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Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

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Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#11

Post by hendi_ »

jonasvp wrote: post #2

I'm very happy with my Pocketbook Touch ( http://www.pocketbook-int.com/us/products/pocketbook-touch ). It seems quite hackable, the vendor is responsive (some employees hang out on www.mobileread.com pretty regularly). The touchscreen works well and the buttons for paging are great. I've bought one or two books off Amazon and used de De-DRM tools available to put them on there, though it even supports the Adobe DRM…

Wow, I haven't heard of theses! Thanks for making me aware, these Pocketbooks look really sweet. I'll definitely have a deeper look at them.

From a first quick glance I've learned that they're offering an SDK so you can even develop own applications. There are also some wellknown apps already ported, like FBReader.

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#12

Post by lazerwalker »

hendi_ wrote: post #10
JeremyBanks wrote: post #8

A great device fitting your stated "must haves" is this little-known device called the Amazon "Kindle" (without Amazon books). Between the available devices, they have e-paper displays that are comprable to other devices on the market, so you should be able to find what you want there. They can't lock you from the device or delete books you've loaded onto it yourself. It can read DRM-free books in MOBI format, and th…

> They can't lock you from the device or delete books you've loaded onto it yourself. Is this really true? Given that they can remotely wipe "bought" files how can I know that they can't remotely delete self-loaded files?

It's less than ideal, but if you disable wireless connectivity and only load new books on via USB connection (it shows up as a generic USB volume) I'd imagine you're safe, as that should theoretically completely stop the device from calling home.

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#13

Post by grimborg »

I use a rooted PRS-T1, and I use dropsync to sync my ebooks. I did a couple of small hacks, such as removing some buttons that I didn't like and I added two fonts (Caecilia and Garamond). Works quite well with epubs, and it has some dictionaries included in the reading app (being a foreigner trying to learn Dutch, I use the Dutch-English dictionary a lot while reading).

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#16

Post by acabal »

I like my Nook Touch, mainly because the built-in software is pretty good (much better than Kindle 3, though I haven't tried a Kindle Touch) and because it can read epubs. I never buy from any online store that sells DRM out of principle.

The downsides are that the physical buttons are terrible, and since I don't do any online shopping the "home" section of the device is pretty useless. There are also some persistent rough edges to the software in terms of pages read, home page, and some minor typography issues.

I thought about getting the Glowlight version but when I tried it in the store, the contrast was noticeably worse. I'm going to wait till I can see a Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Glo in person before I decide to buy a new reader. (A built-in light is a big selling point for me, as I often read in bed.)

There's a Python script out there that will easily crack the B&N DRM should you choose to buy from their store after all.

Just keep the wifi off on any of those devices and copy ebooks over as if it were a USB drive and you've foiled their horrible DRM and remote-wipe schemes.

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#17

Post by pdw »

tonyblundell wrote: post #3

I've been using a Kobo for around a year now. Plusses: * They're cheaper than Kindle to buy * The Kobo store is well stocked and competitively priced * You can upload your own books easily by dragging and dropping the files as if it's a thumb drive or by using Calibre (see calibre-ebook.com). * The screen looks just as good as my partner's Kindle.

The Kobo is supposedly trivial to hack: http://ccoffing.net/tech/embedded/kobo/

"Of the three major e-readers out today, Kobo rocks the hardest. Kobo supports the ePub standard, has released code as required by the GPL, and has made the life of the hacker surprisingly easy (not locked down, preinstalled nc and vi, git repos, support forums, ...)."

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#18

Post by nicholassmith »

hendi_ wrote: post #10
JeremyBanks wrote: post #8

A great device fitting your stated "must haves" is this little-known device called the Amazon "Kindle" (without Amazon books). Between the available devices, they have e-paper displays that are comprable to other devices on the market, so you should be able to find what you want there. They can't lock you from the device or delete books you've loaded onto it yourself. It can read DRM-free books in MOBI format, and th…

> They can't lock you from the device or delete books you've loaded onto it yourself. Is this really true? Given that they can remotely wipe "bought" files how can I know that they can't remotely delete self-loaded files?

I'd imagine the remote delete is tied in with the DRM system, but don't quote me on that. Publishers would be pushing for remote delete of everything shady otherwise.

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#19

Post by evilduck »

tonyblundell wrote: post #3

I've been using a Kobo for around a year now. Plusses: * They're cheaper than Kindle to buy * The Kobo store is well stocked and competitively priced * You can upload your own books easily by dragging and dropping the files as if it's a thumb drive or by using Calibre (see calibre-ebook.com). * The screen looks just as good as my partner's Kindle.

Just FYI, you can drag and drop files to the Kindle just like a thumb drive too. My biggest gripe is there's no way to manage and organize your content, everything just goes into one folder.

Re: Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy?

#20

Post by joshcrews »

jonasvp wrote: post #2

I'm very happy with my Pocketbook Touch ( http://www.pocketbook-int.com/us/products/pocketbook-touch ). It seems quite hackable, the vendor is responsive (some employees hang out on www.mobileread.com pretty regularly). The touchscreen works well and the buttons for paging are great. I've bought one or two books off Amazon and used de De-DRM tools available to put them on there, though it even supports the Adobe DRM…

It looks good, but I cannot figure out how to buy one. Can someone point to where I can order one?
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