Tech Answers

The Perils of Pay Walls

John Gaines, LibraryPoint Blog, newspapers, pay walls, subscription fees, Weekly Feature Articles, Nonfiction, Tech Answers

01/16/2013 - 2:58pm

It’s no secret that the newspaper and magazine industries are under a period of terrible financial stress, as I reported in my article, "Where Have All the Magazines Gone?" Since then, even more magazines and newspapers have ceased publication of their printed format, including Newsweek at the end of 2012. As print magazines and newspapers become less viable, the companies that run them face a vexing choice—rely on Internet advertising on an open site for funding or charge fees for access to a pay wall site that inherently limits the size of their audience. Inspired by the New York Times’ recent implementation of a pay wall, many news magazines are implementing or plan to implement pay walls, including the Washington Post. As consumers, many find the concept of formerly free sites implementing viewing restrictions on content frustrating and counterproductive to their desire to know what’s going on in the world. But does it even benefit the companies themselves in the long run? Financial magazines and Wall Street praise the Times’ pay wall as the future, but the overall history of success for pay wall news sites is considerably less hopeful than it may first appear.

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Project Gutenberg

Caitlin Griggs, eBooks, LibraryPoint Blog, Tech Answers, Web Site Reviews, Reading Room Blog, Tech Answers

01/09/2013 - 2:50pm

"Powered by ideas, ideals, and by idealism." This is one of the first few lines in the mission statement of Project Gutenberg, a Web site stating that it is the first—and largest—single collection of free eBooks. Another tidbit worth mentioning is the fact that it is completely run by volunteers, and there are no dues or membership requirements. While they do gladly accept donations and new volunteers, the site makes its main goal clear: “...provide as many eBooks in as many formats as possible for the entire world to read in as many languages as possible.”

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Watch out for Cheap Tablets!

Android, Chuck Gray, LibraryPoint Blog, Mobile Computing, tablet computers, Teen Blog, Tech Answers, Science and Technology

12/13/2012 - 4:33am

Serial readers of the Tech Answers blog probably know that I would recommend either an iPad Mini or a Google Nexus 7 for an eReader tablet and that, though they are very pretty (the devices, not the blog readers, who could be pretty, but I wouldn’t know), I would guide most away from retailer-specific hardware like the Kindle Fire or the Barnes & Noble Nook. But that overlooks one very important buying category: Cheap Tablets. These are sub-$150 and often sub-$100 devices that you’ll find at convenience and drug stores.

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Adobe Digital Editions for Geniuses

Adobe Digital Editions, Chuck Gray, eBooks, LibraryPoint Blog, Teen Blog, Tech Answers, Science and Technology

12/11/2012 - 3:00pm

If you own a Nook, Sony, Kobo, or other non-Amazon e-ink (black and white) eBook reader listed here and you’ve checked out eBooks from CRRL, chances are you’ve had the misfortune of dealing with Adobe Digital Editions, the gateway between most copy-protected eBooks and reading devices. If you’re planning on giving or receiving one of these toys this holiday season, you’ll want to read on. Adobe Digital Editions is poorly designed, non-intuitive and relies far, far too heavily on keyboard shortcuts and buried menus. Even with its recent, underwhelming 2.0 update, be you tech “dummy” or “genius," it’s a pain. Sadly, it’s what we’re all required to use in order to get our eBooks from the Internet to our devices. Read on to learn its secrets.

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CRRL Offers More eBooks with Freading

eBooks, LibraryPoint Blog, Samantha Thomason, Teen Blog, Tech Answers

11/27/2012 - 2:10pm

Thanks to the Library of Virginia, CRRL customers now have access to more eBooks via Freading.

To browse and check out eBooks, visit our Freading web site, and log in using your library barcode and four digit pin number.

Quick FAQs:

Freading is a token based platform. Each customer gets 4 tokens per week. These roll over for 4 weeks, for a maximum of 16 tokens, and then they leave your account. A week is Monday to Sunday from midnight, EST.
Books cost 4, 2, or 1 token(s). In general, this is based on how new a book is.
Checkout period is 2 weeks. Books can be renewed once for "free" or for a number of tokens depending on the title.
Freading allows simultaneous use of titles, so no holds necessary!

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iPad Mini Review

Chuck Gray, iOS, iPad, LibraryPoint Blog, Teen Blog, Tech Answers, Science and Technology

11/13/2012 - 4:29pm

The iPad mini is awesome. You can read on if you like, but just know that this is a tech purchase you probably will not regret. With its slim size, diminutive weight, and full-sized iPad technology, the iPad mini is a winner with few drawbacks.

Philosophically I approve more of Google’s open source Android than I do Apple’s closed-off iOS. I also am not a fan of iOS devices’ lack of centralized file storage and exploration. But really, there’s no denying that Apple knows how to build a tablet that overcomes these issues. The mini is 0.28 inches thick, 7.87 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide, and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The front of the mini is entirely glass with a diamond-cut edge that fits snuggly into an anodized aluminum unibody that comes in both slate and silver. The left and right bezel of the device have been narrowed significantly; at times this can make holding the device in portrait mode slightly awkward, but not as much as you might think thanks to its surprising lightness. Apple is king when it comes to rolling out devices that are a pleasure to hold and the mini is no exception; you will not believe how light and thin it really is until you hold one.

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