That aside, totally agree on the form factor. My first ebook reader was a pocketbook 360, which came bundled with a rigid cover (would snap onto the back while reading) and a 5" screen, when most ebook readers were around the 6" diagonal.
The size delta was significant as it meant the difference between fitting in a jacket pocket vs needing to carry a bag, and that really changes your likelihood to take it with you / read a book.
The killer features of koreader for me are sane PDF scaling/reflowing, the ability to handle large PDFs, and multiple export formats for annotations.
Price difference is negligible but I am confused by the size difference and ease of use
One day I'll pick up one of the larger versions for home use, though.
Clara: - Small form factor. Super convenient to read and bring it anywhere. - No issue to read any materials imo.
Libra: - It's slightly bigger and heavier. - I find it easier to read books with lots of graph, images since it's bigger. - I can also read comics with color. Pretty awesome.
Imo, boils down to your preference, hand size (I'm not a big guy). I like both devices. Libra main advantage to me is just color. Size is personal preference. If there's any store nearby, I'd suggest to just go and try it out first (or any ebook with similar size).
I went back to BW after that.
(it's amazing for comics and note taking though.)
I do agree with the sibling comment on the eink display a I find I always need the backlight on to some degree which wasn’t the case for the kindle.
I only read on my iPad and iPhone because they are on-hand almost anywhere I am.
To me, the e-reading discussion is the same as the notetaking software discussion -- people obsess over the best form factor, but really most of the benefit comes from "just doing it" and keeping at it.
Most people gear up but they never end up doing it (reading continuous or taking notes).
I really like my Boox Max, as it means that I can read textbooks at a good size without reflowing. It still holds charge for several weeks at a time after about 7 years
I wish I had it at university instead of 1000+ page hardback calculus textbooks.
I really don't understand why some of you really want that to come back.
Also it uses a color e-ink Kaleido which I personally find useless : the colors are still too washed out to be useful and the contrast is horrible with no backlight compared to B&W e-ink.
But it's still an interesting device.
It's probably the single best electronic device I own. I once dropped it in a pool and it stopped working for a few weeks, but it came back on its own.
if it runs android 13, how long will it get updates for? how long until the apps you're using won't be updated?
i'd like my ebook reader to last years without issue
my oasis from 2020 still does all the things i need it to though i'd like to get a good reason to leave the kindle ecosystem but still want to have access to all the books i've purchased to read on eink
i kind of also wonder if other companies, i.e. kobo, will jump into this form factor given the popularity of boox
I'd love to get a Kobo to run Koreader but not until prices have come down to under $200 for a 8" device. I'm also consideeing the PocketBook Verse, the SD card slot means I could carry my entire 67GB collection with me..
You can definitely get a used one for less than 200$
It has wifi, you can replace the SD card inside, and it has two backlights (cold and warm)
I was referring more to the 8" to 10" e-readers, which are over $400, some over $700, for that price I'd rather get another iPad or Pixel Tablet. Hopefully e-ink tech is going to get cheaper when the patents expire, but that's 2032 or so, a long time away.
I would consider buying another eink device, but only if the price came down a lot. The market is still fairly small for eink, so there hasn’t really been much economy of scale. I just looked it up and apparently eink still costs 5-10x more than LCD to manufacture.
This Boox device would have to be closer to $50 (and not $200) to tempt me to add yet another gadget to my collection.
Maybe one day they'll have a version with Android on it.
I don't know about everyone else, but I find that I hate having to hold my e-reader. Also some years ago when I had 3 months of recovery time for a back operation I bought a tablet holder, which I have since attached to what is now my reading chair.
You can also now get some really nice magnetic y-shape arms that you rest on a table or surface (or wrap around something) that can hold a light e-reader magnetically without trouble.
cranberryturkey•3mo ago