Looking for an e-book device

[Majorix]

I have a s***ty e-book reading device from this company called Hanlin (the model is V8 I think, not sure). It cannot properly linebreak plain texts (.txt), it can't zoom in/out unless the document is a .txt, it cannot read PDF's (and converting from a pdf does not work out too well), the screen is to small, and, and, and.. You get the idea.

So what I am asking is, what are some good make&models? Is Kindle DX worth the money? Are there any other readers which support .pdf's and have a considerably large screen (like DX)? Or is Amazon perhaps planning a good remake of DX which I should wait to be released?

Thanks!

[Johnsie]

When you buy a book on kindle/amazon you don't own the copy. Amazon can delete them off your kindle using the wireless connection. Recently Amazon deleted several books off peoples Kindles, even after the books had been paid for.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/

[kaibob]

I've just begin looking for my first e-book reader. I like the Kindle DX, but it's just too much money for me. I noticed on Cnet that some new devices are expected soon. At least for now, I'm just going to wait and see what becomes available.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10297587-1.html?tag=mncol;title

[sanderella]

I have had ebook devices since the first Rocket, it came out about 10 years ago. The Rocket ebook's offspring, the eBookwise, is still available and is the easiest to manage and do downloads.:) You can get one here: http://www.ebookwise.com/?gclid=CMiNvsGV_psCFc0B4wod9Q8f-Q

No ebook device has yet been invented which works faultlessly with Linux.:(

All the newer brands are programmed to keep your access to books focussed on their own website. They promote books which cost money, and they narrow your choice to what they want to sell. I have tried the Sony ebook reader, got really frustrated and angry with it because I couldn't download the books I wanted from other sites. The Amazon Kindle looks similar. These 2 have no backlights, so you can't read in bed.

There are many many pages on the web to tell you about them, just type ebook readers into Google. The perfect ebook reader has probably been invented, but the sellers just want to make money by programming them to restrict your access so beware.

[kaibob]

Just came across a little bit of additional information on the new Sony e-readers:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10300145-1.html

[Katalog]

I hear Sony makes a nice ebook reader. I was also reading not too long ago that Google has released over a million free eBooks for it.

[magmon]

My dad has a sony one, dont know the exact model, but it reads pdf, has zoom and supports mini SD cards.

[Majorix]

Thanks for the replies so far!

@kaibob:
The Sony readers do look good, however they are not as large as DX. Screen size is really important to me.

@Johnsie:
I wouldn't buy anything off the amazon bookstore if I had a DX.

Look what I have found while googling:
http://video-game-consoles-review.toptenreviews.com/sony-developing-large-screen-ebook-reader.html
Since the article is more than 2 months old, are there any news?

@Katalog:
Are you talking about that one (^)?

@magmon:
Sounds good. Please do let me know if you find out the exact model.

EDIT: Another large screen reader I found:
http://www.jinke.com.cn/Compagesql/English/embedpro/prodetail.asp?id=34
But I approach anything from that company with suspicion after buying that piece of crap from them.

[kaibob]

Thanks for the replies so far!

@kaibob:
The Sony readers do look good, however they are not as large as DX. Screen size is really important to me....

I reread your original post, and you made it clear that you wanted a reader with a larger screen. Sorry!

I happened upon the following table of available e-book readers. There don't appear to be many with a large screen, but the table does provide some interesting information on models and features. I reviewed some posts on the Mobile Read forum, and people really seem to like the Irex iLiad. It's expensive but does have a larger screen.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

[Katalog]

Thanks for the replies so far!
@Katalog:
Are you talking about that one (^)?


As far as I know, the ebooks are compatible with all Sony ebook readers (don't know much about the devices themselves, frankly). All I know is that sometime back around March Google made a boatload of public domain books for the Sont readers available.

[Johnsie]

The sony ones are pretty good... but they cost as much as a netbook and have less computing capabilities. It's not good value but if you enjoy reading then I suppose it might be worth it.

[HappinessNow]

No ebook device has yet been invented which works faultlessly with Linux.:(


Now a nice Linux based eBook would be nice.

Ubooktu?

[psablo]

Ironic that almost every eBook reader runs the Linux kernal, but what happens when you plug a Kindle into an Ubuntu box?
Personally, I would never buy an Amazon product.

The Netronix EB-900 (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EB-900) looks promising, but no price yet and I'm not familiar enough with the company or it's Linux compatibility, is anyone else?

The iRex iLiad (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Category:IRex_iLiad) also looks good but at $600 I think I'll wait.

Supposedly the Sony Reader shows up under Linux as a generic volume so you can directly transfer files, but Sony doesn't seem to be planning a larger screen model.

[JUSTINBEAIRD]

I want an ebook reader but i do not know much about them do they have capacity for more than one book at a time? what formats do they use? will my 50gb of pdf books fit on them? do images in these books work even if they are in black and white? these are the things that are keeping me from getting one also screen sizes seem too small i what one the size of piece of printing paper and dont want to buy any new ebooks that i can use only on the devise

I guess im hard to please lol :)

[Arcitens]

Also in the market for an e-book device. I'd like something that Ubuntu recognizes obviously, at least as a mass storage volume. But honestly I could probably live without that if I had to so long as it had a micro SD or SD slot. Most important to me is that it can read .pdf files flawlessly, possibly with zoom. (I want it mostly for reading scholarly journal articles.) Something that doesn't automatically link me to some ****** online store would be ideal. It would also be nice if it generally had a decent interface (even for miscellaneous .pdfs) since some of these things seem to only like to look pretty when you're buying the books from their store.

Something like this would be so incredibly useful for me right now.

Oh, and I'm not going anywhere near the Kindle.

The Cybook Opus looks interesting but I'm unsure what to make of this from wikipedia: "The Cybook technically supports PDF files, however it doesn't actually reflow text. Current firmware revisions support ten levels of zoom and allow scrolling around the page, making the device suitable for reading many PDF files."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybook_Opus
http://www.bookeen.com/ebook/ebook-reading-device.aspx

What does reflow text mean for PDFs?

Foxit eSlick Reader is another contender. I imagine it would read PDFs pretty well since it comes from the makers of the Foxit Reader. Wikipedia says it can be recognized by Linux OSes but that you can only update the firmware on Windows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESlick
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/over_specification.html

If anyone has any experience with a Cybook or eSlick it would be much appreciated.

[FrankNBeans]

Sony ebooks work great on Linux. You simply need to use Calibre. http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/ Calibre is the single best application for ebooks out there no matter whether you are running Linux, Windows or OSX. It does all the format conversion for you. If you want to look at pdfs your only option is really a large format device. Even in landscape mode they aren't good on the 6 inch readers. Also pdfs are not native on really any device so they are slow. Really if you take the bundled software to synch them out of the equation and use Calibre almost all the devices really are pretty much the same. I currently own the sony PRS505 and can tell you it is a solid device, my in-laws own a kindle and it work fine too. They all use the same screens so there isn't a lot of difference unless they have the touchscreen like the PRS700 did which caused a reflection.

[tgalati4]

I also have a sony 505 reader. It's well-made. You can put tweaked firmware on it that improves button control. I've seen it for $240 at Fry's electronics, so it seems to be coming down in price as netbooks can be had for $300. I also have an ectaco jetbook reader. It's drag and drop in linux, but you do have to spend some time reformatting. It's not difficult, it just takes some time.

[zmjjmz]

I would recommend the PRS-505, but supposedly the new Hanlins support DjVu...

[cariboo]

For those of you that haven't read it yet Technoviking has a review of the Kindle here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1243110).

[Arcitens]

I would recommend the PRS-505, but supposedly the new Hanlins support DjVu...

This from wikipedia


Typefaces in PDF files formatted for 216 x 280 mm (8.5 x 11 inch) pages may be too small to read comfortably. Such files can be reformatted for the Reader screen size with Adobe Acrobat Professional, but not by Adobe Reader software.

makes me not think the 505 is such a good option when my primary need is for reading PDFs