# E-readers: pros and cons of different models and what to look out for



## ymu (Jun 3, 2011)

I started a thread a while back about good e-readers for academic purposes (lots and lots of .pdfs needing to be easily readable with column formatting, good indexing).

The advice was to wait. So I did, but I just plumped for the Entourage Edge, because I found the larger size for £300 and it was too gorgeous to resist. Glad I did too cos my laptop just died and it gives me breathing space to replace it. Have been using the Android LCD tablet side for work and leisure for three days now.

Takes some time to get used to Android, but fairly usable. Some websites are a bit tricky. Am trying to get my partner's geek juices flowing so he makes it good for me before I have to learn how to.

The e-reader is great. Turns pages fairly quickly, can doodle and erase. It will display web pages and word documents too, so handy if you're working from a text. Can open the same document twice, which makes checking back/forward for tables and figures is easy. There is an Android version of Dropbox so all my docs are just there, which is ace.

It's good enough that the laptop can stay at home, which lengthens laptop life and means I can get away with buying cheaper ones. It's not good enough for every day use if you type a lot, but with an external keyboard it would be very close.

The next generation probably will be e-ink screens in laptops, as the tech is now good enough to play video in colour. I would love a dual e-ink screen with decent keyboard and processor. 

I'd say the Entourage Edge is a good netbook replacement, but more than most need from an e-reader. The smaller version is a lighter choice if you don't need to see whole pages at one time. Excellent if you need the functionality, and perfect if you can't decide between an e-reader and a netbook. But it might be worth waiting.

The shop link used to be shit. A few good apps but no choice, and some stupidly expensive e-books. It now goes to a page bitching about google, and suggesting you try google for books and Amazon for apps. Amazon Android App store not yet open to UK customers but I assume it will be easy enough for the boy to find good stuff for me when he gets cracking. 

Engadget pic and review.







http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...rage-edge-review/&category=classic&postPage=1


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## Kid_Eternity (Jun 3, 2011)

Get a Kindle. There are no cons.


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## ymu (Jun 3, 2011)

Except pfaffing about with. pdfs. It's a non-starter for me.


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## toggle (Jun 3, 2011)

ymu said:


> Except pfaffing about with. pdfs. It's a non-starter for me.


 
depends on the PDF. 

Think i've been through this before on what i find comes out well and crap. journal articles that are single column come out perfect, sometimes it will keep the original page as well as the converted text.. pdf files of magazine articles that have text over pictures are crap. most other stuff comes out readable enough that it's far, far easier for me than reading on a white backlit screen.


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## mrs quoad (Jun 3, 2011)

toggle said:


> depends on the PDF.
> 
> Think i've been through this before on what i find comes out well and crap. journal articles that are single column come out perfect, sometimes it will keep the original page as well as the converted text.. pdf files of magazine articles that have text over pictures are crap. most other stuff comes out readable enough that it's far, far easier for me than reading on a white backlit screen.



Single column (by preference) sounds like a chuffing catastrophe for anything academic.

Particularly anything quantitative / proper sciencey and academic.

Is it my imagination, or does qualitative fluff tend to veer more towards single columns? Whereas something like the British Journal of Psychiatry / Medical Journal tend to be... what? 3-4 columns? Pffft.


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## Miss Caphat (Jun 3, 2011)

toggle said:


> depends on the PDF.
> 
> Think i've been through this before on what i find comes out well and crap. journal articles that are single column come out perfect, sometimes it will keep the original page as well as the converted text.. pdf files of magazine articles that have text over pictures are crap. most other stuff comes out readable enough that it's far, far easier for me than reading on a white backlit screen.




I have a Kindle for PC, and one thing I found really frustrating was that I couldn't find the actual page number of the page I was looking at, which I needed for my footnotes on a research paper. I don't know if they're all like that though.


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## Xanadu (Jun 3, 2011)

I think the latest version sorts that out.


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


> Single column (by preference) sounds like a chuffing catastrophe for anything academic.
> 
> Particularly anything quantitative / proper sciencey and academic.
> 
> Is it my imagination, or does qualitative fluff tend to veer more towards single columns? Whereas something like the British Journal of Psychiatry / Medical Journal tend to be... what? 3-4 columns? Pffft.


 
Two columns always for my stuff. Might change with ereaders, but it's always been an awful format for screen reading.

Being able to have the same document open twice is hugely useful.

I VPN to the libray and most stuff is there in an as-printed .pdf form. As long as I don't have to pfaff with them, I don't care. I got the impression the kindle was a pfaff.


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## toggle (Jun 4, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


> Single column (by preference) sounds like a chuffing catastrophe for anything academic.
> 
> .



90& or so of the acedemic journals i read are single column. so i have little trouble with this


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## toggle (Jun 4, 2011)

Miss Caphat said:


> I have a Kindle for PC, and one thing I found really frustrating was that I couldn't find the actual page number of the page I was looking at, which I needed for my footnotes on a research paper. I don't know if they're all like that though.


 
I don't need page numbers unless i'm quoting and io'm far too limited in word counts to use more than 1 or 2 quotes per piece. so this isn't usually a bother to me either.

the big issue for me is not reading on the backlit screen, i have particular problems with PDF files, far more so than websites that are black on white. I can't effectively skim read off the computer and i get migranes trying. and the workload dosen't fit into my life without skimming


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

The e-ink is massive. For well-formatted texts, most e-readers are ace, I think. Can't wait for it to replace lcd. Battery lives measured in days rather than hours .. ver welcome for us as we burn diesel for leccy, and it's fucking expensive!

What interests me, and thought the thread could be useful for, is the features that make specific specialist tasks easier, and fripperies that are no use unless you need them.

I'd also love to know how you work out if an ebook will be readable. This proprietary format stuff for ereaders and ebook sellers confuses the hell out of me.


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

Oh, the other great things are being able to attach web pages to journal articles and scribbled notes on journal pages.  Each calendar entry has a journal page too, so I don't need anything else when I'm working out of the house now. Our office is now completely paperless, bar receipts that get photographed and binned.


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## ovaltina (Jun 4, 2011)

ymu said:


> The next generation probably will be e-ink screens in laptops, as the tech is now good enough to play video in colour.


 
I reckon you're right - in ten years people will wonder how we ever put up with LCD screens that you can barely see outdoors. Also, they use far less battery, and better batteries are being developed, so you'll charge your laptop or tablet or phone once a month instead of carrying chargers and cables around.


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

<dances>

The more I use this thing, the more I like it. If I can track down a USB keyboard it likes, I might not bother with a new laptop. The boy could do with a new one so I could just stick with this and he can get the machine of his dreams instead. And we'll swap when I need some processor power. 


Ooh. It recognises the old knackered one I had lying around. 

<_eyes up gadget-worthy keyboards and notes PC World around corner_>


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## editor (Jun 4, 2011)

Kindle ftw.


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

Seamless .pdf access!

Any Kindle fans other than toggle care to explain why? Or are we supposed to just believe you?


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## editor (Jun 4, 2011)

ymu said:


> Seamless .pdf access!
> 
> Any Kindle fans other than toggle care to explain why? Or are we supposed to just believe you?


Look up reviews for the Kindle or read the thread here. People love the device.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jun 4, 2011)

And with good reason. It's one of the best devices I've ever owned.


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## ymu (Jun 4, 2011)

The Edge beats it.


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## lobster (Jun 8, 2011)

I just got a kindle, I am impressed, in regard to pdf, won't converting them to .mobi using calibre  remove the limitations?


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## ymu (Jun 8, 2011)

Thing is, I need an ereader so I can read papers whilst writing a document, and take work with me without knocking weeks off my laptop's lifetime every time.

I use dropbox for back-ups because I work on Windows, Mac and Linux, and it has an Android version, so every .pdf I ever downloaded was on it automatically as soon as I downloaded the app. And every one I download in future from any machine will be available on every other machine I use with no further action from me at all.

I might download 50 or 60 .pdfs in a session. I do not want to waste a second more than I have to on pfaffing.

Because it has two screens, I can read a paper in one window and cross-reference the tables and figures in the other, without constantly having to lose my place in the text. Because I can also scribble notes on the .pdfs, it is actually now easier than using paper as well as more convenient. In meetings, I can scribble notes in one window whilst referring to the papers in another, and add diary dates and to-dos in real-time. And I don't need to carry much.

So, for my purposes, there is no contest. The only gadget I ever bought that I use more than expected. Approx 10 times more, and it will pay for itself easily in saved printing costs, reduced expenditure on laptops and less diesel burnt (we generate our own leccy at ~£1/kWh).. And it's Android, so I expect it to keep getting better.

It's not what others need, but it is what I need. I was hoping that others might explain their needs and why different ereaders work best for them because it's a fucking nightmare comparing these things with no insight into the tech. 

But the content-free fanboys turned up, so I guess it's dead in the water now. Cheers for that.


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## Jon-of-arc (Dec 26, 2015)

Bump

Is kindle still the way to go, e-reader wise? This £50 model from tesco seems like a pretty good deal to me. I don't want a backlight, I want something easy on the eyes to help me drift off at night. 

Tesco direct: Amazon Kindle, 6", eReader, 4GB, WiFi (2014)


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## Lurdan (Dec 27, 2015)

Guess it all depends what formats you want to read and in what circumstances you want to read them. The original discussion in this thread seemed to focus on using the ereader for texts in a study context. Personally I'd prefer a tablet or small format computer (netbook, chromebook) for that.

For me the function of a dedicated ereader is reading books in native ebook formats - mobi, azw, epub etc - which adjust to the reading device in the same way that web pages do on different platforms or browsers. The PDF format which is designed to give publishers control over the look of a text is more of a challenge for ereaders. Some do better than others but I'm not over-impressed with any of those I've used for reading PDFs, and prefer my tablet for that. (There's an interesting youtube comparison of the pdf experience on the Kindle and Kobo here).

I moved from my elderly Kindle to reading on my tablet which was a much better reading experience all round, but for everyday reading purposes I got a bit tired of the fact it needed to be charged daily. And I can't just stick it in my pocket. A few weeks ago I picked up a first generation Kobo Aura which was then on sale at Argos bundled with a sleep cover (which puts it to sleep by just closing it). Thanks to the work of the online community of hackers I was able to update the software and get it going without creating an account with the Kobo bookstore, thus becoming fully standalone. It primarily reads epubs (v2 or 3) or its own modified version of the epub format (although it also handles other formats including mobi) so if it's necessary I can just format my ebooks using Calibre (or occasionally edit them in Sigil if something about them is really annoying) and sideload them onto the Kobo from the computer. More or less what I was doing with the Kindle.

The backlight wasn't a selling point but in fact it's quite useful. Next time there's a power cut that and my wind up radio should keep me entertained. I prefer the Kobo's navigation and customization functions to the equivalents on my old Kindle (for example I could load my own preferred standard font - the Kindle has to be hacked to achieve this - and getting to the table of contents in a book is quicker) but that sort of thing is always subjective. That £50 Kindle is much cheaper than my Kobo was however.

Horses for courses really - I think it's all about being clear what it's main function will be.


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## bi0boy (Dec 27, 2015)

We had a powercut the day after I bought my first Kindle (with backlight). Everyone like was like OMG total darkness what can we do, and I didn't blink an eyelid and was like sorry what I'm busy reading here.

Apart from power cuts it's not that useful though, unless you like reading in dark places without any form of lighting, something you won't be familiar with anyway unless you already have a backlit ereader or some obscure book printed with radium ink.


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## Lurdan (Dec 27, 2015)

I agree that given reasonable lighting backlight isn't much use, and some people find it more difficult to read with.

I have onset cataracts which have made me more sensitive to light levels and less able to distinguish shades of black. I have wondered if backlighting might be more use to me in the future as they get worse but I suspect what I'll really need is some of that radium ink 

Like all of these secondary 'features' it's only significant if you have a specific use scenario. (The Kobo can apparently handle comics in cbr or cbz format. Yeah, I'm really going to read comics in black and white on a 6" screen).


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## SovietArmy (Dec 27, 2015)

I got present Kindle Amazon, but I have to register for Amazon to get free books.  Because I am not in favour giving my bank details I don't bother there other side where I can get ebooks.  For the moment I still learning how to use.  I got a book from LibriVox text but the problem how my kindle can remember which page start to read next time, or I have to flicking truth the pages and remember myself?


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## Mr Smin (Dec 27, 2015)

SovietArmy said:


> I got present Kindle Amazon, but I have to register for Amazon to get free books.  Because I am not in favour giving my bank details I don't bother there other side where I can get ebooks.  For the moment I still learning how to use.  I got a book from LibriVox text but the problem how my kindle can remember which page start to read next time, or I have to flicking truth the pages and remember myself?


The kindle remembers which page you are up to on each book, even if you are jumping between several titles.
Amazon have my card details anyway, but I always manage books through Calibre and leave the kindle on airplane mode: I'm not interested in 'social reading'


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## Throbbing Angel (Dec 27, 2015)

SovietArmy said:


> I got present Kindle Amazon, but I have to register for Amazon to get free books.  Because I am not in favour giving my bank details I don't bother there other side where I can get ebooks.  For the moment I still learning how to use.  I got a book from LibriVox text but the problem how my kindle can remember which page start to read next time, or I have to flicking truth the pages and remember myself?



Can you get someone to send you a small amount as an e-gift card and open your Amazon account that way - without bank details.
I did that for my daughter (am in the UK) to fund her app purchases for the kindle tablet we bought her.


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## SovietArmy (Dec 27, 2015)

Well I did created Amazon account even I hate them.  I do not wish to buy for  books when is available for free from Libraries or LibriVox as well.  I want stay away because I can be stupid by mistake and click to buy.  Is complicating system and I am vulnerable about Technology.


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## Throbbing Angel (Dec 27, 2015)

Ohh, I see - I thought you wanted to use Amazon


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## spudulike (Jan 7, 2016)

I got a £29 Nook simple touch 18 months ago. Apart from reading ebooks, I use it in the kitchen to follow recipes as it's easy to wipe down. I save a recipe off the web, edit out the guff, convert it to epub using Calibre on my laptop or chromebook and then plug in the nook and sync.

Here's a site with an excellent collection of free books, nicely formated for kindle (mobi), epub, pdf etc.
eBooks@Adelaide: Free Books, Online


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## D'wards (Jan 8, 2016)

I have a Nook Simple Touch - I opened it one day and the screensaver was frozen, no matter what combination of buttons I pushed and how long I hold them for. I even bought a special screwdriver and disconnected the battery. Still the drawing of Kurt Vonnegut remained. A year later he's still there, mocking me.
I'm back analog now, which means i can ask for books for presents easier now, so don't really mind (i can never decide what i want for christmas/birthdays)


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## nogojones (Jan 8, 2016)

I didn't get on with a Kindle at all and sent it back pretty quickly. It was crap for pdf's, even after being formatted and a general faff. I've recently got a small tablet and find that much better, although its a little heavy, but then so are books


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 12, 2016)

Still value the Kindle, replaced my aging Kindle 3G with a lovely new touchscreen Kindle Paper a year or so back and couldn't be happy.

Overall it's been one of the top five best devices I've ever owned.


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## SovietArmy (Jan 14, 2016)

Finally I did learned about Kindle managed to download few books for free.  Currently reading Gogol "Taras Bulba".  Just finished Karl Marx The Holy family.


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## toggle (Jan 15, 2016)

I'm still a fan of the kindle for non-backlit-ness.

got the confirmation of visual stress syndrome, backlit screens dissolve into flowy patches of blur. worse on white screens, but will happen on any. wite text on black is worse, cause it's the text, not the background that blurrs.

kindle isn't backlit and it's not white. which works really well, cause i can' use it without migraines, or blurring, or without wearing coloured glasses. so i can read for as long as i want to. and it has that 'library in my handbag' bonus. 

only issue is it's insists on it's own format. and it's still an utter pita for pdfs.



SovietArmy said:


> Finally I did learned about Kindle managed to download few books for free.  Currently reading Gogol "Taras Bulba".  Just finished Karl Marx The Holy family.




you can download kindle freindly books straight off sites like gutenberg using the wifi.


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## 19sixtysix (Jan 15, 2016)

I was wondering if the newer paper style kindles are any less fragile than my Kindle keyboard 3g has been. Just replaced my screen having cracked three already. They don't take much more than a single drop and although it's a simple enough fix it's £20 a pop.


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## dessiato (Jan 15, 2016)

I'm on my third kindle. It's the basic one, as we're the others. One the screen failed, second one was in my bed and I knelt on it. Bought this one at xmas. I have a library of about two hundred books so load and unload as I want. 

My only problem with it is that it is difficult to use for academic study where you want to flick backwards and forwards rather than read straight through. For this a real book is best. For fiction  I'd stick with it.

Mrs D uses the kindle app on her ipad. I think it's better than kindle but without the size advantage.


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## toggle (Jan 15, 2016)

dessiato said:


> I'm on my third kindle. It's the basic one, as we're the others. One the screen failed, second one was in my bed and I knelt on it. Bought this one at xmas. I have a library of about two hundred books so load and unload as I want.
> 
> My only problem with it is that it is difficult to use for academic study where you want to flick backwards and forwards rather than read straight through. For this a real book is best. For fiction  I'd stick with it.
> 
> Mrs D uses the kindle app on her ipad. I think it's better than kindle but without the size advantage.



yeah. tghe flicking thing can be compensated for a bit with bookmarks and notes. but it's still most use for stuff that i want to read through. not use as dip in reference texts. 

but still, if i can find an e-copy of the ones i use, it's still nice to be able to carry them about with me. and electronically searchable books are a fantastic thing compared to some incredibly shitty indexing that has left me inventing new swear words


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## kropotkin (Jan 17, 2016)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Still value the Kindle, replaced my aging Kindle 3G with a lovely new touchscreen Kindle Paper a year or so back and couldn't be happy.
> 
> Overall it's been one of the top five best devices I've ever owned.


I agree with you,  the kindle is probably the best piece of tech I've ever owned. Totally focused on its primary function,  which it does incredibly well. Nothing extraneous.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 18, 2016)

Yup. Really shows that a single focus that add value really can work rather than trying to be all things to all people (I'm looking at you iPad).


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## Epona (Jan 19, 2016)

I still love my Kindle.  It's one of the older low-end models and I have other devices now (tablet etc), but when I want to lie down and read I use my Kindle.  It's much easier on the eyes, and lighter to hold/prop up (which is important to me as I have arthritis).  The best gift anyone ever bought me.


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## chilango (Jan 19, 2016)

I love(d) my Kindle Classic.

Got a Kindle Fire now, which is also great for reading (can read without the light on now, though its not quite so gentle on the eyes as the e-ink screen, put on sepia with the brightness down low its actually fine). Much better than the iPad for reading and portability.

My only gripe is PDFs. Hard to read on that size screen and converting to .mobi is really hit and miss.


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## SovietArmy (Jan 22, 2016)

Is anybody known long long read on Ebook for free I don't mind classical or political, good love.  
Many thanks.


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## ChrisC (Jan 27, 2016)

Personnaly I love my Kobo Glo. Great for both epub and mobi files. Battery lasts a month with regular use. Also comes with a microSD card slot. Not that you could fill it up, but I'm trying.


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## toggle (Jan 27, 2016)

SovietArmy said:


> Is anybody known long long read on Ebook for free I don't mind classical or political, good love.
> Many thanks.





Electronic library. Download books free. Finding books


Search Project Gutenberg

Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine


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## Epona (Jan 29, 2016)

As per toggle's post above, I can recommend Project Gutenberg - it has a wide selection of books that are out of copyright and free to download, so if you are looking for older literature and classic novels, it is a great resource.


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