e-guidebook experience?

Hello Sherry -

I purchased and used one of the Rick's Spain guidebooks on a trip about three years ago and had the same experience you did. I found it virtually worthless for use after I set out from my hotel each day.

I use the kindle version on the kindle fire and have had no trouble. Also used on kindle app on iPhone and iPad. No trouble there either. Things are linked from the contents, you can search, highlight, make bookmarks, etc. Either they have changed in the last 3 years (mine are 2014 books), or kindle is better than other services.

I have the 2013 RS Italy and Germany books in the iBooks app on iPhone and iPad. I've been using them extensively lately, as I'm leaving for those countries tomorrow. I've not had the problems mentioned in the original post. Formatting is fine, other than an occasional misplaced linebreak, and there are ample hyperlinks in the TofC and in the text itself.

I recently got an iPad Mini and bit the bullet and got the RS Guide to Great Britain for it. My experience has been like Jeff's that there are plenty of hyperlinks and I have found everything I've looked for. Maps look better than I expected. Table of content hyperlinks work well for what searching and general reading I've done.

I did not have any RS guidebooks on my Kindle so I can't give you any kind of comparison but really that would have been apples to oranges anyway.

I have the RS France ebook on my android tablet using the kindle app. It is as good as the paperback, has hyperlinks in the index and text (to internet sites), search feature works fine.

Mary

I got the RS Rome guide last year for my iPad mini and had no issues. I already had an older Frommers day-by-day paper book from when we went in 2008, so the RS was more of an update for me...and we stayed at an apartment and the owner had a half dozen guides lying around, so I perhaps didn't use the e-book extensively (I did like it for the walks)...I also got the Frommers California guide when we went in 2013 and it was great!

Sherry,

I've got a couple of the RS guidebooks in Kindle format in my iPhone and Netbook, and while they're a bit more cumbersome to use than a paper book I haven't had too much difficulty with them. Once I figured out how the navigation worked, I was able to get to any chapter easily. Although the maps are quite small on an iPhone, it's easy to "pinch & expand" to make them a bit easier to read. Having the books in my pocket and available for reference when out touring is incredibly useful.

I use iBooks on my iPad mini and have no problem bookmarking, highlighting, etc. no more paper guidebooks that may be outdated as soon as they go on sale!

I use Nook for my ereader and have several RS books on the system.

I run the apps on my iPhone 4s, my Samsung Tab 3, on the Nook, and on an Android Motorola Moto G. My experience is that the books are easiest for me to use on the tab because of the bigger format.

Text is clear and easy to use on the two phones, too, but because the phones are small the text is relatively small, particularly the maps, although by pinching I can see what I want to.

The magic thing is the links. As I make my way around the book and see something like a restaurant or hotel it will be in blue and I tap that and it opens up the webpage so i can investigate. Then back to the Nook and keep reading.

I was on Lake Como a couple of years ago and was on a boat which wasn't going where I had expected. I pulled out the tab and used the RS map of the lake and the gps on my phone (always carry both when on holiday) and I realised that I was going the wrong way and was able to talk to the crew and set a plan to get back. I was too late in the afternoon so the crew arranged for me to run around to other dock at Como and they got me on the hydrofoil back up to Varenna. It worked out really well, thanks to my Nook app and the RS Lakes chapter.