e-ink reader sans planned obsolescence

Divarin · 04-10-2019, 06:36 AM

Hi. I'm an avid reader and I own a nook (2nd generation). I'm interested in getting an e-ink reader such as a first generation nook or a kindle but I want to buy a used one.

What I'm looking for is an e-reader that will allow me to add and read new content without needing to create or sign-in to an account (B&N, Amazon, etc) and that will continue to function for the foreseeable future regardless of whether or not the company that produced it supports it or even continues to exist.

From what I've been reading the 1st gen nooks are out and I think the same is true of older kindles so I'm assuming if I picked up a kindle today eventually it would go obsolete as well. Of course if there are any hacks (suck as unlocking) which would enable me to add new content to these devices that would be an option.

I know battery life will eventually become a problem and there isn't much I can do about that unless there's an e-ink reader out there which uses easily obtained off-the-shelf battery types but I doubt it. But I would consider this problem unplanned obsolescence what I'm trying to find right now is an e-ink e-reader which isn't planned to become obsolete or which would most likely become obsolete if and when the company behind it decides to stop supporting it.

Any ideas?

P.S. I'm not concerned with the ability to obtain content from the B&N store or Amazon store or any other specific "store" but rather epubs and other standard DRM-free content.

Sirtel · 04-10-2019, 06:42 AM

What planned obsolescence? I can still sideload and read all my ebooks on my old basic kindle, bought 2011. Many people still use the Kindle Keyboard, released 2010. I guess the same is true for older Kobos, Sonys etc.

Divarin · 04-10-2019, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

What planned obsolescence? I can still sideload and read all my ebooks on my old basic kindle, bought 2011. Many people still use the Kindle Keyboard, released 2010. I guess the same is true for older Kobos, Sonys etc.

Thanks. I should note that I do not own a Kindle so I am pretty uneducated on them. Let me put it this way: If I pick up a kindle and I put it on the shelf for 20 years and then somehow replace/repair the battery and get it working and let's say in 20 years Amazon no longer exists or just doesn't support this kindle, and the kindle got reset to factory defaults so I'm not signed into any account and I can't sign into an account, can I still use the kindle to add new books and read them?

Sirtel · 04-10-2019, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divarin

Thanks. I should note that I do not own a Kindle so I am pretty uneducated on them. Let me put it this way: If I pick up a kindle and I put it on the shelf for 20 years and then somehow replace/repair the battery and get it working and let's say in 20 years Amazon no longer exists or just doesn't support this kindle, and the kindle got reset to factory defaults so I'm not signed into any account and I can't sign into an account, can I still use the kindle to add new books and read them?

Yes, I think you could. Another matter is whether you'd want to use a 20-year-old piece of tech.

Pajamaman · 04-10-2019, 07:23 AM

The safest bet would be an open Android reader. Look at Onyx or Likebook. They are unaffiliated to a vendor and you don't need to register them like you do with kindle, kobo and nook. But be warned they come with other issues.

Sirtel · 04-10-2019, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

The safest bet would be an open Android reader. Look at Onyx or Likebook. They are unaffiliated to a vendor and you don't need to register them like you do with kindle, kobo and nook. But be warned they come with other issues.

You can use a Kindle without registering it.

HarryT · 04-10-2019, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divarin

Thanks. I should note that I do not own a Kindle so I am pretty uneducated on them. Let me put it this way: If I pick up a kindle and I put it on the shelf for 20 years and then somehow replace/repair the battery and get it working and let's say in 20 years Amazon no longer exists or just doesn't support this kindle, and the kindle got reset to factory defaults so I'm not signed into any account and I can't sign into an account, can I still use the kindle to add new books and read them?

Yes, you can.

Morioh · 04-10-2019, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

The safest bet would be an open Android reader. Look at Onyx or Likebook. They are unaffiliated to a vendor and you don't need to register them like you do with kindle, kobo and nook. But be warned they come with other issues.

Though can you change the battery on onyx or likebook? Since they are using android i guess any run of the mill 3.7v battery would work but i have been wrong in the past. Thoughts?

ilovejedd · 04-10-2019, 10:41 AM

Iirc, Nook and Kobo both require registering. There are ways to get around that restriction on Kobo, not sure about the Nook.

The current firmware for the Kindle does not require mandatory registration yet. Majority of my Kindles are unregistered and jailbroken. I just skip the wifi setup and go on my merry way.

Pajamaman · 04-10-2019, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You can use a Kindle without registering it.

Bu you lose functionality, no?

ilovejedd · 04-10-2019, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Bu you lose functionality, no?

Syncing, X-ray and likely other web based features. Although I think there might actually be a Calibre plugin for X-ray.

You can get around the collections issue by jailbreaking and using Kindle Collections+LibrarianSync (which is much more useful anyway).

If all you need is to be able to read sideloaded DRM-free ebooks, you don't really lose much functionality by not registering.

Pajamaman · 04-10-2019, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Syncing, X-ray and likely other web based features. Although I think there might actually be a Calibre plugin for X-ray.

You can get around the collections issue by jailbreaking and using Kindle Collections+LibrarianSync (which is much more useful anyway).

If all you need is to be able to read sideloaded DRM-free ebooks, you don't really lose much functionality by not registering.

I will note that the Collections+LibrarianSync is a pita (though I do appreciate the work developers have done to make this functionality possible on the hamstrung Kindle). I will also note that it is possible to organize and and access books by simple folders via Koreader and possibly Coolreader on a Kindle.

But OP please take note, you must jailbreak a Kindle to have this functionality. Not all Kindles can be jailbroken.

Divarin · 04-10-2019, 03:27 PM

Wow, all great replies, thanks everyone.

I think I may keep my eye out for an older, used, kindle or perhaps one of the open Android readers as Pajamaman said.

Yeah I probably would want to use 20 year old tech, I use tech that's older than that right now. I'm not too concerned with other functionality that the reader would have besides just reading books.

shalym · 04-10-2019, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divarin

Wow, all great replies, thanks everyone.

I think I may keep my eye out for an older, used, kindle or perhaps one of the open Android readers as Pajamaman said.

Yeah I probably would want to use 20 year old tech, I use tech that's older than that right now. I'm not too concerned with other functionality that the reader would have besides just reading books.

If all you're worried about is reading books, Kindles (especially the paperwhites) have better battery life than most of the Android readers. A Kobo would have even better battery life, but you have to either register it, or know how to edit the internal database in order to fool it into *thinking* that it's registered.

Shari

barryem · 04-10-2019, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divarin

Wow, all great replies, thanks everyone.

I think I may keep my eye out for an older, used, kindle or perhaps one of the open Android readers as Pajamaman said.

Yeah I probably would want to use 20 year old tech, I use tech that's older than that right now. I'm not too concerned with other functionality that the reader would have besides just reading books.

I suggest getting the latest model of whichever ereader you get. It'll last years longer. The batteries are hard to replace. It can be done but it's a pain.

I replaced the battery on a Paperwhite about a year ago. I wouldn't do it again.

It's also worth considering that as the devices get older replacement batteries will probably be harder to come by. And even if you do find one if it's been sitting on a shelf for years it's probably worthless.

Also, any time you put a device with a built-in battery away for 20 years you can safely assume it won't work anymore. And it would probably be difficult to rescue it. Probably impossible but certainly difficult.

Barry

04-10-2019, 06:36 AM	#1
Divarin Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: none	e-ink reader sans planned obsolescence Hi. I'm an avid reader and I own a nook (2nd generation). I'm interested in getting an e-ink reader such as a first generation nook or a kindle but I want to buy a used one. What I'm looking for is an e-reader that will allow me to add and read new content without needing to create or sign-in to an account (B&N, Amazon, etc) and that will continue to function for the foreseeable future regardless of whether or not the company that produced it supports it or even continues to exist. From what I've been reading the 1st gen nooks are out and I think the same is true of older kindles so I'm assuming if I picked up a kindle today eventually it would go obsolete as well. Of course if there are any hacks (suck as unlocking) which would enable me to add new content to these devices that would be an option. I know battery life will eventually become a problem and there isn't much I can do about that unless there's an e-ink reader out there which uses easily obtained off-the-shelf battery types but I doubt it. But I would consider this problem unplanned obsolescence what I'm trying to find right now is an e-ink e-reader which isn't planned to become obsolete or which would most likely become obsolete if and when the company behind it decides to stop supporting it. Any ideas? P.S. I'm not concerned with the ability to obtain content from the B&N store or Amazon store or any other specific "store" but rather epubs and other standard DRM-free content.

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04-10-2019, 06:42 AM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,154 Karma: 224760044 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	What planned obsolescence? I can still sideload and read all my ebooks on my old basic kindle, bought 2011. Many people still use the Kindle Keyboard, released 2010. I guess the same is true for older Kobos, Sonys etc.

04-10-2019, 07:23 AM	#5
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	The safest bet would be an open Android reader. Look at Onyx or Likebook. They are unaffiliated to a vendor and you don't need to register them like you do with kindle, kobo and nook. But be warned they come with other issues.

04-10-2019, 10:41 AM	#9
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	Iirc, Nook and Kobo both require registering. There are ways to get around that restriction on Kobo, not sure about the Nook. The current firmware for the Kindle does not require mandatory registration yet. Majority of my Kindles are unregistered and jailbroken. I just skip the wifi setup and go on my merry way.

04-10-2019, 03:27 PM	#13
Divarin Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: none	Wow, all great replies, thanks everyone. I think I may keep my eye out for an older, used, kindle or perhaps one of the open Android readers as Pajamaman said. Yeah I probably would want to use 20 year old tech, I use tech that's older than that right now. I'm not too concerned with other functionality that the reader would have besides just reading books.