best e-reader for sailors

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Mar 2005
Messages
12,954
Location
Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
which one chaps

it is for the boat

robustness, battery life, flexibility with using all the formats on the web

not interested in colour or watching videos - I have a laptop for that

I tend to write in the margin of my books - so the ability to annotate stuff would be quite nice

D
 
The Kindle Paperwhite is awesome!

Not only is the screen superb, but it has an "X-Ray" function that brings up references to any names or places on the page you are reading, or in the whole book. Definitely the best Kindle ever for reading books. Annotation is very easy, in fact I have used it for making notes while proof-reading, then uploaded the corrections to my PC.

See it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B007OZO03M/dolcetto-21

.
 
nigelmercier said:
The Kindle Paperwhite is awesome!

Not only is the screen superb, but it has an "X-Ray" function that brings up references to any names or places on the page you are reading, or in the whole book. Definitely the best Kindle ever for reading books. Annotation is very easy, in fact I have used it for making notes while proof-reading, then uploaded the corrections to my PC.

See it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B007OZO03M/dolcetto-21

.
Click to expand...

my neighbour is on his third kindle

now it might be because he is a stumblebum - but I was wondering about longevity

D
 
My Kindle 3G, the one with the buttons.

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/3008...&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=64

Not sure it handles all e book formats, but in all other respects is very satisfactory.

Battery life is about 30 days, if you remember to turn the wifi off.

The 3G element is quite handy for weather forecasts, e mails etc in foreign climes, but the browser is clunky and not my weapon of choice in that role.

Key board handy for the sausage fingered.
 
You ask which is the best, but dont provide any details of how you want to use it in order to be able to provide a decent answer.

If your intent is to purchase ebooks from Amazon, then it is much easier to buy a Kindle.

Personaly I prefer the Sony, but you have to buy an additional usb mains charger rather than charge from the laptop. Software Calibre is supposed to enable kindle format change to make it viable for the soony, but I havent explored this yet.
 
Talbot said:
You ask which is the best, but dont provide any details of how you want to use it in order to be able to provide a decent answer.

If your intent is to purchase ebooks from Amazon, then it is much easier to buy a Kindle.

Personaly I prefer the Sony, but you have to buy an additional usb mains charger rather than charge from the laptop. Software Calibre is supposed to enable kindle format change to make it viable for the soony, but I havent explored this yet.
Click to expand...

I don't weant to be tied to amazon

there are so many free bokks out there

and charging off 12 volts would be nice

four years and thirty days sounds good
 
Agree with Nigel.

You aren't tied to Amazon. There are many many sites that give free books and if they are not in 'Kindle format' the software mentioned, Calibre, has always sorted it for me.

Battery life is great too - much better than readers that have to power a screen.
 
Last edited:
+ 1 for the Kindle = and for Calibre, it even makes a decent fist of converting most PDF files into something readable. Having recently spent some time undoing the bollix Word made of turning one into something editable, that's something I appreciate!
 
nigelmercier said:
A Kindle can read any free books; some need to be converted (Calibre) but this is the case with all readers. Many such books get converted and put on Amazon.

I have bought about a dozen books, but I've read over 1000.
Click to expand...
+1 however SWMBO is a kindle killer. Don't know how she does it but she's on her fourth one now.......
 
i ahve the old fashioned kindle and my birthday present this year was a waterproof kindle case. in the bunk i use the normal case with a built in light but if i want to read in the cockpit or on the beach then the waterproof case keeps sand/rain/spray out. the 3G version means you can shop for new books at amazon free of charge anywhere you can get a mobile signal and at a pinch you can check your emails although the browser is clunky and not very quick.

Calibre can auto convert other ebook formats to kindle with no problem - easy and quick so you are not tied to amazon - Project Gutenberg has lots of classics and many books that you might want are out of copyright in other countries so accessible on the net. i'm also reliably informed that the internet is a wealth of information on how calibre plug ins can be downloaded that strip off DRM from ebook files meaning any file you get can be stripped of its DRM and made readable on your kindle but of course no one on the forum would ever do that.
 
Another vote for Kindles. Low power consumption - will go for weeks on a charge - and it's just like reading a paper page. I've just got a WiFi one, with no 3G, but that's fine - I use a computer to access the internet, and I can either copy books to it from a laptop, or via a wireless network. When not in reach of a suitable Wireless network, switch the wireless off - it extends battery life considerably.

And another confirmation that if you can get a free version of a book, a Kindle will almost certainly read it. The only format that isn't so good is a PDF created from scanned pages - and I doubt if any reader will cope with that terribly well. I have also found that the PDF version of "Shrimpy" doesn't work well - the copy is double-columned, and no converter manages it very well, running a line from one column into a line from the adjacent one! PDF is the least useful format to use in an e-reader, and is one of the hardest to convert to another, more friendly, form.
 
Sony PRST1 without a doubt

Get a Sony PRST1. Got mine for £80 off Ebay.

Then install this: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRST1_Rooting_and_Tweaks#Rooting_Procedure

It's a doddle.

Then the clever bit.. You now have a rooted Android device. So the first app you install, is of course the Kindle app.

You now have access to the entire Kindle library on your ereader, if you have a mate with one share their account and books (can use on up to 5 devices per account)

Then install Orion PDF reader supports the T1's page turn buttons, manual cropping, Landscape mode and many other features. Great for problematic image based .PDF files (Shrimpy works fine :))

Install whatever other Android app you fancy: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRST1_working_apps

Stick a 32 Gig SD card in it and you have room for 8000+ books

Then get a nice case for it: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M-Edge-Ebook-Case-/330922364526?

Job done.
 
Last edited:
sam_uk said:
Get a Sony PRST1. Got mine for £80 off Ebay.

Then install this: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRST1_Rooting_and_Tweaks#Rooting_Procedure

It's a doddle.

Then the clever bit.. You now have a rooted Android device. So the first app you install, is of course the Kindle app.

You now have access to the entire Kindle library on your ereader, if you have a mate with one share their account and books (can use on up to 5 devices per account)

Then install Orion PDF reader supports the T1's page turn buttons, manual cropping, Landscape mode and many other features. Great for problematic image based .PDF files (Shrimpy works fine :))

Install whatever other Android app you fancy: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRST1_working_apps

Stick a 32 Gig SD card in it and you have room for 8000+ books

Then get a nice case for it: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M-Edge-Ebook-Case-/330922364526?

Job done.
Click to expand...

battery life?

how long?

D
 
Dylan,
Have a browse round in here - http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123, its the forum mostly associated with Calibre. Calibre seems the best game in town for device independent sideloading, format conversions, library management etc etc.

I've recently acquired a Kobo Touch (my first e-reader), still on the learning curve so no idea how long the battery will last or whether I can use it for annotations. So far it does the basic job well enough - that of rendering EPUB files into an easily readable format.
 
The wife was in love with her kindle but once she saw my ipad she had to have one
I suspect a divorce is on the way & me & the kindle get booted for the ipad
Have to admit, far more useful than a kindle
Dunno about side notes. Last time i did something like that was 12 old when i would underline the sexy bits of Mickey Spillain paperbacks so i could swop them for marbles easier
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top