E-Reader for Cash Strapped Student

jwj11 · 03-13-2012, 10:13 PM

Hi all,

I've been trying to read more than school textbooks and I realized that e-books are great for me since I don't have the luxury of a car to conveniently go to the book store or library. I've been using Kobo on my laptop but I find it a tad bit cumbersome to read for long periods of time and of course there are other distractions on my laptop.

I'm looking for a e-reader with the following needs in mind:

1. Access to cheap e-books for Canadians. Is Amazon cheaper than Kobo? I read mostly non-fiction, business, and news material (WSJ, NYT, FT)
2. Compatible with PDF files. I have tons of PDF books on my laptop and I would like to read them on my e-reader.
3. Long battery life and easy on the eyes.
4. It would also be great if I could check my gmail, but this isn't as important to me.

Also, I've been thinking of getting a e-reader for mom as well. Is there any e-reader that has access to foreign language books? My mom would like to be able to get books published in Korean and English. She's also very computer illiterate.

FinancialWar · 03-14-2012, 08:18 AM

sony prs 350 is a good choice.

jbcohen · 03-14-2012, 08:42 AM

Troubble with sony ereaders, my pals who own sony readers themselves, tell me is that they are rather expensive. At the present time the base model kindle happends to be the cheapest on the market at $80 followed closely by the Kobo, Kobo Touch and Nook readers at aproximatly $100. Troubble is that kindle does not support PDF as yet, the cheapest for that is one of the Kobos or Nooks which cost more but support PDF. The other alternative is to get calibre and translate your PDF library into mobi format, calibre is free.

howyoudoin · 03-14-2012, 08:47 AM

Kindle does support pdf. I suppose you meant reflowable pdf?

monkeyluis · 03-14-2012, 09:10 AM

Kobo is supposed to be good for canadians, but dont know much more than that.

ProfCrash · 03-16-2012, 11:20 AM

Books should cost the same for the Kobo and the Kindle. Agency Pricing prevents the bookstores from discounting or using coupons on e-books from the major Publishers. I do not know how this translates to text books.

The Kindle and Kobo are both available in Canada. I believe that you can get a Sony as well. The Sony will be more expensive.

I am biased towards the Kindle. I have had one since the K1 and love it. The Kobo is a good reader but does not have all the features of the Sony or Kindle. It is a more bare bones reader but costs the same as the Kindle.

The Sony is the best e-reader for reading PDFs although that is not saying much. PDFs were not meant to be read on a 6 inch screen. While it can be made to work, it is not the best. If you are going to be doing a fair amount of PDF reading you would be better off with a tablet of some sort.

obsessed2 · 03-16-2012, 11:45 AM

I agree with ProfCrash. If you read a lot of PDFs you are going to be much better off with a cheap tablet and something like Mantano or ezPDF reader. The reason is they provide for better zooming and panning. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Coby-7-Inch-An...ta/B005HUH88K/

Most e-readers support landscape view which may help. Many will do PDF Reflow but they don't do a very good job in my opinion and leave a lot to be desired.

Here's some info on e-books for Canada: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=sony

CatherineStewart · 03-17-2012, 02:05 PM

You can always use Calibre (free software) to easily/quickly convert your PDF's to epub for the Kobo should you want to read them in epub format (although the Kobo can read PDF's). I have a Kobo Touch and I'm really enjoying it. I wanted cheap too and it serves it's purpose well.

ETA I'm in Canada also.

androm · 03-19-2012, 06:44 AM

Kindle is a good choice, but I don't like closed platforms. I think the main topic is to choose the right device. I highly recommend Pocketbook. It supports most of the ebook formats. And it's easy to transfer ebooks on it.

ProfCrash · 03-19-2012, 08:14 AM

The Kindle, actually all e-readers, are as closed as you are willing to let them be. My Kindle is perfectly free.

Gunnerp245 · 03-30-2012, 07:48 AM

The results when converting PDFs is very hit or miss and nothing to do with calibre but the method by which the text is on the PDF.

From the calibre conversion subforum: Read this before Posting PDF Questions

jbcohen · 03-30-2012, 11:54 AM

How you doin is telling me something I did not know.

LuvReadin · 04-02-2012, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

TAt the present time the base model kindle happends to be the cheapest on the market at $80 followed closely by the Kobo, Kobo Touch and Nook readers at aproximatly $100.

The Kobo readers have been drastically reduced in the UK (mainly due to Asda, which is now owned by Walmart), so it may be that this will also happen in Canada - may be worth checking the prices online.

Victoria · 04-02-2012, 05:59 PM

I have both kindle and kobo - I started with kobo, but i went to amazon, due to broader book selection. However the kobo is a good product, and if you are cash- strapped, they discount their books quite often, and it is easy to download books from libraries.

jbcohen · 04-05-2012, 10:44 AM

If you want book selection what I am told is that B&N has a broader book selection but amazon has more free and low cost books, where low cost means $4 and below. So neither is better than the other which one you get depends on your priorities.

03-13-2012, 10:13 PM	#1
jwj11 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: none	E-Reader for Cash Strapped Student Hi all, I've been trying to read more than school textbooks and I realized that e-books are great for me since I don't have the luxury of a car to conveniently go to the book store or library. I've been using Kobo on my laptop but I find it a tad bit cumbersome to read for long periods of time and of course there are other distractions on my laptop. I'm looking for a e-reader with the following needs in mind: 1. Access to cheap e-books for Canadians. Is Amazon cheaper than Kobo? I read mostly non-fiction, business, and news material (WSJ, NYT, FT) 2. Compatible with PDF files. I have tons of PDF books on my laptop and I would like to read them on my e-reader. 3. Long battery life and easy on the eyes. 4. It would also be great if I could check my gmail, but this isn't as important to me. Also, I've been thinking of getting a e-reader for mom as well. Is there any e-reader that has access to foreign language books? My mom would like to be able to get books published in Korean and English. She's also very computer illiterate.

03-16-2012, 11:45 AM	#7
obsessed2 Wizard Posts: 1,041 Karma: 4694121 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Virginia Device: Pocket Edge X 2 , Edge, gTab, Kindle Fire, Nextbook 7S	I agree with ProfCrash. If you read a lot of PDFs you are going to be much better off with a cheap tablet and something like Mantano or ezPDF reader. The reason is they provide for better zooming and panning. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Coby-7-Inch-An...ta/B005HUH88K/ Most e-readers support landscape view which may help. Many will do PDF Reflow but they don't do a very good job in my opinion and leave a lot to be desired. Here's some info on e-books for Canada: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=sony Last edited by dreams; 03-19-2012 at 04:46 PM. Reason: clean link

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03-14-2012, 08:18 AM	#2
FinancialWar Banned Posts: 397 Karma: 85500 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sydney Device: Sony PRS350, Onyx M92, Onyx T68 (defective!)	sony prs 350 is a good choice.

03-14-2012, 08:42 AM	#3
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Troubble with sony ereaders, my pals who own sony readers themselves, tell me is that they are rather expensive. At the present time the base model kindle happends to be the cheapest on the market at $80 followed closely by the Kobo, Kobo Touch and Nook readers at aproximatly $100. Troubble is that kindle does not support PDF as yet, the cheapest for that is one of the Kobos or Nooks which cost more but support PDF. The other alternative is to get calibre and translate your PDF library into mobi format, calibre is free.

03-14-2012, 08:47 AM	#4
howyoudoin how YOU doin? Posts: 1,100 Karma: 7371047 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: India Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2	Kindle does support pdf. I suppose you meant reflowable pdf?

03-14-2012, 09:10 AM	#5
monkeyluis Banned Posts: 725 Karma: 656644 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Central Florida Device: iPad "3", Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, iPhone 4S	Kobo is supposed to be good for canadians, but dont know much more than that.

03-16-2012, 11:20 AM	#6
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Books should cost the same for the Kobo and the Kindle. Agency Pricing prevents the bookstores from discounting or using coupons on e-books from the major Publishers. I do not know how this translates to text books. The Kindle and Kobo are both available in Canada. I believe that you can get a Sony as well. The Sony will be more expensive. I am biased towards the Kindle. I have had one since the K1 and love it. The Kobo is a good reader but does not have all the features of the Sony or Kindle. It is a more bare bones reader but costs the same as the Kindle. The Sony is the best e-reader for reading PDFs although that is not saying much. PDFs were not meant to be read on a 6 inch screen. While it can be made to work, it is not the best. If you are going to be doing a fair amount of PDF reading you would be better off with a tablet of some sort.

03-17-2012, 02:05 PM	#8
CatherineStewart Mom, Wife, Reader! Posts: 235 Karma: 530706 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura One	You can always use Calibre (free software) to easily/quickly convert your PDF's to epub for the Kobo should you want to read them in epub format (although the Kobo can read PDF's). I have a Kobo Touch and I'm really enjoying it. I wanted cheap too and it serves it's purpose well. ETA I'm in Canada also.

03-19-2012, 06:44 AM	#9
androm Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: none	Kindle is a good choice, but I don't like closed platforms. I think the main topic is to choose the right device. I highly recommend Pocketbook. It supports most of the ebook formats. And it's easy to transfer ebooks on it.

03-19-2012, 08:14 AM	#10
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	The Kindle, actually all e-readers, are as closed as you are willing to let them be. My Kindle is perfectly free.

03-30-2012, 07:48 AM	#11
Gunnerp245 Gadget Freak Posts: 1,169 Karma: 1043832 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: US Device: EE, Note 8	The results when converting PDFs is very hit or miss and nothing to do with calibre but the method by which the text is on the PDF. From the calibre conversion subforum: Read this before Posting PDF Questions

03-30-2012, 11:54 AM	#12
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	How you doin is telling me something I did not know.

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04-02-2012, 05:59 PM	#14
Victoria Wizard Posts: 1,013 Karma: 19767610 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nova Scotia Canada Device: ipad, Kindle PW, Kobo Clara; iphone 7	I have both kindle and kobo - I started with kobo, but i went to amazon, due to broader book selection. However the kobo is a good product, and if you are cash- strapped, they discount their books quite often, and it is easy to download books from libraries.

04-05-2012, 10:44 AM	#15
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	If you want book selection what I am told is that B&N has a broader book selection but amazon has more free and low cost books, where low cost means $4 and below. So neither is better than the other which one you get depends on your priorities.