A reader with decent collection management?

Greyman027 · 09-27-2016, 08:48 PM

Hi all,

I love my Kindle Paperwhite, but the collection management features are driving me barmy. I do a lot of sideloading (primarily technical books from O'Reilly) and the newer interface on the Kindle simply, well... sucks.

The old Kindle interface was great, and I know that I could downgrade the firmware version to revert back to it, but I would like to keep up with software/firmware updates as they come out if possible.

Are there any other readers on the market that offer a simple, clean interface and easily allow custom (preferably nested) collections? Something with an XML or JSON file, or some other programmatic interface to configure the collections, would be even better.

The other must-have features would be:
- E-ink (i.e. iPad etc are out).
- A backlight or other form of integrated lighting.
- Seamless integration with Calibre.

The other nice-to-have but not essential features would be:
- Side buttons for paging
- Wifi/3G/4G
- Linux/Android based, and sufficiently customizable to take advantage of it

Maximum budget is around $1000, though I'd pay a bit more if it ticked all the boxes. Thanks in advance for replies, I'd really appreciate any helpful advice.

davidfor · 09-27-2016, 10:24 PM

Any of the Kobo devices currently available fit most of those requirements. They don't do nested collections, don't have button and only have WiFi.

The collection management from calibre is seamless. If you want to do it yourself, the collections are stored in a database on the device which is what the calibre driver is changing.

Greyman027 · 09-27-2016, 10:35 PM

Thanks David, much appreciated.

A real shame about the lack of nested collections, or I'd go out and grab a Kobo today. Though if nothing else fits the bill, at least there's an option available that's better than the Paperwhite.

davidfor · 09-28-2016, 12:16 AM

I don't know of anything that does nested collections unless they are just using the file system structure. And to me that isn't a true collection as to get a book into multiple places in the file system, you have to have multiple copies of the book. On a Kobo, a book can be in as many collections as you need.

And before someone jumps on me, yes, you could do it using links. That would require the file system supporting them, and whatever method for adding the books or creating the collections to build the links properly.

Terisa de morgan · 09-28-2016, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't know of anything that does nested collection.

PRS+ over Sony. I miss it

Greyman027 · 09-28-2016, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't know of anything that does nested collections unless they are just using the file system structure.

I would take that as a consolation prize, if it were available. It's certainly better than a flat collection structure (for my needs, at least), and orders of magnitude better than what the Kindle offers right now.

Are you aware of any e-readers that do offer nested folders through the file structure, exposed through the front-end interface?

Terisa de morgan · 09-28-2016, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greyman027

Are you aware of any e-readers that do offer nested folders through the file structure, exposed through the front-end interface?

I think Bookeen ereaders do it, and usually Android ereaders too. I'm not very sure because I've been there (folders instead of collections), and I don't want to be back.

meeera · 09-28-2016, 03:33 AM

I believe it can also be done by installing koreader on a kobo. I'm not a fan - I much prefer the flexibility of tag-style collections (managed on my Kobo using Calibre) - but do a search in the koreader threads and you should be able to find more details.

Terisa de morgan · 09-28-2016, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

I believe it can also be done by installing koreader on a kobo. I'm not a fan - I much prefer the flexibility of tag-style collections - but do a search in the koreader threads and you should be able to find more details.

I agree with you, yes, you're right.

Sweetpea · 09-28-2016, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greyman027

Hi all,
Are there any other readers on the market that offer a simple, clean interface and easily allow custom (preferably nested) collections? Something with an XML or JSON file, or some other programmatic interface to configure the collections, would be even better.

The other must-have features would be:
- E-ink (i.e. iPad etc are out).
- A backlight or other form of integrated lighting.
- Seamless integration with Calibre.

The other nice-to-have but not essential features would be:
- Side buttons for paging
- Wifi/3G/4G
- Linux/Android based, and sufficiently customizable to take advantage of it

Maximum budget is around $1000, though I'd pay a bit more if it ticked all the boxes. Thanks in advance for replies, I'd really appreciate any helpful advice.

Actually, I only know of one reader that fits most of those checks: the Onyx ones.

I've got the T68 (6.8")
Runs Android 4.0
E-ink
Light,
Seamless integretion with Calibre through the companion app
Wifi

As it runs Android, you can use any android app that you want, for reading.

Greyman027 · 09-28-2016, 06:52 AM

Thanks all for the suggestions - the Onyx gets pretty terrible reviews from what I can see, which is a pity because as you say Sweetpea, it ticks nearly all the boxes.

Looks like it might be another Kindle kept specifically for the downgraded firmware, or a Kobo with KOReader.

Does anyone else have other viable suggestions?

patrik · 09-28-2016, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greyman027

Thanks all for the suggestions - the Onyx gets pretty terrible reviews from what I can see, which is a pity because as you say Sweetpea, it ticks nearly all the boxes.

Looks like it might be another Kindle kept specifically for the downgraded firmware, or a Kobo with KOReader.

Does anyone else have other viable suggestions?

You could take a look at this "hack" and see if that would be useful for you.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=254554

Greyman027 · 09-28-2016, 07:58 AM

Thanks Patrik - it looks like a neat hack, but alas no nesting.

AnemicOak · 09-28-2016, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greyman027

Looks like it might be another Kindle kept specifically for the downgraded firmware, or a Kobo with KOReader.

If you jailbreak your Kindle KOReader can also be installed on that last I checked.

Timboli · 09-28-2016, 10:17 PM

I feel your pain when it comes to the Paperwhite, though I have adjusted and try to avoid at all cost, changing the view, because it is always a bugger to get it back right again. I preferred the collections the way they were before the first firmware upgrade, but each upgrade has provided other good features, so going back is not an option for me.

As for tags, they can be a bugger too. I have one ebook that refuses to stay in a collection, despite everything I and Amazon have tried (though I expect they didn't exhaust every avenue). I put it in a collection, switch the device off, turn it back on and when my device syncs with Wifi, it no longer exists in a collection next time it is turned on. I have removed it from the device several times, to no avail. I expect the only way to maybe fix it, would be to remove the ebook altogether from my purchases, get a refund and buy again. I had to do that for another ebook, because its counter (number of devices you can read it on), refused to reset. Luckily for me, it was actually cheaper second time around with a repurchase, and the issue was fixed. Initially they tried to convince me to wipe my device and re-download hundreds of ebooks again, which I refused thank Dog. The hurdles they make you go through, before you finally get someone with the right power to fix things ... though truth be known they should have been able to reset the flag for the counter without me deleting the ebook entirely.

Just for the record, the following is how I have it setup.
It is set on Downloaded, All Items, Collection.

When I sync and get a new ebook, it momentarily shows at the start of collections, then once downloaded, it shows at the end of collections, which I quick jump to selecting Page 11. Then I select and add it to one or more collections and it disappears from view into them.

I hate it when a firmware upgrade screws with that setup, as it sometimes does, and you would think it should be easy to put it back to my preferred setup again, but as you probably know, everything has to be done in just the right order or it shows incorrect menu options etc.

In many ways, I prefer the Kindle Keyboard setup, which would have been nice with touch (swipe) and the substrate layer lighting, with no page buttons or physical keyboard. Apart from the constant scrolling and button clicks and no reverse in many instances, it was quite good. Touch alone would have fixed most bugbears, but they had to radically change everything, alas.

09-27-2016, 08:48 PM	#1
Greyman027 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2016 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2	A reader with decent collection management? Hi all, I love my Kindle Paperwhite, but the collection management features are driving me barmy. I do a lot of sideloading (primarily technical books from O'Reilly) and the newer interface on the Kindle simply, well... sucks. The old Kindle interface was great, and I know that I could downgrade the firmware version to revert back to it, but I would like to keep up with software/firmware updates as they come out if possible. Are there any other readers on the market that offer a simple, clean interface and easily allow custom (preferably nested) collections? Something with an XML or JSON file, or some other programmatic interface to configure the collections, would be even better. The other must-have features would be: - E-ink (i.e. iPad etc are out). - A backlight or other form of integrated lighting. - Seamless integration with Calibre. The other nice-to-have but not essential features would be: - Side buttons for paging - Wifi/3G/4G - Linux/Android based, and sufficiently customizable to take advantage of it Maximum budget is around $1000, though I'd pay a bit more if it ticked all the boxes. Thanks in advance for replies, I'd really appreciate any helpful advice.

09-28-2016, 03:33 AM	#8
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,659 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I believe it can also be done by installing koreader on a kobo. I'm not a fan - I much prefer the flexibility of tag-style collections (managed on my Kobo using Calibre) - but do a search in the koreader threads and you should be able to find more details. Last edited by meeera; 09-29-2016 at 02:20 AM.

09-28-2016, 10:17 PM	#15
Timboli Fanatic Posts: 573 Karma: 2092844 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: AUS Device: Kindles & Samsung Tablet	I feel your pain when it comes to the Paperwhite, though I have adjusted and try to avoid at all cost, changing the view, because it is always a bugger to get it back right again. I preferred the collections the way they were before the first firmware upgrade, but each upgrade has provided other good features, so going back is not an option for me. As for tags, they can be a bugger too. I have one ebook that refuses to stay in a collection, despite everything I and Amazon have tried (though I expect they didn't exhaust every avenue). I put it in a collection, switch the device off, turn it back on and when my device syncs with Wifi, it no longer exists in a collection next time it is turned on. I have removed it from the device several times, to no avail. I expect the only way to maybe fix it, would be to remove the ebook altogether from my purchases, get a refund and buy again. I had to do that for another ebook, because its counter (number of devices you can read it on), refused to reset. Luckily for me, it was actually cheaper second time around with a repurchase, and the issue was fixed. Initially they tried to convince me to wipe my device and re-download hundreds of ebooks again, which I refused thank Dog. The hurdles they make you go through, before you finally get someone with the right power to fix things ... though truth be known they should have been able to reset the flag for the counter without me deleting the ebook entirely. Just for the record, the following is how I have it setup. It is set on Downloaded, All Items, Collection. When I sync and get a new ebook, it momentarily shows at the start of collections, then once downloaded, it shows at the end of collections, which I quick jump to selecting Page 11. Then I select and add it to one or more collections and it disappears from view into them. I hate it when a firmware upgrade screws with that setup, as it sometimes does, and you would think it should be easy to put it back to my preferred setup again, but as you probably know, everything has to be done in just the right order or it shows incorrect menu options etc. In many ways, I prefer the Kindle Keyboard setup, which would have been nice with touch (swipe) and the substrate layer lighting, with no page buttons or physical keyboard. Apart from the constant scrolling and button clicks and no reverse in many instances, it was quite good. Touch alone would have fixed most bugbears, but they had to radically change everything, alas. Last edited by Timboli; 09-28-2016 at 10:34 PM.

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09-27-2016, 10:24 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Any of the Kobo devices currently available fit most of those requirements. They don't do nested collections, don't have button and only have WiFi. The collection management from calibre is seamless. If you want to do it yourself, the collections are stored in a database on the device which is what the calibre driver is changing.

09-27-2016, 10:35 PM	#3
Greyman027 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2016 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2	Thanks David, much appreciated. A real shame about the lack of nested collections, or I'd go out and grab a Kobo today. Though if nothing else fits the bill, at least there's an option available that's better than the Paperwhite.

09-28-2016, 12:16 AM	#4
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	I don't know of anything that does nested collections unless they are just using the file system structure. And to me that isn't a true collection as to get a book into multiple places in the file system, you have to have multiple copies of the book. On a Kobo, a book can be in as many collections as you need. And before someone jumps on me, yes, you could do it using links. That would require the file system supporting them, and whatever method for adding the books or creating the collections to build the links properly.

09-28-2016, 06:52 AM	#11
Greyman027 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2016 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2	Thanks all for the suggestions - the Onyx gets pretty terrible reviews from what I can see, which is a pity because as you say Sweetpea, it ticks nearly all the boxes. Looks like it might be another Kindle kept specifically for the downgraded firmware, or a Kobo with KOReader. Does anyone else have other viable suggestions?

09-28-2016, 07:58 AM	#13
Greyman027 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2016 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2	Thanks Patrik - it looks like a neat hack, but alas no nesting.

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