Best reader(s), personal experience

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 06:04 PM

What I ask an ereader to be/have:

1. Light weight
2. Razonable screen size/portable
2. Clear fonts
4. Epub friendly
5. User friendly
6. Ease of book transfer
7. Ease of font/dictionary installation
8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it

Said that, in the market are some few ereader brands, when I ask other people for a tip, they usually answer me that depending on my needs should I buy one brand/device or another, but, what I think is that all people need an reader for the same reason, READING... that is no arguable. So, What is the best choice between all that devices for that task?, I'm pretty sure there must be one of them better than the rest for that job (the experience of reading).

Well, based on past and present experience I will try to solve this quiz:

Main brands/devices I´ve/am testing:

Sony; bought it on past, had to change firmware for installing a dictionary of my native language, a quick googling 10 years later... I can still see people discouraged with that issue. For this I consider it not so user friendly, and time wasting (configuring time)

Kindle, never bought one, It lacks support for the most popular ebook format, I consider it not epub friendly, and time wasting (epub conversion)

kobo Clara HD, very good quality screen, nice and polished interface, brilliant confortable menus, good choice if you plan to buy in Rakuten only, if you plan to read any of your epubs, you will probably not be able to use some customizing options, like line spacing, because it won't work, to fix that, you have to surf the web asking people the solution, and it is not clear if it'll work... messing around with css in the epub... an/or converting in calibre... and/or patching.

pocketbook basic lux 2, meets nearly, but only nearly, all my needs,

1. Light weight
2. Razonable screen size/portability
2. Clear fonts (300dpi would be better but good reading experience)
4. Epub friendly.
5. User friendly, all it can be (it lacks touch screen), using dictionary is a little messy, but good reading experience, using iPhone as dictionary recommended.
6. Ease of book transfer, you can even email ebooks while surfing the web with your phone (even no computer needed)
7. Ease of font/dictionary installation (be aware that it will only recognize custom dictionaries if they are in .dic format an the filename begins with en-en, es-es and so on...)
8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it. I did´t have a computer because I bought it when I was skiing and I was reading the book I wanted in a snap.

the downside is the lack of touchscreen and from time to time you can find some minor bugs like being hard to eject from the computer, or having to go one page back to make the dictionary to work, but as I said an ebook is made for reading... so, that task is almost completely satisfied, yes, It could have more dpi's, touchscreen and and light temperature regulation, but in general pretty good reading experience.

Pocketbook touch lux 5, I returned It. It promised to be as good as basic lux 2 at reading and to fill the lack of that things that were missing in the basic lux 2. Really good ereader but it surprised me that fonts where little blurry in comparison (can't understand, provided it is same brand and same resolution), so I'm still reading in the little brother. I returned and bought the...

Pocketbook touch lux hd 3, still waiting to receive it... will tell you how it feels.
It promises to have all features touch lux 5 has but HD (300 dpi)... let's see If that font edges "blurriness" ... disappears.

I won't even try other bigger screens for weight/portabily reasons, or devices that play audiobooks, having my iPhone/Android on my pocket... I see no reason to make my ereader more uncomfortable playing music on it.

davidfor · 01-16-2022, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

What I ask an ereader to be/have:

1. Light weight
2. Razonable screen size/portable

We can't tell you that because it is personal. Some think that a 5" screen is the largest that is portable. Other, including me, have no issue carrying an 8" screen around. But, as you seem to have settled on a 6" screen, then you should have stated that.

Quote:

2. Clear fonts
4. Epub friendly
5. User friendly
6. Ease of book transfer
7. Ease of font/dictionary installation
8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it

Said that, in the market are some few ereader brands, when I ask other people for a tip, they usually answer me that depending on my needs should I buy one brand/device or another, but, what I think is that all people need an reader for the same reason, READING... that is no arguable. So, What is the best choice between all that devices for that task?, I'm pretty sure there must be one of them better than the rest for that job (the experience of reading).

Well, based on past and present experience I will try to solve this quiz:

Main brands/devices I´ve/am testing:

Sony; bought it on past, had to change firmware for installing a dictionary of my native language, a quick googling 10 years later... I can still see people discouraged with that issue. For this I consider it not so user friendly, and time wasting (configuring time)

Basing your decisions on 10 year old information is wasting your time. I don't know the other devices, but, installing your own dictionary on a Kobo ereader is simple. The issue is finding the dictionary. And if dictionaries are important, then it is probably a good idea to mention the languages you are interested in. If it is English, the dictionaries supplied with Kobo and Kindle are excellent.

Quote:

Kindle, never bought one, It lacks support for the most popular ebook format, I consider it not epub friendly, and time wasting (epub conversion)

kobo Clara HD, very good quality screen, nice and polished interface, brilliant confortable menus, good choice if you plan to buy in Rakuten only, if you plan to read any of your epubs, you will probably not be able to use some customizing options, like line spacing, because it won't work, to fix that, you have to surf the web asking people the solution, and it is not clear if it'll work... messing around with css in the epub... an/or converting in calibre... and/or patching.

Again, old information. It still happens, but, I rarely find an epub that doesn't allow the on-device customisation. And the solution is fairly simple. Remove the line spacing options, and most of the margins. Or change from absolute units to relative unit in the CSS. But, honestly, it is rarely needed.

Beyond that, I can't help. I use Kobo devices and would have suggested one. Which would have come up based on asking what screen size you considered "reasonable". But, you have eliminated them, and I don't have enough experience with other devices to suggest them.

JSWolf · 01-16-2022, 06:35 PM

Does it have to be a 6" screen? If not, I can recommend a Kobo Libra 2 with a 7" screen.

1. Light weight - Yes
2. Razonable screen size/portable - Yes
2. Clear fonts - Yes
4. Epub friendly - Yes
5. User friendly - Yes
6. Ease of book transfer - Yes (better then Kindle, Pocketbook, and B&N)
7. Ease of font/dictionary installation - Yes
8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it - Yes

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 07:01 PM

Of course other screen sizes are reasonable screensizes, and some little more grams doesn't make it too heavy, I´m not searching for that reader that is perfect but the one that is more suitable for most situations (balanced) making you to work less and read more with less effort, I suspect that few models of a brand will have that in common.. I'm talking about what I have tested, and the reasons why I don't test others. As I said, I can talk of my experience (well in case of kindle is an opinion), as I test I can say how it feels.
I look for an reader that you can buy, you feel comfortable with it if you are at home or in the bus, with the clearer font, and that makes you work little.sure I will borrow a kindle (I'm curious now.

As I said, may be the best screen tested until now has been Kobo, really nice. but kobo is giving me configuration head aches and finally gave it as a gift.

Uncle Robin · 01-16-2022, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

As I said, may be the best screen tested until now has been Kobo, really nice. but kobo is giving me configuration head aches and finally gave it as a gift.

What kind of configuration headaches? I'm actually getting a headache trying to figure out how anyone can find the Kobo complicated to setup and use.

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 07:35 PM

well let me explain myself:
People (me to) buy readers only reading specs, reading a paragraph... I think you would have to read a full book and then decide or not to buy it, many variables implied, good looking fonts but little heavy or non ergonomic enough... for example, once you have an ereader you are comfortable with you can compare with others, and then you can recommend (based on a personal experience), I agree is still subjective, but It's a far better recommendation than what you expect from the seller... sure.

JSWolf · 01-16-2022, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

As I said, may be the best screen tested until now has been Kobo, really nice. but kobo is giving me configuration head aches and finally gave it as a gift.

Can you please explain in detail how you find Kobo difficult to configure? I have has a Kobo for a little over six years and I have never once found it difficult to configure and that's going through many firmware updates.

davidfor · 01-16-2022, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

Of course other screen sizes are reasonable screensizes, and some little more grams doesn't make it too heavy, I´m not searching for that reader that is perfect but the one that is more suitable for most situations (balanced) making you to work less and read more with less effort, I suspect that few models of a brand will have that in common.. I'm talking about what I have tested, and the reasons why I don't test others. As I said, I can talk of my experience (well in case of kindle is an opinion), as I test I can say how it feels.
I look for an reader that you can buy, you feel comfortable with it if you are at home or in the bus, with the clearer font, and that makes you work little.sure I will borrow a kindle (I'm curious now.

Your original post doesn't say this. It asks for some suggestions but only states "reasonable" for the size. As I stated, you are the only one who can answer that question.

Quote:

As I said, may be the best screen tested until now has been Kobo, really nice. but kobo is giving me configuration head aches and finally gave it as a gift.

So, what you said was based on experience with the Clara HD? Because what you said appeared to be based only on research. And, I don't think you found the right places.

If "Epub friendly" is important, then Kobo is actually the way to go. It is the device that handles the coding in epubs with the most respect to what is actually in the epub. As far as I can tell, it renders the epub closes to what the person who created it probably intended. Other devices and apps all ignore parts of the CSS. And some completely ignore it. Some people think that is great, others think it is terrible. And from my point of view, solving the line spacing issue, on the few times I have hit it, is only a couple of minutes of work.

You need to be a bit more specific. As @JSWolf has pointed out, the Kobo devices fit your basic requirement. There are simple things you can do to solve the problems. You might try a tolino device, as they use epubs as their base format. And the rendering is good on the device I have, but, suffers in some of the same ways as on Kobo. Both use the Adobe RMSDK for epubs, so both have the same starting point.

And mentioning tolino reminds me of something else missing. Where are you? Some devices are easy to get in lots of locations. Some aren't. Suggesting a tolino to someone in Germany makes sense. But, to someone in Australia, not as much.

JSWolf · 01-16-2022, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

well let me explain myself:
People (me to) buy readers only reading specs, reading a paragraph... I think you would have to read a full book and then decide or not to buy it, many variables implied, good looking fonts but little heavy or non ergonomic enough... for example, once you have an ereader you are comfortable with you can compare with others, and then you can recommend (based on a personal experience), I agree is still subjective, but It's a far better recommendation than what you expect from the seller... sure.

In that case, go for the Kobo Libra 2. I've had/have Sony Readers, nook STR, and Kindle PW3. Of all of them, the Kobo is the easiest to use.

That is my recommendation based on have a Reader for 15-16 years.

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

What kind of configuration headaches? I'm actually getting a headache trying to figure out how anyone can find the Kobo complicated to setup and use.

I can lend you the epub I'm reading, and you can try yourself to use line spacing.
I perfectly read it in pocketbook. then let me know if you can convert it in calibre... if you patched kobo or what else, I've tried calibre, with the stiles options and does't work... anyway... pleased if you can, and show me, I love how nice is the kobo screen and can recover it.

JSWolf · 01-16-2022, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

I can lend you the epub I'm reading, and you can try yourself to use line spacing.
I perfectly read it in pocketbook. then let me know if you can convert it in calibre... if you patched kobo or what else, I've tried calibre, with the stiles options and does't work... anyway... pleased if you can, and show me, I love how nice is the kobo screen and can recover it.

If the ePub has no DRM or you've removed the DRM, then use the Calibre editor to remove the line spacing from the CSS. It's trivial to do. The problem is with the ePub, not Kobo. What eBook is this?

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

In that case, go for the Kobo Libra 2. I've had/have Sony Readers, nook STR, and Kindle PW3. Of all of them, the Kobo is the easiest to use.

That is my recommendation based on have a Reader for 15-16 years.

Can't agree, kobo is best looking, and the interface is easy to use provided you have the correct epub, the problem is that there are more "correct epubs" when using pocketbook based on my experience.

JSWolf · 01-16-2022, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenQueen

Can't agree, kobo is best looking, and the interface is easy to use provided you have the correct epub, the problem is that there are more "correct epubs" when using pocketbook based on my experience.

What eBook is it that did not work for you? I will say that there are a lot of poorly coded eBooks out there.

And yes, you are very wrong about Kobo. You are asking for recommendations and you have one from someone who has owned a Kobo for over 6 years.

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If the ePub has no DRM or you've removed the DRM, then use the Calibre editor to remove the line spacing from the CSS. It's trivial to do. The problem is with the ePub, not Kobo. What eBook is this?

Why should I be messing around trivialities while I should be reading. I consider better avoid as much trivialities as I can as other brands do that job better, and have more options out of the box, like email books so even you don't need a computer if you don't want, like kindle too, I recognize.
only thing I wish is that touch lux hd3 had similar looking fonts.

StephenQueen · 01-16-2022, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What eBook is it that did not work for you? I will say that there are a lot of poorly coded eBooks out there.

And yes, you are very wrong about Kobo. You are asking for recommendations and you have one from someone who has owned a Kobo for over 6 years.

You are confused, I'm not asking for any recommendation, this is an opinion you can agree or not. It's perfect, if you don't.

01-16-2022, 06:04 PM	#1
StephenQueen Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 12 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Sony PRS T2	Best reader(s), personal experience What I ask an ereader to be/have: 1. Light weight 2. Razonable screen size/portable 2. Clear fonts 4. Epub friendly 5. User friendly 6. Ease of book transfer 7. Ease of font/dictionary installation 8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it Said that, in the market are some few ereader brands, when I ask other people for a tip, they usually answer me that depending on my needs should I buy one brand/device or another, but, what I think is that all people need an reader for the same reason, READING... that is no arguable. So, What is the best choice between all that devices for that task?, I'm pretty sure there must be one of them better than the rest for that job (the experience of reading). Well, based on past and present experience I will try to solve this quiz: Main brands/devices I´ve/am testing: Sony; bought it on past, had to change firmware for installing a dictionary of my native language, a quick googling 10 years later... I can still see people discouraged with that issue. For this I consider it not so user friendly, and time wasting (configuring time) Kindle, never bought one, It lacks support for the most popular ebook format, I consider it not epub friendly, and time wasting (epub conversion) kobo Clara HD, very good quality screen, nice and polished interface, brilliant confortable menus, good choice if you plan to buy in Rakuten only, if you plan to read any of your epubs, you will probably not be able to use some customizing options, like line spacing, because it won't work, to fix that, you have to surf the web asking people the solution, and it is not clear if it'll work... messing around with css in the epub... an/or converting in calibre... and/or patching. pocketbook basic lux 2, meets nearly, but only nearly, all my needs, 1. Light weight 2. Razonable screen size/portability 2. Clear fonts (300dpi would be better but good reading experience) 4. Epub friendly. 5. User friendly, all it can be (it lacks touch screen), using dictionary is a little messy, but good reading experience, using iPhone as dictionary recommended. 6. Ease of book transfer, you can even email ebooks while surfing the web with your phone (even no computer needed) 7. Ease of font/dictionary installation (be aware that it will only recognize custom dictionaries if they are in .dic format an the filename begins with en-en, es-es and so on...) 8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it. I did´t have a computer because I bought it when I was skiing and I was reading the book I wanted in a snap. the downside is the lack of touchscreen and from time to time you can find some minor bugs like being hard to eject from the computer, or having to go one page back to make the dictionary to work, but as I said an ebook is made for reading... so, that task is almost completely satisfied, yes, It could have more dpi's, touchscreen and and light temperature regulation, but in general pretty good reading experience. Pocketbook touch lux 5, I returned It. It promised to be as good as basic lux 2 at reading and to fill the lack of that things that were missing in the basic lux 2. Really good ereader but it surprised me that fonts where little blurry in comparison (can't understand, provided it is same brand and same resolution), so I'm still reading in the little brother. I returned and bought the... Pocketbook touch lux hd 3, still waiting to receive it... will tell you how it feels. It promises to have all features touch lux 5 has but HD (300 dpi)... let's see If that font edges "blurriness" ... disappears. I won't even try other bigger screens for weight/portabily reasons, or devices that play audiobooks, having my iPhone/Android on my pocket... I see no reason to make my ereader more uncomfortable playing music on it. Last edited by StephenQueen; 01-16-2022 at 06:09 PM.

01-16-2022, 07:01 PM	#4
StephenQueen Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 12 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Sony PRS T2	Of course other screen sizes are reasonable screensizes, and some little more grams doesn't make it too heavy, I´m not searching for that reader that is perfect but the one that is more suitable for most situations (balanced) making you to work less and read more with less effort, I suspect that few models of a brand will have that in common.. I'm talking about what I have tested, and the reasons why I don't test others. As I said, I can talk of my experience (well in case of kindle is an opinion), as I test I can say how it feels. I look for an reader that you can buy, you feel comfortable with it if you are at home or in the bus, with the clearer font, and that makes you work little.sure I will borrow a kindle (I'm curious now. As I said, may be the best screen tested until now has been Kobo, really nice. but kobo is giving me configuration head aches and finally gave it as a gift. Last edited by StephenQueen; 01-16-2022 at 07:05 PM.

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01-16-2022, 06:35 PM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 65,621 Karma: 108613199 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, iPad 4, iPhone SE 2020, PW3	Does it have to be a 6" screen? If not, I can recommend a Kobo Libra 2 with a 7" screen. 1. Light weight - Yes 2. Razonable screen size/portable - Yes 2. Clear fonts - Yes 4. Epub friendly - Yes 5. User friendly - Yes 6. Ease of book transfer - Yes (better then Kindle, Pocketbook, and B&N) 7. Ease of font/dictionary installation - Yes 8. More reading time than time wasted on configuring it - Yes

01-16-2022, 07:35 PM	#6
StephenQueen Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 12 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Sony PRS T2	well let me explain myself: People (me to) buy readers only reading specs, reading a paragraph... I think you would have to read a full book and then decide or not to buy it, many variables implied, good looking fonts but little heavy or non ergonomic enough... for example, once you have an ereader you are comfortable with you can compare with others, and then you can recommend (based on a personal experience), I agree is still subjective, but It's a far better recommendation than what you expect from the seller... sure.

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