looking for an e-reader ... (what a surprise)

mihnas · 01-22-2014, 12:36 PM

Hey there !

My mother in law gave me the mission to find the perfect e-reader for her.

she wants one with a light, and it should be "user friendly" or "e-reader for the noobs",

By experience I love Sony but hate Kobo

What I really like with the sony is that it deals very well with the tags or series, so you get a well organized librairie in your reader.
And then it's quite easy to find a book.

But the new sony T3 doesn't have the built in light, it comes extra, so I was wondering if the extra light was "confortable" when you're reading ?

For the Kobo, thought I can read super positive review , NO WAY, when I got the Kobo mini it took me half day to get it working (I had to reset it 3 ou 4 times). It drove me crazy to get i.e the "Games of thrones" serie in one bookshelf with the books organized not by title but by order in the serie.
in the end it worked but it's not so easy.

Then there is the Kindle PW2 and the Pocket book touch lux

so some questions about these 2 :

how is the user interface ? the handling of the collections / series ?

I know that when you buy a book on amazon it's loading directly on the kindle, which is good for a low-tech like my mother in law, but is it easy to find it afterward on the reader in the middle of other books which might not come from Amazon ?

thanks for your comments , suggestions, answers

Ps : excuse my english, I'm french

speakingtohe · 01-22-2014, 01:33 PM

I have a T3 with the built in light in the cover. I also have an Aura HD and a Kobo mini. I much prefer the T3 and while I use the mini for when I am out and about, I haven't touched the Aura HD for weeks.

The Kobo/kindle lights are handier in a way, but I find the light hard on my eyes.

The Kobo collections work much like the Sony ones but are much slower. IMO kindle does not have good collection support but most people seem happy with them, so I could be wrong.

And while you can buy books easier on the kindle you can borrow library books easier on the Sony.

(Guess you can tell I am in favour of the Sony) but I am sure she would be happy enough with any.

Helen

Zetmolm · 01-22-2014, 01:54 PM

The PocketBook Touch Lux is an excellent reader (in my opinion one of the best there is currently), but probably not the best choice for a 'low-tech' person because of the multitude of options it offers.

soulfuldog · 01-22-2014, 03:22 PM

The light is far better (more even and highly adjustable) on the built in readers like the Paperwhite & latest Kobos, but there are still some people who prefer not to have the built in light, and it does add an extra layer and therefore has a very slight impact on the screen. Personally, I think the positives of the built in light far outweigh the downsides and I don't think I would go back to a non-lighted reader.

However, if you like the way the Sony deals with collections, none of the others match it in that respect. So if that is a big issue, you'll need to decide which is the more important feature of the two?

You can do things to try and improve the collections on the Paperwhite, and with both the Kobo and the Paperwhite (and Sony too for that matter) you can use plugboards in Calibre to add the series title and/or number to your book title to make them easier to sort and locate, but especially for a low-tech user, nothing will beat the simplicity of the Sony and tags to automatically create and sort the books in collections.

Personally, I found the Sony creates too many collections because of this, and now on my Paperwhite I've stopped using them altogether and just sort my books alphabetically by author to make it easy to find the ones I want to read.

The Kindle is probably the easiest for a low tech user, once it is set up and connected to your Amazon account, it is very easy to buy books and get them sent direct to the Kindle. And you can even do things like email books not bought from Amazon to your Kindle email address and load them that way.

Although one point in favour of the Sony here too in that if you are in the USA and your mother-in-law is likely to borrow library books, this is easiest on the Sony.

eschwartz · 01-22-2014, 03:34 PM

If you live in the USA it is very easy to check out library books from OverDrive on the Kindle too. I have been told you can do it directly from the device if you have a Sony, but any other epub ereader will be using Adobe Digital Editions with the PC as a go-between. On a Kindle you can check out from OverDrive with a link to your Amazon account, and the book then acts like any Amazon-bought book, until the loan expires.

I don't know how easy this is in comparison to the Sony, but it IS really, really easy on any Kindle. Assuming you use a US library system, as no other country currently (as far as I'm aware) offers Kindle books through OverDrive.

The Kindles also have the advantage of being super-easy to use, with rock-solid firmware, so you will probably never have to deal with issues.

HarryT · 01-22-2014, 04:28 PM

No external light even begins to compare with the readability of a frontlit reader, to my mind. I'm a big fan of the Kindle. Amazon have the best bookstore, and the greatest ease of buying, and their customer service is unparalleled. The only area where the Kindle falls short is collection management, although I don't personally use collections.

booklover6 · 01-22-2014, 06:55 PM

If she wants ease of use and low tech, get her the Kindle Paperwhite.

As for the Sony with the collections and tags, that is all going to be way to techy for a low tech person. (And by the way, the Kobo is just as good at tag collections as the Sony, if not better).

mihnas · 01-23-2014, 03:37 AM

hey !

Thanks for your answers,

I think I'll go for the Kindle, for the light and the easy book transfert. The collection management is important for me but probably not so much for my mother in law.
(Gosh it's hard to choose something not on what You want but on what the other wants ^^)
If it was for me , I would stay with Sony or go with Pocket book.

and I'll have to be ready to play "Kindle helpdesk" after TV & Smartphone ;=)

Enjoy your readings !

booklover6 · 01-23-2014, 06:11 AM

Good choice. That is what I would get for my mother in law.

soulfuldog · 01-23-2014, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booklover6

As for the Sony with the collections and tags, that is all going to be way to techy for a low tech person. (And by the way, the Kobo is just as good at tag collections as the Sony, if not better).

So the Kobo just uses the tags and automatically creates collection and places the books in them too (albeit in shelves and not collections)? I knew the Kobo was better than the Kindle for working with Calibre to organise your books without having to do any hacks, wasn't aware it was just the same as the Sony though.

Abtacha · 01-23-2014, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

So the Kobo just uses the tags and automatically creates collection and places the books in them too (albeit in shelves and not collections)? I knew the Kobo was better than the Kindle for working with Calibre to organise your books without having to do any hacks, wasn't aware it was just the same as the Sony though.

No but neither do the Sonys. The Calibre drivers for both offer those options however.

booklover6 · 01-23-2014, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

So the Kobo just uses the tags and automatically creates collection and places the books in them too (albeit in shelves and not collections)? I knew the Kobo was better than the Kindle for working with Calibre to organise your books without having to do any hacks, wasn't aware it was just the same as the Sony though.

Yes, as stated, the tags become shelves with Calibre's help. I had a Sony T1, and now I have Kobo Glo/Mini, and one is just as incredibly easy to use with Calibre creating shelves as the other. I don't know of any other reader that has that same ability.

(Although with the Kobo, it works a little better....the Sony caused 2 shelves with the same name, if some of the books were on the card and some on main. The Kobo doesn't duplicate them that way).

NickyWithNook · 01-23-2014, 10:16 PM

PW is very easy to borrow library books on too, if you're in the US.

eschwartz · 01-23-2014, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

PW is very easy to borrow library books on too, if you're in the US.

Not just the PW:

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If you live in the USA it is very easy to check out library books from OverDrive on the Kindle too. I have been told you can do it directly from the device if you have a Sony, but any other epub ereader will be using Adobe Digital Editions with the PC as a go-between. On a Kindle you can check out from OverDrive with a link to your Amazon account, and the book then acts like any Amazon-bought book, until the loan expires.

I don't know how easy this is in comparison to the Sony, but it IS really, really easy on any Kindle. Assuming you use a US library system, as no other country currently (as far as I'm aware) offers Kindle books through OverDrive.

The Kindles also have the advantage of being super-easy to use, with rock-solid firmware, so you will probably never have to deal with issues.

booklover6 · 01-24-2014, 06:47 AM

I've decided to try to convince my mother in law to use an ereader. I think my Kindle Touch would be the best for her, but I am going to offer her the choice between that and a Kindle Fire HD 2013 (when it gets here). For a person who's never even used a computer, I think the Kindle Touch would be the better choice, but when I mentioned it, she wanted to know if it could go on the internet

So I immediately looked and found a good deal on the Fire. Here's hoping she'll take the Touch and I'll keep the Fire

But either way, I'll get to play with it

01-22-2014, 12:36 PM	#1
mihnas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Paris / France Device: Sony PRS350 / Kobo mini	looking for an e-reader ... (what a surprise) Hey there ! My mother in law gave me the mission to find the perfect e-reader for her. she wants one with a light, and it should be "user friendly" or "e-reader for the noobs", By experience I love Sony but hate Kobo What I really like with the sony is that it deals very well with the tags or series, so you get a well organized librairie in your reader. And then it's quite easy to find a book. But the new sony T3 doesn't have the built in light, it comes extra, so I was wondering if the extra light was "confortable" when you're reading ? For the Kobo, thought I can read super positive review , NO WAY, when I got the Kobo mini it took me half day to get it working (I had to reset it 3 ou 4 times). It drove me crazy to get i.e the "Games of thrones" serie in one bookshelf with the books organized not by title but by order in the serie. in the end it worked but it's not so easy. Then there is the Kindle PW2 and the Pocket book touch lux so some questions about these 2 : how is the user interface ? the handling of the collections / series ? I know that when you buy a book on amazon it's loading directly on the kindle, which is good for a low-tech like my mother in law, but is it easy to find it afterward on the reader in the middle of other books which might not come from Amazon ? thanks for your comments , suggestions, answers Ps : excuse my english, I'm french

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01-22-2014, 01:33 PM	#2
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I have a T3 with the built in light in the cover. I also have an Aura HD and a Kobo mini. I much prefer the T3 and while I use the mini for when I am out and about, I haven't touched the Aura HD for weeks. The Kobo/kindle lights are handier in a way, but I find the light hard on my eyes. The Kobo collections work much like the Sony ones but are much slower. IMO kindle does not have good collection support but most people seem happy with them, so I could be wrong. And while you can buy books easier on the kindle you can borrow library books easier on the Sony. (Guess you can tell I am in favour of the Sony) but I am sure she would be happy enough with any. Helen

01-22-2014, 01:54 PM	#3
Zetmolm Guru Posts: 612 Karma: 2031728 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PocketBook Touch (622), PocketBook Touch Lux 2, Pocketbook Touch HD 3	The PocketBook Touch Lux is an excellent reader (in my opinion one of the best there is currently), but probably not the best choice for a 'low-tech' person because of the multitude of options it offers.

01-22-2014, 03:22 PM	#4
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	The light is far better (more even and highly adjustable) on the built in readers like the Paperwhite & latest Kobos, but there are still some people who prefer not to have the built in light, and it does add an extra layer and therefore has a very slight impact on the screen. Personally, I think the positives of the built in light far outweigh the downsides and I don't think I would go back to a non-lighted reader. However, if you like the way the Sony deals with collections, none of the others match it in that respect. So if that is a big issue, you'll need to decide which is the more important feature of the two? You can do things to try and improve the collections on the Paperwhite, and with both the Kobo and the Paperwhite (and Sony too for that matter) you can use plugboards in Calibre to add the series title and/or number to your book title to make them easier to sort and locate, but especially for a low-tech user, nothing will beat the simplicity of the Sony and tags to automatically create and sort the books in collections. Personally, I found the Sony creates too many collections because of this, and now on my Paperwhite I've stopped using them altogether and just sort my books alphabetically by author to make it easy to find the ones I want to read. The Kindle is probably the easiest for a low tech user, once it is set up and connected to your Amazon account, it is very easy to buy books and get them sent direct to the Kindle. And you can even do things like email books not bought from Amazon to your Kindle email address and load them that way. Although one point in favour of the Sony here too in that if you are in the USA and your mother-in-law is likely to borrow library books, this is easiest on the Sony.

01-22-2014, 03:34 PM	#5
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	If you live in the USA it is very easy to check out library books from OverDrive on the Kindle too. I have been told you can do it directly from the device if you have a Sony, but any other epub ereader will be using Adobe Digital Editions with the PC as a go-between. On a Kindle you can check out from OverDrive with a link to your Amazon account, and the book then acts like any Amazon-bought book, until the loan expires. I don't know how easy this is in comparison to the Sony, but it IS really, really easy on any Kindle. Assuming you use a US library system, as no other country currently (as far as I'm aware) offers Kindle books through OverDrive. The Kindles also have the advantage of being super-easy to use, with rock-solid firmware, so you will probably never have to deal with issues.

01-22-2014, 04:28 PM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	No external light even begins to compare with the readability of a frontlit reader, to my mind. I'm a big fan of the Kindle. Amazon have the best bookstore, and the greatest ease of buying, and their customer service is unparalleled. The only area where the Kindle falls short is collection management, although I don't personally use collections.

01-22-2014, 06:55 PM	#7
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,533 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle	If she wants ease of use and low tech, get her the Kindle Paperwhite. As for the Sony with the collections and tags, that is all going to be way to techy for a low tech person. (And by the way, the Kobo is just as good at tag collections as the Sony, if not better).

01-23-2014, 03:37 AM	#8
mihnas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Paris / France Device: Sony PRS350 / Kobo mini	hey ! Thanks for your answers, I think I'll go for the Kindle, for the light and the easy book transfert. The collection management is important for me but probably not so much for my mother in law. (Gosh it's hard to choose something not on what You want but on what the other wants ^^) If it was for me , I would stay with Sony or go with Pocket book. and I'll have to be ready to play "Kindle helpdesk" after TV & Smartphone ;=) Enjoy your readings !

01-23-2014, 06:11 AM	#9
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,533 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle	Good choice. That is what I would get for my mother in law.

01-23-2014, 10:16 PM	#13
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	PW is very easy to borrow library books on too, if you're in the US.

01-24-2014, 06:47 AM	#15
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,533 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle	I've decided to try to convince my mother in law to use an ereader. I think my Kindle Touch would be the best for her, but I am going to offer her the choice between that and a Kindle Fire HD 2013 (when it gets here). For a person who's never even used a computer, I think the Kindle Touch would be the better choice, but when I mentioned it, she wanted to know if it could go on the internet So I immediately looked and found a good deal on the Fire. Here's hoping she'll take the Touch and I'll keep the Fire But either way, I'll get to play with it

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