I’ve got a kindle keyboard 3 and want to know if there’s anything better out now. My main requirement is being able to load in my own content and have a nice cover/case
I don’t care about apps or web browsers, but it would be nice to have something that is easy to sync or upload data to.
Try the kobo brand of ereaders. You have access to an online library and can download through Wi-Fi, but can also load your own books in many many file formats.
I bought the waterproof version to read at the beach, while paddle boarding, in the bathtub.
Kobo is also great because you don’t even need an account. That takes away some of the convenience features OP was asking for like syncing, but I love the fact that I don’t need to hand over any personal information to Kobo in order to read my books; nobody knows what’s on my bookshelf but me.
Newest version does require a sign up the first time, but you can remove it immediately
While I really dislike Amazon I can email ebooks including pdfs and epubs direct to my kindle, I don’t even need to go get it and plug it in and I can do this from my phone if I want.
If I have something really funky I can use calibre to convert and then email, or if it’s really big I can always plug it in and transfer directly.
There are a lot of reasons to not like Amazon products but the kindle is actually pretty good considering who makes it.
With eReaders I’d not upgrade before either:
- They genuinely break.
- You need a function your current one does not have.
I’m rocking a Kindle Paperwhite 11 now, but only because my previous Voyage broke sadly. :( Loved that thing with the pressure-sensitive rim.
+1 for “use it until it breaks”
Though I don’t use it as much nowadays now that I work from home most of the time, I’ve had one kindle model or another for about a decade at this point, and I used them constantly when commuting. I prefer to keep that particular device sleek and minimal, so I don’t use a case. This tends to result in it eventually getting banged up a bit after a while, but the things are generally quite robust and I tend to just ignore any purely cosmetic damage unless it’s a screen issue. I’ve gone through 2 kindles in that fashion, and I’m on my 3rd. Also, I generally only buy them when they’re on sale, and always go for the lowest memory paperwhite model (I use it for books exclusively, since I have a phone, and I will listen to audiobooks on that if I want to).
Any Kobo ereader
Much better for loading your own content than kindle as it supports more formats natively. You can also load alternative ereader applications to it via niclemenu opening it up further.
They also natively support borrowing books from your library through overdrive.
I am a moderately heavy kindle user and have been since the second version they shipped. When I upgrade, I usually buy the best new model available. I am skipping the one with pen support because Amazon’s text autosuggestions are absolutely the worst I have ever seen - it’s like they’re just using a random number generator and not a predictive algorithm - so my current Kindle is the Oasis.
It is so far beyond any other one I’ve owned that they’re not really comparable. The backlight is steady and even with no patchiness. The text reads cleanly with no fuzziness around the fonts. It’s comfortable to hold, and because it just inverts very cleanly and automatically it makes it trivial to hold upside down if you change hands or roll over. My requirements for a case are that it makes the device easier to hold and prop up for hands free reading in bed. Any of the origami cases should do - I think they’re all very similar in design but I’d just go off the reviews for build quality.
That said, there’s a number of kindle books that cannot be read on kindle devices because the publisher decided to prioritize the formatting over the text, and those I have to read on one of my iPads. I still prefer the kindle for text only books because it’s lighter and easier to hold.
The oasis has a slightly different form factor so it might be worth checking out in person, but I went from skeptical to really appreciating the design.
ONYX BOOX makes several different models, including some with color screens and most with reading light built in. They also have fantastic battery life. I have a Poke 2 which has lasted a month of active reading before needing to be charged.
These are basically Android tablets, so data transfer is not locked down. You can put whatever you want on it.
I know you said you don’t care about apps, but on these you can run basically any Android app (within limits of e-ink screen functionality), including useful stuff like Obsidian for notes and Syncthing for syncing files across devices.
