Convert your PDF files to Kindle using PDF2LRF

As a former Sony Reader, I frequently used a program called PDF2LRF which I found to be the best PDF converter too because it specifically increased the contrast for text/ images to make them more readable on our eReader screens (which default converters don't do).

I came up with a straightforward workflow to convert PDFs to Kindle format which also bypasses Amazon's service. Note: this works best for image based/ or text + image based pdfs or if you want to preserve PDF formats.

PDF to Kindle Workflow:

1) Use PDF2LRF to input a PDF and output to a .ZIP file filled with PNG files. (I have to use PDF2LRF in command line format to accomplish this).

Link: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13135 (download the command line program). Use command:

" pdf2lrf -i INPUT_PDF_FILENAME.pdf -o OUTPUT_PDF_FILENAME.zip " (which generates a zip file of PNG images from PDF)

2) Then use the program that jbenny posted (PNG2PDF) to generate a PDF file in commandline from the Zip files.

LINK: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13135&page=18 (scroll down and download the file PNG2PDF.zip) Type this command in command line prompt:

" png2pdf OUTPUT_PDF_FILENAME.zip "

This generates a file called: OUTPUT_PDF_FILENAME_png.PDF

3) Afterwards, run Mobipocket Creator to import PDF file and output to .PRC format which is readable on Kindle.

Download link: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/ProductDetailsCreator.asp.

Use option: Import PDF file: OUTPUT_PDF_FILENAME_png.PDF in Mobipocket Creator program (free), then after setting the Metadata, click Publish, to generate PRC file.

4) Move the generated .PRC file to your Kindle and enjoy it.
Note: you can fiddle with the PDF2LRF settings although the default settings worked pretty well.

Note: The advantage of this is I don't have to email the file to Amazon at all to get it converted and readable on kindle! (Since Gmail's 20 meg limit which I find quite limiting). And best of all the output is split nicely with high contrast, 2 pages/ landscape rotated which makes it as readable as on my Sony device compared to Amazon's default PDF conversion.

Summary: PDF -> PDF2LRF -> PNG2PDF -> MobiPocket Creator -> Kindle.

PDF2LRF download link is unavailable at present, but the best eBook converter and manager, Calibre, can help you. Calibre is a freeware which can convert e-books from format to format. It supports following input formats: CBZ, CBR, CBC, CHM, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT. The output formats: EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, SNB, TCR, TXT.

Kindle Vs Apple in the Tablet Wars

Image Credit: Tablet-news.com

The Amazon Kindle Fire is hot on the heels of Apple’s iPad in customer satisfaction, according to the first Tablet Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hot, in this case, means breathing down Apple’s neck. The tablets were ranked on a 1,000-point scale that measured price, ease of operation, design, features and performance.

 After the scores were tallied, Apple garnered 848 points while the Kindle pulled in behind with 841 points. By anyone’s measurement, the race for the tablet gold standard is neck and neck.
In its press release, J.D. Power stated that it surveyed 1,985 tablet users.

The primary factor that helped Kindle earn its high ranking was low price, Power stated. Here is how the tablet users ranked the five criteria in importance from most important to least:

* Performance, 26 percent.
* Ease of operation, 22 percent.
* Design, 19 percent.
* Features, 17 percent.
* Price, 16 percent.

Only the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle beat the Power tablet average of 832 points. Hewlett-Packard, Barnes and Noble, Acer and Samsung all fell below the average bar. Here are the Power scores for the other tablets:

* Samsung, 827.
* Acer, 811.
* Barnes and Noble, 803.
* HP, 790.

The Kindle Fire is indeed catching fire with consumers. According to a comScore report released in April, Amazon’s Kindle then commanded a greater than 50 percent share of the Android tablet market. Back in December, 2011, the Kindle held a 29.4 percent share. That number nearly doubled by this past February to 54.4 percent. The Samsung Galaxy Tab had a 15.4 percent share, and the Asus Transformer came in with a 6.3 percent share. No other Android-based tablet besides Kindle and the Galaxy have a 10 percent or greater share.

The Kindle has a reputation as a fast runner that immediately challenged Apple for tablet market share. A week after the Kindle was released in November, 2011, it jumped to the No. 2 tablet in the market. In its first month, the Kindle Fire out-performed Apple’s iPad launch in 2010. Consumers bought four million Kindle Fires during the last holiday season.

These numbers indicate a giant battle for tablet dominance this coming holiday season. Analysts are already raising the possibility that 2013 may be the year when Apple loses its dominant position in the tablet market.
At Apple’s recent cattle call in San Francisco to announce the launch of the iPhone 5, many people voiced disappointment that Apple didn’t roll out a new mini-tablet. It was rumored that this new device would directly target the minipad market. No such luck.

The Power study also found that tablet owners use their devices 7.5 hours per week. Tablet owners who also own smartphones use tablets 40 percent more. Nearly 40 percent of tablet users said they plan to buy another tablet within a year. One-quarter of tablet owners use them for business.
Apple announced a mini-tablet in October, just in time for the holiday season. Add to this the new Kindle Fires announced this week, and the contest to capture the gold standard for tablets should turn out to be the season’s most exciting high-tech race to watch.


Sam Jones, the author, has a passion for the latest mobile phones, tablets and gadgets and can't wait to get his hands on the best new offerings from Apple and Amazon.

Kindle Paperwhite vs. Kobo Glow: Amazon Kindle cuts price to counter its peers in Japan

Amazon Kindle has stepped into Japanese market after its success in the US, UK and other countries. To counter local eReader providers like Kobo and Sony, Amazon has decided to lower the price of Kindle titles for its first battle.

Kindle Paparwhite sells at $119 in the US market while the ad-free version comes at $20 more. In all probability, the model for Japan market will be the ad-free version while we cannot yet make sure of that. The latest price of Kindle is parallel to that of Kobo line, which also delivered a model with backlight, Koko Glo, even earlier than Kindle Paperwhite this year. Compared to the gloom of Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight, Kobo Glo seems to have received more lauds from customers.

One thing Amazon has done right is that people who have preordered Kindle Paperwhite at a higher price have been informed of the price change. As a customer remarked, Amazon didn’t make the status confused.

Amazon announced last month to launch Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire in Japan whereas Sony and Rakuten Kobo have stepped forward in Japanese eReader market. It’s likely that Amazon try to win the popularity from the new market by its competitive price. The US’s eReader tycoon, Amazon Kindle, has dominated American eBook market with its abundant resources at budget prices. Will it stand out again in the new land as a newcomer with its reportedly 50,000 novels?

Well, here is a video comparison between Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo. Just pay attention to it!

Fictionwise is shutting down, back up your purchased books soon!

The old and famous eBook store Ficionwise is shutting down since last Friday.

This site can be dated back to early 2000s, it is one of the most ancient eBook stores in the world and has brought eBooks to many people's world. At that times, it is the most popular eBook store and absolutely ahead of that time.

Then Barnes&Noble bought it in 2009, unlike Facebook bought Instagram and Google bought Sparrow, Fictionwise didn't meet its another peak after purchased by B&N. On the contrary, it fell down with a surprisingly rapid speed.

I can remember the site didn't change its design since 2003 or even earlier, and the customer service is becoming more and more dumb, sometimes even reply customer's email after tens of days.

Finally, in the end of 2012, Fictionwise (or B&N) declared the cease operations.

Okay, let's finish the mourning. R.I.P Fictionwise.

Now the trouble is coming.

As Fitionwise is not going to offer the service anymore, for those purchased books, if you lost the copy, then you will not be able to download them to your computer any longer. What's worse, which is also I most worry about, will those DRM protected books become not readable?

Barnes&Noble allows users to transfer most of their purchased books to Nook library, but there is a list of Fictionwise titles which are not transferrable. (This list is so long..)

So if you happend to buy some of those books in the list, or you just don't want to have a Nook library, you'd better back up your purchased Fictionwise books before December 21, 2012.

Don't know how to back up?

If your purchased books are marked as "MultiFormat", then you need not to worry about them as they are not encrypted books. You can read them freely no matter Fitionwise is alive or dead.

If you purchased books are marked as "Secure *** Format", then you should keep an eye on them.
For "Secure Adobe Format", this post can help you.
For "Secure eReader Format", please refer to this post.
These two guides require a bit coding skills, if you want to back up your books easily and quickly, please ask a favor to this software, and you can back up all thest two kinds of secure formats with this software.

Nook HD VS Kindle Fire HD

After Google and Amazon both rolled out their new tablets, Barnes & Noble certainly refuses to admit being inferior and unveiled their new generation tablet, the Nook HD and Nook HD+.
In the 10-inch tablet niche, iPad is the King beyond dispute, but in the 7-inch area, the battle is bloody fierce. Therefore we mainly discuss the 7-inch size tablet in this article, namely Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD.
Let's have a horizontal evaluation between these two gadgets first.

Pros and Cons of Kindle Fire HD

Pros:

No doubt Kindle Fire HD has the advantage on price, you only need to pay $199 to get a Dual-core, 1G RAM, 16G ROM, and a Built-in Camera tablet.
Let alone the AppMarket which contains more than 51,000 apps, and the Amazon Prime account allows you to read thousands of books for free.
Another huge advantage of Kindle Fire HD is that its vast Ecosystem, imagine every people in your social circle uses Kindle Fire HD, but you are the exception, you can't lend book with your friends, can't share the joy or tricks of using the gadget, that will be definitely pretty boring for having such a gadget.
By the way, there are many third-party websites offering variety kinds of services for Kindle, such as Lendle (a community which allows you to lend books for free), and those tons of websites which introduces you free Kindle books everyday.

Cons:

The customized Android system is a bit closed than native Android, the interface may make you a little indisposed, it may make a skillful Android geek lost if it is the first time he hands on a Kindle Fire HD.
Amazon forces to show the advertisement when in the lock screen and home page, you need to pay $15 to call it off. And it doesn't support SD card slot, although 16 GB is enough for most users, but for some video lovers it is obviously not enough.
The size of Kindle Fire HD is a bit awkward as its width is slightly bigger than a single hand, sometimes you have to hold it with two hands. And the material of the back cover is kinda a "fingerprint collector".
Then turns to the processor, Kindle Fire HD's processor ranks at the bottom in the 3 popular 7-inch tablets, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, and Nook HD. And for the battery, Amazon said the battery can supply 11 hours reading, video and surfing on internet. But the actual test show that it can only support 7 hours video watching.
Finally the principal shortcoming of Kindle Fire HD for eBook lovers, the eBook format and DRM protection. We all know that ePUB is one of the standards in eBook industry, but Amazon tookover .mobi and turned it into AZW and protected with its own Kindle DRM, which forces us to read the Amazon books with Kindle device and programs.

Pros and Cons of Nook HD

Pros:

The largest traditional U.S. bookseller has invested heavily in their new generation tablet, it equips an amazing screen which has 1440 x 900 resolution and 243 ppi, which is the best among Nook HD, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD. And the 1.3 GHz processor is also better than the 1.2 GHz in Kindle Fire HD, it is able to handle intensive games fine.
Nook HD is also the only one among those 7-inch tablets which offers you a SD Card slot, this will attract lots of video collectomanias.
It's width suits a single hand to a hair, you can hold it easily and comfortably. And it also weights 20% less than the already-extremely-light Kindle Fire HD, what's more, it won't show the lock-screen ads like Amazon's tablets, this gives us a pure and sheer user experience.
For eBook readers, the majority of Barnes & Noble books are in ePub format protected by Adobe DRM, which is supported by many third-pary reading apps like Aldiko, Bluefire Reader, DL Reader. We can have more choices to read Barnes & Noble books freely.

Cons:

Nook HD is lack of a camera while its rivals are all equipped with a front camera to handle Facetime or Skype video calls. And the worst disadvantage on hardware is the proprietary plug, which used to be a typical symbol of Apple devices, if you need a HDMI output signal from it, you will have to pay $40 for a adapter.
Then it's the price, with $199 you can buy a Kindle Fire HD with 16G ROM or Nexus 7 with a Quad-Core processor. As either ROM or processor is the most important spec which influences a client's purchase decision, therefore I have to say this is a huge shortcoming for Nook HD.
In the aspect of soft power, Nook is also at a disadvantage, neither the App Store nor Book Store is able to compete with Amazon's huge capacity. Nook's video service is not rolled out yet while Amazon's Instant Video has gathered a plenty number of clients. What's more, Amazon's appstore is going to open the door to Europe while we didn't hear any similar plan of Barnes & Noble.

Conclusion

Before opening your wallet and swiping your credit card, you need to make clever decision, and this is the reason why we compile this comparison for you.
This article doesn't want to tell you which one is definitely better than the other, the better one is the tablet which suits most.
In my private opinion, if you are deeply engaged with the stuff (videos, apps and eBooks) provided by the native content market, the Kindle Fire HD will be your choice for its huge capacity of resources.
While if you want a tablet which is friendly to hand on and carry out, and prefer to get the contents from variety of sources and is not restricted to Barnes & Noble store, Nook HD is prior to Kindle HD. The higher processor performs better when you play games, the excellent screen will satisfy your eyes when you watch HD videos and the built-in reader app accepting ePub and PDF allows you easily read most of books downloaded from computer.

Important update for our softwares

After months of hard working, we have updated the version for all of our softwares. Here are the details:

eBook Converter V1.40.5:

• Solve the utf-8 encode problem；
• Add the feature of fixing file structure error；
• Improve the stability;
• Add the support of HTMLZ format;
• Add the license authorization information;
• Improve the conversion quality;
• Auto send the log file to our technical support team once error occurs；
• More bugs fixed.

Adobe DRM Removal V1.8.3:

• Update the decryption core, remove DRM from your eBooks faster and more stable;
• Fix the bugs which lead to program boot failure;
• Add drag & drop feature in the registered version;
• Add right click menu in the registered version, which enable you to delete the item.

Kindle DRM Removal V2.5.6:

• Update the decryption core, remove DRM from your eBooks faster and more stable;
• Fix the error “out of string table limits”, and the error “out of list range” ;
• Fix the bugs which lead to program boot failure;
• Add drag & drop feature in the registered version;
• Add right click menu in the registered version, which enable you to delete the item.

Visit our official site to get all the latest version: http://www.ebook-converter.org/

How to get started with eBook-reading

With the booming of internet as well as information technology, more and more people have jumped on the digital bandwagon. Some people are currently familiar with e-books whereas there are still a huge amount of people who are strange to these invisible titles. This guide aims to help fresh men to get started with eBooks, thought it might be sort of easy for veterans. You will be shown how to get free eBooks on the internet and then read on a handy device.

1. Fetch eBooks
You do not have to pay for eBooks as there are a lot of sites offering free eBooks of various genres like Gutenberg, Free-Ebooks and so forth. Refer to this guide to download your first eBook from Tuebl. Or you can download a free eBook here.
More sites for free eBooks (Registration may be required).

2. Read eBooks on different devices
Reading eBooks can be achieved on different devices. You do not have to buy a dedicated eReader if you are not an avid reader. Just try to read eBooks on your computer or other portable devices with compatible reading apps installed. Note that all applications covered below are free of charge.

Read eBooks on computer
Most eBooks are EPUB & PDF, which are not supported on PC/Mac as default. With Adobe Digital Editions installed on our computer, we will be able to read EPUB and PDF books effortlessly.

1. Download and install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE).

2. Authorize your computer with your Adobe ID (recommended). Register an Adobe ID if you haven’t got one. Free eBooks from torrent are generally DRM free while $0 books from e-Book stores are often DRM-restricted. Adobe ID works when you read Adobe DRM protected eBooks. Books from public domains are not always to your taste, I am afraid.

3. Open your EPUB/PDF book with Adobe Digital Editions. Right click one book, select “Open with” and then “Adobe Digital Editions”.

Now it’s time to read your books on ADE.

If you are also interested in the famous Amazon Kindle books, you will need to download & install free Kindle for PC / Mac reading software. Register an Amazon account is another requirement, which enables you to purchase free Kindle books and authorize your Kindle software.
Get free Kindle books.

Read eBooks on smartphone / tablet
Reading on android tablets is parallel to reading on android smartphones as they are based on the same OS. iPhone / iTouch / iPad users can use built-in iBooks to read eBooks. Here I mainly talk about how to read eBooks on android devices (at least Android 2.1).

There is a collection of free reading apps especially for Android OS, such as Aldiko and Moon + Reader. We take Aldiko for example.

1. Download and install Aldiko app (.APK) on android device (I use my HTC smartphone). Download Aldiko APK file here and copy to your device with the USB cable connected to your computer. Or search for “Aldiko apk” on the browser of your phone / tablet and download & install.
How to install an app on an android device (android mobile).

2. Transfer books to your phone / tablet. Connect your Android device to computer via the USB cable and your mobile will be recognized as a removable disc. Create a folder like “eBook” on your smartphone. Copy downloaded eBooks to that folder.

3. Import books to Aldiko. Tap “Files” -> “eBook”, select books and tap “Import to Aldiko (*)”.

Minutes later, your eBooks will be listed under “Library”.

4. Tap the cover of a book and read.

If you have Kindle for Android app installed, make sure to copy your Kindle MOBI books to the “Kindle” folder.

These books will be listed under the “On Device” column.

How to use Aldiko on android tablet (Kindle Fire).


How to install an app on an android device (android mobile).
1. Tap “all apps” icon on homescreen and scroll to “File Manager”. Tap “File Manager”.

2. Scroll to Aldiko APK and tap it to install.

3. Tap "Install".

4. After installation, select “Open”.

5. Done.

If this is the first time for you to install apps on your android device, you may need to go to "Settings" and do some change to allow external applications to be installed on your device.