Switching From Sony

[parkher]

Moloko,

It is interesting what you say about the reason for using front light: because it is the same reason I do not use it.
I can't use front light because my eyes are too sensitive: they get tired and begin literally hurting in minutes when using the integrated light, especially in the dark. If I absolutely have to use an additional light (I try to avoid such situations - but I am lucky I don't have to read while commuting), I use Ozeri Kandle Flex clip-on light as it is much easier on my eyes.
I have Aura HD and it has integrated front light, a very good and even one.
So I tried it at various levels. And now I keep it permanently switched off. Ozeri in my pocket, just in case.

I respect Sony very much for not compromising e-ink and I think their T3 cover light is almost as convenient as front-light, it almost does not increase the size of the cover as T1/T2 light does. Unfortunately, T3 is still not carta and even more unfortunately, it cannot be easily rooted.

As to rooting and tweaking: You can do it once and forget all about it.
It is a bit different when you participate in early development testing. But it is long over for T1 and T2.

I don't use multiple reading applications for android, I am using only one: Cool Reader 3 (jotas build) and also only one GoldenDict for dictionaries, it integrates with Cool Reader nicely and supports multiple dictionaries of various formats.
I have those two apps installed on all my T1 and T2 readers.
Also on Aura HD I have Cool Reader 3 which supports StarDict dictionaries.
On both T1/T2 and Aura HD I have internal book indexing disabled and rely on my own hierarchical folder structure.

PocketBook Ultra has a capacitive touchscreen.
Tolino Vision 2, hm - I need to know if it can be rooted to install CoolReader on it.

I just hope that pretty soon Carta + IR open android devices will begin appearing, hopefully with some buttons or tap2flip or frame-squeeze functionality at least.

[khalleron]

I just ordered a Kobo Aura H2O as my birthday present to myself.

I loved my T1 but it's getting old and glitchy, and the H2O looks too good to pass up - plus, I can take it with me to the beach! (I live 4 blocks from the ocean).

A clearer, bigger screen with IR and dictionaries - that's nice! I don't really need the frontlight, but pretty much all the newer readers have them, so I'll adjust.

This is my first non-Sony reader since my old Franklin EBookman. I would love to have the ergononomics of side buttons (which is why I was tempted by the Boyue T62) but decided long battery life and a nice white screen were more important.

Perhaps someday someone will make an ereader that's everything I want.

[bcgirl]

I was going to order the Kobo Aura with a $40 discount but now I am not so sure anymore. I love my Sony PRS-T1 with the bookcover and reading light. Will it really a better move to get the Kobo Aura?
The frontlight is nice but without it, it comes closer to reading a paper book.
Another thing;
I would like to read more Dutch books too. And is there a translation on Kobo too?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by parkher

One thing: Kindle has no card slot.
I like having quite a large library with hierarchical directory structure on a 32 GB card.
The card also contains about 10 GB of dictionaries.

Sorry, never really bought into the must-have-lots-of-storage idea.
To quote myself on a different thread,

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And since the 3.5GB in the Kindle Touch can hold about 3,000 average-sized books, you don't need expandable memory. If you read 100 books A DAY you will still have one month of reading on your Kindle. At a more reasonable but still exorbitant 3 books a day, you will have nearly 3 YEARS worth. I'm sure somewhere along the way you can get to a computer and swap them for new ones.
(Same logic applies to every other eReader, including the Kindle Paperwhite which has (shudder) a measly 1.5 GB and about a year's worth of books.)

I have been able to get off my high horse for the sake of comic/manga readers but I cannot personally fathom the need for 10GB of dictionaries which may be nearly as bad as the guy who wanted an offline copy of Wikipedia, Just In Case.

The intended use-case of ereaders is for the consumption of literary material, not access to extensive libraries of PDF manuals or archiving the internet or portions thereof or digitally reproducing a linguistics department, and 4GB is more than enough for any normal kind of use.

And speaking of hierarchical folder layouts, you can browse by directories with KOReader and probably CoolReader too... but I prefer using the default reader with Collections Manager kindlet to create nested collections, which do everything hierarchical directories do except more, because you can file books in multiple locations. Although this only works on fw<5.4.2 but that suits my Kindle Touch.
(I think tags are far superior to boring filesystem directories. )

That is probably the main reason, other reasons can be overcome by hacking Kindle and installing CR, but still, these features are as if deliberately insulting:
- the screen keeps glowing even when the light level is at the minimum - so "e-ink" becomes a false advertising

There is a hack for that, if it really bothers you. The vast, vast, VAST majority of Kindle owners do not care or even notice, so I take offense at your label of "insulting", whether deliberate by Amazon or not. And it is not false advertising either, so quit with the FUD. E-ink is an ink-display technology, that in no way denies the in-tandem use of lights.

- no support for the most common e-book formats such as epub and fb2 - so "e-reader" becomes a false advertising

FB2 a common format?

EPUB is nearly as common as AZW3 and it doesn't bother me to no end that Kobo and Sony don't support it, and Kobo at least supports MOBI... but Sony doesn't. Mind you, not only is MOBI/AZW3 the most common format, they share the mobipocket databse formatting which actually predates EPUB so technically they are even the industry standard for multiple reasons.

Assuming you really need support for this "commonest format", and I guess converting is morally offensive, fine. Go install CR or KOReader. But how is it "false advertising"? It most certainly is an ereader, I read ebooks on it (almost) every day...

So please get off your white horse, and most of all stop spreading FUD about this being false advertising.

Hm, I suggest switching from Sony to Sony
T1 is a pretty great reader already, unless, perhaps it was not rooted?
The point is: Sony is still the best and there is nothing better to switch to.

How utterly cute you are. Perhaps you should consider that nothing is ever absolutely perfect and it all depends on what people value. Amazon Kindles provide a number of services and features Sony does not (and I assume vice versa). As I am sure Kobo and other devices as well, although I cannot speak from personal experience.
In this case, a frontlight.

Your absolutism is not, IMNSHO, very good advice.

I see now: the author of the thread wants to switch from T1 to a device with front light.
I should have stayed away from this thread, as I am an e-ink purist and I completely don't understand people who want front light, sorry

I am an E-ink purist, and I would be very happy with a frontlit E-ink device myself, if the Kindle PW only had a dedicated home button the same way pretty much any other handheld device does. So I stick with my KT. But I still understand the desire for a frontlight, and nevertheless manage to be an E-ink purist... because I actually know what E-ink means.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by parkher

Moloko,

It is interesting what you say about the reason for using front light: because it is the same reason I do not use it.
I can't use front light because my eyes are too sensitive: they get tired and begin literally hurting in minutes when using the integrated light, especially in the dark. If I absolutely have to use an additional light (I try to avoid such situations - but I am lucky I don't have to read while commuting), I use Ozeri Kandle Flex clip-on light as it is much easier on my eyes.
I have Aura HD and it has integrated front light, a very good and even one.
So I tried it at various levels. And now I keep it permanently switched off. Ozeri in my pocket, just in case.

I respect Sony very much for not compromising e-ink and I think their T3 cover light is almost as convenient as front-light, it almost does not increase the size of the cover as T1/T2 light does. Unfortunately, T3 is still not carta and even more unfortunately, it cannot be easily rooted.

Some people do indeed find frontlights bother their eyes. That is a valid concern, and very unfortunate and everything -- but it does not mean everyone will feel the same way.

It doesn't seem to have a strict correlation with my-eyes-are-bad either, because like Moloko many people who are bothered by by LCD displays love frontlights. It kind of makes sense to me, because it really shouldn't be any different than a light which isn't embedded in the frame but clipped on instead, but then... some people are bothered by it, and I really cannot judge.

Either way, it isn't "compromising" E-ink. It is simply a device that isn't suited to a minority of people, which is unfortunate but hardly sinister.

[khalleron]

You mean, 'get behind me bearer of different agendas than mine.'

Seriously, dude, lighten up. Someone wants something different in an ereader than you do, there's no need to take it personally and go off on a multi-paragraph rant. It's like insulting someone because they don't buy Jif peanut butter.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by khalleron

I just ordered a Kobo Aura H2O as my birthday present to myself.

I loved my T1 but it's getting old and glitchy, and the H2O looks too good to pass up - plus, I can take it with me to the beach! (I live 4 blocks from the ocean).

A clearer, bigger screen with IR and dictionaries - that's nice! I don't really need the frontlight, but pretty much all the newer readers have them, so I'll adjust.

This is my first non-Sony reader since my old Franklin EBookman. I would love to have the ergononomics of side buttons (which is why I was tempted by the Boyue T62) but decided long battery life and a nice white screen were more important.

Perhaps someday someone will make an ereader that's everything I want.

The Kindle Voyage has side buttons, although it isn't waterproof.

Like all E-ink devices, it has a nice long battery life. Although opinion seems to be split on the niceness of the screen. Some KVs are good, some have weird color flaws, not everyone can agree which is which.
But a number of people are happy with their KV, and others had Amazon replace them with a new KV because of the screen, and liked the new one. Some people simply weren't happy at all, and returned them.
Something to think about and decide if you want to try it -- but it is worth noting the PW1 had the same issues at first, and eventually settled down and had no more issues.
At a guess, there were, and are again, Quality Control issues. At worst, I would still think if you ordered one in a couple months it would be guaranteed perfect.


I believe there are even companies that will waterproof and sell you Kindles. Like http://waterfi.com/ although they seem to only have the PW -- maybe they will have the KV soon. You will pay more than a Kobo H2O though.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by bcgirl

I was going to order the Kobo Aura with a $40 discount but now I am not so sure anymore. I love my Sony PRS-T1 with the bookcover and reading light. Will it really a better move to get the Kobo Aura?
The frontlight is nice but without it, it comes closer to reading a paper book.
Another thing;
I would like to read more Dutch books too. And is there a translation on Kobo too?

I would think any ereader would do just as well at displaying text in different languages. Many of the glyphs are the same and the builtin fonts should I think cover the whole language.

The ereader interface is another matter, but I do know Kobo sells dutch books...

The question is, how badly do you want to upgrade to a frontlit ereader?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by khalleron

You mean, 'get behind me bearer of different agendas than mine.'

Um, no actually.... But if you haven't noticed, I decided a few minutes after writing that, that it was maybe a little too harsh, so I deleted it.

I am not so sure I can be accused of having agendas when I specifically say things like:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Perhaps you should consider that nothing is ever absolutely perfect and it all depends on what people value. Amazon Kindles provide a number of services and features Sony does not (and I assume vice versa). As I am sure Kobo and other devices as well, although I cannot speak from personal experience.
In this case, a frontlight.

Your absolutism is not, IMNSHO, very good advice.

I feel I did a pretty good job of ameliorating my natural bias toward the Kindle, and achieved a decent stab at objectivity.

Seriously, dude, lighten up. Someone wants something different in an ereader than you do, there's no need to take it personally and go off on a multi-paragraph rant. It's like insulting someone because they don't buy Jif peanut butter.

I will always rant at someone who finds it objectionable, to use your parable, for me to buy Jif peanut butter. Reread my rant. I basically have a problem with the idea of claiming it is "false advertising" to say the Kindle is an "ereader" because "it cannot turn off the light and doesn't read EPUB".

[khalleron]

Let's see, didn't I mention that a clearer, bigger screen was more important to me than side buttons? But I'm supposed to want a Kindle just because it has something that's not as important?

Do you get kickbacks or something?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by khalleron

Let's see, didn't I mention that a clearer, bigger screen was more important to me than side buttons?

No, actually. You did mention battery life and and whiteness of screen in that context, but not screen size.

But I'm supposed to want a Kindle just because it has something that's not as important?

No, you are supposed to avoid insulting people for trying to be helpful by offering suggestions that potentially match your stated desires.

Do you get kickbacks or something?

As long as we are accusing people of random things, do you get kickbacks from Kobo?

I am sure it is totally impossible you are just one of those run-of-the-mill, plebeian satisfied- customer types.


I am not sure why you are getting so indignant... I would really prefer if people would please just stick to the topic, and try to help people decide whether or not to move on from Sony, and if so what to get.

P.S. In case certain people haven't noticed, I have been very accepting in this thread of people -- like the OP -- who choose Kobo... while offering helpful observations about the Kindle wherever I think it might be useful to a particular use-case.
And I imagine if I was pushy enough to warrant suspicion of being a shill, the moderators would have noticed sometime over the course of 2 years.

[khalleron]

Considering that you QUOTED me saying I wanted a bigger screen, you might want to READ your OWN posts.

Seriously, dude, you go on and on for paragraphs post after post berating people for not buying Kindles, and you wonder why someone would think you're a shill.

No, you are not being HELPFUL, you are being INSULTING.

No, I don't really think you're a shill - an actual shill would have better PR skills.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by khalleron

Considering that you QUOTED me saying I wanted a bigger screen, you might want to READ your OWN posts.

You did indeed say you wanted a bigger screen, you never said that it was more important than buttons -- you might want to read your own post again, I am sure that bit just slipped your mind.

Originally Posted by khalleron

A clearer, bigger screen with IR and dictionaries - that's nice!

...

I would love to have the ergononomics of side buttons (which is why I was tempted by the Boyue T62) but decided long battery life and a nice white screen were more important.

Note: I already pointed this out to you, in my previous post.

Seriously, dude, you go on and on for paragraphs post after post berating people for not buying Kindles, and you wonder why someone would think you're a shill.

No, you are not being HELPFUL, you are being INSULTING.

No, I don't really think you're a shill - an actual shill would have better PR skills.

I berated someone for insisting that Sony is the only valid device, and discarding the Kindle as worthy of the name "ereader".

I am and have proven throughout my posting history here to be quite happy for people who find a device they like, whatever that device may be. The most recent example would be in this very thread, when I expressed joy that the OP was enjoying his new Kobo (where is the berating here ):

Originally Posted by eschwartz

A number of people have had success getting their KVs replaced by Amazon. If [the screen issue] bothers your friend too, s/he should consider calling Amazon CS.

The Voyage of course has page turn buttons and annotations work smoothly on the Kindles. But collections is rather a sore spot -- no jailbreak (yet?).

...

Sounds like your new Kobo is serving as an admirable Sony replacement, though.

P.S. Thanks for letting us monopolize your thread.

Please take your indignance elsewhere.

[PRS-T2]

+1 for eschwartz
Since I ran out of popcorn, can we just turn the kindergarden back into a rather focused forum thread?