Portable library at your finger tips...

Have you ever wanted to take a library of all of the files necessary to help you survive and thrive in your BOB with out adding an excessive amount of weight? In a PM with @Motomom34 we were discussing PDF's and how to store them for access when I thought.... Hmmm I have several older smart phones that have 64 gig's of storage that I'm not using... so I downloaded a PDF reader and several PDF files... and Volia a small portable easily charged library for fun and survival... you can down load files from the monkey and carry them with you everywhere... a possible EDC add on...

Your thoughts...

 

great idea and a great use for old phones if you have the GPS locator off.

I also have paper copies of things that won't work in grid down situation.

I know you can't prepare for everything so i just look for holes in the preps... As you get more stuff to fill the prep holes you create another one by having too much stuff.

Good Post @Witch Doctor 01 what are you doing for power back up?

 

Personally, I use Kindles. The batteries on Kindles will last a much longer than smart phones, has a larger screen and their OS is made for viewing books not just PDFs. However, I would suggest not only having Kindles but also the old smart phones and laptops for redundancy. I have an old Netbook, 11 inch screen, whose only purpose is for use as my archive library. I also keep two backups of my library on separate USB sticks. Yeah, I am a nut when it comes to books...

Knowledge is the greatest advantage, a true force multiplier in any bad scenario/situation and, other than an experienced person, the printed word or video is the best tool to transfer that knowledge.

 

You can back up the books you have purchased and downloaded to a Kindle? Perhaps, even Kindle for PC? I have to admit, I have never even looked at the options.

 

@Ganado , I have a solar charger for cell phones, computers and kindles.

@Bandit99 The reason I thought about a cell phone for backup is it fits easily into you BOB (doesn't mas as much as a kindle) and can load many more apps and books in less space and weight... so back it up on your computer, kindle, nook, and old cell phones ... remember 3=2, 2=1, 1=0 back up is important.... and what else are you doing with old cell phones anyhow but cluttering up a drawer... better to make use of them and throw one with the files in your gun safe...

 

Even though not as popular as a Kindle, a Nook has a battery life of up to 2 weeks.

 

A Kindle Paperwhite also has an extremely long lifetime - I get 2-3 weeks reading an hour or two each day. Either of those and a small solar charger would be a great solution.

 

Great idea. I have a Kindle and solar chargers but never thought to have a Kindle or old phone just for that purpose, portable library. Kindles are dirt cheap during the week of black Friday. Never priced out a Nook but I do like the larger screens for reading. My eyes are going and I cannot read on my phone without glasses.

@3M-TA3 I have never owned a paperwhite Kindle. Some people swear buy them. In your opinion is it worth the extra cost?

 

They were cheaper than the color ones last time I looked. Other than long battery life you can read them in direct sunlight just like it was printed on paper.

 

I have a Paperwhite Kindle. It does last seemingly forever.

The 3G option (+$50 at purchase) even works when there's no Wi-Fi.

 

there are other ways to store this stuff electronically...jetbook is one and and there are many others how good they are is another thing... some of em are considerably cheaper then the above mentioned items... some are not...

 

@OldDude49 never heard of a Jetbook. The site says around $100. What is the advantage over a kindle?

 

I used to drive Comm Officers mad with this question. "What happens when the power goes off?"

The honest answer is "absolutely nothing" as it relates to anything electronic, at least not for long.

I'm sorry to be a killjoy, but if your laptop format doesn't consist of paper and ink, or you haven't downloaded the information to that vast cloud memory storage between your ears, you have a pretty piece of useless plastic. Poor fire starter and worse for wiping.

 

the books did have long battery life but when the battery goes it goes instantly, can't save anything
What I like about the Witch Doctor approach is using the SD cards in the phones, when you turn off wifi the batteries last alot longer in smart phones.

 

ugh they went way up!

can run pretty much any format... but?

 

@Motomom34 "I have never owned a paperwhite Kindle. Some people swear buy them. In your opinion is it worth the extra cost?"

Yes! Absolutely, yes! I also have the Paperwhite Kindle and it's perfect for books, the battery lasts a loooooong time, easy operation even with one hand, good resolution, reliable... Yes, I am one of those people that do swear by them. They cost ~$120 and comes with 4GB which will store a heck'va lot of books. Until recently, I had a couple of thousand books stored on them but now only got around 100 which is more manageable. My full library is stored on USB drives and my computer.

The only complaint I have with a Kindle, which I believe affects all the eBook readers, is that sometimes PDF files are displayed incorrectly and you have to play around with the file.

Should you get a Kindle, I would also recommend getting 'Calibre' for your computer. It is a reader and book database manager and lots more and it's free but accepts donations. The author is constantly updating it also, it's been around for years and is, hands-down, the best on the market. I use it specifically to change the format of my books to whatever I want. And, yes, you can get certain free tools that will integrate directly with Calibre that will remove DRM from a book if you so desire, making it a simple one step, drag and drop process. I totally support authors' rights but sometimes I need to change something like how the title is displayed.

Honestly, my Kindle is one of my prized possessions and it goes with me anytime and anywhere when I know I will have wait time (car repair, doctor/dentist office, etc), fits into my cargo pocket... Hell, I put it in a Ziplock bag and take it into the bathtub with me! The wife has one also, as does the niece... But, understand it is simply for books, no games, no video or etc...

 

Count me in as another Kindle Paperwhite fan. I take it with me most times when I leave the house, and will have to wait during an appointment. I read a lot, and it really works well for me. Battery life is very good, and I use it a lot. I charge it about once a week on my normal usage.
Another storage medium worth considering is microSD cards. There are 128 Gigabyte models which are very cheap, and adaptors so you can use them in most computers. The things are about the size of a thumbnail. Very small, very light, and great capacity. On a 64 GB microSD card you can store a huge amount of books.

 

I use the netbook option why,bigger screen Please do remember to remove DRM ! And store and backup that files, if you do not remove it your stuck with that reader and for reading on a other,in case your reader goes broke you need to have adobe server online to ok that reader! Happened before the go out of business and you stuck with unreadable books.