MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Inkbook Prime, Tolino Vision 4, new Kobo H20 or something else?

Storm27 · 11-10-2017, 04:36 PM

Hi all.

I feel that I'm really out of the loop on current E ink technology – my current reader is a Sony T3S that I bought right at the point Sony discontinued their e-reader business. It really suits me, but it is starting to show signs of age, so I'd like to upgrade. But I'd want to be sure that any new reader I bought really felt like an upgrade in terms of reading experience etc.

I have a list of things I know are important to me and looking just at specifications, I think my best bets are probably Tolino Vision 4HD, Inkbook Prime or possibly the new Kobo H2O (although the screen size would be a compromise on portability). I'm in the UK and would have to order any of these readers online. I'd probably have to order the Tolino from Germany. So testing in advance isn't really an option.

The main things I can't tell from specifications are things like how well a reader handles a very large on-board library, how reliable is the touch screen for page turns, how clear is the screen for reading, what the reading light is like, how stable the software is.

Things that are important to me

Calibre/Collections - able to load books to the device through calibre, with the calibre tags becomning collections or bookshelves on the device.
Storage - The calibre library on my laptop is 7.8Gb and I prefer having my whole library on the device. So expandable storage is ideal, 16Gb non- expandable would be okay, at 8 Gb I'd have to start being selective about what I had on my device at any time.
Able to work with a big library without the device slowing down, hanging etc.
Buttons - I'd prefer physical buttons as an option - and for them to be usable in whichever reader software you recommend I use. I could live without them if it was with a screen that was never ever slow to repond to touch.
Smooth reading experience including -
A clear screen
Responsive touch screen
smooth software
Long battery life
Reading light - preferably warm or neutral

Things that I'd like to have

6" screen rather than 7" or larger
Fits a standard size elastic corner case
Good reading software out of the box - or a recommended app that's easy to add without any jail-breaking etc.
Ability to create a "go list" or to edit collections on the device itself.

Things that don't matter to me either way

Android os
Ability to load other apps

(Basically I want a really good e-ink reader rather than compromising on that for the sake of added apps)

Deal killers

Hanging software, reader needing frequent resets etc
Requires a complicated setup and/or jailbreaking to get a decent reading experience
Need to use 3rd party apps for a smooth experience, but they don't have full device functionality
Significant ghosting

I hope some people may be able to help me out, particularly in terms of what reliability and reading experience is like on the three devices I mention above and whether there are other readers I should also be thinking about.

11-10-2017, 04:36 PM	#1
Storm27 Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 201290 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS T3S, android phone	Inkbook Prime, Tolino Vision 4, new Kobo H20 or something else? Hi all. I feel that I'm really out of the loop on current E ink technology – my current reader is a Sony T3S that I bought right at the point Sony discontinued their e-reader business. It really suits me, but it is starting to show signs of age, so I'd like to upgrade. But I'd want to be sure that any new reader I bought really felt like an upgrade in terms of reading experience etc. I have a list of things I know are important to me and looking just at specifications, I think my best bets are probably Tolino Vision 4HD, Inkbook Prime or possibly the new Kobo H2O (although the screen size would be a compromise on portability). I'm in the UK and would have to order any of these readers online. I'd probably have to order the Tolino from Germany. So testing in advance isn't really an option. The main things I can't tell from specifications are things like how well a reader handles a very large on-board library, how reliable is the touch screen for page turns, how clear is the screen for reading, what the reading light is like, how stable the software is. Things that are important to me Calibre/Collections - able to load books to the device through calibre, with the calibre tags becomning collections or bookshelves on the device. Storage - The calibre library on my laptop is 7.8Gb and I prefer having my whole library on the device. So expandable storage is ideal, 16Gb non- expandable would be okay, at 8 Gb I'd have to start being selective about what I had on my device at any time. Able to work with a big library without the device slowing down, hanging etc. Buttons - I'd prefer physical buttons as an option - and for them to be usable in whichever reader software you recommend I use. I could live without them if it was with a screen that was never ever slow to repond to touch. Smooth reading experience including - A clear screen Responsive touch screen smooth software Long battery life Reading light - preferably warm or neutral Things that I'd like to have 6" screen rather than 7" or larger Fits a standard size elastic corner case Good reading software out of the box - or a recommended app that's easy to add without any jail-breaking etc. Ability to create a "go list" or to edit collections on the device itself. Things that don't matter to me either way Android os Ability to load other apps (Basically I want a really good e-ink reader rather than compromising on that for the sake of added apps) Deal killers Hanging software, reader needing frequent resets etc Requires a complicated setup and/or jailbreaking to get a decent reading experience Need to use 3rd party apps for a smooth experience, but they don't have full device functionality Significant ghosting I hope some people may be able to help me out, particularly in terms of what reliability and reading experience is like on the three devices I mention above and whether there are other readers I should also be thinking about.