E-reader advice

[1duck]

Got myself a kobo, which in my opinion is better than the kindle as it handles more formats...then promptly downloaded a torrent with all the out of copyright classics...1500 books for free, that more than covered the outlay for the kobo itself.

 

[Neil]

Got myself a kobo, which in my opinion is better than the kindle as it handles more formats...then promptly downloaded a torrent with all the out of copyright classics...1500 books for free, that more than covered the outlay for the kobo itself.

Format support on the device itself is often overplayed - it's like some unthinking tick-list thing you often read in reviews, that readers think must be significant, but they don't truly comprehend, until they get whatever it is and start using one.

The once you get whatever it is being reviewed, you realise the often arbitrary criteria used as plus and minus points for whatever it is being reviewed, are often of so little relevance to the subject in question, when actually using them, and fades into insignificance when the bigger, more important features / facets are considered.

From memory, epub is the only significant format that Kindle ignores. And Calibre is your friend, there.

IMNSHO best criteria for buying an ebook reader are display, vendor support (ie library, and things you actually want to use it for), and features.

Trivial insignificances like document format support can very easily be worked around, with Kindle you get a free email conversion support for those people who are perhaps not that techie, and for the hands on people, there's Calibre.

So don't sweat the little things, think about the things that really matter to using one.

 

[1duck]

Got myself a kobo, which in my opinion is better than the kindle as it handles more formats...then promptly downloaded a torrent with all the out of copyright classics...1500 books for free, that more than covered the outlay for the kobo itself.

Format support on the device itself is often overplayed - it's like some unthinking tick-list thing you often read in reviews, that readers think must be significant, but they don't truly comprehend, until they get whatever it is and start using one.

The once you get whatever it is being reviewed, you realise the often arbitrary criteria used as plus and minus points for whatever it is being reviewed, are often of so little relevance to the subject in question, when actually using them, and fades into insignificance when the bigger, more important features / facets are considered.

From memory, epub is the only significant format that Kindle ignores. And Calibre is your friend, there.

IMNSHO best criteria for buying an ebook reader are display, vendor support (ie library, and things you actually want to use it for), and features.

Trivial insignificances like document format support can very easily be worked around, with Kindle you get a free email conversion support for those people who are perhaps not that techie, and for the hands on people, there's Calibre.

So don't sweat the little things, think about the things that really matter to using one.

yeah i use calibre i think everyone does, but still epub was\is a big thing for me anyway it was the main reason i chose the kobo over the kindle.

That said i really needed it as its all part of something else im in the middle of doing...but for most people yeah the kindle would probably be fine...plus if you get the keyboard 3g version you get a free internet browser! (which you can use pretty much anywhere in the world with 3g)

 

[Neil]

Got myself a kobo, which in my opinion is better than the kindle as it handles more formats...then promptly downloaded a torrent with all the out of copyright classics...1500 books for free, that more than covered the outlay for the kobo itself.

Format support on the device itself is often overplayed - it's like some unthinking tick-list thing you often read in reviews, that readers think must be significant, but they don't truly comprehend, until they get whatever it is and start using one.

The once you get whatever it is being reviewed, you realise the often arbitrary criteria used as plus and minus points for whatever it is being reviewed, are often of so little relevance to the subject in question, when actually using them, and fades into insignificance when the bigger, more important features / facets are considered.

From memory, epub is the only significant format that Kindle ignores. And Calibre is your friend, there.

IMNSHO best criteria for buying an ebook reader are display, vendor support (ie library, and things you actually want to use it for), and features.

Trivial insignificances like document format support can very easily be worked around, with Kindle you get a free email conversion support for those people who are perhaps not that techie, and for the hands on people, there's Calibre.

So don't sweat the little things, think about the things that really matter to using one.

yeah i use calibre i think everyone does, but still epub was\is a big thing for me anyway it was the main reason i chose the kobo over the kindle.

If you use Calibre, then, what difference does it make whether you the ebook reader you use natively supports a specific format like epub?

 

[BigFoz]

I have a kindle, and it rocks. None of the backlit devices can be used as much as a Kindle, which is clear lying on the beach in bright sun wearing sunglasses. I've never yet found a limitation in formats, everything I've needed to read (everything from Westerns, to Hawkings, to Josephus) has been available at a good price on the Kindle. Most of what I download is for less than £3, the vast majority free.

My Mother-in-law got a new keyboard less version for Christmas, and while it's as good to use, when you do need to type anything it's very clunky. That said unless making notes "in the margin" on non-fiction books, I rarely type on mine, I download from Amazon over whispernet, which is lightning fast, avoiding the use of the device for anything other than reading.

My wife has an iPad, and for reading text there is no comparison - the Kindle is streets ahead.

Real books are nice too - most of my non-fiction is still physical print, but how else do you take 30+ books on Holiday?

 

[Neil]

My Mother-in-law got a new keyboard less version for Christmas, and while it's as good to use, when you do need to type anything it's very clunky. That said unless making notes "in the margin" on non-fiction books, I rarely type on mine, I download from Amazon over whispernet, which is lightning fast, avoiding the use of the device for anything other than reading.

I can understand some of the things they've done with the new Kindle, but I guess it comes down to perspective as to whether it's all good. The keyboard thing is probably not a huge deal for many, and the smaller footprint without sacrificing screen size probably suits many.

Less memory, losing the speaker, and other removed features, though, and I still prefer the "keyboard" version.

 

[1duck]

Got myself a kobo, which in my opinion is better than the kindle as it handles more formats...then promptly downloaded a torrent with all the out of copyright classics...1500 books for free, that more than covered the outlay for the kobo itself.

Format support on the device itself is often overplayed - it's like some unthinking tick-list thing you often read in reviews, that readers think must be significant, but they don't truly comprehend, until they get whatever it is and start using one.

The once you get whatever it is being reviewed, you realise the often arbitrary criteria used as plus and minus points for whatever it is being reviewed, are often of so little relevance to the subject in question, when actually using them, and fades into insignificance when the bigger, more important features / facets are considered.

From memory, epub is the only significant format that Kindle ignores. And Calibre is your friend, there.

IMNSHO best criteria for buying an ebook reader are display, vendor support (ie library, and things you actually want to use it for), and features.

Trivial insignificances like document format support can very easily be worked around, with Kindle you get a free email conversion support for those people who are perhaps not that techie, and for the hands on people, there's Calibre.

So don't sweat the little things, think about the things that really matter to using one.

yeah i use calibre i think everyone does, but still epub was\is a big thing for me anyway it was the main reason i chose the kobo over the kindle.

If you use Calibre, then, what difference does it make whether you the ebook reader you use natively supports a specific format like epub?

Because my clients send most of the works they want translated or edited in epub, sure i could convert them with calibre and then convert them back but it all becomes a fuss...plus i have had strange side effects on the documents through converting then converting back it doesn't seem to be very foreign language friendly it turns accents into random symbols etc

If i had to buy again i wouldn't bother with a kindle i'd go straight for the kobo, because like you've already said the newer kindles aren't even as good as the original.

Display is just as good as the kindle, vendor support? unless i break it i wouldn't need that, they have a partnership with whsmiths so its not like its some dodgy chinese ereader. The only thing it hasn't got is 3g, which to me is irrelevant. If you can't find a wifi connection you're probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere in which case i think a new book for your ereader is the least of your worries.

 

[Neil]

If you use Calibre, then, what difference does it make whether you the ebook reader you use natively supports a specific format like epub?

Because my clients send most of the works they want translated or edited in epub, sure i could convert them with calibre and then convert them back but it all becomes a fuss...plus i have had strange side effects on the documents through converting then converting back it doesn't seem to be very foreign language friendly it turns accents into random symbols etc

If i had to buy again i wouldn't bother with a kindle i'd go straight for the kobo, because like you've already said the newer kindles aren't even as good as the original.

Display is just as good as the kindle, vendor support? unless i break it i wouldn't need that, they have a partnership with whsmiths so its not like its some dodgy chinese ereader. The only thing it hasn't got is 3g, which to me is irrelevant. If you can't find a wifi connection you're probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere in which case i think a new book for your ereader is the least of your worries.

I can understand your reasoning, now - and as you say, Calibre may not be completely flawless when converting documents with accents or other symbols - I've encountered that myself.

It's often possible to tweak or work around that, but as you have a tangible reason for native epub, then why would you - it can be a tedious, iterative process.

I guess my point, though, was in counter to most people saying Kindles don't support epub, and their main reasoning against that being a shed-load of epubs they've torrent'd - but as you may well use something like Calibre to sanitise metadata, conversion to a-n-other format is hardly onerous. Point being (which I accept, now, you have a valid counter) that most people mention something like this, probably because they've read something arbitrarily in a review, and the reality is for most that it has precious little, or zero bearing.

As to vendor support, I was more thinking of library available, things like whispersync, and their free email conversion support (helps with the less technical users). Also, in fairness, Amazon's customer support for the Kindle does tend to be very good.

As to my comments on 3G support, well it's one thing I have encountered that's something of a minor regret, really. My Kindle is a Kindle 3 (now called keyboard) WiFi model. Which at the time seemed just peachy. But I genuinely think 3G capabilities for an ebook reader (especially feature rich like Kindles are) to be quite a boon - not for buying books / content, per se (although I recognise that to some users it will be), but for the other aspects - whispersync - so syncing reading positions with other devices. Plus the 3G access on the Kindle is relatively inexpensive for the "product" you get. And I genuinely am in several locations with no WiFi access, but perfectly fine 3G coverage - and similar to many Android devices, Kindles only seem to want to use APs that are infrastructure, as opposed to ad-hoc.

I actually prefer the lack of touchscreen, it's one less screen to worry about keeping clean of finger marks, or the palaver of screen protectors - which on the Kindle's e-ink screen, at least, made it less viewable with more reflection and glare.

Also, I think it has to be said, many buy gadgets in a speculative nature - not truly sure what they want them for, nor how they'll use them. Often ebook readers, tablets and other gadgets are bought on that basis, then when people have used them for a bit, they either miss or regret things / options not bought, or their product choice in the first place. And in fairness, some of that only evolves through understanding and change of usage, rather than likely initial intent or desire / requirement.

As a generalism, I still think the following criteria is probably suitable for most (and is, in fairness, vendor agnostic):-

IMNSHO best criteria for buying an ebook reader are display, vendor support (ie library, and things you actually want to use it for), and features.

 

[1duck]

Yeah i miss 3g sometimes but its really not as big a problem as i thought it was going to be...i was shocked just how good the kindle was when i got my first one though, i thought it was just a gimmick but once you've had one for a while you do wonder how you got along before.

They pay for themselves so quickly if you read books that its a no brainer...it still irks me that they have the balls to charge more for an ebook than for a normal book, if they charged itunes style prices i'd not even bother downloading torrents, plus i'd be more likely to give a random book a dabble.

 

[trxrincon]

Sorry to sound a bit thick here but my friend got a kindle ebook for christmas and she has no broadband internet connection in her home and I believe they need wifi. My question is does she need to get some sort of broadband internet connection and wifi to use it?? Sorry for the daft question I really am not clued up on them. Please help