In a recent article (here) I reported on the free software/apps that Amazon has released to allow you to read Kindle ebooks without a Kindle. You turn your computer, iPad, or various phones into virtual Kindles.

Adam Michael Luebke (index), one heck of a good writer, frequently mistaken for a vampire (learn why) and owner of a Barnes & Noble ebook reader, which he has sometimes written about (here), commented that similar free software is available from Barnes & Noble, so that you can also turn your devices.

I did not know that; in fact, I know very little about it. My suspicion is that the difference between it and Kindle is the difference between Coke and Pepsi, largely a matter of taste and advertising.

Barnes & Noble introduced it last year; the current price is $149 (down from the original $259). Unlike Amazon’s view of the Kindle as strictly a dedicated ebook reader, Barnes & Noble seems to be expanding the uses.

So, why don’t you download the comparable it and Kindle software, and see which seems better for you? For generic ebooks, the basic format for Kindle is .mobi and for Nook .epub. With a piece of free software called Calibre (download here) which every owner or a Kindle should have, you can easily convert .mobi to .epub or vice versa)

OK, where’s my free Nook?

The term Nook, like Kindle, covers more than just the little device itself. It is a combination of hardware (the device), software (which operates it), and network (which delivers your reading material). Although you still have to purchase the device, if you wish, Barnes & Noble provides the software for free so that you can turn a variety of devices that you already own into a virtual device.

So, isn’t Barnes & Noble being generous by making this software available? For Barnes & Noble, as for Amazon, it is not so much that you can now read ebooks as that you can purchase ebooks from them. So much for “corporate generosity,” which falls into the category of oxymorons, like the sign at the seafood market: “Jumbo shrimp.”

In future articles (which I will link to here as they are posted), I will show you how you can load your real or virtual Nook with all manner of free ebooks, free subscriptions, your own self-created ebooks.

By the way, the information about free books, free subscriptions, and creating your own books is not limited to the ebook reader but is also pertinent to the Kindle ebook reader and others.

True confession

My description of Adam Michael Luebke as “one heck of a good writer, frequently mistaken for a vampire” was adapted from a well-known line by the late B. Kliban, who described a cat as “One hell of a nice animal, frequently mistaken for a meatloaf.

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