Author Topic: Ebook Readers  (Read 162192 times)

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1075 on: 09 January, 2014, 09:36:49 am »
Kobo Touch appears to be going for £30 in WH Smiths at the mo.

I don't know anything about them/how good they are - saw in a local Smiths - always somewhat surprised that the chain still exists.

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1076 on: 09 January, 2014, 09:52:16 am »
As a basic e-reader they are good.

However, and it is a big however, if you want functions like increasing font size etc, you HAVE to buy the books via the Kobo store.  TLD has one and finds it great for what she wants, I, however, in my advancing years prefer the Sony ones which allow you to increase the font size (for those times when your arms are too short :) ).  Sony refurbed e-readers can be got for the same or not a lot more than a Kobo from Morgan Computers or CEX.
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Salvatore

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1077 on: 09 January, 2014, 10:06:02 am »
As a basic e-reader they are good.

However, and it is a big however, if you want functions like increasing font size etc, you HAVE to buy the books via the Kobo store.  TLD has one and finds it great for what she wants, I, however, in my advancing years prefer the Sony ones which allow you to increase the font size (for those times when your arms are too short :) ).  Sony refurbed e-readers can be got for the same or not a lot more than a Kobo from Morgan Computers or CEX.

Really?

I have no trouble changing font size on my Kobo touch, and I've never bought anything from the Kobo store. I've just tried it with an overdrive library book and on  one downloaded from gutenberg.org. It's now displaying only 5 lines on the page in a huge font. I've also changed the typeface.
 
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1078 on: 09 January, 2014, 10:10:25 am »
As a basic e-reader they are good.

However, and it is a big however, if you want functions like increasing font size etc, you HAVE to buy the books via the Kobo store.  TLD has one and finds it great for what she wants, I, however, in my advancing years prefer the Sony ones which allow you to increase the font size (for those times when your arms are too short :) ).  Sony refurbed e-readers can be got for the same or not a lot more than a Kobo from Morgan Computers or CEX.

Really?

I have no trouble changing font size on my Kobo touch, and I've never bought anything from the Kobo store. I've just tried it with an overdrive library book and on  one downloaded from gutenberg.org. It's now displaying only 5 lines on the page in a huge font. I've also changed the typeface.

Maybe a (missed by me) firmware update fixes that issue?
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Salvatore

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1079 on: 09 January, 2014, 10:19:26 am »
As a basic e-reader they are good.

However, and it is a big however, if you want functions like increasing font size etc, you HAVE to buy the books via the Kobo store.  TLD has one and finds it great for what she wants, I, however, in my advancing years prefer the Sony ones which allow you to increase the font size (for those times when your arms are too short :) ).  Sony refurbed e-readers can be got for the same or not a lot more than a Kobo from Morgan Computers or CEX.

Really?

I have no trouble changing font size on my Kobo touch, and I've never bought anything from the Kobo store. I've just tried it with an overdrive library book and on  one downloaded from gutenberg.org. It's now displaying only 5 lines on the page in a huge font. I've also changed the typeface.

Maybe a (missed by me) firmware update fixes that issue?

I updated fairly recently (last month) and it's on 3.0.0. 
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1080 on: 09 January, 2014, 10:23:27 am »
I have a look when I get home and update if required.
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

mcshroom

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1081 on: 09 January, 2014, 10:40:03 am »
It works with mine (most of my books are gutenberg or calibre conversions of kindle - maybe calbre helps there), though sometimes you need to move the slider a decent distance to get any change at all.
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1082 on: 09 January, 2014, 11:21:28 am »
The NOOK Simple Touch GlowLight is down to £49.00 at John Lewis - having already replaced a lost Kindle for my girlfriend with a standard NOOK (which you can pick up for £29.00 if you can find them in stock anywhere), and being happy with using Calibre, I picked one up for Mum for Christmas knowing I could load it up with more than enough books to keep her going before my next visit!

Very impressed with it, certainly feels like a quality bit of kit and the backlight function is far better than I anticipated. The two-year return to store warranty is also a lovely bonus.

re: Kobo's - I was tempted to pick up one of the Mini's for commuting/travel, they really are tiny but perhaps a little too small for long sessions of reading?
One Man and LEJOG : End-to-End on Two Wheels in Two Weeks (Buy the book; or Kindle it)

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1083 on: 12 January, 2014, 01:24:39 pm »
Who would like to be my Nook friend?  :)
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1084 on: 23 January, 2014, 04:46:51 pm »
This is my latest finding.

Seen a blog you want to read on the way home on the train?
Install this, http://dotepub.com/ press the green dot, transfer the file to your e-reader and it's slurped down the whole page, converted it to epub (or mobi) and saved it to your hard drive.
Fantastic!

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1085 on: 27 March, 2014, 10:06:21 am »
I have a three year old Sony ebook, which works but I find myself wondering about an upgrade. The lure of Amazon isn't that strong. I want a reader not a tablet. Some light would be an improvement, though I suspect a better bedside light would be cheaper. Two questions...

1) Is the Kobo Aura any better than the Glo? On the web site the difference is mostly flowery language, and the pictures make the Aura look more reflective (which would be bad), but the reflections look photoshopped so I'm not sure if it is really that bad!

2) How are they for reading PDFs? In particular multi-column and magazine layout stuff that has been produced for paper. A lot of my reading is academic papers and when I tried on my Sony it was just hard work and a paper copy in my bag was more usable.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1086 on: 27 March, 2014, 09:24:40 pm »
How are they for reading PDFs? In particular multi-column and magazine layout stuff that has been produced for paper. A lot of my reading is academic papers and when I tried on my Sony it was just hard work and a paper copy in my bag was more usable.

If you read a lot of A4-format PDFs, you'll probably want either a Kindle DX or a tablet-type device with an LCD screen. A standard 6" e-ink display handles A4 format PDFs quite poorly, because the resolution isn't high enough to display them full-page and because the low refresh rate makes scrolling and zooming a chore. Like you, I gave up on trying to read academic papers on an e-reader, but I find that a 7" tablet does a perfectly satisfactory job, especially one with a high-resolution display.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1087 on: 28 March, 2014, 09:46:37 am »
How are they for reading PDFs? In particular multi-column and magazine layout stuff that has been produced for paper. A lot of my reading is academic papers and when I tried on my Sony it was just hard work and a paper copy in my bag was more usable.

If you read a lot of A4-format PDFs, you'll probably want either a Kindle DX or a tablet-type device with an LCD screen. A standard 6" e-ink display handles A4 format PDFs quite poorly, because the resolution isn't high enough to display them full-page and because the low refresh rate makes scrolling and zooming a chore. Like you, I gave up on trying to read academic papers on an e-reader, but I find that a 7" tablet does a perfectly satisfactory job, especially one with a high-resolution display.

+1 - In spades.

I have a Kindle e-ink reader and an iPad. The Kindle is fantastic for purely text based stuff, I have read hundreds of books on it. If however its anything with diagrams or PDFs than it's rubbish and the iPad blows it away. I read loads of PDFs as part of my job (technical manuals and white papers) and on the iPad its fine but I don’t even bother attempting it on the Kindle these days.
Not that you need an iPad, any tablet will probably be fine for this, I chose an iPad for other reasons not connected with reading PDF or e-books.
The Kindle (or Nook or any other current e-ink reader) is a fantastic device but its a definitely a single purpose device ie reading text that’s in a format that allows easy reflow to the screen format.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1088 on: 31 March, 2014, 08:42:48 pm »
I see that Sony are to sell an A4 e-ink tablet.
Just don't look at the price.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1089 on: 01 April, 2014, 03:42:28 am »
Ooh I like that. Now if they can do it with colour e-ink for the same price they have a customer.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1090 on: 15 August, 2014, 11:07:35 pm »
Anyone else having fun with the Kindle "cloud collection" concept?

I imagine, if you just have one account, one kindle that you might not notice what the latest release has done. We have 3 kindles, mine, Mrs & Miss Ham's all on my account. The latest OS splats all collections onto all kindles and b0rks all the sorting you may have. Not a word about that in the release notes, not the trace of a benefit in this brave new cloudlike world for anyone. The best is that you don't notice a difference.

Well done, Amazon. Have you just employed Steve Balmer or something?

Mr Larrington

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1091 on: 16 August, 2014, 10:40:17 am »
I'm sort of having fun with it in that I can read $BOOK on my Kindle and my iPad, and some clever SCIENCE keeps track of how far I've got so that the one can catch up with the other.  This is well handy when curled up in the still watches of the night with one's latest series of splendidly grisly killin's courtesy of that Val McDermid, that they have now, and decide to carry on reading in bed when the iPad is recharging in the Great Hall.

The promble occurs when re-reading a book.  I cannot recall all the thoroughly nasty goings-on surrounding Dr Hill and DCI Jordan so why not re-visit them?  However, something out in the overcast has decided that as I finished "The Mermaids Singing" a couple of years ago, any synchronisation between devices WILL note that the last page read was, well, the last page of the entire bok.  Does Thee Panel know of any way to reset the progress meter, before I spend the rest of the morning golfing teh Intarwebs to look for a solution instead of going to the post orifice?
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Vince

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1092 on: 16 August, 2014, 11:09:31 am »
Yes you can. Go to 'Manage you Kindle' on the Amazon site. In the content tab, select the book and click on the actions button. On the pop-up you can select 'Clear Furthest Page Read'.

i also like keeping content and pages read synced between Kindle and phone and PC.
216km from Marsh Gibbon

Mr Larrington

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1093 on: 16 August, 2014, 12:16:04 pm »
Yes you can. Go to 'Manage you Kindle' on the Amazon site. In the content tab, select the book and click on the actions button. On the pop-up you can select 'Clear Furthest Page Read'.

i also like keeping content and pages read synced between Kindle and phone and PC.

Thank you, good Sir.  I feel a session of much clickiness in the Force, which will not help in my quest to Organisate the big pile of books currently barring access to the wardrobe :thumbsup:
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1094 on: 18 September, 2014, 07:47:08 pm »
Amazon have refreshed the Kindle range. Joy of joys the top of the range dedicated ebook Kindle has added page turn without swiping. You just apply pressure to the right or left side of the device (for forwards and backwards).
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1095 on: 19 September, 2014, 01:35:28 pm »
Amazon have refreshed the Kindle range. Joy of joys the top of the range dedicated ebook Kindle has added page turn without swiping. You just apply pressure to the right or left side of the device (for forwards and backwards).

300ppi as well, now all we need is the A4 version!

Not cheap, at £229 for the 3G version.

I see that currently Amazon basically add on £60 for 3G, on both the Paperwhite and Voyage, which I guess is acceptable for something that will work the world over, for no additional charge.  I found it really useful for reading the BBC News website, over breakfast, when I was in the USA, and have pulled up Google Maps in the past, for route finding!
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

citoyen

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1096 on: 19 September, 2014, 02:37:35 pm »
<now coveting the Voyage>
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1097 on: 20 September, 2014, 02:57:41 pm »
FWIW I have been on ebooks for some three years now and I woke on morning to find the Kobo was stuffed. I asked for a replacement under the guarantee but it had expired by something silly like 5 days so I bought a Kindle and never looked back.

If you install Calibre on your puter then the format of the books is not an issue, you can change it to what you  want. Excellent program constantly updated and most importantly it works very well and is free.

PH
Bees do nothing invariably.

Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1098 on: 23 September, 2014, 07:10:16 am »
A kindle that buggers up three weeks into a five week trip to furrn parts does give cause for grumbles.

DNAHIKT<fume>

Emailed the warranty to ask if I can upgrade to the Voyager.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Ebook Readers
« Reply #1099 on: 24 September, 2014, 12:56:24 am »
Three weeks?  Luxury!  One of mine died on the very first night of a three-week trip (having behaved perfectly for the entire flight from BRITAIN.  Bah!
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime