im thinking of getting an ereader, but cant find many foss devices. i dont plan on connecting it to the internet, so i suppose it doesnt matter if its controlled by amazon right? love to hear your thoughts…
Kindle devices are nice but not at all FOSS, and not very open either. Although you can sideload books, EPUB files are still not directly supported, you have to convert them. Converting is easy with Calibre but it’s still a hassle that is not needed on any other ereader.
There’s a vibrant jailbreak community on MobileRead, however Amazon keeps blocking jailbreaks.
After my Kindle died I got a Kobo instead. Costs about the same as Kindle (maybe slightly more?). Still not fully open, but supports EPUB and its MobileRead community is just as vibrant (and Kobo doesn’t block you from doing this).
You could try the pinenote
NOTICE: The PineNote is an experimental device. PineNote software is still in it’s infancy and therefore it is ONLY suitable for experienced developers. At present time, there is no default OS for the PineNote.
Yeah that doesn’t seem like a good option for most people, especially considering they’re charging $400 for a product that can be considered a prototype at most.
Couldn’t you just use an android tablet?
You could, but e-paper screens are infinitely more pleasing for reading than regular screens.
Just go for whichever looks best for you, as long as it supports the EPUB file format, which is by far the most widespread ebook format nowadays. Be warned that the Kindle is particularly bad in this respect, because it only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it’s just a matter of copying a file over to your device.
Here’s a comparison table for e-readers on Wikipedia. It may not be comprehensive, but it should give you an idea of what functions and/or features you’re looking for:
only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it’s just a matter of copying a file over to your device
Have you read the Amazon page you linked? Kindle supports epub now, nothing on that page indicates that it is limited in any way except file size. Also, getting an epub on your kindle is no different than any other supported file. They dropped support for mobi and azw, both Amazon specific formats.
Yeah, I only glanced at wikipedia’s e-reader comparison sheet and saw the word “Partial”, so that’s my bad. That said, transfering files to kindle still seems to be a pain. From Amazon’s page:
Upload documents through the web, an authorized email address, the Kindle app for iOS and Android devices, or a Send to Kindle application if available.
So, if I’m understanding this correctly, you can transfer files to your Kindle through:
- a) Send to Kindle webpage
- b) Email
- c) An iOS or Android app
- d) Send to Kindle application
For a) and c) to work, you need an Amazon account. b) seems to be a bit unorthodox, but sure. And for d) needs an application to be installed on your computer. Contrast that to, say, PocketBook, which simply shows up as a USB device and you just drag and drop your e-books into their designated folders. No account, email or app required.
EDIT: formatting
I have a recent Paperwhite, and you can still do the drag and drop thing with it. The Kindle shows up as a device on your computer, and you just need to get the files into the documents folder on it.
I can’t remember off the top of my head if you can skip the setup with a new Kindle and not make an Amazon account.
I don’t know if things have changed, but I used to just be able to copy and paste files to the Kindle from File Explorer. Windows would mount it like a phone and you’d get access to the internal storage. I don’t think they would have removed that ability.
Edit: I don’t have my Kindle on me to check at the moment, but the most recent source I could find still says it’s possible.
Always amuses me a bit when people say Kindles don’t support EPUB, since I’ve been stripping DRM from my books and storing them in Calibre (enabling transparent conversion between EPUB and Amazon’s formats) for thirteen years without a hitch. You should be doing this on any platform if you want to keep your books.
It’s beyond me why anyone who so much as knows what FOSS stands for wouldn’t do the same.
I bought fbreader premium on android 10+ years ago and have never regretted it. There’s also a PC port but last I checked it was a little out of date.
Edit: Misunderstood the question. I’m using an Alldocube iplay 50 pro as my reader. I’ve got my kids set up with old best buy branded 10" android tablets that were always turds but surprisingly good as just barebones ebook readers. I’m a US product reviewer for Umidigi and they’re sending me a G1 tablet to review this week, for the price it definitely looks promising.
