"Open" e-book readers?

[spindlegirl]

I've not yet caught on to the 'front lit' thing. I find the visuals on the T2 to be nice and crisp and less 'grey'.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Sony is a good reader, but it's very much "last generation" technology being sold at a premium price. Sony have failed to come out with a reader to compete with the front-lit solutions now offered by almost all their rivals.

And the higher resolution screen most are using now as well.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I've not yet caught on to the 'front lit' thing. I find the visuals on the T2 to be nice and crisp and less 'grey'.

It's a game-changer to my mind. Totally transforms the readability of the screen. I've owned an awful lot of readers over the years; my Kindle Paperwhite is the best by far, due to the lighting.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

And the higher resolution screen most are using now as well.

My Sony 350 has about 200ppi resolution, that's not far below the new high res screens. And no "overlays" to compromise the crispness. With the lighted cover, very nice lighting, certainly more even than I've so far seen on Nook Glo or Kindle Paperwhite in person.

It cost me all of $80, refurbished and has had no issues of any kind.

Oh yeah, and I have the option of using touchscreen OR buttons to turn pages.

I've seen nothing about the newer readers that inclines me to buy as yet. My text is sharp and crisp. My lighting is good, without worrying over colored blotches and shadows at the bottom of the screen. The form factor is small and easy to carry around. It's gorgeous looking. And I can tag all my books in Calibre and have that instantly translated to collections when I load them.

I do like my T1 better for note taking, it's faster and the interface for notes is better than the 350.

Newer isn't always better, it really depends on the individual's needs. As far as I am concerned, both my 350 and T1 are very fine readers. Yes, I might like a front lit solution, but I haven't seen one yet that looks good to my eyes or surpasses my 350 in it's lighted cover.

[WillysJeepMan]

I'd recommend the Kobo Touch. Although it has hooks into the Kobo bookstore, not using it and not accessing it does not impede the use of the reader at all. I especially appreciate the out-of-the-box support for epub, pdf, txt, and even cbz/cbr formats.

It was able to handle every type of non-DRM book I threw at it.

[BadBilly]

Find the cheapest one that does what you want. As you've noticed from this thread, everyone has their favourite, but you're the one who will have to live with it.

A lot depends on where you live, of course. Where I live, my Sony T1 is well integrated with the public library and it was a real bargain. http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stor...52921666485877 I prefer the audio player and extra dictionaries in the T1 vs the T2. I also refuse to participate in Amazon's walled garden. So, make your decision based on what features are important and then buy the cheapest one that gives you that.

[dakini]

i'd also offer a vote for a kobo touch.

you do need to give kobo your email when you set the thing up. but that's to get firmware updates mainly, and to use their store if you wish. i've never bought through their store (have downloaded a few freebies), and i've only updated the software a couple times ... i like the version i'm running.

my epubs come from all over. never had any problem with non-DRM epubs and mobis or pdfs of any sort on the reader at all. i manage my library on my computer and sideload stuff on the reader when i want it on there.

[Xtro]

Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it.

Quick question: According to the Kobo website both the Mini and Glo support epub and mobi? Typo?

[dakini]

They support mobi as well as epub, yes. And a host of other formats.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Sony is a good reader, but it's very much "last generation" technology being sold at a premium price. Sony have failed to come out with a reader to compete with the front-lit solutions now offered by almost all their rivals.

But the Kindle is not open. The primary formats are closed. ePub (without DRM) is an open format. So if not the T2, which ePub capable reader would you suggest?

[BadBilly]

Originally Posted by Xtro

Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it.

Quick question: According to the Kobo website both the Mini and Glo support epub and mobi? Typo?

dakini, a Kobo user has already said yes, but I thought you'd be interested in seeing this thread on the matter. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=198298

From what I gather, however, do not confuse mobi with azw.

[JSWolf]

From what I've read about the Kobo Touch, unless Kobo has fixed things, Mobi is poor on the Kobo. besides, Mobi is not open and not as flexible as ePub.

[BadBilly]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Sony is a good reader, but it's very much "last generation" technology being sold at a premium price. Sony have failed to come out with a reader to compete with the front-lit solutions now offered by almost all their rivals.

You're making a lot of assumptions. First off, without knowing where the OP is, your supposed "premium price" may be entirely mythical. Currently, in Canada, for example, I could have a T2 direct from Sony for $99.99. A Kobo Glo will cost $129.99. A Kindle Paperwhite is not available for shipping to Canada. I could spend several hours and a fair number of dollars travelling across the border where I can get it from a Best Buy for US$119.99. I assume this is the ad-free version, but the BB site doesn't say. Sony is the least expensive by far. Sure, the Sony price is a sale price, but it doesn't matter, I can have it in my hands for a lot less than the others. And I don't have to travel to Buffalo to get it. If you've ever been to Buffalo, you'd understand just how big an advantage that is.

As for being "last generation" technology, the only Kindle I can order from Amazon is the $89.00 Kindle Wi-Fi with five-way controller and page turn buttons. For eleven dollars more, you get a touch screen (and buttons) from Sony. Furthermore, Kindle's Whispernet for personal documents isn't available in Canada, so you can't e-mail yourself books to put them in your Kindle, if I understand how that works correctly (and I'm sure I'll hear about it if I'm wrong). Library borrowing, with Sony's support of EPUB, is great here in Toronto. No Kindle library borrowing, though. A quick search suggests there is not a lot of library support in Canada for Kindle.

So, if the OP lives in, for example, Toronto, like I do, a Kindle seems like the most troublesome, least useful solution to the answer of what e-book reader to buy. Unless someone said they are happy to buy every book they read from Amazon (which the OP indicated he/she had no intention of doing), I'd never suggest a Kindle to someone in Canada. A Sony or a Kobo is definitely a better choice. Depending on where the OP is, the location may be more Kindle-appropriate.

I will concede that Sony does not offer a front-lit model. As I have a lamp, I do not find this to usually be a problem.

[HarryT]

Amazon's "Whispernet" works just fine in Canada - perhaps you're thinking of Amazon's "cloud", which is something rather different. Whispernet is Amazon's system for wireless delivery of books and synching content between devices. It works everywhere in the world.

As I said earlier in the thread, talking about book formats is rather a red herring; it's so easy to convert books between ePub and Mobi that it's a complete non-issue. Choose the device, don't worry about the bookstore. If you like the T2, go for it; it's a nice enough device. If the Kindle PW is available to you, personally I think it's better, but that's just my opinion.

[BadBilly]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Amazon's "Whispernet" works just fine in Canada - perhaps you're thinking of Amazon's "cloud", which is something rather different. Whispernet is Amazon's system for wireless delivery of books and synching content between devices. It works everywhere in the world.

As I said earlier in the thread, talking about book formats is rather a red herring; it's so easy to convert books between ePub and Mobi that it's a complete non-issue. Choose the device, don't worry about the bookstore. If you like the T2, go for it; it's a nice enough device. If the Kindle PW is available to you, personally I think it's better, but that's just my opinion.

Then it is the Cloud thing that isn't available in Canada. You can, of course, get the books you buy from Amazon.

My primary point was not about formats, though I think having a reader that will work with the public library is important, but I'm on a budget. My primary point was about your assertions that the T2 is sold "at a premium price" and that it's creaky old technology. I've shown that it is the least expensive of the three options for a Canadian user and, compared to Amazon's official Kindle offering in Canada, is more technologically advanced. Hell, even in the UK, and you should know this, the T2 is £99. The Paperwhite is £109. A higher resolution screen and light might be worth ten pounds, but it's still more expensive. Might be worth it to some, but the insinuation that the Sony is vastly-overpriced is unfair at the prices that are available today.

We all have our personal favourites, but if we're going to offer OP useful information, we can't assume things about his/her circumstances. A T2 in the USA is US$129.99. If the OP is in the USA and can get an ad-free Paperwhite at Best Buy for US$119.99, it sure makes sense to go with the Kindle. For a Canadian user, the Kindle is worst of the major three. In the UK, it's probably a bit of a toss-up. Elsewhere in the world, I wouldn't know.

And THAT leads to the thing at the very heart of the matter: If you want advice on what reader to get, you should tell us where you're located.