If you’re into reading then a device such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab has the potential to turn into one of the best gadgets you’ve ever owned. Thanks to an increasingly huge collection of traditional print publications appearing online, with everything from books to magazines and also newspapers now being produced in digital editions, a tablet device makes the ideal environment for enjoying them. The benefits are numerous, with instant access to just about any title that springs to mind being one of the most appealing aspects of ebooks in particular. There’s nothing more frustrating than walking into a bookstore having had a conversation with a friend about a title and finding that it’s out of stock. Look for the same book online and you’ll probably find it in an instant, such is the vast array of publications now available for download from various outlets on the internet. Once you’ve pinpointed the title you’re after it’s generally just a case of paying for it and downloading the item to your mobile device. With an ebook on-board something like a Samsung Galaxy Tab it’s wonderfully easy to enjoy any kind of literary masterpiece in digital form. One of the main benefits is that you instantly lose the bulk of a having a physical book in your hands. In purely practical terms this means that you can take multiple titles with you if you’re off on your travels. However, it’s also amazingly handy if you simply like to pick through a book or magazine while you’re enduring a stressful commute, kicking back in the living room or even lounging in the garden. While some cynics may well suggest that reading ebooks is a less rewarding experience than picking up a conventional title printed with ink on paper, the tablet device has undoubtedly transformed all things literary. Granted, there’s no replacing a great story, but far from diminishing the impact of printed prose, the modern day ebook actually enhances many titles. What’s more, it allows you to enjoy just about any kind of reading material, no matter how obscure it might be. Simply log-on, select it, pay and download. Once the title has been downloaded to your tablet device then actually reading it couldn’t be easier, as the following steps will reveal. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it’s possible to keep all of your book titles, plus magazines and any other print-based content, corralled inside the eBook app, which is also augmented by the Samsung Readers Hub. These are two great little additions to the Android desktop as the former can be used to store digital ebook titles while the latter acts as a literary portal that gives you instant online access to all of the reading matter that you’re after.
Step-by-step: Get to grips with ebooks
Find an ebook
Open the Readers Hub, then the ‘Books’ option shown here to reach the online store. Purchased titles can then be read by accessing the eBook app, shown in step five.
Sign up or browse
You can choose to either ‘Sign In’ or ‘Visit Kobo Store’. As you add more books the shelves in the background will start to fill with your new digital ebook titles.
Create an account
Samsung has partnered with kobo to enable ebook fans to create an account and purchase titles online. Simply add your details as shown. Users must be over 13 years of age.
Browse the categories
There are ebooks covering every genre, and some are even free. Simply pick your title, head to the checkout, pay and download. You can also search the site for specific authors.
Reading your ebook
Open the title in your eBook app and flick the corners to turn a page. Change the view options by going to ‘Settings’, so typefaces and size can be tweaked.
Get more control
View other options by tapping the screen at the foot of the page, which shows these other controls. They include a jump to the index, settings, information and a bookmark.
Book publishing details
The ‘I’ menu option, for example, shows all of the ebook publishing information, which is handy for checking a publisher if you’re looking for the other ebooks in a series.
Highlighting an issue
Hold down the tip of your finger on some text and it can be selected then copied, searched for or highlighted in a colour of your choice for referencing purposes.
