12
votes
Help me find an e reader
I am looking for an e reader with specific features, honestly I don't know if what I want even exists, but I figured this might be a good place to ask. Here's my wants:
- Charge via USB-C
- Open, allows .epub files (I understand some brands don't)
- interfaces with Calibre
- Does not have any wireless radios ie bluetooth, wifi (I know lots of people would say just turn those features off, but I would just prefer the device doesn't have them to begin with)
Have you guys seen any devices that meet this criteria?
I don't think you will be able to find any devices that satisfies the last criteria. The primary issue is that wifi and bluetooth are typically bundled with any and all SoCs anyone can buy (and by bundled I mean literally on the die package), because they're ubiquitous, and cheap. So you'd have a hard time even if you tried to make one yourself without a bluetooth or wifi antenna, let alone buy one from a manufacturer.
Yeah, if one is serious about no radios I think the best possible option might be to find one that’s friendly to being opened and disconnect its internal antennas. Still won’t eliminate connectivity entirely but should make it effectively useless unless you’re sitting right next to the router.
I doubt you will find something without Bluetooth or WiFi, especially if it is usb-c.
I know Kobo’s can be used with Calibre and generic ePubs, and the Libra 2 is USB-C (but has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity). I’m not sure if any of their other ones are USB-C.
Can I ask why you don’t want any wireless functionality?
I’ve been pretty happy with my Kobo, and though I have wifi enabled on it, it works perfectly with wifi turned off.
My favorite thing about it makes programs like Calibre somewhat extraneous — it reads standard formats like ePub and when plugged into a computer it mounts just a flash drive, so all I need to load it up with books is a computer manufactured within the last 25 years. I love this because Calbre’s UI drives me nuts, so not needing to use it is a big plus.
I just have no need for it and I would prefer the device does not emit any signals at all. Unless there are hardware switches, those features could be accidentally turned on. The simpler the better in my mind.
Are you handy with a soldering iron? If you’re somewhat familiar with electronics, it might be worth opening one up and physically disabling the wireless components?
Note that I am not at all familiar with soldering or electronics, so I can’t help you identify anything or consider the particulars of what the damage might result in, but it’s just a suggestion.
Yea thats not a bad idea, and might be worth a go on a cheaper device.
It just bothers me that there appears to be no market for simple electronics. Everything has to be connected to the internet at all times.
It doesn't have to be, simply don't configure a network, and it isn't connected. I believe kobo e-readers even have an airplane mode.
Sure, it still has the hardware in it, but for all intends and purposes doesn't really matter anymore at that point.
I understand your perspective here, but try to understand the generic consumer's a bit more. The downside of having a wireless radio, at worst, if you don't want it and aren't looking for a guarantee against it, is paying an extra dollar or two. And nobody's doing that. Almost everyone using ebooks thinks that the only legal way to get them is on a dedicated device or app for their phone made by the same company, maybe using their library's program in association with Amazon and Rakuten. When they want a book, they either go to a site on their phone, buy it, and hit "send to device" or browse on the device itself. The idea of plugging in their ereader to a laptop or desktop instead of just clicking that button would seem laughable.
Why in the world would there be a marketable niche for people avoiding EMF? Nearly everyone in your position also has the minimum of soldering accumen necessary to fry the radio, and they're able to piggyback off the economies of scale. I use a Kobo Libra hacked with nickelmenu and KOReader, and keep my elibrary DRM free in Calibre, and even I'm happy to use the local server feature to push books wirelessly. I wouldn't miss it much, but it is pretty awesome to be able to say "oh, was that a reference to that Shakespeare play?" and in under a minute have it downloaded from Gutenberg and open without getting up.
I send any epub archive to my Kindle's official email address and Amazon sends it to my Kindle for free. It is also stored on their cloud so I can redownload whenever I want. It doesn't care where I got the file, or what it is. So I don't need a cable even for piracy.
Yeah, that works too. I just don't trust that "whenever" timeframe, and I don't mind keeping a database manually.
That's cool. They're also on my email and hard drive though. And I generally read widely available books so in case of disaster I'm pretty sure I could simply buy a digital or paper version of whatever I want. I don't reread things often anyway.
Yeah, no judgment meant by any of this. I'm just a paranoiac with a lot of time on my hands.
E-ink doesn't feel all that modern or connected. My Kindle Paperwhite feels and function as something that is only really good for reading books, and that is all I use it for, unlike any other devices. I literally never opened its web browser, or even browsed the Amazon Store in it. It's way too cumbersome for that.
If you buy a regular cheap e-ink reader, I guarantee you all you'll wanna do with it is reading.
I only use the WIFI to get books I sent to it. Other than that, it is always on airplane mode.
I think you're a bit behind the times, my friend. E-ink screen refresh rates have dramatically improved over the years. And nowadays higher-end models like the Onyx BOOX Tab Ultra can even display YouTube videos at acceptable framerates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6NastrlWnU#t=10m42s
That's cool and also a shame, because the limitations of my Kindle are one of the main reasons why it is useful to me.
I suppose I'll still be able to buy crappy E-ink for the time being. I don't think the current Kindle Paperwhite can play videos.
I don't think you have too much to worry about. Amazon will probably never focus on high refresh rates for their Kindles since they're generally way more focused on affordability, battery life, and catering to book readers.
It does have WiFi, but otherwise I 100% recommend Pocketbook.
I have one and I love it, and thus far 2 people have gotten one on my recommendation and also absolutely love theirs.
It's very intuitive, very simple and essentially 'jailbroken', in that it doesn't restrict you to anything. Open whatever you want on it, even comic books, pocketbook doesn't give a hoot.
Calibre? You got it. Illegally downloaded dictionaries? Toss it in there, Pocketbook will let you use it. Entirely different readerapp/overlay? Yup, toss koreader right on there - the steps to get it on other ereaders are like 4 pages long, but Pocketbook's instructions are more like 1. Drag and drop 2. Done. Hotel? Trivago.
I know sound like a shill but I don't care, 10/10 pocketbook is the honey badger of ereaders
I'll definitely check it out, thank you
I’m also in the market for a new e-reader, so I got exited reading your recommendation. After checking some reviews I’m hesitant though, I’m seeing some reports of broken screens within the first year of ownership. Not sure if that’s an issue with just one model or more in their lineup. Have you seen anything like that?
Oh, really?? No I have 0 experience with breaking screens, nor do the two people I recommended pocketbook to (just checked). Hell, one of them is a close friend who drags her ereader with her on all her holidays, and there's not even a hint of a crack.
We do all three use a pocketbook cover, like the basic standard one you can buy from pocketbook for 20 bucks or so. No idea if that's a magical screen protector here, or if there's something wrong with the more recent ones? The other person bought a Pocketbook Era within the last 6 months though, and hasn't had any issues like that.
Weird! But if the reviews are calling it out then I'd take it seriously. Thanks for letting me know, I'll keep that in mind the next time I rave about it lol
What I’m reading is that the ones with these issues, have a glass screen (the Lux 5 for instance). It seems the glass screens are fragile.
Like @Zorind, I also doubt there are any newer e-readers that come without WiFi or Bluetooth, and I couldn't find any with a quick search.
So the only way you will probably be able to get an e-reader that doesn't have those features is to buy a used, much much older model, or essentially make your own custom e-reader. Which you should be able to do by buying an e-ink display, like an Onyx BOOX Mira (expensive!), or a cheaper no-name one off Amazon, AliExpress, or from various online Raspberry Pi related stores... and combining it with a WiFi/Bluetooth-less RPi model like the original Zero, or something similar.
See also: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/using-e-ink-raspberry-pi/
What is the reason why you don't want wireless?
Because, if that's a productivity/concentration issue, the Kindle Paperwhite does have internet but it is so bad and slow that it poses no distractions to me. And I am in a position to say that, given my severe ADHD. I keep it in airplane mode most of the time. Eink is inherently slower for web browsing.
In addition to enabling airplane mode, you can simply never supply your WIFI password to the device. That's enough deterrence for a lot of people.
I can load any epubs I want on it via email or USB cable. It is supported by Calibre (even though that doesn't really matter to me, since I can just send the files independently from it). And there's a browser extension that sends webpages to the Kindle.
I'm certain any well-known e-reader is sufficiently good. It's simple tech. I'm very satisfied with my Kindle Paperwhite. It was cheap, and it has been working for many years without fail.
I've had 2 different types of Kobo readers over about 8 years, on both of them i just turned off the wireless and never turned it on again. My main reason is battery life but i also bought a e-reader to read books and nothing else. I have better devices for connectivity.
If you really, really don't want radio hardware you can just make your own ereader. A little bit of compute power (eg, a Pi Zero), an eink screen and a battery is not a tricky thing to assemble, nor particularly expensive. If you can borrow a 3D printer to make a housing it could only take a few hours to do.
Fun project, but you are making it look a little too simple here. I mean, in theory, you are right as far as hardware goes. But it assumes a bunch of skills on that hardware level alone, if those skills are not there it easily becomes a project of at least multiple days.
This of course ignores the software part of things. Given the e-ink display you want software to works nicely with it. For example, you don't want insane flickering on each page turn. Which will happen with a lot of e-book software for desktop usage, as it assumes a normal higher refresh rate monitor to be attached.
There is also dealing with artifacts and periodically rebuilding the entire screen.
Finally, there are the controls you need to consider.
It is very likely that everything already has been figured out once by someone else on the internet. So it doesn't need to be developed from scratch. But integrating it into one coherent package and tuning it to the point that it is actually a full-fledged daily drivable e-reader is easily a project that will take a considerable amount of time.
Again, sounds like a really fun project for the right person. But it isn't an “only a few hours” project in the slightest ;)
Fair point. You'll note I did say "could" :)
I am assuming you're me when you're doing it, and I have a decent amount of experience of this kind of thing. The last pi+eink project I did - if you ignore the hours spent on over-complicated woodworking for the enclosure - took a couple of evenings of gentle hacking while watching TV. If I'd been trying harder it would have taken less, but I was having fun.
In my case the enclosure actually took a few days of work, but if I had only wanted a simple plastic case with 2-3 buttons would be perhaps an hour of CAD (and I suck at CAD) and a few hours of print time.
The eink specific display handling stuff is pretty easy btw. There's a python library, of course. Because these days so much "programming" is "import solution \n problem.solve()"...
Also, as you suggest, as for almost any given Pi project these days, someone has already done most of the work on it. Multiple. times. over.
I don't think it's a great solution to the problem of needing an ereader, because it'll be relatively expensive and almost certainly still won't be as good as even the cheapest no-brand ereader - unless not having wireless connectivity is an absolute deal-breaker, in which case I think it might be the only way to do it.
Do any of these modern ebook reader devices have batteries that are easily user-replaceable? I ask because I have a 9th-gen Kindle Oasis and its battery is now really declining after about 4 years of daily use, and apparently replacing a battery in one of these things is major surgery. I'm not expecting something as simple as swapping AA batteries, just something that doesn't risk destroying the whole device when you do attempt a battery swap.