Bought a Tablet and want to read eBooks?

Tablet + eBooks = reading made simple. 

Truly, an equation that does work.  I learned this important fact about six months ago, and I only wish I’d bought the Tab earlier. But, more importantly, I’m really glad I didn’t buy a proprietary eReader.

In fact, I’d looked at Kindles when they first came out. Then I looked at Nook, and Kobo readers. I looked at ‘no name’ readers. But, I didn’t buy, as I found some issues.

Proprietary eReaders = Different formats = Bad

One of the problems with buying a proprietary eReader is the issue of reading other formats. Okay, so if you only buy eBooks on Amazon, and you have a Kindle, that’s not a problem. But, if you like to shop around to find eBooks, that is a problem. In my case, I’ve been buying eBooks and reading them on my laptop since 2007, so I have the additional problem that some of my eBooks cannot be read on a Kindle, or on a Nook, or whatever.

One other problem I’ve heard of, but not personally experienced, is the issue of books that disappear from a Kindle or Nook or whatever, because they’ve been ‘unpublished’ somehow. Now, for me, that stinks (and I’m being polite here). If I buy something, I want to keep it for as long as I want.

Reading on a Tablet

How does this work? Easy:

1. Put an eReading app on your Tablet. I use FB Reader for Android, and highly recommend it, for ease of use. (It presents all book formats with no conversion necessary.)
2. Buy your eBooks at Amazon, or the Apple iTunes Bookstore, or at B&N, or at Kobo, or at Smashwords, or at any other fine eBook (online) retailer. I use my computer to do this.
3. Download the books from the retailer into your computer. Make a backup copy on your backup drive, as you do for all important data.
4. Transfer the eBooks from your computer to your Tablet.
5.  Start reading, and enjoy.