General e-book reader thread… just in time for Christmas

[Ignatius_S]

Recently, WH Smiths has started flogging Kobo e-book readers and I've had a play around with a couple of the models. I've been pretty impressed by the touch screen model (called... the Touch) – like the interface, it has some nice features (like expandable memory via a MicroSD card), good format support and has a reasonable price point of £109 (basically, it looks like for a decent touch screen e-reader, this is as cheap as it comes). I've been doing quite a bit of research about various e-book readers and the Kobo Touch has had good reviews – the biggest complaint seems to be that the Kobo Store tends to be more expensive that Amazon with less mainstream titles (as I'm more interested in public domain works, I'm not bothered by this) – and user feedback, very good.

The entry-level model, Kobo WiFi, is priced at £89 – I rather liked it, but I'd be inclined to go with the basic Kindle for the same amount.

However, Asda has announced that from Friday, it's selling the Kobo WiFi for £67 and the Touch for £107. Much as I like the latter, I also like the idea of getting something that's £40 cheaper.

People looking for a bargain may want to also consider that Amazon are selling refurbished units of the old entry-level Kindle for £79.

The Register has recently published a round-up of e-book readers – pretty decent selection.

Anyone thinking of getting one? Does anyone have any of the Sony models?

[Beagle 2]

I've had two Kindles in 6 months that I've picked up to find the screen all cracked and fucked up. I hadn't dropped them or been slinging them about, although admittedly I never got a case for either of them, just never got around to it at the extortionate price they are. Amazon replaced the first one and I guess would this one too, but I just can't be arsed. I always got the sense that they were basic compared to what was just around the corner. I actually found them quite unpleasant to read from and ended up reading stuff I'd bought on my ipod half the time. I would definitely go for the Kobo over the Kindle.

[Ignatius_S]

I've had two Kindles in 6 months that I've picked up to find the screen all cracked and fucked up....

Was that the design with the keyboard?

[Zero Gravitas]

I'd still say the kindle, my 3G keyboard is still running happily after more than a year of daily use and living in the front pocket of my satchel.

[Beagle 2]

Was that the design with the keyboard?

Yep, that's the one. Once I can put down to bad luck, but twice.... well alright, that's bad luck too but a lot of people seem to have had the same problem.

[Johnny Textface]

I use my girlfriends DS that she never uses. A bit of homebrew called dslibris on the old R4 card, find some .epub torrents and job done. Also - its backlit (still can't quite believe the kindle isn't !! )

[Ignatius_S]

Yep, that's the one. Once I can put down to bad luck, but twice.... well alright, that's bad luck too but a lot of people seem to have had the same problem.

That's a shame to hear – I rather liked that design. Generally heard that Amazon customer service is pretty good. In any case, I'm planning to get a Kobo – as I say, I really liked the Touch, but the WiFi price point at Asda is very, very tempting.

I use my girlfriends DS that she never uses. A bit of homebrew called dslibris on the old R4 card, find some .epub torrents and job done. Also - its backlit (still can't quite believe the kindle isn't !! )

Given that the Kindle (except for the Fire), Kobo etc. utilise E-ink technology, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Here are some of the advantages of E-ink.

There have been readers that have built-in LED lights, well the Sony PRS-700 at any rate. In the case of that product, many people reported that using the in-built lighting badly affected the legibility of text, which some found to be a bit of a snag and it obviously drained batteries. As someone can get use a clip-on book light costing about a fiver, I don't see a lack of built-in light to be a problem.

I have a DS and could also use a smartphone or tablet to read books, but I want an E-ink device as I find them a lot more easy on the eye and like the size.

[jutl]

Anyone thinking of getting one? Does anyone have any of the Sony models?

I had a PRS 505 for a good while. It was sturdy, heavy and worked well.

I'd still say the kindle, my 3G keyboard is still running happily after more than a year of daily use and living in the front pocket of my satchel.

Yup, me too.

. Also - its backlit (still can't quite believe the kindle isn't !! )

Backlighting is supposedly a contributing factor for eyestrain, and doesn't work well with e-ink. Amazon sell cases with a built-in front light that runs off the Kindle's battery, though.

Personally having used a load of different devices to read off over the years I tend to prefer e-ink very strongly. The Kindle Fire particularly looks like a very bad idea.

[I accept the terms of the]

Yeah, really disappointed that the Fire exists. The last thing I wanted was the biggest reader manufacturer pushing things back towards screens (I know a new e-Ink Kindle just came out, but the Fire could mean that they want to urge us away from that market).

[jutl]

Yeah, really disappointed that the Fire exists. The last thing I wanted was the biggest reader manufacturer pushing things back towards screens (I know a new e-Ink Kindle just came out, but the Fire could mean that they want to urge us away from that market).

I can see how it might be good if it's a middle-ground device for all the various services Amazon offers (video/music/books/apps) but from the US reviews it just sounds underpowered and annoying.

[MojoJojo]

Mirasol! I suspect the only reason it hasn't been deployed sooner is because Qualcomm have a strangle hold on the tech with the patents they have, and none of the actual OEMs want it to take off because they don't want to pay a Qualcomm text. Stupid patent law.

(or it could be some problem with scaling production up. Although the fact they've apparently gone from putting displays on BlueTooth headsets to a Korean eReader suggests it's Qualcomm who are the problem.)

I have a keyboard Kindle, and think it's fab. Although I have had to replace it after I buggered it up somehow.

[Ignatius_S]

Does anyone know ways around of buying eBooks that aren't available internationally (e.g. US only)?

I had a PRS 505 for a good while. It was sturdy, heavy and worked well....

Thanks – I need to do some more research in the Sony ones. A colleague of one of my friends swears by his and has totally put my mate off the Kindle.

...Personally having used a load of different devices to read off over the years I tend to prefer e-ink very strongly. The Kindle Fire particularly looks like a very bad idea.

It has been estimated that the Fire will get a large share of the non-iPad tablet market – and it's just been reported that it's had (well, estimated, anyway) to have had an impact on iPad sales for the last quarter. The Fire's aiming more at the tablet market, so the type of screen makes sense.

I can see how it might be good if it's a middle-ground device for all the various services Amazon offers (video/music/books/apps) but from the US reviews it just sounds underpowered and annoying.

There have been some pretty good reviews – AnandTech said although Amazon can certainly improve on it, but it's by far the best for that price point. However, even though Amazon is meant to be selling them below cost, there was bound to be some trade-offs - and sure a fair few won't be satisfied with those.

Mirasol! I suspect the only reason it hasn't been deployed sooner is because Qualcomm have a strangle hold on the tech with the patents they have, and none of the actual OEMs want it to take off because they don't want to pay a Qualcomm text. Stupid patent law.

(or it could be some problem with scaling production up. Although the fact they've apparently gone from putting displays on BlueTooth headsets to a Korean eReader suggests it's Qualcomm who are the problem.)....

Qualcomm have been pretty tight-lipped about it, so I think it's hard to know just what's going on. However, it's been suggested that Qualcomm want to do a soft launch with the reader that was recently announced as Mirasol was harder to developer that it thought. In the past, there had been public demonstrations hadn't moved on from those 12 months or so earlier, when there was work clearly still had to be done – so I suspect it is to do with actual development.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

We got my mum one of the new Kindles recently. The screen is certainly much better than an LCD for its intended purpose, but I was left questioning some of the other design choices. The page turning buttons felt really awkwardly placed for one thing and, while it was straighforward enough for me, it took her a few goes to get used to all the menus and such. I imagine the touchscreen version would alleviate all such issues, but they weren't on sale.

Also, I wonder how secure it is to use online.

[Zetetic]

it took her a few goes to get used to all the menus and such.

The UI isn't nearly as good as it could be, but it's pretty consistent at least when you do get used to it.

Also, I wonder how secure it is to use online.

?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Signing in to your Amazon account on it to buy books, or using the built in browser. Given how popular they are, it's got to be a tempting target for viruses and such, unless it's somehow immune to them.

[Phil_A]

Just bought myself a Kobo Touch Edition(I would've been happy with the cheaper, buttoned variety, but they were sold out). I'm pretty impressed with it so far, very nice to hold, simple controls and it's extremely easy to get books onto. It even has a web browser, which I wasn't expecting as it's not been mentioned as a feature. It's pretty basic, much like the Kindle one, but it seems to work okay for text-based sites.

The only problem I've found so far is the text is uncomfortably small in PDF mode, and if you zoom in to read it then it becomes extremely fiddly to move onto the next page, as you have to manually the drag the whole thing over until the next page arrow appears. Good job it's a piece of piss to convert PDFs to epubs.

[buntyman]

After a trip abroad and a series of power cuts recently, my love affair with my Kindle has been rekoboed. I was in Toronto for a wedding just before Christmas and the free 3G feature is just brilliant. I was able to Facebook message and e-mail various friends out there to arrange for meeting up and it did the job very well (albeit a bit slowly) and was a huge saving on the £7.50 per Mb of data that T-mobile were trying to charge me. I was also able to use it to download to Guardian to read on a couple of long car journeys and catch up on the british news. I also had the I Partridge audiobook on it (another feature that I think they removed on the new kindle) and it's the best device I think there is for audiobooks with easy starting and stopping and a clear interface.
For reading books, I love the display and the buttons are easy to use. I am genuinely more comfortable holding and reading my kindle than an actual paperback. It's a bit of a shame that it's so much cheaper to buy these in the USA than here (and importing doesn't work as it has to be linked to your home account) but it's still the best electronic device I have and probably have ever had. I have the lighty up case which lights the screen much better than you'd think from the website picture - I though the light would be more concentrated in the corner nearest to the light but not so. It has kept it well protected and, as long as it doesn't pack in, I can't see myself ever wanting to upgrade.

[wasp_f15ting]

I really hope they do release a higher DPI versions of Ebooks.. I find the kindle and everything with a perl display very grainy to read. Especially when compared to the Retina display, the retina display on the ip4 though is far too small and radiates light.. so having an E-ink display at 326dpi or even 300dpi would be pretty amazing as it would be just like reading print.

Just had a look and it seems epson are developing a 300dpi eink display.. I can't wait!

[Ignatius_S]

...It's a bit of a shame that it's so much cheaper to buy these in the USA than here (and importing doesn't work as it has to be linked to your home account)...

Isn't that the case for the ad-supported versions, but not the regular ones? For example, the entry-level Kindle cost only a few quid more once VAT was taken into account.

Amazon sells the 3G keyboard model for $189 – after converting to sterling and adding VAT, that works out as a little over £147, which is just under £2 the UK price.

... It has kept it well protected and, as long as it doesn't pack in, I can't see myself ever wanting to upgrade.

That's a key thing that I think about e-readers – what they do, they do exceptionally well and if you're happy, there's no compelling reason need to upgrade.

... having an E-ink display at 326dpi or even 300dpi would be pretty amazing as it would be just like reading print.

Just had a look and it seems epson are developing a 300dpi eink display.. I can't wait!

Personally, I find it already is like reading print – and far more comfortable than using a backlit device.

Has there been any progress with the Epson project? It was announced a while back but there was no date when we could expect products. They were also talking about screens having to be bigger, which I think will be a drawback for some. 

[Zetetic]

That's a key thing that I think about e-readers – what they do, they do exceptionally well and if you're happy, there's no compelling reason need to upgrade.

I think there's quite a lot of room for improved interfaces - specifically as regards the Kindle. And while that shouldn't necessitate a hardware change, I bet it will.

[buntyman]

Yeah maybe but I'm used to it and once you've actually opened the book, there's not much else they can do to improve things is there? I think the screen is amazing, it couldn't be much more portable without compromising on screen size and the storage space is more than enough. These are all things that I can imagine always being improved upon on any other portable device but not the kindle.

[Ignatius_S]

I think there's quite a lot of room for improved interfaces - specifically as regards the Kindle. And while that shouldn't necessitate a hardware change, I bet it will.

Oh, I'm sure that any changes will go hand in hand with a physical one!

Although I agree interfaces could be improved, what I meant is that if someone is very happy with their e-reader, it's hard to think of what would be a compelling reason to upgrade.

I know buntyman has responded, but I was going to mention him because of what he's posted (not just in this thread) – his Kindle has been a great and versatile performer. In my own case, I went with a Kobo Touch as I liked the interface a lot and wanted a touch screen – I'm sure that aspects could be improved, but it does very well what I wanted it for. Battery life is good, storage is decent (and I can add more if I want), I like the touch and feel and the screen is great – it's pleasure to read with.

At the moment, I suspect that battery life will prove to be the reason to 'upgrade'.

[buntyman]

I know buntyman has responded, but I was going to mention him because of what he's posted (not just in this thread) – his Kindle has been a great and versatile performer.

Haha, if you were intending to make me out to be a right wanker, you've succeeded! I'll cease my gushing over my Kindle forthwith.

[Ignatius_S]

Haha, if you were intending to make me out to be a right wanker, you've succeeded! I'll cease my gushing over my Kindle forthwith.

No, not a bit – far from it!

From what you've posted, you've shown that it's been a great piece of kit to use abroad, that you use it for more than just e-books and you've found the performance great – other than wanting the latest (but not necessarily greatest) gadget, I can't think why you would want or need to upgrade. What you had said I thought was fantastic evidence for why if someone is happy with an e-reader, there's no real reason to get a new one – particularly, as you've been using it for a while.

[Zetetic]

Yeah maybe but I'm used to it and once you've actually opened the book, there's not much else they can do to improve things is there?

Mostly. It's pretty good in books, so long as they're novels (or at least something you want to read sequentially and only sequentially). It's much more of a pain in to navigate tables of contents than it needs to be, to pick a really easy example; I wonder if some of that is that Amazon is loath to introduce interface elements that might not be applicable in every book. (Conversely, I'm surprised that they don't take greater advantage of mobi/Kindle-Format requirements; going with the table of contents example, every book they sell has to include that information.)

And outside of books, the interface is serviceable (particularly for the small number of 'books' that I have on there, and Calibre helps a bit, but has other bugs that are limiting my use of it).

Although I agree interfaces could be improved, what I meant is that if someone is very happy with their e-reader, it's hard to think of what would be a compelling reason to upgrade.

I suspect you're probably right. I wonder how Amazon intends to keep pushing the hardware.

Right now I'm managing to be a very tiny bit paranoid over this:

Kindle Fire is the first Kindle device to support KF8 - in the coming months KF8 will be rolled out to our latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as our free Kindle reading apps.

That's from the KF8 tools release email sent out today. And also from the press release sent out in October.

To be honest I suspect hat support is forth-coming, and they're just dragging their heels. I have scripts that generate 'books' with train and weather information (and RSS feeds), and it looks as though KF8 will ease formatting stuff like that a bit.