text: The happily ever after . . .: Book Smuggling* just became a piece of {birthday} cake!
  Book Smuggling* just became a piece of {birthday} cake!
  *Book smuggling per the definition of my neighborhood book smugglers, Ana and Thea of The Book Smugglers and Carolyn Crane of The Thrillionth Page as witnessed in this video HERE.
  It was my birthday last Friday {see my birthday post for a chance to win a Kiss My Face mini facial kit!}, the evening of which I spent celebrating with my husband and daughters. We ate Thai food for dinner and splurged on birthday cake for dessert. My husband also came home with two movies from redbox for a family movie night that never quite happened. There was a gift wrapped birthday present on the dining room table all day long on Friday, and I waited patiently for the everyone to be home so I could open it. I only picked it up and gently shook it once. ;)
  After dinner, I finally got to open my birthday present and was incredibly surprised, practically speechless, and very, very excited about this gift . . . it's an iPad!!!!
  Wow, what an amazing gift. I think I'm still reveling in the shock and thrill of it. :)
  Now I can use iBooks on my iPad which is so much easier to read than on my iPhone, plus I can do a million other really cool things, too! Typing a lot of text--for example, an email more than a few sentences long, isn't the easiest thing to do on the iPad, but maybe it's just a matter of getting used to. I find it very easy to type paragraphs on my iPhone, so hopefully it will get be just as easy on the iPad the more I do it. Anyway, this is one cool gift. My husband still knows how to wow me after all these years. xo
  Screen shot of my iBooks shelf
  A week or so ago, I read the short novella, The Taming of Mei Lin by Jeannie Lin using iBooks on my iPhone. I really like the way the books are displayed in color on my iBooks bookshelf and how easy it is to buy books through iTunes. Turning pages, leaving bookmarks, making notes, and looking words up online are extremely easy in iBooks. I can see myself using iBooks exclusively to read ebooks, but I'm then limited to what iTunes sells.
  I have several other ereader apps on my iPad that I've had on my iPhone for awhile, although I admit never having used them other than to poke around in the main menus now and then. The other ebook reader apps I have are the Amazon Kindle, B&N ereader, Borders ebooks and Stanza. I plan on trying each one, but at this point, I want YOUR opinion on these different platforms.
  What ebook reader device(s) or iPhone-iTouch-iPad app(s) do you use?
  If you use more than one, which is your favorite and why?
  Which bookstore has the best prices for ebooks? I'm guessing Amazon has the monopoly on cheap?
  I'm looking forward to your thoughts and recommendations, AND I'm looking forward to reading shelves and shelves of books on my iPad!
  Labels: books, ebooks, iPad, iphone
  KT Grant 05 October, 2010 14:51
  Beware when I come tomorrow because your Ipad may just vanish for no reason.
  Christine 05 October, 2010 14:58
  LOL! It is very thin. I can hide it in all sorts of sneaky places.
  Maija 05 October, 2010 15:05
  I'm so jealous! iPad... I can't believe it! Best wishes to you :)
  Well, this isn't an answer to your question, but as a Mac user I've loved Bookpedia. It isn't an e-reader, but an application you can use to catalog your books. I've used it for years now and it's great. It's under 20 dollars... Go and check out their website if you're interested in keeping track of your bookshelves.
  Phyl 05 October, 2010 15:14
  Very nice gift indeed!
  I have the Kindle and Stanza apps on my ipod touch. But now that I have an actual Kindle, I rarely use Stanza anymore and just sync back and forth between the Kindle and ipod.
  Kwana 05 October, 2010 15:53
  Woo Hoo! What a great gift. Happy belated birthday. Enjoy. I still love my Sony ereader.
  Anna 05 October, 2010 16:16
  What a great present!! I have a Kindle and I also have iPod Touch. I use both. On the iPpod Touch I use the Amazon Kindle app. Mostly because that is the store I buy from the most.
  Some of the other apps I have are:
  To Be Read(Smart Chicks & Dear Autor App)
  Karen Mari Moning app
  Unknown 05 October, 2010 17:01
  WOW!! What a cool present!!
  I have a Nook, but I'd kill for an iPad, lol! I use Borders, B&N, and Kindle apps. Kindle has some excellent pricing on some of their books, but, B&N has more free reads, so far, the most difficult to use is Borders, don't know why!
  Sarai 05 October, 2010 17:59
  Oh color me green w envy. I'm glad you had such a great birthday!!!
  Dru 05 October, 2010 18:07
  What a cool present. I want an iPad so bad..I'm saving up to buy it for my birthday.
  I have the nook and hoping for an iPad so that I can still keep my B&N books and get kindle books as well.
  Carolyn Crane 05 October, 2010 18:11
  OH, so interesting you were able to easily type long paras on your iphone!
  Hey, thanks for the shout, and I hope you're enjoying your gift.
  Unknown 05 October, 2010 18:37
  How cool! What a snazzy hubby!
  Kindle does have a lot of freebies - but so do Kobo & Sony. They all really are priced similarly. I love my Nook but...
  azteclady 05 October, 2010 19:29
  wow, that's a cool b-day gift indeed!
  (You sooooo have a winner in your DH, Christine!)
  Congrats on the new readerly gadget!
  Leslie 05 October, 2010 19:42
  I have a Nook & I also have the Kindle app for my laptop but rarely use it since I don't like reading for long on the laptop.
  No iPhone or any i devices. :)
  I've bought from fictionwise, Samhain, LooseID and eHarlequin but primarily buy from B&N. Not sure about prices, sometimes cheaper @ B&N than @ pub.
  Brandy 05 October, 2010 21:44
  Your hubs is fabulous, you're a lucky lady! *g*
  I rarely read ebooks, but I do have a few on my iPod Touch. I have the Kindle App and the iBook App. I find the iBook app to be very easy to use. Since I'm a techno-goober that's a good thing. *g* The only thing I don't like about iBook and iTunes is the VERY limited selection of books available.
  Brandy 05 October, 2010 21:45
  Oops, forgot to to say I hope you're having a good week so far and enjoying your new "toy". *G*
  Christina 05 October, 2010 21:46
  I've been using my iPad for while now. So you know I was on bed rest and was exclusively using my iPad as I couldn't use the stairs to the basement. All my blog posts lately have been written on the iPad, even this comment is via the iPad. So you will be speedy with typing eventually. I'm also hoping swype comes to iPad,I use it on my android and it makes typing even faster.
  I love, love, love it!! I have only free apps. I am using iBooks. Most of my reading is via the Sony eReader, which is what my husband uses. I just found a converter that I'm hoping will work so I can read what we buy via the eReader Store on the iPad.
  Michelle (Red Headed Book Child) 06 October, 2010 10:17
  Wow! What a present! Way to go husband.
  Hilcia 06 October, 2010 11:08
  Wow, great present! Congrats Christine.
  I use the Kindle and have the Kindle App for the Mac. That's about it for me. I do buy books from different publishers, either in pdf format or for the Kindle.
  Anonymous 06 October, 2010 14:44
  What an exciting gift! After my Sony Reader tanked, I've been shamelessly drooling over the iPad. I have an iPod Touch, and I absolutely recomment downloading the Free Amazon Kindle app called Kindle for iPhone. You can read any of your Amazon Kindle purchases on the app, and the font is a great size. No squinting for my bad eyes! Lol!
  Christine 06 October, 2010 18:17
  Maija, as a Mac user, you'd love the iPad! I mean, you'd love the iPad anyway, but even more so since you've already got the Mac bug! ^_^
  I'll have to look into Bookpedia! I haven't heard of that before. I use Shelfari to catalog my books right now, though, so I don't know if I'd need another platform, but I'll check it out. Thanks.
  p.s. Did you get my last email?
  Christine 06 October, 2010 18:33
  Phyl, If you hadn't gotten the Kindle, can you think of any reason you'd use Stanza over Kindle on your iPod? Maybe broader purchase power on Stanza?
  Kwana, Sony ereaders were the first ereading devices, weren't they?
  Anna, I love using the voice activated Google app! Have you tried it? Mm.. I use Echofon for twitter. I'll have to look into Twitterific and see if it's better. I love the word game Scramble--I guess it's basically the same as Boggle. I also play Scoops for some mindless fun. :)
  Dottie, It's a rockin' present, isn't it? I'm so excited!!
  So you use the whole lot of the ereader apps. I think I may experiment and try them all. Search for the best pricing, etc. Have you tried iBooks yet?
  I just saw something in a B&N email about being able to share your downloads with friends using the Nook or nook apps. I'm pretty sure there's a nook app now. I need to check that out.
  Sarai, my husband takes good care of me. I am very lucky. : )
  Dru, good for you for saving up for an iPad for yourself!!! You will LOVE it when you get it. How long till your birthday?
  Christine 06 October, 2010 18:42
  Carolyn, I actually got used to typing on the iphone pretty quickly. You're so very welcome for the shout on the book smuggling vlog. I got such a kick out of it! LOL!
  Gina, snazzy he is! LOL! That's good to know! How do you find out about the freebies on Kindle?
  azteclady, I know. I'm keeping him. ^_^
  Leslie, no i devices! Gasp! LOL Cute nomenclature!
  So you're not limited to purchasing books from B&N with the Nook?
  Mariana 06 October, 2010 20:41
  OMG!!! So jealous :) You are one lucky chick... God Bless :)
  As you know, I have my wonderful Sony, which I love. (Although I wouldn't mind an iPad ;) )
  Fictionwise is pretty reasonable. Diesel ebooks, Books on Board... although I do tend to buy from the publisher/author's whenever possible.
  Phyl 06 October, 2010 21:05
  Before agency pricing changed the landscape, I was a heavy Fictionwise user. I had a membership and took advantage of the discounts. Had FW been able to leave things alone, I would have gotten a Sony reader. I'm sure from time to time I'll still buy books there, and I'll have Stanza as a backup. So yeah, an extra option if a book isn't available or is too expensive on the Kindle.
  nath 06 October, 2010 22:03
  Very cool gift, Christine!! Your hubby and daughters definitively came through :P I hope you enjoy it as much as my co-worker! He loves the thing LOL.
  Sorry can't help you on the e-reader questions ^_^;
  Christine 06 October, 2010 22:48
  Brandy, I feel very lucky! :) I was pretty much set up the same way as you last week, but this iPad changes things and I'm pretty excited now about reading ebooks more regularly. I haven't had the chance to thoroughly explore the books available on iTunes. I hope it just keeps improving, because like you, I really like iBooks.
  Christine 06 October, 2010 23:12
  Christina!!! Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for the comment. How in the world are you finding the time or energy to come by and visit!?
  In case everyone else doesn't know...
  CHRISTINA HAS A 21 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER AND JUST GAVE BIRTH TO TRIPLET BOYS FOUR WEEKS AGO!!!!
  What a ride! Christina announced her surprise that she was pregnant in the beginning of April, then finds out a week later she's pregnant with naturally occurring TRIPLETS! Then less than five months later, they are born! So tiny, but fighting strong! Go, boys, go!
  Okay, I just had to get that out there! ^_^
  Christina, I'm didn't know you had an iPad. The fact that you do all your blogging and commenting and probably emails as well with your iPad is promising with regards to the typing. I hadn't heard of swype before but I googled it and it looks like the software developers of swype are trying to develop an app for the iphone, so maybe you'll get your wish!
  Hang in there, momma! xo
  Christine 06 October, 2010 23:15
  Michelle, it is a VERY cool present! : )
  Hilcia, thanks! Good to know you use the Kindle app on your Mac in addition to using your Kindle device. I'll pick your brain some more when we get together again.
  firepages, ooh you should save up or splurge for the iPad if you can. It is great fun! I have the Kindle app on my iphone but haven't used it! Of course, it's on my iPad now, too, so I'll just have to try it.
  Thanks for all the info everyone!!!
  Christine 06 October, 2010 23:19
  Mariana, Thanks for the bookstore recs. I forgot about Books on Board. IIRC, they have a vast selection.
  I hope you're feeling well this week!!
  Phyl, I haven't paid much attention to the industry news regarding ebooks in the last couple of years. Now I feel I have so much to catch up on just to understand it all. Good thing you guys are in the know!
  nath, yes, they certainly came through! I love it so far. ^_^
  orannia 07 October, 2010 00:56
  Oh, enjoy :) I currently use Stanza to read on my iPhone, but I have no idea what is what WRT eBook technology.
  Maija 07 October, 2010 04:40
  I sure would love an Ipad. But they haven't landed Finland yet... Although I think I'll stick with my Macbook when it comes to reading e-books. I can read an occasional pdf from it :)
  And yes, your mail has arrived. Probably answering today...
  Christine 10 October, 2010 10:32
  orannia, you should download iBooks and give it a try, too. It's a free app and I really like it!
  Maija, when iPads land in Finland, you should go to the store and take one for a test drive. I think it would be enough to turn anyone into an ebook reader... especially people who are already Mac users.