I’m looking for an eReader that doesn’t lock me into a particular ecosystem or format. Ideally I came just copy files over to it and have them work.
Other than that, small physical dimensions and a backlight would be great!
It’s been years since I had one but in the market again and I’m not sure the current state of things. My old one was a Kobo and took files just fine.
I still see Kobo recommended these days, so an upgrade might be a good option for you. I use a Kindle, but that obviously locks you in with Amazon. I wish I’d have gotten a Kobo myself.
This makes it seem like you can, but I don’t know for sure.
https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/4477058367895-About-the-Libby-app**___**
That’s cool, I tried a kindle paperwhite, but returned it because I kept accidentally hitting that stupid power button they put on the bottom right where you hold it while reading.
My daughter reads a lot of books checked out via overdrive on her kobo (in Canada), though the search feature on the kobo itself is kind of garbage. We have better luck doing a search with the Libby app on a phone, checking it out, then syncing the kobo.
I use a Kindle myself (purchased on one of the good sales for roughly half price), though primarily via epub files transferred to the Kindle using Calibre. It’s a busy UI, but it does work well and has lots of features. Pretty good as an archive of your ebook library.
I use a Kindle, but that obviously locks you in with Amazon.
On my old Kindle I could connect it to USB and put any books I wanted on it. It supports TXT and MOBI on top of AZW. Is that no longer the case for newer Kindle models?
If you want to break free of an ecosystem / format you can go to a brand like Boox or Pocketbook. I have a pocketbook and like it, but some people think they are klunky/laggy (I wanted a smaller, water resistant reader).
I moved away from Amazon because I didn’t like the idea that they could delete or change a book I had paid for and I hated the ads for books/store on my e-reader.
If you go this route you will likely need to get Calibre free software to load books on your reader, so it does depend on how technical you are prepared to be. Not a steep learning curve but there are some recommended plugins, especially if you want to move books that you have bought on the Kindle Ecosystem. You can also go deeper and do things like have the software auto-estimate page # and reading difficulty, as well as implement tagging/organization systems, change/optimize covers, etc.
Cool, Pocketbook Touch Lux 5 looks pretty good, since it’s the smallest one. But water resistance is a good idea, that’s why my kobo stopped working actually. And I can’t see anything on that model about water resistance. Which did you get?
I’ve actually been looking into this myself, and Kobo seems like the most ‘open’ option. The Libra 2 in particular fit my requirements for size and features. It supports quite a few ebook formats but I think it’s limited to Kobo’s own audiobooks only.
If anyone has one I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Got one today actually and after removing the DRM from my kindle books. I loaded it up in 2 seconds. I also installed the Amazon and Google ereader fonts because I love Bookerly. It’s great so far. Feels nice to hold. It’s snappy. 32GB of storage.
Unfortunately at the moment it does only support Kobo audiobooks but it does let you use Libby and borrow ebooks/audiobooks from your local library. I usually use Audible on my phone anyway so I’m not really bothered by that. Would be nice to have though.
Screen is just as good as my Paperwhite with a better eye-comfort mode.
My only annoyance so far is that it’s frozen twice which required a reboot. This might be because I’ve been using I a lot today and connecting and disconnecting from my laptop etc but it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on.
Edit: hasn’t frozen again in the entire time since.
Background: I have been using nooks since they debuted, but my most recent E reader purchase was a switch to kobo (Libra 2). I also have a prior gen Paperwhite from Amazon that I got to make it easier to remove the DRM from Amazon exclusives.
I would say your best bet is still a Kobo. I have 1500 side loaded books from ones I purchased or otherwise acquired prior. With native Libby and Pocket integration it’s almost perfect for wanting to be able to function standalone. And the DRM is easy to remove to future-proof your collection using calibre and noDRM.
