In the Android Marketplace there are O'reilly programming e'books for $5.99. Has anyone used these, and how do they compare to the dead tree equivalents?
A:
I got myself "Programming Collective Intelligence" from the selection of available titles as I was eyeing that one for a while anyway. Here's what I think of the concept of these books in general.
Pros:
- Cheap alternative to the "normally priced" ebook or paperback
- Code formatted in a readable way (at least on an HTC Desire). The normal text as well of course, but I had on worries there.
Cons:
- uses a bundled version of Aldiko reader (sorry, but I don't like the feel of that one)
- Reability will probably suffer from devices with smaller resolution (HVGA, QVGA)
- You can read it ONLY on an Android device
- If you get a couple of books this way, they will most certainly clutter up your app drawer as they are all separate apps (which isn't very optimal regarding installation size of n instances of Aldiko as well)
All in all, I wouldn't buy the apk version again I think but instead get myself the ebook directly from O'Reilly (which includes an APK if available anyway, but also PDF and such)
foosel
2010-09-19 18:22:06
Thank you. I wasn't aware that the books were tied to the reader, and couldn't be viewed elsewhere. I guess that explains the low price. My phone has a low res display so i'll probable shell out the extra cash for the ebook.
BigPete
2010-09-20 00:52:27