MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Basic reader /w LED light: Anything but Kindle. Kobo? Oxford Dictionary. Kindle?

avid01 · 08-28-2016, 02:45 PM

(You could increase the title size from 85 characters to at least 100.)

Here's a little longer than 85 character version of the title for clarity, summary:

I want a basic reader /w a LED light, preferably anything but Kindle, why not? I'm in experimenting mode. How about a Kobo? I need Oxford Dictionary. In the end, I still can't get better than a Kindle?

I'm looking for a basic reader with LED light, good price/performance as an update to my aging Kindle 4. The LED light (and possibly 300 dpi? I don't know) and possibly improved UI would make for the difference. If it has a touchscreen as most readers have these days, it has to be capacitive, infrared sucks. Because of my reading, Oxford English (New American) dictionary is required. It is included, as far as I know, on Kindles, iBooks, Google quick dictionary on the web for quite a few words, it has been included on Sony Readers as well. Nooks, as far as I know had Merriam Webster, which sucks, but I have found no info on the Nook home page which dictionary is included on the currently offered on Nook model for $130. B&N Nook as a business is going downhill, as I'm reading on this very forum, they offer a single reader (in white only?), we are probably better skipping them. Right? The home pages of the $120 Kindle Paperwhite, newly announced Kobo Aura also do not show if they are capacitive or infrared. Any info on the scratch resistance of the screens of any readers?

Any European brands worth mentioning, like Tolino? The one offered with a capacitive touchscreen retails for EUR160, no info on the dictionary, again. The Kobo readers have no info on the type of dictionary included, again.

I don't care about any store integration, first, experience shows I'm ending up reading lots of legally free long forms from the web, second, I allow no DRMed ebook to land on my reader, regardless in which shop I'm buying from. I can convert EBUP <> Kindle format back and forth with a click like everyone. I just thought I would try something else than an Amazon Kindle this time, because I prefer EPUB as a native, open format, it offers me the possibility to choose from more DRM-free sources, Amazon, the company became this big ugly monopoly, you know, with questionable policies (for their own employees as well), so I thought, why not try and support some other venture with my euros or dollars this time?

Kobo as a company (For general support, updates, any hiccups that may occur)? I had these questions about the product (dictionary, the touchscreen being capacitive), I realized they discontinued their email customer service, which was kind of OK, then I just experienced possibly my worst customer service experience through their chat. I have no idea if they use native English speakers or not, but these people either have zero reading comprehension, compassion, understanding (still the less likely scenario in my view, it would be so inhuman), or just so bad company training which essentially denies them any meaningful interaction as a customer service agent via chat (sadly, this is the more likely scenario, I guess).

Whatever reader I end up buying, hopefully it has a better software and interface than the old Kindle 4. I don't need any fancy, a minimalist interface can work, wonders.

08-28-2016, 02:45 PM	#1
avid01 Addict Posts: 300 Karma: 2000410 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle 4	Basic reader /w LED light: Anything but Kindle. Kobo? Oxford Dictionary. Kindle? (You could increase the title size from 85 characters to at least 100.) Here's a little longer than 85 character version of the title for clarity, summary: I want a basic reader /w a LED light, preferably anything but Kindle, why not? I'm in experimenting mode. How about a Kobo? I need Oxford Dictionary. In the end, I still can't get better than a Kindle? I'm looking for a basic reader with LED light, good price/performance as an update to my aging Kindle 4. The LED light (and possibly 300 dpi? I don't know) and possibly improved UI would make for the difference. If it has a touchscreen as most readers have these days, it has to be capacitive, infrared sucks. Because of my reading, Oxford English (New American) dictionary is required. It is included, as far as I know, on Kindles, iBooks, Google quick dictionary on the web for quite a few words, it has been included on Sony Readers as well. Nooks, as far as I know had Merriam Webster, which sucks, but I have found no info on the Nook home page which dictionary is included on the currently offered on Nook model for $130. B&N Nook as a business is going downhill, as I'm reading on this very forum, they offer a single reader (in white only?), we are probably better skipping them. Right? The home pages of the $120 Kindle Paperwhite, newly announced Kobo Aura also do not show if they are capacitive or infrared. Any info on the scratch resistance of the screens of any readers? Any European brands worth mentioning, like Tolino? The one offered with a capacitive touchscreen retails for EUR160, no info on the dictionary, again. The Kobo readers have no info on the type of dictionary included, again. I don't care about any store integration, first, experience shows I'm ending up reading lots of legally free long forms from the web, second, I allow no DRMed ebook to land on my reader, regardless in which shop I'm buying from. I can convert EBUP <> Kindle format back and forth with a click like everyone. I just thought I would try something else than an Amazon Kindle this time, because I prefer EPUB as a native, open format, it offers me the possibility to choose from more DRM-free sources, Amazon, the company became this big ugly monopoly, you know, with questionable policies (for their own employees as well), so I thought, why not try and support some other venture with my euros or dollars this time? Kobo as a company (For general support, updates, any hiccups that may occur)? I had these questions about the product (dictionary, the touchscreen being capacitive), I realized they discontinued their email customer service, which was kind of OK, then I just experienced possibly my worst customer service experience through their chat. I have no idea if they use native English speakers or not, but these people either have zero reading comprehension, compassion, understanding (still the less likely scenario in my view, it would be so inhuman), or just so bad company training which essentially denies them any meaningful interaction as a customer service agent via chat (sadly, this is the more likely scenario, I guess). Whatever reader I end up buying, hopefully it has a better software and interface than the old Kindle 4. I don't need any fancy, a minimalist interface can work, wonders. Last edited by avid01; 08-29-2016 at 05:59 AM.