Large library capacity with calibre collections compatibility

sherryk_us · 08-08-2019, 06:22 PM

I'm not sure if what I'm looking for exists, but I'd love to have an ereader that could handle a large library on the device and also be compatible with the Calibre series information.

I've been using the kindle fire and really like it except that it's not compatible with the Calibre series collection information and the side loaded books don't always appear in the book library and /or load slowly once I have a lot of books on the sd card.

Any suggestions concerning a fire-like device that would do a better job at one or both of these things would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

davidfor · 08-08-2019, 08:07 PM

The only devices that have support for displaying series information are the Kobo devices. They display it in the book lists, can sort by it and will search it. Calibre can set the information when updating metadata on the device. Calibre can also do full collection management on them. I am very biased, but, I don't think any dedicated ereader comes close.

But, as you like the Fire, you should consider an Android tablet. With Calibre Companion on it, you should get fairly close to what you want.

sherryk_us · 08-08-2019, 09:33 PM

Do you have any particular android tablets you'd recommend? Thank you!

davidfor · 08-09-2019, 01:33 AM

Sorry, I can't help there. I have an older iPad which I don't that much. I haven't looked at Android tablets for a while.

stumped · 08-09-2019, 03:16 AM

you don't need another tablet- kindle fire is a ( sort of ) android tablet and you can get calibre companion from the amazon app store.
should be fine unless you have a very old model of fire
then you let calibre companion work as your local librarian. For best results, add a good epub reader also and send epubs to it
the latest fire HD tablets are dirt cheap and fine for reading + they come in 7, 8 10 inch sizes
for other brands, can't advise without knowing what else you want it to do, and what size you want it to be. if you don't mind used/refurbished, then ebay is a good source
for bargains. I mostly shop there and use the pro sellers who give a 12 month warranty on refurbished items

Larla · 08-09-2019, 08:42 AM

I use a Samsung Tab S2 8" tablet. Samsung is now up to Tab S5 or higher and this is their premium line of tablets. The S2 is the last 8" tablet in this line and since it is several years old it can be bought new for a discounted price.

This tablet has replaced my Kobo as my eReader of choice. It has excellent resolution and is very light and slender. With Calibre Companion and Moon+ Reader Pro I find reading on it very pleasant.

stumped · 08-09-2019, 09:19 AM

i had the samsung s1 10.5 inch

very good at the time
weaknesses
1.only 16Gb and samsung bloatware took up a huge chunk of that,so I was constantly juggling to prevent running out of space
2. audio quality is not as good as what I have now ( Lenovo, Huawei) but that's a non-issue if you want it as a reader.
3. they go very cheap now- i know because I looked into selling mine and realized I'd only get about £50 for it on ebay
strengths.
Amoled screen with built in blue light filter and with a reader mode that you can turn on for specific apps . Reading mode slows the refresh rate, and takes off a little brightness so get get more battery life and less eye strain. that's the theory anyway
after the s1 , samsung went from 16x10 shape ( ideal for Netflix) to a 4 x 3 shape like ipad
I read in that wide horizontal landscape mode, using a 2 column display so it's like an opened paper book. suits me. otherwise 10 inch is too wide for your eyes to scan an entire line
i think that with the S5 they have switched back to 16x10 but its priced at 3 x what I paid for my similar sized Huawei media pad, with same screen resolution.

if you are happy with 8 inch and with used , then S2 is a good recommendation. you can add an SD card for more storage, but get 32Gb internal if you can, as a lot of stuff insists on using internal memory

Tarana · 08-09-2019, 09:41 AM

I run Calibre Companion on my old Fire 7. Works great. My Mom uses it to choose her next book and then I load said book(s) onto her Paperwhite. Neither of us like to read novels on the Fire - weighs too much among other issues. But, it would work fine for you to read.

stumped · 08-09-2019, 12:27 PM

newer fires are much lighter, not as light as pw though
fire hd 8 363g
paperwhite 182g
oasis versions 190+,
samsung s2 ( 8 inch) 265g

so a samsung tablet is much lighter than a fire

sherryk_us · 08-09-2019, 07:54 PM

I'd love to use Calibre companion, but I haven't been able to get it to connect to my library. I just tried it again with no success. I have checked and it doesn't seem to be an issue with the firewall on my mac and I have no VPN running. The content server shows up fine in the browser on my computer, too. The connection when I use a usb cord is a little wonky, too so I usually have to export my books from calibre into a folder and copy them from my desktop into the kindle books folder.

I guess I will just start considering android tablets and hope I don't have a similar problem with one of those. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

stumped · 08-10-2019, 01:56 AM

that is fixable- see other similar threads in cc subforum, and their solutions... send logs to developer if still stuck

check ( e.g. from last similar thread) that you are using a private, not a public network, and not using guest mode. and see what happens if you try to connect to content server via the silk browser on the device
i suggest you start a new thread for thisin calibre companion sub forum, where the developer will see it

ilovejedd · 08-10-2019, 02:23 AM

If you're willing to convert to ePub and use an alternate reader app, I believe Moon+ can read Calibre series metadata.

sherryk_us · 08-16-2019, 08:29 PM

When I get the time I will look into getting the calibre to work again--with the help of the suggested forum--thanks!

Moon reader sound like a great app. Thanks for the idea since converting to epub is pretty easy.

08-08-2019, 06:22 PM	#1
sherryk_us writer/reader Posts: 74 Karma: 468302 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New Mexico Device: Sony prs 950, Sony prs 505 and REB 1200	Large library capacity with calibre collections compatibility I'm not sure if what I'm looking for exists, but I'd love to have an ereader that could handle a large library on the device and also be compatible with the Calibre series information. I've been using the kindle fire and really like it except that it's not compatible with the Calibre series collection information and the side loaded books don't always appear in the book library and /or load slowly once I have a lot of books on the sd card. Any suggestions concerning a fire-like device that would do a better job at one or both of these things would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

08-16-2019, 08:29 PM	#13
sherryk_us writer/reader Posts: 74 Karma: 468302 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New Mexico Device: Sony prs 950, Sony prs 505 and REB 1200	Thanks for the suggestions When I get the time I will look into getting the calibre to work again--with the help of the suggested forum--thanks! Moon reader sound like a great app. Thanks for the idea since converting to epub is pretty easy.

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08-08-2019, 08:07 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	The only devices that have support for displaying series information are the Kobo devices. They display it in the book lists, can sort by it and will search it. Calibre can set the information when updating metadata on the device. Calibre can also do full collection management on them. I am very biased, but, I don't think any dedicated ereader comes close. But, as you like the Fire, you should consider an Android tablet. With Calibre Companion on it, you should get fairly close to what you want.

08-08-2019, 09:33 PM	#3
sherryk_us writer/reader Posts: 74 Karma: 468302 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New Mexico Device: Sony prs 950, Sony prs 505 and REB 1200	Do you have any particular android tablets you'd recommend? Thank you!

08-09-2019, 01:33 AM	#4
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Sorry, I can't help there. I have an older iPad which I don't that much. I haven't looked at Android tablets for a while.

08-09-2019, 03:16 AM	#5
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	you don't need another tablet- kindle fire is a ( sort of ) android tablet and you can get calibre companion from the amazon app store. should be fine unless you have a very old model of fire then you let calibre companion work as your local librarian. For best results, add a good epub reader also and send epubs to it the latest fire HD tablets are dirt cheap and fine for reading + they come in 7, 8 10 inch sizes for other brands, can't advise without knowing what else you want it to do, and what size you want it to be. if you don't mind used/refurbished, then ebay is a good source for bargains. I mostly shop there and use the pro sellers who give a 12 month warranty on refurbished items

08-09-2019, 08:42 AM	#6
Larla Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 5262189 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Katy, TX Device: Samsung Tab S5E 12" Tablet	I use a Samsung Tab S2 8" tablet. Samsung is now up to Tab S5 or higher and this is their premium line of tablets. The S2 is the last 8" tablet in this line and since it is several years old it can be bought new for a discounted price. This tablet has replaced my Kobo as my eReader of choice. It has excellent resolution and is very light and slender. With Calibre Companion and Moon+ Reader Pro I find reading on it very pleasant.

08-09-2019, 09:19 AM	#7
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	i had the samsung s1 10.5 inch very good at the time weaknesses 1.only 16Gb and samsung bloatware took up a huge chunk of that,so I was constantly juggling to prevent running out of space 2. audio quality is not as good as what I have now ( Lenovo, Huawei) but that's a non-issue if you want it as a reader. 3. they go very cheap now- i know because I looked into selling mine and realized I'd only get about £50 for it on ebay strengths. Amoled screen with built in blue light filter and with a reader mode that you can turn on for specific apps . Reading mode slows the refresh rate, and takes off a little brightness so get get more battery life and less eye strain. that's the theory anyway after the s1 , samsung went from 16x10 shape ( ideal for Netflix) to a 4 x 3 shape like ipad I read in that wide horizontal landscape mode, using a 2 column display so it's like an opened paper book. suits me. otherwise 10 inch is too wide for your eyes to scan an entire line i think that with the S5 they have switched back to 16x10 but its priced at 3 x what I paid for my similar sized Huawei media pad, with same screen resolution. if you are happy with 8 inch and with used , then S2 is a good recommendation. you can add an SD card for more storage, but get 32Gb internal if you can, as a lot of stuff insists on using internal memory

08-09-2019, 09:41 AM	#8
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,982 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I run Calibre Companion on my old Fire 7. Works great. My Mom uses it to choose her next book and then I load said book(s) onto her Paperwhite. Neither of us like to read novels on the Fire - weighs too much among other issues. But, it would work fine for you to read.

08-09-2019, 12:27 PM	#9
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	newer fires are much lighter, not as light as pw though fire hd 8 363g paperwhite 182g oasis versions 190+, samsung s2 ( 8 inch) 265g so a samsung tablet is much lighter than a fire

08-09-2019, 07:54 PM	#10
sherryk_us writer/reader Posts: 74 Karma: 468302 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New Mexico Device: Sony prs 950, Sony prs 505 and REB 1200	I'd love to use Calibre companion, but I haven't been able to get it to connect to my library. I just tried it again with no success. I have checked and it doesn't seem to be an issue with the firewall on my mac and I have no VPN running. The content server shows up fine in the browser on my computer, too. The connection when I use a usb cord is a little wonky, too so I usually have to export my books from calibre into a folder and copy them from my desktop into the kindle books folder. I guess I will just start considering android tablets and hope I don't have a similar problem with one of those. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

08-10-2019, 01:56 AM	#11
stumped Wizard Posts: 3,305 Karma: 10259306 Join Date: May 2016 Device: kobo forma, Kobo Libra, Huawei media Tab, fire HD10, PW3 HDX8.9,	that is fixable- see other similar threads in cc subforum, and their solutions... send logs to developer if still stuck check ( e.g. from last similar thread) that you are using a private, not a public network, and not using guest mode. and see what happens if you try to connect to content server via the silk browser on the device i suggest you start a new thread for thisin calibre companion sub forum, where the developer will see it

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08-10-2019, 02:23 AM	#12
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,111 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	If you're willing to convert to ePub and use an alternate reader app, I believe Moon+ can read Calibre series metadata.