Tablet with good calibre integration

[africalass]

Hi!

I'm wanting to move my daughter on from having an ereader to a tablet. We travel a lot with very limited luggage allowance, and so we can't carry books or multiple gadgets. Due to travel she is also homeschooled, so I would now like a tablet that allows for different apps as well as books, although they remain the highest priority. I would like an iPad (as I have one and am used to the apps and setup), but can't afford this.

I saw Kindle Fire is now £89.99 for Prime members and thought about this - but wanted to ask first if it integrates well with Calibre, as I use this to store all my books. I particularly have pdfs from educational publishers and mobis from various sources (Project Gutenberg, Humble Bundle, Amazon etc.)

If someone can let me know about the Fire that would be great, or if you have another suggestion I'd appreciate that too. I'll list some of the other issues important to me below in case these matter:

• Reads mobi & pdfs from a variety of sources (not just Amazon) with good clarity and colours and usability - integrates with Calibre
• plays music with integrated speakers and preferably headphone option (my music is stored in itunes, but only some of it is purchased AACs, most are purchased MP3s without DRM)
• access to wide variety of apps, including educational ones and a basic word processor (my only experience is with apple store, which I find a lot on)
• following not vital but nice - decent storage, or expandable; camera; video editing; ability to limit internet access, connection to wireless printer

Thanks so much for any advice

[faithbw]

I'm not sure about the Kindle Fire but I do know that Android tablets can integrate with Calibre with Calibre Companion. I used Calibre Companion with my Nexus 7. If you get a bigger Android tablet (9 or 10 inches), reading PDFs should be fine. I could read PDFs on my Nexus 7 but it wasn't an optimal experience. There are apps in the Play store that read mobi and PDFs.

Pretty much all the modern Android tablets have integrated speakers and headphone jacks. I thought my Nexus 7 had great integrated speakers that produced good sound. The Play Store has a wide variety of apps including education one. It also comes with a stock word processor that is very basic. The one complaint about Android is that a lot of apps aren't tablet optimized. The great thing about Android tablets is that some of them do have expandable storage. Samsung is really great about including expandable storage on their devices. The LG G Pad also has expandable storage. All of the Android tablets I've encountered have front facing and back cameras. Some, like the older Nexus 7 (2012), only have a front facing camera. The newer Nexus 7 has a back camera though. HTH.

[eschwartz]

Calibre Companion in the Amazon appstore: http://www.amazon.com/MultiPie-Ltd-C...dp/B009OD5I88/

But Amazon doesn't get updates as frequently as Google Play does.

And you need to sideload the apponto the Kindle fire from another device, as Amazon doesn't let you download to Kindle Fire. Claims it is "incompatible". (It is. It is incompatible with Amazon's desire to see all books bought from them. )

[africalass]

Thanks so much - that really helps. Sounds like I might be better looking at an Android one then. I think I am drawn to Apple / Amazon as they are the only brands I've used before. It's a bit daunting looking at the whole world of other tablets. Do you think I can get one for around £100 at 9/10"? Would I be better to get a new one with guarantee or a better spec older second hand one off ebay? Any specific models to look for / avoid?

[dwig]

If you want full calibre compatibility then Android (including Kindle Fire series) and iOS (iPad, et. al.) are not the way to go.

I would suggest a full Windows 8.1 tablet. Tablets like the Dell Venue 8 Pro (which is what I use) and the similar competing tablets can run calibre along with a variety of good ereaders (I generally use Kindle for Windows, not Kindle for Windows 8) and PDF readers. There are many, many multimedia applications for both the Modern interface (the tablet style interface) and the classic Desktop interface (I use the desktop version of VLC).

The 8" Windows 8.1 tablets are a bit more expensive than the Kindle Fire you mention. Most are currently running $200-300 USD.

PDFs can be a bit of a challenge on 7-8" displays. The text is often quite small and zooming in and scrolling around is sometimes necessary. A larger 10-12" display makes things easier. There are Windows 8.1 devices in that size range, but the prices get noticeably higher.

[africalass]

thanks so much. this also helps and opens up a new train of thought. How is Windows in terms of apps? Does it work in the same way as getting apps for the ipad, or is it more like a laptop and software? I would prefer to be able to get activities for her too - such as spelling and mathematical ones (plus some games).

I did suddenly think it would be nice if she can play minecraft and watch shows too. Would this be possible on all tablets (I have an account with ultraviolet/flixter, but I'm thinking more of kids shows ripped from DVDs).

[africalass]

btw, am pretty much decided on a larger format 10-12" now as even if more expensive I'd rather save up and have one that works for all her schooling and leisure time.

[eschwartz]

It's more like laptop and software, since you can run any desktop program -- assuming you don't accidentally get a Windows R(un)T(ime) tablet. There is a Windows appstore, but it still lags FAR behind Android and iOS, last I heard. (Admittedly, I haven't been following very closely.)

One thing that would be VERY nice about a Win8 tablet is the ability to run calibre natively. The calibre ebook viewer makes a very nice reader program (even though it doesn't support annotations) and you have the full power of the library to sort, organize, and fix your ebooks.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by africalass

... How is Windows in terms of apps? Does it work in the same way as getting apps for the ipad, or is it more like a laptop and software? ...

Actually it works like both. The "Modern" (aka Metro) side of Win8.1 works much like an iPad or Android device in terms of Apps. They are installed from a restricted Store, the MS Store in this case, and are generally small compact Apps configured for small screens and touch interface. The full Win8.1 also includes a Desktop environment that is the same as you commonly see on Desktop and Notebook computers. It can run the same applications (e.g. Photoshop, Lightroom, standard Windows games, multimedia players capable of handling a wide range of formats, ...)

I did suddenly think it would be nice if she can play minecraft and watch shows too. Would this be possible on all tablets (I have an account with ultraviolet/flixter, but I'm thinking more of kids shows ripped from DVDs).

You can do this on most tablets, but a full Windows 8.1 (not the limited Windows RT) is more open and more flexible.

If you are looking at larger machines and at using major Windows games I would recommend that you look for machines with either 64g or 128g storage. One of the Microsoft Surface Pro machines (not "Surface", which runs RT) would easily handle most games and perform more in the more in the class of the more powerful notebooks.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by dwig

If you want full calibre compatibility then Android (including Kindle Fire series) and iOS (iPad, et. al.) are not the way to go.

I would suggest a full Windows 8.1 tablet. Tablets like the Dell Venue 8 Pro (which is what I use) and the similar competing tablets can run calibre along with a variety of good ereaders (I generally use Kindle for Windows, not Kindle for Windows 8) and PDF readers. There are many, many multimedia applications for both the Modern interface (the tablet style interface) and the classic Desktop interface (I use the desktop version of VLC).

The 8" Windows 8.1 tablets are a bit more expensive than the Kindle Fire you mention. Most are currently running $200-300 USD.

PDFs can be a bit of a challenge on 7-8" displays. The text is often quite small and zooming in and scrolling around is sometimes necessary. A larger 10-12" display makes things easier. There are Windows 8.1 devices in that size range, but the prices get noticeably higher.

Dwig, you use Kindle for windows instead of kindle for windows 8. Do you mean the normal desktop version? What are the advantages to do so ? I use a vivotab 8 so I am interested to know, I find the Kindle metro app subpar...

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by africalass

thanks so much. this also helps and opens up a new train of thought. How is Windows in terms of apps? Does it work in the same way as getting apps for the ipad, or is it more like a laptop and software? I would prefer to be able to get activities for her too - such as spelling and mathematical ones (plus some games).

I did suddenly think it would be nice if she can play minecraft and watch shows too. Would this be possible on all tablets (I have an account with ultraviolet/flixter, but I'm thinking more of kids shows ripped from DVDs).

I got an asus t100 for my son (14, and big, big afficionado of minecraft) and he loves it. I bought him the 32 + 500 gb version and he now does everything on it (homework, youtube, minecraft, and so on). Am actually going to get one for his sister too (I don't mind getting refurbished ones, so I paid 250 € for his and it still had MS office on board).

obviously, minecraft runs perfectly well on it, as does calibre.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by aceflor

Dwig, you use Kindle for windows instead of kindle for windows 8. Do you mean the normal desktop version? ...

Yes, I use the desktop version.

I prefer it because of the way it handles files. My Dell is a 32gig model and like such beasts it has limited space on the small storage "drive". I have added a 32gig µSD card to provide additional space. The Win8 app stores its files on the main drive, period. The Desktop version of the Kindle reader allows the library to be on any drive, including the µSD expansion card.

The Desktop version of the Kindle reader is not particularly touch friendly. I use TouchMousePointer to solve the issue. It provides a laptop like touch panel which emulates mouse type control. Without TouchMousePointer, or something like it, the Desktop version would be somewhat difficult to use on an 8" touch screen.

The same goes for calibre. I have it installed on the main storage (it dislikes being installed on what it considers a removable drive) but my library is on the µSD card. The calibre library contains all of my ebooks, read and unread. My Kindle library contains only those that I am currently in the process of reading. Since I rather like short stories, many of my ebooks are collections of multiple stories. I tend to bounce from collection to collection reading a story in one and then a story in another and inserting the occasional novel into the loop. As a result, I generally have 5-10 books in progress.

[africalass]

Thanks again for lots of helpful replies. I adore the idea of the Transformer, but at the moment don't think I can stretch to it financially - although it would meet all my requirements and desires (and will be kept in mind for the future)!! I'll prioritise a Windows tablet (and note the different types and OS), and if I can't work that out financially will go for Android. I think I'll definitely avoid Kindle Fire, as it seems more limited still than the Android, and the iPad is also too expensive. Off to shop!