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Tom2112 · 10-25-2010, 12:45 AM

OK, I've got to admit, that I have limited experience with most readers. I have an iPhone that I read on more than anything. I also own an Astak Mentor and as of tonight a Nook WiFi.

I'm stunned that every time I buy a dedicated reader that it is an enormous let down. The features just aren't there.

OK, I love my iPhone as a reader. But sometimes you just want a larger format, and the LCD screen can really give eye strain if you read a lot.

So, I really love the e-ink readers. The screens look great! Almost no eye strain reading them at all!

But... of the two I've owned, neither would read .LIT files. Neither handled the organization of titles very well. I mean, seriously, has anyone ever heard of FOLDERS for crying out loud? It's so simple, it's crazy that they don't implement it that way. Let the user put their content in folders, and show the folder structure in the reader. That way the USER is in control of how their collection is organized. (I know, that's just crazy!)

Why is it that my phone does a better job of handling the files? It reads every format that I've ever thrown at it. Stanza is a fabulous program, and it's FREE! Sure, the phone cost more than both the other readers, so I guess maybe I'm expecting too much from them.

Anyway.... I will try to stop my rant long enough to ask the collective for a recommendation. What reader can do this:

I have an extensive collection of .LIT files. (about 7gigabytes) I want to be able to read them. I don't want to convert them.
The reader should also handle EPUB, TXT, RTF, PDF, PDB, and DOC files.
If it handled MOBI and PRC files too that would be great, but not all that important.
It should have an EXTERNALLY accessible SD card slot capable of reading SDHC cards (those are the big ones like 4, 8, 16 and 32 gigabyte).
It should NOT have a proprietary cable to connect it to the USB of my PC. (Apple and Barnes and Noble should listen up here.) Why in the world would you make a your own connector when USB and microUSB are the STANDARD?!? (of course, I know the answer: to screw the consumer into buying expensive proprietary cables)
I don't care about playing audio books or voice synth reading of text. I don't care about color or grey scale. I don't care about touch screens. The reader could have them or not. It makes no difference to me.
WiFi is nice but not required. The USB and SD card interface is much more important.
This reader will end up going overseas for long periods of time. So cell-phone-like connections to some store in the sky are of no use to me.
I should be able to put my entire ebook collection on a single 16 gig SD card and put it in the reader, and still be able to find what I want to read - easily and quickly.
It should take normal sized SD cards rather than microSD, but if it has all the rest of my wish list, I could live with microSD as long as it is externally accessible.

Thanks for reading my rant. If you know if a reader that fits my demanding wish list, please let me know (even if it is a reader that simply requires me to "root" it, or change it's firmware, or otherwise hack it. I'm comfy with that.)

10-25-2010, 12:45 AM	#1
Tom2112 Tablet eReader Posts: 45 Karma: 12620 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Western PA Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, iPad, Dell Streak 7, Moto RAZR MAXX	Is any reader worth it? OK, I've got to admit, that I have limited experience with most readers. I have an iPhone that I read on more than anything. I also own an Astak Mentor and as of tonight a Nook WiFi. I'm stunned that every time I buy a dedicated reader that it is an enormous let down. The features just aren't there. OK, I love my iPhone as a reader. But sometimes you just want a larger format, and the LCD screen can really give eye strain if you read a lot. So, I really love the e-ink readers. The screens look great! Almost no eye strain reading them at all! But... of the two I've owned, neither would read .LIT files. Neither handled the organization of titles very well. I mean, seriously, has anyone ever heard of FOLDERS for crying out loud? It's so simple, it's crazy that they don't implement it that way. Let the user put their content in folders, and show the folder structure in the reader. That way the USER is in control of how their collection is organized. (I know, that's just crazy!) Why is it that my phone does a better job of handling the files? It reads every format that I've ever thrown at it. Stanza is a fabulous program, and it's FREE! Sure, the phone cost more than both the other readers, so I guess maybe I'm expecting too much from them. Anyway.... I will try to stop my rant long enough to ask the collective for a recommendation. What reader can do this: I have an extensive collection of .LIT files. (about 7gigabytes) I want to be able to read them. I don't want to convert them. The reader should also handle EPUB, TXT, RTF, PDF, PDB, and DOC files. If it handled MOBI and PRC files too that would be great, but not all that important. It should have an EXTERNALLY accessible SD card slot capable of reading SDHC cards (those are the big ones like 4, 8, 16 and 32 gigabyte). It should NOT have a proprietary cable to connect it to the USB of my PC. (Apple and Barnes and Noble should listen up here.) Why in the world would you make a your own connector when USB and microUSB are the STANDARD?!? (of course, I know the answer: to screw the consumer into buying expensive proprietary cables) I don't care about playing audio books or voice synth reading of text. I don't care about color or grey scale. I don't care about touch screens. The reader could have them or not. It makes no difference to me. WiFi is nice but not required. The USB and SD card interface is much more important. This reader will end up going overseas for long periods of time. So cell-phone-like connections to some store in the sky are of no use to me. I should be able to put my entire ebook collection on a single 16 gig SD card and put it in the reader, and still be able to find what I want to read - easily and quickly. It should take normal sized SD cards rather than microSD, but if it has all the rest of my wish list, I could live with microSD as long as it is externally accessible. Thanks for reading my rant. If you know if a reader that fits my demanding wish list, please let me know (even if it is a reader that simply requires me to "root" it, or change it's firmware, or otherwise hack it. I'm comfy with that.) Last edited by Tom2112; 10-25-2010 at 12:49 AM.