Best eReader for Sideloaded books?

[Rika24]

i've loved my SONY and still use it, but the battery life just isn't enough anymore (same with the need for a light), and my Nook HD is on it's way out sadly.

So, does anyone know of an e-ink reader that fits these requirements?

IMPORTANT (must have)
- epub support
- ability to sideload content (that looks good)
- ability to download purchased books to computer for backup
- expandable memory
- 1 month battery life (at least)
- Calibre
- MAC compatible

OPTIONAL (but wanted)
- Customizable fonts (or at least a good selection)
- built in light
- 6.8 screen
- ability to manage collections through calibre (like Sony's tags option)

i would rather not go with Barnes and Noble now that they've removed the ability to download books (which is stupid).

the most important thing though is the ability to sideload ebooks as 90% of the ebooks i have are fanfics.

[meeera]

Kobo Aura H2O fits your requirements very well. Though with any reader, your battery life will depend on real-life usage.

[Rika24]

the Kobo Aura H2O was actually my #1 choice until i did some checking. from what i've read, sideloaded books can't be adjusted (text size, font, spacing, etc...), high prices (some of which are more expensive than the physical book), and no hands on test options since there are no retailers here in the US.

the only ereaders here to choose from with in store tests are nook or kindle (both of which don't meet what i want). i'm still mad about what Sony did as they were perfect, so i guess i'm just looking for something as good as the Sony reader or better.

as for amount of reading, i read about 2 hours a day on average.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Rika24

the Kobo Aura H2O was actually my #1 choice until i did some checking. from what i've read, sideloaded books can't be adjusted (text size, font, spacing, etc...), high prices (some of which are more expensive than the physical book), and no hands on test options since there are no retailers here in the US.

OK, you didn't specify local in your original post, nor did you specify your country.

You have been misinformed. Sideloaded books can be adjusted in all of those things, unless there is code in the book prohibiting it. Simply strip any such code in Calibre before sideloading - it's very simple to set up conversion defaults to do that, or you can do it various harder ways.

Fonts can be sideloaded, and sideloaded fonts can be used on both sideloaded books and Kobo books.

Ebook prices in a particular store are irrelevant to a purchase decision, unless you want to only sync with and read from that particular store - and you don't sound like that kind of ebook reader. If you don't like Kobo's prices, simply shop anywhere else (except iBooks, and, now, Nook/B&N). It can all be DRM-stripped, converted if necessary, then sideloaded.

[jehane]

can't comment on the device, since I'm still using Sonys, but agree with Meeera in terms of the Kobo book prices. They are irrelevant when considering the device beyond format compatibility. I have only had Sonys, but I never bought any books from them. In fact I mainly buy books from Kobo, though my primary resource is Overdrive. You might like to check out the Deals forum for the permanent Kobo coupons thread.

Also, I'm confused. You want something you can check out at a retailer but don't want your only two options - Nook and Kindle. That doesn't leave you with any options at all. So you need to decide what is more important to you. Personally, I'd pick the most suitable device and then look around for a reputable online retailer with a good returns policy. Or pay a visit to Canada, Cleveland is not that far from the border.

[Rika24]

I meant the only hands on options for me are nook or kindle, i'm willing to buy online, i just dont like not being able to test the device before purchase.

And i know i'm not forced to buy from the ereader's company. Never bought a single ebook through Sony. The only ebooks i've bought outside of barnes and noble were the Harry Potter series. I would just prefer to buy through the company's store now that B&N isnt an option anymore and Amazon's format would be too annoying to deal with (converting an ebook from one format to another sometimes messes up the layout and table of contents i've noticed).

[burnafterreading]

kobo's book prices aren't that bad. up here in canada, they're comparable to google play books. sometimes, a book will be available at kobo that isn't available from google. sometimes, the pricing will be much lower at one site than the other. i recently bought a 3-book-bundle at kobo that was $5 (ok, that was a sale price, but still...), but at google it was not available and buying individually would have cost around $36.

if you only read 2hrs a day and rarely read on a raft with no power in the middle of the atlantic, why not consider a tablet? several have microSD slots and all are bookstore-neutral so you can buy (and sync) from anywhere in addition to sideloads.

sure, eink looks way more like plain paper, but it's kind of "old tech" and limited in size. i have both, though, so i'm not at all against eink. i just grab whichever device i prefer on any given day. 90% of the time at home it's the 10" tablet, though...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Rika24

the Kobo Aura H2O was actually my #1 choice until i did some checking. from what i've read, sideloaded books can't be adjusted (text size, font, spacing, etc...), high prices (some of which are more expensive than the physical book), and no hands on test options since there are no retailers here in the US.

the only ereaders here to choose from with in store tests are nook or kindle (both of which don't meet what i want). i'm still mad about what Sony did as they were perfect, so i guess i'm just looking for something as good as the Sony reader or better.

as for amount of reading, i read about 2 hours a day on average.

This is untrue. Most eBooks will allow you to adjust the font, line space, and margins. Some won't. But that's because of the code. And if it's DRM free, you can fix it fairly easily using Calibre.

Actually, I've been looking and I have found some independent bookstores that do sell the H2O. As for on display to try, I cannot say. But you can try looking online at your local shops and see if they sell the H2O. The problem is that Kobo has not put up on their website which shops these are that are selling the H2O in the USA.

Besides, you can buy eBooks from Google Play, Kobo, and any other eBookstore that sells ePub with Adept DRM. You can also borrow eBooks from Overdrive if you belong to a library that uses Overdrive.

[Rika24]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

if you only read 2hrs a day and rarely read on a raft with no power in the middle of the atlantic, why not consider a tablet? several have microSD slots and all are bookstore-neutral so you can buy (and sync) from anywhere in addition to sideloads.

sure, eink looks way more like plain paper, but it's kind of "old tech" and limited in size. i have both, though, so i'm not at all against eink. i just grab whichever device i prefer on any given day. 90% of the time at home it's the 10" tablet, though...

I have a tablet, the Nook HD. Problem is that reading on it hurts my eyes (even after switching the background color to grey and turning the backlight down to 40%) and gives me bad headaches, so i've been using it mainly for web and video while my Sony has become my go to for reading. (I've got astigmatism that's been getting worse the past couple years).

The Kobo Aura H2O is my best choice then, i'll look into trying to find books stores around me but i might just get one off the kobo site. Thanks for helping. Does the kobo give you a book summary option when listing books on the reader? (Not in store but for what you already have?)

[burnafterreading]

are you able to try reverse colours (white text on black background)? i find that to be quite comfy for my 40-year-old eyes. ouch, i'm old. :P anyways, if that experiment is comfy for you, maybe consider a new tablet of some kind.

my Arc 10HD has around 70% of battery left after 2.5hrs of screen time in reverse mode, so i figure it should go as long as 8hrs before it needs a recharge.

[robko]

Originally Posted by Rika24

The Kobo Aura H2O is my best choice then, i'll look into trying to find books stores around me but i might just get one off the kobo site. Thanks for helping. Does the kobo give you a book summary option when listing books on the reader? (Not in store but for what you already have?)

If you go the online route for the H2O some people in the U.S. have found going through Chapters-Indigo (who used to be majority owner of Kobo until they sold to Rakuten) had better tracking information etc vs going direct through Kobo.

[burnafterreading]

Originally Posted by Rika24

The Kobo Aura H2O is my best choice then, i'll look into trying to find books stores around me but i might just get one off the kobo site. Thanks for helping. Does the kobo give you a book summary option when listing books on the reader? (Not in store but for what you already have?)

i just looked at my Glo (firmware 3.12.0). if i long-press on a book in the library, i can "view details" and then i can see a few tabs for that particular book - synopsis (summary / description), details (publisher, isbn), reviews (probably same as on kobo's web site), related.

so, i guess that's a "yes"?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

i just looked at my Glo (firmware 3.12.0). if i long-press on a book in the library, i can "view details" and then i can see a few tabs for that particular book - synopsis (summary / description), details (publisher, isbn), reviews (probably same as on kobo's web site), related.

so, i guess that's a "yes"?

Same for the H2O.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Rika24

the Kobo Aura H2O was actually my #1 choice until i did some checking. from what i've read, sideloaded books can't be adjusted (text size, font, spacing, etc...),

With a simple patch added, yes - text size, font, spacing - can be adjusted.

Originally Posted by Rika24

i'm still mad about what Sony did as they were perfect, so i guess i'm just looking for something as good as the Sony reader or better.

The Kobo is superior to the Sony. If you think your Sony is perfect, you will change your mind when you get a Kobo.

- Kobo home screen is WAY better than Sony's. I love the tiles showing my book covers. (I get rid of tiles I don't want, including the Sync tile, using Calibre and Kobo Utilities).

- you can easily add and use your own fonts (impossible on the Sony w/o jailbreaking/hacks)

- the lighting, of course

- From what I recall, the newer Kobos have much higher resolution than the Sony's (I can't remember what the T3 had).

- Used in conjunction with Calibre and Kobo Utilities, side loading to a Kobo is the best experience

- As long as the metadata in the ebook is there, you can easily view what any book is about, as described above. No internet connection necessary. Again, this feature is superior to both Sony and Kindle.

In my opinion, the Kobo is the perfect e-ink reader. My personal favorite is the Glo.

[oldhaggis]

Originally Posted by Rika24

the Kobo Aura H2O was actually my #1 choice until i did some checking. from what i've read, sideloaded books can't be adjusted (text size, font, spacing, etc...), high prices (some of which are more expensive than the physical book), and no hands on test options since there are no retailers here in the US.

the only ereaders here to choose from with in store tests are nook or kindle (both of which don't meet what i want). i'm still mad about what Sony did as they were perfect, so i guess i'm just looking for something as good as the Sony reader or better.

as for amount of reading, i read about 2 hours a day on average.

You could try and pick up a new T3, lot's for sale on ebay from canada, I too miss my sony's, I also have a kobo H20 but prefer reading on the T3.
For your info the resolution on the T3 is 1024x758 , which makes for a really sharp display.Hope it helps!