MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Thinking of going back to an e-reader

maddz · 03-11-2014, 05:28 AM

I've been reading for a couple of years now on my Nexus 7, and I'm thinking of going back to a dedicated e-reader (with an e-Ink screen), so I'm looking for recommendations.

My non-negotiable requirements are:

1. Decent battery life. I have to charge the Nexus daily, more often if I've been playing games as well (some appear to be battery hogs)
2. Decent on-board storage (either on the device or with an SD-card). I'd like to be able to install my entire library on the device; currently standing at over 400 books loaded in Calibre plus other text & PDF format books, so say around 600 titles+ - and some of the PDFs are huge.
3. The ability to handle different formats. As noted above, I have Calibre, so e-book formats aren't a problem; it's other formats - PDF and doc mostly, along with a few spreadsheets (!)
4. Not a walled garden. My e-books are from a variety of sources, so I need to be able to add to the reading list without jumping through a myriad of hoops. (Yes, I occasionally buy from Amazon if I cannot get the title elsewhere without DRM but it's a PitA to load them onto the Nexus so I can pick them up with FBReader.) Basically, I want to use (if feasible) a single program to read my books. In order of use, I will be reading e-books 75% of the time, PDFs 24% of the time, and the rest of the time will be other formats.
5. Lightweight. I have arthritis in my thumb joints and wrists so can't handle anything too big or heavy (at least for very long). Some kind of side mounted rocker switch to turn pages would be useful - but it needs to handle reading in landscape mode as well as portrait.
6. Available in the UK

Desirable features are:

1. The ability to annotate files/docs or add to a spreadsheet; it'll be the best way to carry my dead tree catalogue around with me (still only about 1/4 logged in LibraryThing). It will be helpful in terms of work - read PDFs on a device and annotate them instead of juggling 3 or 4 print-outs.
2. Wireless enabled. My original e-readers (a Hanlin and a Libre) were managed via USB or SD-card (both in the case of the Palm m500). As it's not always possible to link to a hot-spot, 3G might be a good idea. However, given sufficiently large on-board storage, USB/SD card is perfectly adequate given that I don't often add to the e-books (at least currently - this may change once I finally read everything).
3. A plastic substrate screen. I have a tendency to fall asleep while reading, especially if I am on the sofa or in bed. My Hanlin was killed when I rolled on top of it and cracked the screen (glass substrate).
4. Water and dust proof. I ride to work on a bike and things can get wet despite waterproof covers. Also, the house is dusty - the arthritis means hoovering can be actively painful because of the vibration.

So, any recommendations would be gratefully received!

03-11-2014, 05:28 AM	#1
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,405 Karma: 30039536 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	Thinking of going back to an e-reader I've been reading for a couple of years now on my Nexus 7, and I'm thinking of going back to a dedicated e-reader (with an e-Ink screen), so I'm looking for recommendations. My non-negotiable requirements are: 1. Decent battery life. I have to charge the Nexus daily, more often if I've been playing games as well (some appear to be battery hogs) 2. Decent on-board storage (either on the device or with an SD-card). I'd like to be able to install my entire library on the device; currently standing at over 400 books loaded in Calibre plus other text & PDF format books, so say around 600 titles+ - and some of the PDFs are huge. 3. The ability to handle different formats. As noted above, I have Calibre, so e-book formats aren't a problem; it's other formats - PDF and doc mostly, along with a few spreadsheets (!) 4. Not a walled garden. My e-books are from a variety of sources, so I need to be able to add to the reading list without jumping through a myriad of hoops. (Yes, I occasionally buy from Amazon if I cannot get the title elsewhere without DRM but it's a PitA to load them onto the Nexus so I can pick them up with FBReader.) Basically, I want to use (if feasible) a single program to read my books. In order of use, I will be reading e-books 75% of the time, PDFs 24% of the time, and the rest of the time will be other formats. 5. Lightweight. I have arthritis in my thumb joints and wrists so can't handle anything too big or heavy (at least for very long). Some kind of side mounted rocker switch to turn pages would be useful - but it needs to handle reading in landscape mode as well as portrait. 6. Available in the UK Desirable features are: 1. The ability to annotate files/docs or add to a spreadsheet; it'll be the best way to carry my dead tree catalogue around with me (still only about 1/4 logged in LibraryThing). It will be helpful in terms of work - read PDFs on a device and annotate them instead of juggling 3 or 4 print-outs. 2. Wireless enabled. My original e-readers (a Hanlin and a Libre) were managed via USB or SD-card (both in the case of the Palm m500). As it's not always possible to link to a hot-spot, 3G might be a good idea. However, given sufficiently large on-board storage, USB/SD card is perfectly adequate given that I don't often add to the e-books (at least currently - this may change once I finally read everything). 3. A plastic substrate screen. I have a tendency to fall asleep while reading, especially if I am on the sofa or in bed. My Hanlin was killed when I rolled on top of it and cracked the screen (glass substrate). 4. Water and dust proof. I ride to work on a bike and things can get wet despite waterproof covers. Also, the house is dusty - the arthritis means hoovering can be actively painful because of the vibration. So, any recommendations would be gratefully received!