(no subject)

[the_rck]

I've been thinking more about buying an e-reader. I'm trying to figure out what I'd want from a reader and coming up with more blanks than I like. I think that some of it is that I don't know what is possible and what is impossible. To further things, I'm going to make a list of what I want. The items that start with 'I want' are roughly in priority order. The stuff that comes after that is more or less noodling

I want to read epub format. I want the table of contents with links to the chapters. I often read from both ends of a book toward the middle, going backwards one chapter at a time. If I can't find the start of each chapter, I'm in trouble.

I want to be able to tag my books. I expect to have a fair number of them, and having ways to sort them will be critical.

I want to be able to read doc and pdf and html files, too.

I want to be able to read any book I own, no matter where I am and whether or not I have wireless access at that moment.

I want to be able to adjust print size and font. More options there is better.

I want to be able to buy from wherever happens to be most convenient at the moment, including Amazon. (Yeah, this is incompatible with wanting epub format. I never claimed these desires would be workable.)

I want the option for memory expansion.

I want to be able to test drive the reader before buying it.

I've never used a touchscreen. I expect I can learn, but the prospect intimidates me. I'd like to have the option to use some controls that aren't touchscreen.

I only need color if I'm going to use the reader for web browsing. I don't expect to read books where color will matter.

If I have the option for web browsing, I don't want to be dependent on wifi. Is that what 3G means?

Since things seem to be trending toward tablets, things that let you do lots of things besides read books, it may be that I'll be best off getting a generic android tablet and buying e-reader apps. Maybe.

I've got a very short time to make up my mind. This is to be a combined Christmas and birthday present (with a little Mother's Day and anniversary thrown in). If I'm not going to do it, I need to give Scott time to find me something else. If I am going to do it, buying just after Christmas seems to be the way to go. Not quite four weeks.

What shall I do?

Comments

[lauredhel]

I don't know what you should do, but I will warn you about the weight of tablets for prolonged reading (or shorter if you have fatigue/pain/etc issues). I love my tablet, but I'm now looking at e-readers mainly for the decrease in weight.

You also need to have a think about what kind of screen you're willing to stare at (a lot of people find backlit screens tiring), and what lighting conditions you'll be in. If you want to read in bright light or you find backlighting tiring, e-ink can be the way to go.

If decent PDF reading is a deal-breaker, that's also going to be a big determinant of what might fit your needs.

I can tell you what brands I'm leaning towards, but my needs seem to be fairly different from yours, so I don't know how helpful it would be! I've mostly come down to between a Kobo and a Sony, for what it's worth. Right now I'm kinda stuck on the "flash" that happens when an e-ink screen refreshes, but people tell me you get used to that.

[lauredhel]

Oh! And I recently got pointed to http://ebooks.dreamwidth.org . Could be useful for you!

[the_rck]

I already follow that community, but thank you for the pointer!

[the_rck]

Weight is a factor I haven't really thought about. It's a reason to make getting my hands on these e-readers and try them out. I need to consider size for other reasons, too-- I want whatever I get to fit in my purse with all of my other paraphernalia without making the purse seriously heavy. An e-reader isn't any good to me if I can't carry it when I go out.

The Sony tempts me because, from what I've heard, it's the one system that supports detailed tagging. Tagging matters to me a lot because I have cataloguer tendencies. Of course, the Sony is the one model I wasn't able to try out when we went looking a couple of months ago. We couldn't find a store that carried them.

[lauredhel]

Yep! I've read that Sony is the way to go if you want detailed library management and tagging. The Kobo appeals to me for the stripped-down touch-only interface, lots of font choices, and the customisable refresh rate. And I'd be lying if the PURPLE QUILTED BACK made no difference at all.

Different strokes!

[the_rck]

I'm a little afraid of touch pad interfaces. My hands shake, and I fear that I'll end up giving commands I don't intend. I've never really tried it, though, so I don't know for sure that it will be a problem.

The purple quilted back sounds like a great feature!

[scribblemoose]

I love my iPad. I'd warmly recommend them to anyone.

[the_rck]

I suspect an iPad is beyond the budget, at least for now. I can probably justify something about half that price.

Otherwise, I'd be all over an iPad.

[kyrielle]

Couple data points:

1. Amazon's Kindle format also can have links to the chapters, and usually does (book has to set it up, I believe). You can also go to an arbitrary 'location' number. If you go with a tablet, it may be able to run a Kindle app, which would let you view their books.

2. I have yet to check it out but was recently linked to Calibre, which is a freeware app that can convert between many formats, among other things. It supports several OSs, including OSX and Windows. From the description of features, it may be able to "fix" books that don't meet your requirements as far as font size and table of contents, also. I have no idea how well that works, obviously.

3. Yes, 3G means "not dependent on wifi" - it's cell phone service, basically. Usually it will cost a monthly subscription fee, where wifi dependence won't.

[the_rck]

If I can store my books on my reader, as opposed to in Amazon's cloud, I'd be happy with wireless. My budget would be happier that way, for sure.

I've heard good things and bad about Calibre. The bad has to do with a security bug. I wasn't clear from what was said about it, but the bug may only be with Linux-- I think I recall that it was a way to bypass passwords to get root access to the entire system.

[sorcycat.livejournal.com]

For an avid reader like you I recommend a device with an eInk screen. The eInk screen is _not_ backlit, requiring external light. All the color screens use LEDs. eInk can be read in bright sunlight and is easier on the eyes. The only option I know of right now for eInk and touch screen is the kindle touch. There are plenty of options for eInk without a touch screen. Amazon made an announcement that they are supporting library formats (which I hope includes ePub) but I haven't tried this on my Kindle.

[sorcycat.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and if you want internet access from anywhere, you need 3G. I got the WiFi-only kindle, so I just have to plan ahead in order to take my books with me.

[the_rck]

If I can plan ahead and have reasonable access when going away from wifi for, say, a week (as I did last year and almost certainly will next year), then wifi only access should be all right.

I need to think about it. I've seen how much Scott likes to be able to use the web and do e-mail anywhere, but he spends a lot more time out and about than I do. I'm seldom away from home.

[kyrielle]

I use a library service that can post to my Kindle. Thing is, it does it *through* Amazon, not directly...so I don't know. I know it can read a pdf, but I don't know about ePub.

[the_rck]

I'm used to spending hours at a time in front of my laptop, so I'm not too worried about the strain of a backlit display. That said, I'm not sure that I need a color display. eInk may well be the way to go. I don't know. It's one of the points I'm pondering.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I know you want to be able to play with it, but there are some really good prices on various e-readers and Android tablets at 1SaleADay (http://1saleaday.com/). Two or three times a week, they put one, or several, on sale for that day.

[the_rck]

Thanks for the link! I'll try to remember to check there every day.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

My Sony reader does most of that. With Caliber, it does quite a bit on the being able to read lots of formats and being able to tag the books as you wish. Alas, the whole table of contents thing is up to the ebook manufacturer, not the reader, so that is not under control. I can also say that I can buy books from a zillion different places and not worry about any problems. The only thing is that it has to be connected to your computer and can't wirelessly download anything. Mine does not have a memory card slot, but others do, and that makes a lot of memory.

I should say that my Sony reader has lovely e-paper which is easy on the eyes, and no touch pad anything. It is very very nice.

[the_rck]

Where did you buy your Sony? We couldn't find any place around here that carried them, so I haven't actually held one.

I suspect that there isn't any single model that does everything I want. I'm just trying to list what I hope to get so that I have something to compare to the specs of the actual readers.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

My Sony was bought at Best Buy as a birthday present two years ago. It has pretty intuitive controls that you press buttons to go here there and elsewhere, and I loved it. It's still in the house, but I lost the power/synch cord during the move, so it is currently powerless until I get a new one.

I also use the kindle app on my phone because that's quick and always with me. I don't like the screen as much, because it's backlit, but it does the job okay.

[the_rck]

Hm. It might be worth us trying Best Buy again. Maybe they'd sold all their Sony readers when we tried going there. Of course, there wasn't a gap in the display.

My phone is just a phone. I haven't wanted to deal with anything more complicated. I may have no choice when this one dies, though. I don't know.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

They might have phased out the Sony readers there. I know there was a release of new ones just after mine was bought. If you are going to be anywhere nearby, I could let you play with mine after I get a new charging cord.

I have an Android smartphone, because Bruce was enchanted with his, though I got one with a sliding out keyboard so I don't have to deal with touchscreen only when my touchscreen resistant syndrome kicks in. (I can't have a tablet. I futz up iPads severely, which led my friends who own them to be quite weirded out.)

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

[I just wrote a longish comment and then LiveJournal said "connection was interrupted" and threw it away so that even my Back button wouldn't get it back. Sigh.]

Jan says that battery life is very important to him in an e-reader. I think he said his Kindle can go two months between charges.

If I remember right, eInk uses extremely little power. It uses a tiny electrical charge to set each pixel of the screen to black or white, and then after that the pixels stay that way with no further electricity needed. Jan's Kindle uses this, but I don't think all Kindles do.

I've seen e-readers available to try at various office supply stores. Sounds like you already found some at Best Buy to try, though.

[the_rck]

I'm not so worried about battery life. I don't expect to be away from home for any really long periods, and I can always plug it in over night to charge. Everything I've looked at seems to have a decent battery life anyway.

I've read that battery life can depend a lot on how heavily the reader is used-- Reading fast uses the battery up faster (more page changes), and most companies, when estimating battery life, assume that people will only read for an hour or so a day.

I think eInk is common on dedicated readers. The fancier new readers that do web browsing and e-mail and games and so on tend to have color displays and no eInk. I haven't figured out yet if I want a dedicated reader or something more tablet like. I need to figure that out soon.