N00b Question

[rpmazur]

I've been researching eReaders and my head is close to exploding....

My question is (hopefully) simple. I am looking for an eReader that is open source (since I am heading down that path now), can be used with a MBP and can either be tethered to my Mac or use WiFi as I am on Active Duty and don't always have a reliable WiFi connection.

I am currently looking at the Cybook series as well as Kobo. I have the Kobo reader for my iPod Touch (yes, I know it isn't open source...lol) and like the Kobo.

I know that everyone has a different opinion but I am taking suggestions and will continue the research.



Rob

[polly]

Hi,

Not sure what MBP is? Since being in the military equals being outside the US so much, I would stay away from the Barnes & Noble readers. They only support readers that are in the US. It doesn't matter that you have an APO address or that you are American, they won't even let you update the firmware from abroad.

Since you mention the military connection, I would steer you toward the 5" models, just because they are so portable. I can tell you from experience that the Sony PRS 350 and the Astak PocketPro both fit well in both the cargo pocket and the pants pocket of the ACUs. Astak has stopped distributing the PocketPro, but they are still being made by Jinke (Hanlin) and sold by other distributors. The PocketBook 360 has a nice cover that snaps over the screen to protect it, but I thought it was a little wide and heavy for the cargo pocket and definitely doesn't fit in the pants pocket.

I'm also not sure what you mean by open source? Do you mean not tied to a book store? Something that can be easily rooted or uses alternate firmware? As far as I know, all of them allow you to attach them to Linux, Windows, or Apple computers. Generally, the reader will show up as a USB device. The proprietary part comes in with buying books. Electronic books from Amazon only work on the Kindle. Ebooks from B&N only work on the Nook and Ebooks from iTunes only work on Apple products. There are also lots of other book stores. Some, like BooksOnBoard and Borders, sell mainstream best sellers that will work on readers with Adobe Digital Editions. Others, like Baen (science fiction) specialize in self-published or genre. If you go to www.inkmesh.com, you can type in some titles or authors and see where they're available.

Because of geographic restrictions, some US based books are either not available to you in Germany or cost more. A VPN that gives you a US IP address, combined with a US based credit card, will let you purchase from most of the book stores. It's also technically possible to strip the DRM from most books and then convert them to work on your reader. We can't go into specifics on that on MobileRead, but Google for Apprentice Alf for more details.

It's very much personal preference, but most important to me are very good display, ergonomics of holding the reader/turning the pages, and organization of books on the reader. I like to carry a lot of books at one time; on some readers, the only organization is a list that is alphabetical by title or author. I've never missed WiFi, because Calibre does such a great job of putting the book with its metadata on my reader. The Sony 350 meets my most important requirements and travels well, so it has become my favorite reader. It has the advantage of being carried by AAFES, so it should be available for hands on evaluation at the PowerZone.

[pidgeon92]

MBP = MacBook Pro.

I can't think of an ereader that cannot be used with a Mac. I certainly use all of mine with my iMac.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by opensource, either. If I wanted an ereader that I could get new books from when outside of the US, I would definitely go Kindle. However, if I knew I was going to be out of the country for a long period of time, I would just load up my ereader with a boatload of books and not worry about running out of things to read.

[rpmazur]

Thanks for the replies. Polly,l when I am back on R&R towards the end of the year, I will check out the power zone.

As for open source, I'd like it to be moddable if that's the route I would like to go. Honestly, I don't know what you would want to mod an eReader with or for, just something that's got my interest.

Thanks again

[geertm]

Originally Posted by polly

Hi,

Not sure what MBP is? Since being in the military equals being outside the US so much, I would stay away from the Barnes & Noble readers. They only support readers that are in the US. It doesn't matter that you have an APO address or that you are American, they won't even let you update the firmware from abroad.

Your information about the Nook is unfortunately not correct.

1. B&N has made an exception for military personel. If you register your B&N account with an ".mil" e-mail address, you can use your Nook just like you would in the US. There are no geo-restrictions.

2. The geo-restrictions are only active when buying books/magazines/applications (forced upon B&N by the publishers). Everything in your B&N library (things that have been bought) can be downloaded anywhere in the world. Registering your Nook, and updating the firmware, can also be done anywhere in the world.

[polly]

Originally Posted by geertm

Your information about the Nook is unfortunately not correct.

1. B&N has made an exception for military personel. If you register your B&N account with an ".mil" e-mail address, you can use your Nook just like you would in the US. There are no geo-restrictions.

2. The geo-restrictions are only active when buying books/magazines/applications (forced upon B&N by the publishers). Everything in your B&N library (things that have been bought) can be downloaded anywhere in the world. Registering your Nook, and updating the firmware, can also be done anywhere in the world.

Perhaps, but B&N is the most aggressive about not supporting items, even for the military. Perhaps it's changed in the last year, but colleagues with Nooks in Europe had a horrible time getting warranty support. They wouldn't ship to APO addresses. A .mil account did not keep the B&N store from forbidding me to purchase even the free stuff. Sony, BooksonBoard, Kobo, FictionWise, Baen, and Amazon had no problems selling me stuff and Amazon was the only one besides B&N that used my computer IP address to determine my location. I used an VPN that gave me a US IP address to get around georestrictions. With Amazon, I had to turn it on if I found something I wanted to buy. With B&N, I had to turn it on before I entered the store. The others didn't care where I was located. Purchasing from work is only an option if your work doesn't block that website. Who needs the hassle? The Sonys are supported by AAFES and the Sony rep visits the PowerZone on a regular basis.

[polly]

Originally Posted by rpmazur

Thanks for the replies. Polly,l when I am back on R&R towards the end of the year, I will check out the power zone.

As for open source, I'd like it to be moddable if that's the route I would like to go. Honestly, I don't know what you would want to mod an eReader with or for, just something that's got my interest.

Thanks again

AAFES was talking about selling them Down Range. You might check out the PX at a FOB near you.

The Sony is moddable. In fact, PRS+ is developed by members here at MobileRead.

[fjtorres]

[QUOTE=polly;1642598]The PocketBook 360 has a nice cover that snaps over the screen to protect it, but I thought it was a little wide and heavy for the cargo pocket and definitely doesn't fit in the pants pocket.

/QUOTE]


1- The PB360 fitting into pants pockets will depend on the pants. Mine fits with room to spare, but then I'm not a rockstar wearing tight leather pants. The PB360 and 360 plus are both exactly the size of a CD jewel case, which makes testing fit easy.

2- The entire Pocketbook line runs on Linux and they have a readily available SDK so, yes, they are open source readers. They run a variety of open source reader apps (FBreader, FBreader180, Coolreader3) and games as well as other user produced software. They also run two versions of the decidedly non-open source Adobe Reader app.

[polly]

[QUOTE=fjtorres;1649888]

Originally Posted by polly

The PocketBook 360 has a nice cover that snaps over the screen to protect it, but I thought it was a little wide and heavy for the cargo pocket and definitely doesn't fit in the pants pocket.

/QUOTE]


1- The PB360 fitting into pants pockets will depend on the pants. Mine fits with room to spare, but then I'm not a rockstar wearing tight leather pants. The PB360 and 360 plus are both exactly the size of a CD jewel case, which makes testing fit easy.

2- The entire Pocketbook line runs on Linux and they have a readily available SDK so, yes, they are open source readers. They run a variety of open source reader apps (FBreader, FBreader180, Coolreader3) and games as well as other user produced software. They also run two versions of the decidedly non-open source Adobe Reader app.

In the Army, they let us all where the same type of pants, so it's a good frame of reference.

Mine is a little wider and a little heavier than my 350 and the screen is not as sharp. The PocketBook is a nice reader and the accelerometer is an interesting feature, but I use my Sony these days.

[geertm]

Originally Posted by polly

Perhaps, but B&N is the most aggressive about not supporting items, even for the military. Perhaps it's changed in the last year, but colleagues with Nooks in Europe had a horrible time getting warranty support. They wouldn't ship to APO addresses. A .mil account did not keep the B&N store from forbidding me to purchase even the free stuff. Sony, BooksonBoard, Kobo, FictionWise, Baen, and Amazon had no problems selling me stuff and Amazon was the only one besides B&N that used my computer IP address to determine my location. I used an VPN that gave me a US IP address to get around georestrictions. With Amazon, I had to turn it on if I found something I wanted to buy. With B&N, I had to turn it on before I entered the store. The others didn't care where I was located. Purchasing from work is only an option if your work doesn't block that website. Who needs the hassle? The Sonys are supported by AAFES and the Sony rep visits the PowerZone on a regular basis.

If you use an ".mil" e-mail address you also need to register your B&N account with an US shipping and billing address, perhaps you did not do that?
There are several confirmations on the Nook Boards by military personal that using an ".mil" e-mail address works fine.

I would also like to add that there is nothing that the e-books stores can do about the geo-restrictions. Those restrictions are forced upon them by the publishers. That is why they are so easy to circumvent. The stores do not care to whom the sell their books, they just have to prove to the publishers that geo-restrictions are in place.