Looking for my first e-reader

[misspelling]

Hi everyone!
Every now and then I search the web for a suitable e-reader without success so far. And I am at a point where I pretty much have given up. So I need help to figure out what to settle for.
To me the ideal e-reader would be as minimalistic a possible. Copy files to the device, turn it on, select a file from a list and read. Two buttons to change pages, one to go back to the file selection and one the turn the reader on & off.

Things I am looking for:

• support for MOBI/EPUB (and PDF)
• an option to bookmark
• standard components like AAA batteries and SD / USB support
• a proprietary system with the sole purpose of displaying eBooks
• an option to set a password

Things I am trying to avoid:

• any sort of wireless connectivity (WiFi, bluetooth)
• any internet capability
• a cluttered android/linux/windows/... device
• a touch screen

The things on top of each list are more important to me than the ones on the bottom. I doubt such a reader exists but maybe there is one that gets close? Any help would be appreciate. Thanks in advance!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by misspelling

Things I am looking for:

• support for MOBI/EPUB (and PDF)
• an option to bookmark
• standard components like AAA batteries and SD / USB support
• a proprietary system with the sole purpose of displaying eBooks
• an option to set a password

I think the closest you're going to come is a PocketBook Basic 4 or Basic Lux 2. Neither have touch screens. The Basic Lux has a front-light, the Basic 4 doesn't, otherwise they're the same. Both have page turn buttons (plus Menu and Home buttons) and a four way navigation button. They both have WiFi, but that can be turned off. There's no way to set a "login" password that I know about, but you can password protect your settings.

https://pocketbook.ch/en-ch/catalog/basic/basic-lux-2

If you live in the U.S. these can be bought from TechInn (based in England).

https://www.techinn.com/en/pocketboo...-6/137356316/p

(TechInn doesn't have the Basic 4 yet, it just came out. The Basic 3 has a lower resolution screen.)

EDIT: Should add that both readers (above) have microSD slots.

[meeera]

Are you able to list what's essential and what's optional in your criteria? Needing nav buttons and AAA batteries and SD card would narrow your choices down very substantially.

I don't understand the need to avoid things like wifi capability, when you can just turn it off. When you have very niche requests like that, sometimes it's helpful to explain what you're trying to achieve.

[maddz]

I don't think I've ever used an e-reader with AAA batteries. Even my Palm m500 had a charging cradle.

Most e-readers now don't seem to have SD cards - which is why my last purchase was a 32 GB Kobo Forma. The last e-reader I had with a SD card was the Icarus, but when it started playing up with my iMac (and they went out of business) I replaced it.

[misspelling]

Thanks for the replies so far.

@meeera: There are no essential criteria. I know it's a niche request that's why I don't insist on anything. I'm merely looking for the closest match.

I want the e-reader mainly for two things.

• for scientific publications, white papers, manuals and all those things you otherwise would either print or read on a computer screen (I prefer E-Ink)
• for books (maybe even magazines or comics/mangas)

That's why it should support MOBI/EPUB and PDF. I think you can convert PDF to MOBI/EPUB. It would be more convenient if that would not be necessary, though.

I'd prefer AAA batteries because I tend to use my eletronic devices for a long time and in my experience the battery does not age well. I think newer batteries are better but as far as I know you still should keep them charged around 50% if you are planning to keep the device turned off for a while. If I use rechargeable AAA batteries I don't have to worry about the battery's life span. If the battery becomes useless I can easily replace it.

I try to avoid WiFi, bluetooth or the internet in general to minimize the vulnerable of the device. I don't want to spend any time checking if there's a security update I need to install. And I don't want any unecessary hardware that needs to be powered and eats up resources. Especially if I can achieve the same thing by puting anything I want to read on a SD card or a flash drive that I plug into the device.

The thing with an android/linux/windows device is that there're all those unnecessary tasks running in the background. I also don't want to deal with any app store or a million apps. The reader only needs to let me read what I put on it. The whole process shouldn't be unnecessary complicated. I feel like it's just cheaper to modify an android/linux/windows than to develop software tailored to the reader but I don't consider it to be ideal.

The avoidance of a touch screen was at the buttom of the list. I'd rather press a button that put my finder on the screen. And I probably could fix a button easier than a touch screen once the warranty expires.

I hope that gives you an idea on what I am trying to achieve.

@rcentros: I took a look at those PocketBooks but if they come with Linux and WiFi anyway I might as well go for the InkPad X as it has a bigger screen (I know I didn't say anything about screen size so you had every right not to consider it). Is there anything that I'm missing about the InkPad X regaring my criteria in comparison to the Basic Lux 2? As far as I can tell the InkPad has bluetooth (if the WiFi can be turned of the bluetooth can probably too) and a touch screen (but it appears to also have buttons so maybe using the touch screen can be avoided). Maybe there is something else that I missed?

Again, thanks for the help so far!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by meeera

Are you able to list what's essential and what's optional in your criteria? Needing nav buttons and AAA batteries and SD card would narrow your choices down very substantially.

I don't understand the need to avoid things like wifi capability, when you can just turn it off. When you have very niche requests like that, sometimes it's helpful to explain what you're trying to achieve.

AA or AAA batteries means forget getting a Reader that's any good as there was only one that took such batteries and it wasn't all that good. Plus, it's no longer made.

All Readers these days are Linux or Android. No other choices exist.
All decent Readers have a touch screen.
All decent Readers have Wifi, but once registered, you can keep WiFi off.
To read PDF, you need a large screen Reader. The Pocketbooks being mentioned are too small for PDF. You need at least a 7.8" screen and may even want a 10.3" screen for your PDF.
With Calibre, you can convert Mobi to ePub so you don't need to handle Mobi.

Now, I recommend The Kobo Forma with an 8" screen or The Pocketbook Inkpad X with a 10.3"screen. They both can bookmark, most support side loading, both are not cluttered (IMHO), both have apps for just reading, both support ePub, both have page turn buttons, and both have front lights.

[misspelling]

@maddz: I've seen readers with AAA batteries but as I mentioned in my first post, I've been looking for a suitable reader for a long time now. Maybe it's something that was more common in older readers.
I think the most recent reader that uses AAA batteries is the eOneBook. It also supports SD but you can't use it for anything other than thoses mangas it comes with.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by misspelling

That's why it should support MOBI/EPUB and PDF. I think you can convert PDF to MOBI/EPUB. It would be more convenient if that would not be necessary, though.

Converting scientific PDF with multiple columns, math equations, and images to ePub is going to so much of a mess that it is not worth it. If PDF is your main format, then I suggest a tablet instead of a Reader.

I'd prefer AAA batteries because I tend to use my eletronic devices for a long time and in my experience the battery does not age well. I think newer batteries are better but as far as I know you still should keep them charged around 50% if you are planning to keep the device turned off for a while. If I use rechargeable AAA batteries I don't have to worry about the battery's life span. If the battery becomes useless I can easily replace it.

I have a Kobo Aura H2O that is almost 6 years old and the battery is doing pretty well.

I try to avoid WiFi, bluetooth or the internet in general to minimize the vulnerable of the device. I don't want to spend any time checking if there's a security update I need to install. And I don't want any unecessary hardware that needs to be powered and eats up resources. Especially if I can achieve the same thing by puting anything I want to read on a SD card or a flash drive that I plug into the device.

eInk devices are not really all that wonderful for web browsing or other Internet activities. YOu can leave the WiFi off and just use the WiFi to register.

The thing with an android/linux/windows device is that there're all those unnecessary tasks running in the background. I also don't want to deal with any app store or a million apps. The reader only needs to let me read what I put on it. The whole process shouldn't be unnecessary complicated. I feel like it's just cheaper to modify an android/linux/windows than to develop software tailored to the reader but I don't consider it to be ideal.

The two Readers I recommended (Kobo and Pocketbook) run Linux. There are no unnecessary apps running on them and there is no app store. Yes you can install 3rd party apps to these Readers, but you don't have to.

The avoidance of a touch screen was at the buttom of the list. I'd rather press a button that put my finder on the screen. And I probably could fix a button easier than a touch screen once the warranty expires.

The buttons will wear out sooner then the touch screen.

As for the Pocketbook Inkpad X, it does handle PDF pretty good and the screen size is 10.3" which you may find large enough to be able to read your PDF comfortably enough.

[misspelling]

@JSWolf: Thank you for your recommendations. I already have my eye on the Pocketbook Inkpad X. I'll take a look at the Kobo Forma as well.

Now here comes a beginners question and I apologize in advance but what does this registration you're mentioning accomplish besides from letting me turn off WiFi?

[ps67]

Originally Posted by misspelling

@JSWolf: Thank you for your recommendations. I already have my eye on the Pocketbook Inkpad X. I'll take a look at the Kobo Forma as well.

Now here comes a beginners question and I apologize in advance but what does this registration you're mentioning accomplish besides from letting me turn off WiFi?

With Pocketbook You can skip the suggested sign procedure.

https://cloud.pocketbook.digital/browser/en/faq/account

With Kobo there are some suggestion in the Kobo forum to avoid signing: the simplest way is to give a fake email address, Kobo doesn't check it.

For a more complex solution You can see in Kobo section of the forum:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=319853

But of course You can simply sign and forget it.

[maddz]

Originally Posted by misspelling

@JSWolf: Now here comes a beginners question and I apologize in advance but what does this registration you're mentioning accomplish besides from letting me turn off WiFi?

Firmware upgrades and bug fixes. You don't need every upgrade, but you should log in every few months to keep things up to date. My Forma checks for upgrades when I attach the USB cable (I have Wi-Fi off).

I would not attempt to read a PDF->ePub conversion. Even a fairly simple novel produces something barely readable. The problem is that the conversion is preserving the layout; the point about an ePub is that it should be resizable and flow as you adjust your font size and margins. I had this problem with a purchase of what turned out to be an ePub 3 file; fortunately, the publisher was active on the site, and re-exported it as ePub 2. It looked fine in ePub 3 on my iPad, but it was unreadable in a converted ePub 2 output on my Kobo. (We won't mention the file size...)

PDFs is the reason I got the 32 GB Forma (you can order directly from Kobo). I have a large collection of RPG PDF files and wanted something I could put a specific system (core rules, source books, adventures and other supplemental material) without worrying about space.

The Forma lasts weeks between charges if I'm not using it a lot; so did my other eInk readers (the Icarus, the Kobo Touch and my old Elonex). The iPad (and the Aluratek Libre I used to have - it had an LCD screen) has to be charged daily.

The other thing you may want to consider is the ability to make annotations.

[barryem]

I think you probably should reconsider your criteria. You won't come even close. Why not just get something and try it out and see if you like it? There aren't really any bad choices among the major brands so you can't go far wrong.

By the way, unless you get a very large screen ereader, which are expensive and are less likely to fit your criteria, you'll find them unsuitable for PDF reading in most cases. Nearly all ereaders will read PDF but the text in most PDF's can't flow and so needs a large screen.

I personally prefer Kindles. I do have Kobos and Nooks as well. They're all excellent. For your first ereader I'd pick one of them if you're in the USA. If you're in another part of the world I'd consider what devices you can get support for in your area.

Barry

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by misspelling

@rcentros: I took a look at those PocketBooks but if they come with Linux and WiFi anyway I might as well go for the InkPad X as it has a bigger screen (I know I didn't say anything about screen size so you had every right not to consider it). Is there anything that I'm missing about the InkPad X regaring my criteria in comparison to the Basic Lux 2? As far as I can tell the InkPad has bluetooth (if the WiFi can be turned of the bluetooth can probably too) and a touch screen (but it appears to also have buttons so maybe using the touch screen can be avoided). Maybe there is something else that I missed?

Nope. The differences between an InkPad X and the Basic Lux and Basic is the size of the screen, and the InkPad has "warm" light, is water resistant and it doesn't have an microSD slot. And it does have a touch screen. But I think all PocketBooks allow you to turn off (lock) the touch screen when you don't want to use it. If you're planning on reading PDFs you definitely don't want a 6" screen. The InkPad X also has a plastic substrate Mobius screen (hope I have the right term) which makes it very light for it's size (300 grams).

The only reader I know of that uses AA batteries is the JetBook Lite and I don't think that would allow PDF (may be wrong) but if it did, you wouldn't want to use it for that—5" screen).

Good luck in your search.

[misspelling]

@barryem: Thank you. Like I said, I only look for an e-reader that comes as close as possible. One that meets two criteria is good. One that meets three is even better.
I don't think I'll opt for a Kindle. There're better options like the Pocketbook Inkpad X or the Kobo Forma.

@all: The Pocketbook Inkpad X and the Kobo Forma appear to be the closest matches. And between the two I prefer the Inkpad X. Mainly since it's screen size and button positioning are more to my liking.

Many thanks to everyone who replied. This was really helpfull and otherwise would have taken me ages to figure out!

[warbrd]

I've ordered a reMarkable 2 for reading pdfs/scientific papers and note-taking. That you can write on it is of coure a big draw. And it has one of the biggest eink screens I've seen @ 10.3”, so perfect for reading papers.

There is a bit of a wait though. The next batch has delivery in november,