Questions on highlighting text & annotations with KOReadrer & synching with Calibre

[Stiletto]

NB I can't figure out how to delete this thread, so I'm just writing an edit here and greying the main text.

After much reading, it seems the only way I can do what I want, is to choose a Kindle device (for the Oxford Dictionary of English) and use the Kindle software (for annotations/notes as well as highlighting text).

I hope not to be stuck into this forever and that a future solution will also offer the ability to export the notes/annotations and highlights I make through the Kindle app, otherwise I won't be able to change away from Kindle.

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I have questions related to both KOReader and Calibre. I thought I’d post here and ask for guidance on whether I should cross-post in the Calibre forum also, I don’t want to spam! I thought it would be best to leave all my questions together in one text so I can receive better advice on what I’d like to achieve.

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I’m looking to read books on an ereader (yet to be determined) primarily for study and I’m trying to figure out whether KOReader (on the device) and Calibre (on my Mac) would give me the functionality I require, to:

1. Highlight text and make annotations/notes on the ereader.
2. Synch with my Mac to view the highlighted text and annotations/notes on my laptop. Searching for words within the text is a definite requirement; searching for words within my notes/annotations would be an added bonus.
3. Copy and paste passages of highlighted text and annotations/notes to another application on my computer. (The option of exporting these in a different way would be advantageous but not necessary.)

Edit: I've searched through the KOReader sub and looked at the features on the Github Wiki. It seems notes are not supported but highlights are through Evernote. So, I'm stuck with the Kindle App.

Many of the books I’ll be reading are in PDF and .txt format, as well as titles bought from Amazon and smaller independent stores/websites. They are mostly old, traditional books (as opposed to multi-column articles or comics) and some may contain illustrations.

My thinking is to convert them to whatever is the best format for the above requirements (using Calibre) and to use KOReader on my device.

I’d like to use software that is not limited to a particular device, so if I change readers in the future or acquire more devices, I can retain my notes/highlights and synch across all of these.

4. My other requirement is a quality dictionary; the Concise Oxford English Dictionary or the Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. I’d also like to have an equally good Thesaurus on it.

Ideally I’d be able to click on a word to look it up, but copying and pasting into the dictionary app is fine.

- I’ve looked at Kobo’s store and it does not have any of the (more comprehensive) types of dictionaries that I want. Does this mean Kobo devices are out of the running for me or is there a way around this if I purchase the dictionary in another format, since I am not looking to use their native app for reading?

Edit: After reading on the forums and elsewhere, it seems that the only option I have if I want the Oxford Dictionary of English, is to opt for a Kindle.

- If I jailbreak/configure my ereader to have KOReader on it, would I still be using the in-built dictionary that comes with the device?

- Can KOReader run alongside the native app (thinking of both Kindle and Kobo) or is it either one or the other?

- If I have highlighted text and annotations/notes on books in the Kindle app, are these lost if I convert the book to a different format using Calibre?

TL;DR I’m trying to find out the best way of doing points 1-4. Once I have this straight in my mind I can go back to choosing an e-reader; advice on that is also welcome.

Thank you for any and all help and guidance!