What are you reading on Thursday

[nineveh_uk]

Tell me about your e-readers, please!

I think that it is time that I took another step into the digital age and got myself an e-reader/similar. When I bought my phone I decided to buy a small rather than large one so that I would actually carry it with me, and that worked, but it does mean that the screen it smaller than is desirable for reading something long on. I don't expect that I'll buy lots of ebooks, but at the moment I'm sometimes not reading stuff because I'd have to read it on my computer/print it out. And I'm sure I will buy some things on top of catching up with Trollope, long fanfic, and the library. Maybe I'll finally read War and Peace on holiday.

So... Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony? What't good? What's annoying? At the moment I'm thinking an ebook for ease on the eyes rather than a tablet, but do feel free to make the case for a tablet.

Comments

[lilliburlero]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite. It behaves well, mostly: it has a long battery life, which hasn't perceptibly diminished over the two years I've had it, the screen is easy to read in all sorts of light. For some reason it doesn't play at all nicely with .mobi files downloaded from archive.org, though that might not be its fault: they come out as alphabet gloop. Some pdfs appear as teeny-weeny unmagnifiable text. I read a fair bit of fic downloaded from AO3 on it: those files reproduce perfectly, as do Gutenberg .mobi files.

[nineveh_uk]

Do you find that you use the light much? One of my considerations is whether to go for the cheap version and save money for theoretical tablet purchase, given that I don't have a partner I wish to read in bed next to!

Knowing AO3 comes out well is handy!

[antisoppist]

As you know, I bought a bigger phone so that I could use it as an e-reader without having to carry two separate things about so I am not that useful but I will say things anyway.

I was an early adopter and had a Sony 300. The reason I ended up preferring my phone was that the Sony kept running out of charge. I read fast and I page turn practically constantly and their assumptions of how many pages their battery lasted for were way out for me. So look at battery life.

The other reason I preferred my phone to the Sony was that the Sony didn't have internet access and I had to plug it in to my computer and copy e-books onto it rather than downloading them onto it directly. I am not sure there are any e-readers that don't have the internet these days but it was an issue back then.

I didn't go for a Kindle because I don't want Amazon to know everything I read and possibly decide to suddenly take it away again but I don't know, it might become the default for everything and I might give in one day and the free and cheap deals are an attraction. On a Kindle do you have to get all your books from Amazon or can you add ones from other places too? Most of what I read on my phone is downloaded fanfic from AO3 (the problem with that is that I forget to go back to the site and comment/kudos) and things from Project Gutenberg.

File formats? I think most places provide e-books as epub (which I use) or mobi (Kindle) and Calibre software will convert them. Do they all read pdfs? sometimes I use my e-reader software to read pdfs.

Options for highlighting, annotating, bookmarking, copying? I tend not to do any of those things but I might if it was easier. Say if you wanted to quote from an e-book in an LJ post, could you do that straight from the device if it has a browser?

Daughter has a non-internet enabled Bookeen Cybook and is happy with that FWIW. Their newer ones have internet access. At some point she is going to need a laptop/tablet/internet enabled thing (scary).

I'd be interested in what any of your commenters say about tablets. My current issue is whether I want a new, small laptop or a tablet. My laptop has a very large screen which was great for watching films and playing games on but is too big and heavy for lugging on trains or using in workshops/conferences, which is where I tend to be wanting to use it these days and where my phone is too fiddly.

[nineveh_uk]

All elements of the experience are useful! My choice to buy a small phone I would actually take with me has proved the right one, I think, but it does leave this dilemma remaining.

It seems that you can now get non-Amazon books on a Kindle, including AO3 and gutenberg, which is where I suspect the majority I will read will come fron.And apparently you can break the DRM on Kindle things too... I don't know about quoting - a tablet would be better fo rconnecting with internet things, but my phone is bad enough for bright light on the bus, a tablet would be impossible in the morning on sunny days.

People are talking about tablets on LJ. They have a lot to be said for them, though I'm not sure this is the job I want one for. Apparently you can attach keyboards to them, which is one of the gripes I had. I am bitter that netbooks seem to have died a death.

[ankaret]

You can put non-Amazon stuff on a Kindle, but you do have to download from Gutenberg or wherever to your PC, attach the Kindle by a USB cable and drag and click. Sometimes it will download fanfic from AO3 in .mobi form and sometimes it won't, and there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it.

As I was saying to nineveh_uk below, though, they're terrible with pdfs.

[ankaret]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite, bought in a hurry because my old Kindle Keyboard died - if I'd had more time to look around I would probably have tried to source another Kindle Keyboard. The light is useful if reading in low-light conditions and the e-ink is *much* easier on the eyes than a tablet. The main problem I have with the Kindle is that it doesn't handle PDFs, particularly colour PDFs, at all well.

It is a total doddle to convert .epubs to .mobis with Caliber, and the 'send Word documents to Kindle' feature works better than it did. I do agree with Ros over on LJ that Kindles are getting worse, though. Less storage, more annoying features that power readers don't want and that are turned on as a default.

[nineveh_uk]

I note that the Paperwhite has half as much storage as the bog-standard Amazon cheapo. The Nook one has a surprisingly amount of space for non-Nook content, too. What is wrong, I ask, with doing the basics well? That's what I want! Not sure if I want a light or not - I ask myself when I actually read in low light. I will have to pull my jumper over my head in the shop to try. And get arrested.

I don't (at present) read a lot of PDFs. The option would be handy for the odd thing at work, but I am not of the knitting brigade.

[castiron]

Some of what to choose depends on where you're acquiring your ebooks. If you have a preferred ebook store and you aren't willing to strip DRM, obviously choose a device that can handle books purchased at your preferred store. If you're mainly reading fanfic and Gutenberg or you're happy to strip DRM, then ease of sideloading is a factor to look at.

My Nook Simple Touch has served me very well, but the last time I really used it was on an overseas trip where I wanted a device that would go a long time between charges; I do almost all my ebook reading on my iPod Touch. Still, I've been happy with the Simple Touch, and especially happy with the micro SD slot that allows me to load a much larger library than the internal memory will hold.

That said, if I were buying a new e-ink reader today, I'm not sure what I'd buy. In the U.S., Amazon's customer service is much better than Kobo's, but even with Calibre, converting all my epubs to mobi would be annoying. With Nook likely to split off from the B&N parent company (and with B&N having good in-store customer service but terrible online and phone CS), I'd hesitate to buy another Nook device, though I might go with one just for convenience. Sony, last I heard, has gotten out of the ebook reader market, so I'd be concerned about getting customer support if I got a unit that failed two months after purchase.

[nineveh_uk]

I am yet to buy any ebooks, so where I'll be getting them from is also part of the future - a lot of Gutenberg and AO3, I suspect - but I haven't got to deal with converting a back catalogue to a different system. I'm intended to grapple with Calibre and stripping DRM either way; I want my longterm options in my hands...

Nook aren't associated with a bricks and mortar chain in the UK, as we don't have Barnes and Noble here, though you can buy them via Blackwells. That may be a strike against them, though the readers seem to go down well. Actually, I'm coming to the conclusion that people's favourite ereader is the one they have, so I may be OK whatever I go for!

[aunty_marion]

I was given a Samsung Galaxy 3 7" tablet for Christmas last year (by a very kind knitting friend); it runs Android, and I have the Kindle app on it for most e-books, though some (usually smaller stuff) comes readable by Adobe Reader. I can either download on the PC and transfer to the tablet by cable, or download straight to the tablet (and usually try to remember how to get things where I want them!). It's also very good for putting knitting patterns on (usually .pdf files, so Adobe for those), and it's wi-fi, so I can read Twitter/FB etc, when I'm somewhere that has wi-fi...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

The Samsung tablets look nice. What I'm not sure about is their gentleness to the eyes (mine do get tired), and I do have a laptop. The whole thing has been a process of trying to decide how to juggle various pros and cons!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I am very pleased with my bog-standard Kindle, bought ?3 years ago. It now feels old-fashioned next to my phone, but for reading books it is fine. It has Wi-Fi, although the interface for web browsing is clunky.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

A vote for kindle! It is striking how old-fashioned ereaders, being black and white, can look. Clearly I ought to have bought one ages ago and it could not just be a bit old.

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

I am on my 4th Kindle Keyboard. These are not available from Amazon any more and they go for silly prices on ebay, but I found someone on Ravelry who was willing to sell me hers in perfect condition for £20. I like having physical buttons rather than just a touchscreen. I would always choose eink for reading, but I suppose if you wanted a tablet for other uses, then you could read on it as well. My observation is that each new generation of ereaders is less good for reading because they are constantly trying to make it appeal to non-readers.

I have a feeling that Sony have stopped making ereaders. Nook has notoriously poor customer service in the US; don't know if it's any better here. Plus they're the hardest for sideloading things you've bought from other places.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

My observation is that each new generation of ereaders is less good for reading because they are constantly trying to make it appeal to non-readers.

It's kind of ironic, really. Useful to know about Nook's service - not an encouraging thing!

I am not sure that I do want a tablet - I think that I would find the lack of keyboard frustrating. But they do give amazing results for looking at pictures.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I use the bog standard old Kindle and it's perfectly serviceable for reading, but the search functions (both on the net and within individual books) are a nightmare and it's starting to feel more old-fashioned than a physical book compared with Wolfgang's iPad. I do like the ink effect but not enough that I would buy it again. When it goes on the blink, I'll probably get an iPad.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

You are upsetting my calculations! You were in my informal "has Kindle, seems to like it" column.

The search functions seem the major disadvantage of ebooks to me (without having really used ones). Though it was pointed out to me that not being able to flick forward and spoil yourself can be a bonus at times! I am not sure about tablets/iPads. For some stuff, the screens seem amazing (oh, how I regret not paying to upgrade my laptop screen when I bought it), but the light when reading on the bus thing is an issue, and I'm not sure that I want a non-keyboard device (bearing in mind that I can have my laptop anywhere in the house without inconveniencing others). Godo for travel though. Aargh, dunno!

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I had a look round at the time I bought my Kindle (version 5 - the e-ink one with side buttons and no light or keyboard), and decided I preferred that over the other options available at the time. I haven't looked at other options since, although I have compared it to someone's Paperwhite and decided that I prefer having a light device and side buttons over a heavier device with a light and a touchscreen. Not having a keyboard is occasionally a pain, but as I don't want to take notes it's only very occasionally for me, and I prefer the smaller size. I definitely prefer e-ink for reading for long stretches, and I have a mild preference for physical buttons for turning pages.

A Kindle does tie you to Amazon in that it makes their system the easiest way to buy and receive books, but it is possible to get books elsewhere and either connect a PC to your Kindle (I'd really recommend the Calibre software for this - makes library management and format conversion very easy) or email them to your Kindle.

I don't know if there's a huge advantage in picking one reader over another in terms of which file format it takes. I think the ePub format allows the publisher to specify a bit more in the way of formatting and sophisticated contents pages, but I don't know whether publishers actually take advantage of that or not. The Kindle takes mobi/AZW files, and if there's an ePub I want to read on my Kindle, I use Calibre to convert it for me.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. The Calibre rec is useful, too. It appears you now have to pay a lot to have the buttons...

[jennyrad.livejournal.com]

I have a Kobo Glo and I love it. The backlight is better than that any other e-Ink device I've seen, which matters to me because I have a bit of insomnia and often want to read at night without disturbing my partner, and setting the Kobo's backlight to 1% power is absolutely perfect. It's big enough to fit a reasonable amount of text on the screen, but small enough to go into big pockets and small handbags. The battery lasts for so long - even using the backlight a lot - that I don't know how long it actually lasts, because I plug it in so rarely. It's easy to get books on over Wifi just by buying from Kobo, but I also use Calibre to upload books bought from other sources. (Including Kindle books, by the way. I strip DRM from them if necessary, it's very easy.)

For your eyes and the ease of not needing to charge often, I'd definitely, definitely, definitely say go with an ebook not a tablet.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll take a look at the Kobo (not charging is good, charging not being my forte), and that's a second rec for Calibre. I would be very tempted to strip DRM from Kindle even with a Kindle...

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I loved my keyboard kindle, but it died just over a year ago after just under three years. I replaced it with a kobo, and am really pleased with it (once I'd got used to the interface). I don't have a backlight which means it can be read in sunshine!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Another Kobo vote! I get the impression that everything has pros and cons and I will probably end up in a shop voting on trivial "Oh, I like that one".

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

My sister loves the Kobo, except she can't read in the bathtub. I love the ipad. Not only can I read books, but they can be read to me via audio books, which allows me to read in the bath and while driving. You can buy Bluetooth keyboards cheaply. The iPad mini is a good size, I have ipad 2, which is working well 3 years on. I love that books with pictures and illustrations are easily viewed and can be enlarged. Search functions are very good. I am easily able to put fanfic and PDFs on it. Can use kindle, adobe reader, iBooks- and use Calibre to manage books. Tip purchase accessories at amazon or eBay, most shops have very limited choices at high prices.

[biascut.livejournal.com]

I put my kindle ion a airport ziploc bag to read in the bath!

[adaese.livejournal.com]

My kindle is 3 1/2 years old now. Easy on the eye, keyboard, 3G, so can use for websurfing (used it quite a bit this way last time I was traveling abroad, though it's noticeably slower and clunkier than my phone), but mostly use it as an e-reader. I'm happy with it.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

It is one of the perils of being a late adopted that people praise versions (like the keyboard kindle) that you think sound great, but can't get!

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

I am extremely happy with my (rather old) Kindle 2. My only issue with the Kindles is that they no longer sell a non-touchscreen version. I prefer not having to get fingerprints on the screen, put clicking a physical button to change pages is more tactile and easier on the hands. So I'm hoping my current Kindle lasts long enough for the world to get over its infatuation with cheap touchscreens.

I read quite a bit of fan fiction on mine using the web browser. It's not good for *finding* fan fiction to read--browsing is tedious--but I bookmark things on Pinboard from my computer and then read them online on the Kindle. Works really well for AO3, LJ, and even fanfiction.net. Works a little less well on Tumblr, but that's Tumblr.

I love the eInk screen without the backlight because I can read it in bed without messing up my ability to sleep. I've found that staring at the bright light of a laptop or tablet is a GREAT way to signal my brain that it's daytime and I should be awake--not what you need with insomnia.

The Kindle isn't new or exciting technology--it will not feed your gosh-wow needs if you have them. After an extremely short period it becomes invisible, to the extent that early on I had to check my Kindle to see whether I'd bought/read a new book on the Kindle or on paper because I remembered reading it but could not remember what format.

An eReader is, of course, the only physically possible way for me to carry three months worth of reading material to Costa Rica.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I would like buttons, too. Damn the march of technology!

That's a good point about how to find material online with an iffy web-browser, which I hadn't really thought of.

If I had gosh-wow needs on the technological front I wouold have bought a phone that stored more than 20 text messages before this April... Becoming invisible, OTOH, is good.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

I've had two e-readers so far and I liked them both for different reasons.

1. Sony Reader - Sadly the model I owned is no longer being manufactured, but it had this wonderful, large screen and easy button navigation and probably the best book-cataloguing setup I've come across on any e-reader so far. J has the smaller version still and he's very happy with it.

2. Kindle Paperwhite - I'm not the biggest fan of touch-screens but I can live with it because being able to adjust the back-lighting is the best thing ever. Seriously. I can read in the dark with minimal eyestrain. Absolute lifesaver on flights and/or public transit. Book organization sucks, but if you use the Calibre program instead of the on-board Amazon cataloguing software, that improves things.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Alas, Sony seem to have stopped making ereaders, which is a pity because the picture of the one I just googled had a lovely design.

I've been having mixed feelings about the lights - I very seldom would be in the dark and needing to read. But people do seem to like it. One of those cost/benefit analyses is required!

[allochthonous.livejournal.com]

I had a kindle for a long time - originally a keyboard bought in summer 2011, and now, the fourth incarnation is a bog-standard touchscreen which lasts very well. What distinguishes the kindle for me is the unbelievably good customer service: kindles 2, 3, and 4 were all free replacements after their predecessors were dropped, sat on, froze or suffered similar sticky ends. Technically they only come with a year's warranty, but every time I've rung up with a problem, Amazon have couriered me a replacement the next day. I have no idea if they are still this god, but I have definitely been impressed, I got #4 in January of this year, and while the screen is robust, the touchscreen is getting a little ropey and I find myself stabbing the screen rather more than I'd like.

That said, since I got an iPad mini earlier this year I use the kindle less and less. The kindle still wins out on battery life and ease of reading, but because I use the iPad much more for other things, more often than not I find myself opening the kindle app and reading on that.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Amazon, despite their tax-evasion evilness, do seem to do very good customer service when it comes to ereaders. There is much to be said for that.

The whole which would I use balance element is one of the big challenges for me. I

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I have a Nook simple touch glowlight (I think that's all the words) and love it:

* having both touchscreen and buttons to turn pages means I can be comfortable in lots of different reading hand positions
* not being from Amazon (though if I want to buy kindle books I can use calibre to convert)
* I can borrow e-books from my library online (they don't do kindle format, though I think you can do something complicated to get them anyway)
* I can transfer on wifi, or just drag and drop
* reading pdfs of reports or knitting patterns is much easier than on a computer screen
* having the light is very very useful for being places that lack electricity, but is nice and adjustable for just reading in bed

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I'd seen that one and it did look good. Buttons have much to be said for them, though I think my library does ebooks for Kindle.

I feel I may be at the stage of needing to go to a shop and randomly look at things and choose on clearly unscientific factors.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

I like my (three-year-old, no-frills) Kindle OK, although I have to admit the need to tap-tap-tap-tap back and forth to turn pages drives me nuts even for casual reading, and simply will not do for either academic work or, for that matter, fic-writing. I'm always thinking, oh-let-me-check-on-that-thing-a-few-pages-back, only to discover that what would be a casual flip through a printed book is something like twenty-five screens ago on the Kindle, and you have to hunt for it.

On the plus side, the batteries last forever as long as you don't turn on the wifi (as in, I took it to Europe for six weeks once without bothering to bring a power adapter, and it was still going strong).

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

It's got to be said that as far as ease of navigation goes, it's going to take a hell of a lot to beat the paper book! I think I need something - there are things that I'm reading on my computer to my annoyance, or printed out, that an ereader would deal with much better - but I don't really see it replacing paper books for me for a lot of reading any time soon. But fic, Gutenberg, holidays, public transport, it would be really handy to have one.

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

Without reading what others have said. I have a Kindle, which I love, and am going to replace after Christmas because I'm running out of space on it and the next generation is touchscreen and has double the space. It's actually the second e-reader I've owned; the first was an (I think now obsolete) Cybook Bookeen or some name like that. That has long since died, but the main thing that my first experience of e-books told me was that you could actually put clothes in your suitcase when going on holiday - who knew?! Transformed holidays - and I have been known to go to find somewhere with free WiFi to download a previously-purchased e-book that was released.

I also own a Kindle Fire, but I tend not to read much on that as it is backlit, and my eyes get tired after a bit. I use that more as a tablet computer for playing games and checking Facebook/email/etc when I haven't my big laptop open or with me.

The big downside is that it makes purchasing books TOO EASY - you can read them then and there. But there are loads of free books out there, too, which is great.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

More space for clothes on holiday will be excellent. I had a terrible moment at Gatwick last March when I discovered that the bookshop was a lot less extensive than the Heathrow ones and had to choose something, anything from the small selection to have enough for my holiday. The fact that I ended up with a good book does not remove the essential lesson! I think I am almost certainly going to go for e-ink over a tablet, as I feel my eyes do enough looking at a computer screen already, and it is tiring.

The Cybook Bookeen still exists, indeed the latest version comes out tomorrow, but as it seems to aim mainly at the French market is probably not the one for me. A pity, because it offers both a touchscreen and buttons.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

You have garnered an impressive number of comments.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I have! What's very reassuring is that, though there is no one clear answer, the solutions that people have picked for themselves largely seem to work for them, even where they see the downsides as well. Next step to go and look at them IRL...