Best device to organize with Calibre

trianglekitty · 01-13-2015, 06:42 PM

I'm looking for advice about what device (either e-reader or tablet) I should invest in that will work best with Calibre's organizational settings. Right now I own a basic, no frills Nook. It's only an e-reader (not a tablet) and I can't view most of Calibre's metadata settings on the device. This is a huge issue because I can't see a book's summary data- with so very many books on the device, I simply can't remember what each is about. This makes it very annoying at times to find the one I want because I need to go to my laptop and look it up on Calibre, then find it on the Nook. I also read a lot of fanfic on my Nook, and that's even harder to organize on the device. Right now I have a system of folders and sub folders that is only barely usable. I simply don't even care about author and title w/ fanfic...I just want to view a summary.

So what device would be better? I'd like to be able to view info like the summary easily. I'd love to be able to mark what books I've already read right on the device. Ideally, I'd like to have Calibre itself right there on the device. An easy way to sort by shelves/genre/etc. is a big plus.

This will be a dedicated e-reader that doesn't need to have any other functions, so cheaper is very much better.

BetterRed · 01-13-2015, 08:18 PM

@trianglekitty - sounds like you need Calibre Companion - it runs on Android. CC's developer, chaley, is also a major contributor to the development of calibre on Windows/OSX/Linux

It has its a forum here ==>> Calibre Companion - MobileRead Forums

BR

JSWolf · 01-13-2015, 09:05 PM

Calibre Companion is great for Android tablets so if you want to use CC, you'll need Android. iPads are not great for use with Calibre.

If you want an eInk Reader, Kobo Aura H2O is best and it's well organized with Calibre and the Kobo Utilities plugin.

davidfor · 01-13-2015, 09:20 PM

Yes, an Android device with Calibre Companion is probably the best fit for these requirements.

For dedicated ereader devices, I can really only comment on the Kobo devices. So:

- Title, author, series name and number, format, date published and publisher, size, comments (synopsis, description or whatever you want to call it), cover, language and ISBN can all be displayed. The comments and publishing detail are on a details screen that is accessed from the library.
- Collections can be built based on columns in calibre library. You can use more than one column and books can be in multiple collections.
- Reading status is displayed in the library. This is "Unread", "Finished" or percent read. This is done automatically as you read a book, but you can mark a book as finished or unread. If you want, you can fetch this back to calibre using my utilities plugin.
- The library has several sort orders and can be filtered by the above states.
- You can search for books based on title, author or series.
- While books can be stored on the device in directories and subdirectories, these are not displayed in any way while using it.

As to a specific device, at the moment I'd recommend either the Kobo Glo or Kobo Aura H2O. If price is important, go for the Glo. But, the extra screen size and resolution of the Aura H2O is probably worth the price. Plus it is waterproof if you like reading in the bath.

JSWolf · 01-13-2015, 09:25 PM

I cannot think of another Reader that's as good as a Kobo for eBook organization with Calibre. It's even better then Sony and that used to be the best.

trianglekitty · 01-13-2015, 11:23 PM

Thanks so much for the recommendations! The Kobo looks perfect for my needs (and since I do read in the bath and have already murdered library books by doing so, I'm probably better off paying extra for the Aura.) It honestly makes me sad because I love my Nook, but with several thousand books I've simply outgrown it. I'm hoping (perhaps in vain) that I can teach my 70 year old mother to use it...

trianglekitty · 01-13-2015, 11:26 PM

Just to verify...I side load almost all of my books (because on the Nook it's easier to sort that way, and with fanfic there's no other way to do it.) Will I still be able to do so with the Kobo?

PeterT · 01-14-2015, 12:08 AM

Yep... Sideloading is as easy as A B C

JSWolf · 01-14-2015, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

Yep... Sideloading is as easy as A B C

It's even easier then that.

PeterT · 01-14-2015, 09:25 PM

Add
Books
Calibre

A B C

WaldoPepper · 01-20-2015, 02:46 AM

Since my only experience with Calibre is with tablets and the CC: how do you access the Calibre db with a Kobo? Do you have to cable-connect it to a PC running Calibre or can you browse the Calibre db wireless using the build-in content server?

trianglekitty · 01-23-2015, 10:01 PM

Could anyone perhaps suggest easy to organize alternatives to the Kobo? Having done some more research into them, I'm finding myself a bit nervous about their customer service and issues with the devices freezing. I've worked in sales and know full well that people who are happy with their experience typically don't post, but it just seems like there's an alarmingly large number of unhappy customers.

JSWolf · 01-23-2015, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trianglekitty

Could anyone perhaps suggest easy to organize alternatives to the Kobo? Having done some more research into them, I'm finding myself a bit nervous about their customer service and issues with the devices freezing. I've worked in sales and know full well that people who are happy with their experience typically don't post, but it just seems like there's an alarmingly large number of unhappy customers.

I have an H2O, it does not freeze. It works very well. I do recommend it. Plus it's very easy to organize using Calibre.

JSWolf · 01-23-2015, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaldoPepper

Since my only experience with Calibre is with tablets and the CC: how do you access the Calibre db with a Kobo? Do you have to cable-connect it to a PC running Calibre or can you browse the Calibre db wireless using the build-in content server?

I've not tried connecting to a Calibre content server with the H2O. But if it does work, you would have to manually manage the eBook(s) you download to put them in the collection(s) you want.

eschwartz · 01-26-2015, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trianglekitty

Could anyone perhaps suggest easy to organize alternatives to the Kobo? Having done some more research into them, I'm finding myself a bit nervous about their customer service and issues with the devices freezing. I've worked in sales and know full well that people who are happy with their experience typically don't post, but it just seems like there's an alarmingly large number of unhappy customers.

Kindles can be managed, IF you jailbreak and use the Kindle Collections plugin in tandem with LibrarianSync.
Sadly, fw5.6.x makes it impossible to jailbreak, so Voyage and KT2 are out and the PW2 must be jailbroken before it gets an OTA update.

Amazon has a better CS reputation, but on the other hand it is more awkward to manage the Kindle.

01-13-2015, 06:42 PM	#1
trianglekitty Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 16 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Best device to organize with Calibre I'm looking for advice about what device (either e-reader or tablet) I should invest in that will work best with Calibre's organizational settings. Right now I own a basic, no frills Nook. It's only an e-reader (not a tablet) and I can't view most of Calibre's metadata settings on the device. This is a huge issue because I can't see a book's summary data- with so very many books on the device, I simply can't remember what each is about. This makes it very annoying at times to find the one I want because I need to go to my laptop and look it up on Calibre, then find it on the Nook. I also read a lot of fanfic on my Nook, and that's even harder to organize on the device. Right now I have a system of folders and sub folders that is only barely usable. I simply don't even care about author and title w/ fanfic...I just want to view a summary. So what device would be better? I'd like to be able to view info like the summary easily. I'd love to be able to mark what books I've already read right on the device. Ideally, I'd like to have Calibre itself right there on the device. An easy way to sort by shelves/genre/etc. is a big plus. This will be a dedicated e-reader that doesn't need to have any other functions, so cheaper is very much better.

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01-13-2015, 08:18 PM	#2
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,681 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@trianglekitty - sounds like you need Calibre Companion - it runs on Android. CC's developer, chaley, is also a major contributor to the development of calibre on Windows/OSX/Linux It has its a forum here ==>> Calibre Companion - MobileRead Forums BR

01-13-2015, 09:05 PM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,535 Karma: 145863177 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Calibre Companion is great for Android tablets so if you want to use CC, you'll need Android. iPads are not great for use with Calibre. If you want an eInk Reader, Kobo Aura H2O is best and it's well organized with Calibre and the Kobo Utilities plugin.

01-13-2015, 09:20 PM	#4
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Yes, an Android device with Calibre Companion is probably the best fit for these requirements. For dedicated ereader devices, I can really only comment on the Kobo devices. So: - Title, author, series name and number, format, date published and publisher, size, comments (synopsis, description or whatever you want to call it), cover, language and ISBN can all be displayed. The comments and publishing detail are on a details screen that is accessed from the library. - Collections can be built based on columns in calibre library. You can use more than one column and books can be in multiple collections. - Reading status is displayed in the library. This is "Unread", "Finished" or percent read. This is done automatically as you read a book, but you can mark a book as finished or unread. If you want, you can fetch this back to calibre using my utilities plugin. - The library has several sort orders and can be filtered by the above states. - You can search for books based on title, author or series. - While books can be stored on the device in directories and subdirectories, these are not displayed in any way while using it. As to a specific device, at the moment I'd recommend either the Kobo Glo or Kobo Aura H2O. If price is important, go for the Glo. But, the extra screen size and resolution of the Aura H2O is probably worth the price. Plus it is waterproof if you like reading in the bath.

01-13-2015, 09:25 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,535 Karma: 145863177 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I cannot think of another Reader that's as good as a Kobo for eBook organization with Calibre. It's even better then Sony and that used to be the best.

01-13-2015, 11:23 PM	#6
trianglekitty Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 16 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Thanks so much for the recommendations! The Kobo looks perfect for my needs (and since I do read in the bath and have already murdered library books by doing so, I'm probably better off paying extra for the Aura.) It honestly makes me sad because I love my Nook, but with several thousand books I've simply outgrown it. I'm hoping (perhaps in vain) that I can teach my 70 year old mother to use it...

01-13-2015, 11:26 PM	#7
trianglekitty Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 16 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Just to verify...I side load almost all of my books (because on the Nook it's easier to sort that way, and with fanfic there's no other way to do it.) Will I still be able to do so with the Kobo?

01-14-2015, 12:08 AM	#8
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,409 Karma: 78880114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Yep... Sideloading is as easy as A B C

01-14-2015, 09:25 PM	#10
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,409 Karma: 78880114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Add Books Calibre A B C

01-20-2015, 02:46 AM	#11
WaldoPepper Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Xoom, Galaxy Tab 4, iPad 2, Nexus 7, Fire HD, SurfTab Wintron 10.1	Since my only experience with Calibre is with tablets and the CC: how do you access the Calibre db with a Kobo? Do you have to cable-connect it to a PC running Calibre or can you browse the Calibre db wireless using the build-in content server?

01-23-2015, 10:01 PM	#12
trianglekitty Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 16 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Could anyone perhaps suggest easy to organize alternatives to the Kobo? Having done some more research into them, I'm finding myself a bit nervous about their customer service and issues with the devices freezing. I've worked in sales and know full well that people who are happy with their experience typically don't post, but it just seems like there's an alarmingly large number of unhappy customers.

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