- 1). Download e-book software. The software installs on a desktop, laptop or tablet computer system and allows you to browse, purchase, download and read e-books. E-book software uses different formats and may allow you to use e-books you already own. Software such as Adobe's Digital Editions and Amazon's Kindle for PC are available as free downloads.
- 2). Read books in your Web browser. If you don't want to install any software, you can still read thousands of e-books using your computer's Web browser. Websites such as Project Gutenburg and Google eBookstore provide free access to books in the public domain for reading directly in a Web browser. This e-reader solution allows reading without any downloading, and gives you free access to books wherever you have an Internet connection.
- 3). Download an app for your mobile device. While many mobile devices and smartphones include Web browsers that can access e-book content, mobile applications turn the device into a more serviceable, if somewhat miniature, e-book reader. Both the Nook and Kindle services have applications for Android, iOS and Blackberry operating systems. Other options include Stanza, Eucalyptus and Aldiko, which are available for download from their respective devices' app stores.
- 4). Check the compatibility of your e-book reader. Some e-reader programs, such as the Kindle software, limit the usable e-books to a single format, while others allow multiple formats and sources. Common e-book formats include EPUB, rich text, PDF and Librie. If you want to install software on a computer or mobile device to create an e-reader, you can download multiple programs to ensure compatibility with different formats of books.
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