Simple e-book reader?

[lsv]

Hey all,

I'm looking for a fairly cheap and simple ebook reader. I don't need wifi or anything fancy. In fact I'm hoping to find an ebook reader that simply shows up as a usb drive and lets me drag and drop files over. Mostly PDFs for work and epubs or other generic ereader formats.

Any suggestions?

 

[TheStu]

Kindle starts at $79 these days. Doesn't get much cheaper than that, and yes you can just drag files to it over USB.

 

[corkyg]

You can also download and install the free Kindle eBook reader software for Windows PC. It is not the sharp e-ink, but readable, and can help with moving files from PC to real Kindle device.

http://kindle-for-pc.en.softonic.com/

 

[JustMe21]

If you view a lot of PDFs, go with an Android tablet or Ipad with ebook reader software installed because e-book readers aren't very good at handling PDFs. If you insist on an e-book reader, then you would want at least a 9" e-book reader. Just remember that the Kindle primarily supports the mobi format while the Nook primarily supports the epub format.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Calibre can covert PDFs to a better format for e-readers.

 

[ViviTheMage]

you can even email yourself the files, and they'll sync over wifi with the kindle now ... so easy, love mine.

 

[kbp]

Does the cheaper Kindle still have all the advertizing on screen? Can you turn it off??

 

[TheStu]

Does the cheaper Kindle still have all the advertizing on screen? Can you turn it off??

All the gen 4 Kindles (Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G) have wifi, faster refreshing screens and the prices at which they are offered includes the 'Special Offers' as Amazon calls them.

If you give Amazon $30 they will remove them and you will have a non-ad Kindle.

 

[thedarkwolf]

but there is no reason to remove them. They are just on the screen saver and every now and again you get something good from them like free stuff.

 

[ibex333]

He didn't say what sort of e-books he wants to read. The regular Kindle is garbage for any sort of technical books or magazines... It doesn't have reflow.. No epub? WTF?! Junk... The nook is much, much better, but still garbage for anything serious, like programming books or magazines. And yes, even Kindle Fire and Nook Color suck for these tasks because of the tiny 7 inch screen. Try reading something for CISCO Certification... or something with lots of pictures, schematics or diagrams...


Only, iPad, HP Touchpad or something else with at least 10 inch screen will do.


Either way, let me just say from experience that something like this requires a lot of dedication and patience. I know some people that read on tablets and computers just fine. But I could never read for more than 10 min. It's annoying, tiring on the eyes and sometimes cumbersome depending on the device.

Because of the insane workload in college right now, I was forced to start reading on my Touchpad on the train just to cover enough pages before the class. At first it was pure torture, but now I think I am starting to get used to it.

 

[lsv]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I don't think it will get used for anything but reading foreign language books. I'll ask about the format and go with the appropriate reader. It's for my mum and I doubt she'll care about many amazing features. Just good battery life and a legible screen.

 

[thespyder]

If you want good battery life and ease of reading. And aren't doing tech books like above, Kindle is your device. I turn off all connectivity devices on my Kindle and it will run for WEEKS on a single charge. Turn on connectivity to download stuff and then turn it off again.

Thing about the Kindle is you have some basic internet functionality as well. So checking email and stuff is a snap. Strongly recommend Kindle (even the cheap one).

 

[kevinsbane]

If you want good battery life and ease of reading. And aren't doing tech books like above, Kindle is your device. I turn off all connectivity devices on my Kindle and it will run for WEEKS on a single charge. Turn on connectivity to download stuff and then turn it off again.

Thing about the Kindle is you have some basic internet functionality as well. So checking email and stuff is a snap. Strongly recommend Kindle (even the cheap one).

Checking email and stuff is possible. It isn't a snap :-/ Don't ever, ever rely on a Kindle for surfing the 'net. If you got no other choice, it'll save your butt, but you will find the experience to be very subpar. My Kindle keyboard (3) doesn't even interface with gmail correctly; I could check mail, and had maybe about ~30 seconds to write an email before it kicked me out of gmail and I had to reload the page and lose my written stuff.