Larger e-ink reader for my dad

Doranwen · 02-10-2019, 10:36 PM

My dad is looking into getting an e-reader and I will be sharing some of the e-books I have on my computer with him, some of which are epub and others of which are pdf.

These are the features he knows he wants for sure:

e-ink (not tablet) - he wants the great battery and easy-on-eyes aspects
good pdf handling (I spotted one 177 mb pdf on my hard drive, for instance - an extreme case, but it'd be nice if it could handle that)
decently large size (at least 10-inch)
frontlight
some kind of SD card slot
ability to browse SD card by folders/filenames (he's not interested in searching the library by author/title)

I've tried poking around - looked at the Onyx Max for instance - but I've had trouble finding much info on the total set of options out there (and getting info on prices was also challenging at times). Also, being several decades younger than him (and with good eyesight yet), I can't speak for how crucial it is for him to have a 13-inch vs. 10-inch screen - is there anyone in their 60s or thereabouts who has any feedback on e-reader sizes, particularly with pdfs? He has to use reading glasses and even then struggles with particularly small print that I can handle with ease, so I don't have the same perspective.

binaryhermit · 02-10-2019, 10:40 PM

I don't think there's any 13 inch eink devices with frontlight from what I gathered in this thread.

Doranwen · 02-10-2019, 11:09 PM

Hmm... well, there are clip-on lights and things like that, last I knew, so that might not be a deal-breaker as much as the ease of reading text size and good pdf handling.

binaryhermit · 02-10-2019, 11:22 PM

And there are 10 inch lighted ereaders too,, just thought that thread might, as they say, be relevant to your interests.

Doranwen · 02-11-2019, 12:12 AM

Yeah, thanks for linking - I did read it through, but at least one of the devices there I couldn't find a price, and even finding what it says about it doesn't tell me if it actually lives up to expectations - particularly given the degenerating eyesight of my dad. (I'm making it sound worse than it is - he doesn't need large print as long as he's got his reading glasses on - but he definitely wants a comfortable reading experience.) I'm leaning towards the 13-inch screens (my mom is pretty sure he'll want that), but I'd love to hear from someone who has one and what they think of theirs. Not sure how many there are besides Onyx's offerings - I'm familiar with them from having the Firefly in past years.

Pajamaman · 02-11-2019, 08:25 PM

I think there is a 10 inch onyx with a light. The note. The onyx pdf reader neoreader is phenomenal with pdf. I don't think the big kobos have an sd card slot. Check out the onyx note, if big pdfs are important to you, but Ive never uzed one.

BookCat · 02-11-2019, 08:50 PM

I'm not sure if this will help you, but I'm 60 and can no longer read small print such as ingredients on a bottle of sauce etc without much squinting. I find reading paperbacks a strain. One reason is that it's ages since I've been to the opticians and I need different strength reading glasses for each eye!
Back to the point: despite this, I prefer easy-to-handle 6" ereaders, rather than anything larger. I install my own fonts, my favourite being Merriweather which I read at setting 7. It just means 'turning the page' more often; which gives a sense of achievement.

However, I don't read PDFs, except on my laptop, just kindle formats, preferably AZW3. AND I don't need a huge font.
If your father does need a very large font size, such that he would only see maybe three or four words per line on a 6" reader, a larger reader would be better. Maybe try something like the Forma, or the Oasis. Both are larger ereaders in the 8" realm.

Pajamaman · 02-11-2019, 09:55 PM

Good points. Pdf even on an onyx will smaller font and harder to read than a real ebook. Saying that, a really big screen will render them better, but I'm talking A4 size. Mind you, a 10" in landscape should be okay. But as a general point, pdfs are not as easy to see on an ereader. I suggest you watch some youtube videos before buying.

HarryT · 02-16-2019, 04:38 AM

A 13" device is big. Too big to comfortably hold and use for me, at least. I sold my 12.9" iPad Pro because it was just too large. 10" is a very good size for PDFs, although I'd always recommend a tablet for reading PDFs rather than an eInk device.

mobama · 02-16-2019, 07:42 AM

Possibly the closest is Likebook Mimas https://ereader.store/en/boyue-likeb...-mimas-43.html

- 10.3" Mobius screen
- Frontlight
- MicroSD slot
- Handles pdf files about as good as Android does, because the OS is Android. Most apps are not optimised for e-ink, but by trial and error you will find out one or some that work well enough. The inbuilt reading app may be good enough.

Tarana · 02-16-2019, 10:06 AM

I considered the Onyx (recommended here) but unless your Dad is actually missing vision, where he has to use the largest text sizes, an Oasis is just as good and considerably less expensive. I typically use current Kindle size 7 or 8 in Bookerly and a screen just a little bigger would be nice. As mentioned, weight is an issue which is one reason I limit my reading with a Fire to online surfing and the newspaper. It's heavy. That is what will happen with a larger ereader.

As to pdfs, I've never been happy with them on ereaders - they are very geared towards tablets, IMHO.

Doranwen · 02-16-2019, 10:10 AM

Hmm, he was asking if there was anywhere to go test out these devices, and I'm guessing not, but maybe there's somewhere to handle tablets of equivalent sizes so he'd have a feel for how large it will actually be? The Mimas sounds intriguing, but I wish I had somewhere he could handle something about 13" vs. something about 10" to get a feel for how they actually felt in his hands… Would Best Buy or something similar have tablets with those sizes for comparison, or would he have to go to an Apple store to find Apple products that had similar sizes? (It's one thing to theoretically know it'll be "this large", it's another to actually hold one and get a feel for how it will be.)

Also, the complicatedness is that he's not going to be reading exclusively pdfs or exclusively epub - probably a 40/60 or even 20/80 mix, but there are pdfs he wants to read, and some are reasonably large, both in file size and page size (meaning small-ish print if it's stuck on an e-reader that's not large enough). It's hard to tell without testing the files on a device I don't have, lol. (They've had a tablet, but it's a relatively small screen and my mom's pointed out how frustrating she finds it to be constantly swiping to change pages because there's not that much text on the screen; it's quite unsuitable for the large pdfs that he wants to read. She thinks he'll want the biggest size because of that.)

Tarana · 02-16-2019, 10:59 AM

Best Buy has Kindles - ereaders and Fires. I haven't been there lately to see if they have all of them. The 10.1 Fire isn't too heavy and reasonably priced. In addition, I should mention that there is the option of buying a reader/tablet arm, either a floor model or attached to a piece of furniture to the side of you to hold a heavy reader. Also, if your Dad has a significant belly, if he has an ottoman or recliner to raise his feet, he can sit a larger and heavier reader on his belly. There are ereader soft pillow holders, but I personally don't think they hold the ereader close enough.

Doranwen · 02-19-2019, 12:14 AM

He's used to reading with strong reading glasses, with the book sitting on his lap, so the weight/size of the e-reader doesn't bother him, and after weighing the options, he's decided the 13.3" screen suits him best. (He nearly always reads in a chair with a good lamp, so I pointed out he didn't have a need for a frontlight that only the 10" screens would have; he first was all "I want that" and then I noted that he was never wanting to read anywhere he wouldn't have a good external light anyway!) I gave him all of your info and suggestions - thank you very much for the input! It helped greatly in deciding. Hopefully he'll be happy with it.

Begemot · 02-28-2019, 05:17 PM

Was going to say that Sony 13 inch e-readers are perfectly fine to read with one hand as they weight ~350g which is less than many 9.7 inch devices.

I love my DPT-S1, only problem with it that is PDF only so you might have to convert.

The newer DPT-RP1 has a more powerful CPU but Sony took some nice basic features off such as USB file transfer..

02-10-2019, 10:36 PM	#1
Doranwen Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 470252 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none, sadly, they all died	Larger e-ink reader for my dad My dad is looking into getting an e-reader and I will be sharing some of the e-books I have on my computer with him, some of which are epub and others of which are pdf. These are the features he knows he wants for sure: e-ink (not tablet) - he wants the great battery and easy-on-eyes aspects good pdf handling (I spotted one 177 mb pdf on my hard drive, for instance - an extreme case, but it'd be nice if it could handle that) decently large size (at least 10-inch) frontlight some kind of SD card slot ability to browse SD card by folders/filenames (he's not interested in searching the library by author/title) I've tried poking around - looked at the Onyx Max for instance - but I've had trouble finding much info on the total set of options out there (and getting info on prices was also challenging at times). Also, being several decades younger than him (and with good eyesight yet), I can't speak for how crucial it is for him to have a 13-inch vs. 10-inch screen - is there anyone in their 60s or thereabouts who has any feedback on e-reader sizes, particularly with pdfs? He has to use reading glasses and even then struggles with particularly small print that I can handle with ease, so I don't have the same perspective.

02-16-2019, 07:42 AM	#10
mobama Evangelist Posts: 432 Karma: 2303460 Join Date: Aug 2017 Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 3, Onyx T76ML, Kobo H2O Edition 1, Kobo Mini	Possibly the closest is Likebook Mimas https://ereader.store/en/boyue-likeb...-mimas-43.html - 10.3" Mobius screen - Frontlight - MicroSD slot - Handles pdf files about as good as Android does, because the OS is Android. Most apps are not optimised for e-ink, but by trial and error you will find out one or some that work well enough. The inbuilt reading app may be good enough. Last edited by mobama; 02-16-2019 at 07:49 AM.

02-16-2019, 10:06 AM	#11
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,977 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I considered the Onyx (recommended here) but unless your Dad is actually missing vision, where he has to use the largest text sizes, an Oasis is just as good and considerably less expensive. I typically use current Kindle size 7 or 8 in Bookerly and a screen just a little bigger would be nice. As mentioned, weight is an issue which is one reason I limit my reading with a Fire to online surfing and the newspaper. It's heavy. That is what will happen with a larger ereader. As to pdfs, I've never been happy with them on ereaders - they are very geared towards tablets, IMHO. Last edited by Tarana; 02-16-2019 at 10:09 AM.

02-16-2019, 10:10 AM	#12
Doranwen Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 470252 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none, sadly, they all died	Hmm, he was asking if there was anywhere to go test out these devices, and I'm guessing not, but maybe there's somewhere to handle tablets of equivalent sizes so he'd have a feel for how large it will actually be? The Mimas sounds intriguing, but I wish I had somewhere he could handle something about 13" vs. something about 10" to get a feel for how they actually felt in his hands… Would Best Buy or something similar have tablets with those sizes for comparison, or would he have to go to an Apple store to find Apple products that had similar sizes? (It's one thing to theoretically know it'll be "this large", it's another to actually hold one and get a feel for how it will be.) Also, the complicatedness is that he's not going to be reading exclusively pdfs or exclusively epub - probably a 40/60 or even 20/80 mix, but there are pdfs he wants to read, and some are reasonably large, both in file size and page size (meaning small-ish print if it's stuck on an e-reader that's not large enough). It's hard to tell without testing the files on a device I don't have, lol. (They've had a tablet, but it's a relatively small screen and my mom's pointed out how frustrating she finds it to be constantly swiping to change pages because there's not that much text on the screen; it's quite unsuitable for the large pdfs that he wants to read. She thinks he'll want the biggest size because of that.) Last edited by Doranwen; 02-16-2019 at 10:15 AM.

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02-10-2019, 10:40 PM	#2
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,696 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I don't think there's any 13 inch eink devices with frontlight from what I gathered in this thread.

02-10-2019, 11:09 PM	#3
Doranwen Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 470252 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none, sadly, they all died	Hmm... well, there are clip-on lights and things like that, last I knew, so that might not be a deal-breaker as much as the ease of reading text size and good pdf handling.

02-10-2019, 11:22 PM	#4
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,696 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	And there are 10 inch lighted ereaders too,, just thought that thread might, as they say, be relevant to your interests.

02-11-2019, 12:12 AM	#5
Doranwen Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 470252 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none, sadly, they all died	Yeah, thanks for linking - I did read it through, but at least one of the devices there I couldn't find a price, and even finding what it says about it doesn't tell me if it actually lives up to expectations - particularly given the degenerating eyesight of my dad. (I'm making it sound worse than it is - he doesn't need large print as long as he's got his reading glasses on - but he definitely wants a comfortable reading experience.) I'm leaning towards the 13-inch screens (my mom is pretty sure he'll want that), but I'd love to hear from someone who has one and what they think of theirs. Not sure how many there are besides Onyx's offerings - I'm familiar with them from having the Firefly in past years.

02-11-2019, 08:25 PM	#6
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	I think there is a 10 inch onyx with a light. The note. The onyx pdf reader neoreader is phenomenal with pdf. I don't think the big kobos have an sd card slot. Check out the onyx note, if big pdfs are important to you, but Ive never uzed one.

02-11-2019, 08:50 PM	#7
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	I'm not sure if this will help you, but I'm 60 and can no longer read small print such as ingredients on a bottle of sauce etc without much squinting. I find reading paperbacks a strain. One reason is that it's ages since I've been to the opticians and I need different strength reading glasses for each eye! Back to the point: despite this, I prefer easy-to-handle 6" ereaders, rather than anything larger. I install my own fonts, my favourite being Merriweather which I read at setting 7. It just means 'turning the page' more often; which gives a sense of achievement. However, I don't read PDFs, except on my laptop, just kindle formats, preferably AZW3. AND I don't need a huge font. If your father does need a very large font size, such that he would only see maybe three or four words per line on a 6" reader, a larger reader would be better. Maybe try something like the Forma, or the Oasis. Both are larger ereaders in the 8" realm.

02-11-2019, 09:55 PM	#8
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	Good points. Pdf even on an onyx will smaller font and harder to read than a real ebook. Saying that, a really big screen will render them better, but I'm talking A4 size. Mind you, a 10" in landscape should be okay. But as a general point, pdfs are not as easy to see on an ereader. I suggest you watch some youtube videos before buying.

02-16-2019, 04:38 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	A 13" device is big. Too big to comfortably hold and use for me, at least. I sold my 12.9" iPad Pro because it was just too large. 10" is a very good size for PDFs, although I'd always recommend a tablet for reading PDFs rather than an eInk device.

02-16-2019, 10:59 AM	#13
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,977 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Best Buy has Kindles - ereaders and Fires. I haven't been there lately to see if they have all of them. The 10.1 Fire isn't too heavy and reasonably priced. In addition, I should mention that there is the option of buying a reader/tablet arm, either a floor model or attached to a piece of furniture to the side of you to hold a heavy reader. Also, if your Dad has a significant belly, if he has an ottoman or recliner to raise his feet, he can sit a larger and heavier reader on his belly. There are ereader soft pillow holders, but I personally don't think they hold the ereader close enough.

02-19-2019, 12:14 AM	#14
Doranwen Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 470252 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none, sadly, they all died	He's used to reading with strong reading glasses, with the book sitting on his lap, so the weight/size of the e-reader doesn't bother him, and after weighing the options, he's decided the 13.3" screen suits him best. (He nearly always reads in a chair with a good lamp, so I pointed out he didn't have a need for a frontlight that only the 10" screens would have; he first was all "I want that" and then I noted that he was never wanting to read anywhere he wouldn't have a good external light anyway!) I gave him all of your info and suggestions - thank you very much for the input! It helped greatly in deciding. Hopefully he'll be happy with it.

02-28-2019, 05:17 PM	#15
Begemot Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 18638 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony DPT-S1, Kindle DX, iPad, Kobo Mini,H20,iRiver StoryHD	Was going to say that Sony 13 inch e-readers are perfectly fine to read with one hand as they weight ~350g which is less than many 9.7 inch devices. I love my DPT-S1, only problem with it that is PDF only so you might have to convert. The newer DPT-RP1 has a more powerful CPU but Sony took some nice basic features off such as USB file transfer..