Large collection + management

[sneakyspider]

Hi, everyone.

I'm looking for a new ereader and I wanted a bit of advice about which one to buy. I just recently bought a Nook 1st Generation for the ability to expand memory and keep all of my (extensive) ebook collection on the device, and while I am happy with it in general, I find myself disappointed with the devices' ability to manage my ebooks. I find the shelves system to be insufficient for my needs. So I'm looking for a new ereader that either has a large internal memory, or expandable memory, and also the ability to organize a large ebook collection. I'd prefer the ereader not be too pricey, but I'm willing to buy used.

Thanks in advance.

[Bodleian]

I bought an eco-reader which permits me to put folders into folders into folders etc.
A have made up folders called A, B, C, D etc. In the folder called S I have another folder called e.g. John Sandford. In his folder I have 3 folders - Prey, Kidd and Flowers - named after the series of books that he writes. Therefore, if I want to read 'Rules of Prey' I go to the folder for S, then to the folder for Sandford and and finally the folder for Prey. Does this make sense? I have almost 2000 books and the eco-reader works for me.
It has a 2 meg internal memory which can be expanded to 4 GB with a SD memory card.
I'm quite pleased with it but I am on the lookout for a new e-reader - as long as it permits me to organize my books in the same way.
http://www.ecoreader.com.au/

[sneakyspider]

That looks like it might fit my needs, the only problem is that the only stores that seem to sell it are in Australia and I live in the US, (sorry, forgot to mention). Do you know if anyone sells it online? I've not been able to find it anywhere.

[Cdesja5]

Kobo Touch has expandable memory and used with Calibre will allow you to create your "shelves" in Calibre using custom columns and move your books over easily to the reader "pre-organized". Check the Kobo forum, the shelf process is detailed in a sticky post and is quite simple. Perhaps it will meet your needs?
Kobo definitely sells their readers in Australia.

Edit: sorry! read your post quickly and didn't see you were in US... no problem, Touch is available there too!

[sneakyspider]

I just looked up the Kobo Touch. It seems like a really good ereader, and I've been able to find it somewhere cheap. This might be the ereader for me. Thanks for telling me about it.

Edit: Don't worry about it. If I do buy the Kobo, I'd probably buy it from somewhere like Amazon or Ebay anyway, so the location isn't too important as long it can be found on one of those sites.

[soulfuldog]

Isn't the Sony T1 generally regarded as possibly the best for handling and organising large collections? Though no doubt a Kobo Touch will be cheaper to buy.

[sneakyspider]

I don't know much about the Sony T1, but it is a bit above my budget. Though I might be tempted to get one if it is as good as you say at organization.

Edit: I've managed to find a few ereaders that I can get for cheap. They all have the ability to expand storage, but I don't know much about their ability to categorize content. Does anyone have any experience with these ereaders?

Sony PRS-505 ($40.17)

Sony PRS-500 ($68.00)

Libre Ebook Reader Pro ($39.50)

Pandigital Novel 6" ereader ($30.37) - I am a little bit worried about this one, because it says under product info "Operating System: Linux." Does that mean it can only be used with Linux?

[Anabana]

We have 2 Libre Pro's and while they are sturdy, basic little readers and have stood up well to a couple of years of less than careful handling, they aren't 'manageable' - the menu is in alpha order by title. If there is any way to set it up differently, I haven't found it. I am definitely tech illiterate, so I don't claim that it isn't possible, but I think it just wasn't in Aluratek's budget for this reader.
I've tried putting books by author - renaming them on my computer before transferring, but the reader picks up the original (metadata?) and everything is alpha by title when they appear in the menu. I suppose you could go to all the time and trouble of changing or eliminating metadata before transferring, but that's way to time-consuming for me.
I tried a couple of folders by author name, but it wouldn't open them, so that was a waste of time as well.
I'd say you definitely need something more comprehensive than the Libre Pro.

eta: it doesn't matter whether you try organizing on the device itself or the SD card. Menu reads all books alpha by title - only separation is books that are 'open' and books that are loaded from ADE. ADE books are at the end, also alpha by title.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Isn't the Sony T1 generally regarded as possibly the best for handling and organising large collectionsee. Though no doubt a Kobo Touch will be cheaper to buy.

The Touch just recently got the ability to add shelves so it is a feature not very well known to others who are not owners. I have both a Sony and Kobos and prefer the way the Kobos can be organized into shelves using Calibre.

[sneakyspider]

it doesn't matter whether you try organizing on the device itself or the SD card. Menu reads all books alpha by title - only separation is books that are 'open' and books that are loaded from ADE. ADE books are at the end, also alpha by title.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll scratch that one off of my list. What about the two Sony's, does anyone have any experiences with those?

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by sneakyspider

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll scratch that one off of my list. What about the two Sony's, does anyone have any experiences with those?

They are called collections on Sony as opposed to shelves on Kobo. Both require Calibre on your PC to make the task easier if you have a large library. The Sony will automatically group your books according to the Calibre tags column as well as by series. The Kobo does not create the shelves "automatically" from the tags, you control which shelves you want using the custom column for "my shelves". I believe you can do something similar with the Sony, you can find more details by doing a search. They pretty much display the end result, the "organized" books, in the same way on the readers.
My experience is with the T1 as well as the Touch and Mini (Kobo)

[sneakyspider]

The Sony will automatically group your books according to the Calibre tags column as well as by series. The Kobo does not create the shelves "automatically" from the tags, you control which shelves you want using the custom column for "my shelves".

From what you're saying, it seems to me that the Kobo and Sony brands both seem to suit my needs. Though, I think I'm leaning a bit towards the Sony.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by sneakyspider

I don't know much about the Sony T1, but it is a bit above my budget. Though I might be tempted to get one if it is as good as you say at organization.

Edit: I've managed to find a few ereaders that I can get for cheap. They all have the ability to expand storage, but I don't know much about their ability to categorize content. Does anyone have any experience with these ereaders?

Sony PRS-505 ($40.17)

Sony PRS-500 ($68.00)

Libre Ebook Reader Pro ($39.50)

Pandigital Novel 6" ereader ($30.37) - I am a little bit worried about this one, because it says under product info "Operating System: Linux." Does that mean it can only be used with Linux?

I would get a Sony 350 or 650 refurbished or second hand. 350 has no SD but holds 3-4000 epubs.
They have much better screen than 505 0r 500 and can generally be bought as cheaply (50-60)if you go craigslist etc.

They are easy to use and sturdy without being bulky or heavy. I have a T1 but the x50s are in some ways better.


Helen

[Cdesja5]

The 505 won't do what you want... Plus if you buy used, it is coming to the end of its battery life. Mine was not keeping its charge any more so I replaced it last May. If your library is very large, you need something with an SD card slot and a quicker processor than the older Sony models. My 505 became slow as molasses when I had a couple thousand books on the card...

[Bodleian]

For the eco-reader, I'd email the company. I bought mine online.