A reader that I can read Russian on, WIFI isn't a must

ronlut · 07-27-2010, 02:05 PM

Hi.
I want to buy my father a reader for his birthday.
We live in Israel, and 95% of the books he reads are in Russian, and he read a lot.
Only few books are in English, so Russian is the main language that will be used.
He have a collection of about 5000 books in Russian in fb2 format that he uses.
So, the reader I'm looking for should support Russian (Cyrillic I guess) and English of course.
Also, it should be of a good quality and up to 200$.
I thought of the nook (149$), but I'm not sure how easy it would be to convert a lot of fb2 books to epub and how the result of that would be (?).
Thanks for any help.

EDIT: 6" or bigger is preferable

lila55 · 07-27-2010, 03:13 PM

Pocketbook 360 could be the reader that suits your needs. It does support the fb2 format (and many others) and since the manufacturer is a company from the Ukraine, I am sure that your father can read Cyrillic on it.

ronlut · 07-27-2010, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lila55

Pocketbook 360 could be the reader that suits your needs. It does support the fb2 format (and many others) and since the manufacturer is a company from the Ukraine, I am sure that your father can read Cyrillic on it.

thanks for the answer.
I forgot to mention, that as bigger the screen, I think it's better.
I think 6" is ok, smaller is too small IMO.
AND, the price for this product is 200$.. For 5" and not a well known company (I think so) I prefer to pay less, maybe i'm wrong..
I tried to convert some fb2 books to epub, and I think it went ok (Calibre) so maybe I'll just buy the nook and convert all the books to epub, but the main questions is does nook support russian text in epubs?
Thanks again.

Zetmolm · 07-27-2010, 05:54 PM

Pocketbook not well known? They're one of the biggest! E.g., last year they had a market share of 46% in Russia, if I remember the number correctly.

I read Russian books in fb2 format on my Onyx Boox (= Bebook Neo), which is an excellent 6"device, but unfortunately above your budget.

Marcy · 07-27-2010, 06:20 PM

I think Pocketbook is your best choice. The come by default with only a Russian dictionary, not an English one, so I'm pretty sure they do Russian and do it well.

They have a 5-inch and 6-inch reader currently, and are supposed to be releasing a 9-inch one in the fall.

-Marcy

fjtorres · 07-27-2010, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronlut

thanks for the answer.
I forgot to mention, that as bigger the screen, I think it's better.
I think 6" is ok, smaller is too small IMO.
AND, the price for this product is 200$.. For 5" and not a well known company (I think so) I prefer to pay less, maybe i'm wrong..
I tried to convert some fb2 books to epub, and I think it went ok (Calibre) so maybe I'll just buy the nook and convert all the books to epub, but the main questions is does nook support russian text in epubs?
Thanks again.

Bear in mind the Nook WiFi isn't officially sold outside the US at this point in time. Support might be an issue.

The Pocketbook 301 has a six-inch screen and uses the same software as the PB360. Pocketbook readers not only display russian in all formats, they can be configured to run everything in russian; the interface, apps, dicts (lots of free russian dicts), and have a solid online support system in russian.
Us English-speakers get very good support yet we are merely the third-best supported language on the platform. It's a solid platform for ebook reading in any language but russian is its native turf.

Plus, you won't have trouble finding somebody to sell you one; no need to beg or scheme.
Stop by the pocketbook forum; there's several vendors you can talk to.

GA Russell · 07-27-2010, 10:07 PM

I was going to mention the jetBook and jetBook Lite until you said that you want a 6" screen. They both have 5" screens.

Before I got my JBL, I was concerned that a 5" screen would be too small, but I don't feel that way at all now.

The JBL was on sale last week for $89.99 at newegg.com, so if you can wait till their next sale you can save some money.

ronlut · 07-28-2010, 07:28 AM

Ok thanks for all the replays.
I might go for the PocketBook 301/360.
But I have last question: How is their screen quality compared to kindle and nook?
Are they good?
Thanks again.

fjtorres · 07-28-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronlut

Ok thanks for all the replays.
I might go for the PocketBook 301/360.
But I have last question: How is their screen quality compared to kindle and nook?
Are they good?
Thanks again.

Until/unless Kindle/Nook come up with a next-gen device using the Pearl Screens (which may or not be imminent) there is no significant difference in the screens; they all come from the same source.

So, yes, the screens on most (non-touchscreen) eink readers are roughly equally good. The differences you'll find will be driven by the quality of the software rendering the ebook rather than the screen itself. Touchscreen models are a different creature; some are fuzzy, some are glary and different folks have different tolerance levels.

The Jetbooks suggested above use reflective LCD screens instead of eink; they offer up much darker text but also darker backgrounds. They still look good but not quite as paperlike as the eink screens. That may or not matter; your call.

EowynCarter · 07-28-2010, 12:10 PM

What about pocketbook 302 ? It it already out ?

And, it's always good to shop to the manufacturer near to you. Helps in case you needs support

And one of the criteria with bookeen was : as a French company, I can be sure their reader do read French properly.

fjtorres · 07-28-2010, 06:18 PM

Pocketbook 302 is out. But it has WiFi, which adds to the cost. And if WiFi is *not* needed, why pay for it? Hence: 301.

tvpupsik · 07-28-2010, 07:17 PM

ronlut,
I agree with previous posters, PocketBook and specifically 301+ seems to be the right choice for your farther. It is a best seller among Russian speaking community who are looking for a good reader without wifi or touch screen.
And the company is very well known on eReaders market including Israel.
There are good reviews and forum in Russian at the-ebook.org if you want to gather more information

Thanks,
Tatiana

07-27-2010, 02:05 PM	#1
ronlut Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	A reader that I can read Russian on, WIFI isn't a must Hi. I want to buy my father a reader for his birthday. We live in Israel, and 95% of the books he reads are in Russian, and he read a lot. Only few books are in English, so Russian is the main language that will be used. He have a collection of about 5000 books in Russian in fb2 format that he uses. So, the reader I'm looking for should support Russian (Cyrillic I guess) and English of course. Also, it should be of a good quality and up to 200$. I thought of the nook (149$), but I'm not sure how easy it would be to convert a lot of fb2 books to epub and how the result of that would be (?). Thanks for any help. EDIT: 6" or bigger is preferable Last edited by ronlut; 07-27-2010 at 03:21 PM.

07-28-2010, 12:10 PM	#10
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,338 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	What about pocketbook 302 ? It it already out ? And, it's always good to shop to the manufacturer near to you. Helps in case you needs support And one of the criteria with bookeen was : as a French company, I can be sure their reader do read French properly. Last edited by EowynCarter; 07-28-2010 at 12:14 PM.

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07-27-2010, 03:13 PM	#2
lila55 Fanatic Posts: 595 Karma: 456534 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Stuttgart, Germany Device: PocketBook 360° , iPhone 5, PRS-650, Sony PRS-T2, Sony PRS-T3, Tolino	Pocketbook 360 could be the reader that suits your needs. It does support the fb2 format (and many others) and since the manufacturer is a company from the Ukraine, I am sure that your father can read Cyrillic on it.

07-27-2010, 05:54 PM	#4
Zetmolm Guru Posts: 615 Karma: 2362786 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PocketBook Verse Pro Colour	Pocketbook not well known? They're one of the biggest! E.g., last year they had a market share of 46% in Russia, if I remember the number correctly. I read Russian books in fb2 format on my Onyx Boox (= Bebook Neo), which is an excellent 6"device, but unfortunately above your budget.

07-27-2010, 06:20 PM	#5
Marcy Guru Posts: 903 Karma: 950683 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kobo Libra2	I think Pocketbook is your best choice. The come by default with only a Russian dictionary, not an English one, so I'm pretty sure they do Russian and do it well. They have a 5-inch and 6-inch reader currently, and are supposed to be releasing a 9-inch one in the fall. -Marcy

07-27-2010, 10:07 PM	#7
GA Russell Ticats/Als, Riders/Lions Posts: 7,717 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I was going to mention the jetBook and jetBook Lite until you said that you want a 6" screen. They both have 5" screens. Before I got my JBL, I was concerned that a 5" screen would be too small, but I don't feel that way at all now. The JBL was on sale last week for $89.99 at newegg.com, so if you can wait till their next sale you can save some money.

07-28-2010, 07:28 AM	#8
ronlut Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Ok thanks for all the replays. I might go for the PocketBook 301/360. But I have last question: How is their screen quality compared to kindle and nook? Are they good? Thanks again.

07-28-2010, 06:18 PM	#11
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	Pocketbook 302 is out. But it has WiFi, which adds to the cost. And if WiFi is not needed, why pay for it? Hence: 301.

07-28-2010, 07:17 PM	#12
tvpupsik Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 502 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Device: PB 360, PB 602, PB IQ	ronlut, I agree with previous posters, PocketBook and specifically 301+ seems to be the right choice for your farther. It is a best seller among Russian speaking community who are looking for a good reader without wifi or touch screen. And the company is very well known on eReaders market including Israel. There are good reviews and forum in Russian at the-ebook.org if you want to gather more information Thanks, Tatiana