Reading eBooks on Blackberry

BlackBerry 8320 Curve Titanium Phone (Unlocked)
This picture shows a Blackberry Curve 8320. It's a lovely device to read email on and with Mobipocket reader installed, I am using it to read ebooks too! It's now the 8th day since I've had this device and spent about 20 minutes a day reading on it.

To preserve battery strength, I disabled the wi-fi and bluetooth. The device can then cover approximately 5 days without draining the battery entirely! As the words are very crisp (using font family BBClarity size 18), reading is a pleasure. The pictures/graphics are also rendered very well on the screen.

This is my first experience reading ebooks on a blackberry. Before that I wasn't sure if I would be used to the idea (as my old BB device could not be used for ebook reading) but I now found myself reaching out for my blackberry several times a day just to read on it. Also looking forward to buying more ebooks from the ebookstore, and perhaps a dictionary. The Mobipocket reader supports annotation (add bookmark, highlight, add note), search, and look up word in a dictionary.

Every ebook device has its pros and cons. The Blackberry as an ebook reading device is quite appropriate if one does not use it for a prolonged period of time as small fonts can cause eye strain and bigger fonts means more page turning. But it's extremely convenient to carry and fits in a pocket! And because I always have it around, I tend to reach out to it as and when I want to read something. It turns on in an instant and does not look out of place whether I'm reading on it in a bus, on the train, and even while waiting in a restaurant.

Reading eBooks On Blackberry Curve 8320

BlackBerry 8320 Curve Titanium Phone (Unlocked)

After a week of research and visiting the various stores to look at many smartphones and Blackberry devices, I finally settled for the Blackberry Curve 8320. This device weighs only 115g, is slim enough to fit into a shirt pocket, but most of all, has wi-fi! Another advantage is that the device charges as I connect it to the USB while synchronizing. It's convenient when I travel. The camera behind is a nice added feature.

Although it will take another few more days before the device can be activated by my service provider, I am already using it to read Gmail! But most of all, after installing the Blackberry desktop, I was able to download the Mobipocket Reader to my PC, synchronized my Blackberry to my Mobipocket library, and the ebooks are transfered to my Blackberry for reading - all in a matter of few minutes!

I was thrilled to find that the font size could be changed. For me, size 19 in bold feels comfortable on the eye. With this sized font, the average page holds about 4 words across with 9 lines down. I tried size 18 font and is able to get about 5-6 words across and 9 lines down. Both settings are good.

With a 1G Mini SD in the device, I can store many ebooks. So far, if reading on mobile devices, my choice is still the Mobipocket reader. It's very easy to use.

Reading eBooks on Blackberry

Reading ebooks on Blackberry is a possibility, but I became very interested in it just recently. After having used a Blackberry device for almost 5 years since 2003 (the oldest model - 5820), I am ready to switch to a newer model (probably the 8300 range) - and is looking into using it to read ebooks. So what software / ebook reader supports this function?

Mobipocket Reader for Blackberry supports the following devices.
Mobipocket eBook Reader runs on all Blackberry devices with a firmware 3.7 or higher (just very old BBs are not supported):
Blackberry Curve: Blackberry 8300, Blackberry 8310, Blackberry 8320.
Blackberry 8800 series: Blackberry 8800, Blackberry 8820, Blackberry 8830.
Blackberry Pearl: Blackberry 8100, Blackberry 8110, Blackberry 8120, Blackberry 8130.
Blackberry 8700 series: Blackberry 8700c, Blackberry 8700f, Blackberry 8700g, Blackberry 8700r, Blackberry 8700v, Blackberry 8703e, Blackberry 8705g, Blackberry 8707g, Blackberry 8707h, Blackberry 8707v...
Blackberry 7130 series: Blackberry 7130c, Blackberry 7130e, Blackberry 7130g, Blackberry 7130v...
Blackberry 7100 series: Blackberry 7100g, Blackberry 7100i, Blackberry 7100r, Blackberry 7100t, Blackberry 7100v, Blackberry 7100x, Blackberry 7105t...
Blackberry 7200 series: Blackberry 7230, Blackberry 7250, Blackberry 7280, Blackberry 7290...
Blackberry 7520.
Blackberry 7700 series: Blackberry 7730, Blackberry 7780...

Wattpad Reader supports ebook reading on mobile phones and also Blackberry
RIM BlackBerry 7100 series, 7200 series, 7500 series, 7700 series, 8700 series, Pearl 8100, Curve 8300, 8800 series

ReadManiac supports BlackBerry: 6220, 6230, 6280, 6720, 7100, 7100i, 7130, 7130e, 7210, 7230, 7250, 7280, 7290, 7510, 7520, 7730, 8100, 8130, 8300, 8310, 8320, 8700, 8703e, 8707, 8800, 8820, 8830

Anyview 3.125 (for those who wants to read in Chinese) supports Blackberry: 8300,8310,8800,8820

eBook88 Widget: Sharing our content on your own blog!

We have recently built a widget around our ebook site where readers can easily install on their web sites and blogs with just a few lines of codes. If you have found the resources here useful, please share this widget. This is especially useful for ebook authors who have submitted their free ebooks to our directory and their ebooks have been listed. The more people who visit this free ebooks directory, the more chance your ebooks would be read.

If you have arrived here from another feed widget, follow this link to the main blog to see the widget and test it out. It is situated on the side bar on the left of the page.

Updating Our eBook Directory

We have been busy updating our old ebook directory and deleting many links that no longer work. Only a few links remain. The pages have been given a new color scheme too! The old directory (which is directly accessible from our custom ebook browser) was about 4 years old, and two years ago, we had stopped putting entries there as our new ebook directory came into operation.

We love getting good ebooks and we check the submission daily. However, some authors may find that their ebooks never make it into our directory because:
1) the link provided is NOT working (e.g. a link to their own hard disk is submitted!)
2) the ebook submitted is NOT a free ebook (this is a directory for FREE ebooks, NOT a directory for PAID ebooks)
3) we do not think the ebook fits any of the categories that we specify - we prefer educational ebooks
4) the link submitted does not lead to an ebook (not even an HTML version)
5) the ebook is a collection of affiliate links or a marketing catalogue that does not teach anything
6) the ebook belongs to someone else, and we have to seek permission from the author to list the ebook - it's extra work for us
7) the ebook is in a format we cannot recognize, or require us to unzip the files
8) to get the ebook, we have to register with our email and name

Since we access your ebooks before listing them, making it difficult or impossible for us to get your ebooks means they won't get listed.

It is our sincere wish to make the directory one which offers quality and not just quantity.

I Received A Writing Tool for Christmas!

About Alphasmart
I longed to own an Alphasmart writing device for several years and was finally given one for Christmas. This writing device is extremely easy to learn. After removing it from the box and installing 3 AAA batteries, it was ready for use. I reserve file 1 to file 4 for myself while other members of my family use file 5 to file 8 - we all love to write. What a good thing that this device could be shared amongst different users. The fact that it is compatible with both the Mac and Windows OS makes it perfect for us! Because we keep the machine in our bags most of the time, the "enabling 2 keys" to turn the machine on is a well-thought out feature as that will prevent the machine from being accidentally turned on. We can also password protect each individual files if desired.

Each file can store up to 50 pages of text and that's a lot! While away, I wrote a 10
page journal during my vacation on my Alphasmart Neo and when I got back home, all I did was to open new a file using my favorite word processor, gave it a file name, wrote an introductory paragraph and then connected the device to my computer! The lines of text were then transferred word by word onto my word processor (from where my cursor was) as if someone was there typing them!

My child wrote a short story while waiting at the airport and continued it during the 15 hours plane ride. By the time we got home, the story was ready to be transferred to the NeoOffice (a free word processor for the Macbook) and we were impressed!

Since writing could be done so conveniently with an Alphasmart device, it is good news for ebook writers! The Alphasmart device is very light, the batteries last a good 700 hours, and the instant on and off feature is what I love the most!

Asus Eee PC 701 as ebook readers

Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy 7" PC Mobile Internet Device ( 512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive, Webcam, Linux Preloaded) Black
Asus Eee PC 8G-Pearl White 7" PC Mobile Internet Device ( 1 GB RAM, 8 GB Hard Drive, Linux Preloaded) Pearl White


The ASUS Eee PC functions as an excellent ebook device for those who cannot buy a Kindle (outside of USA) or other dedicated ebook reading devices (because they were not sold in their countries).

After using my white Eee PC for two weeks, I simply couldn't resist the urge to get myself another one (a black one) - and this time I wanted to keep all the applications that came with the machine. My first (white) Eee PC had been converted into an XP. I may even upgrade the RAM of both my machines to 1G as there was news that ASUS would not invalidate the warranty for RAM upgrade.


Having used both machines to read ebooks in several formats, I am convinced that they offer many more ebook choices. My new Linux EeePC (the black one) comes with FBreader installed and I have been reading a few Mobipocket format ebooks with the reader. The ebooks were from Mobipocket.com ebook site and there were more than 11,000 free ebooks. What I really like about the FBreader is that the default font is very crisp and large enough for comfortable reading and the page could be rotated for portrait view, giving the machine the feel of a "real" book (see the picture).

I enjoy both the Eee PCs so much that I even bought two different leather jackets for them (yes 2 different designs)! While that may add a little to the weight and thickness, the machines feel less warm to touch when I have used them for more than 2 hours. Given some time, I would be able to compare both machines but in the meantime, I carry them around and use them extensively. One machine is being charged while the other one is in use.

Really I do not see my Eee PC as a computer but as my library and I love both gadgets not because I love machines but because they carry my collection of ebooks! With one PC I read DRM'ed ebooks and with the other, free ebooks.

Anyone can publish an ebook on Kindle?

This is astonishing, but again it's not for those who are not in the United States. While browsing Amazon.com for some printed books to buy (can't get Kindle version) I saw a link that reads "Are you an Author or Publisher?" and followed it. I landed on an introduction/login page to Amazon.com's Digital Text Platform and got the idea that anyone who has an Amazon.com's account and a ebook to sell can publish his or her content in the Amazon Kindle Store in minutes!

It makes me feel like I'm in literary exile. Firstly, almost all dedicated ebook reading devices are not available for sale in Hong Kong (maybe no market for such a gadget) and while I understand that the Kindle is not available for sale/use outside of USA, even Amazon Shorts (Short literary works delivered digitally through the internet) are not for us either because of geographical restrictions. There aren't many bookstores in HK and when comparing book prices, they are still more expensive than when I get them from Amazon.com.

I cannot think of another bookstore I will get all my reading materials from as I have patronized Amazon.com for more than half a decade but I certainly feel left out of its recent e-book development. I thought that while shipping fees and the time it took for delivery of hard copies were too much for a lot of readers residing outside United States, e-books might be the answer for them but that did not seem to be the case.

My dream, an e-bookstore that sells to customers internationally.