The question is, do we need another eBook marketplace? We already have Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, not to mention Apple’s eBook store and countless other stores. Can somebody come up with a way to transfer purchases across stores. Not only do I want my eBooks to be platform agnostic, I’d like them to be store agnostic. What do you think?

You should also head on over to the Halloween section of the Instructables website for some other cool guides that are not included in the eBook.

Download the eBook free for the next 24 hours, so hurry and get your copy now!

In order to be able to read the eBook you will need Calibre, Kindle for PC or Mac, or use an eBook reader like the Kindle, iPad, and others.

Via LifeHacker.

As far as the Windows client is concerned, I found that the application ran beautifully on Windows 7. I was able to download a couple of free eBooks available by clicking on the Free eBooks button and was able to browse to the eBook store. The software is easy to use although some users may need to tinker with the button icons in order to figure out what each does. I am not a fan of reading on my computer, I usually stick to the iPad for eBook reading, but I found that the 3D view that tilts the text pleasant on the eyes.

Blio eBook Reader Screenshot Tour

The screenshot tour below will walk you through some of the main features the application offers. If you would like to share your experience with other PC eBook readers, please use the comments form at the end of the article to share your thoughts.

Software used: Blio eBook Reader 2.0.5452 running on Windows 7 Ultimate.

Downloading Free eBooks

Finding eBooks to read on Blio is simple. You can download free eBooks by clicking on the Free Books link that allows you to search by category using Feedbooks and Google search. You can also buy eBooks from the Blio store (more on that below).

Reading and Annotation Features

Blio gives users plenty of options when displaying the eBook. You can choose to view the book in the following layouts:

• Double page – Displays eBook as two pages side-by-side.
• Full-width page – Displays eBook maximized to full width of application window.
• Thumbnails – Displays eBook as a series of thumbnails.
• Text reflow – Displays text optimally for chosen font and window size.
• Read Logic – Displays ebook in a zoomed, more precise reading mode.
• 3-D book view – Displays book in 3D view.

While reading eBooks, Blio gives you various options to highlight, annotate, and even search for a word or phrase online.

A. Users can add notes with text, hyperlinks, and even pictures to an eBook’s margins.

B. Highlighting text has never been easier, simply select the text to highlight, click on the highlight tool and choose a color.

C. Blio also allows you to select a word or phrase and automatically run a search on one of the available search engines. You can include additional search engines via Blio’s References settings.

D. You can skip to other Chapters or sections by clicking on the View Table of Contents button.

E. Or you can have Blio read the eBook for you by clicking on the Read book aloud button.

Buying eBooks

Blio’s eBook store appears to carry many of the titles found in Kindle and Nook eBook stores. I pulled the list of New York Times Non-Fiction Bestsellers to compare prices and availability. Of the top five books on the list, only one was more expensive (see table below) compared to Amazon’s price, the others were all listed for the same price on both eBook stores.

I also like the fact that I can Link my GoodReads account with Blio that allows me to get book recommendations from people I know on GoodReads. The link adds a whole social experience that is lacking in some of the other eBook readers.

Should you go out and switch from Kindle or Nook to Blio? Not yet. Until they launch support for popular mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone, and Android it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to buy an eBook you can only read on your computer. However, if you are using a Windows tablet pc or a netbook, which are easier to carry around than a desktop then this may be an option for you. For now, I will stick to Kindle.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in early December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

To learn how to use the pin up feature in Windows 7 follow the instructions below.

1. With the Start menu open, right-click on the Application you would like to Pin up to the Start Menu.

2. Click on Pin to Start Menu from the drop-down menu.

To unpin a pinned up application follow the instructions below.

3. With the Start menu open, right-click on the Application you would like to unpin from the Start Menu.

4. Click on Unpin from Start Menu from the drop-down menu.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

Aside from providing you with easy access to your Documents, Computer, Control Panel, and other areas in your computer. The Start Menu provides you with a simple way to search for any files and folders located in your computer. The best part about this search feature is that the built-in search function automatically indexes the location of all your files and folders. This means that search results are displayed instantly, within the Start Menu itself.

Alternately you can click on the See more results link (explained below) to view the entire list of items matching your search terms. The simple two step guide below will show you how to use this simple yet powerful tool to quickly locate files and folders in your computer. Advanced search features will be covered in future chapters, so subscribe to Gil’s Method to make sure you don’t miss them.

1. With the Start Menu open, type the search query into search box…The Start Menu will switch to display results of your query (results will be grouped by type; Programs, Pictures, Files, etc.)

2. Click on the See more results link to view the results in a separate window which will enable sorting, saving of searches, etc.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

The Start menu is the gateway to your computer, it provides you with access to the applications installed on your computer, the files saved on storage media, be it a hard disk, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, thumb drives, and others, most importantly the Start menu provides you with access to the Control Panel and other administrative tools. The Start menu allows provides the following activities:

• You can start applications
• Open commonly used folders
• Search your computer
• Access help for your computer
• Access settings for your computer
• Shut down, log off, switch accounts, and place computer in Sleep mode

The Windows Start menu is comprised of three distinct sections, all providing you with easy access your files, applications, and settings.

• Section 1 – on the left contains the most frequently accessed applications with an option view all installed programs by clicking on the All Programs link.
• Section 2 – is made up of links to commonly used folders, files, settings, and other features.
• Section 3 – is the built-in search feature that allows you to locate any file or program on your computer within seconds.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

Log on to Windows 7

To log on to Windows 7, first you must turn on your computer and follow the steps below.

1. Click on the User icon in the Welcome Screen.

Note: If you have not assigned a password to the account you will automatically sign on without having to go through step 2.

2. Enter the password used to access the computer, hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click on the arrow button located to the right of the password input box.

When you log on to your
computer you will be
taken to the Windows Desktop.

Log off, Shut Down, Switch User, Lock, and Restart Windows 7

When you are done working with your computer Windows 7 provides users with multiple options to exit their computers for use at a later time. The options are described in detail below.

• Shut down Completely powers down computer .
• Switch User Allows logged on user to remain logged on while another user logs on to the computer via a different account.
• Log off Completely logs off user and returns computer to Welcome Screen.
• Lock Locks down system while computer remains powered on. User must provide password in order to regain entry to machine.
• Restart Powers down computer and reboots it. Usually done for updates or if system is experiencing problems.
• Sleep A power-saving state that allows the computer to quickly resume full-power operation within a few seconds. Very useful when you want to get on your computer right away.

1. Click on the Start button to open the Start Menu.

2. To shut down, click on the Shut down button. If you wish to log off instead of shutting down, click on the small arrow to the right of the Shut down button to expand the menu and choose Log off from the list. You may also select any of the options listed above.

Before we delve too deep into all of the How-to’s in this series, let’s familiarize ourselves with the basic components that make up the Windows 7 Desktop. The Windows 7 Desktop is the environment where all of the application windows you are working with reside. The desktop provides access to applications and folders via the Start Menu and the shortcuts that are placed on the Desktop and the Task Bar. The Desktop also provides a space where enabled gadgets can be accessed. Please refer to the Figure 1.1 to familiarize yourself with the Windows 7 Desktop.

Components Highlighted Above

• Desktop Shortcuts – Shortcuts to your favorite files, folders, and/or applications
• Open Applications – Application or folder windows that are currently open
• Gadgets – Gadgets are small applications that put information like news, pictures, and games easily available at all times.
• Windows Start Menu – Menu used to access applications, settings, and other commands.
• Taskbar - Used to pinup favorite applications and display open application icons. Also contains the notification area and the Start Menu button.