E-readers (Kindle, etc.)

I wasn’t able to find a thread for E-readers specifically.

This can be a general thread, but I’m also currently looking for recommendations and experiences.

I want to try an e-reader because I like to read but I struggle to hold the book. I plan on propping it up with something or using a clamp in combination with a small bluetooth remote to turn the pages.

Ideally I would like to not have to use my computer to get the books and convert file types etc., but I can get help with this if needed.

Waterproofing is not a priority.

I’m quite sensitive to light, so I wonder if the different screen technologies matter?

Cost is not a priority - I assume it will last a long time.

Any suggestions?

 

I don’t have specific product suggestions but if you find something that works for you in every aspect except screen brightness, you can buy an adhesive screen protector that filters blue light even beyond what the device’s blue shift settings can do.

 

Thank you for that suggestion, I’ll keep it in mind!

 

Fundamentally E readers feel a lot more like just reading paper. There is no screen glow the light they have is what is available in the ambient room. Kindle's have changed that a bit as they now also have optional backlights for use in dark rooms that are small amounts of additional light but generally the advantage of e-readers is you aren't looking at light being push from the screen, just that reflected from it. The lower contrast in my experience isn't an issue but the difference between the background and the text is definitely less pronounced than paper.

It still doesn't help me read more however, the issue is one of my brain cells and eyes not wanting to do that exertion not so much the light coming off a normal screen.

 

Yes, I'd agree with @BrightCandle, they're different to iPads etc.

A friend has a battered old Amazon Paperwhite. I used it while cat sitting for her, and found it much more comfortable than reading on a conventional tablet.

 

If my kindle is representative...

It's 9 years old and still works. It was a present for Christmas 2016. I have about 650 books on it now. The main problem I have with it is that charging it is "a bit dodgy". It was plugged into a charging cable one day, and I forgot. I tripped over the cable and the place where the charging cable was plugged in is now rather temperamental. (A new cable might help, but I haven't invested in one yet.) But as long as I position the Kindle and the cable carefully it will still charge up.

I have mostly stuck to using Amazon to stock my library, but when my current Kindle dies I'm not sure what I'll buy. I really don't want to lose access to all the books I currently have, but Amazon made it impossible to back up my Kindle files in February this year. I only found out about it a few days before this change was made and I couldn't copy anything from my Kindle any more. (Amazon didn't advertise it very widely, surprise, surprise.) And so I have quite a few books I have no backup for so I'm tied into using Kindle and Amazon for ever now unless I buy those books again from elsewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK1ZZInYRHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynr4-iXrggc

One comment I saw was that any media which is digital never really belongs to you.

There are some free books on Amazon that you might want to search for. It used to be possible to connect a Kindle to a PC via a USB port, and transfer files from Kindle to PC in the appropriate format via a cable, but that feature was cut off quite recently.

I don't do it so much now but I did transfer quite a few books from Project Gutenberg websites (of which there are three that I know of).

Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg Australia
Project Gutenberg Canada

Different countries have different copyright laws and this might mean you can get a book from one gutenberg site and not another. There are options for which format to choose and you aren't restricted to just Kindle. You can even download stuff in text, HTML, and pdf (?) and read the books on a PC or other gadget without needing a Kindle or equivalent.

If you like old books e.g Charles Dickens or Shakespeare or Jane Austen, Amazon has compilations of the entire output of such authors and they might be free or cost only a pound or two. I'm sure the same options are available from other sources.

Another thing I've found that I like is the output of Wildside Press and their Megapacks. Many of them are under a pound or under a US dollar. There is more on their website that I haven't investigated yet :

https://wildsidepress.com/ebook-megapacks/

There are newer books from Amazon that are only 99p, and the selection changes every week. There is also a Kindle App which can be downloaded on to various gadgets which might be useful for reading ultra-cheap or free books now that backups are no longer possible. Search for "kindle app" and see if it might be helpful for you.

 

Thank you all.

I just saw that Boox released a new version yesterday. It’s called Go 7, has an e-ink display, uses android so all apps are available, supports SD cards, and you can write with a stylus.

I can’t order it in Norway yet, but it looks very enticing.

 

I have a phone with an ereader screen that dims really well. It's what i use to access this forum lately since my normal phone is too much.

it works great for reading although i can't read more than a page without couple min break in between because my concentration and short term memory is too low.

Boox Palma 2. Runs on android so i can do pretty much anything with it, but works great for reading comics and poems and articles. (i haven't tried books). Relatively cheap (for a phone). it's from a Chinese company. don't trust it for privacy but at this point i don't have the energy to care as much as i used to

the screen being phone sized is a big plus. a tablet sized screen would be too much for me. also it's lighter than my iphone