My family says I'm too obsessed with e-readers!

[DrNefario]

I sometimes feel it has been all downhill since the keyboard kindle, and occasionally think I should get a new battery for mine.

These days I use a Paperwhite as my main reader, and I have an aging Kobo Touch for epubs and a similarly old Nook Simple Touch I haven't used for a good while. I abandoned the keyboard kindle when its battery just wasn't really lasting any more.

But yes, having one reader for each book does miss the point a bit.

[tsgreer]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I sometimes feel it has been all downhill since the keyboard kindle, and occasionally think I should get a new battery for mine.

I agree. Tho I have to admit, KOReader has definitely changed the game since it works on so many ereaders now.

But the keyboard kindles are tough little things, and can take a pretty good beating.

As for the battery, a new battery costs $18 USD on ebay, around $24 on Amazon, and it's as simple as unscrewing two little screws, and popping the new one in. The last kindle where changing a battery is easy. Youtube has vids to show ya how simple it is.

I've even changed the screens on a couple of broke ones I buy cheap, and that's pretty quick to to do too. I just love these things.

[Sirtel]

For me, heavily patched Kobo UI is the most suitable reading environment. I've also used/tried out Kindles, a Nook and KOReader, and I prefer the native Kobo UI to all of them. Granted, I've also installed over 20 patches and a couple of other tweaks, else I would enjoy it far less than I do.

As to having a reader for each format, nah. I'm a heavy calibre user and sideload everything. I do buy a lot of books with DRM from different stores (Kobo, Google Play and Amazon being the main ones), but DRM isn't difficult to get rid of. I never read any book with intact DRM (I don't use libraries).

YMMV, of course. I'm well aware many people have different tastes and preferences from mine.

[neil_swann80]

They're ereaders, not Pokemon!

[tsgreer]

Originally Posted by neil_swann80

They're ereaders, not Pokemon!

Fair point! Catching them all is probably not the path I should take.

[cellaris]

Originally Posted by tsgreer

I say I'm just the right amount of obsessed! I own over forty e-readers at this point, which I'll admit does sound less like a hobby and more like I lost my mind.

I understand you. I've long since surpassed 60 e-readers purchased over the years, but I currently only keep about 20. My family has accepted it as inevitable that I buy four or five a year. They think it's normal.

[Renate]

I do have a mini plastic "milk crate" (6" x 8" x 6"?) with my retired devices.
From my first Nook NST to my previous Onyx Poke5.
Occasionally I'll drag one out to help someone with a support question.
But I'm pretty much said goodbye to B&N for ever.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by tsgreer

...I'll admit does sound less like a hobby and more like I lost my mind...

Probably everybody here considers themselves normal, when clearly only a precious few (if any) of us actually are. So nothing for you to worry about.

Tell me how "normal" my pursuit to learn this was ... I spent months learning and practicing celestial navigation. Testing my watches rate - recording daily logs, doing sight reductions, plotting lines of position, determining a fix. I don't own a sextant. I've never been on a boat at sea. I live in Colorado - about as far from the ocean as one can get while living in the US.

A friend of mind - who is even worse in the "normalcy" department than me - even bought me a textbook on spherical trigonometry so that I could better understand the concepts behind CelNav.

Normal? Yeah, right.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by haertig

Normal? Yeah, right.

I think this forum, actually most any forum, is chock-a-block with interesting people.
They have demonstrated interest in something.
I am wary of people who are not interested in anything.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Renate

I think this forum, actually most any forum, is chock-a-block with interesting people.
They have demonstrated interest in something.
I am wary of people who are not interested in anything.

I agree. IMO the average IQ of the regular posters here is way above the general average. Compared to what I've seen on some other platforms.

Something that's way above average is not normal, of course.

[rowe]

I've bought dozens of ereaders over the years. I don't feel guilty as I've read thousands of books on them and it's a healthy hobby I want to optimise.

I used to have different active readers for being on the move, at home, manga, and graphic novels. But found I like pocket readers so much that's all I use now (my favourite's the Viwoods Reader).

It's also great to gift old readers full of books to friends and family. A few people I've done that for have read a lot more because of it.

[tsgreer]

Originally Posted by cellaris

I understand you. I've long since surpassed 60 e-readers purchased over the years, but I currently only keep about 20. My family has accepted it as inevitable that I buy four or five a year. They think it's normal.

Brother, you beat me. You're my people!

I thought I was done collecting, but now I may have to up my game! Especially hearing everyone talk about Kobos.

[tsgreer]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

IMO the average IQ of the regular posters here is way above the general average. Compared to what I've seen on some other platforms.

I’m doing my part to correct that! Think of me as ballast. Every time I post, the curve dips a little, the bell bends, and the statisticians breathe easier. If this place ever starts looking too smart, I’m the emergency release valve for excessive smartness!

In all seriousness, I agree with you. The level of intelligence in this forum is crazy amazing. You see people writing their own programs just to make e-readers better, and others who know the hardware and software well enough to explain exactly why these devices work the way they do.

I grew up in a very rural setting, both in terms of education and money, so I have a lot of ground to make up when it comes to learning. That’s part of why this place matters to me. It’s one of the few spaces where I learn something new almost every single day, just by reading what people here are willing to share.