Very Old eReader still working?

[Paperbackstash]

I have a 2012 Kindle Fire HD that still works. I have hardly used it but surprisingly the battery still holds up.


Speaking of which, I like the new page layout for Amazon Devices. Just noticed they changed it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Arrghus

My first eReader was a Sony PRS-350, in a rather fetching midnight blue. Purchased around 2010. I devoured dozens of public domain books on it, and had one of those little clip on worm lights. That was the biggest drawback--external light would reflect off the chrome buttons and I grew so tired of the light and the lack of frontlighting that I upgraded a few years later...

To a Nook SimpleTouch with Glowlight, in 2013. It was a downgrade in some respects... Poor DPI so quite jagged text, and less premium materials, but I loved the light and more than anything I loved the chunky bezel which gave plenty of room for your hand to grip.

I was actively avoiding Amazon at the time, but I relented in early 2015 and got a Paperwhite 2, literally weeks before they announced a newer model. Being able to email books direct to my device was a revelation. I still love and use my PW2 daily, though I wish the lighting was a touch more uniform, and occasionally pages "stick" and it skips one, requiring a restart to fix.

I am considering an Oasis for the warm lighting but, like my ageing smartphone, what I've got is good enough.

The PRS-350 was eBayed a few years back after I purchased a replacement stylus that someone I'm sure on these here forums 3D-printed, and ditto the Nook went up too but unsurprisingly didn't sell for much as B&N had shuttered its UK store.

The Nook STR with light has terrible font handling. It's the same awful font handling that the nook STR has. I compared it to my PRS-650 and it was like the nook was using a different font. Just terrible. It'll be the same comparing your nook to your 350.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Nook STR with light has terrible font handling. It's the same awful font handling that the nook STR has. I compared it to my PRS-650 and it was like the nook was using a different font. Just terrible. It'll be the same comparing your nook to your 350.

I like the font on the Nook Simple Touch. It's dark enough to read, with good contrast. (Not a fan of the Simple Touch with Glowlight, however.) I do think, however, that the x50 series (and above) Sony eReaders render fonts better than any other eReader out there. (Now that I've learned how to up the contrast and darken the fonts.) Fonts on these Sonys don't feel "squashed."

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I like the font on the Nook Simple Touch. It's dark enough to read, with good contrast. (Not a fan of the Simple Touch with Glowlight, however.) I do think, however, that the x50 series (and above) Sony eReaders render fonts better than any other eReader out there. (Now that I've learned how to up the contrast and darken the fonts.) Fonts on these Sonys don't feel "squashed."

I've tried other fonts on the nook STR and compared to the exact same font on the 640 and they looked like different fonts with Sony being much better rendered. I also find that Kobo renders fonts well.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Arrghus

The PRS-350 was eBayed a few years back... the Nook went up too but unsurprisingly didn't sell for much as B&N had shuttered its UK store.

A Nook ST w/Glowlight that has an undamaged screen was a hot commodity for a while in US eBay. It may still be. It's an ereader that has buttons, an SD card slot and a frontlight. In the US ereaders with all three are a rarity.

[Arrghus]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Nook STR with light has terrible font handling. It's the same awful font handling that the nook STR has. I compared it to my PRS-650 and it was like the nook was using a different font. Just terrible. It'll be the same comparing your nook to your 350.

The 350 was also only 5 inches in diameter I believe which lent it a much higher DPI, presumably making any font look better.

I installed custom firmware on the Nook and went with Georgia IIRC, and that was satisfactory for a while. Bookerly is my go-to now, though.

[Arrghus]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

A Nook ST w/Glowlight that has an undamaged screen was a hot commodity for a while in US eBay. It may still be. It's an ereader that has buttons, an SD card slot and a frontlight. In the US ereaders with all three are a rarity.

I got like £20 for it! I only paid about £60-80 for it new, from a catalogue shop called Argos. It was an impulse purchase and not one I researched terribly well.

But you're right, those features are uncommon even today. The buttons were so stiff though, and the resolution poor.

But please for the love of something holy will manufacturers realise we need something to grip when holding our devices in the air!? Chunky bezels please.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Arrghus

I got like £20 for it! I only paid about £60-80 for it new, from a catalogue shop called Argos. It was an impulse purchase and not one I researched terribly well.

Personally, I loved my ST with Glowlight. I only wound up replacing it because I managed to break the screen and buying a replacement on eBay was expensive.

The buttons were so stuff though, and the resolution poor.

But please for the love of something holy will manufacturers realise we need something to grip when holding our devices in the air!? Chunky bezels please.

Jon will follow this post to dump all over it, but you might like the Glowlight 3*. It's the modern follow up to the Nook ST, with more friendly buttons (though I preferred the ST buttons), big chunky bezels, orange frontlight and a beautiful 300 PPI screen. Nook software isn't as good as their competitors, but their hardware is great.



*I know you're in the UK, so not likely to buy a Nook. I was just talking.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Personally, I loved my ST with Glowlight. I only wound up replacing it because I managed to break the screen and buying a replacement on eBay was expensive.

I've got one still. My problem with the ST w/Glowlight was that the contrast wasn't very good. The words seem to "swim" to me. Partly why it took me so long to accept a front-lit eReader. (Maybe mine was (is) slightly defective.)

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Jon will follow this post to dump all over it, but you might like the Glowlight 3*. It's the modern follow up to the Nook ST, with more friendly buttons (though I preferred the ST buttons), big chunky bezels, orange frontlight and a beautiful 300 PPI screen. Nook software isn't as good as their competitors, but their hardware is great.

The screens on the Glowlight 3s are very, very good. Uniform lighting and a crisp screen with good contrast are the most important eReader attributes to me. I would put the Glowlight 3 up against any eReader out there, with the possible exception of the Kindle Voyage (the Voyage wins on pure clarity, but the GL3 has the warm light option with great clarity).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Arrghus

The 350 was also only 5 inches in diameter I believe which lent it a much higher DPI, presumably making any font look better.

I installed custom firmware on the Nook and went with Georgia IIRC, and that was satisfactory for a while. Bookerly is my go-to now, though.

It wasn't because the 350 has a smaller screen. The 650 uses the same Pearl screen that the nook STR with and without light use. And when comparing the 650 to the nook, the 650 has much better font handling. It's not due to any hardware but due to poor font handling software on the nook.

[Opaline]

I have a Cybook Gen3 gold version from around 2006/7. As long as you make sure the book covers aren't too big it works fine. I also have a Kobo Glo and mini that get used regularly.

[revmike]

My first ereader was the Sony 505 which I bought in march 2008 and it remains to be my daily reader even though I purchased a refurbished T-2 son years ago from ebay.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

I bought two used Kobo N647-KBU-B Wireless e-Book Reader from shopgoodwill about a year ago. . . they worked ok for a month or two then. . . RIP.

[xerxe]

Originally Posted by rkomar

I put a new battery into my PRS-505 a few months ago and it works like new again. Mine will be twelve years old in a few months.

I bought my PRS-505 back in 2009, and I still have it. I need to buy a battery replacement for mine. Could you recommend a website I can buy it from?

In the meantime, I bought a Kindle 10 and I love that it has backlight, but I miss powering up my PRS-505.

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by xerxe

I bought my PRS-505 back in 2009, and I still have it. I need to buy a battery replacement for mine. Could you recommend a website I can buy it from?

In the meantime, I bought a Kindle 10 and I love that it has backlight, but I miss powering up my PRS-505.

I bought a Replacement battery for a sony prs-350 from Newpower99.com a few years ago. it is still going strong. They give you a battery, a video on how to replace it and the tools needed.


https://www.newpower99.com/Sony_Port...%20prs-505.htm