TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
Hi,
I am having trouble with eye strain and getting frustrated with freezes, so I am looking for a new e-reader. Definitely a large-screen e-reader. Definitely one with buttons, and without touchscreen gestures. I have trouble avoiding accidental gestures. Any ideas?
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Comments
I use an Amazon Kindle White
It has a lit backscreen with black characters on a white background. It has a touch screen, but I don't have any problems with using it. It doesn't respond to gestures (if you mean moving it while you are using it) just to touches on the screen. I love it! Its my second Kindle and I would never go back to printed books.
For stories on here or FM (and other sites) I save the story to a PDF or text file and then send it to the Kindle where it converts to the native Kindle format.
{{Hugs}}
Kindle or ePub Downloads with EASE :)
I wrote a script that uses BC's printer friendly page and a Chrome Bookmarklet so all I have to do is click "send KindleBook" in my bookmarks bar from any story and I get a version of a story emailed to my kindle account. I wish I still had a physical e-ink kindle or nook, the LCD's also tend to cause me eyestrain for night time reading.
-Piper
I have the Send-To Kindle
Add-on for Firefox and Chrome. The only reason I don't use it on BC is because it doesn't give the story title.
Does it handle multi-part stories?
That would be cool.
Make eBook Script
The script I wrote does. Just navigate to the first chapter/book page for the story, and it will run it's conversion using the printer-friendly version of the whole story. If you start it from a chapter page, it will only do that chapter.
The ePub version of the script will actually make a chapterized ePub of the story, with a basic TOC. The Kindle version is a lot less elegant, but works :) I will reply here, and possibly do a post later with the url of my script for those that want it and don't have it. I'd give it now but I just found some errors due to recent upgrades and I'm working on the code for it.
-Piper
I have an older Kindle reader
It has buttons to the side for next page and back page. It has a qwerty keyboard and is clear in bright sunshine. It is not back lit, but good in poor light. It is not touch screen.... an advantage. It has wireless connectivity and limited internet connectivity for emails etc easy link to amazon shopping.
Light and compact.
Model number D00901
Tanya
There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!
Reader
The local library here lends readers, and presumably e-books.
You might try to see if one there does something similar, and try theirs to see what they are like.
If you read outdoors, consider the non-backlit white displays as they work well in bright sunshine, and have great battery life.
When I bought my Pan Digital reader, I looked to see if it will play audio. Mine will, but when I became more familiar with it, I found it will play, pause or stop, but will not backup in a file. For e-books that is not good.
There are some cheap (relatively in the under 100 buck range ) 10 inch pads available recently, so if you only use them indoors, they might be adequate.
I personally still do most of my reading on my laptop.
A 5 plus year old laptop like this one can be had off ebay or craigslist in the under 100 buck range, but you do have to budget for new batteries. Mine is an old Toshiba running Visturkey and Mint Linux. These avoid the gestures nonsense, but it's Synaptic touchpads are pure junk. Even so, old laptops might be considered an option, since you do have a choice of reader software.
I use a plug-in in Firefox for reading Epubs, and Mobipocket Reader for Kindle format files.
I have found older versions of Opera browser good for reading Html files. The text resizing gadget is easier than others and you seem to have a bit more control over the display than newer versions.
How about a Refurbished Button Model Kindle?
Have you thought about a refurbished button only kindle. They do not have a back-lit screen, but then we were all happy with them before the back-lit screen models came out.
Sophie
Used Kindles
Used Older Model kindles can be had pretty cheap from Amazon resellers.
Kindles Starting at $24.65 includes Shipping
Or Starting at $30 if you want Prime 2 Day Shipping
BUSINESS DISCLAIMER: I do no work for amazon but DO work for BigCloset :) I pulled these links from Amazon and added our referral ID to it so that if you purchase from those links, we will get $$ from the sale.
Personal Disclaimer: While I like the Amazon Kindle devices, and we sell a lot of books via Amazon, I dislike Amazon's business practices regarding it's purchase of MobiPocket which it used to build it's Kindle business, and prefer book devices and companies that support the ePub Format/Standard
One Option.
If the cost is not a problem, and your main concern is getting a large screen. Then I would suggest a laptop or notebook computer with the appropriate e-reader software added. There is PC e-reader software for every format out there, including kindle.
To keep cost down, If you are not going to use it for anything else, then a older or lower spec'd model would be fine, e-readers don't need much computing power. Then again if you are going to buy one you might want it to be useful for other things too.
Computers also let you change screen resolution, and for online stuff browsers let you increase type face size. Of special note for online reading, the Firefox browser has a built in "reader mode" which with one click lets you display the main panel of a web page in an e-reader type format that can be customized.
I have been considering the portable computer option my self. I usually read on my desktop when home.
~Hypatia >i< ..:::
I have trouble with accidental gestures my self, in fact a times I have touch screen device react with out actually even touching them some how.
I have a good laptop.
I have a good laptop. Unfortunately, even with f.lux, an adjustable table, and an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor, it's wrecking my good arm. I need to take more breaks from it. I need something else to read on, and I can't curl up with a laptop. doesn't work that way. [also, with my disabilities, it's very hard to find out whether new/used computers will be accessible.]
The Kindle DX is supposed to have the large screen and keyboard, but it has very limited memory and font issues.
By transferring stories,
By transferring stories, articles, etc. directly from your computer. I know some have proprietary formats, but if they can read pdf, djvu, html, epub, etc. that should do. My current e-reader doesn't always do the other formats and doesn't do html.
Hiding in Plain Sight
I use all sorts of Aliases on the internet. If you google/bing for my real name, you don't find me. I plan on keeping it that way.
I have an iPad. My apple ID bears no resemblance to my real name. I have an account on Amazon. That uses my real name but the Credit Card I use for making payments is only used for Amazon and one other store. This card is from an issuer that I have no other relationship with.
I had a Kindle. It was stolen when I was in the USA. One call to Amazon and it was deactivated. Apple offer the same service.
I prefer the iPad. It has the Kindle App on it. Amazon only knows about the books I purchase from them and nothnig else.
Just don't put your whole life on it (like any electronic device really) and if it goes missing you are not up shit creek without a paddle.
Not exactly an answer, but...
..may be useful info toward one.
It is possible to load eBooks from other sources to a kindle via a USB connection from your computer. Kindle will read "Mobi" format directly. Other formats may be converted to mobi using a program called "Calibre", assuming they are not locked.
As for further privacy on theses you may have to check in to synchronization and cloud backup settings to make sure they do not upload back to to Amazon. I do not think items loaded this way do, but I am not sure.
As for buying from Amazon directly, of course they have a record. This is supposedly private locked info, unless you share it yourself. Check your settings, keep your wishlists private. And either don't review anything or use an alias screen name. Whether trust them is another matter.
~Hypatia >i< ..:::
PS. I have used "Calibre" to convert downloaded copies of the "printer friendly" version of stories here at BC, in to "Mobi" format, and transferred them via USB, to read on the go with my kindle.
Moon+ Reader
I am using a standard Android tablet with a 10" screen. And I have installed the Amazon Kindle app. But my prefered reader app is actually "Moon+ Reader". The default configuration is to use the volume buttons for paging. Though you can also scroll through the text just by pushing it with a touch. Font size and screen brightness are just a margin swipe away. In a brightly lit environment I use a black font on white background, while in a dark environment I find the opposite (white on black) to be much easier on the eyes.
After two years, I have come to prefer the EPUB format (usually being up to 25% smaller than MOBI). Also, with Moon Reader I can just copy the eBooks to the tablet as plain files and store them in a normal directory structure. And Moon Reader can read several other formats as well (though for some you need to go for the payed version).
Where I have found the Kindle app to consume more and more storage space, loose the book files requiring a new download, and having no easy way of organizing the books across different devices.
And as an added bonus: The Android tablet can also be used to play videos or to listen to your favorite music while reading. Apart from any other tasks you can do with a general purpose tablet computer.
I tried one tablet and one
I tried one tablet and one hybrid. I couldn't use either. I don't think I can use touhscreens. I know I can't use bright flashing zooming screens. I don't think I can listen to music any more either.
I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4.
Mine is the 7 inch model, but it's available in a 10 inch. I got mine at Barnes and Noble.
Beings it's a genuine tablet computer, you're not stuck with Nook only. You can download the Kindle app and have the best of both worlds. While it will accept gestures, you would have to turn that feature on. I don't have it on, on mine, mostly because I didn't want to learn how to use that feature.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
I picked up an Android tablet
I picked up an Android tablet yesterday. It was on clearance, and much cheaper than most e-readers. I hoped an external controller, and some accessibility tips to disable animation would help. Not so far.
If I pick up a Kindle DX,
If I pick up a Kindle DX, what do I have to do to read epub, html, djvu, etc.?