Recommendations for eBook reader devices, please

[perishthethought@lemm.ee]

Oof, I get you about eInk, but how crappy is that tablet?

[zante@slrpnk.net]

It would last about a week if you’re careful ! The whole thing, not the battery !

[coffeetastesbadlikecoffee@sh.itjust.works]

I really like my era.
Pocketbook allows me to have the website of a local bookstore as the "shop" button on the home screen, so I can support them. It is comfortable to hold and the front light is pretty good.

In the summer months when I don't use the backlighting, I need to charge it every 2 weeks with very heavy reading or even 2 months with light reading (~20 mins a day)

[animalsdream@slrpnk.net]

I've had an e-ink device, and read ebooks on a number of devices. Some notes:

• If it's a casual read and I can get the book in epub or mobi format, I might just have it on my phone and use Librera.

• I did not like e-ink displays at all. The text itself doesn't appear easier on the eyes to me, and if anything the jarring refreshes on each page turn make the overall experience even more straining. For this reason regular Android tablets have become my preferred way to read books.

• For tablets I suggest one that is at least 10 inches. A lot of ebooks are still only available in pdf format, and I've found that anything smaller than a 10 inch display makes for bad pdf reading.

• Following from all that, I would suggest the Pixel Tablet, because from a privacy perspective, you have the option to install GrapheneOS on it. From there you can get F-Droid, install any of those ebook apps, and now you have a reasonably secure and private ebook reader - and the best part is, because it's a general purpose tablet, you're not accumulating unnecessary single-purpose devices. You never know if the tablet might have other important uses down the line.

[ittakestwo@feddit.org]

That's not really an adequate recommendation imo. The Miyoo Mini Plus has subpar battery runtime due to it's size limitations and it's LCD screen, compared to actual eInk devices. The screen size and ratio is also not suitable for effective reading, even though it is possible to read eBooks with it.

[animalsdream@slrpnk.net]

Or for other options you can checkout LineageOS. Filter by tablet to see which ones are supported, and that can help narrow choices of tablets that can be made privacy-respecting. Just make sure to use a version that does not have gapps on it. Once you use LineageOS's site to find a supported tablet, you can go to the MicroG for LineageOS site to download the MicroG version of the OS. This comes with a set of alternatives to Google spyware so you can use your tablet completely free of Google.

[ashenone@lemmy.ml]

I use a Lenovo M9 tablet and Readera as an e-reader and Smart Audiobook player and am very happy with it. Both apps are free without ads but also have a paid version with a couple extra features.

[hotcoffee@lemm.ee]

Yeah well it's more of a fun recommendation, don't take things so seriously. There are already enough serious recommendations in the comments.

[perishthethought@lemm.ee]

Super helpful, thank you!

[framexx@discuss.tchncs.de]

I have a good experience with PocketBook.

[madjo@feddit.nl]

I have a Boox Go Color, but most Boox ereaders are good devices. You can have a Calibre library self-hosted and use the Android app "Calibre sync" to access it on your ereader.

[kotnik@lemmy.sdf.org]

Why avoid color ones? I have Clara Colour, works great with Koreader firmware...

[irelephant@lemm.ee]

iirc, they are a bit more geared to selling you stuff, and the screens are sometimes a bit dodgy.

[ittakestwo@feddit.org]

True that. And with one thing you are right: the Miyoo Mini Plus is absolutely awesome for what it is designed for!

[macabrett@lemmy.ml]

Same here, its very nice. I got one with the forwards and backwards buttons, which I really like.

[cowbee@lemmy.ml]

Same! It's a game-changer for me, I don't block the screen by holding it and I love the tactile feedback!

[jayb151@lemmy.world]

I got the color one for my daughter who can't stop reading manga, and we have no more shelves to put physical books. Calibre want super intuitive, and I edited the series name, but the kobo still didn't group things correctly, but it got sorted. Over all a high recommend

[cowbee@lemmy.ml]

Yep! I used to go years without reading any books, now I've gone to reading 30-50 a year. Huge improvement for me!