Lighted e-reader: options?

sneakyspider · 11-04-2013, 03:55 PM

I was thinking about buying a ereader with built in lighting sometime in the near future, but I don't know which I should buy. It seems like there are so many options available, that it makes it a little difficult to see which is the best. The ereaders with lighting that I am most familiar with are the Paperwhite, the Kobo Glo, the Kobo Aura HD, the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight, and the Nook Glowlight, but I don't know if there are any others out there that are worth considering. I also do not know, among the ones I have listed, which would be considered by most people as "the best." By which I mean a good, solid ereader that is intuitive to use, and provides a lot of features for the price. What I am looking for in an ereader is fairly simple, but a few features are very important.

Number one is:

Customisability. I'm fairly picky about things like fonts and line spacing, so there has to be at least a few options for me to tweak it to what suits me personally.

Numer two:

It has to have room for "sideloaded" ebooks. I have a fairly large collection of epub and mobi ebooks, and I don't want to have to be limited to a specific stores' ebooks, instead of being able to load my own. I need it to have at least enough room for around 500 ebooks, but preferebly more.

Number Three:

The price should be under $200. I am willing to go up to that if the ereader is very good, but generally I'd like to keep it $150 or lower.

Things that I don't care about are whether it has a touch screen, or page turn buttons. I don't care if it has wifi, or what is the color of the casing. I also do not care what format it uses, as all of my ebooks are DRM free, and I can easily convert them to another format with Calibre.

Thanks for reading through my long message, and thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

soulfuldog · 11-04-2013, 05:00 PM

The only option you are missing is the Kobo Aura, not to be confused with the Kobo Aura HD (which has a slightly bigger screen, 6.8" compared to the rest being 6", and is consequently the most expensive). If you preferably want $150 or lower, you are looking at the Kobo Aura, Kindle Paperwhite and the new Nook Glowlight. I'd dismiss the Kobo Glo just because its and older model and the screen & lighting should be improved on the newer Aura, but you might still want to consider it, it'll certainly be cheaper.

Plenty of space rules out the Nook (only 500mb and the new version no longer has an SD card), the Paperwhite is ok 1.25GB (only extra is cloud storage), while the Aura definitely wins on space as it has 3GB (and SD card slot for up to 32GB).

On your main consideration, customisation, the Aura also wins, sort of. The Paperwhite is ok, gives you up to 6 fonts at various sizes and a few options for margins, line spacing etc, but not to the same extent as you can do so on the Aura. It has more options and you can also use custom fonts, but that is negated very slightly by the extra space in the header and footer of the page on the Aura (it can be lessened by patching/editing CSS files). Check out the images in this post in the Kobo forum for some photos that show the Kobo Aura and Glo together, and the last photo shows the Aura and the Paperwhite (and it shows this wasted space particularly in the footer).

Kobo's customer service can be very hit and miss, especially when compared to Amazon, but that apart. it sounds like the Kobo Aura is possibly the best option for you. I'm pretty sure you'd be happy with either of them though.

Synamon · 11-05-2013, 09:59 AM

Kobo Aura or Kobo Aura HD are lighted readers with lots of font customization options and space plus an SD card slot, so they fit your needs best. I've tried both the new Paperwhite and the Aura, ended up keeping the Aura for myself specifically because of the ability to customize the text.

booklover6 · 11-05-2013, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

I'd dismiss the Kobo Glo just because its and older model and the screen & lighting should be improved on the newer Aura, but you might still want to consider it, it'll certainly be cheaper.

The Glo is just as good as the Aura. The screen is the same, and I think the lighting is, too. The advantages are the higher on board storage, and the smaller size and weight. Other than that, they are the same.

sneakyspider · 11-05-2013, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synamon

Kobo Aura or Kobo Aura HD are lighted readers with lots of font customization options and space plus an SD card slot, so they fit your needs best. I've tried both the new Paperwhite and the Aura, ended up keeping the Aura for myself specifically because of the ability to customize the text.

So far it seems that the Kobo Aura/Kobo Aura HD are my best options. Would you recommend one over the other, or are they both equally good ereaders?

AnemicOak · 11-05-2013, 10:52 AM

Both run basically the same software. The Aura is capacitive touch while the Aura HD is IR touch. The Aura is 6" while the HD is 6.8".

sneakyspider · 11-05-2013, 03:44 PM

So the biggest difference between the two is the size of the screen? I see that you own a Aura HD. What do you think of the screen size compared to the more common 6"? Would you say that it justifies the price difference?

AnemicOak · 11-05-2013, 03:52 PM

Yes, that and the type of touch screen. Also the Aura has a flush mounted screen with a similar look/feel to a tablet with no "step" between the bezel and the screen edge tha most readers have. I love the screen, great quality & resolution. Is it worth the $20 difference? For me, yes I think it probably is.

Not as fond of the firmware as I find it a bit glitchy/buggy at times, but I'm getting more used to it (coming from several generations of Kindle's that "just worked" all the time) and some of their design decisions. Not to overstate things though, it's quite a nice device.

soulfuldog · 11-06-2013, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booklover6

The Glo is just as good as the Aura. The screen is the same, and I think the lighting is, too. The advantages are the higher on board storage, and the smaller size and weight. Other than that, they are the same.

Yes you are right about the screen not necessarily being an improvement, I forgot they both have the same resolution. The only difference is that the Glo uses IR touch and the Aura capacitive, and while the touch is more responsive on the Aura, in terms of screen clarity & contrast it probably means the Glo is better. The lighting on the Aura definitely looks an improvement though, to me the Aura just looks nicer in those photos I posted a link to in my earlier reply.

You are probably quite right though, the OP shouldn't just rule it out completely, I'd immediately focus on the newer model if I was buying it for myself though!

Rizla · 11-06-2013, 06:00 AM

From what I've read, the new Aura screen and light is a bit of backward step. There is a long thread detailing the problems with it. Personally I have never seen one.

I have used a Kobo Aura HD and it was sexy as hell. The font handling is the best I've seen.

The Glo is okay, though it looks like a cheap toy next to the Aura HD. And beware: You cannot turn the light down low enough in a dark room. The minimum setting is too high (again, from what I've read).

booklover6 · 11-06-2013, 08:22 AM

And I forgot about the flush bezel. That is definitely a draw, IMO. I'd love to see one for myself. I may have to buy one, just to do so. I really love my Glo, though, it is my favorite reader. I can't see needing both, however.

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

Yes you are right about the screen not necessarily being an improvement, I forgot they both have the same resolution. The only difference is that the Glo uses IR touch and the Aura capacitive, and while the touch is more responsive on the Aura, in terms of screen clarity & contrast it probably means the Glo is better. The lighting on the Aura definitely looks an improvement though, to me the Aura just looks nicer in those photos I posted a link to in my earlier reply.

You are probably quite right though, the OP shouldn't just rule it out completely, I'd immediately focus on the newer model if I was buying it for myself though!

booklover6 · 11-06-2013, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rizla

From what I've read, the new Aura screen and light is a bit of backward step.

I think you are wrong, however, these are your opinions and you are entitled to them. I haven't seen an Aura, either, but I don't get that impression from reader reports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rizla

The Glo is okay, though it looks like a cheap toy next to the Aura HD. And beware: You cannot turn the light down low enough in a dark room. The minimum setting is too high (again, from what I've read).

Some people prefer smaller readers to larger, you know. And there is nothing wrong with the Glo light, to me, I turned it down all the way the other night, when in the car, so as not to annoy the driver. He didn't complain, and I could still read it just fine.

llcj · 11-06-2013, 08:46 AM

I think the minimum setting for the Glo light was lowered with one of the firmware updates.

I have seen the Aura in the shops and have played with it a bit. I don't think the light is a backward step. It appeared even at all settings and white in tone. The screen seems to have the same issues as other front lighted readers, i.e. pinholes. There is one other issue with the Aura screen and that is etching on the top cm of the plastic surface. It doesn't seem that all Aura's have this and it seems that you have to catch the light at the right angle to notice it.

For me, I prefer the higher resolution of the Aura HD but that is only because I use a small font and hold the device close to my face.

ProfCrash · 11-06-2013, 11:22 AM

I would say that all of the e-readers met your requirements. You can modify the fonts and spacing on all of the e-readers. How much tweaking do you want to do? If you are fine with minimal options, any of them will met your needs. If you want to do a ton of tweaking, then a Kobo is best.

Side loading is available on all of the major e-readers and all of them should hold more then 500 books. I have a PW2 which has well over 600 books on it.

All of them have models under $200. Heck you can get some for under $100.

Chi Cygni · 11-07-2013, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rizla

From what I've read, the new Aura screen and light is a bit of backward step. There is a long thread detailing the problems with it. Personally I have never seen one.

Well I SAW new Aura in a shop, played with it and unfortunately have to agree. Looked greish and less contrasty compared to my PW1 which I had at hand in said shop. Plus top of the screen had strange scratch marks (possibly diamond pattern mentioned in other posts)

11-04-2013, 03:55 PM	#1
sneakyspider Ereader Addicts Anonymous Posts: 329 Karma: 1071692 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: USA, FL. Device: (2)KO2, PW7thGen., KT2, iPadMini1	Lighted e-reader: options? I was thinking about buying a ereader with built in lighting sometime in the near future, but I don't know which I should buy. It seems like there are so many options available, that it makes it a little difficult to see which is the best. The ereaders with lighting that I am most familiar with are the Paperwhite, the Kobo Glo, the Kobo Aura HD, the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight, and the Nook Glowlight, but I don't know if there are any others out there that are worth considering. I also do not know, among the ones I have listed, which would be considered by most people as "the best." By which I mean a good, solid ereader that is intuitive to use, and provides a lot of features for the price. What I am looking for in an ereader is fairly simple, but a few features are very important. Number one is: Customisability. I'm fairly picky about things like fonts and line spacing, so there has to be at least a few options for me to tweak it to what suits me personally. Numer two: It has to have room for "sideloaded" ebooks. I have a fairly large collection of epub and mobi ebooks, and I don't want to have to be limited to a specific stores' ebooks, instead of being able to load my own. I need it to have at least enough room for around 500 ebooks, but preferebly more. Number Three: The price should be under $200. I am willing to go up to that if the ereader is very good, but generally I'd like to keep it $150 or lower. Things that I don't care about are whether it has a touch screen, or page turn buttons. I don't care if it has wifi, or what is the color of the casing. I also do not care what format it uses, as all of my ebooks are DRM free, and I can easily convert them to another format with Calibre. Thanks for reading through my long message, and thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

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11-04-2013, 05:00 PM	#2
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	The only option you are missing is the Kobo Aura, not to be confused with the Kobo Aura HD (which has a slightly bigger screen, 6.8" compared to the rest being 6", and is consequently the most expensive). If you preferably want $150 or lower, you are looking at the Kobo Aura, Kindle Paperwhite and the new Nook Glowlight. I'd dismiss the Kobo Glo just because its and older model and the screen & lighting should be improved on the newer Aura, but you might still want to consider it, it'll certainly be cheaper. Plenty of space rules out the Nook (only 500mb and the new version no longer has an SD card), the Paperwhite is ok 1.25GB (only extra is cloud storage), while the Aura definitely wins on space as it has 3GB (and SD card slot for up to 32GB). On your main consideration, customisation, the Aura also wins, sort of. The Paperwhite is ok, gives you up to 6 fonts at various sizes and a few options for margins, line spacing etc, but not to the same extent as you can do so on the Aura. It has more options and you can also use custom fonts, but that is negated very slightly by the extra space in the header and footer of the page on the Aura (it can be lessened by patching/editing CSS files). Check out the images in this post in the Kobo forum for some photos that show the Kobo Aura and Glo together, and the last photo shows the Aura and the Paperwhite (and it shows this wasted space particularly in the footer). Kobo's customer service can be very hit and miss, especially when compared to Amazon, but that apart. it sounds like the Kobo Aura is possibly the best option for you. I'm pretty sure you'd be happy with either of them though.

11-05-2013, 09:59 AM	#3
Synamon Lunatic Posts: 1,691 Karma: 4386372 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Land of the Loonie Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, iPad mini, iPod Touch	Kobo Aura or Kobo Aura HD are lighted readers with lots of font customization options and space plus an SD card slot, so they fit your needs best. I've tried both the new Paperwhite and the Aura, ended up keeping the Aura for myself specifically because of the ability to customize the text.

11-05-2013, 10:52 AM	#6
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	Both run basically the same software. The Aura is capacitive touch while the Aura HD is IR touch. The Aura is 6" while the HD is 6.8".

11-05-2013, 03:44 PM	#7
sneakyspider Ereader Addicts Anonymous Posts: 329 Karma: 1071692 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: USA, FL. Device: (2)KO2, PW7thGen., KT2, iPadMini1	So the biggest difference between the two is the size of the screen? I see that you own a Aura HD. What do you think of the screen size compared to the more common 6"? Would you say that it justifies the price difference?

11-05-2013, 03:52 PM	#8
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	Yes, that and the type of touch screen. Also the Aura has a flush mounted screen with a similar look/feel to a tablet with no "step" between the bezel and the screen edge tha most readers have. I love the screen, great quality & resolution. Is it worth the $20 difference? For me, yes I think it probably is. Not as fond of the firmware as I find it a bit glitchy/buggy at times, but I'm getting more used to it (coming from several generations of Kindle's that "just worked" all the time) and some of their design decisions. Not to overstate things though, it's quite a nice device.

11-06-2013, 06:00 AM	#10
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	From what I've read, the new Aura screen and light is a bit of backward step. There is a long thread detailing the problems with it. Personally I have never seen one. I have used a Kobo Aura HD and it was sexy as hell. The font handling is the best I've seen. The Glo is okay, though it looks like a cheap toy next to the Aura HD. And beware: You cannot turn the light down low enough in a dark room. The minimum setting is too high (again, from what I've read).

11-06-2013, 08:46 AM	#13
llcj Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 883854 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Canada Device: kobo touch	I think the minimum setting for the Glo light was lowered with one of the firmware updates. I have seen the Aura in the shops and have played with it a bit. I don't think the light is a backward step. It appeared even at all settings and white in tone. The screen seems to have the same issues as other front lighted readers, i.e. pinholes. There is one other issue with the Aura screen and that is etching on the top cm of the plastic surface. It doesn't seem that all Aura's have this and it seems that you have to catch the light at the right angle to notice it. For me, I prefer the higher resolution of the Aura HD but that is only because I use a small font and hold the device close to my face.

11-06-2013, 11:22 AM	#14
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I would say that all of the e-readers met your requirements. You can modify the fonts and spacing on all of the e-readers. How much tweaking do you want to do? If you are fine with minimal options, any of them will met your needs. If you want to do a ton of tweaking, then a Kobo is best. Side loading is available on all of the major e-readers and all of them should hold more then 500 books. I have a PW2 which has well over 600 books on it. All of them have models under $200. Heck you can get some for under $100.

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