e-readers

I like to read books. Mainly, I like to read books on an e-reader that has an e-paper screen.

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Today, I own and use an Amazon Kindle Oasis. It's roughly ten years old and Amazon have stopped building new Kindles.

The Kindle Oasis

The things I like about the Oasis:

• the hardware buttons on the side (to go back and forth a page at a time)
• the automatic light adjustment (that can be turned off)
• to tap-and-hold a word shows a dictionary definition of the word
• to tap-and-drag a finger over text will add the text to a text file that can, for example, be read into Readwise or clippings.io

My next e-reader will not be a Kindle, mainly because of how Amazon have enshittified^[1] the entire Kindle ecosystem.

Amazon do different types of nefarious shit:

• randomly delete sideloaded books from a Kindle^[2]
• prevent you from downloading books that you've bought^[3]
• completely remove books that you've bought, especially when they go against their company BS
• the books you've bought are licensed to yourself; you don't own them^[4]
• don't trust them with a single digit of data: be sure that they'll abuse it^[5]

after Kindle

Boox Note

The Boox Note 10.3

I like the Boox Note 10.3. As the name implies, it's a 10.3-inch tablet that you can write on. I got it a few years ago and it still holds up.

I mainly use it to read PDFs which the Kindle can't be used for; technically speaking, the Kindle can read PDFs but unless one needs a world of pain: don't.

The good about the Boox:

• Android is the operating system, which means you can install the Kindle app and read books that you may have experienced the misfortune to get
• it's big and snappy
• you can use a pen to annotate books that you read: I use this on PDFs and it works wonderfully
• it reads a ton of book formats natively, which means you don't have to care about using the wonderful software named Calibre to convert books (as with Kindles) from one format to another, which is often the case with the EPUB (works on a lot of devices but not on Amazon devices) and MOBI (only for Amazon devices) format.

The bad about the Boox:

• the company violates GPL licenses^[6]
• I don't trust them with any of my data

Boox Palma 2

The Boox Palma 2

The Boox Palma 2 is a small device, 6.13 inches, which means you can hold it in one hand and read as you plod along.

I don't think Readwise supports the annotations that you can make by using NeoReader, which is the reading application used in Boox devices. The app is made by Boox.

300 USD is too much money for this device. Beside, you can only use the device to read, not to write.

Remarkable Paper Pro Move

The Remarkable Paper Pro Move

This device costs 450 USD (!) but can be used for writing.

It doesn't contain a dictionary, is not built on Android (which means one is locked-in to Remarkable's own ecosystem), and is deeply enshittified: to transfer one's notes via the web, you have to pay for a subscription; Boox offer this for free via apps.

You also have to pay for nibs for the pen you're using, something which is not the case for Supernote.

Bonus points for the ultra-enshittified name: nothing screams desperation as much as bullshit language, even in marketing English.

Supernote Nomad

The Supernote Nomad

Supernote is a French product in two variants: a bigger one, and the Supernote Nomad, which is like the Boox Palma 2, but slicker in some ways.

The bad is that the Supernote Nomad is built on Android 11, an old Android version. The device doesn't have a frontlight.

The good:

• the Supernote pen is ceramic and won't need to be replaced (unless you break it).
• the internal memory can be expanded by adding an SD card
• the device is modular and allows the battery to be replaced (which is not the case with the other devices I've mentioned, I believe)

Kobo Libra Colour

The Kobo Libra Colour

A grand person has made a huge comparison table for everyone who's searching for a Kobo device. I found it to be very helpful.

Kobo have made a very nice-looking e-reader named Libra Colour (KLC). The problem here, is that colour e-readers display colour content in 150 ppi and black-and-white elements in 300 ppi.

The KLC has hardware keys! I love this on the Kindle Oasis.

Kobo e-readers support a boatload of formats, including the Amazon MOBI format.

A great thing about the Kobo e-readers is that they allow you to upload fonts that you can use for reading.

According to more than one source, the Kobo has a more grey background than the Kindle:

Another comparative view, here between a printed book, a Kindle Oasis, and a KLC:

Some say the KLC screen is dimmer than that of a black-and-white screen; this seems to be the case in general with colour screens in comparison with black-and-white screens.

The KLC isn't just for reading but also for drawing and annotating by using a pen.

Another thing: Kobo has teamed up with iFixIt to allow users to replace broken or worn-out parts^[7]:

The Libra Colour is designed to be taken apart. Ifixit will offer battery replacements, circuit boards and screen replacements. They will also send out the proper tools and adhesives.