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Not buying another Kindle

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Re: Not buying another Kindle

#71

Post by tedivm »

nerdix wrote: post #63
Aeolun wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, wut? How would they stop me from adding new book to my kindle? I can just plug into USB and load directly right?

No you can't do that on a kindle. They have a "send to kindle" feature that allows you to add non-Amazon purchased ebooks to your library. But that requires support from the backend (and an internet connection). I'm assuming send to kindle will no longer be supported on these older devices.

You can send books to your kindle over USB, and I do that all the time for larger books that are above the size limit on the email system.

The big problem is that Amazon no longer allows you to download books from their site to your desktop, so you have no way to actually get a purchased book and send it to the kindle even over USB. However, if you buy non-DRM books from other book sellers you won't have this problem.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#72

Post by fmajid »

fsflover wrote: post #64
chasil wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buy something that runs the latest LineageOS, and use the Kindle app. If you want greater security, substitute Graphene for Lineage. These will not be e-ink displays, but the longevity is perhaps the longest available from independent vendors.

If you choose non-e-ink displays, than the best longevity will be for GNU/Linux devices like Librem 11.

They likely won't support the Kindle app, however, and the users won't be able to access the books they paid for but don't really own thanks to DRM.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#73

Post by two_cents » 

  > We are still dealing with a home screen that prioritizes advertisements and promoted recommendations over your actual library. Navigating a large collection of books remains a chore, with sluggish animations and a lack of robust folder management that has been a standard feature on rival devices for years.
Such claims make me think that this article is biased.

There are two tabs on main Kindle screen - Home and Library (and also pretty good search). In Library you can see all your books AND collections as folders.

BOOX devices have their own issues https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33353640

I think Kobo has same issues with DRM as Amazon does.

Also, Kindle devices are cheaper, last time I checked, low end models of competitors, didn't have flush-front screens, like Paperwhite.

I never had problems described in this article (but YMMV of course).

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#74

Post by WolfeReader »

wao0uuno wrote: post #22
occamofsandwich wrote: post #9

The ereader scene is just a disaster that shows the dangers of prioritizing DRM. I had ereaders for two decades, managed to read about 6 books on them and ultimately have almost nothing to do with related media forms because of the experience which replaced any actual reading routine with jumping through hoops.

I've owned an ereader for about a decade and never felt that I need to jump through any hoops to read a book on it. I've been getting my books from some gal called Anna. Apparently she has a pretty impressive archive.

I truly hope you're buying books as well - authors (and editors, illustrators, translators, etc) should be rewarded for their art.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#75

Post by WorldMaker »

chocochunks wrote: post #54
WorldMaker wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The original AZW format was MOBI-based, not PDF-based. MOBI originally from a company called MobiPocket, which Amazon eventually acquired, was built to be an ePub competitor and like ePub was an HTML and JS-based solution, but in a somewhat different, proprietary DRM-friendlier container format. (ePub is "just" a ZIP file, with the DRM applied sometimes inside the container rather than outside it.) MOBI stopped keepi…

No Kindle supports ePub natively. Amazon converts ePub to a supported format when you use the send to kindle email service. If you just load the book on over USB it won't work.

Every kindle that supports the new format (Kindle devices since 2013 with latest OS upgraded) support loading non-DRM ePubs directly over USB. There's no conversion anymore. (I've done this.)

Amazon's not going to openly advertise that this deprecation is also the line in the sand where "non-DRM ePub just works", but that's what has happened.

Of course one of the sadder problems with the ePub ecosystem is that it uses the same file extension for DRM contained and non-DRM contained ePubs. At a glance it isn't easy to tell if an ePub is not DRMed. Amazon does not support any of the existing ePub DRM schemes. Their own KFX DRM is very unique and proprietary and doesn't play nice with ePub DRM "standards". You can't load DRMed ePubs over USB, those don't work. Sometimes that gives an impression still that "Amazon does not support ePubs natively", but that's the nature of DRM and how much DRM hurts the entire ebook industry in every direction.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#76

Post by idoubtit »

boplicity wrote: post #14
jihadjihad wrote: post #5

The site causes cancer but the conclusion of TFA is sensible: just get a Kobo and be done with it. I had a Kindle for years but there's no reason to stick to Amazon for e-readers anymore.

I really want to like the Kobo. I really do. But I've had such bad luck with their devices. For example, sometimes the pages randomly start turning, really fast, so I completely lose my place. It also never reliably syncs between devices. And the integration with Overdrive is unreliable, only working some of the time. I also read it in the bath sometimes, which supposedly is one of the features available due to the w…

If you have trouble with the default software on a Kobo ereader, you can install other applications aside it, then switch to them after boot. In my experience, the installation process is innocuous and straightforward.

I use Koreader: after experimenting with various configuration parameters for a few days, the UI is now stable and tailored to my taste. Once in a while, I switch to another app: Plato is better at handling huge PDF files.

Another bonus point is that I can mount my ereader as a USB mass-storage and rsync the git repository of my ebooks onto it.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#78

Post by LeCompteSftware »

jmyeet wrote: post #67
LeCompteSftware wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, it's easy to evaluate anything if you make up plausible-sounding numbers about it. The costs of printing and retail are definitely less than half the sales price: https://www.davidderrico.com/cost-breakdowns-e-books-vs-prin... Publishers say it's 10%; Derrico thinks they are underestimating certain logistical costs but no way it's 50%.

Did you read that? You’re picking out one cost: printing. Scroll down to where the cost breakdown of a paperback is. More than $5 once you include distribution and retailing. Or, as some might say, more than 50% of $10.

Ok, then the other thing you're missing is that distributors also get a chunk of the ebook. You said ebooks have "no middlemen" but that's blatantly false, Amazon is the emperor of ebook middlemen. I suppose publishers could try selling ebooks directly but then they lose the Kindle platform + Amazon's reach, so Amazon charges for that service. They are a middleman.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#79

Post by tanjtanjtanj »

two_cents wrote: post #73

> We are still dealing with a home screen that prioritizes advertisements and promoted recommendations over your actual library. Navigating a large collection of books remains a chore, with sluggish animations and a lack of robust folder management that has been a standard feature on rival devices for years. Such claims make me think that this article is biased. There are two tabs on main Kindle screen - Home and Lib…

The kobo store has problems with DRM but Kobo devices do not. they’ll open whatever you put on the file system (and it’s treated as a first class citizen along with anything you’ve bought from them). They also are extremely easy to install custom firmware on.

Re: Not buying another Kindle

#80

Post by fmajid »

delecti wrote: post #69
fmajid wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I don't have a Kindle, so I can't verify this, but I am basing this from reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98k91yy4z4o "The move will mean owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle Touch and some Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books." For a more tech-oriented site, according to Ars Technica Amazon removed the ability to upload over USB: https:…

Nothing you've quoted is wrong per se, but it's also not the full story. Amazon removed the ability to download files from them to your computer. And they will soon be removing the ability to download files from them directly to older kindle devices. You can still download a MOBI or EPUB from anywhere else online (though I think some older kindles don't support EPUB) and transfer it via USB, and will still be able to…

Interesting. Once again, I don't have a Kindle so I can't verify any of this. I do have a PocketBook Versa with stock firmware and a M5Stack Paper S3 running Crosspoint Reader, but hardly use either as I prefer reading on LCD or OLED tablets. The only formats I care about are DRM-free ePub and PDF.
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