Which Brand?

[ArmadilloPilot]

I have been trying to pick out an ereader. At first I had decided on a Nook until I discovered that they only make 1GB of memory available for side-loaded content. But does that matter? I keep my library in calibre on my laptop computer. So how many books can I carry on 1GB?

All my books are epubs. I learned a Kindle does not handle epubs. I don't want to be buying books from Amazon. So I guess that means I should rule out a Kindle, although they seem like nice devices.

I keep coming back to a Kobo as a good choice. However, what about their screen resolution? Kobo's have 212 or 265 DPI, while the American options offer 300DPI. Is that really a problem? And..why hasn't Kobo stepped up to the 300DPI standard?

It also seems like Kobo is a little more expensive depending on which you compare. I haven't seen a big sale, discount, or promo code that would cause me to jump to a particular model. Also, we have to pay 6.5% tax plus $7 shipping. It makes me feel like Kobo really doesn't want to compete for my business by offering any deal.

And then there's the options I don't know if I need. H20 for instance. I've had Sony PRS650 and T1 for many years and never worried about getting wet. I do want a lighted screen, but do I really need to adjust the screen color?

Both my old readers suffer from degraded battery life. How can I rely on any of the new devices over time? Has anyone ever had the battery replaced, and how much does that cost? Does one brand have better batteries than another.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

I have been trying to pick out an ereader. At first I had decided on a Nook until I discovered that they only make 1GB of memory available for side-loaded content. But does that matter? I keep my library in calibre on my laptop computer. So how many books can I carry on 1GB?

The latest beta release firmware for the GlowLight 3 has gotten rid of the 1GB side-loaded limit. But I don't know when the beta firmware will become the standard firmware.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

I have been trying to pick out an ereader. At first I had decided on a Nook until I discovered that they only make 1GB of memory available for side-loaded content. But does that matter? I keep my library in calibre on my laptop computer. So how many books can I carry on 1GB?

There is beta software available for the Glowlight 3 that will give you all 5.5GB available for sideloading. I installed it on my Glowlight3 and it is very simple.

All my books are epubs. I learned a Kindle does not handle epubs. I don't want to be buying books from Amazon. So I guess that means I should rule out a Kindle, although they seem like nice devices.

With Calibre, you can convert your ePubs to a format that will work on a Kindle. So don't be afraid to pick a reader based on which looks nicest to you.

I keep coming back to a Kobo as a good choice. However, what about their screen resolution? Kobo's have 212 or 265 DPI, while the American options offer 300DPI. Is that really a problem? And..why hasn't Kobo stepped up to the 300DPI standard?

Kobo was one of the earliest sellers of 300PPI screens with the Glo HD. They recently stopped selling it and they've become outrageously priced.

There's also the Aura ONE, which I believe has a 300 PPI screen.

It also seems like Kobo is a little more expensive depending on which you compare. I haven't seen a big sale, discount, or promo code that would cause me to jump to a particular model. Also, we have to pay 6.5% tax plus $7 shipping. It makes me feel like Kobo really doesn't want to compete for my business by offering any deal.

I bought my Kobo Aura off of eBay for $50. Several of us have bought from this seller with no issues. The Aura is an older model with a 212PPI screen. But it's a very nice device. Especially for $55 (they've gone up a bit).

And then there's the options I don't know if I need. H20 for instance. I've had Sony PRS650 and T1 for many years and never worried about getting wet. I do want a lighted screen, but do I really need to adjust the screen color?

Do you read by the pool, at the beach or in the tub? If not, maybe waterproof is no biggie. I do and have been looking at the Nook Glowlight Plus. It's waterproof and has a 300PPI screen. And they're going for $60 on eBay.

The color changing screen on the Nook Glowlight 3 is nice. But I've used lighted readers for years without one and had no complaints.

Both my old readers suffer from degraded battery life. How can I rely on any of the new devices over time? Has anyone ever had the battery replaced, and how much does that cost? Does one brand have better batteries than another.

I couldn't say that for sure. How long do you expect the reader to last? I have a Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight that I bought new in 2013 and it still works.

[tiltowait]

I have a Kobo Aura One and a Nook Glowlight 3. I used to own a Kindle Voyage.

Nook has the best-looking screen—as in, it looks the most like paper. The colored lighting is a big part of this. It also has physical page-turn buttons. Sideloading shouldn't be an issue in the near-ish future, as they're removing the brain-dead partitioning scheme. (Another option would be the Glowlight Plus, which lacks the colored light and buttons, isn't quite as sharp, but has waterproofing and should be cheaper.)

Kobo has the best customization options and more options for screen sizes. It also has better software all around. Waterproofing is an option you don't get with the Glowlight 3. Though I don't find it to be essential, it's certainly a nice-to-have (I made use of it this evening, in fact). The Aura One has 300DPI and has never gone on sale.

Amazon has ubiquity going for it, and the Oasis 2 is a very nice (expensive) device. It's lacking the colored lighting, though, which these days I consider to be nigh-indispensible. It makes a big difference to me. Calibre will let you convert ePubs to a format the Kindle recognizes, but it's a bit trickier if you want the "enhanced typesetting" (ligatures and hyphenation) features that the Kobo and Nook will both have "for free" with ePub. The cheaper Kindle models are lacking physical page-turn buttons and water-proofing.

For what it's worth, more and more I find myself using my Nook, for which I paid $90, instead of my Kobo, a device I paid $230 for.

As for batteries—they will all degrade over time. There's no getting around that. I've not heard of any studies over which batteries last the longest, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Someone else may be able to chime in about the feasibility of replacing batteries.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

So how many books can I carry on 1GB?

The real question is: What is the total size of your entire current library? Considerably less than 1GB or more? If more and quickly growing, you will need to consider an ereader with microSD.

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

All my books are epubs. I learned a Kindle does not handle epubs. I don't want to be buying books from Amazon. So I guess that means I should rule out a Kindle, although they seem like nice devices.

This particular limitation of Kindle is easily bypassed by installing Koreader or Coolreader on Kindle.

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

I keep coming back to a Kobo as a good choice. However, what about their screen resolution? Kobo's have 212 or 265 DPI, while the American options offer 300DPI. Is that really a problem? And..why hasn't Kobo stepped up to the 300DPI standard?

As far as I know, all Kobo models that matter - Aura One, H2O and H2O 2nd Edition - have 300DPI. But they are also overpriced imho. Among the named ones, only H2O (first edition, increasingly difficult to obtain except maybe when bought used) has a microSD slot.

In my opinion and experience, if the DPI figure is below 200, it begins to be too bad. Anything above 200 is okay. 300 and above is even better of course, but not essential.

Originally Posted by ArmadilloPilot

It also seems like Kobo is a little more expensive depending on which you compare. I haven't seen a big sale, discount, or promo code that would cause me to jump to a particular model. Also, we have to pay 6.5% tax plus $7 shipping. It makes me feel like Kobo really doesn't want to compete for my business by offering any deal.

I myself am considering an Onyx Boox for my next purchase. They are Android eink devices from China, no shipping cost from banggood.com and most of them have a microSD slot. MicroSD is important for me, because my library with many pdf files is dozens of GB. And I also like physical page turn buttons on ereaders.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by mobama

As far as I know, all Kobo models that matter - Aura One, H2O and H2O 2nd Edition - have 300DPI

The two different Aura H2O's are 265DPI .

[John F]

Originally Posted by mobama

...

This particular limitation of Kindle is easily bypassed by installing Koreader or Coolreader on Kindle.


...

And DRM removal tools on the PC.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by mobama

This particular limitation of Kindle is easily bypassed by installing Koreader or Coolreader on Kindle.

That seems like more trouble than it's worth since you can use Calibre to convert to a Kindle format. If you are getting to the point where you are looking at sideloading software on a Kindle to handle ePub, just don't buy a Kindle.

As far as I know, all Kobo models that matter - Aura One, H2O and H2O 2nd Edition - have 300DPI. But they are also overpriced imho. Among the named ones, only H2O (first edition, increasingly difficult to obtain except maybe when bought used) has a microSD slot.

Only the Aura ONE has 300DPI, but...

In my opinion and experience, if the DPI figure is below 200, it begins to be too bad. Anything above 200 is okay. 300 and above is even better of course, but not essential.

Yeah, DPI on an e-ink screen isn't as important as PPI on a tablet screen. My Aura has 212 and I can see a difference between it and the Glowlight 3. But it's not that drastic to me. You are reading text on a plain background after all.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The two different Aura H2O's are 265DPI .

And I doubt most people would notice te difference between 265 and 300 DPI on eInk screens.

[tiltowait]

Originally Posted by mobama

As far as I know, all Kobo models that matter - Aura One, H2O and H2O 2nd Edition - have 300DPI. But they are also overpriced imho. Among the named ones, only H2O (first edition, increasingly difficult to obtain except maybe when bought used) has a microSD slot.

1. Kobo still sells the first H2O new.
2. I don't see how Kobos are overpriced when they're all priced around the same as, or cheaper than, the competition. They don't have a "basic" offering, but the Aura is priced the same as the Paperwhite/Nook and doesn't have ads. The Aura One is cheaper than the Oasis 2 and has a larger screen + adjustable light temperature.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

1. Kobo still sells the first H2O new.
2. I don't see how Kobos are overpriced when they're all priced around the same as, or cheaper than, the competition. They don't have a "basic" offering, but the Aura is priced the same as the Paperwhite/Nook and doesn't have ads. The Aura One is cheaper than the Oasis 2 and has a larger screen + adjustable light temperature.

I agree overall about the price, but the Aura Edition 2 is only 212DPI. That is noticeable when compared to the the 300DPI Paperwhite and Nooks. It isn't a good deal.

[mobama]

Originally Posted by tiltowait

1. Kobo still sells the first H2O new.
2. I don't see how Kobos are overpriced when they're all priced around the same as, or cheaper than, the competition. They don't have a "basic" offering, but the Aura is priced the same as the Paperwhite/Nook and doesn't have ads. The Aura One is cheaper than the Oasis 2 and has a larger screen + adjustable light temperature.

1. I am not in America, so buying straight from Kobo is not an option for me, so the original H2O is unavailable where I live. Finding a used unit is likelier, not to mention cheaper.

2. If you compare Kobo with Kindle/Nook, you have a point. But take a comparable Onyx Boox (hardware and function-wise) and you will get a cheaper price across the board + free shipping over the world.

And then there's this about Kobo: It does not work well with PDF files. To use PDF files, you have to

1. Buy a Kobo
2. Install an app on it that can work well with PDF files and
3. Ignore Kobo's interface henceforth

I find this silly. It makes more sense to buy a Pocketbook that works well with PDF files and enables convenient note-taking (even though highlighting is a pain). Or any Android tablet, to bypass the usability quirks that come with eink devices.

[crossi]

Any tablets, if you are used to eink readers, are too heavy for me. I've got a 6 inch tablet and it sits unused gathering dust on my shelf. For computer programs, web surfing or streaming videos give me my desktop with huge monitor any day. I can actually see things with it. For reading give me eink.