8'' ereader with good file organization

Ebosu · 03-31-2019, 01:05 PM

I’m looking to replace my old Pocketbook Pro 912 because it’s really heavy. Over 500g! I lug it around everywhere, which causes strain on my shoulder. That’s started being a problem now that my new job also causes strain. That’s why I’m looking at lighter alternatives. As far as size goes, I’m used to a big 9,7 inch screen, so 7 inch screens feel tiny to me. However, I think I could tolerate downsizing to 8 inches, so that’s where I’ve focused my research this far both for weight and price reasons.

I’ve run into a bit of a problem with researching reviews, because my most important feature isn’t shown well or at all in them. Specifically, file organization. I currently read only fanfic, which means author and fic names aren't a good way to organize my library. I can remember maybe my top 10 of each, but beyond that I don’t use them much for finding and identifying works.

I’ve organized my files into folders and subfolders based on fandom and then important identifying information, such as primary character or subject. So for example I have a folder for Marvel, which has subfolders for Loki, Team Iron Man, Supernatural crossovers etc. It’s absolutely necessary that a new device can display this folder structure easily and conveniently, otherwise I’ll be completely lost.

Of course, it would also be nice if a new device supported tags or similar equivalent for situations where a work fits into more than one folder, like Supernatural crossover heavily featuring Loki. Currently I have some trouble with picking just one folder for those cases, so tags could really help with that. However, my device has over 2 000 files, so adding tags to them would be a big task and take a while. That’s why I need to be able to see the folder structure from the start. Note that I don’t use Calibre, which I’ve heard can do something like this with collections. So any feature like this would need to work on the device only.

Another related thing is that I want to be able to browse the library in a list form, preferably with as small entries as possible to fit more entries per page. As an example, the Team Iron Man folder has 108 entries so browsing them 5-10 per page would be rather unwieldy. Any displays relying on covers obviously won’t work well, since fanfic has no covers.

On the tech side, 99% of my library is EPUBs and the last 1% is Word documents where I collect series in one file. Support for those file formats is necessary. I also have a few PDFs kicking around, but converting those won’t be a problem if a device isn’t that great with PDFs. Quick page turns are important and customization would be nice, such as making sure I can always see the clock and battery.

I don’t need any extra features, such as light, drawing capabilities, internet or access to stores. I sideload all my fics and basically only use the ereader to read them, nothing else. I guess a dictionary or note taking capabilities would be useful on some rare occasions, but otherwise I really don’t need anything else.

The two devices I’ve found most interesting from reviews are Kobo Forma and Onyx Boox Nova Pro. I’d really love some feedback on how they handle the library organization and other features. If you have any suggestions for a different ereader that would suit me better, I’d be happy to consider other alternatives too.

LucyOne · 03-31-2019, 03:05 PM

The Kobo devices don't display folders. Have you considered the Pocketbook InkPad 3? It has a great library management and direct access to your folder structure as well as tags.
If it's too small for you, go with the Onyx Android device.

ilovejedd · 03-31-2019, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LucyOne

The Kobo devices don't display folders.

Not natively but it's easy enough to install KOReader on Kobo.

maximus83 · 03-31-2019, 04:23 PM

Kobo and don't look back. IMHO--no offense meant to anyone reading--don't waste your time on the current crop of Android e-ink devices. A true Android e-ink device is a good idea that deserves to be well implemented, and when that happens, I'll buy one. I just haven't seen anything yet I'd consider 'well implemented.' :-)

Oh, and +1 to KOReader. But honestly the OEM software is quite good, just doesn't give you folders. I actually prefer the OEM software for everyday reading purposes.

Ebosu · 03-31-2019, 05:10 PM

Thanks for the replies. I did consider Pocketbook Inkpad 3, but a review made it sound like the library organization wouldn't work for me. Nice to know that's not the case. Also the buttons are badly placed, so that's another negative point for it.

Is it possible to get tags or some equivalent function with Kobo, either with the original software or KOReader? From what I remember reading, it's possible to use Calibre to make collections, but since I don't use Calibre can I do something like that just on the device?

Also, what's wrong with Android ereaders? I have to admit that I'm fond of the Pocketbook Pro 912 stylus, and not so fond of touchscreens in general, so the Onyx Nova Pro would have been an attractive option.

maximus83 · 03-31-2019, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebosu

Also, what's wrong with Android ereaders?

Not everyone shares this view, but IMHO, primarily 2 things:

1. They run an outdated fork of Android (6) that is no longer being patched for security issues by Google, and

2. They are incapable of efficiently running anything but a small subset of current apps in the Android store, which effectively renders them useless for one of the main purposes people buy them (a "real" e-ink Android device).

Read the long threads that go on endlessly about does app x work, does app y work, and you'll see what I mean. On a real Android device, you don't need to have this discussion about the vast majority of apps. Or at least, the number of instances like that is far smaller.

DNSB · 03-31-2019, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebosu

Is it possible to get tags or some equivalent function with Kobo, either with the original software or KOReader? From what I remember reading, it's possible to use Calibre to make collections, but since I don't use Calibre can I do something like that just on the device?

You can create collections on the Kobo itself and books can belong to multiple collections. For your purposes, KOReader might be the better choice since it is file system oriented though it's search capability does require the calibre metadata.db file on the device. Personally, I don't use collections since I ended up with so many collections that going through them page by page was a pain. My replacement of choice is the builtin search capability.

Overall, I would suggest using calibre to manage the ebooks on your computer. It just makes managing, updating metadata, conversion, adding books to collections, etc. so much less painful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebosu

Also, what's wrong with Android ereaders? I have to admit that I'm fond of the Pocketbook Pro 912 stylus, and not so fond of touchscreens in general, so the Onyx Nova Pro would have been an attractive option.

For the most part, shorter battery life and old versions of Android that suffer from security issues that will never be patched. Those older versions are also unable to install quite a few apps.

Basically, I want my ereader to be able to display books and allow me to search for a new read. In my experience, the Amazon or Kobo ereaders with their underlying Linux OS have fewer glitches/crashes than the Android ereaders I've tried. For sheer ease of mucking with the firmware, Kobo gets my vote with rooting or jailbreaking the ereader being a foreign concept.

maximus83 · 03-31-2019, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

For sheer ease of mucking with the firmware, Kobo gets my vote with rooting or jailbreaking the ereader being a foreign concept.

I like the added point about the ease of customizing Kobo devices. Having recently tried or bought 2 Kindle and 2 Kobo devices, and finally kept the PW4 and the Forma, the ability to easily customize the Forma really stands out in its favor compared to Kindle. Not only can you patch the firmware, but also you can enable dev mode, and access the Kobo's .config files, 2 other quick ways that even non-technical users can use to modify the hardware or software behavior.

Ebosu · 04-01-2019, 12:59 AM

Security issues or app stuff isn't really revelant for me, since I don't plan on doing anything except reading sideloaded files on my ereader. However, shorter battery life is annoying, so I'll give the Android device a pass.

That leaves Kobo Forma and Pocketbook Inkpad 3, and you all seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Kobo. It looks a bit better to me too, but there is a significant price difference. Also the Inkpad is available locally, while the Kobo would need to be ordered from Amazon. Hmm. I'll need to do a bit of extra reading on Inkpad before I make a final decision.

ilovejedd · 04-01-2019, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

You can create collections on the Kobo itself and books can belong to multiple collections. For your purposes, KOReader might be the better choice since it is file system oriented though it's search capability does require the calibre metadata.db file on the device. Personally, I don't use collections since I ended up with so many collections that going through them page by page was a pain. My replacement of choice is the builtin search capability.

Overall, I would suggest using calibre to manage the ebooks on your computer. It just makes managing, updating metadata, conversion, adding books to collections, etc. so much less painful.

Clarification. KOReader uses calibre.metadata which is a JSON file, not the Calibre metadata.db SQLite database. It doesn't support custom columns, either. Mind, I do believe KOReader allows searching by filename.

That said, I agree, Calibre would be very helpful here. Probably the best way to go about adding the books is processing one folder at a time, add the tags (e.g. Marvel, Marvel.Team Iron Man, etc), then process the next batch.

Ebosu · 04-01-2019, 01:27 PM

I'd really prefer to handle my library without Calibre. I just plain don't like the program, and I found it annoying to use when I did try it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough of a chance back then, since I didn't see any point in using it.

My entire file managing process atm is: download book, check the name is correct, move it to the correct folder, delete books I don't want to keep after reading. That's it, so all the extra stuff in Calibre was totally useless to me. Using it just felt like bloating a quick and simple process for no reason and honestly, it still feels like that. I'd much rather get a device that just let's me do tags directly as I read or go without than add extra annoyances to such a simple and common process.

I hope I'm not offending any Calibre fans here. I'm sure it can be a great help with lots of useful features, but I just don't need any of that stuff aside from this one specific thing.

That said, can anyone comment on Pocketbook Inkpad 3's ability to do tags? Checking the manual I see it can do collections, but there's no details on how that works. Quick Google search didn't bring up anything, but I'll keep looking. The Inkpad doesn't seem as good as Kobo Forma, but if it's great with tags maybe I'll consider it.

ilovejedd · 04-01-2019, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebosu

I'd really prefer to handle my library without Calibre. I just plain don't like the program, and I found it annoying to use when I did try it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough of a chance back then, since I didn't see any point in using it.

My entire file managing process atm is: download book, check the name is correct, move it to the correct folder, delete books I don't want to keep after reading. That's it, so all the extra stuff in Calibre was totally useless to me. Using it just felt like bloating a quick and simple process for no reason and honestly, it still feels like that. I'd much rather get a device that just let's me do tags directly as I read or go without than add extra annoyances to such a simple and common process.

I hope I'm not offending any Calibre fans here. I'm sure it can be a great help with lots of useful features, but I just don't need any of that stuff aside from this one specific thing.

No sweat. Whatever works for you. I'm pretty amazed you can keep track of 2,000 books based on just folders. I had something similar but finding specific fanfics for rereading became too much of a pain when I had 300+ fics in one "category" folder (just a single ship tag). I need the blurb for browsing/search hence I eventually dumped my fanfics into Calibre.

One thing to consider/research, if you do all the tagging directly on whatever device you purchase, is it possible to backup the tags/collections/shelves for your sideloaded fics? Eventually, you'll probably replace the device and without the ability to backup and restore, then you've lost all that work you've done tagging.

Ebosu · 04-01-2019, 04:10 PM

It helps that my library is spread across several different fandoms and I tend to get super focused when I find something new I like, then gradually taper off and move to a new subject. I have a whole bunch of subfolders, so even the biggest one has only a bit over 100 fics. I can also easily identify series just from the .doc filetype.

It does take some guessing and blurb checking to find a specific fic outside my memorized favorites, but so far it's not very difficult. That might change as my library grows, but it's going to be a while yet. Also, when I get too many fics on my ereader I aggressively prune the ones that I kept "just in case" but honestly will never reread. My library on PC is over 3 000 files including copies of stuff I've deleted off the device but still want to keep. :P

You have a really good point about backups. That's definitely something I'll have to look into. I already backup my device regularly so it would be easy enough to add that to the routine if it's at all possible.

ilovejedd · 04-01-2019, 05:17 PM

Lol, I'm kinda the same with the focus except it seems I accumulate and read quite a lot and I don't delete stuff. On an ASoIaF kick right now. Longest obsession was Harry Potter (and almost purely Hermione/Draco at that).

I'm guessing total fanfics I have on the HDD and NAS number ~30K+. Half of that is pre-Calibre Harry Potter fics that are saved webpages. I used a web spider to download those en masse from FF.net since I got tired of getting "Story Not Found" whenever I opened my bookmarks. Not ready to tackle that mess any time soon.

Only fics I actually have organized in Calibre are dramione.org (1.5K), AO3 (~3.5K, of which 1.5K is ASoIaF) and newish FanFiction.net (~5K others + 3K Harry Potter).

On my Kindle, I have ~500 fics (almost all ASoIaF).

sweth · 04-02-2019, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebosu

Also the Inkpad is available locally, while the Kobo would need to be ordered from Amazon. Hmm. I'll need to do a bit of extra reading on Inkpad before I make a final decision.

DON'T buy a Kobo from Amazon. I just learned today when my Kobo (which I had also bought on Amazon as I couldn't find the model I wanted locally) bricked itself that Kobo does not honor their warranty for devices purchased from "unauthorized" dealers, and neither Amazon nor anyone who sells on Amazon is considered authorized. This is the link that Kobo support gave me that lists authorized vendors: https://us.kobobooks.com/pages/retailers

03-31-2019, 01:05 PM	#1
Ebosu Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Pocketbook Pro 902	8'' ereader with good file organization I’m looking to replace my old Pocketbook Pro 912 because it’s really heavy. Over 500g! I lug it around everywhere, which causes strain on my shoulder. That’s started being a problem now that my new job also causes strain. That’s why I’m looking at lighter alternatives. As far as size goes, I’m used to a big 9,7 inch screen, so 7 inch screens feel tiny to me. However, I think I could tolerate downsizing to 8 inches, so that’s where I’ve focused my research this far both for weight and price reasons. I’ve run into a bit of a problem with researching reviews, because my most important feature isn’t shown well or at all in them. Specifically, file organization. I currently read only fanfic, which means author and fic names aren't a good way to organize my library. I can remember maybe my top 10 of each, but beyond that I don’t use them much for finding and identifying works. I’ve organized my files into folders and subfolders based on fandom and then important identifying information, such as primary character or subject. So for example I have a folder for Marvel, which has subfolders for Loki, Team Iron Man, Supernatural crossovers etc. It’s absolutely necessary that a new device can display this folder structure easily and conveniently, otherwise I’ll be completely lost. Of course, it would also be nice if a new device supported tags or similar equivalent for situations where a work fits into more than one folder, like Supernatural crossover heavily featuring Loki. Currently I have some trouble with picking just one folder for those cases, so tags could really help with that. However, my device has over 2 000 files, so adding tags to them would be a big task and take a while. That’s why I need to be able to see the folder structure from the start. Note that I don’t use Calibre, which I’ve heard can do something like this with collections. So any feature like this would need to work on the device only. Another related thing is that I want to be able to browse the library in a list form, preferably with as small entries as possible to fit more entries per page. As an example, the Team Iron Man folder has 108 entries so browsing them 5-10 per page would be rather unwieldy. Any displays relying on covers obviously won’t work well, since fanfic has no covers. On the tech side, 99% of my library is EPUBs and the last 1% is Word documents where I collect series in one file. Support for those file formats is necessary. I also have a few PDFs kicking around, but converting those won’t be a problem if a device isn’t that great with PDFs. Quick page turns are important and customization would be nice, such as making sure I can always see the clock and battery. I don’t need any extra features, such as light, drawing capabilities, internet or access to stores. I sideload all my fics and basically only use the ereader to read them, nothing else. I guess a dictionary or note taking capabilities would be useful on some rare occasions, but otherwise I really don’t need anything else. The two devices I’ve found most interesting from reviews are Kobo Forma and Onyx Boox Nova Pro. I’d really love some feedback on how they handle the library organization and other features. If you have any suggestions for a different ereader that would suit me better, I’d be happy to consider other alternatives too.

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03-31-2019, 03:05 PM	#2
LucyOne Librocubicularist Posts: 617 Karma: 11908623 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Germany Device: PocketBook InkPad 3 & Touch HD 3, Kobo Clara HD, Kindle Paperwhite 5	The Kobo devices don't display folders. Have you considered the Pocketbook InkPad 3? It has a great library management and direct access to your folder structure as well as tags. If it's too small for you, go with the Onyx Android device.

03-31-2019, 04:23 PM	#4
maximus83 Nameless Being	Kobo and don't look back. IMHO--no offense meant to anyone reading--don't waste your time on the current crop of Android e-ink devices. A true Android e-ink device is a good idea that deserves to be well implemented, and when that happens, I'll buy one. I just haven't seen anything yet I'd consider 'well implemented.' :-) Oh, and +1 to KOReader. But honestly the OEM software is quite good, just doesn't give you folders. I actually prefer the OEM software for everyday reading purposes.

03-31-2019, 05:10 PM	#5
Ebosu Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Pocketbook Pro 902	Thanks for the replies. I did consider Pocketbook Inkpad 3, but a review made it sound like the library organization wouldn't work for me. Nice to know that's not the case. Also the buttons are badly placed, so that's another negative point for it. Is it possible to get tags or some equivalent function with Kobo, either with the original software or KOReader? From what I remember reading, it's possible to use Calibre to make collections, but since I don't use Calibre can I do something like that just on the device? Also, what's wrong with Android ereaders? I have to admit that I'm fond of the Pocketbook Pro 912 stylus, and not so fond of touchscreens in general, so the Onyx Nova Pro would have been an attractive option.

04-01-2019, 12:59 AM	#9
Ebosu Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Pocketbook Pro 902	Security issues or app stuff isn't really revelant for me, since I don't plan on doing anything except reading sideloaded files on my ereader. However, shorter battery life is annoying, so I'll give the Android device a pass. That leaves Kobo Forma and Pocketbook Inkpad 3, and you all seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Kobo. It looks a bit better to me too, but there is a significant price difference. Also the Inkpad is available locally, while the Kobo would need to be ordered from Amazon. Hmm. I'll need to do a bit of extra reading on Inkpad before I make a final decision.

04-01-2019, 01:27 PM	#11
Ebosu Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Pocketbook Pro 902	I'd really prefer to handle my library without Calibre. I just plain don't like the program, and I found it annoying to use when I did try it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough of a chance back then, since I didn't see any point in using it. My entire file managing process atm is: download book, check the name is correct, move it to the correct folder, delete books I don't want to keep after reading. That's it, so all the extra stuff in Calibre was totally useless to me. Using it just felt like bloating a quick and simple process for no reason and honestly, it still feels like that. I'd much rather get a device that just let's me do tags directly as I read or go without than add extra annoyances to such a simple and common process. I hope I'm not offending any Calibre fans here. I'm sure it can be a great help with lots of useful features, but I just don't need any of that stuff aside from this one specific thing. That said, can anyone comment on Pocketbook Inkpad 3's ability to do tags? Checking the manual I see it can do collections, but there's no details on how that works. Quick Google search didn't bring up anything, but I'll keep looking. The Inkpad doesn't seem as good as Kobo Forma, but if it's great with tags maybe I'll consider it.

04-01-2019, 04:10 PM	#13
Ebosu Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Pocketbook Pro 902	It helps that my library is spread across several different fandoms and I tend to get super focused when I find something new I like, then gradually taper off and move to a new subject. I have a whole bunch of subfolders, so even the biggest one has only a bit over 100 fics. I can also easily identify series just from the .doc filetype. It does take some guessing and blurb checking to find a specific fic outside my memorized favorites, but so far it's not very difficult. That might change as my library grows, but it's going to be a while yet. Also, when I get too many fics on my ereader I aggressively prune the ones that I kept "just in case" but honestly will never reread. My library on PC is over 3 000 files including copies of stuff I've deleted off the device but still want to keep. :P You have a really good point about backups. That's definitely something I'll have to look into. I already backup my device regularly so it would be easy enough to add that to the routine if it's at all possible.

04-01-2019, 05:17 PM	#14
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,111 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	Lol, I'm kinda the same with the focus except it seems I accumulate and read quite a lot and I don't delete stuff. On an ASoIaF kick right now. Longest obsession was Harry Potter (and almost purely Hermione/Draco at that). I'm guessing total fanfics I have on the HDD and NAS number ~30K+. Half of that is pre-Calibre Harry Potter fics that are saved webpages. I used a web spider to download those en masse from FF.net since I got tired of getting "Story Not Found" whenever I opened my bookmarks. Not ready to tackle that mess any time soon. Only fics I actually have organized in Calibre are dramione.org (1.5K), AO3 (~3.5K, of which 1.5K is ASoIaF) and newish FanFiction.net (~5K others + 3K Harry Potter). On my Kindle, I have ~500 fics (almost all ASoIaF).

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