Private e-reader search

[december-99]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new e-reader.

I have a 5th generation amazon Kindle. It is the one before the touch screen, with physical buttons. I like it a lot overall. When I found out how much information amazon collects from these devices, I became frustrated and it has led me to look for other options.

I’ve been looking for my next e-reader, and I’m trying to find something that is actually private. I’d also like one that would allow me to keep the e-books that I have now, if possible. I have them downloaded to my computer and I have the calibre program.

I’m essentially looking for an e-reader like the kindle 5th generation. I’d really like one that doesn’t have a touch screen or that has a touch screen that can be turned off (if that is even possible).

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find something like this, but to no avail.

I’m wondering: does an e-reader with the characteristics I’ve described even exist?

Thanks

[Sirtel]

These days the only non-touch ereaders are either very old ones (like your Kindle) or cheap low-quality devices from unknown (mostly Chinese) companies. So I'd ditch that idea.

You can use a Pocketbook or a Kobo ereader without creating an account.

[Bookstooge]

The only way to keep your data private is by keeping your ereader offline. There's no other way.
If you are still happy with how your nt4k works (I loved the one I had until I bought the first generation Oasis), then just turn off wifi, keep it off and your data will be fine.

My oasis is getting long in the tooth (bought it in '17) and am looking at other options myself. I'm looking at the pocketbook era because it has buttons and unlike kobo, I haven't heard of the PB's destroying your onboard database every month or two.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

My oasis is getting long in the tooth (bought it in '17) and am looking at other options myself. I'm looking at the pocketbook era because it has buttons and unlike kobo, I haven't heard of the PB's destroying your onboard database every month or two.

I've never had my database corrupted, not once in 5 years. And I'm hardly the only one here. It's not so common as it may seem from some posts.

[Aleron Ives]

There was a bug in some firmware versions that caused it, and since Kobo gives you control over updates, you can avoid buggy updates and roll back your firmware if you receive an update that you don't like.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

and unlike kobo, I haven't heard of the PB's destroying your onboard database every month or two.

I've had 6 different Kobos over the last 6+ years and have had no experience of Kobo destroying the onboard database. How you have heard of Kobo doing this "every month or two" escapes me. Unless of course, you heard it from a Pocketbook sales rep.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I've had 6 different Kobos over the last 6+ years and have had no experience of Kobo destroying the onboard database. How you have heard of Kobo doing this "every month or two" escapes me. Unless of course, you heard it from a Pocketbook sales rep.

Perhaps an assumption is being made that every post about a corrupt database indicates that every other person is seeing the same problem? On that basis, perhaps they should assume that every post about issues with an Amazon Kindle could be taken as indicating that every Amazon Kindle owner is seeing the same problems? So a message from one person indicating that their Kindle Oasis is bricked is an indicator that every Kindle Oasis is bricked.

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

The only way to keep your data private is by keeping your ereader offline. There's no other way.

That may be basically true but if you use an Android device you can use it without a Google account and without accounts on other apps/website et cetera. You can even deactivate most google apps (easily via adb) and the device is still working fine. Plus you can use a software firewall that acts as VPN on the device to block unwanted traffic from installed apps and tracking via IP block lists. That's what I do on all my Android devices.

Originally Posted by december-99

I’d really like one that doesn’t have a touch screen

I wonder how one will chose which book to open or how to go to a specific page or look up a word in a dictionary without any touch function. Page turning via volume buttons on a phone or tablet works fine but that's all I can imagine buttons are useful for these days.

I remember reading about some obscure e-reader (I guess from Hanvon) that uses a stylus only for navigation, book opening etc. and has various buttons you can assign certain funtions for. The display had only the stylus touch function but no other touch functions (i.e. finger).

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by Gormagon

That may be basically true but if you use an Android device you can use it without a Google account and without accounts on other apps/website et cetera. You can even deactivate most google apps (easily via adb) and the device is still working fine. Plus you can use a software firewall that acts as VPN on the device to block unwanted traffic from installed apps and tracking via IP block lists. That's what I do on all my Android devices.



I wonder how one will chose which book to open or how to go to a specific page or look up a word in a dictionary without any touch function. Page turning via volume buttons on a phone or tablet works fine but that's all I can imagine buttons are useful for these days.

I remember reading about some obscure e-reader (I guess from Hanvon) that uses a stylus only for navigation, book opening etc. and has various buttons you can assign certain funtions for. The display had only the stylus touch function but no other touch functions (i.e. finger).

Yes, the Hanvon N10.

It's really intriguing and I hope that it gets more popular. The newer model has a 300 PPI screen.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Gormagon

...



I wonder how one will chose which book to open or how to go to a specific page or look up a word in a dictionary without any touch function. Page turning via volume buttons on a phone or tablet works fine but that's all I can imagine buttons are useful for these days.

...

The early Kindles and Sonys were able to figure it out.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

The early Kindles and Sonys were able to figure it out.

It was/is painful, though KOReader isn't much better with touch. I still have some old ereaders with no touch. One is even LCD!

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It was/is painful, though KOReader isn't much better with touch. I still have some old ereaders with no touch. One is even LCD!

I thought my Sony 505 was fine for not having a touch screen. If I didn't want a touch screen, something like the 505 would work well for me.

Strange that the OP seems to think their non-touch Kindle isn't/wasn't painful (at least that is my take on their post).

[Sirtel]

While not very convenient, I could manage with a nontouch 6" screen. If I wanted to read on a 6" screen, of course, which I don't.

Navigating on the 8" screen of my Sage (for dictionary look-up, word search and the like) would be quite painful without touch. Unless there's a better solution for moving around than the D-pad used on old Kindles.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Navigating on the 8" screen of my Sage (for dictionary look-up, word search and the like) would be quite painful without touch. Unless there's a better solution for moving around than the D-pad used on old Kindles.

You need like the Kindle K3, a physical QWERTY keyboard, menu, back, Home, Aa buttons as well as D pad and page turn. The next Kindles without all those buttons and just the D pad are terrible.

But I think the Sony 505 was better than the later Non-Touch Kindles for buttons and GUI?

Pity the QWERTY keyboards on the DXG and K3 such cheap junk; I've €2 calculators with better keyboards.n

[JSWolf]

There's no way I would go back to a non-touch Reader.