Needle Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I've recently fallen in love with e-books because I was able to read them on my tablet. It was an easy (and light) way to swap books when I wanted. My short attention span problem was solved, yay However, my tablet broke and now, I read my e-books on my computer with calibre. I don't plan to buy another tablet because I don't need it anymore but I do want to buy an e-book reader of some kind. I find it even more interesting because I think it would last longer without recharging than my tablet did. So my question is this : what do you think is the best e-reader out there ? Is it Kobo ? Or Kindle ? Why do you think it's the best ? Do you think it needs WiFi ? Or is it unnecessary ? I just can't make up my mind and though Google is my friend, he doesn't seem to have an opinion on the subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 The only e-reader I have used is the Kindle and I love it. It does mean you are tied into Amazon though, but they have enough deals and freebies to make it worth it. I bought the one with WiFi but not 3G....it's just handy for syncing with my Kindle app, and of course it's easier to download books this way (though I think you can do it via a connection to your computer?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I'll second a Kindle. I only have a basic one, but it is easy to read, hold and is small enough to slip in a largeish pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) I third the basic Kindle. No bells and whistles. I don't need the WiFi. I don't really need to read in the dark either. Its a relatively small initial outlay but for me, as I read a lot of period books and classics which are free, i can have a wealth of reading matter for nothing extra. Why, everybody should have a basic Kindle just as a back up and for holidays.... oh yeah and the battery lasts for a couple of weeks between charges... Edited January 30, 2016 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) I use the Kindle Paperwhite (first generation), I quite like its handy light for reading when it's a bit darker. If the room is fully lit, I have the light turned off to save battery power. But when I want to read in bed, when there's not much light, I find it handy to have the light on one of the lower settings. I also like the way the touchscreen works. I love that you can look up words in a dictionary and that you can highlight things easily. I'm quite happy with it overall. I haven't ever seen a Kobo (I think they are sold in the Netherlands nowadays), but I have seen Sony e-readers that are no longer sold in my country (they were the #1 e-reader before we had Kobos and Kindles. Kindles aren't that popular in the Netherlands, but they are very popular in the US and UK). Those looked nice too, my brother and sister both have that one if I'm not mistaken. Two things I wish the Kindle had that it doesn't, is an external memory card so I can save more books (the Sony reader had that), and the fact that I'd like the background picture of the screensaver to be the book cover I'm reading (mine just has a collection of random photos it cycles through, like pictures of pens and such, the Sony reader had this too). Those two things aren't that big a deal though to me, but if I have to give critisism, those are what I would say. Overall I am quite happy with my Kindle. I much prefer to read paperbooks (for the look and feel of them), but as far as e-readers go, I'm very happy with my Paperwhite. I use the Amazon US store, but I pay some $ extra for Dutch taxes. There is an Amazon NL store, but it doesn't nearly have as many books as the US store nor as good deals, so I'm sticking with Amazon US and don't want to switch (I hope they won't ever make me). I like that there are quite a few free Kindle books to be found, too (though presumably that is also the case for other e-reader shops?). Not all of them are good, of course, but I read some really nice ones that were temporarily free. Calibre is a nice program. I really don't like reading e-books on the computer, and I usually don't, but I use the program to put ebooks that I bought off different sites or downloaded for free on sites that aren't Amazon, on my Kindle (including conversion of the files if it's needed). Good luck trying to find a nice e-reader . Edited January 31, 2016 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmabbooks Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Yes, I too have a Kindle and am very happy with it. I like the fact that I can use it in bright sunlight, easily check back as to who a character is if I've forgotten, and just the total convenience of having lots of books on one gadget if I'm going away. However I mostly still buy books in paper format. No I don't think it needs WIFI, if you are organised enough to download books when able to attach to a computer. Good luck with your search. (need a new e-reader icon thing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I love my Kindle Paperweight too, and if you like Classics they're also available free on Project Gutenberg (the odd one that's not on Amazon). I have a basic Nook too as I occasionally read library books on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 If I buy a Kindle, will I be able to download books from other sources or will I have to stick strictly to amazon ? Many of you say that e-books aren't expensive on Amazon but I've never tried to buy e-books on there. I usually buy my paper books on there because they're less expensive than actual bookstores but as I look through their selection, which is quite impressive I have to admit, the price is almost equal to paper books. Damn those taxes But if I were to have a kindle, there would be interesting reductions, right ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 You can use a free to download program called Calibre to convert books into a format that is compatible for the Kindle if they are not. I have used this for years to put books of all different formats onto my Kindle which gives me freedom to get ebooks from where ever I desire. I use Calibre to manage my ebook library in much the same way that many people use iTunes (or equivalent) to manage their digitial music libraries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Ah ok That's great to know I think I've made up my mind Thank you all for your opinion, it was a great help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I also have Calibre. It works great. There is also Project Gutenburg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 I had never heard of that one :-/ Is it the same as calibre ? By the way, despite my decision to acquire a Kindle, I can't Indeed, Amazon doesn't ship e-readers to Belgium. It's quite disheartening to learn If I wanted to buy it, I'd have to make it come from the US which isn't the most economical solution How stupid is that ? They allow us to order everything else from the French website but won't allow Kindle, tablets, cameras, etc...to go through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I had never heard of that one :-/ Is it the same as calibre ? By the way, despite my decision to acquire a Kindle, I can't Indeed, Amazon doesn't ship e-readers to Belgium. It's quite disheartening to learn If I wanted to buy it, I'd have to make it come from the US which isn't the most economical solution How stupid is that ? They allow us to order everything else from the French website but won't allow Kindle, tablets, cameras, etc...to go through. I have got mine from the US for that same reason. It did cost quite a bit, but in the Netherlands at the time there weren't many good e-readers available. That does seem strange . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I have the basic Kindle, and I really like mine. I'm the worlds worst when it comes to tech, so I leave the wifi off mine and download via the computer, which is really easy. As others have said, there are quite a few sites that have free , old books in the Kindle format, so I've never found it a problem with it being tied to Amazon I had never heard of that one :-/ Is it the same as calibre ? By the way, despite my decision to acquire a Kindle, I can't Indeed, Amazon doesn't ship e-readers to Belgium. It's quite disheartening to learn If I wanted to buy it, I'd have to make it come from the US which isn't the most economical solution How stupid is that ? They allow us to order everything else from the French website but won't allow Kindle, tablets, cameras, etc...to go through. Does anyone know why that is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 I have got mine from the US for that same reason. It did cost quite a bit, but in the Netherlands at the time there weren't many good e-readers available. That does seem strange . I have the basic Kindle, and I really like mine. I'm the worlds worst when it comes to tech, so I leave the wifi off mine and download via the computer, which is really easy. As others have said, there are quite a few sites that have free , old books in the Kindle format, so I've never found it a problem with it being tied to Amazon Does anyone know why that is? To reply to the both of you, I've done a bit of digging. It has to do with taxes and priority. Here in Belgium, we have e-reader suppliers present on land. It would make them lose their priority if people could easily buy from Amazon.fr As Belgium is a fairly small commercial market (not withstanding the UE overall market), they need advantages and agreements on certain things to make sure that Belgians have to buy certain things in Belgium-based shops. That way, the Belgian government is assured it'll get its money. So Amazon, since it's not yet part of any agreement on that, cannot sell their Kindle here (as well as some electronics and brands for other reasons I won't get into because it's loooooong.) I hope that made sense. I'm glad to see my studies have an actual application in real life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 To reply to the both of you, I've done a bit of digging. It has to do with taxes and priority. Here in Belgium, we have e-reader suppliers present on land. It would make them lose their priority if people could easily buy from Amazon.fr As Belgium is a fairly small commercial market (not withstanding the UE overall market), they need advantages and agreements on certain things to make sure that Belgians have to buy certain things in Belgium-based shops. That way, the Belgian government is assured it'll get its money. So Amazon, since it's not yet part of any agreement on that, cannot sell their Kindle here (as well as some electronics and brands for other reasons I won't get into because it's loooooong.) I hope that made sense. I'm glad to see my studies have an actual application in real life That did make sense! I think in the Netherlands it might have been a similar situation (I don't know if that's changed by now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) Protectionism! You could always pop across the channel and buy one in England, they sell them in supermarkets. You could stock up on our great English wines too haha Oh Project Gutenberg is not a software program like Calibre it is a website. They have been converting books to ebook for years for free. Edited February 2, 2016 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I had had 3 different Kindles - a Keyboard (you can't get them anymore) which I loved and for 3 years until it fell in an Icelandic river, along with me and stopped working, a ordinary Kindle and a Paperwhite. I got the cheap Kindle mainly because I had to get a replacement quickly following the dunking in the river and didn't have a lot of money at the time. While it worked perfectly well I do prefer the Paperwhite which I bought during the Black Friday sales when they were on promotion. The Paperwhite is smaller and lighter and has a backlit screen which can be adjusted which for is brilliant. It means you can read in bed at night without disturbing others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 That's too bad about your govt keeping Amazon from selling Kindles in Belgium, Needle! Perhaps you can get one on eBay? My mom has an older Kindle but I prefer my Apple iPad mini. I have the Kindle app so although it's very rare, I'll read books on that.I prefer paper books but when I travel it's much easier to use a tablet. I just like being able to do everything on one tablet. Reading, email, and internet, rather than having a 2nd thing just for reading. But that's just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 That did make sense! I think in the Netherlands it might have been a similar situation (I don't know if that's changed by now). Apparently, from the Amazon.nl website, you can't buy the Kindle directly, they actually send you over to the German one. I think that one might allow shipping to Belgium but I'm not certain. It might have something to do with the fact that a small portion of the population here speaks German. Protectionism! You could always pop across the channel and buy one in England, they sell them in supermarkets. You could stock up on our great English wines too haha Oh Project Gutenberg is not a software program like Calibre it is a website. They have been converting books to ebook for years for free. As much as I'd love to, I think it might be better to just buy one in the supermarkets here even if it's another brand. And if I do pop across, it'd most probably be the last thing on my mind I had had 3 different Kindles - a Keyboard (you can't get them anymore) which I loved and for 3 years until it fell in an Icelandic river, along with me and stopped working, a ordinary Kindle and a Paperwhite. I got the cheap Kindle mainly because I had to get a replacement quickly following the dunking in the river and didn't have a lot of money at the time. While it worked perfectly well I do prefer the Paperwhite which I bought during the Black Friday sales when they were on promotion. The Paperwhite is smaller and lighter and has a backlit screen which can be adjusted which for is brilliant. It means you can read in bed at night without disturbing others. Thanks for your opinion, I've seen many people recommend the Paperwhite and it'd probably have been be the one I chose if I had been able to order it That's too bad about your govt keeping Amazon from selling Kindles in Belgium, Needle! Perhaps you can get one on eBay? My mom has an older Kindle but I prefer my Apple iPad mini. I have the Kindle app so although it's very rare, I'll read books on that.I prefer paper books but when I travel it's much easier to use a tablet. I just like being able to do everything on one tablet. Reading, email, and internet, rather than having a 2nd thing just for reading. But that's just me I understand what you mean I was also not seeing the use but since I always have my computer on me now (for work and for class), I don't really need a tablet anymore. And really...it's distracting to receive so many notifications when I want to read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Apparently, from the Amazon.nl website, you can't buy the Kindle directly, they actually send you over to the German one. I think that one might allow shipping to Belgium but I'm not certain. It might have something to do with the fact that a small portion of the population here speaks German. This is true, you can get a Kindle via the German one from Amazon NL. When I bought my Kindle, Amazon NL didn't exist yet so my only option was to get one from Amazon US (and I'm staying with the store of US as it contains more English stuff and better deals and more freebies. I don't want to switch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 To reply to the both of you, I've done a bit of digging. It has to do with taxes and priority. Here in Belgium, we have e-reader suppliers present on land. It would make them lose their priority if people could easily buy from Amazon.fr As Belgium is a fairly small commercial market (not withstanding the UE overall market), they need advantages and agreements on certain things to make sure that Belgians have to buy certain things in Belgium-based shops. That way, the Belgian government is assured it'll get its money. So Amazon, since it's not yet part of any agreement on that, cannot sell their Kindle here (as well as some electronics and brands for other reasons I won't get into because it's loooooong.) I hope that made sense. I'm glad to see my studies have an actual application in real life Protectionism! You could always pop across the channel and buy one in England, they sell them in supermarkets. You could stock up on our great English wines too haha Oh Project Gutenberg is not a software program like Calibre it is a website. They have been converting books to ebook for years for free. I'm amazed it's allowed! I can't imagine the UK getting away with this! Still, I have a very soft spot for Belgium - it's the first foreign holiday I ever had, I was introduced to the delight that is chips with mayonnaise! - so I'm not going to complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 This is true, you can get a Kindle via the German one from Amazon NL. When I bought my Kindle, Amazon NL didn't exist yet so my only option was to get one from Amazon US (and I'm staying with the store of US as it contains more English stuff and better deals and more freebies. I don't want to switch). I've been thinking that I might just do that. It seems that despite the price of shipping and taxes, it has many advantages that make up for it. I've seen the Kobo and the reviews aren't that great : it seems it stops working within a year of using it and the store doesn't really fix it. Doesn't seem to be worth it it the end. I have a question though, did you have to buy a power adapter ? If I'm not mistaken, we don't have the same plugs as Americans do :-/ I'm amazed it's allowed! I can't imagine the UK getting away with this! Still, I have a very soft spot for Belgium - it's the first foreign holiday I ever had, I was introduced to the delight that is chips with mayonnaise! - so I'm not going to complain. I recently found out that there are people who don't know how well mayonnaise and chips go together and it was a shock to me Glad you discovered it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I've been thinking that I might just do that. It seems that despite the price of shipping and taxes, it has many advantages that make up for it. I've seen the Kobo and the reviews aren't that great : it seems it stops working within a year of using it and the store doesn't really fix it. Doesn't seem to be worth it it the end. I have a question though, did you have to buy a power adapter ? If I'm not mistaken, we don't have the same plugs as Americans do :-/ Yes, I did buy a power adapter, though technically seen it was probably not needed as the cable it came with, was Kindle - to - USB and I did already have a USB to mains power adapter (for the Netherlands). But now I have one especially for my Kindle, which is easy so I don't have to keep swapping them around. It is true the Netherlands has different plug sockets then the US. Amazon US sold me a European adapter, I think for 7 - 8 $. I recently found out that there are people who don't know how well mayonnaise and chips go together and it was a shock to me Glad you discovered it Totally off-topic but I discovered this a few years ago and was shocked too. To me chips with mayonnaise taste much better than chips with ketchup (I believe that's what they sometimes do in the UK?). Of course, it is not as healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Totally off-topic but I discovered this a few years ago and was shocked too. To me chips with mayonnaise taste much better than chips with ketchup (I believe that's what they sometimes do in the UK?). Of course, it is not as healthy. To be fair, chips dipped in anything are not exactly healthy I have had a Kobo for about 3 years and while I don't need to use it often now as I have a Kindle app on my Samsung tablet, it still works fine and was in regular use for well over a year before I got the tablet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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