Best eBook reader for large number of titles?

murraypaul · 06-22-2008, 04:49 PM

I currently read ebooks using TealDoc on a Palm T3. I have a large (3000+) collection of ebooks in text and PDB format.
Looking at the various ebook readers on the market, they all seem to use the same screen, so the choice comes down to extra features and the best interface.
I'm not in the US, so the wireless feature of the Kindle is worthless to me.
What I'm looking to be able to do it dump my entire collection to a large memory stick and carry it around at all times. Could someone advise how well the interfaces for the various ebook readers would cope with navigating such a large collection of books? With the Palm I can organise things by directory exactly as I wish, which is ideal.

HarryT · 06-23-2008, 02:42 AM

The iLiad is probably your best bet at present. It doesn't have a "Librarian" facility at all, as the other eBook readers do - one simply opens files directly from the directory "tree" just as you'd do on a PC. You could use a directory structure just as you do on the Palm.

Bookeen have promised a "folder view" for the next ROM release of the Gen3, but obviously how good it will be - or when it will be available - is a complete unknown at present.

murraypaul · 06-23-2008, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The iLiad is probably your best bet at present. It doesn't have a "Librarian" facility at all, as the other eBook readers do - one simply opens files directly from the directory "tree" just as you'd do on a PC. You could use a directory structure just as you do on the Palm.

Thanks for the info on how the iLiad works. I'd read through the manual, but it doesn't really give any information on this sort of thing.
It is extremely pricy compared to the smaller screen readers though, with the extra functions like the touchscreen that I don't really think I'd use.
How about the Hanlin readers? The manual seems to suggect that it uses a folder structure, but again I can't be sure.

HarryT · 06-23-2008, 05:27 AM

The main issue with the Hanlin readers is their extremely restricted format support. I'm afraid I don't know whether or not they use a folder structure for storage.

Infovore · 06-23-2008, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The main issue with the Hanlin readers is their extremely restricted format support.

Most certainly not. The Hanlin V3 supports a huge number of formats (including ePub). Unfortunately the one that's still lacking official support as of today is Mobipocket.

wallcraft · 06-23-2008, 08:36 AM

PDB can refer to many ebook formats, see the Wiki. If these are TealDoc files, I'm not sure if any EInk device will read them.

The iLiad does have a standard Linux filesystem which is visible to the user, but it only presents six files per page in its file view.

Infovore: I agree that the Hanlin V3, and the lBook, now support many drm-free ebook formats, but how is its ebook library arranged?

Infovore · 06-23-2008, 09:27 AM

@wallcraft

I posted an earlier comment on the interface question in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25344

HarryT · 06-23-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infovore

Most certainly not. The Hanlin V3 supports a huge number of formats (including ePub). Unfortunately the one that's still lacking official support as of today is Mobipocket.

I was under the impression that no DRM format was supported except a strange one called "Wolf" (?) that nobody's ever heard of. Apologies if this information is out of date! Although I realise that DRM is not liked by many people, it's still a consideration if one wishes to buy commercial eBooks.

What commercial eBook formats does the V3 support these days? It is indeed some time since I last looked at it.

Infovore · 06-23-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I was under the impression that no DRM format was supported except a strange one called "Wolf" (?) that nobody's ever heard of.

You are right, the only DRM'd format supported by the V3 is the 'exotic' Wolf. A new firmware with official Mobipocket support (including DRM) is apparently on the verge of being released.

HarryT · 06-23-2008, 12:14 PM

That's very good to hear!

murraypaul · 06-23-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

PDB can refer to many ebook formats, see the Wiki. If these are TealDoc files, I'm not sure if any EInk device will read them.

They are just standard PalmDoc files, so I don't think that should be a problem. Anyway, they can be automatically converted to txt very easily, so Palm support isn't a huge issue.

murraypaul · 06-24-2008, 04:29 AM

I thought I'd post a summary of what I've found out so far, in case others are interested in the same query. Please correct me if any of this information is wrong or out of date.

Bookeen Cybook Gen3 - Single book list order by title or folder location. No means of filtering or searching for books. => Unsuited to large libraries
Allows loading of custom fonts. Reported to be faster in operation than Sony. GPL violator?

Hamlin V3 - Allows browsing by folder structure. => Ideal for large libraries.
Harder to get hold of than Sony, less 'comfort factor' of buying from a well-known company. SDK recently available, development may open up.

Sony Reader 505 - Allows browsing by title or author, including jumping to points in the list based on first letter. Books can be tagged as belong to a collection, and can browse a list of all collections, then all books in a collection. => Workable for large libraries, not ideal.
Large amount of ancialliary applications for preparing and formatting books to Sony format, but development on the device itself is not open. Most easily available and mainstream of the ones I am considering.

iRex Iliad - Allows browsing by folder structure. => Ideal for large libraries.
Development is open, reasonable sized development community. 8" screen compared to 6" for all the others. Touchscreen is unique selling point. Poor battery life compared to other readers. Is it a tablet PC or an ebook reader, or both? Wifi on more expensive version. Costs considerably more than other readers.

Kindle - I have no interest in the Kindle, being outside the US, but what what I can tell from the manual it allows browsing by title or author, including jumping to the first letter, but does not have anything equivalent to the Sony Collection tag. => Unsuitable for large libraries.

pilotbob · 06-24-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

I thought I'd post a summary of what I've found out so far, in case others are interested in the same query. Please correct me if any of this information is wrong or out of date.

Interesting that you said Sony was workable when Kindle was Unsuitable. (And you have no interest in the Kindle) While Kindle doesn't have collections it does allow you to search. In addition you can have a small amount of books actually on the local Kindle memory with full access to your online library via Whispernet.
Also, Sony collections are just another single layer of organization, I never found it all that useful.

BOb

JSWolf · 06-24-2008, 03:50 PM

I find the Collections on my 505 quite usefl. I have 10 collections and it makes it a lot easier to find what I am looking for when I can't decide what it is I actually want to read.

pshrynk · 06-24-2008, 03:51 PM

Just for those in the US who are interested in Kindle: I don't feel that the Kindle is any worse than any other for large collections. None of the readers I've looked at have a simple folder system that we could do our own filing in. The Kindle gives me some help with its search functions. Just my $0.02.

06-22-2008, 04:49 PM	#1
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,726 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	Best eBook reader for large number of titles? I currently read ebooks using TealDoc on a Palm T3. I have a large (3000+) collection of ebooks in text and PDB format. Looking at the various ebook readers on the market, they all seem to use the same screen, so the choice comes down to extra features and the best interface. I'm not in the US, so the wireless feature of the Kindle is worthless to me. What I'm looking to be able to do it dump my entire collection to a large memory stick and carry it around at all times. Could someone advise how well the interfaces for the various ebook readers would cope with navigating such a large collection of books? With the Palm I can organise things by directory exactly as I wish, which is ideal.

06-24-2008, 04:29 AM	#12
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,726 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	Summary so far I thought I'd post a summary of what I've found out so far, in case others are interested in the same query. Please correct me if any of this information is wrong or out of date. Bookeen Cybook Gen3 - Single book list order by title or folder location. No means of filtering or searching for books. => Unsuited to large libraries Allows loading of custom fonts. Reported to be faster in operation than Sony. GPL violator? Hamlin V3 - Allows browsing by folder structure. => Ideal for large libraries. Harder to get hold of than Sony, less 'comfort factor' of buying from a well-known company. SDK recently available, development may open up. Sony Reader 505 - Allows browsing by title or author, including jumping to points in the list based on first letter. Books can be tagged as belong to a collection, and can browse a list of all collections, then all books in a collection. => Workable for large libraries, not ideal. Large amount of ancialliary applications for preparing and formatting books to Sony format, but development on the device itself is not open. Most easily available and mainstream of the ones I am considering. iRex Iliad - Allows browsing by folder structure. => Ideal for large libraries. Development is open, reasonable sized development community. 8" screen compared to 6" for all the others. Touchscreen is unique selling point. Poor battery life compared to other readers. Is it a tablet PC or an ebook reader, or both? Wifi on more expensive version. Costs considerably more than other readers. Kindle - I have no interest in the Kindle, being outside the US, but what what I can tell from the manual it allows browsing by title or author, including jumping to the first letter, but does not have anything equivalent to the Sony Collection tag. => Unsuitable for large libraries.

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06-23-2008, 02:42 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The iLiad is probably your best bet at present. It doesn't have a "Librarian" facility at all, as the other eBook readers do - one simply opens files directly from the directory "tree" just as you'd do on a PC. You could use a directory structure just as you do on the Palm. Bookeen have promised a "folder view" for the next ROM release of the Gen3, but obviously how good it will be - or when it will be available - is a complete unknown at present.

06-23-2008, 05:27 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The main issue with the Hanlin readers is their extremely restricted format support. I'm afraid I don't know whether or not they use a folder structure for storage.

06-23-2008, 08:36 AM	#6
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	PDB can refer to many ebook formats, see the Wiki. If these are TealDoc files, I'm not sure if any EInk device will read them. The iLiad does have a standard Linux filesystem which is visible to the user, but it only presents six files per page in its file view. Infovore: I agree that the Hanlin V3, and the lBook, now support many drm-free ebook formats, but how is its ebook library arranged?

06-23-2008, 09:27 AM	#7
Infovore Member Posts: 16 Karma: 24 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: HanLin V3 R2	@wallcraft I posted an earlier comment on the interface question in this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25344

06-23-2008, 12:14 PM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That's very good to hear!

06-24-2008, 03:50 PM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,005 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I find the Collections on my 505 quite usefl. I have 10 collections and it makes it a lot easier to find what I am looking for when I can't decide what it is I actually want to read.

06-24-2008, 03:51 PM	#15
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Just for those in the US who are interested in Kindle: I don't feel that the Kindle is any worse than any other for large collections. None of the readers I've looked at have a simple folder system that we could do our own filing in. The Kindle gives me some help with its search functions. Just my $0.02.

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