CALL TO ACTION: KINDLE Alternatives for Yaoi!

To further show Amazon that we mean business, I thought I would post alternatives for digital reading that doesn't require a KINDLE or even an eReader to enjoy.

Barnes & Noble has the NOOK and currently boasts of approximately 149 yaoi titles based on a search for the word "yaoi" on their NOOK site. The best thing is that you do not need to own a NOOK in order to read these titles. B&N offers free apps for your PC desktop, your Mac desktop, your iPad, your iPhone, your Blackberry and for Android.

Digital Manga also has their site eManga with all of their titles listed as well as fan favorites like Starfighter and Teahouse. It also currently has BLUMANGA titles but only until May 20th. If you have an eReader that supports ePub, Mobi or PDF files, you can find a growing selection of Digital Manga's titles over at tlagay.com as well. Borders sells their eReader, the Kobo, for as low as $99 and it supports both ePub and PDF files. They also provide free apps for your PC desktop, Mac desktop, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry and Android. A Google search of eReaders shows a wide range of devices as well as low prices. Just make sure to pay attention to what file types they support!

As you can see, there are PLENTY of other ways to enjoy your digital content without having to resort to supporting the KINDLE and Amazon's restrictive content guidelines and censorship. Let's show Amazon and KINDLE we mean business!

~Jennifer LeBlanc

18 Comments

Kashonna Shaw May 6, 2011 at 8:17 PM

Went to B&N today and had the guy explain the big differences between the nook and nook color. And from what he told me I should stick with the Nook since I’m just gonna be reading manga and not looking so surf the web or play apps.

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:20 PM
Oh, good to know! It’s easy to get distracted by all the pretty colors but he has a good point if it’s only for manga and reading. How do you surf the web on that? Is it WiFi? Can you connect to your home internet if you have a wireless router?

[Reply to this comment]
Kashonna Shaw May 6, 2011 at 8:26 PM

The Nook Color has a built in WiFi, but they also have a Nook with 3G that allows you to connect to the internet when a hot spot is close, so you can buy more ebooks for it

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:28 PM
Hmmm… if I can surf the web on it, I might just go for the color one after all. Do they have ones you can play with at the store?

[Reply to this comment]
Kashonna Shaw Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:32 PM
Yes they have ones at the store you can try out..Basically the Nook Color is like an IPad

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:34 PM
Cool, thanks! Very helpful!

[Reply to this comment]
Kashonna Shaw Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:40 PM
No prob, for it to act like an IPad its resonablly priced, but its still higher than a Kindle, but thats to be expected if your getting more features.

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:45 PM
You don’t know how much I paid for my KINDLE back in the day and it sucks. >_< I’m more than happy to pay less for new equipment and get more.

[Reply to this comment]
Kashonna Shaw Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:56 PM
Ugh I can’t imagine, when did Kindle come out? Seems like its been around for awhile now

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 9:04 PM
I don’t know when KINDLE 1 came out, I have KINDLE 2 and it’s been a few years. I paid $369 for it then and it’s pretty damn basic.

[Reply to this comment]
Kashonna Shaw Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 9:07 PM
Wow, I can’t see myself splurgin like that, guess I’ll stick with the Nook..lol or I can get the Nook Color and still come out a winner

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 9:10 PM
Oh, KINDLE prices have come way down since then. I think they’re more reflective of their true worth now but then it was “NEW!” so you didn’t have a lot of options.

[Reply to this comment]
LG May 6, 2011 at 9:31 PM

Actually, what I would worry about the most is screen size – I don’t know if the screen size of the Nook Color is larger than that of the Nook, but, if it is, it would be worth getting it if you’re buying with the intention of using it to read manga. The screen size of the Nook is large enough that manga is probably readable, but only if it’s not a very wordy work. I’ve been experimenting with turning some fan comics and various other JPEGs into EPUB files to see how they’d look on my Nook, and I was really impressed with how nice the comics looked…except for the screen size. You end up dealing with something that’s quite a bit smaller than the average Shonen Jump or Tokyopop volume.

[Reply to this comment]
Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 10:04 PM
It was the same issue with KINDLE. I can’t read manga on my KINDLE, the screen is too small (only 3.5″ by 4.75″, 6″ on the diagonal) . However I’ve been told the KINDLE DX is better since the screen size is larger (9.7″ on the diagonal, which is about 8″ long). If anyone is ok with the regular KINDLE screen size, I think the NOOK Color would be fine. The KINDLE DX has a bigger screen size but it is also much more expensive at $379. The regular NOOK (noncolor) has a smaller screen than the NOOK Color. Here’s a side-by-side comparison link for the NOOKS: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-what-type-of-reader-are-you/379002498/

[Reply to this comment]
panalopy Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 6:40 AM
I tried reading manga on the Nook color and gave myself eye strain after a couple of hours! The screen was just too small, I took it back and got the iPad, it is wonderful for reading manga! It also has apps for reading all file formats. They are a little pricy but if you can still get a first gen one they are down to about 399$ for the 16 gig wi-fi model I think.

[Reply to this comment]
LG Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 7:08 AM
Yeah, I figured the iPad was probably the best option, currently – and the price is why I continue to wait for something better before I even let myself think about buying e-manga. I recently read, though, that B&N and Amazon will both be coming out with new readers. B&N’s will use color e-ink, while Amazon’s is going to be a full-fledged Android tablet. If either one of them has a screen big enough, they could potentially work for manga. Although both B&N and Amazon have done things that have made me mad (Amazon’s decision to pull yaoi e-manga is only the most recent example), B&N has annoyed me less often, so I hope B&N’s option turns out to be the better one.

[Reply to this comment]
S.L May 11, 2011 at 1:45 AM

As much as I dislike Apple it’s looking more and more like I’ll have to get an iPad. >_< Amazon. Really. My hometown company is just so short-sighted when they've been a pioneer of so many other things.

[Reply to this comment]
Marybell May 23, 2011 at 1:55 AM

I think its pretty obvious why amazon bans yaoi titles, but ive never bought any from them, i have a kindle and read all my gay erotica books in pdf format on there, as for yaoi manga ipad is your best choice, theres an app calles bookman and others that support cbr fomats so ive converted all my manga in this format and voila now its called yaoi pad! Haha

I dont think wasting your time on emailing amazon about this issue is very productive, they are not gonna change it and we all know why, so instead get your self one of those alternatives mentioned and have a laugh at their expense for turning away their customes

[Reply to this comment]