eBook reader for my old mother

[san2710]

Hi,
I was searching internet and read a lot of reviews and really I could not find what I want and finally I decided to ask here where is a big community. I hope that I can get a good advice. I am a an experienced user of e-book readers, first I started using Ebookwise 1150, but now I have been using tablets and the calibre program to change a format to epub. Most books are downloaded from various sources on internet to my computer.
Now I am looking for an eBook reader for my mother. She reads a lot but recently starts having problems with her eyes. She is over 90 and glasses cannot help any more to improve her view. She needs books with a larger letters, but she is not reading in English and I cannot find books in our language with big letters in our library. She is borrowing books from local library which have a lot of books in our language, but now she also needs brighter light to help her to read. I realised that reading for her becomes a problem and I want to find some good ereader where I can increase fonts and put some back lights if it necessary. Finding and opening a book should be a simple operation. I think using a tablet is too complicated for her. There is no need for a big connectivity. I will put books to the reader from my computer and change the format. I looked at those popular eReaders and I find that the latest kindle paperwhite and Kobo could be good choice, but I think that I need an ereader with a little bigger display and there are some Chinese ereaders with a bigger screen but I do not have any experience with them.
I made here a long story.
I would appreciate any advice and recommendation.

[Cinisajoy]

Actually a front lit ereader would be better than a backlit.
You say you calibre your books. I am assuming they are in your mother's language.
I would recommend a Kobo and sideload books for your mother.
That way you can adjust the font.
I think you need a Kobo Glo.

[meeera]

What country are you in? It will affect which formats of ebooks are available in your library. For example, there is no Kindle library ebook borrowing outside of the USA, that I'm aware of.

[soulfuldog]

You could look at the Kobo Aura H2O, as it has a slightly bigger screen than the standard-sized ereaders like the Kobo Glo or Kindle Paperwhite - 6.8" compared to 6". That might be enough to make the difference with large font sizes.

There are other ereaders with bigger screens available (like the Pocketbook InkPad for example), check out the threads in this section of the forum for some feedback on the bigger devices, but they tend to be more expensive and the bigger screen might not really be needed. I'd steer clear of knock-off Chinese ereaders as the quality just won't be the same as you'd get from the established brands.

[meeera]

The downsides of e-ink readers are worth considering also, particularly higher fragility, if the user's dexterity is not 100% and drops may occur. It can also be quite difficult to insert a microUSB cable without good eyesight and non-arthritic, non-trembling fingers.

A tablet with someone else handling the setup is not necessarily too complicated at all. Get rid of extraneous apps or put them on hidden screens, put the appropriate reading app(s) front and centre, enable larger text. Some tablets (most?) have a setting to enlarge system fonts, also, which doesn't come standard in eink readers (that I know of).

I think it's worth seriously considering a 7-8 inch tablet (if mostly expected to be handheld), or ten inch (if likely to be on a tablet stand or table).

[ottdmk]

The flip side is weight. E-ink readers tend to be lighter then tablets.

[JSWolf]

A tablet with a stand could do as well. An iPad Mini is not that heavy.