The eBook Reader Blog

Try the "E Ink Mobius Carta", I think it's the best now. You can find e-readers with 10.3" displays, 227 PPI, double front-lit (warm and cold, you can mix them for the best experience, work independently), full android on the device. To be precise, I'm talking about the Onyx Boox Note series (note 2, note 3, note air) that I picked after my previous kindles and pocketbook. It's awesome. Android is adapted for the best experience with its unique features, you can use any application in google play, and the screen is so good in "speed mode" that you can browse the web and even watch youtube. Stylus for notes, and you can buy a "paperlike" protector for the screen. For now, it's the best one from around five different e-readers that I have before. If you want to take notes, there is Remarkable 2. You can check PocketBookt InkPad Color, Onyx Nova Color, Onyx Poke2 Color, and Kobo if you wish for color display. Check this blog for, there are excellent comparisons and reviews for almost every model you can find on the market https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/

Kobo has a sideloading mode that disables all connected-services by default (no need for an account, no online store necessary). Highly recommended alternative. https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/01/21/kobo-software-update-4-31…

I would love to have an e-ink Android tablet with reasonable refresh rates. The article mentions Onyx BOOX Tab, but if I remember correctly, that one had some problems related to licensing [1]. Not sure if those issues has been resolved by now. [1]: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2021/01/22/a-word-of-caution-about-b…

Unfortunately, the Earl tablet never made it to market: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2015/01/26/video-update-about-earl-a… Earl specs: Waterproof; Solar charging; eInk; ANT+; NFC; VHF/UHF transceiver (GMRS, PMR446, UHFCB); GPS; Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Temperature, Barometer, Humidity; AM/FM/SW/LW/WB LTE, LoRa, 5G, and Hostapd would be great Being able to plug it into a powerbank and antennas for use as a fixed or portable e.g. BATMAN mesh relay would be great

I read my Kindle every night. I like to read lying on my side, and preferably without holding the kindle at all. Usually I prop it up on an extra pillow in front of my face or something. The problem is this makes page turning hard. I would love a small bluetooth page turning device that I can hold in my hand and press to turn the page. Anyone seen something like this or maybe even reverse engineered the kindle to make it possible? EDIT: Looks like someone managed to do it with a jailbroken kindle and a presentation remote! http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2016/09/30/remote-control-hack-for-ki…

Not anymore, they have removed the option to download files for transfer via USB https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2025/02/12/download-transfer-for-kin… Ironically, files downloaded from "other" sources have no issue. So they're just making it harder to buy from Amazon legally.

fyi: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2026/02/20/amazon-selling-kindle-oas…

You can use newer Kobo devices offline and without an account: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/02/10/how-to-use-kobos-new-side…

Know that while useful in some scenarios, I'd avoid buying a color e-ink display if you're still going to primarily be using it for B&W colors. To quote the eBook Reader Blog [1]: > The main drawback with color E Ink screens is they look darker than regular B&W screens because of a color filter layer that is applied over the top of the screen, which makes the contrast appear lower. Kaleido color screens are really just regular black and white E Ink Carta screens with a fancy passive filter over the top (that’s why color resolution is lower than black and white resolution). [1]: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2024/04/05/color-e-ink-5-things-to-k…

Edit: the-ebook-reader.com is a much better source for information about about this change. https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2023/01/13/amazon-has-disabled-downl… Is there a source for this that isn’t goodereader? The writing on that site is badly in need of an editor. It consistently gets basic facts about stories wrong. For example, right in the first sentence is a factual error, as pointed out by many people in this thread: “Amazon announced it has made some changes with regard to the e-books purchased via the Kindle Unlimited program.“ Books are not “purchased” through the Kindle Unlimited program.

A little correction on that link: > Left to its own devices, the Kindle will go to sleep after a while, and show its screensaver. This can be disabled by entering `~ds` in the search bar of the kindle [0] [0]: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2017/12/31/heres-how-to-disable-slee…

If, like me, Amazon dropping support for the MOBI for at was news to you then here is an article discussing the announcement: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/05/03/amazon-dropping-mobi-supp…

GP's link includes: * Brooklyn Public Library * Monroe County Library System * Queens Public Library * Charlotte Mecklenburg Library * Chapel Hill Public Library * Houston Public Library * Fairfax County Public Library Here are some more [0, 1]: * Free Library of Philadelphia * Los Angeles Public Library * Atlanta-Fulton Library * Austin Public Library * Enoch Pratt Free Library * New Orleans Public Library * Orange County Library System * Westchester Library System * Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh [0] https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2011/09/22/library-ebooks-for-non-re… [1] https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EBook_Lending_Libraries#Widely_Access…

> kinda a monopoly "thanks" to patents is 100% a monopoly. But maybe there is hope https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2015/03/02/german-court-finds-e-ink-…

The latest Kobo firmware added support for true side-loading, so you don’t even have to login. https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/01/21/kobo-software-update-4-31…

To everyone confused by this announcement: previous to this feature, on the most recent Kobos you had to do some pretty advanced stuff (for average users) to avoid having to log-in with an account. This eliminates that. As well, it may have been obvious to you, long-term user of these kinds of devices, that you could add your own books without going through their store. But, to those familiar with Kindle, where the store experience is front and center, that might not have been obvious. Kobo coming right out and saying you can do this is a win for consumers. Side note: The writing on Goodereader.com is terrible. I wish the link were to the-ebook-reader.com, which has a better summary: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/01/21/kobo-software-update-4-31… Or even Mobileread forums: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4191419#post4191419

For the old Kindles, this’ll be close to 15 years of usability, which is really good. However the list also includes a bunch of newer models: > Kindle Keyboard (3rd generation), Kindle Touch (4th generation), Kindle Paperwhite (4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th generation), Kindle Voyage (7th generation), and Kindle Oasis (8th generation) The 7th gen paperwhite, for example, was still being sold until 2018 [1]. It seems kind of ridiculous to still be selling a 3G-only device 3 years ago, and to only be offering a partial credit for a device that’s going to stop working so soon after purchase. [1] https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2018/11/09/kindle-paperwhite-4-vs-ki…

But other screen technologies have actually _better_ contrast than eInk in direct sunlight (e.g. reflective LCD, mirror-backed). State-of-the-art eInk technology these days has actually WORSE contrast than in the early days! -- https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2021/01/20/contrast-on-e-ink-devices… (proving how much people care about it) eInk's primary advantages are power (and only if your idle period is long enough; if you have to update it with any frequence you're going to lose pretty soon to a memory LCD); and angles/polarity (specially compared to LCD), which some people also claim produces less headaches.

I've already stated that I was inaccurate with my wording. When I stated "Kind of like Halloween Document era Microsoft", I was referring to their apparent willingness to use the legal system to shut down competition. As for evidence of "one such lawsuit", there is this link. The only source provided 404's, but given that it's a government website that appears to have gone through a redesign, that's not shocking: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2015/03/02/german-court-finds-e-ink-… Most of my information on the topic so far has come from HN and reddit. That being said, what is being said on HN/reddit does appear to match up with what's going on, at least from the consumers perspective. Edit: Add apparent

If I'm spending more than $500, I'd rather jump up to over $800 for 13.3" and an Android based ebook reader. 2200x1650 https://onyxboox.com/boox_max3 Edit: but maybe the Waveshare experience is better than this https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2019/09/30/onyx-boox-max3-as-an-e-in… Edit2: that Onyx video doesn't look so bad...

You can totally get that now. Oasis 2 lets you disable the touchscreen: http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2017/12/14/heres-how-to-disable-the-t…

I think the real issue is there is an IP moat - Eink corporation was pretty much a monopoly which kept prices high and research and innovation spending low - but the patent has been partially annulled in Germany so there might be more innovation in that field coming soon http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2015/03/02/german-court-finds-e-ink-p…

A little searching brought up a recent survey of available "large" e-ink based readers which I'm pasting here in case others also find it useful: http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2017/01/19/large-e-ink-ereaders-round…

I am trying to find a solution to ditch calibre(at least for library management) completely, and with the advent of cheap android eink devices, this seems more possible now. A simple app that communicates with a web backend to manage my library on such a device would be enough. one recently released such device is Boyue T62 (http://www.banggood.com/Boyue-T62-8G-Dual-Core-6-Inch-WIFI-Android-Ebo… Here is an overview (the review is for the same device, just rebranded and with previos generation specs) http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2014/08/11/icarus-illumina-hd-with-an… You also get much better pdf reading capabilities with these devices. Until the next generation displays for reading come into play, these look much better overall than kindle, nook, etc.

This 2012 advice has aged poorly, and as with all absolutes, fails to consider context, capabilities, and functional goals. In the specific case of e-ink, where colour is usually nonexistent (there are some colour devices, these are the exception and have limited rendering), where greyscales are limited (16 shades on high-end devices, and often less), and total foreground/background contrast is limited (restricted more by the dark "white" than the light "black"), the advice to avoid saturated blacks is quite poor. This is most applicable to text, where the most frustrating experience is reading a greyed-out or coloured text, often on a shaded background. Firefox's Reader Mode is a lifesaver, as is the EInkBro browser. High-contrast text and black-on-white themes are strongly preferred. Ironically, I use the Dark Reader extension to force light themes on numerous websites. The fact that the extension itself features a dark theme for its controls is ... unfortunate. Generally for e-ink, I'd suggest: - Use solid blacks and high-contrast whites where possible. This should always be the case for text if at all possible. Reversed white-on-black should be reserved for controls and emphasis. - Line art and etchings render wonderfully. There's a reason Onyx features these in its marketing and screensavers, they look truly delicious on the devices. See for example: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Onyx-Boox… and…

But there is plenty of evidence, you simply ignore it and then make claims based on your evidence-less "insider" knowledge. Wired discusses patent restriction here: https://www.wired.com/2016/05/get-ready-world-covered-electronic-paper… Just look at the relevant patents still being filed by the company here (mostly trash): https://patents.justia.com/assignee/e-ink-holdings-inc See patent suits across the globe - Germany: https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2015/03/02/german-court-finds-e-ink-… Here is the position for their patent lawyer, who actively discusses their "offensive and defensive" actions around their patents: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bean-0988645 Here are articles discussing the 115k yearly buy-in for their tech (https://www.epo.org/news-events/events/european-inventor/finalists/201… And note - if you're not large enough to discuss that with them, they usually won't even bother responding. Wonder why 2016 saw a rapid increase in EPD devices? It's because they lost that 2015 case in the EU. ----- So your whole argument boils down to - "they don't do the volume". Which is true but meaningless: Clearly there is demand for these devices, why is the volume not ramping up to match? And I'm saying "Patents and IP restrictions". What are you claiming?

> does not exist. Oh really? Lets have a look at the market shall we? What is this then? [0] Or this? [1] Maybe this? [2] Finally, an actual colour e-ink e-reader product. [3] 64 Bit e-reader bonus review: [4] I have high hopes for reMarkable to do better than what is on the market right now which is why I would rather wait for a color e-ink version with a 64 bit CPU, which the technologies DO exist today. But unfortunately, what they are offering for a competitive e-reader tablet tells me that they are not even trying, even when they are selling a product with outdated technology. That isn't really a good deal is it? [0] https://www.eink.com/color-technology.html [1] https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/07/this-could-finally-be-the-year-of-e-… [2] https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2019/12/18/e-ink-releasing-new-color… [3] https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/pocketbook-color-e-reader-hands-o… [4] https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/remarkable-1-vs-fujitsu-quaderno-…