Help needed for my next Ereader purchase

ThatLibraryRat · 09-24-2023, 12:08 AM

Hello!
I need help with my purchase for my third ereader.

I had the Sony PRST1 that was fantastic (it was basically only missing the backlight function) but the screen died. I replaced it with a Bookeen but that one was so slow it was a chore to even turn it on (at least 5min to turn on from turned off) so I used it less and now it's dead.

I am now totally out of the game and I don't want to feel guilty like I wasted money with the Bookeen.

Absolute needs:
I want an ereader that is decently fast (I am willing to wait 30s for it to turn on if the navigation once in a book or the web is fluid), has wifi, adjustable back lightning (to weak, I often read in darkened spaces), has a long use life before needing to be replaced and adjustable margins and font.
Not Amazon environment, I read a decent amount of fanfics so something easy to just drop the files in with Calibre please and I hate Amazon as a corporation so I'd rather not get into their ecosystem or give them money.

Options that would be very appreciated:
An SD slot to extend the memory, being able to turn the ereader to French, a size that is easy to carry around and not exceptionally weighty (I read for long stretches XD ), 4h+ of use before needing a recharge

Options that would be nice to have but are flourish:
a button to go to the next page

That's all, thank you for reading until the end !

Aleron Ives · 09-24-2023, 05:37 PM

It sounds like you want the Kobo Libra 2. It's on the smaller side (7"), it has page turn buttons, it supports French, it's not an Amazon device, and Kobo has the best Calibre integration of the various e-reader manufacturers. It's also reasonably snappy and has a dual front light. The battery will give you maybe 40 hours of reading per charge, which is far above your 4 hour battery life target. You could get the Clara 2E if you want a smaller (6") and lighter device, but you lose out on the page turn buttons.

Leyor · 09-24-2023, 05:45 PM

You may be happy with a Kobo Libra 2.
It is fast, have backlight, have French OS and also allows you to listen to Audiobooks and is water proof.
It is not very heavy and easy to carry around.

The only thing its missing is the SD card, it has 32GB inbuilt.

ottischwenk · 09-25-2023, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThatLibraryRat

Options that would be very appreciated:
An SD slot to extend the memory, being able to turn the ereader to French, a size that is easy to carry around and not exceptionally weighty (I read for long stretches XD ), 4h+ of use before needing a recharge

Options that would be nice to have but are flourish:
a button to go to the next page

The only devices with these capabilities are Boox Leaf 2 and its successor Boox Page

rcentros · 09-26-2023, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThatLibraryRat

Options that would be very appreciated:
An SD slot to extend the memory, being able to turn the ereader to French, a size that is easy to carry around and not exceptionally weighty (I read for long stretches XD ), 4h+ of use before needing a recharge

Options that would be nice to have but are flourish:
a button to go to the next page

Sounds like a PocketBook Touch Lux 5 would meet your needs, if you don't mind a 212 dpi screen. It has page turn buttons, good battery life, front-lit screen with warm light and a microSD for expansion. If you want to wait a few days (September 28th in the U.S. at Amazon) you can buy its "coming soon" replacement, the PocketBook Verse. It looks to be pretty much the same, but with a USB C port (I believe) and a different case design. Supposedly uses (up to) a 128GB microSD card.

https://www.amazon.com/PocketBook-Ey...3-786e4cdc8f10

JSWolf · 09-26-2023, 10:45 AM

IMHO, the best choice of the ones mentioned is the Kobo Libra 2.

Ned · 09-26-2023, 01:03 PM

Kobo Libra 2 FTW

rumplestiltskin · 10-10-2023, 05:51 PM

I'm going to be a contrarian simply to expand horizons. I abandoned e-ink devices some years ago as I found contrast and sharpness lacking, background "color" virtually nonexistent, and the "front-lighting" LEDs providing more glare than actual lighting of the screen.

I bought an 8" Kindle Fire (yeah, I know, it's not e-ink) and all of the above deficiencies weren't present. Yes, it's heavier than an e-ink Kindle (but it's an 8" screen which Amazon doesn't offer). I'm sure an e-ink Kindle gets longer battery life but that hasn't been an issue as it uses the same charger/USBC as my phone and, as my phone needs to be charged daily, I don't mind plugging in the Fire for a few hours weekly. I read with the sepia background and that is easy on the eyes. I read in open shade outdoors and do have to slide up the brightness almost all the way; however, once back inside, I can drop the brightness by half and can read for hours without eyestrain.

I did look at the Scribe (online only at this point) as the screen size of 10+ inches is intriguing but the cost is prohibitive considering I only want a reader and not a note-taker. Maybe Amazon will recognize a need for such a beastie at, let's say, $199. No, I'm not smoking weed.

Until then, I'll stick with the 8" Fire.

John F · 10-11-2023, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThatLibraryRat

...

Absolute needs:
I want an ereader that is decently fast (I am willing to wait 30s for it to turn on if the navigation once in a book or the web is fluid), has wifi, adjustable back lightning (to weak, I often read in darkened spaces), has a long use life before needing to be replaced and adjustable margins and font.
Not Amazon environment, I read a decent amount of fanfics so something easy to just drop the files in with Calibre please and I hate Amazon as a corporation so I'd rather not get into their ecosystem or give them money.

...

In general, I don't think most people would describe web browsing on Kobos as fluid.

I think most people would say don't use the web browser on Kobos (and Kindles) unless you have no other choice and be prepared for a frustrating experience.

meeera · 10-11-2023, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumplestiltskin

I'm going to be a contrarian simply to expand horizons. .

It's not very contrarian - I'm constantly recommending tablets to people who want fast web browing or fluid PDF reading on their device. OP: you're describing a tablet, not an e-ink reader.

JSWolf · 10-11-2023, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumplestiltskin

I bought an 8" Kindle Fire

Please do not call it a Kindle. Amazon originally called the 1st gen tablet(s) Kindle Fire and that caused all kinds of confusion. Now they are just called Fire Tablets.

nabsltd · 10-11-2023, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumplestiltskin

I did look at the Scribe (online only at this point) as the screen size of 10+ inches is intriguing but the cost is prohibitive considering I only want a reader and not a note-taker. Maybe Amazon will recognize a need for such a beastie at, let's say, $199.

I paid $237 for a 32GB Scribe plus cover bundle the last Prime Day. The only thing I did that was a bit complicated was buy a "renewed" Kindle from Woot for $25, and then use that as a trade-in to get 20% off the Scribe bundle. Amazon gave me back the full $25 when they received the trade-in.

I could have easily gotten a 16GB model for under $200 using this trick.

rumplestiltskin · 10-13-2023, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabsltd

I paid $237 for a 32GB Scribe plus cover bundle the last Prime Day. The only thing I did that was a bit complicated was buy a "renewed" Kindle from Woot for $25, and then use that as a trade-in to get 20% off the Scribe bundle. Amazon gave me back the full $25 when they received the trade-in.

I could have easily gotten a 16GB model for under $200 using this trick.

That was brilliant.👍 I'll have to play with a Scribe before dropping the cash (umm...credit card) just to see if the e-ink deficiencies I noted have been resolved. Thanks.

09-24-2023, 12:08 AM	#1
ThatLibraryRat Member Posts: 24 Karma: 718 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: Bookeen Frontlite Muse	Help needed for my next Ereader purchase Hello! I need help with my purchase for my third ereader. I had the Sony PRST1 that was fantastic (it was basically only missing the backlight function) but the screen died. I replaced it with a Bookeen but that one was so slow it was a chore to even turn it on (at least 5min to turn on from turned off) so I used it less and now it's dead. I am now totally out of the game and I don't want to feel guilty like I wasted money with the Bookeen. Absolute needs: I want an ereader that is decently fast (I am willing to wait 30s for it to turn on if the navigation once in a book or the web is fluid), has wifi, adjustable back lightning (to weak, I often read in darkened spaces), has a long use life before needing to be replaced and adjustable margins and font. Not Amazon environment, I read a decent amount of fanfics so something easy to just drop the files in with Calibre please and I hate Amazon as a corporation so I'd rather not get into their ecosystem or give them money. Options that would be very appreciated: An SD slot to extend the memory, being able to turn the ereader to French, a size that is easy to carry around and not exceptionally weighty (I read for long stretches XD ), 4h+ of use before needing a recharge Options that would be nice to have but are flourish: a button to go to the next page That's all, thank you for reading until the end !

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09-24-2023, 05:37 PM	#2
Aleron Ives Guru Posts: 768 Karma: 8835684 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	It sounds like you want the Kobo Libra 2. It's on the smaller side (7"), it has page turn buttons, it supports French, it's not an Amazon device, and Kobo has the best Calibre integration of the various e-reader manufacturers. It's also reasonably snappy and has a dual front light. The battery will give you maybe 40 hours of reading per charge, which is far above your 4 hour battery life target. You could get the Clara 2E if you want a smaller (6") and lighter device, but you lose out on the page turn buttons.

09-24-2023, 05:45 PM	#3
Leyor Ninja Librarian Posts: 179 Karma: 347750 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denmark Device: Sony PRS-950, Cybook 3. gen, Sony T1, Kindle Paperwhite	You may be happy with a Kobo Libra 2. It is fast, have backlight, have French OS and also allows you to listen to Audiobooks and is water proof. It is not very heavy and easy to carry around. The only thing its missing is the SD card, it has 32GB inbuilt.

09-26-2023, 10:45 AM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 72,498 Karma: 125182049 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	IMHO, the best choice of the ones mentioned is the Kobo Libra 2.

09-26-2023, 01:03 PM	#7
Ned Ebook reader Posts: 389 Karma: 5899335 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: York, England Device: Kobo Aura H2O (ed 2, v1), Kobo Forma, Kobo Libra 2	Kobo Libra 2 FTW

10-10-2023, 05:51 PM	#8
rumplestiltskin Connoisseur Posts: 75 Karma: 1282284 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: West of the Pecos Device: FireHD8, iPad	I'm going to be a contrarian simply to expand horizons. I abandoned e-ink devices some years ago as I found contrast and sharpness lacking, background "color" virtually nonexistent, and the "front-lighting" LEDs providing more glare than actual lighting of the screen. I bought an 8" Kindle Fire (yeah, I know, it's not e-ink) and all of the above deficiencies weren't present. Yes, it's heavier than an e-ink Kindle (but it's an 8" screen which Amazon doesn't offer). I'm sure an e-ink Kindle gets longer battery life but that hasn't been an issue as it uses the same charger/USBC as my phone and, as my phone needs to be charged daily, I don't mind plugging in the Fire for a few hours weekly. I read with the sepia background and that is easy on the eyes. I read in open shade outdoors and do have to slide up the brightness almost all the way; however, once back inside, I can drop the brightness by half and can read for hours without eyestrain. I did look at the Scribe (online only at this point) as the screen size of 10+ inches is intriguing but the cost is prohibitive considering I only want a reader and not a note-taker. Maybe Amazon will recognize a need for such a beastie at, let's say, $199. No, I'm not smoking weed. Until then, I'll stick with the 8" Fire.