MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Robust 7"-8" upgrade for PW2

DanCa · 11-03-2024, 11:10 AM

I am looking for an upgrade to my rooted PW 2 ('13) , which I love dearly and use for many hours a day.

To my dismay, I have found that most development has gone towards colors and much more expensive readers.

This is how I use the reader:
- I use Koreader nearly exclusively
- I sideload all books via USB. I don't care about library or ecosystem support
- I prefer not to use Calibre (I already have my books in JabRef)
- I read novels, pop-science, science, scanned pdfs. No comics. Formats epub, pdf, djvu
- I don't annotate now, but I might
- It would be nice to be able to adjust the color temperature for night reading
- I don't mind tinkering with the device
- Buttons would be great
- A larger devices than my 6" PW would be preferred
- Price < $250. This is an everyday item that I don't want to worry about. The PW was $112.
- Robust. I bike and keep the device in my bag
- I am not sure I need color. I've been fine without in the past.
- I do most reading outside in bright sunlight or in the shade or in bed at low light.

Readers I considered:

Kobo Forma: My preferred reader due to Moebius display, sadly not available anymore.
Kobo Sage: Not suitable due to low battery lifetime
Boox: Ancient Android is dealbreaker
New Kindles: Can't be rooted anymore, dealbreaker.
Kobo Libra 2: Not available anymore, and Libra Color seems to be technically superior anyway

This leaves the following readers:

- Kobo Libra 2 Color
- Pocketbook Era (but this seems to be underpowered compared to the Era Color)
- Pocketbook Era Color
- Maybe an older Pocketbook Inkpad 3 with a 7.8" screen. (even more underpowered)

The Era seems to be superior to the Libra 2 Color in most aspects, other than a slightly uneven illumination.

One major concern I have is the fragility of the glass screens. I have seen many reports about broken pocketbook screens, fewer about the Kobo Libra.

I carry the reader around with me while mountain biking in bag stuffed full of other things, strapped to my bike rack, so it gets bent, squeezed and shaken during my rides. For comparison, the PW has survived this for 10 years with a simple cover.

Which one should I get? Do I have to worry about breaking the newer readers?

11-03-2024, 11:10 AM	#1
DanCa Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: none	Robust 7"-8" upgrade for PW2 I am looking for an upgrade to my rooted PW 2 ('13) , which I love dearly and use for many hours a day. To my dismay, I have found that most development has gone towards colors and much more expensive readers. This is how I use the reader: - I use Koreader nearly exclusively - I sideload all books via USB. I don't care about library or ecosystem support - I prefer not to use Calibre (I already have my books in JabRef) - I read novels, pop-science, science, scanned pdfs. No comics. Formats epub, pdf, djvu - I don't annotate now, but I might - It would be nice to be able to adjust the color temperature for night reading - I don't mind tinkering with the device - Buttons would be great - A larger devices than my 6" PW would be preferred - Price < $250. This is an everyday item that I don't want to worry about. The PW was $112. - Robust. I bike and keep the device in my bag - I am not sure I need color. I've been fine without in the past. - I do most reading outside in bright sunlight or in the shade or in bed at low light. Readers I considered: Kobo Forma: My preferred reader due to Moebius display, sadly not available anymore. Kobo Sage: Not suitable due to low battery lifetime Boox: Ancient Android is dealbreaker New Kindles: Can't be rooted anymore, dealbreaker. Kobo Libra 2: Not available anymore, and Libra Color seems to be technically superior anyway This leaves the following readers: - Kobo Libra 2 Color - Pocketbook Era (but this seems to be underpowered compared to the Era Color) - Pocketbook Era Color - Maybe an older Pocketbook Inkpad 3 with a 7.8" screen. (even more underpowered) The Era seems to be superior to the Libra 2 Color in most aspects, other than a slightly uneven illumination. One major concern I have is the fragility of the glass screens. I have seen many reports about broken pocketbook screens, fewer about the Kobo Libra. I carry the reader around with me while mountain biking in bag stuffed full of other things, strapped to my bike rack, so it gets bent, squeezed and shaken during my rides. For comparison, the PW has survived this for 10 years with a simple cover. Which one should I get? Do I have to worry about breaking the newer readers?