USAGE:  Some Android and
eBook Usage Tips

by Ron Plachno


 

Usage: Some Android and eBook Usage Tips




ANDROID MISSING ICONS


I had a case where when I turned my phone or pad off, that icons of programs I enjoyed using would disappear from my quick access screens. The answer, said the internet, is that for ease of startup, android icons should be stored on the phone and not SD memory. I did that for one item on my android cell phone and one item on my android pad that would always disappear. Now, they are fine. Go to Settings/Applications/Manage Applications, and look for the specific application that likes to have its icon disappear. Then see if it gives an option to move that application to the phone or pad instead of SD memory. If it does, as it did for me, then done! fixed!

EBOOK HINTS


It took me a while to like eBooks. Now I love them. As an author, you can keep them current and in good shape without killing trees, and also publish for less. As for an old person like me, they also contain their own nightlight and can be read most anywhere. Also, they can store many books in the space perhaps one book took before, and sometimes cost less since there is no paper and also less labor involved in the book manufacture.

But are eBooks hard to deal with? Apple phone and iPad of course have their own bookstore, iBooks, or something like that. However, not all books may be on that outlet since they seem to require an author to have an Apple Computer to upload books, a stopper to some of us, like me. But Apple iPad did allow a Google play app. I put one on my sister in law's iPad and downloaded a book I wrote that she wanted to read, and it worked fine.

As for android, well, as usual, "Anything goes." On my android I have loaded free eBook readers to read free eBooks including my own which I load on there for me to proof read, using the "highlight" feature if I find things to be changed. I currently prefer the free “UB Reader” since so far it seems to molest eBooks the least, eliminating the least italics, bold, line spaces, character spaces, hyphens than some others do. I also have downloaded a Google Play app. I use quite often for books I buy there, or look at my own books that I sell there. I found an Amazon Kindle app. that I just downloaded today, and I will read some Amazon Kindle books, and likely also buy some books from Amazon Kindle. Now I just found a Barnes and Noble "Nook" app. to download. Well, as I said, on android, "anything goes." I really love that freedom.

As for my three books, and one on the way not yet published, I sell mine through Google play, Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. Google play it seems to me, is racing to the front of the pack in sales, is worldwide, and has at least a medium commission. I am not surprised Google found a way to get to the top. Amazon Kindle does the second highest volume - for my books. I love Barnes and Noble Nook who seem like great people and have the highest commission, but they seem to have a hard time fighting the Google and Amazon giants for volume. As for iBook, I know the least since they seem to require an Apple computer for an author to work with them, and some of us, well, we are not rich enough to have multiple computers. I wonder how Apple has Shakespeare and Homer's works? My guess is that Shakespeare and Homer did not have Apple computers either. :)
Ronald J. Plachno

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