection is a whole subject onto itself (and another one where individual preferences play a big part). In terms of my own goal here (which is to simply get my wife into an eBook reader she'll enjoy) it might not be all that big a deal how the Fire works, but I just thought I had better make it as easy as possible given my first misstep in this direction.
> 
> My own preference is just to have as many options as possible, but I definitely want the ability to sort within type (so if I'm looking for a cooking book I can go to that collection, or for some sci-fi I can go there, etc.)


Since the Carousel has no Collections, folders or tags that work as folders yet, there is one other feature that is pretty good for putting books of a type that you want together, without giving them labels.

The shelves are not organized by Amazon, though what you choose falls into them rather randomly.

You can, however, move (copy, actually), any book or books into a specific slot on the shelve.

So you can take 6 books, say, from a series, and move them to an area of the shelf, one after another and they'll be together there, visually.

You can move a 'favorite' from one shelf spot to another shelf spot.

That can work fairly well for some people, and this way you get to see the covers all together too.

Re Searching for a book, otherwise:

For the Kindle Fire, we can no longer just start a search on the first alpha character of a title (and the first character only) to find the title of a book. The KFire looks for the search letter or word even in the middle of a title or somewhere in the metadata. But it's quick to find titles with the word in the title.

To those who haven't used the following yet in the Touch models
There's an interesting new method with the Kindle TOUCH e-Ink screen, which doesn't have the search-box 1-character jump to a title when sorting by titles...

In a Tips for the KFire and KTouch blog article I wrote for new owners of both -- 
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2011/12/kindle-tips-for-kindle-touch-and-kindle.html
this is included:

=====
"3. A favorite of mine that Tom discovered does work in Kindle Touch after all. On previous Kindles, when books are sorted by title on the Home screen, you can use the bottom search bar to type one alpha character (only), then click down on the 5-way controller button to jump to the first title that starts with that letter. (If you forget and type more than one letter, the Kindle starts a search of the entire Kindle for that and it takes forever.)

That method doesn't work with the KTouch. Tom found that, on the KTouch, you can tap the "Page x of y" indicator at the top right to bring up a dialog box that lets you enter up to two alpha characters, to jump to the first title starting with those letters.

It also lets you enter a Home listing page number so you can access it directly."

Until he mentioned this, I hadn't found those. There are other things too.


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