Small Details about Touch HD 2

[BookCat]

I'm just about ready to order a Pocketbook Touch HD 2, which I prefer to the upcoming 3. Before I do so, I just want to check that I can use this without ever connecting it to wifi. All books will have to be sideloaded (no wifi).

Can I also create Collections on the device itself without requiring access to the cloud (which is a problem with kindles)?

If it's okay regarding the above, then I'll go ahead and buy it. I've watched videos and love the font customisability, if that's a word, which my old Paperwhite doesn't have. I also love the ability to alter the light temperature.

Thanks lots.

[rkomar]

I don't have the device, so I can't give any details. I can say that you can go to the support page on their website for that device, and download the user's manual for it. You'll see exactly what you can do with it in the manual. Go to: http://www.pocketbook-int.com/

[church mouse]

@Bookcat - I have the older Touch HD but the underlying firmware is pretty much the same. You don’t have to connect to WiFi if you don’t wish to (I do so only occasionally to check for a software update to Pocketbook or to Coolreader). You can handle Collections entirely within the reader if you wish (I prefer to use Calibre and the Touch picks up all of my genre tags).

[mobama]

@BookCat

Yes, on Pocketbooks in English there is a thing called Collections, which is basically arbitrary labels or tags to group some files. There is also Favorites, which similarly creates a group of files.

There are very few things that prompt you to open up wifi, such as the bookstore, browser, and sync (Dropbox and Pocketbook's own cloud thingy). Stay away from those and you will not be prompted for wifi. Oh, and switch off automatic firmware update check.

[BookCat]

Thanks everyone. I have the PDF manual, but don't find it very helpful, for example, when I looked up "fonts" there was only one entry.

Mousey and mobama, that's good to know about the wifi and collections.

I was very close to placing the order when Harry pointed out that it has no onboard English dictionary. Botherations!

[church mouse]

@BookCat - There is an English dictionary, but I cannot remember if initially you have to access the internet in order to download it or if comes already pre-installed (I thought it was already installed, though it is not that good).

However, if you follow this mobileread link

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=190769

you will see a zip for a dictionary which works on the Touch HD 2. It is a composite of two open sources and is the one I use. You can download it to your pc/laptop and side load it to your Touch, you just then have to activate it within the Languages section of Settings.

[BookCat]

church mouse: Does the dictionary work by popping up when you touch a word?

BookCat - quick question: Why the HD 2 over the HD 3? Pocketbook are not available here, and the €50 shipping on top of the already expensive price made them a non-starter for me, but I liked what I saw of the HD3's specs. How does the 2 beat it for you?

[church mouse]

Originally Posted by BookCat

church mouse: Does the dictionary work by popping up when you touch a word?

Not in the default reader app, nor in Coolreader. In both of those one first has to open the dictionary, then select the word. In Coolreader one can set a touch zone to open the dictionary, in the default app one can set one of the buttons to open the dictionary. Neither method is optimal. Kobo and Kindle have much better functionality in that regard. I don’t think anything beats the Kindle dictionary.

The Koreader app does allow immediate opening of the dictionary by long hold on a word. I have yet to find Koreader to be stable on my Pocketbook and have stopped using it (04.18 was the last release I found to be at all useable). Also, you cannot use the inbuilt dictionary but must find and install an alternative - the Koreader section of this site has all the info you need.

With Coolreader installed, I like my Touch HD but it is not perfect - I have yet to find the perfect e-reader.

[BookCat]

stuartjmz: I read that in the 3 they've removed the SD slot and the audio port.

church mouse: I think the dictionary problem has probably killed the idea of buying the Pocketbook Touch HD 2.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by BookCat

stuartjmz: I read that in the 3 they've removed the SD slot and the audio port.

HD 3 comes with a dongle included in the price. With the dongle you can still use headphones. The audio functions are there.

The lack of microSD is a real issue though with HD 3.

Originally Posted by BookCat

church mouse: I think the dictionary problem has probably killed the idea of buying the Pocketbook Touch HD 2.

What dictionary problem? Edit: I see, after having read up. Not much of a problem in my experience, because I need dictionaries comparatively rarely. More often I need encyclopedias and those are better accessed on smartphone or laptop.

[pkbo]

Originally Posted by church mouse

The Koreader app does allow immediate opening of the dictionary by long hold on a word.

Coolreader allows it too. You just need to set dictionary on long tap for each tap zone.

[church mouse]

Originally Posted by pkbo

Coolreader allows it too. You just need to set dictionary on long tap for each tap zone.

Well corrected.

You have reminded me that I used to have that setup but changed it when I decided to make sleep and invert display long-hold actions. One does lose some flexibility by having to set every long-hold zone as open dictionary but I have been reading recently some books which have required more frequent use of the dictionary so I may switch back.

Thanks.

[eMole]

Dictionaries: I use them a LOT. And yes, you can just long tap a word for the translation to pop up. No for need for Coolreader, just turn on Dictionary mode inside the stock reader.
It also supports custom dictionaries.

My device is the original Touch HD.

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by eMole

Dictionaries: I use them a LOT. And yes, you can just long tap a word for the translation to pop up. No for need for Coolreader, just turn on Dictionary mode inside the stock reader.
It also supports custom dictionaries.

My device is the original Touch HD.

Translation, yes, it seems to do that well. But English - English definition, not so well.

Despite the elegance of the Pocketbook Touch HD, I wouldn't buy it because of the dictionary issue, especially as it's £50 more expensive than the nearest rival: the Kobo Clara HD, which is the one I'm going to take a look at on monday.