Multiple ebook readers

[jbcohen]

A lot of forum members have multiple readers from different brands. My question is why do you have multiple readers? What is the advantage of having multiple readers vs having just one reader?

[tubemonkey]

I have two ereaders; both Kindles - Kindle Keyboard & Kindle 4S. The KK was my first ereader, but I never liked the physical keyboard. It added unnecessary bulk. When Amazon ditched the keyboard with the K4S, I upgraded. The KK is now a backup ereader and a loaner for family and friends.

The K4S is my primary ereader and is still going strong. Short of the device dying on me, only two things will get me to upgrade it - flexible display and waterproofing.

[susan_cassidy]

A lot of people want access to both the Amazon bookstore and the Kobo bookstore.

[desert dog]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

A lot of forum members have multiple readers from different brands. My question is why do you have multiple readers? What is the advantage of having multiple readers vs having just one reader?

I have multiple Kindles and Kobos and use them all. Variety is the spice of life and all. This is my main hobby so I can easily justify having multiple eReaders.

When I am kicking it at home, the Kindle PW wifi or the Kobo Aura HD is my choice. On the road, traveling or just out I use the Kindle PW2 3g, the Kobo Mini or Kobo glo.

It's like a car afficianato getting to drive a different car day to day.. I can't afford a fleet of sports cars, but I can enjoy my eReader devices..

[theducks]

My Astak is old, but still my Fav for reading as it is light and the jog wheel is right where I want it to be able to read 1 handed.
The K4 has a great screen, but the turn buttons just don't make it unless I add a cover (and all that weight)

The Tablet has a Back light, while great for Color, the weight is also tiring to hold up and battery life is

[bfisher]

My main reader is a Sony; I find it the most comfortable for long reading sessions. I have a small Samsung phone with a 3.5" screen that I use for reading in unexpected situations where I'm not carrying my reader but I have time to kill. I also sometimes use a Samsung 8" tablet when I'm reading something with colour illustrations or maps or charts, where a small screen or a monochrome eink screen just can't do the job.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

A lot of forum members have multiple readers from different brands. My question is why do you have multiple readers? What is the advantage of having multiple readers vs having just one reader?

I guess I like collecting things ... Actually it worked out like this. I wanted an eReader, bought a Nook Simple Touch at Best Buy because I wanted to help out the "little guy" (Barnes & Noble). That one cost $79 on sale in November of 2011 (I didn't open it until Christmas). After I had been using it exclusively for over a year, I got it in my head to try publishing eBooks (never went anywhere). I decided that, to make sure "my book" displayed correctly, I should find a Kindle. A pawn shop had a Kindle Touch for $45. I talked them down to $35 -- and, though I liked Amazon's infrastructure, I thought the type on the Touch was too light. So I gave the Touch to my brother and went back to the pawn shop and picked up an all but brand-new (including box) K4B for $45 (I think I talked them down from $50). This turned out to be my favorite reader -- I've read more books on the K4 than on any other eReader. But, of course, I wasn't finished. I decided I "needed" to know what a Sony Reader was like, so picked up a refurbished PRS-300 for about $20 on eBay. I liked the build, etc., but never really liked the screen or software, even though I did load some add-on software (I could look up the name). It didn't get much use -- it was sold for a few months later for about what I paid for it. Meanwhile I had also picked a Kobo for about $20 (I think the original WiFi version). I didn't like the fonts, too light and though I enjoyed playing with it a little, I ended up not using it. Meanwhile my brother had bought one because ... well, I had one. I think they're both still sitting at my brother's house in storage somewhere. We should dig them out, charge them up and sell them or give them away. After that, I picked up a NST for $30 or $35 for my Dad off CraigsList and sent that to him. He refuses to use WiFi so all the books are side-loaded on it. Meanwhile my brother decided that his mother-in-law needed a refurbished Kindle Touch 3G since she travels a lot and likes to read (she loves it). Once they got that, his wife and a couple of his daughter's wanted Kindles (they liked the Touches), so he got a couple off eBay, and I picked up a Kindle Touch with 3G and lighted case for $45 off CraigsList for him. (I just found it, he bought it.) And that's where everything settled for a bit ... until I found another local pawn shop "clearing out" 3G Kindle Keyboard's for $15 each (three of them). I held on to one of those for awhile ... my brother, who had given away his Touch to one of his daughters, got one and one (that was, alas, blacklisted) went to my Dad. Again he will not use WiFi. I did call Amazon on the blacklisted unit and all they told me to do was "get my money back by returning it to the pawn shop." I figured it was worth more to my Dad. I played with my Kindle Keyboard for awhile but finally ended up selling it as part of my "eReader Purge." Meanwhile, on another trip to the pawn shop that had the Kindle Keyboards, I found three Kindles on sale for $5 each. Two Kindle K4Silvers and one 3G Touch (beaten up). All three could be registered (tested that before I left the pawn shop this time). One of the K4s had an Amazon OEM case. That one went to my son -- the only son who had any interest in an eReader. He still has it. The other K4 (after fitting it with a new case) was sold on eBay. The 3G Touch (mark on the screen and scratches on the bezel) is still with me. It's currently my second Kindle. I bought a new non-lighted OEM Amazon case for it on eBay for $5, but decided I wanted a lighted case. But I couldn't find a cheap one, so I went to CraigsList, found a Kindle Touch (non 3G) in good condition, with a lighted case for $45. My plan was to swap cases and sell the Kindle Touch with the OEM non-lit case and figured I would get my lit case for free. (Which is basically what I did -- after playing with the 2nd Touch for a couple months.) I even contemplated replacing the screen and bezel on my 3G Touch with parts from the new Touch, but decided it wasn't worth the work and -- more importantly -- the it wasn't worth taking the chance of screwing up two good Kindle Touches. I forgot to mention my first NST Glowlight. I found one in a pawnshop for $30 and tried it out for a while. Didn't like the screen, so sold it on eBay, and replaced it with a second (back-up) Nook Simple Touch w/o Glowlight. Decided it wasn't worth it to have two exact same readers, so sold that one in the "eReader Purge." So, a little after the Kindle Touch on CraigsList, I saw the Sony PRS-T2 on sale for under $30 Tiger Direct, picked up one ... then, because I was sure I could give one away, picked up another one -- no one wanted it, so it was also sold in the "eReader Purge." And, when Amazon had the K4B on sale for $49 and was offering, five monthly payments, I picked that one up as a spare. It never got opened and was sold in the "eReader Purge." When I found out Amazon wasn't going to sell K4Bs anymore, I started touring the pawn shops looking for a backup, but couldn't find one, but did find another NST Glowlight for $20 (on half price sale). I picked that one up and have found that either my eyes are now more tolerant or the screen is a bit better than the original Glowlight, and it's getting a lot of my use. Decided that I could solve the "murky screen" issue by simply leaving the front-light on during the day -- and that -- BIG BREATH -- is why I've had (have) so many eReaders. I'm still inactively looking for a Kobo Touch and/or Glo (not that I've come to terms with the Nook Simple Touch w/ Glowlight). But there's no big hurry. And I may change my mind before I ever get one.

So I'm now at five eReaders. A K4B, a Kindle Touch 3G, a Nook Simple Touch, and a NST with Glowlight, and the Sony PRS-T2. I've bought cases for every eReader (except one) that has gone through my hands (unless they already had a case). I don't think I paid much more than $5 for any of the cases (all on clearance at Staples, Office Depot, or on eBay). I own a few E-Luminator lights, but they're currently not getting much use, and none of them cost more than $5. (Yes, I'm cheap.)

The five eReaders I own now cost me a total of $179 (plus tax and about $5 each for cases). I more than broke even on the ones I gave away or sold. I don't know if or how long I'll keep the ones I currently own. If I don't use them on a regular basis, or find that I'm just basically charging them up, I'll probably sell them or give them away to family members. The original NST, K4B, and Touch will probably stay -- the Touch has nice features and I can get books if I travel with it -- and with the non-root font hack, I've got a decent font on it. I've already become attached to the NST with Glowlight (I've read about five books on it in the week I've owned it). And I like the fact that the T2 allows me to borrow library books directly -- but I really don't know how much I'll use that feature.

Sorry to ramble. But that's my story and, I guess, I'm sticking to it. I don't know now if I care about a K4B back-up now (that was kind of a knee-jerk reaction) and, honestly, with my postive NST w/ Glowlight experience, I may be looking at a Paperwhite in the future.

All these eReaders came after November, 2011. Oh, and I forgot to mention a Sony PRS-600 that I got for $15 at a pawn shop and sold for about $20. It was nice and solid, but I didn't like the screen glare. The person who bought it -- in Houston -- was very happy with it (it was like new).

(And the rambling continues ...)

[cromag]

My primary reader is a JetBook Lite. I got it four years ago, and it's actually the only ereader I need.

All the others were bought because 1-- I found a niche where an alternate reader served a purpose and, 2-- I was able to get them cheap.

A couple of years ago I bought a JetBook Mini. In spite of it's higher list price and the manufacturer's hype, it's a much more limited device (I got mine as a returned unit, for about $20). But, it looks like a toy. I was going on a vacation and I wanted to reduce the odds that someone would be tempted to steal it. The Lite looks like something worth breaking a car window for; the Mini doesn't.

A few months ago I got a Kobo Wifi. The JetBooks have an LCD display that can "jitter" in strong, direct sunlight. I've never had a problem at home, but I did notice it on a vacation to Florida. I got the Kobo for less than $20 and brought it with me to a vacation at the shore (in NJ). The JetBooks looked okay, but the Kobo display was better in direct, "high noon" sunlight.

And, about an hour ago, I bought a Nook Simple Touch Reader. I've heard a lot of good things about them, and the price was right -- $28 (including shipping and handling). I don't need it, but it's nice to have some choices.


I don't expect either the Kobo or the Nook to displace the JBL as my favorite. Most of the factors are comparable, but I do like using (rechargeable) AA batteries and not having to tie the reader down to recharge.

[bfisher]

My first reader was a Jetbook Lite. I got it because I knew that as long as the reader itself worked, I would never have a problem getting a battery for it. The plus was that I found the battery holder a great holding point. I really liked the multiple page turn mechanisms. I still have it in reserve, in case my main reader dies.

[sabredog]

Lemme see now

Sony PRS-300
Sony PRS-650
Sony PRS-T1
Sony PRS-T3

Jetbook Lite x2

Kindle3

The Jetbooks and the Kindle3 are my ex-wife's, who left them when our marriage imploded. As such I am not sure what to do with these. Might sell the Jetbooks, but the Kindle3 might be handy to hang on to.

I update my ereaders every couple of years but tend to hang on to those older ones. My PRS-650 in particular is still my favourite.

[DrNefario]

It's nice to have a spare.

It's nice to have a horse in both races (kindle and ePub).

No single device is perfect, so it's good to see how other vendors handle the various issues; what things work, and what things don't.

I kind of like toys. There isn't a great reason for having more than one. Arguably there isn't all that good a reason for having one at all.

[Ghitulescu]

I have several because I like the Sonies and I also wanted a smaller screen one.

[Yolina]

I mostly use the Kindle, but I don't keep more than 1 of these (when I buy a new one, the old one gets sold). The Sony 650 was a present (I had a K3 at the time) and doesn't get used much these days.
I'm not bothered about not having a back-up Kindle - if mine dies, I'll just buy a new one - have plenty of pbooks still and anyway I'd only be without for a few days (or I could go for next day delivery).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

A lot of forum members have multiple readers from different brands. My question is why do you have multiple readers? What is the advantage of having multiple readers vs having just one reader?

Different situations can require different needs.

My Mini is small and handy and sturdy. Perfect to always take with me on the road.

My Boox is larger and has a lit screen. Perfect to read in well-lit to semi-dark environments while away from any power outlets.

My AVTN80 is a windows tablet, perfect to read in lit to dark environments while near power outlets. And for reading all format books. I don't like the Kindle software (too much screen real estate is wasted), so I prefer to download any books I buy on Amazon on my tablet, bring it through Calibre, and read it with my favourite epub reader...

[JSWolf]

I have three Readers and soon to have a 4th.

I bought a Sony Reader PRS-650 because at the time it was going to be my only Reader and it was the only one I used.

I bought nook STR for about $20 when Radio Shack was getting rid of them. I bought it as a backup in case anything happened to my 650.

I have a Sony Reader PRS-T1 that someone gave to me and I'm using that now as my primary Reader as the 650 could use a new battery.

The one I don't yet have is a Kobo Aura H2O. I'm getting one because I want the frontlight, the larger screen, the Carta screen, and the higher resolution.