About eReaders

[cobito]

Well, I've been looking at e-books for a while and now that we're in the summer where you can even have time to read, I'm thinking about getting one of these gadgets.

In principle, I want two things: it to be cheap and to have an e-ink screen. Meeting these criteria, I found these two:

Bq Pocket Plus 5"

Kindle

I don't need it to have Wifi, nor 3G, nor to be able to play MP3 or anything.

I have several questions:

1º What is the ideal size?
2º What types of e-ink screens exist; what features should I look for?
3º What should I look for when buying it?

Not long ago I read that Amazon had the power to delete books from e-readers at will, something that doesn't make me happy at all. It's crucial that I have control of the device at any time and that I don't have to depend on anyone to put books on it.

Last question: is there a forecast that the price of these devices will drop considerably and/or that their features will improve a lot in the not too distant future (within one or two months)?

Thanks.

[Nemo]

My knowledge and experience is limited to this e-reader:
Grammata Papyre 6.1
It is more or less the simplicity that you are looking for, the screen is 6" and it reads very clearly and as the screen refreshes only when you turn the page the battery lasts forever, reading an hour a day 5 days a week it can last more than a month and a half.
File format compatibility is important although most is.PDF.

Best regards.

[Tecnho]

Hello cobito, I bought this one for my mother in December and it really works great. Now the price might be a bit out of reach, but let me suggest it to you because I have tried it and it reads many formats. But the best thing is to convert them all to ePUB, which is the most convenient. It has electronic ink and a good screen, which was what I was looking for back in the day.

NVSBL - El Libro de Plástico

[cobito]

Thanks for the replies.

I forgot to mention before that it would be very useful to me (in fact, I wouldn't mind scratching my pocket a bit more) that it had an English-Spanish and German-Spanish dictionary, so that during the reading I can point to any word and it gets translated.

[amd125]

I have the Kindle 3. It cost me about 140€ from Amazon USA, because I ordered another one for a friend and the more you order the cheaper the customs and shipping fees are.

I am delighted, I recommend a 6". Sony has a 5" one that I find very small. The only good thing is that the 5" one fits in your pocket.

In the end most are similar so there are not many differences between Ebooks. The ones with touch screen usually cost more. About the Kindle 3, the cheapest one comes with Wify but I turn it off, I have never used it. I assure you that Amazon has not deleted any book from me

There is a Spanish brand BQ that has good ebooks and the ones with touch screen I have read that you double click on the English word and it translates it. Maybe you could be interested in an ebook like that. I leave you the link: E-reader Movistar ebook bq

I suppose you could add the German dictionary or any other language to it as well.

[cobito]

The one from Movistar is winning even though it is a bit more expensive. It would be perfect if it had a Spanish-German dictionary. I will continue to investigate.

[amd125]

I believe that dictionaries can always be obtained.

[kelven]

I have the Kindle 3 and I'm delighted, it cost me €140.. but then Amazon refunded me €20 (of the customs costs that they shouldn't have charged them)..

As far as I understand it's the one that turns the page the fastest (this doesn't seem like it but it's important... I hate seeing a papyre 5 turn the page, it seems like it takes forever).. dictionaries you want (you always find them on the Internet) and books.. it doesn't read epub, but you spend 1 min converting the book to mobi or any other format that the Kindle accepts, with calibre or even the Amazon converter (free).. the battery lasts a long time... a lot, as they say it only consumes when you turn the page or turn it on... (I go a month and a half/two months without charging).. I've read about 10 books since Christmas...

By the way, reading PDFs is a bit horrible if it has images, if you want it for reading PDFs get the Ipad.

One more thing I don't recommend touchscreens, as the screen reflection is horrible.. the normal one even in the sun you can read it perfectly (like a normal book).. now one with reflections is impossible... and to have reflections and be touch you get the Ipad.. and of course 6" or more screen.

[cobito]

@kelven:

I have the Kindle 3 and I'm delighted, it cost me €140.. but then Amazon refunded me €20 (of the customs costs that they shouldn't have charged)..

As far as I understand it's the one that turns the page the fastest (this doesn't seem like much but it's important … I hate seeing a papyre 5 turn the page, it seems like it takes forever).. dictionaries you can have as many as you want (you can always find them on the Internet) and books.. it doesn't read epub, but you can convert the book to mobi or any other format that the Kindle accepts in 1 min, with calibre or even the Amazon converter (free)... the battery lasts a long time... a very long time, as they say it only consumes when you turn the page or turn it on... (I go a month and a half/two months on a charge..,) I've read about 10 books since Christmas...
By the way, reading PDFs is a bit horrible if it has images, if you want it for reading PDFs get an Ipad.

One more thing I don't recommend touchscreens, as the screen reflection is horrible.. the normal one you can read perfectly even in the sun (like a normal book)... now one with reflections is impossible... and to have reflections and be touch you get the Ipad.. and of course 6" or more screen.

As for customs, it seems that Amazon has changed its policy, because now it warns that the tariffs and such are the responsibility of the buyer.

The fact that the touch screen worsens the reading experience puts me off the Movistar one.

I'm not sure if I should go for one of these two:

BQ Cervantes

Kindle

By the way, the $114 version I understand includes advertising, but the advertising will appear if you connect to Wifi ¿no? ¿Cómo va el asunto?

[kelven]

I have the cheap one that only has WIFI... and I haven't seen any advertising to date, but I did turn on the WIFI to test it and update the firmware (which updates itself)... I haven't seen the Cervantes, but a cousin of mine has one and we'll probably meet in the summer and compare... (my one is bigger... my one is more playful... the usual stuff)...

Don't think about it too much and decide... either one will surely convince you once you start using it...
check out this website, I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting the link:Lectoreselectronicos - Lectoreselectronicos in their forums they talk about both the Cervantes (other readers), and the Kindle (it has its own section)...

I would buy the one that gives you the least trouble when buying it, because with the Cervantes they mess with you with customs and other nonsense... it's more convenient to buy it online and have it at your house in two days than the Kindle... (I bought the Kindle because I heard it was the fastest and had the best quality up to that date... and I didn't even have to go to the store to pick it up... I'm very lazy )

[amd125]

I bought the Kindle 3 in December and I paid the customs cost, and then I bought another one in March I think for my parents and the same thing.

The advertising… no idea what it's about, I never connect the Wify. I'm delighted with the Kindle, and as they say, you can read several books with one charge. It also depends on the size of the books... but I read 2-3 with one charge.

[lforos]

After testing and researching various options, I also chose the Kindle 3. The most important factors for me are the screen clarity, even with small fonts, and the low power consumption. I also believe that it offers the best value for money.

I completely rule out backlit and touch screens (scratches, finger marks, etc.).

With the Kindle, you have the dictionaries you want and can select one as the main one that is context-sensitive (meaning, you can point to a word and have it translated or defined).

I often turn on the Wifi, especially to download book samples from the Amazon website (it lets you flip through the first few pages to see if you like it or not before buying it) and I have never had any problems with "deleting" books. What it does allow is to have your library on Amazon's servers so you can upload and download books "in the air" without connecting to a PC, but that's only for books you buy on Amazon. I don't know if that's what they meant by manipulating the content of your Kindle.

Regarding formats, the ideal is for it to be the simplest text possible (after all, it's for reading books). Kindle lets you view PDFs but it's horrible (it seems to treat them as graphics, not as text). But if you install Calibre, you can convert any format to MOBI, which is the one it uses natively. Moreover, Calibre lets you manage your library to organize all the books, keep different formats of the same book, buy books online, transfer books to the device, etc., very easily.

The Kindle is simply an e-book reader. Not a planner, not a calendar, not anything (there are actually apps like that for Kindle but they are generally lamentable). It has a web browser with logical limitations (video, flash, monochrome), but not much else.

If you want it for reading books and nothing else, I would definitely recommend it. The basic version is very affordable (the 3G doesn't seem too useful to me, unless you travel a lot and want to, for example, subscribe to the Kindle version of a newspaper, so you can read it anywhere in the world). The DX version is spectacular, but I think it's too big to be a "handheld" book. I find Calibre essential if you buy a Kindle.

[packosoft]

I used to tell Tecnho about it. I asked a work colleague for a Kindle (the cheapest one) from Amazon USA and they sent it via UPS in 3-4 days (customs included).
A month later, the screen broke (the top part can't be seen), they sent a new one in 2 days at no charge and didn't collect the old one 8 (it reminded me of what Logitech used to do with the warranty)...

[cobito]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. It seems that the touch screen is not worth it, the Kindle is the one with the best value for money. In a week or two I will place the order.

[Tecnho]

Just to remind you, in case you hadn't bought it yet, amazon.es just opened today and the Kindle is at 189 dollars.

[cobito]

@Tecnho:

Reflotando esto, por si no habías compra aún, acaba de abrir hoy amazon.es el kindle está a 189 dolares.

Bueno, he dejado aparcado un poco el hilo. A ver si tengo algo de tiempo y remprendo la actividad forera.

Al final me compre el Kindle sin 3G que al cambio me salio por poco más de 130€ con envío, aranceles y todo. El dispositivo es bastante interesante, aunque un verdadero engorro para leer PDFs por mucho que estos se puedan convertir. De momento estoy bastante contento, porque hay un repertorio bastante apañado de libros en formato nativo y el tema del diccionario era exactamente como esperaba.

En cuando a Amazon.es, no vende directamente el Kindle. Si te fijas, direcciona a la web americana. De todas formas es mejor así, porque ya estoy viendo cómo lo suben a 140€ + canon+ iva + envio…

[Gaiteiro]

Look where that got me….
Googling in search of an ebook, the internet has returned me to my hardware cradle, where I learned what a "computer" was and understood concepts so basic to life like "geek", "RL", "pink laptop", etc... (I know some of you won't understand, don't get your knickers in a twist) xD

Well, the thing is that my partner's birthday is coming up and I'm going to give him/her an ebook, I was looking for something that doesn't go much above 100€ and that's just for reading, that is, nothing extra (mp3, video, wifi, etc...).
From what I can see, a Bq Cervantes 2 might be what I'm looking for, if you know anything more I'm all ears.
Regards.

PD: Look how long it's been since I posted anything, but every time I come in, even if it's just a bounce, I still feel at home!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

[Tecnho]

Hello piper, I think the best option is the Kindle from Amazon that is for 99€ and very complete.
http://www.amazon.es/Kindle-dispositivo-inal%C3%A1mbrico-integrado-electr%C3%B3nica/dp/B0051QVF7A/ref=amb_link_163062407_2?pf_rd_m=A1AT7YVPFBWXBL&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0M2H8XB4WT87ER3NDD38&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=283632907&pf_rd_i=602357031

[Gaiteiro]

@Tecnho:

Hello gaitero, I think the best option is the Amazon Kindle that is for 99€ and very complete.
Kindle: wireless reading device, with integrated wifi and 15 cm (6 inch) E Ink electronic ink screen: Amazon.es: Kindle Store

;D
I was looking at it now, before I thought I saw you commenting that it was around 140€ but the posts were from last summer.
Well, I'm almost certain I'll get the Kindle, I've never bought from Amazon and this is a good opportunity
Regards and thanks again.

[Nemo]

@Gaiteiro:

;D
I was looking at it now, before I thought I saw you commenting that it came out at about 140€ but the posts were from last summer.
Well, I'm almost certain I'll get the kindle, I've never bought from amazon and this is a good opportunity
Regards and thanks again.

Well look, I bought from Amazon this week and it was very good, if you take the premium shipping the postage is free, and then if you want, when you receive it you unsubscribe and that's it.