reader for outside

[peaceridge]

I have a Toshiba Excite 7.7 and absolutely love it for indoor reading.

However, I'm doing a lot of camping, so I need an ereader just for outside. Therefore, that is the main requirement – no glare outside. Since I’m usually reading several books at once, it won’t be a problem to use the Excite inside and the new one outside if necessary.

Also high on my list is some sort of sd capability and long battery life (so no lcd).

I'd like something relatively cheap, as it would be my secondary reader. I need at least a 6", although bigger would be nice. I don't need wifi (although it would be nice) - definitely not 3g.

I've considered the Sony Daily, but I understand it has glare problems outside. Also the Kindle DX – but it doesn’t have the sd and it is expensive.


Any advice?

[robko]

Pretty much any of the "newer" e-ink readers will meet the criteria you've listed above except the SD card requirement which takes out Kindles. Do some digging to see which other features you'd like (dictionary, annotations etc) and it will help you narrow the field a little more. One thing to keep in mind with e-ink is that they are more fragile than LCD. Biggest factor in screen breakage seems to be twisting of frame (as much as point pressures or impacts). If you're taking it camping I would find some type of hard case to protect it in transit.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I've considered the Sony Daily, but I understand it has glare problems outside.

Any advice?

The Sony Reader PRS-900 (daily) hasn't been made for at least 3 years now.

Now the Sony Reader WiFi PRS-T2 is a current Reader and one that has a mcroSD card slot. It's eInk and very good outside in sunlight.

[HarryT]

Do you really need an SD card slot? I currently have 670 books on my Kindle PW and have about half the storage space free still. I would have thought personally that that would be enough space for even the longest of trips.

[peaceridge]

Robco, thanks - I forgot about the screen breakage thing, so maybe I don't want one of the larger than 6" models!

Thanks JSWolf - I was thinking of the prs 950 and mistyped the daily. Given Robco's comment, looking at the 950 and DX may be off the table.

Harry T - thanks also, I don't absolutely have to have the sd as long as I can sideload from my netbook - I would have to convert all my epubs to mobi, but not such a difficult thing to do if I have electricity (good old Calibre!). I'm just not sure I trust Amazon!

[Synamon]

For camping you might find having a light built in would be useful so you could look at the eink readers that have frontlighting: Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Glo, and Nook Glowlight. The last two have an SD card slot and read epub.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by Synamon

For camping you might find having a light built in would be useful so you could look at the eink readers that have frontlighting: Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Glo, and Nook Glowlight. The last two have an SD card slot and read epub.

Thanks, I'll give them a look!

[samhy]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I've considered the Sony Daily, but I understand it has glare problems outside. Also the Kindle DX – but it doesn’t have the sd and it is expensive.

The 950 doesn't have any special glare. I have a 650 and read without issue in Hyde Park under the (Spring) sun. However, the previous versions (600 comes to mind) were more subject to glare.
As suggested by others, a frontlit screen would be a good idea for camping (and even when not camping ).

[robko]

Frontlit would be a good idea for camping. Very little extra battery drain on most of these, so one less thing to worry about powering (some light source). Also e-ink screens seem to need more light than a paper book, so having proper lighting built in is a bonus.

[peaceridge]

I guess it looks like either the Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Glo, or Nook Glowlight. I know they are all 6", but is the "black or dark" band around any of them that takes up part of the screen? I'm thinking the number of characters per line (assuming the same size font of each).

thanks for the help.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I guess it looks like either the Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Glo, or Nook Glowlight. I know they are all 6", but is the "black or dark" band around any of them that takes up part of the screen? I'm thinking the number of characters per line (assuming the same size font of each).

thanks for the help.

The screens are all the same size. The bezel does not count in the size of the screen.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The screens are all the same size. The bezel does not count in the size of the screen.

wow - I had no idea! That really helps. I'm leaning towards the Kobo right now unless I find a 7-8" one I like.

[Synamon]

You indicated that you are interested in screens larger than 6" and are concerned about characters per line, is that because you like very large font? A 6" reader in landscape mode is very readable with extra large font, that's how my husband reads on his Kindle.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

wow - I had no idea! That really helps. I'm leaning towards the Kobo right now unless I find a 7-8" one I like.

There are no 7-8" eInk screens. There's 6", and there's 9.7". Nothing in between.

Some people regard the Kobo's firmware as someone buggy. Might be an idea to look in the Kobo forum and see what people think there.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by Synamon

You indicated that you are interested in screens larger than 6" and are concerned about characters per line, is that because you like very large font? A 6" reader in landscape mode is very readable with extra large font, that's how my husband reads on his Kindle.

No, I'm a very fast reader and prefer the most words on the screen. I use Mantano on my Excite and change fonts on the fly, but seldom use either very tiny or very large.

Actually my Excite 7.7" is the perfect size for me - if only I could read it outside and it used less battery (sigh). Unfortunately, I can't find a comparable size in eink.

Thanks for the reply.