My ereaders - musings

So now I have more than a handful to choose from...

1. I can choose the Nook Touch, which is light weight, easy to hold, pleasant to look at and read on, and holds thousands of books on the SD card in folders and sub-folders by author’s name! But, it has no light. I have rooted it and added Mantano and my favorite font. If it had a light, it would be perfection! It’s a nice one to throw in my bag and not worry if it should get messed up.

2. I can choose the Amazon Paperwhite, which is lighted, rooted and hacked, but severely limited by 2gb space (in actuality, that’s 1gb) and uses collections, not folders. I hardly even pick it up anymore, but my son uses it most every day.

3. I can chose my Kobo Glo, which has a wonderful light, and an SD card, but seems to slow when it has a lot of books on it, and uses collections, not folders. Easiest to manage using Calibre, however. No need to root. The lightest on my list.

4. I can choose my Onyx Firefly, which has a light, an SD card slot, and I can keep files in folders and subfolders!!!! Utterly perfect. Even has page turn buttons! I have thousands on the internal memory with no noticeable slowing. Only drawback, it’s a little heavy to carry out of the house. And utterly irreplaceable should it get damaged--it is expensive and only available in Europe. (I got a GREAT deal on a used one)

5. I can choose my Nook HD 7” tablet, which I got to read on (before the Firefly)...of course I can put every book I own on it and not run out of room, all in folders and subfolders. It is even fine to read on outside! It is, however, heavier than everything else on my list. But I LOVE it for reading.

I am happy with these 5, and don’t think I am going to sell any of them. The trouble comes when new readers are released, and I am tempted. However, I have made my list of upgrade requirements, and I am sticking to those.

Desired requirements for any upgrade as of 7/10

on board memory 8gb (minimum 4 gb) or SD card slot

high resolution

front light

1ghz or higher processor

weight 185g or less

text - customizable margins, line spacing, font size

fonts - must be able to add custom fonts

must be able to manage collections using Calibre!!!! OR use folders & subfolders!

5” screen

Those requirements will probably rule out any new Kindles. Here's hoping for a lighted Kobo Mini. I'd probably get one even without an SD card slot. I just sold my Kobo Mini, and I do miss it. But the light is a killer feature. I may eventually sell my Nook Touch, simply because it is unlighted.

The other thing I am obsessed with is weight. Here is a summary of all the current gadgets in my house:

Kobo Glo       185g    6.53oz

Nook Touch   212g    7.48oz

Paperwhite    221g    7.80oz

Onyx Firefly   250g    8.19oz

Nook HD         315g  11.11oz

KFHD             395g  13.9oz

Nook HD+      515g   18.2oz