Hi! I have used Sony devices for about four years, but after the recent announcement by Sony (no frontlight) I'm looking at E-Ink alternatives. The PW is not an option for various reasons, although I really like its display and light. It's the only frontlit device I've seen in person, since few physical stores in my country stock E-Ink readers you can look at.
I would like to hear from others who have experience with alternatives. Price is not really a consideration for a device I'm using for hours each day. I'm especially interested in hearing about contenders I might have missed. Right now the Kobo Glo seems most attractive, alternatively the Aura, however I have seen rumours that Kobo will announce a new reader soon.
I have a few requirements apart from the frontlight:
- Option to not have the time displayed while reading. This is an absolute must
- 6" screen (fits in my pockets), the Kobo Aura at ~1cm larger than my 650 is probably OK
- Possibility of maintaining collections/shelves from calibre: The Sony handles this very well, but it need not be as advanced. Even a reader which can display folders would be OK, as calibre can manage that on send to device. I use this mainly to separate my TBR list from the rest, so tagging which can be managed from calibre would also work.
- Integrated dictionaries. A good English one is most important, but at least Spanish in addition would be nice.
- Contrast and resolution at least on par with the prs-650 is probably a given by now.
Not important:
- PDF support, zoom
- Storage, ~1 GB is more than adequate
- Online features. Highlight export might be nice, but "social features" are actually a minus in my opinion.
- Wi-Fi/3G. USB and calibre sync is enough for me.
What I love about my current 650 is its stability and durability, which is also why I really hoped Sony would make a lighted reader. I find clip-on lights and lighted covers cumbersome, especially when reading in bed.
I have done some research, here's a quick summary of my findings:
- Kobo Glo: I hear bad things about the stability. If it were only connection issues that would probably be manageable, but reports of glitches during reading and even hard locks requiring a cabled connection to reset makes me wary of going for that one.
- Kobo Aura: similar stability issues, a bit large for my liking.
- Onyx i62HD: relatively bad light quality
- Nook Simple Touch: Varying experiences with uneven light and bluish tint, poor dictionary options
- Odyssey Frontlight HD: No English dictionary (!), poor display contrast, light somewhat uneven