looking for a solid first e-reader

[drizzle]

hi,

I'm looking to buy an e-reader (my first one) but I'm having trouble choosing which one to buy. I'm looking for one with epub so I can easily download ebooks from most websites and libraries. I also would like a light and definitely e ink. I would prefer an ebook that reads and possibly allows notes to be added to microsoft word documents but it doesn't look like most e-readers offer this.

I've been considering nook glowlight and kobo glo. I really like kobo glo because of all the formats it offers. I've looked into sony but I live in the US and they don't seem to be sold here anymore.

I was going to buy a kobo glo but then I read online that the kobo glo sometimes starts freezing after 6 months. After researching more about e-book reliability I found that some e-books typically don't last longer than a couple of years. Now on the top of my list is an ebook that is reliable and will last for multiple years. Most of the e-reader reviews I've found online don't comment on the long-term longevity and reliability of e-readers so I wanted to find out what you guys think.

Does anyone have an e-reader they can suggest that will last me for a long time, has epub and maybe a light and the ability to read microsoft word? I don't care about any extra features, or touchscreen or anything. What's most important to me is a reliable e-reader with epub.

thanks!

[AnemicOak]

The reason you don't see a lot about the long term reliability of readers is eInk devices have only been available most places since 2006 and with upgrades in technology many folks have tended to upgrade early even if their old device worked just fine. I've used eInk devices since 2007 and all of my devices purchased over the years (six total) still work fine. Keep in mind that current eInk screens use a glass substrate that can be fragile and need to be treated with some care.

Pocketbook devices support doc and docx formats, but to what extent I don't know. Onyx Boox devices support doc, but I'm not sure about docx. Both brands support ePub as well, but can be harder to get in the US than a Kobo or Nook.

[meeera]

What AnemicOak said about longevity. It's a hundred(ish)-dollar consumer appliance in a rapidly evolving field; people upgrade because they want to more than because their device isn't working any more. And you're in a troubleshooting forum - you're going to hear a lot more about devices going wrong than you are about devices going right. Also bear in mind that when you're reading threads about Kobos bricking, a lot of the time it's because we're a community of hackers and tweakers over in the Kobo zone. This isn't always completely apparent from the first post in a thread

Word documents can be converted to epub for reading, but if you really want a portable solution to go back and forth annotating and editing Word documents in more than a fairly trivial way, you'll want a suitable netbook or similar.

[jscarbo]

I've been using e-readers longer than most, since the RocketBook reader came out in the late 90's, and over the years have owned or used almost every major brand and model. In my opinion, some of your selection criteria aren't really very important and may lead you to make the wrong choice. All of us have our preferences, and some won't agree with mine, but here are my thoughts and recommendations:

1. E-ink vs LCD tablet: If you're going to do a lot of reading, I definitely agree with getting an e-ink reader. They're optimized for e-book reading and offer the best experience in terms of size and weight, reduced eyestrain, etc. However, because of their small screen size and lack of color display, they aren't great for PDF's or illustrated books and magazines.
2. Lighted screen: Absolutely! They are better in all lighting conditions, not just for reading at night or in low light.
3. Long-term reliability: Less important. Don't buy a reader that has a bad reputation in terms of quality or seller support but all e-ink screens are somewhat fragile if you abuse them. If you use a cover and take reasonable care of them, they hold up well. Furthermore, lighted e-ink readers are relatively inexpensive. The majority of your investment isn't going to be in the reader. It will be the ebooks you purchase. If your e-reader lasts a minimum of couple or three years before replacement, I wouldn't worry about it. All major brands should last at least that long. I've found myself upgrading for new features every couple of years and typically give my old ones to friends or family. Most are still in active use, even after four or five years of use.
4. Epub support: Unimportant! Epub has become the standard of the industry except for the Amazon Kindle and it isn't likely they'll offer epub support for their e-ink Kindles any time in the near future, although you can install epub reader apps on their Fire tablets. However, to me, the format is much less important than content availability and price. Amazon dominates the ebook and e-reader market for very good reason. They have better prices, more discount offers and promotions, and a far better selection than any other ebook seller. In addition, their customer service and support have the best reputation in the industry. As far as I know, amazon is the only seller who offers a 30-day return on their devices and a 7-day return on ebook purchases.
5. Library Management: Many, perhaps most of us, use Calibre with the Apprentice Alf plug-ins to manage our e-book libraries. With these plug-ins it's easy to convert formats, so it doesn't really matter which format or DRM scheme is supported by the device. If you use Calibre with the plug-ins, you can convert and read Word documents on your device. You can also convert and tweak PDF's to either epub or Kindle format, although complex conversions with multi-columns layouts, etc., require some experience to master.

All things considered, my preferred e-ink reader is the Kindle Paperwhite. I use a Nook HD+ for PDF's and for books and magazines with photos, color illustrations, and for reading graphic novels. The main reason I prefer Kindle is for the content selection and prices. The device itself is much less important but Kindle is arguably among the best e-readers on the market as well.

Of course, if you prefer an epub device and you use Calibre with the plug-ins, you can still buy Kindle books and convert them to epub but why bother. Just get a Kindle Paperwhite and move on to the more important step of building a good library that you can read on whichever device you own, now or in the future.

[drizzle]

Thank you for responding. I hadn't realized that most people were just upgrading their e-readers and it wasn't that their e-readers had died. Thank you for clarifying that for me.

jscarbo: thank you for your response. I wanted epub because I know a lot of libraries and online websites such as project gutenberg use epub, but it sounds like converting epub ebooks to a format that the kindle can use isn't too much of a hassle. If I buy an ebook from amazon is the ebook protected or can I still convert the ebook? I would like to be able to keep a copy of my purchased books on my desktop. Does amazon let you do this? I had thought that amazon didn't let people save a copy of their purchases directly to their computer, but I could be and hopefully am wrong. If I could save copies of ebook purchases from amazon than a kindle sounds like it would be a good idea. I already by most of my paperbacks from amazon.

Thank you everyone. You've really helped me out.

[ProfCrash]

I will agree with AnemicaOak, Meeera, and jscarbo on the reliability issue. I have a K1 that works just fine. I upgraded to a DXG because I wanted the larger screen. A year later I got a K3 for travel. Recently I added the PW2 because I like the light and found that I got distracted reading on my iPad. My earlier devices work just fine. I choose to upgrade for different reasons.

I know that there are original Nook's, Kobo's, and Sony's that are functioning just fine. So I wouldn't worry about reliability.

Customer service is a different story. I have heard mixed reviews regarding Kobo, BN, and Sony. SOme folks have had good experiences, many folks have had ok experiences, some folks have had bad experiences. Amazon sutomers tend to have good experiences although there have been folks that had pretty awful experiences.

As for format, if you do not want to use Calibre then go with a Kobo. The Kobo store offers a fair number of coupons which can sometimes be used on books by the big publishers but for the most part are limited to indie and small presses. ADE EPub books are easily loaded and read on the Kobo. I have no idea if the firmware and screen issues are a huge problem but I do know that customer support responses have been pretty much ok to horrible.

The Nook is a good device but if you want to buy from multple stores it is not for you. The memory is partitioned so that most of the storage space is for BN books with a very limited amount of room for books from other stores. Since there is no longer an SD card slot, this is problematic for folks who like to buy from many stores.

I love my Kindle but if you are not interested in using Calibre for converting then it is not for you. If you are, the Kindle is a great device with great support. I understand that there are plenty of folks out there who don't want to worry about conversion. It is a personal decision.

[ProfCrash]

drizzle, most of the free online libraries use Mobi as well. They know that Amazon is huge and want to provide books to all. If you live in the US, libraries lend Mobi books as well as EPub so that is not a huge issue. Check out your local libraries catalog and see what they offer. I know some libraries have more EPubs then Mobi but you should look first.

If you buy books from Amazon, Sony, Kobo, or BN you will most likely buy something that has DRM. You will have to strip the DRM and then convert the book. It is not hard to do but it is an extra step and you have to be comfortable with doing so (technologically and ethically comfortable).

Amazon allows you to save a copy of the book on your computer. I have the PC Kindle App on my desktop and I save all of my books to my desktop. I back those up on a hard drive and a thumb drive. And they are in Amazons cloud.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by drizzle

If I buy an ebook from amazon is the ebook protected or can I still convert the ebook? I would like to be able to keep a copy of my purchased books on my desktop. Does amazon let you do this? I had thought that amazon didn't let people save a copy of their purchases directly to their computer, but I could be and hopefully am wrong.

The easiest way to save copies of your purchases to your PC is to use the Kindle for PC (windows) or Kindle for Mac software provided you use one of those OS's.

As for if books are protected I assume you mean DRM. DRM protection is up to the publisher (most of the big publishers insist on it), but yes Amazon offers DRM just like every other major book store. What many do is remove the DRM (whether from Amazon or elsewhere) and save backup copies of their books (Google for Apprentice Alf as we can't discuss how here).

Converting Amazon books to ePub or ePub books to Amazon (mobi/azw or azw3) takes a matter of seconds usually when DRM is gone. Note (an exception): There are occasionally books from Amazon in a format known as Topaz. These are more of a challenge to convert to ePub, but thankfully are becoming a small minority of what are offered.

[jscarbo]

Drizzle, I don't get books from public libraries so can't help you with that information except to suggest that you check with your library to see if they offer Kindle books. Most do, through the Overdrive service, but some only offer epub. If this is the case with your library, and that's important to you, it may be a compelling reason to choose an epub reader. Here's the Amazon help page about reading public library books on the Paperwhite: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200747550

Project Gutenberg and most other free, legal ebook sites offer Kindle editions as well as epub. None of these sites have DRM-protected ebooks so even if they are only available in epub, you can easily convert them to Kindle with Calibre.

Whether a book has DRM-protection is entirely up to the publisher. Most new releases and bestsellers are protected, particularly those from major publishers, but many are DRM-free. To learn more about DRM and how it affects your ebook purchases, I recommend this article: [Link deleted. - MODERATOR]

Many users remove DRM from their ebook purchases using Calibre and the tools referred to in the Apprentice Alf article. If you're doing so only for your own personal use and not to promote illegal file sharing and piracy, I have absolutely no concerns about legal or ethical issues, although the subject remains controversial and current US statutory law prohibits doing so. However, the law is still unsettled. There are numerous ongoing legal challenges, as well as pending legislation in Congress, which would permit doing so for personal use, mostly under the doctrine of "fair use" but based on other legal theories and arguments as well. My belief is that some sort of fair use exception for this
purpose will eventually be created either in Congress or by the courts.

When you buy a DRM-protected ebook from Amazon or any other seller, it is coded to work only in the registered device for which you download it. However, you can download additional copies at no additional charge if you have registered multiple devices and apps. Some are restricted as to how many devices you can download to simultaneously. Most restrict to six devices and if you want to download to a seventh, you have to delete a copy from one of the earlier devices. To me, this restriction isn't much of an inconvenience.

You can download and store all of your ebooks on your PC, whether or not they have DRM. If you use Calibre, that's what you'll always do. However, if they have DRM you can still only read them on the registered device you designated at the time of download. If you want to read them on another device, you have to download another copy. If you use Calibre with the Apprentice Alf plug-ins, none of the DRM-restrictions will interfere with your use of purchased ebooks.

Public library books are an entirely different matter. You borrow them for free, for a specified device and a limited period of time, and have no ownership rights whatsoever. Any attempt to circumvent these restrictions would be both illegal and unethical.

[drizzle]

Thanks for answering my questions. I hadn't realized the DRM issue was still unsettled in court. I'll have to keep an eye on what is eventually decided. I know my public library has some ebooks that are only in epub but their ebook collection overall isn't very good anyway so not being able to read all the library ebooks on my ereader isn't a deal-breaker. It's good to know that I would be able to back up my amazon purchases to my laptop. Is kobo the same way?

It looks like I'll either buy the kindle paperwhite or the kobo glo. The format issues with the kindle aren't as inconvenient as I thought they would be, and not inconvenient enough to disregard amazon's content availability and better prices.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by drizzle

Is kobo the same way?

Kobo books are usually available both as kePub's (Kobo modified ePub's) for direct download to their devices & apps and most, but not all, books are also available to download to your computer as either DRM-Free or Adobe DRM'd ePub's depending on publisher. Occasionally there is a book that's kePub only or the secondary download is PDF instead of ePub, but the great majority are ePub's.

[ProfCrash]

Formatting is not a big deal if you are willing to remove DRM. Then buy the device you want and have fun.

If you do not want to remove DRM then the store and device matter. And for that reason, I would go with the Kindle. Amazon has the best selection and the prices are competitive. Toss in customer service and you have a real winner.

[cadele]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Formatting is not a big deal if you are willing to remove DRM. Then buy the device you want and have fun.

If you do not want to remove DRM then the store and device matter. And for that reason, I would go with the Kindle. Amazon has the best selection and the prices are competitive. Toss in customer service and you have a real winner.

I completely agree with ProfCrash.

From my personal experience I found Kobo readers (I had 2) very buggy and Kobo's customer service rather poor. I prefer Kindle and have had no problems since changing to Amazon.

[drizzle]

Thank you very much for all of your responses. I've pretty much chosen to go with kindle paperwhite. I'm really happy I posted on here because otherwise I probably would have gone with the nook but the kindle seems to meet what I am looking for more because of the better customer service, doc. support, and larger selection.
I really appreciate everyone's help.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by drizzle

doc. support

Just want to mention, because some don't realize, doc & docx support is through conversion. You may already have understood that, but a few have been disappointed thinking it supported those formats without conversion so I thought it worth mentioning.