New E-reader?

[ChrisCs]

Hi,

I'm considering getting a new e-reader, and I'm looking for some ideas of what works for others.

I'm currently using an iPad Air 2 and Marvin as my primary reading device, and I'm organizing my books with Calibre.

I started on an iPhone with pdb's, then moved to a Sony Reader and e-pubs for the last few years, with the e-pubs coming from several stores (B&N, Sony, Kobo).

The two things leading me to consider a new e-reader is some concern about using the iDevice late at night, and the problems the Calibre plug-ins for getting Calibre and Marvin talking to each with the last few iOS versions.

I'm in the US, so I'm looking for a e-ink device that would work with my existing e-Pub library in Calibre.

Any suggestions or experiences that could help with a choice?

Thanks!

Chris

[eschwartz]

Look for an ereader that has features you like, and don't worry about the format.
calibre will make format something you don't have to think about.

Kindle and Kobo are both good choices, the usual difference is the Kobo has lots of customization options for fine-tuning (nitpicking ) the reading experience, whereas the Kindle has very stable firmware.

Fringe benefits:
You can email books to your Kindle and get annotations synced to your smartphone/tablet.
Kobo has direct integration with pocket.

If you plan on running custom hacks, get a Kobo -- the Kindle is no longer able to be jailbroken.

[ottdmk]

Given that you're already a Calibre user, and your library is e-pub, I'd suggest a Kobo e-reader. While they're hard to find in a brick & mortar store, there are a number of users here on MobileRead that recommend ordering from Chapters (a Canadian retailer that used to own Kobo.) As a bonus, the Canadian dollar has been tanking against the US dollar due to the massive drop in oil prices.

I highly recommend the Aura HD, and hence its successor the Aura H2O. In addition, there is the new Kobo Glo HD coming out in a few weeks that might work for you.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ottdmk

I highly recommend the Aura HD, and hence its successor the Aura H2O. In addition, there is the new Kobo Glo HD coming out in a few weeks that might work for you.

I lot of people seem to like the H2O, but personally I found the infrared touchscreen on it to be extremely inaccurate and difficult to use, to the extent where it led to me selling the device. I'd strongly suggest that if the OP is considering buying a Kobo, he tries it out first before buying it.

[cybmole]

Try before buy : kobo. Not easy in many countries. Is HD and h2o different touch technology ?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

Try before buy : kobo. Not easy in many countries. Is HD and h2o different touch technology ?

Both the Aura HD and Aura H2O use IR touchscreens. The original Kobo Aura had a capacitive touchscreen.

[Josieb1]

Everything depends if your ebooks in calibre are DRM free, if so as others have said it's quick and simple to convert to mobi and use a Kindle. If not then you need an ePub reader. Kobo is the best option for ePub. There is a new kobo being released in the US in a few weeks, the Kobo Glo HD, same screen dpi as the Kindle Voyage but for a lot less. There's a thread running in the Kobo forum if you want to know more.

Not sure who's selling it in the U.S. (If anyone other than Kobo) but someone on the kobo forum would be able to guide you.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Both the Aura HD and Aura H2O use IR touchscreens. The original Kobo Aura had a capacitive touchscreen.

i guess I must be one of the few who has trouble telling the difference - the number of timed I've asked google what type of screen my [insert owned device name here] has, is ridiculous

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

i guess I must be one of the few who has trouble telling the difference - the number of timed I've asked google what type of screen my [insert owned device name here] has, is ridiculous

You wouldn't have had any trouble if you'd used my Voyage and H2O. The H2O's touchscreen was just hopeless - it was virtually impossible to tap a small hyperlink for a footnote; it would just turn the page instead. On the Voyage it just works 100% of the time. The IR touchscreen on my Kindle Touch, on the other hand, worked perfectly, so it's certainly not an issue that's common to all such touchscreens. I don't know if I just had a faulty H2O - perhaps I did.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by cybmole

i guess I must be one of the few who has trouble telling the difference - the number of timed I've asked google what type of screen my [insert owned device name here] has, is ridiculous

It's easy to tell. With an IR touchscreen, you can trigger it with virtually ANYTHING that breaks the infrared beams. That includes fingers, sticks, pencil erasers, the corner of the blanket while you're lying in bed reading, a moth landing on the screen because it's drawn by the light...

With a capacitive screen, you need either a finger (or other body part) or a special stylus with a rubber tip to interact with the screen.

Shari

[cybmole]

Ok thanks. Budgie feathers would rapidly page flip my old Sony reader so that would have been IR. Never saw the kobo do that but by then I had learned not to leave it face up

[meeera]

Originally Posted by shalym

It's easy to tell. With an IR touchscreen, you can trigger it with virtually ANYTHING that breaks the infrared beams. That includes fingers, sticks, pencil erasers, the corner of the blanket while you're lying in bed reading, a moth landing on the screen because it's drawn by the light...

With a capacitive screen, you need either a finger (or other body part) or a special stylus with a rubber tip to interact with the screen.

I can confirm that cat's paws can also turn capacitive pages just fine But not tails.

[DrChiper]

Don't forget sand, raindrops, flies, bird droppings, etc.

[cybmole]

if the new waterproof kobo h2o page page flipped on raindrops that would be a tad embarrassing

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

if the new waterproof kobo h2o page page flipped on raindrops that would be a tad embarrassing

It does detect water drops on the screen and brings up a message telling you to make sure that you have the ports closed, etc. Luckily this can be switched off.