E-reader

[sensualspirit]

Hi all,

So I have been using a Kindle 3 since around 2012 & I loved it.

I bought them both used.

Well suddenly the reader is having issues where when I turn it on, it keeps starting from zero books & then loads all of the books back into it which takes several minutes. This has happened almost 10 times now.

When I called Amazon, they said they are no longer offering support for that device, & if I reformat it, I will lose all of my books.

I have both Amazon books on there plus other books I put on there by connecting it to my computer.

They said I'm not allowed to do that because I asked, why can't I just copy the books to a folder on my computer & then put them back after reformatting.

Maybe someone can help me with that, but if I can't buy any new books from Amazon b/c Amazon won't send them there, then this is going to be a problem.

The reason I didn't buy a new Kindle a few years back is BECAUSE they removed a very important feature where you can turn the page with just your thumb on either side of the reader.

I was furious when they removed this ergonomic user friendly feature.

They put it back in one version, but they didn't put it where it was before which was on the side. They put it next to the glass part which means you will hurt yourself trying to reach out there to turn the page. I'm not even sure you can do that with one finger without having to use 2 hands. There's no point in even looking for that feature if you have to use 2 hands.

On Amazon I just saw another woman complaining about the same issue because she bought a new Kindle which of course didn't have that feature. SMH

I'm also looking for something where I decide whether I want wifi turned on, because I won't turn it on unless I need it.

And no bluetooth.

I'm looking for a reader that will allow me to use my computer to put files or books on it that I don't buy from Amazon & I don't care if it's older (I'll look on ebay), so long as when I do buy books from Amazon I can still send them there because it's supported.

Am I forced to ONLY buy a Kindle otherwise if I buy a book from Amazon it won't go on another kind of device?

I briefly looked at a Kobo & it also doesn't seem to have the page turn buttons & is way more expensive.

Is that it, just Kindle & Kobo?

Thank you for any help you can give me.

[Pajamaman]

Disclaimer: I might be wrong about the Amazon stuff here. Get advice from folks that know them better than me.

If you bought your books through amazon, they will remain in your account, and you will be able to download them to your new Kindle, if you decide to get one.

If your books are sideloaded, then you can just drag them to a folder on your computer.

If you wish to back up your amazon books, you will have to install calibre and a de-drm plugin. It takes an element of technical know-how.

If you want to put amazon books on a non-amazon e-reader, you'll have to follow a similar process.

Regarding the page turn control, yeah, that's annoying. Seriously, you can't turn pages by tapping either side? Ick! Hopefully someone on here can provide you with a solution. I am able to set my ereader up to do that, but I use an Onyx reader.

I A Kobo can do it with Koreader, but it takes a little technical know-how. It depends on your level of understanding. I don't know exactly how ambidextrous Kobo controls are out of the box, but for sure they are better than what you describe with your Kindle.

Also, it depends on your budget. The new bigger Kobos and the Oasis are ambidextrous and have buttons.

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Disclaimer: I might be wrong about the Amazon stuff here. Get advice from folks that know them better than me.

If you bought your books through amazon, they will remain in your account, and you will be able to download them to your new Kindle, if you decide to get one.

If your books are sideloaded, then you can just drag them to a folder on your computer.

If you wish to back up your amazon books, you will have to install calibre and a de-drm plugin. It takes an element of technical know-how.

If you want to put amazon books on a non-amazon e-reader, you'll have to follow a similar process.

Regarding the page turn control, yeah, that's annoying. Seriously, you can't turn pages by tapping either side? Ick! Hopefully someone on here can provide you with a solution. I am able to set my ereader up to do that, but I use an Onyx reader.

I A Kobo can do it with Koreader, but it takes a little technical know-how. It depends on your level of understanding. I don't know exactly how ambidextrous Kobo controls are out of the box, but for sure they are better than what you describe with your Kindle.

Also, it depends on your budget. The new bigger Kobos and the Oasis are ambidextrous and have buttons.

Yes, well I need to reformat this one to try & fix the existing issue, but I don't want some Amazon rep telling me what I can & can't put on my Kindle. SMH.

I could just copy the .mobi books over to the folder as well, I just wanted to make sure that was all going to work.

I'm not sure you understand what I mean by the page turning buttons. They aren't software, they are actual physical buttons, so I don't know how you could add them to an e-reader that wasn't already manufactured that way.

Oh I see, you are saying tapping. No, you don't tap the glass, they are buttons you just click on.

Trust me, if you knew about this feature, you would be upset that you have to use 2 hands to turn the page.

I hold the reader in either hand (I'm a righty, not a lefty, but sometimes I hold it in my left hand) & when I turn the page, I just use my thumb. The hand doesn't move at all.

It makes reading that much faster actually & like I said, ergonomic & user friendly.

Yeh, I have seen the prices & I can't budget out for $200-300.

I don't need bells & whistles or more then the screen size I have now which i think is 6", as that would be too big & heavy, I just need to read my books & be able to turn the bloody pages LOL Even though the lighting isn't great great, I don't notice any issues.

I wanted to add that I need the dictionary, but the admins here have it set that you can't edit your post after 5 mins.

And now that I know that Amazon stops you from uploading files/books that aren't .mobi onto the newer Kindles, that's going to be an issue.

I use Calibre, but only for converting files into .mobi or back into Word doc b/c now that I'm doing my activism work, I need to be able to search for keywords in a book & also copy text onto my Evernote so I can educate people & write articles.

Thanks for your help.

[Sirtel]

If you want physical buttons on both sides, there's a new Nook coming out in December which has them. 6''. You can sideload your books in the epub format to it and the price is $150.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noo...=9780594149293

[John F]

If you are using calibre to convert, and you don't mind stripping DRM, you will be able to sideload books to Amazon Kindles. Also, I believe you can upload/email epubs to Kindles with very little effort.

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If you want physical buttons on both sides, there's a new Nook coming out in December which has them. 6''. You can sideload your books in the epub format to it and the price is $150.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noo...=9780594149293

Cool. A bit pricey, but at least it has the buttons.

What about getting .mobi books on there?

Does Barnes & Noble have all of the books that Amazon does pretty much or no due to copyright?

Also, does it have the dictionary & what about bookmarking pages, being able to search for keywords? I forgot about that.

Does it say it doesn't ship only b/c it's not in yet or does it never ship? I have no access to a store, I'm overseas right now.

So is the wireless off & I turn it on manually?

Thanks

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by John F

If you are using calibre to convert, and you don't mind stripping DRM, you will be able to sideload books to Amazon Kindles. Also, I believe you can upload/email epubs to Kindles with very little effort.

You mean sideload all of the books I have on it now? Or you are talking about any new books I buy?

The DRM isn't the issue for me, it's just all that work if you are talking about reformating the current Kindle & putting them all back which I thought I could just copy to a folder & copy back onto the Kindle.

I've never gotten a book from Amazon without it going onto the Kindle using wifi. How do you get it off of Amazon?

Thanks

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If you want physical buttons on both sides, there's a new Nook coming out in December which has them. 6''. You can sideload your books in the epub format to it and the price is $150.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noo...=9780594149293

But the software on nooks is rubbish. That's what lets down nooks massively.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by sensualspirit

Cool. A bit pricey, but at least it has the buttons.

What about getting .mobi books on there?

You have to convert them to epub.

Does Barnes & Noble have all of the books that Amazon does pretty much or no due to copyright?

They probably have all the books from traditional publishers, but not Amazon exclusives (which are mostly self-published). I don't know what your usual reading fare is.

Also, does it have the dictionary & what about bookmarking pages, being able to search for keywords? I forgot about that.

Yes to all

Does it say it doesn't ship only b/c it's not in yet or does it never ship? I have no access to a store, I'm overseas right now.

It's not released yet.

So is the wireless off & I turn it on manually?

Yes, you can turn it off and on manually.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But the software on nooks is rubbish. That's what lets down nooks massively.

In your opinion. I'm not a fan of it either, but the OP said they don't need bells and whistles. For just reading the Nook does its job. And I think it's the only reader with physical buttons on both sides of the screen.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by sensualspirit

I've never gotten a book from Amazon without it going onto the Kindle using wifi. How do you get it off of Amazon?

Thanks

As you have a registered Kindle, the simplest way is to use the download & transfer via USB option (this option exists only for those who have a physical Kindle device). That will give you a file you can download to your computer, remove the DRM and convert as needed.

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If you want physical buttons on both sides, there's a new Nook coming out in December which has them. 6''. You can sideload your books in the epub format to it and the price is $150.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noo...=9780594149293

So I saw the terrible reviews for the Nook 3, especially about the buttons sticking & then turning 3-4 pages at a time, they said DLing books was a pain & it was slow.

The buttons on that one aren't the same, do you think the Nook 4 would have the same issue?

I don't know Barnes & Noble products so I don't know if this is normal for them to sell a product that has so many issues or what.

Sounds like tech support on live chat is overseas & they are incompetent.

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But the software on nooks is rubbish. That's what lets down nooks massively.

The software that does what exactly? You mean run the entire device?

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You have to convert them to epub.

They probably have all the books from traditional publishers, but not Amazon exclusives (which are mostly self-published). I don't know what your usual reading fare is.

Yes to all

It's not released yet.

Yes, you can turn it off and on manually.

I only read non fiction. Truther books.

Thanks

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by sensualspirit

The software that does what exactly? You mean run the entire device?

The software is pretty basic compared to newer Kindles and Kobos, i.e. it has fewer customization options. But it's not rubbish in the sense it does what it's meant to do, which is let you read ebooks.