eReaders for the uk?

[redbaron101]

Hi everyone, Im new to eReaders in general, but did a bit of research over Christmas and was staggered to find that eReaders were available (for others around the world.)

I wonder if I can borrow on your collective experiences and ask for some advice;
I have a huge collection of pdf's, chm's and cbr's (cbr = zipped jpg) which I want to be able to read in the bedroom, living room etc. Currently it means lugging around a heavy laptop. So far I think the Hanlins feature the best for the formats I have got (especially the v9)

Q1. Does anyone know where you can buy Hanlins from? I live in the uk, and ebook readers are almost non existant (apart from the Franklin ones which dont even compare feature wise to any of the eBook readers)

Q2. Can anyone recommend any of the other readers bearing in mind my collection is mainly pdf's (but a lot of chm's and cbrs too).

Q3. Does anyone in the uk use ebook readers?? I cant understand why they just arent available here?

Many thanks in advance for your time.

[HarryT]

There are lots of us in the UK who have eBook readers; the most popular ones are the Sony, CyBook Gen3, and iRex iLiad, all of which can be easily bought here in the UK.

PDFs are a problem. Most are formatted for A4/US Letter sizes pages and CANNOT be read properly on small screens. PDF was never intended to be an eBook format, and is the worst possible choice of format for an eBook. The only eBook reader which will read A4 PDFs at all well is the iLiad, which is pretty expensive (£400 or so).

[Sparrow]

There are UK eReader users; but you need to purchase the devices online rather than in high street shops.

I don't read PDFs myself but the Iliad seems to be generally regarded as the best option for that format.

If you haven't already discovered it, the comparison matrix is a good starting point:

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

And there are lots of other threads from people in the same quandary previously

Good luck - hope you find one to suit

[simond]

I have a PRS-500 in the uk, obviously imported

I'd like to find a way to view CBRs well on an ebook reader but I've not been convinced by the one attempt I've made so far

[redbaron101]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There are lots of us in the UK who have eBook readers; the most popular ones are the Sony, CyBook Gen3, and iRex iLiad, all of which can be easily bought here in the UK.

Hi Harry, Thanks to all the others that replied too - its a relief to hear people in the uk do use ebook readers - does anyone have a recommended uk online retailer(s) where I can buy or view prices, or ones that have competitive prices, or have received really good customer service from?

[simond]

Originally Posted by redbaron101

Hi Harry, Thanks to all the others that replied too - its a relief to hear people in the uk do use ebook readers - does anyone have a recommended uk online retailer(s) where I can buy or view prices, or ones that have competitive prices, or have received really good customer service from?

Overall for ebook purchasing, I've been using Fictionwise for ages with lots of success, they provide good support too for the times I've needed it. They sell in various formats, but all that part depends what reader you end up going for

[redbaron101]

Originally Posted by simond

Overall for ebook purchasing, I've been using Fictionwise for ages with lots of success, they provide good support too for the times I've needed it. They sell in various formats, but all that part depends what reader you end up going for

cheers Simond, but I really wanted recommendations on retailers selling the actual e-reader devices (not the ebooks!).

Surely someone (based in the uk like me) must have bought one recently or could recomend a retailer? (or recommend one to avoid!)

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by redbaron101

a recommended uk online retailer(s) where I can buy or view prices, or ones that have competitive prices, or have received really good customer service from?

Do you mean for books, or for the readers? For the Sony Reader, I got mine here at B&H Photo, who ship internationally. Note that there seems to be a general shortage of units at the moment, as there appears to be a backlog of the eInk screens (common to the Sony, the Cybook & the Kimble).

[redbaron101]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

Do you mean for books, or for the readers? For the Sony Reader, I got mine here at B&H Photo, who ship internationally. Note that there seems to be a general shortage of units at the moment, as there appears to be a backlog of the eInk screens (common to the Sony, the Cybook & the Kimble).

yes, I meant the readers - I'm still not sure which one to go for - I have a lot pdf's, and smaller amount of chm/doc, and a lot of cbr's (zipped jpg). Does anyone know if you can use say Adobe acrobat to convert pdf's into pdf's compatible with eReader devices?

btw, gwynevans, did you have to pay extra in customs etc (assuming you bought from b&h- their website says they cannot advise on any import/customs duty) - i was hit once buying some stuff abroad, luckily it wasnt worth much, you get a note from the postie which you take to the local royal mail and pay the duty there.

[simond]

Originally Posted by redbaron101

cheers Simond, but I really wanted recommendations on retailers selling the actual e-reader devices (not the ebooks!).

Surely someone (based in the uk like me) must have bought one recently or could recomend a retailer? (or recommend one to avoid!)

Aah, I just got mine on ebay for $275+p&p back in June, I got stung for about £30 worth of duties when it arrived in the country though which was a pain, you can probably find the Reader cheaper than that on there now.

[JSWolf]

The best way to find out what eReader has for devices sold in the UK is to go to http://www.ereader.com and have a look in the download section.

By the way, eReader is the name for the format and software to read this format. There are no eink devices that will read this format at the present time.

So if you are looking for an eReader, then you are limited to PDAs/Palms/Cells/Windows..

[simond]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The best way to find out what eReader has for devices sold in the UK is to go to http://www.ereader.com and have a look in the download section.

By the way, eReader is the name for the format and software to read this format. There are no eink devices that will read this format at the present time.

So if you are looking for an eReader, then you are limited to PDAs/Palms/Cells/Windows..

I think he's using eReader as a way of saying an ebook reader rather than the eReader format, unfortunately I still have lots of purchased books in eReader format which I now can't see on my Sony Reader, least my Palm still gets used for some reading I guess

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So if you are looking for an eReader, then you are limited to PDAs/Palms/Cells/Windows..

Now now, Jon, play nicely. You know that he's using "eReader" to mean "eBook Reader", not as the name of a specific eBook format!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Now now, Jon, play nicely. You know that he's using "eReader" to mean "eBook Reader", not as the name of a specific eBook format!

Well, I would have ignored it had the capitalization not been correct for eReader. Oh well.

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by redbaron101

btw, gwynevans, did you have to pay extra in customs etc (assuming you bought from b&h- their website says they cannot advise on any import/customs duty)

I did buy from there, having it mailed via USPS. Reportedly, UPS are very thorough about packages going through customs & you can bank on the charge for VAT (17.5% on the cost + postage) but I heard that the readers might be 0% duty. There's then an admin fee on top (£13?). USPS is more variable, in that if your package does get processed it goes to the local ParcelForce depot & they reportedly send you a letter in the regular mail asking for payment (plus their fee) - I'm not sure what the actual costs are, however.