4d ago

E-Reader recommendations

Hi,

My Kindle won't boot anymore and keeps getting stuck in boot screen, so I thought this might be a good time to get away from Amazon, even though that device was great.

So, what non-kindle readers would you recommend?

It should have color and background light and it shouldn't be huge so I can keep it in the back pocket.

And, since I don't have any experience outside the Amazon ecosystem: how is the experience of buying and transferring books to non Kindle readers?

53 comments

Onyx Boox are the best imo. I am not sure exactlyabout which the latest model is, mine is a few years old.
Android, has a web browser, file transfer over network. Getting books is very easy and you can even put a library app on there, or any store that is on an app store. But also of course just download from the browser is fine. You should be able to strip drm from current purchases with calibre and then just use the network file transfer and get them on there, for example. There is support for any mayor format, epub, mobi, pdf, cbz..
Battery lasts very long time. Has backlight. Newer models have color but I have not tried those myself.
The reader is awesome and has built in dictionary and translation for individual words. Some basic reading tracking statistics as well. You can of course install any other reader you want from app store or apk.
- I don't agree with this. Boox devices are notorious for not getting updates. As they are running on Android, security updates are crucial. But they keep churning out so many devices per year that they usually don't bother to keep existing ones up to date.
  In general, I wouldn't recommend an Android device for reading books. They are usually heavier than regular readers like Kobos for example. They also have atrocious battery life. Compared to a regular tablet it might be fine but compared to a dedicated ereader it's usually crap.
  Their UI is also not as intuitive and needs some getting used to. But I guess that's subjective.
  I think for only reading there is no need to get a full fledged Android device.
  Lastly, there is also the fact that it's a Chinese company. People can make of that what they want. Kobo is Canadian, although the parent company, Rakuten, is Japanese.
  
  You'd figure not providing the source code of GPL licensed applications they use should free up plenty of time to make updates.
  
  Battery for a week is pretty good to me. The UI is fine, but as you say that is personal preference. I agree that it is worth mentioning that it is chinese. It is not heavy at all, it is very light.
  Android is useful if you don't want to be tied to a specific store, for being able to read documentation and articles as well as easily getting new books. It is not meant to be used for web browsing or any serious app use, but I disagree that having Android is pointless, as it allows for alternate readers (like Mihon) and getting books from the web.
  
  True, having Android on it definitely has advantages. You can read RSS feeds easier, use established note taking tools etc. But it comes with its own set of downsides. It's definitely not pointless!
  Regarding battery, sure a week is nice when compared to an iPad or Android tablet. But a dedicated reader running for a month is hard to beat :)
  I just looked up the weight of the Boox Note Airs C and it's actually lighter than I remembered. 410g compared to Elipsa 2E at 390g. That's pretty nice.
  
  A month sounds nice lol.
  I think it comes down to use case a lot. I use it (aside for regular reading) for PDFs from school, I can't risk not having fast transfer of anything they send me or having to use USB to transfer would be tedious. I could use a tablet, but I like reading with a normal lamp and never use backlight. Enough screen time already really.
  Also for anyone reading manga having an app means new releases quick!

53 comments