E-reader devices in Canada

[jodykihara]

I'm finally ready to buy my first e-reader! I've been wanting to buy one for ages but just haven't had the time to do the research.

The reason I started the Canada-specific thread is because I'm not sure if there are issues with buying e-books from outside of Canada? E.g., with iTunes, I can only buy from the iTunes Canada store, NOT the US one (which means I often can't use coupons I receive).
Also, my absolute MUST is that my e-reader will work with Canadian libraries! (My local librarian told me Kindles won't work)

So... any fellow Canadians out there who can give me e-reader recommendations? Specs that are important to me:
- Monitor size
- Monitor clarity
- Weight (I want a light one!)
- Battery life
- Ease of ebook purchase/download/sync
- I'd prefer a charger that plugs into the wall rather than my computer, for times I travel without a computer
- and on that note, I guess I need a dual voltage charger? For travel in Europe etc.
-works with Canadian library system (Overdrive based, I believe)

thanks in advance for any help!
Jody K

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by jodykihara

The reason I started the Canada-specific thread is because I'm not sure if there are issues with buying e-books from outside of Canada? E.g., with iTunes, I can only buy from the iTunes Canada store, NOT the US one (which means I often can't use coupons I receive).
Also, my absolute MUST is that my e-reader will work with Canadian libraries! (My local librarian told me Kindles won't work)

Your local librarian was officially, but not technically, correct. If you end up going with a Kindle, PM me and I can help. I should add that I read many of my books on the Kindle from the BC Library download site.
(NOT trying to start a kerfluffle about DRM here, just stating a fact, without interpretation.)

So... any fellow Canadians out there who can give me e-reader recommendations? Specs that are important to me:
- Monitor size
- Monitor clarity
- Weight (I want a light one!)
- Battery life
- Ease of ebook purchase/download/sync
- I'd prefer a charger that plugs into the wall rather than my computer, for times I travel without a computer
- and on that note, I guess I need a dual voltage charger? For travel in Europe etc.

Your three choices, IMO, are Kobo, Sony and Kindle. You will ALWAYS have to deal with store restrictions, unless you're willing to create a US address for the purposes of book buying. That's a fact of life and actually NOT in the control of Amazon, or Kobo, or any other retailer. It all has to do with how the publishing rights are controlled and contracted, and who has the right to sell a particular eBook in what country/region.

Kobo and Sony are both ePub based, and will work with the library system directly. Both have Pearl eInk screens. The Kobo is a newer model, and to my way of thinking is the easier to buy books with.

Kindle is not ePub based, but Mobi based. This means that using books from the library requires DRM removal and conversion. However, the process is simple and easy to do and doesn't require a technical wizard. The Kindle has absolutely the easiest book buying experience, plus it has a useful browser that makes it easy to buy books from other, non-Amazon, sources. The Kindle is also Pearl eInk, so easy to read and a very long battery life.

Personally, I love my Kindle. I highly recommend it, and it can meet all your requirements. But if you absolutely think you can't remove DRM to read a book (NOT illegal in Canada, by the way), then the Kobo would be my choice.

(note that the number of books in the Kobo store is significantly fewer than in the Amazon store, even when geo-restrictions are taken into account. OTOH, I do buy books from the Kobo store when they aren't available from my US Amazon account, such as this year's Giller prize winner. Then I strip the DRM and convert to Mobi. )

[jodykihara]

Wow, thanks for all the info!

So if I were to buy a Kindle, and then buy books from Amazon, and some time later decide I want to buy a non-Kindle e-reader... can I transfer all the Kindle books I've bought to the new reader?

[TedJ]

Yes, although doing so requires stripping the DRM and converting to ePub.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by jodykihara

Wow, thanks for all the info!

So if I were to buy a Kindle, and then buy books from Amazon, and some time later decide I want to buy a non-Kindle e-reader... can I transfer all the Kindle books I've bought to the new reader?

yes, certainly. You'd need to remove any DRM that the books might have (not difficult or technically challenging), and then convert to ePub format. The tool for conversion is Calibre.

[Care]

I have no problem stripping drm off books I have purchased, but library books? For me that is too far. I guess it all depends on what you feel is right.

I am in Canada and I have a Barnes & Noble Nook (classic) and a B&N Nook Color. And I am getting the newest Nook Touch in a couple weeks and selling my classic Nook. They don't ship to Canada though and you need to register with a US address to buy all of the books available. You can use epub library books easily or buy from the Sony store, Kobo, or any other place that sells adobe drm epubs (and any drm free epub of course). The shipping and address is very easy to get around (if you want more info on that go to this or just ask), and there are places you can buy them and have them shipped to you, like ebay.

If I couldn't get a Nook I would probably go with the Kobo touch. Nice and light, and you can use adobe epubs or library epubs on the device. I haven't actually played yet with it, but I have watched a lot of videos and I still don't like a few things about the Kobos (like search ability and dictionary support), it is also very slow. Besides that, they are fairly cheap and available at your local Chapters. The Kobo store usually has good coupons, but I find their selection to be lacking.

Sony's are nice, but a bit pricey. If you have no problem with stripping all of your non-amazon ebooks, then the Kindle is nice too.

The Nook, Kobo, and Kindle are all very easy to download books from and sync your library. My Nook takes seconds and I can open a newly purchased book. Not sure about a adapter for the UK. You will probably have to purchase one separately. I am not sure about the others, but my Nooks came with a usb cord and a wall adapter. You can still read on the Nook while it is charging, but I don't think you can on the Kindle (or at least you couldn't before, maybe somebody can chime in on this).

I would go to youtube and watch the videos on whichever devices you like the best. Get to know them more and go into the forums here for each individual device to see how people that have them like them.

[jodykihara]

I've gone ahead and ordered a Kobo, as I really didn't want the added time/hassle of trying to remove DRM for Kindle books. I really did love the 6" Sony, but the price point was REALLY high... so Kobo it is!
Thanks for all the great advice.

[Care]

Congrats, I am sure you are going to love it!

[robko]

You'll love the Kobo. In answer to one of your questions that hasn't been touched yet: with most (if not all) of the e-readers you can likely use a generic cell phone type charger with the appropriate end on it to charge the reader. Board wisdom seems to state the key is to make sure it is outputting at or above the required amperage for the device (if it's lower apparently it can cause issues for the charger). I don't know which readers ship with a wall charger cord in Canada and which don't, but the Kobo definitely doesn't. It uses a MICRO USB port (the nearly flat one).