Touch Books on internal vs external SD

[Reaper1242]

I'm wondering which is more stable and efficient. Side loading direct to the device or on to an external SD.
Although I do wonder if it's irrelevant since, as far as I know, the Touch uses an SD as internal anyway.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by Reaper1242

I'm wondering which is more stable and efficient. Side loading direct to the device or on to an external SD.
Although I do wonder if it's irrelevant since, as far as I know, the Touch uses an SD as internal anyway.

One difference seems to be that when thumbnails and other images are generated for the first time for a book stored on the internal card, a copy of the image is saved, and so the next time it only has to be reloaded from the card. But that doesn't happen for books on the external card, and so their images are generated anew each time they are needed. This takes extra CPU time, so it must also take extra energy. It might be fixed in a future firmware, but for now it seems more efficient to use the internal card.

Edit: (More energy efficient, more time efficient, I mean. Perhaps less space efficient, but then it is much easier and cheaper to upgrade to a bigger SD card than to a bigger battery or faster CPU).

[jackastor]

Originally Posted by Reaper1242

I'm wondering which is more stable and efficient. Side loading direct to the device or on to an external SD.
Although I do wonder if it's irrelevant since, as far as I know, the Touch uses an SD as internal anyway.

Your books stay intact on a factory reset. If they are stored on the Sd card. As to speed diference? I dont think its an important factor when you consider the device is an ereader not a platform to manage your life. That said its more personal preference then any thing else.
Regards

Jack

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

One difference seems to be that when thumbnails and other images are generated for the first time for a book stored on the internal card, a copy of the image is saved, and so the next time it only has to be reloaded from the card. But that doesn't happen for books on the external card, and so their images are generated anew each time they are needed. This takes extra CPU time, so it must also take extra energy.

Oh, it definitely takes more battery power. If you read a lot of sideloads, you really do want to turn off cover display while sleeping/powered down. :/ Small price to pay, though, for not having to manually reload your library every time you need to factory reset...

[Reaper1242]

Originally Posted by jackastor

Your books stay intact on a factory reset. If they are stored on the Sd card. As to speed diference? I dont think its an important factor when you consider the device is an ereader not a platform to manage your life. That said its more personal preference then any thing else.
Regards

Jack

That's something I never considered. I don't think page turns are affected either way and it's probably a minor difference everywhere else.

[Reaper1242]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Oh, it definitely takes more battery power. If you read a lot of sideloads, you really do want to turn off cover display while sleeping/powered down. :/ Small price to pay, though, for not having to manually reload your library every time you need to factory reset...

I guess then it's a little less down to actual performance and more about things like battery and convenience

But correct me if I'm wrong. I've always assumed that an eInk device redraws the cover and that's the end of it until it has to redraw something new. Would that then not mean it wouldn't use power to keep it displayed.
Although I could be very wrong.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Reaper1242

I guess then it's a little less down to actual performance and more about things like battery and convenience

But correct me if I'm wrong. I've always assumed that an eInk device redraws the cover and that's the end of it until it has to redraw something new. Would that then not mean it wouldn't use power to keep it displayed.
Although I could be very wrong.

You are correct. Once the eInk screen is drawn, it takes no power to maintain it's state.

Personally, I prefer keeping my sideloaded books on an SD card. I have had to do quite a few factory resets when playing with sideloaded firmware, plugins and other fun items and it's just easier to pull the SD card and then replace it after I feel I'm at a stable state.

Regards,
David

[Reaper1242]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You are correct. Once the eInk screen is drawn, it takes no power to maintain it's state.

Personally, I prefer keeping my sideloaded books on an SD card. I have had to do quite a few factory resets when playing with sideloaded firmware, plugins and other fun items and it's just easier to pull the SD card and then replace it after I feel I'm at a stable state.

Regards,
David

I'm so used to using active devices like smartphones or tablets that I sometimes have to remind myself eInk isn't.

At first I thought it's as simple as backing up your SD and then transferring back manually but I also know that would probably not last very long
Really does seem simpler to just work from SD.