For my mother

Ea · 12-21-2011, 02:11 AM

My 78 year old mother expressed an interest in getting an ebook reader and asked me... So I'm asking you

We're in Denmark, and she wants to buy and read Danish books. So a Kindle is out and epub and ADE is in (though the books she wants to buy seems to mostly drm'ed by watermarking rather than ADE, which makes things easier).

She is comfortable with using her computer, but the process of moving files still baffles her a bit from time to time, so it needs to be really easy and just work. I don't live nearby, so she needs to be able to manage it herself.

My own best suggestion is a Sony. I've owned some myself, and they are the only ebook readers I've tried, apart from Kindle, where I felt the user interface "just worked" and the user experience was smooth.

I'd really prefer if I could recommend a reader with pearl e-ink or something equivalent. I think it makes a difference.

Other choices seem to be Bebook, Booken and Pocketbook devices. I haven't tried any of those recently, so I don't know if they've improved.

As far as user experience goes, I trust Booken most out of those, but their new Odessey, which looks interesting, isn't out yet, and they are not likely to deign to inform us mere mortals about an arrival date until it actually arrives :P

I've had a PB 360 and while it's a neat devise, the user interface is only for those with science exam

HarryT · 12-21-2011, 02:20 AM

Yes, Sony would be a good choice, I agree. Unfortunately, though, they are pretty expensive here in Europe.

Billi · 12-21-2011, 02:28 AM

- The Bookeen Odyssey is out and sold in France since a while but I don't know about Denmark.

- Nothing wrong with the Sonys!

- As you've mentioned Bebook: maybe the Bebook Club S looks interesting. It comes now with a Pearl screen
(http://mybebook.com/6-inch-ereaders/...duct_info.html)

- In general: I would advice you to buy a reader that uses sd-cards. That gives you the possibility to help your mother out if she really has some problems even if you're far away from her home.

Chi Cygni · 12-21-2011, 02:30 AM

Odyssey is out since end of November???

Ea · 12-21-2011, 03:09 AM

Bookeen says the Odessey is in pre-order... I assume it means you can't buy it yet.

Laura81 · 12-21-2011, 03:14 AM

I'd go with the new Sony T1. Or any Sony product. I just got a Kindle and I'm very happy with it but I'd love to get a T1 as well. Can't justify it though.

Sweetpea · 12-21-2011, 03:37 AM

I agree on the sony. And I'd also install Calibre on her PC and configure it completely yourself. Once you've done that, the only thing she must know is how to connect a cable, start Calibre and press a button...

I did the last thing for my mother. It really cut down into the time I had to spend helping her getting her books on her Sony. And I think she lives further away than your mother! (I even think your mother lives closer to me than my mother does!)

Harmon · 12-22-2011, 04:31 PM

If you can find a Sony 950, take a hard look at it.

At age 78, most people have some vision difficulties, and the larger screen will allow her to use larger fonts without diminishing the amount of text on a page to the point that it doesn't seem like a book page.

Also, the 950 is wireless, so if she has access to a wireless network, you can set up the 950 to access the Sony Store.

The 950 has SD card slots, which will allow you to send her reading material through the mail.

Finally, I expect she'll find the 950 easier to hold than a smaller EBR.

If you can't get a 950, or if weight is an issue, try the new T1.

And finally, whatever you buy, be sure that you can get a case with a decent reading light incorporated into it. Most older people need more light to read than you might suspect.

Harmon · 12-22-2011, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura81

I'd go with the new Sony T1. Or any Sony product. I just got a Kindle and I'm very happy with it but I'd love to get a T1 as well. Can't justify it though.

When you get your T1, the problem will be to justify your Kindle.

HarryT · 12-22-2011, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

When you get your T1, the problem will be to justify your Kindle.

A genuine question, Harmon; in what ways do you consider the T1 to be better than, say, the Kindle Touch? They retail for the same price in the US; what would be your reason for choosing a T1 over a KT?

stoobie · 12-22-2011, 07:32 PM

Having used a Kindle for a while, I'd recommend it for the simple reason that when you register it with amazon, you get an e-mail address that you can send ebooks to which are then automatically transferred to the Kindle.

So if your mother has a wifi kindle then you can manage it by converting books using calibre then sending the file to mother@kindle.com (or whatever e-mail is created for her) and it will automatically appear on her kindle whenever she is in range of the wifi or plugs the USB cable in.

All you need to do during your next visit is to delete the books that are no longer needed and theres no requirement for your mum to ever need to understand transferring files or converting books.

Harmon · 12-23-2011, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

A genuine question, Harmon; in what ways do you consider the T1 to be better than, say, the Kindle Touch? They retail for the same price in the US; what would be your reason for choosing a T1 over a KT?

I haven't used the KT, although I have played around with one at Best Buy. So the only extended usage experience I have is with the KK, which does have the advantage of 3G connectivity. It is pretty easy to prefer the T1 to the KK on size alone.

I have always generally preferred the Sony EBRs to the Kindle EBRs, even though the Kindles have a better ecosystem, what with the Amazon store & whispernet. I find myself buying books from Amazon, then stripping the DRM & reading them on my Sonys.

About all I can say is that the T1 feels better in my hand than the KT does, and the screen/text seem more comfortable to my eyes. There may be objective reasons for this, but I can't identify them so it might be partially or even totally subjective. I do have to say that I don't like the color of the Kindle, so that is undoubtedly one of the factors.

soulfuldog · 12-23-2011, 05:44 AM

So in other words Harmon, it's a pretty subjective personal opinion, and partly down to the fact you prefer Sony to Amazon ereaders full stop.... Even your comparisons are based on something you own versus something you've just had a play about with in a shop.

So it seems fair to say that "When you get your T1, the problem will be to justify your Kindle" is just a pretty throwaway comment?

Not having a go at all, I'd just love to find someone who has used both the T1 and KT and could honestly say one is better than the other for a concrete reason. Or perhaps, as I suspect, they are pretty evenly matched and any preference is going to be down to the individual?

Trying to look at it objectively, and only based upon what I've read/watched online if the Sony T1 had a tap instead of swipe to turn pages, and page turn buttons on the side instead of at the bottom, I *think* I would prefer it over the Kindle Touch, but it doesn't so.....???

Sweetpea · 12-23-2011, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

Trying to look at it objectively, and only based upon what I've read/watched online if the Sony T1 had a tap instead of swipe to turn pages, and page turn buttons on the side instead of at the bottom, I *think* I would prefer it over the Kindle Touch, but it doesn't so.....???

But the Kindle Touch doesn't have any buttons, if I remember correctly... But that beside, the KT isn't an option to Ea, as that isn't for sale outside the US.

Harmon · 12-23-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

So it seems fair to say that "When you get your T1, the problem will be to justify your Kindle" is just a pretty throwaway comment?

Not having a go at all, I'd just love to find someone who has used both the T1 and KT and could honestly say one is better than the other for a concrete reason. Or perhaps, as I suspect, they are pretty evenly matched and any preference is going to be down to the individual?

Yep - I should have put a smiley at the end of the sentence! So I've gone back & done that.

The two kinds of device will, from time to time, be evenly matched when they are at the same general point of development. The T1 and KT happen to be at that point.

But there is one objective factor to take into account. The KT has the advantage of the Amazon ecosystem. It just works better than the Sony system. The T1 has the advantage of a wider range of available file formats. So if you can anticipate where most of your ebooks will come from, you can make an informed choice.

This is mostly important for people who don't want to get involved in file conversion, DRM stripping &c.

12-21-2011, 02:11 AM	#1
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	For my mother My 78 year old mother expressed an interest in getting an ebook reader and asked me... So I'm asking you We're in Denmark, and she wants to buy and read Danish books. So a Kindle is out and epub and ADE is in (though the books she wants to buy seems to mostly drm'ed by watermarking rather than ADE, which makes things easier). She is comfortable with using her computer, but the process of moving files still baffles her a bit from time to time, so it needs to be really easy and just work. I don't live nearby, so she needs to be able to manage it herself. My own best suggestion is a Sony. I've owned some myself, and they are the only ebook readers I've tried, apart from Kindle, where I felt the user interface "just worked" and the user experience was smooth. I'd really prefer if I could recommend a reader with pearl e-ink or something equivalent. I think it makes a difference. Other choices seem to be Bebook, Booken and Pocketbook devices. I haven't tried any of those recently, so I don't know if they've improved. As far as user experience goes, I trust Booken most out of those, but their new Odessey, which looks interesting, isn't out yet, and they are not likely to deign to inform us mere mortals about an arrival date until it actually arrives :P I've had a PB 360 and while it's a neat devise, the user interface is only for those with science exam

12-22-2011, 07:32 PM	#11
stoobie Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle	Which one should I buy Having used a Kindle for a while, I'd recommend it for the simple reason that when you register it with amazon, you get an e-mail address that you can send ebooks to which are then automatically transferred to the Kindle. So if your mother has a wifi kindle then you can manage it by converting books using calibre then sending the file to mother@kindle.com (or whatever e-mail is created for her) and it will automatically appear on her kindle whenever she is in range of the wifi or plugs the USB cable in. All you need to do during your next visit is to delete the books that are no longer needed and theres no requirement for your mum to ever need to understand transferring files or converting books.

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12-21-2011, 02:20 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, Sony would be a good choice, I agree. Unfortunately, though, they are pretty expensive here in Europe.

12-21-2011, 02:28 AM	#3
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	- The Bookeen Odyssey is out and sold in France since a while but I don't know about Denmark. - Nothing wrong with the Sonys! - As you've mentioned Bebook: maybe the Bebook Club S looks interesting. It comes now with a Pearl screen (http://mybebook.com/6-inch-ereaders/...duct_info.html) - In general: I would advice you to buy a reader that uses sd-cards. That gives you the possibility to help your mother out if she really has some problems even if you're far away from her home.

12-21-2011, 02:30 AM	#4
Chi Cygni 秋子 permanently lurking Posts: 844 Karma: 6590735 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Europe Device: Oasis 3, Pocketbook Era	Odyssey is out since end of November???

12-21-2011, 03:09 AM	#5
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	Bookeen says the Odessey is in pre-order... I assume it means you can't buy it yet.

12-21-2011, 03:14 AM	#6
Laura81 Addict Posts: 360 Karma: 407796 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Device: Paperwhite 5	I'd go with the new Sony T1. Or any Sony product. I just got a Kindle and I'm very happy with it but I'd love to get a T1 as well. Can't justify it though.

12-21-2011, 03:37 AM	#7
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	I agree on the sony. And I'd also install Calibre on her PC and configure it completely yourself. Once you've done that, the only thing she must know is how to connect a cable, start Calibre and press a button... I did the last thing for my mother. It really cut down into the time I had to spend helping her getting her books on her Sony. And I think she lives further away than your mother! (I even think your mother lives closer to me than my mother does!)

12-22-2011, 04:31 PM	#8
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,630 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	If you can find a Sony 950, take a hard look at it. At age 78, most people have some vision difficulties, and the larger screen will allow her to use larger fonts without diminishing the amount of text on a page to the point that it doesn't seem like a book page. Also, the 950 is wireless, so if she has access to a wireless network, you can set up the 950 to access the Sony Store. The 950 has SD card slots, which will allow you to send her reading material through the mail. Finally, I expect she'll find the 950 easier to hold than a smaller EBR. If you can't get a 950, or if weight is an issue, try the new T1. And finally, whatever you buy, be sure that you can get a case with a decent reading light incorporated into it. Most older people need more light to read than you might suspect.

12-23-2011, 05:44 AM	#13
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	So in other words Harmon, it's a pretty subjective personal opinion, and partly down to the fact you prefer Sony to Amazon ereaders full stop.... Even your comparisons are based on something you own versus something you've just had a play about with in a shop. So it seems fair to say that "When you get your T1, the problem will be to justify your Kindle" is just a pretty throwaway comment? Not having a go at all, I'd just love to find someone who has used both the T1 and KT and could honestly say one is better than the other for a concrete reason. Or perhaps, as I suspect, they are pretty evenly matched and any preference is going to be down to the individual? Trying to look at it objectively, and only based upon what I've read/watched online if the Sony T1 had a tap instead of swipe to turn pages, and page turn buttons on the side instead of at the bottom, I think I would prefer it over the Kindle Touch, but it doesn't so.....???

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