Need help deciding/finding a new eReader

[stormdelta]

I currently have a Nook Simple Touch Glow, but I'm getting tired of dealing with its glitches and I'd really like a higher resolution screen.

I use Calibre to convert ebooks and strip DRM, so ecosystem is a non-issue for me, and virtually all books/documents I own will be sideloaded, so store support and any features that require store support are irrelevant to me.

I also do a lot of reading that isn't just books, such as longer articles and short stories off the web. Real (meaning actually usable) PDF support would be nice for documents and books that use diagrams and larger formatting, but not required.

I'm mostly looking for something that has a decent screen and durability and has some form of sync or transfer to the device that doesn't require me constantly digging out USB cables while traveling.

Price isn't a big deal - as long as it's under $250, I really don't care.

So far I've looked at the Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura HD, and the Kindle Paperwhite. The Kobo devices look great, especially the Aura HD, and it seems like they have better support for PDFs in their software. Unfortunately their sideload support seems to be fairly weak - as I understand it, you can't even sync stuff to the device unless it came from the Kobo store, and I saw reports that you had to update the devices database after transferring over USB.

The Kindle Paperwhite seems like it has better sideload support via the Personal Documents sync. I also had a Kindle before my Nook, and I've noticed that books and documents seemed to convert better for it than for the Nook (especially stuff that started as an ePub - lots of issues with huge margins even at the lowest margin settings, missing pages, and stuff like that), though that may have just been the Nook's less than stellar software.

Unfortunately, I really want to avoid the Kindle if at all possible, as I do not support closed ecosystems (even if I personally can bypass it, most people can't or won't, and it's annoying) and Amazon has a really bad track record with durability in my experience (I had to replace my Kindle 3rd gen three times due to the screen breaking - my Nook has survived longer with far fewer issues).

[meeera]

Originally Posted by stormdelta

So far I've looked at the Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura HD, and the Kindle Paperwhite. The Kobo devices look great, especially the Aura HD, and it seems like they have better support for PDFs in their software. Unfortunately their sideload support seems to be fairly weak - as I understand it, you can't even sync stuff to the device unless it came from the Kobo store, and I saw reports that you had to update the devices database after transferring over USB.

Can I ask exactly what you mean by "sync", here? If you just mean putting books on a Kobo device, you can do that with Calibre via USB, or via the Calibre content server over wifi, or via Dropbox and the builtin browser and wifi, or by the other dropbox-style service of your choice, so long as it plays nicely with the rather rudimentary browsers you find on eink devices. (Another way of getting books on without digging out a USB cable is to use a micro SD card.)

I'm not sure what you mean by "you have to update the device's database after transferring by USB" - this happens automatically in normal situations, no user intervention required. Calibre can also manage shelves on the device, which is truly handy.

Now, if by "sync" you mean syncing bookmarks across different Kobo devices (eg to keep your place in a book between your eink reader and your Kobo app on your smartphone, and your iPad, and so on), then yes, you can only do that with Kobo books.

So that might not actually be an issue for you. However Kobo doesn't do PDF reflow, which might be a dealbreaker for you. Check out the Sony devices for that. Or test the sort of PDF you might be using on an Aura, to see if you can deal with it. But honestly, if you do a lot of PDF reading, and those PDFs include diagrams and fancy formatting and such, you are very unlikely to be happy with a six or seven inch eink device - a tablet is a fair better tool for those.

[Bertolt]

The 3 most important features of any ereader are 1. durability, 2 durability and 3 durability, which is why I would only buy the most basic and cheapest Kindle. Keep it simple and it's far less likely to break down. Keep it lightweight too and you're less likely to suffer from wrist strain.
You ALSO need to get an Android tablet. It's the only way to read PDFs. You need a 10 inch screen for PDFs. I love my Samsung Galaxy Tab because it just works and I have had no problems with it. I actually bought it mainly for reading PDFs: you can instantly enlarge the part of the page you need to see all the detail on. Of course the Android can do lots of other things too and I take it on holiday nowadays and leave the laptop at home.

[stormdelta]

Originally Posted by meeera

Can I ask exactly what you mean by "sync", here? If you just mean putting books on a Kobo device, you can do that with Calibre via USB, or via the Calibre content server over wifi, or via Dropbox and the builtin browser and wifi, or by the other dropbox-style service of your choice, so long as it plays nicely with the rather rudimentary browsers you find on eink devices. (Another way of getting books on without digging out a USB cable is to use a micro SD card.)

So the device browser supports downloading files? I admit I'd forgotten about the web browser.

I'm not sure what you mean by "you have to update the device's database after transferring by USB" - this happens automatically in normal situations, no user intervention required. Calibre can also manage shelves on the device, which is truly handy.

Sounds I like misunderstood how it worked then.

So that might not actually be an issue for you. However Kobo doesn't do PDF reflow, which might be a dealbreaker for you. Check out the Sony devices for that. Or test the sort of PDF you might be using on an Aura, to see if you can deal with it. But honestly, if you do a lot of PDF reading, and those PDFs include diagrams and fancy formatting and such, you are very unlikely to be happy with a six or seven inch eink device - a tablet is a fair better tool for those.

For the most post, the lack of flow shouldn't be an issue for me, but that's good to know about, thanks. Plus I get eyestrain very fast if I try to do any kind of extended reading on a backlit screen, so tablets aren't really an option either way.

One other question about the Aura - do you know if the case for it that's available on the Kobo store can be folded back around the device? I haven't been able to find much information on that, and while I do want a case I also don't having to hold the flap open while reading.

[stormdelta]

Originally Posted by Bertolt

The 3 most important features of any ereader are 1. durability, 2 durability and 3 durability, which is why I would only buy the most basic and cheapest Kindle.

That sounds pretty counter-intuitive. Cheap can (and often does) also mean more cheaply made, which means less durable, not more. And like I said, Kindles have a bad track record for durability in my book, even if Amazon's customer service does make them pretty easy to replace.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by stormdelta

That sounds pretty counter-intuitive. Cheap can (and often does) also mean more cheaply made, which means less durable, not more. And like I said, Kindles have a bad track record for durability in my book, even if Amazon's customer service does make them pretty easy to replace.

For durability, I'd go with Sony, myself. Especially the x50 series.

[vugtitan]

Originally Posted by stormdelta

I currently have a Nook Simple Touch Glow, but I'm getting tired of dealing with its glitches and I'd really like a higher resolution screen.

I use Calibre to convert ebooks and strip DRM, so ecosystem is a non-issue for me, and virtually all books/documents I own will be sideloaded, so store support and any features that require store support are irrelevant to me.

I also do a lot of reading that isn't just books, such as longer articles and short stories off the web. Real (meaning actually usable) PDF support would be nice for documents and books that use diagrams and larger formatting, but not required.

I'm mostly looking for something that has a decent screen and durability and has some form of sync or transfer to the device that doesn't require me constantly digging out USB cables while traveling.

Price isn't a big deal - as long as it's under $250, I really don't care.

So far I've looked at the Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura HD, and the Kindle Paperwhite. The Kobo devices look great, especially the Aura HD, and it seems like they have better support for PDFs in their software. Unfortunately their sideload support seems to be fairly weak - as I understand it, you can't even sync stuff to the device unless it came from the Kobo store, and I saw reports that you had to update the devices database after transferring over USB.

The Kindle Paperwhite seems like it has better sideload support via the Personal Documents sync. I also had a Kindle before my Nook, and I've noticed that books and documents seemed to convert better for it than for the Nook (especially stuff that started as an ePub - lots of issues with huge margins even at the lowest margin settings, missing pages, and stuff like that), though that may have just been the Nook's less than stellar software.

Unfortunately, I really want to avoid the Kindle if at all possible, as I do not support closed ecosystems (even if I personally can bypass it, most people can't or won't, and it's annoying) and Amazon has a really bad track record with durability in my experience (I had to replace my Kindle 3rd gen three times due to the screen breaking - my Nook has survived longer with far fewer issues).

just re load the image for the nook glow again.

or root it.

i rooted mine also and it awesome i have installed every web browser,file browser,book reader apps and games.

180 apps installed.

no glitch problems at all.

[ottdmk]

Just regarding the Glo: Yes, syncing only works with Kobo content. This has been attributed to Canadian privacy laws. However, as far as sideloading goes, it's really quite easy. The database is updated automatically after you sideload content, as soon as you disconnect the USB cable.