Which ebook reader is best for someone in Germany?

newkindlefun · 03-09-2018, 02:47 PM

My uncle wants to buy an ebook reader, and he's not too tech savvy. I only have experience with the Kindle Paperwhite. He'd like something with backlight too.

<€100 would be great, and he wants it for Christmas so I'm looking for any info on when discounts happen. I know Amazon.de has semi-regular discounts for the Paperwhite which puts it at €80, and he'd have no problem waiting for that.

I'm mainly asking because of store experiences and book prices. Which way is the most affordable way to get ebooks in Germany? Which stores have the most affordable selections? I found ebook.de and ebooks.de, but my research is stunted because I don't speak German and tbh not knowledgable about the market prices for ebooks. I see tolino advertised on ebook.de

Does Germany have ebook library borrowing, that might only have epubs or mobi books? As I said, not tech savvy, so we're not looking into conversions.

Thanks for any help!

ottdmk · 03-10-2018, 03:50 PM

Well, if Germany does have ebook library loans (and I can't think of why they wouldn't, almost everywhere else does) it won't have Kindle support. Only the US has Kindle library loans.

I know Kobo has support (through Adobe Digital Editions) for library loans almost anywhere. Not sure about other models like the Onyx line.

Richwood · 03-10-2018, 04:06 PM

I take it that your uncle is in Germany? What languages does he read books in? If he reads English then ebooks are available from sources such as Smashwords which also has ebooks in other languages too, though much more limited selection. Mobileread Forums has a large selection of public domain books in multiple languages, including German.

If I were in Germany I would check with a favorite bookstore as I believe most German book stores support ebook readers. What does his local bookstore recommend and support?

Hard to beat the Amazon Kindles for convenient ebook purchases unless the uncle wants to borrow library books in Germany in which case he probably needs a epub files compatible reader. Again talk to the local library and local German bookstore.

DaleDe · 03-10-2018, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richwood

I take it that your uncle is in Germany? What languages does he read books in? If he reads English then ebooks are available from sources such as Smashwords which also has ebooks in other languages too, though much more limited selection. Mobileread Forums has a large selection of public domain books in multiple languages, including German.

If I were in Germany I would check with a favorite bookstore as I believe most German book stores support ebook readers. What does his local bookstore recommend and support?

Hard to beat the Amazon Kindles for convenient ebook purchases unless the uncle wants to borrow library books in Germany in which case he probably needs a epub files compatible reader. Again talk to the local library and local German bookstore.

We have a great selection of free German eBooks in out E-Books section to download. The Tolino brand is specific to Germany. See out wiki for Tolino epos and the wiki page Tolino Shine compares several models. They all support Library checkout and German stores.

Dale

newkindlefun · 03-11-2018, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottdmk

Well, if Germany does have ebook library loans (and I can't think of why they wouldn't, almost everywhere else does) it won't have Kindle support. Only the US has Kindle library loans.

I know Kobo has support (through Adobe Digital Editions) for library loans almost anywhere. Not sure about other models like the Onyx line.

Thanks, that's very useful information. I use Overdrive loans on my Kindle so often, too bad it's not available elsewhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richwood

I take it that your uncle is in Germany? What languages does he read books in? If he reads English then ebooks are available from sources such as Smashwords which also has ebooks in other languages too, though much more limited selection. Mobileread Forums has a large selection of public domain books in multiple languages, including German.

If I were in Germany I would check with a favorite bookstore as I believe most German book stores support ebook readers. What does his local bookstore recommend and support?

Hard to beat the Amazon Kindles for convenient ebook purchases unless the uncle wants to borrow library books in Germany in which case he probably needs a epub files compatible reader. Again talk to the local library and local German bookstore.

He doesn't read in English, just German (and Croatian). I'll tell him it's good if he asks at his local libraries. He mostly reads romance and thrillers so, I don't know how much public domanin would help him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

We have a great selection of free German eBooks in out E-Books section to download. The Tolino brand is specific to Germany. See out wiki for Tolino epos and the wiki page Tolino Shine compares several models. They all support Library checkout and German stores.

Dale

Thanks. He reads mostly romance and thrillers so I was thinking Kindle Unlimited might be good for him, but I think a different reader would be better if his library has enough ebooks to bother.

Klecks · 03-11-2018, 06:57 AM

About eBook prices in Germany:
For books in German language we have fixed book prices. It doesn’t matter where you buy a book - the price is always the same.

About library loans:
German library (Onleihe) lends epub books only.

Additional infos about Tolino readers:
They are bound to one shop of the Tolino alliance. The reader will be connected via Tolino cloud to this shop. But the cloud also can be connected to additional other shops of the Tolino alliance. So: every book bought from one of the cloud-connected shops will be automatically in the cloud and easily can be loaded to the reader.
The cloud works via wlan. Updates for the Tolinos are distributed the same way.
Epub eBooks in German language nowadays mostly are sold without hard DRM (no DRM or social DRM (watermark)), so epub books bought from other shops outside the Tolino alliance mostly easily can be sideloaded to the Tolino reader.
Technically the Tolinos are easily to handle. They don’t allow much tinkering around – perfect if someone is not tech savvy.
If your uncle needs more information or help: there are German forums about Tolino readers, for example:
https://www.e-reader-forum.de/ebook-...oard70-tolino/

Kindle readers:
No difference to other countries, except the fixed book price and no support for library loans (Onleihe).

eBook Shops:
ebook.de is one of the shops I buy most of my books from. Other shops of the Tolino alliance are: hugendubel.de, osiander.de, thalia.de. Hugendubel, Osiander and Thalia have establishments in various Cities in Germany. Maybe your uncle wants to visit one of these shops; most of them display Tolinos and the employees – hopefully – can answer questions.

Klecks

03-09-2018, 02:47 PM	#1
newkindlefun Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 91298 Join Date: Apr 2016 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3rd gen (2015)	Which ebook reader is best for someone in Germany? My uncle wants to buy an ebook reader, and he's not too tech savvy. I only have experience with the Kindle Paperwhite. He'd like something with backlight too. <€100 would be great, and he wants it for Christmas so I'm looking for any info on when discounts happen. I know Amazon.de has semi-regular discounts for the Paperwhite which puts it at €80, and he'd have no problem waiting for that. I'm mainly asking because of store experiences and book prices. Which way is the most affordable way to get ebooks in Germany? Which stores have the most affordable selections? I found ebook.de and ebooks.de, but my research is stunted because I don't speak German and tbh not knowledgable about the market prices for ebooks. I see tolino advertised on ebook.de Does Germany have ebook library borrowing, that might only have epubs or mobi books? As I said, not tech savvy, so we're not looking into conversions. Thanks for any help! Last edited by newkindlefun; 03-09-2018 at 02:50 PM.

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03-10-2018, 03:50 PM	#2
ottdmk Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 3765734 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Libra 2, Lenovo Tab M10 FHD Plus, Lenovo Tab M8 HD	Well, if Germany does have ebook library loans (and I can't think of why they wouldn't, almost everywhere else does) it won't have Kindle support. Only the US has Kindle library loans. I know Kobo has support (through Adobe Digital Editions) for library loans almost anywhere. Not sure about other models like the Onyx line.

03-10-2018, 04:06 PM	#3
Richwood Astronomy Nut Posts: 519 Karma: 3700000 Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Reno, NV Device: Kindle (All), Kobo (Multiple), Sony (most) and Nook Glowlight Plus	I take it that your uncle is in Germany? What languages does he read books in? If he reads English then ebooks are available from sources such as Smashwords which also has ebooks in other languages too, though much more limited selection. Mobileread Forums has a large selection of public domain books in multiple languages, including German. If I were in Germany I would check with a favorite bookstore as I believe most German book stores support ebook readers. What does his local bookstore recommend and support? Hard to beat the Amazon Kindles for convenient ebook purchases unless the uncle wants to borrow library books in Germany in which case he probably needs a epub files compatible reader. Again talk to the local library and local German bookstore.

03-11-2018, 06:57 AM	#6
Klecks Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 59154 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Stuttgart, Germany Device: Kobo H2O, PocketBook Touch HD, Tolino Vision 4	About eBook prices in Germany: For books in German language we have fixed book prices. It doesn’t matter where you buy a book - the price is always the same. About library loans: German library (Onleihe) lends epub books only. Additional infos about Tolino readers: They are bound to one shop of the Tolino alliance. The reader will be connected via Tolino cloud to this shop. But the cloud also can be connected to additional other shops of the Tolino alliance. So: every book bought from one of the cloud-connected shops will be automatically in the cloud and easily can be loaded to the reader. The cloud works via wlan. Updates for the Tolinos are distributed the same way. Epub eBooks in German language nowadays mostly are sold without hard DRM (no DRM or social DRM (watermark)), so epub books bought from other shops outside the Tolino alliance mostly easily can be sideloaded to the Tolino reader. Technically the Tolinos are easily to handle. They don’t allow much tinkering around – perfect if someone is not tech savvy. If your uncle needs more information or help: there are German forums about Tolino readers, for example: https://www.e-reader-forum.de/ebook-...oard70-tolino/ Kindle readers: No difference to other countries, except the fixed book price and no support for library loans (Onleihe). eBook Shops: ebook.de is one of the shops I buy most of my books from. Other shops of the Tolino alliance are: hugendubel.de, osiander.de, thalia.de. Hugendubel, Osiander and Thalia have establishments in various Cities in Germany. Maybe your uncle wants to visit one of these shops; most of them display Tolinos and the employees – hopefully – can answer questions. Klecks