Question from a Dinosaur

[Jdege]

I first bought a Nook Color back in 2011. I chose Barnes & Noble, rather than Amazon, because I didn't like what I was hearing about the games Amazon was playing with Digital Rights Management.

I liked it well enough. I started by downloading Dumas' Musketeer Cycle from Project Gutenberg. Then I started reading all those Percy Keese Fitzhugh Boy Scout novels (my grandmother had had a couple when I was a kid.)

Truth is, I found so many good books available for free download, I didn't actually buy very many. Enough so that I found Calibre - a cross-platform app for managing your ebook library that I could run on my Linux desktop. I loaded all the books I'd downloaded into Calibre, then hit the B&N website and downloaded the books I'd purchased from them. Ditto for the DRM-free Science Fiction novels I'd bought from Baen, or downloaded from their Free Library.

Wasn't long before I had a couple of hundred books in my Calibre library. I'd plug my Nook into my computer via USB, open up Calibre, and transferred books back and forth.

I'd made the mistake of not buying a screen protector, when I bought my Nook Color, and after a year of heavy use it was clear that had been a mistake. So when the Nook HD came out in 2012, I upgraded - and bought a screen protector. It worked just fine with Calibre.

It was about then that an author I'd read and liked made a couple of his books available free, and DRM-free, but only for Kindle. I installed the Kindle app on my Nook HD, and was able to download and read the books, but when I tried to load them into my Calibre library, I ran into problems.

It seems that you can't download Kindle books from Amazon's website onto your PC, you can only load them into approved Kindle reader apps. After a bit of playing around, I found that I could download them into the Kindle reader app for Windows desktop, find where it had stored the files, and then load them into Calibre. Aggravating, and exactly the kind of thing that had convinced me to buy Nook, in the first place.

Then in 2013 I upgraded again, to the Nook HD+. I liked the larger form factor, and I really liked that it opened up more of the functions of the underlying Android system. I could download apps from the Play Store. I could watch videos, etc.

But the Nook HD+ had one problem - I could no longer connect it to my Linux box. Not the Nook's problem, the new versions of Android had dropped support for the obsolete USB connection mechanism that was all that Linux supported. I didn't worry about it - figured that I'd figure it out, someday.

In early 2015 I upgraded yet again, to the new Samsung Nook. No longer a custom device, but a bog-standard Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, with Nook software loaded. Still couldn't get USB to work, but discovered there was a new Android app - Calibre Companion, that could download books wirelessly.

With that installed, I went back to B&N's website, wanting to download the books I'd purchased over the previous year, so I could load them into Calibre. And found out that Barnes & Noble had removed support for downloading ebooks from their website in September of 2014. Which, in my mind, removed the one competitive advantage they had over Amazon.

I found that I could do the same trick of downloading the books into the B&N reader for PC, so I managed to side-load the books I had purchased, but at that point I pretty much stopped buying ebooks from B&N.

Since then, I've been buying my ebooks mostly from Google Play Books.

So, after all of this, what would I recommend?

Don't buy a Kindle. Don't buy a Nook. Don't even buy a Kobo. Buy a generic Android tablet, and install the Kindle reader, and the Nook reader, and the Kobo reader, and whatever else you choose.

Ebook readers are software, not hardware, and they run just fine on generic hardware. Do not let yourself be trapped into Amazon's closed ecosystem, or Barnes & Noble's, either.

And if you have a WIFI access point, take a good look at Calibre.

[Stumble]

Jdege,

The two issues I have with your suggestion is battery life and sunlight readability. My iPhone has a days worth of power before needing to be recharged, my iPad about the same. If I read non-stop all day it would take two of them to get me through it.

My kindle on the other hand will last for weeks on one charge.

The phone and iPad also are difficult to read in bright sunlight, the kindle is at least as easy as a print book.


For me, these two things alone make owning the stand alone ready worth it.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

............
...........
If you get most of your books from the marina book exchange, you may get a few more years till you are forced to switch but I've noticed fewer book exchanges and when there is one, the books they have tend to be older and less desirable titles.
................

I agree,- this will happen for sure, but when there are few desirable paperbacks in the free book exchange, I'll just pick up one of the outdated Kindles from the stack of give-aways

When you're not riding the crest of technology, the things that are "new" for you are often free. When you're among others that live on boats you have neighbors that refuse to stash their older models in their too few lockers.

'sent from my free Dell computer that was left unwanted with the aid of my recycled Netgear wifi booster that somebody else didn't want.

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Jdege,

The two issues I have with your suggestion is battery life and sunlight readability. My iPhone has a days worth of power before needing to be recharged, my iPad about the same. If I read non-stop all day it would take two of them to get me through it.

My kindle on the other hand will last for weeks on one charge.

The phone and iPad also are difficult to read in bright sunlight, the kindle is at least as easy as a print book.


For me, these two things alone make owning the stand alone ready worth it.

My Samsung Nook will last about 24 hours on a charge, and I can read it in full sunlight. But not both at the same time. (At full brightness, it's good for about six hours on a charge).

E-ink does have it's advantages.

If, though, I wanted an e-ink reader, I'd probably go with Kobo's. I will not pay money for a electronic book where I don't have control over the file.

Amazon and Barnes&Noble don't sell ebooks - they rent them.

[SailtheWind]

Originally Posted by Scaramanga F25

I drop my books to the floor at times when I doze off.
Can they take a crash from 3 or 4 feet.

soft cover or hard cover books can be dropped however not only a kindle could be damaged but it may also ding your vanished sole.

[sapient sue]

Just adding another gadget to the mix. I also belong to the group called insomniacs and I find audio books on my ipod WONDERFUL. I use this system on night watch and can remain watchful with no loss of night vision yet still be entertained. I joined audible.com and get auido books at a reasonable price. Also if you do not like a book you have purchased you can exchange it.

Regards Sue

[Sailor Doug]

My Ipad Air2 is fantastic but I learned how to down load books from my local library. They have a huge collection of audio books. I can read, listen to them when I could not read. Great for my aging eyes. My lovely boat book case is now just I candy.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Stumble

The phone and iPad also are difficult to read in bright sunlight, the kindle is at least as easy as a print book.

Ditto. The daylight readability of a Kindle Paperwhite is WAAAAY ahead of any tablet or phone out there. Full, direct sunlight, it is just as easy as reading an ordinary print book. Easier, actually, since you don't have to worry about losing your place if you put it down.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I agree,- this will happen for sure, but when there are few desirable paperbacks in the free book exchange, I'll just pick up one of the outdated Kindles from the stack of give-aways

When you're not riding the crest of technology, the things that are "new" for you are often free. When you're among others that live on boats you have neighbors that refuse to stash their older models in their too few lockers.

'sent from my free Dell computer that was left unwanted with the aid of my recycled Netgear wifi booster that somebody else didn't want.

Crest of technology? You can pick up a basic tablet for $50 that will work just fine as a reader, send email, surf the net and double as a backup chart plotter, etc...

If you really don't want to pay for books, you can spend a little time digging around on the internet and download anything you want for free.

If that's the bleeding edge of technology, they have changed the definition on me.

[Lizzy Belle]

I bought my son a Kindle, I have a Nook myself (both eInk).

The Kindle is OK, but I wasn't impressed much with the quality or the fact that it can't handle .epub files (newer models probably can).

People say Kindle as if there are no other brands, but there are plenty.
(*Tips hat to Amazon marketing tho*).

Pick the one you like best, and offers you the best price.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by sapient sue

Just adding another gadget to the mix. I also belong to the group called insomniacs and I find audio books on my ipod WONDERFUL. I use this system on night watch and can remain watchful with no loss of night vision yet still be entertained. I joined audible.com and get auido books at a reasonable price. Also if you do not like a book you have purchased you can exchange it.

Regards Sue

Are they read by people or have they gotten better applying tone and inflection to computer reading.

It's been a couple years since I've messed with them but the ones read by a person tended to be expensive and of limited selection (but good if you could fine them). The computer read ones were a horrible monotone with a weird cadence.

[Sailor Doug]

I listen to two or three audio books a week. I down load to my smart phone from library service. Books have all been read by what seems to be actors. Selection is good and see no near term end of selection.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by redhead

When we leave the dock this summer I'll have to join the 21st century and get an Ereader. I did a search and the entries are all from 2010 and earlier.

Let me just say, as an insomniac, this will be an important transition as I spend hours most nights reading. I don't mind because it's been like this most of my life and I'm used to it. I even find moments of enjoyment when the boat is rocking or I hear small waves lapping at the stern.

I'm used to falling asleep for brief periods holding a book and can't imagine "cuddling" a Kindle or whatever but I'm pretty sure I'll adjust.

What do you like? Is Amazon the best place for the books?

Thanks all.

Amazon kindle.

It's a no brainer. I also listen to audible books and read on my phone and tablet using the kindle apps. Audible have great narrators reading the books.

You can also convert other books using Calibre a free ebook publishing app.

Disclaimer: I work for AWS.

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[barnakiel]

For reading by day I like e-ink. For the night I prefer the tablet. I also prefer the tablet when the book has many color illustrations.

I have read from both 7 and 8 incher and I found the bigger book better to read. Maybe a 10 incher is perfect, but I do not have one onboard.

Now that I am thinking of it, I think the weight of the device counts too - buy the lightest model of the ones on your short list - no difference in the short run but a major comfort improvement if you like to read for hours.

Happy reading!
b.

[basssears]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I have read from both 7 and 8 incher and I found the bigger book better to read. Maybe a 10 incher is perfect, but I do not have one onboard.

I will say for reading a long time, particularly in bed (lying down with elbows on the bed and holding the tablet up) the 10" gets heavy after a while... I like that size for other things but smaller / lighter as far as e-readers go is worth the extra effort / expense IMO. -- Bass