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Advice regarding e-readers

#41 User is offline   Gorefest 

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Posted 07 February 2018 - 03:26 PM

I use a Fintie smartshell case with the 'ancient map' pattern:

Posted Image
It is thin and light but surprisingly sturdy. Had it for a few years now, traveling with it daily in my bag and it still looks good as new.

(Plus I think it is a lot cheaper than the 'official' kindle cases)

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 07 February 2018 - 03:34 PM

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#42 User is offline   Cause 

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Posted 09 February 2018 - 12:27 PM

Anyone know a good case for the new Kindle Oasis. The official amazon versions have been pulled from the store for bad reviews. Since the kindle is waterproof ideally id want a cover that can get wet without being damaged.
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#43 User is offline   Gorefest 

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Posted 09 February 2018 - 12:37 PM

I think Fintie do covers for most Kindle versions/styles.

https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/B0776WC4NP
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#44 User is offline   Zeto Demerzel 

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Posted 05 April 2020 - 07:56 AM

Apologies for the thread necro. Here's where I am with my ereader monologue:

  • I much prefer dead tree books but live in a place where books can be hard to find or are prohibitively expensive.
  • That means that I've started reading ebooks, somewhat reluctantly, on an old work-supplied tablet (Samsung P6200). It's old but works except when I have to read outdoors. The reading outdoors part happens often and the glare is terrible.
  • I'd like to avoid buying from Amazon if I can (as a matter of principle). I certainly don't want to be locked into Amazon's proprietary format or into their book ecosystem. I've heard mention of ads (offers) and that sort of thing would seriously piss me off.
  • Tried buying a couple of books from Amazon so that I could transfer them to my tablet. Calibre with the appropriate plugin (I'm aware of DRM stripping) failed.
  • I've had my eye on the Kobo Clara HD for a while now but can't source it locally. I pretty much have to wait for a friend or relative to visit my neck of the woods from elsewhere. That wait has been ongoing for well over a year and shows no sign of ending soon.

I don't care if the reader is waterproof. I've held on to my tablet for eight or nine years now so durability is also not a huge concern for me.

I'd like to be able to buy from any store of my choice. I'd also want to save legally purchased books to a format of my choice (epub) onto a location of my choice (my local drive).

Apologies for the long story. Any suggestions on whether I should bite the bullet and get a Kindle or continue to wait? If the former, which model do I want?
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#45 User is offline   Cause 

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Posted 05 April 2020 - 11:41 AM

I use kindle so not familiar with other brands much but to answer one of your main objections I use caliber to load non amazon format books to my kindle all the time.

Edit- also the adds are optional and also not invasive. They only display when the kindle is off, here is a trick though, save the 20 dollars but a kindle with adds and than chat to amazon help and ask them to remove them. They almost always do it for free

This post has been edited by Cause: 05 April 2020 - 08:51 PM

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#46 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 01:02 PM

I've come to a realization.

At 45, my eyesight isn't the best (I have glasses for when my eyestrain gets bad) and I find that reading physical books to be a BIT of a task (depending on the type size)...and my Kindle has spoiled me for the fact that the Bookerly font is nice, and I can size it as I want AND the light means I doin't need a light source...so I think my days of collecting physical books may be waning as I just prefer my kindle for many reasons, but comfort for my eyes is the most prevalent.

I may still get some collector books (Erikson, obvs, Tolkien and a few others) but overall I think I'm switching.
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#47 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 03:09 PM

This thing about eyesight is worrying me. I've hit 41 and don't notice any problems myself yet. Maybe my glasses correct what ever beginning issues I might have.

But lots of my older colleagues struggle with reading small text on screens or on book spines. Why hasn't science fixed this yet? Just give me cybernetic eyes already.
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#48 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 03:38 PM

View PostAptorian, on 28 July 2022 - 03:09 PM, said:

This thing about eyesight is worrying me. I've hit 41 and don't notice any problems myself yet. Maybe my glasses correct what ever beginning issues I might have.

But lots of my older colleagues struggle with reading small text on screens or on book spines. Why hasn't science fixed this yet? Just give me cybernetic eyes already.


Yeah, and the kindle feels like a warm hug to people like me in contrast to physical books. And I have always ADORED physical books...but my body has begin betraying me and my eyes were apparently the first thing to start annoying me.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
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#49 User is offline   worry 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 07:33 PM

Time to invest in one of these, folks...
Posted Image

They came with white hands and left with red hands.
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#50 User is offline   Mezla PigDog 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 08:09 PM

I saw a bunch of my older colleagues last week and they all said some point between 40 and 45 your eyesight goes rapidly downhill. Mine started at 38. My colleagues were swapping tips on when it's the right time to get varifocals. Apparently that time comes in your 50s!
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#51 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 09:42 PM

Wait

You guys aren't in your 40s
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#52 User is offline   Gwynn ap Nudd 

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Posted 01 August 2022 - 05:21 AM

View PostAptorian, on 28 July 2022 - 03:09 PM, said:

This thing about eyesight is worrying me. I've hit 41 and don't notice any problems myself yet. Maybe my glasses correct what ever beginning issues I might have.

But lots of my older colleagues struggle with reading small text on screens or on book spines. Why hasn't science fixed this yet? Just give me cybernetic eyes already.


And why do we still have weather? Seriously, someone needs to get on that weather making machine.

I'm a few years up on you and have issues reading some small print on screens. I find myself zooming in on pdf drawings to read small print now, which is frustrating as all the government issued ones have huge file sizes our work computers can't handle. +10% zoom? Oh here, watch the Microsoft spinning wheel for a minute or two while we process that. No issues with books yet though (other than audio ones).

On topic, I am thinking of switching to ebooks as well for three reasons. Some of the books I would like to read (e.g. the second one in the Lot Lands series) aren't on the shelf locally and have month plus shipping times. Similarly, when I was reading Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence books, three of the books were only available used and ending up being cast offs from the Melbourne library system and took a long time to arrive. Second is space. I bought a new bookcase not too long ago, and am one deep on three shelves already. If I keep this up I expect it to be full by the end of the year. Adding more bookshelves might require removing other important things like a bed or a fridge. Third is cost. With the amount I am reading now I expect that switching to ebooks would be a reasonable amount of savings. The local library also has a much larger ebook catalogue than print book one.

Basically, that is me laying out my thoughts trying to convince myself to switch. I know at least one of the people I am going on vacation with later this summer has an ebook reader. I think I'll have to "borrow" that for a day or two and see if I find it tolerable.

Edit: on the cost bit, I haven't read The Ruin of Angels yet, which is the sixth book in the Craft Sequence. Just checked as I was thinking to order it. $5 ebook, $27 print copy. Must try ebook readers out.

This post has been edited by Gwynn ap Nudd: 01 August 2022 - 05:42 AM

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