Ee, Need an eReader

[gabrielconroy]

Hi everyone. I've decided I want a nice new eReader as the ancient Kindle I was given over a decade ago is tiny and doesn't have a backlight.

Doing a bit of reading around and am intrigued by these newer Android devices. Specifically thinking of the Onyx Boox Leaf2, which allows you to install various apps including Libby so I could get near limitless books for free. Not to mention just downloading epubs and whatnot to load directly onto the device.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? It costs around £220 and seems a bit tricky to buy in the UK, so would likely need to have it shipped from overseas.

Open to non-Android suggestions as well, although am averse to the DRM mania of stuff like the modern Kindles in principle.

[Ferris]

I bought a cheap 2019 kindle a few months ago - think it was about 40 quid and it's been brilliant. No internet or sound, so no distractions.

Here's the thread:

This thread reminded me to replace my own knackered e-reader. Annoyingly I'm in the Kindle ecosystem (Bezos got to me) but new devices start at $150 and go up to nearly $600! For a kindle! Fuck that.

A bit of sleuthing and I found some 2019 stock amazon are shifting on the hush hush for $67/£41. Loads of space, cheap and cheerful so I'm not going to be all precious about taking it places, and the fucker has a backlight which I'm delighted about.

I'm trying to do more reading and less phone-staring in whatever downtime I have in 2023 so hopefully this kickstarts the process. Lovely job.

No stylus but you can't have everything.

[gabrielconroy]

Ah, thanks! I remember reading that at the time, actually. Will have another read and return if there remain questions to be answered.

[touchingcloth]

I contributed to (started?) that thread, and have had my Boox Nova Air 2 for 18 months or so now, and I can highly recommend it.

I was tempted by the Leaf, which is basically the same thing but with a smaller screen and no stylus (or touch layer for the stylus, so a brighter/whiter display) compared to the Nova, and the main reason I opted for the Nova was cos Amazon were selling them without needing to buy direct from Onyx and deal with whatever after market support they offer, which I suspect wouldn't compare well to the relative ease of returning things to Amazon.

The main thing I'd say is that you shouldn't see it as a tablet replacement for anything other than text-based apps. I use the Wikipedia app on there a lot and it's fine for that. Web browsing is a poor experience, and keeping the Wi-Fi on when not actively using it really drains the battery, which when browsing the web means toggling Wi-Fi on and off each time you want to load a new page.

Feel free to @ me or DM if you have any questions about Onyx gear, as I'm definitely a fan for something I primarily use as an e-reader.

I agree with the DRM thing about Kindles. However Onyx aren't lilly-white, and they haven't open sourced their proprietary apps as is required under GPL.

[Ferris]

Similarly I can recommend my bargain basement kindle, though it lacks a shitload of other features so ymmv.

[Memorex MP3]

I use a kindle oasis pretty much purely for the form factor

You can get Nook Glowlights for 15-20 pound now and they can rooted to run (very very old) Android apps. It's really weird that the prices of them on ebay have hardly changed in about 5 years though; they were a steal back then

[Ferris]

I'm not going to repeat myself* like the tedious old twat I am, but part of the joy of e-readers is buying super basic ones that don't have sound, or internet browsers, or cool and interesting apps.

As the owner/operator of a broken brain, it's important for me to channel my energy into one specific thing and limit my ADD-mind's ability to find other things to get distracted by.

There's a huge functional difference between my kindle and my iPad and personally I want the absolute minimum of features when I buy something that's designed for me to sit quietly and focus on a story. I'd guess that's less of a problem for Joe Normal.

^{*but I have done, haven't I? Pathetic}

[Funcrusher]

Wish I hadn't finally killed my old first gen Kindle with page turn buttons by dropping it onto concrete and cracking the screen. It was perfect for my needs, battery lasted for weeks. Got a second hand Kindle Fire and it sucks - poor battery life, slow to start and turning pages on the touchscreen leaves finger marks that just really annoy me. I'd much rather have page turn buttons and something that's just an e-reader, not a semi-tablet with functions I don't need. Been looking at new e-readers and can't believe how expensive they are, 200 quid upwards for something that just displays e-pubs.

[touchingcloth]

I'm not going to repeat myself* like the tedious old twat I am, but part of the joy of e-readers is buying super basic ones that don't have sound, or internet browsers, or cool and interesting apps.

As the owner/operator of a broken brain, it's important for me to channel my energy into one specific thing and limit my ADD-mind's ability to find other things to get distracted by.

There's a huge functional difference between my kindle and my iPad and personally I want the absolute minimum of features when I buy something that's designed for me to sit quietly and focus on a story. I'd guess that's less of a problem for Joe Normal.

^{*but I have done, haven't I? Pathetic}

As a counterpoint to this (and see comments upthread about browsing), the apps are really a novelty, and the main reason I use the browser at all is to download books from libgen. The plus side is that if I used the laptop for that I'd get distracted by CaB or whatever. The downside is that it means I get tempted to download a new book if I'm reading something that sounds interesting. Ditto for looking up new topics on Wikipedia.

I forgot to mention Pocket. That's one of my biggest uses of the thing - see an article on my phone or laptop during the day, save it to Pocket and read on the Boox in the evening. Saves wasting time during the day, and nuking my eyes with LEDs at night LIKE IM DOING NOW THANKS TO YOU FERRIS CUNT

[Ferris]

nuking my eyes with LEDs at night LIKE IM DOING NOW THANKS TO YOU FERRIS CUNT

fuckin gottem!

[gabrielconroy]

The simplicity and lack of functions of older Kindle/Kobo models is quite appealing. Just a little book-like object I use to read books, that's all.

But that said, I love the design of these Onyx jobbies and the ease with which I could get books and other reading materials on it.

@touchingcloth was the Nova Air 2 worth the 50% increase in price over the Leaf? I've never really used a stylus and honestly don't know how much I would if I had one.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I have the Barnes and Noble Nook (think it only came out in America but you can get them on ebay here for about £30) which are nice and super simple.



I struggle with having too much choice at my fingertips though so tend to buy physical books second hand these days.

[touchingcloth]

@touchingcloth was the Nova Air 2 worth the 50% increase in price over the Leaf? I've never really used a stylus and honestly don't know how much I would if I had one.

I use mine a lot for note taking, but if that's not something you're interested in then the price increase isn't worth it. The other thing I benefit from is the larger screen, which makes it more suitable for reading PDFs than the Leaf would be.

If PDFs aren't something you have a need for (I read technical/academic papers in that form, anything longer-form and more narrative I'll get in an e-book format) then the larger screen might not be of any benefit to you. On the other hand, if you mainly read those kinds of documents (and maybe comics, though don't quote me on that) then the screen would be too small and you'd be better off spending £££ more on the Tab. 80%+ of what I use it for is ebooks.

[Memorex MP3]

The Nook Glowlight was an absolute steal 6-7 years ago on eBay for £25. I gifted them to a bunch of people.
If you really want some tablet functionality you can root it and install very old android apps too.
It's still about the same price so I guess that's the absolute lowest ereaders will go.



I use a kindle oasis, wish it had a warmer backlight but I really like the form factor

[Spudgun]

I bought a Boox Note Air a couple of years ago, primarily as a note-taking device, but with the intention of phasing out my ancient Kobo Touch at the same time. My poorly-ordered random thoughts follow...

I deliberately leave the Boox's wi-fi disabled by default, only switching it on for specific updates and syncing. This saves the battery, while also removing all distractions. I don't use it at all for web browsing or e-mail or social media or any other tablet-style gubbins.

The only apps I've installed on the Boox are reading ones, e.g. the Kobo app for migrating my past purchases. However, that one turned out to be rubbish, so I ended up converting them in Calibre and copying them across via USB instead. I downloaded the Kindle app and 'bought' a couple of free public domain books, and it seems to work all right, if that's what you were considering.

Used like that, I definitely don't regret buying into the Boox family. However, on balance, I'd say that the Note Air itself is one size too big and heavy for me to be a comfortable everyday e-reader, but I think the next size down would be too small for the note-taking (which is predominantly what I bought it for). And so I find myself still using my trusty Kobo for daily reading, subconsciously resisting a full transition. I expect the Leaf will do what you want it to do, and do it well, but I've never used one so take that with a pinch of salt.

Maybe these ramblings are helpful, or not.

[touchingcloth]

The biggest issue with Boox is that I've never seen one in the shops. I bought my Nova Air without being able to try it first, and would have ended up returning it if I hadn't have liked it.

I bought the Nova Air C after a while with the black and white Nova Air, but I ended up returning it and probably wouldn't have bought it in the first place if I'd been able to try it before.

[Ignatius_S]

I do use a Kindle Oasis, but my main reader is a Kobo - used to have a Kobo Touch and bought a new one last year as I miss the usability. Handles side loading content very well, has Pocket and Overdrive support built in and just like the software.

[QDRPHNC]

Going to make a case for my tablet, the Mobiscribe Origin. It's kind of the runt of the litter compared to Boox, Supernote, Kindle, etc., but it's not much bigger than a standard eReader, it's cheap and cheerful (no camera or speakers) and it's a very solid reader and writer. A recent firmware update gave access to the Play store too. Been using mine daily for over a year now without a hitch.

@gabrielconroy, My Deep Guide on YouTube does good in-depth videos. Here's his review of the Leaf 2:

[touchingcloth]

It was ^ @QDRPHNC and his Mobiscribe evangelism which led me to Boox in the first place.

It also led me to MyDeepGuide on YouTube who does almost nothing but review e-readers, and is one of the best and most balanced tech reviewers I've come across. He seems to genuinely enjoy giving an honest appraisal of things, so his unboxings are hilariously lacklustre compared to some. Less "oh, wow, you guys, so, this looks AMAZING", more "huh, this certainly looks to be an e-reader".

He's got a review of the Leaf, in case you haven't seen it already:

[QDRPHNC]

I updated my post with MDG before yours appeared, swear to god. He is great though, when it comes to eReaders you literally don't need any other channel. He makes all others look like fluff.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

I do love my 2018 model Kindle Paperwhite, but I hate the big recessed Amazon logo on the back, it's like having TESCO written on it. Even the lowercase "kindle" on the front looks crap. Oh, and the power button is stupidly on the bottom instead of at the top.

[touchingcloth]

I keep my Boox in a book-fold case. The power button is on the top, and the magnet for the stylus is on the right which means that it's on the open side of the case rather than nestled safely inside the spine. The magnet is good and strong, but not strong enough that it's in no danger of falling out given a reasonable jolt in the case.

So I rotate it through 180 degrees so the stylus is where I want it, but this puts the power button on the bottom.

On the plus side it puts the charging port on the top, which means when it's on my desk it's oriented towards rather than away from my USB sockets.

Dunno if it's a stock Android feature, but I'm impressed by the Boox OS's ability to flip the system display - screensaver and power down image and all - any which way you want, so I don't look like I'm trying to read a book upside down.

[gabrielconroy]

Thanks for hooking me up with Mr My Deep Guide. I've watched a few of his soothing assessments of various eReaders now.

I have to say, his review of the Mobiscribe (along with @QDRPHNC's glowing reports) has made that a compelling option. Are there any major downsides to it?

I'd need to ship it from the US by the looks of it, but going to checkout on their site, they auto-apply a BLACKFRIDAY2022 code giving $40, off-setting the $30 shipping fee.

At the moment I'm between the Leaf 2 and the Mobiscribe Origin as the main options. Neither are water-resistant, which isn't ideal. The Leaf has better battery life, I believe, and probably a slightly better screen - but the Mobiscribe has a stylus! Ahh!!

[QDRPHNC]

Thanks for hooking me up with Mr My Deep Guide. I've watched a few of his soothing assessments of various eReaders now.

I have to say, his review of the Mobiscribe (along with @QDRPHNC's glowing reports) has made that a compelling option. Are there any major downsides to it?

No major downsides for me, like I said it's pretty bare bones compared to the Boox stuff, but for basic reading and writing and organizing it more than gets the job done. They also have a fully waterproof version called the Wave, I think that one is slightly bigger though.

Edit: Skimmed through MDG's review of the Origin (it was this review that convinced me to buy it). At the end, when he's doing the pros and cons, I think almost everything he mentioned as a con has since been dealt with through firmware updates. Better battery life, the backlight now goes much dimmer than it used to, and they managed to increase the writing latency too.

[touchingcloth]

My Deep Guide has just put out a video mentioning the latest Boox announcements, which sound like they include a new Nova and Leaf. He hasn't got hardware to review yet, but worth keeping an eye on things even if only because it means the current devices might reduce in price soon.

[gabrielconroy]

Thanks for the tip-off. Haven't bought one yet, partly because I forgot about it and partly because I have unexpected bills and have less money than I thought I did. A nice little price cut for the Leaf 2 would probably tip the scales decisively in its favour.