Looking for a e ink ebook reader that’s easy on the eyes, can do Libby library books easily, and extra bonus if there is a built in planner that could sync online. I don’t want to be locked into an Amazon or other system that requires subscription services. Thanks!
Edit: thanks a ton for all the replies and advice. I ordered a kobo libre color! Going to set it up for the misses as a gift. She generally wants a physical book but recently had been reading on her phone and complaining about it hurting her eyes. <3
Id recommend looking for a used one online you can get one as low as 10$
I always get down voted for this but just get kindle and turn on the airplane mode the moment you receive one.
I think Kindle is the only thing that will last for decade(source: mine did) at a ridiculously cheap price range subsidized by their bookstore we won’t use.
I like the kindle hardware, but the kobo software. Thankfully I managed to jailbreak my kindle while adbreak was available, so now I (almost) have the best of both worlds. (Still getting used to koreader)
I know it’s not for everyone, and I myself enjoy tinkering, but I bet finding a used Kindle who’s firmware stopped being current and jail breaking would be a solid choice.
I just jail broke my older Kindle paper white 7the gen (2015), not even a week ago. I didn’t use it that often because it was always sluggish and can’t stand non snappy UI.
Holy hell this thing is sooooo much better now. I use KOReader only, and have a launcher shortcut that kills Amazon’s “framework” before launching, which stops all of their software from running in the background.
The UI is responsive, more customizable, drains less battery, and instead of ads while sleeping, it displays a blacked out version of the book cover I’m reading.
It also got me started with Calibre to sync and manage epubs instead, and KOReader has a built in tool to connect and sync the books.
It wasn’t difficult, but it was time consuming making sure I understood everything first, and didn’t miss a step. They even have an app store for jail broken Kindles now that made installing anything needed after jail breaking much much easier. I’d be surprised if someone hasn’t made a planner to download.
I was able to use the older WinterBreak exploit, and the current and sadly already patched exploit is called AdBreak.
There is one unreleased exploit (As far as I am aware) that one could wait for the release in some undetermined amount of time.
Love this idea. Would probably be an excellent choice for many lemmings
got a kobo libra colour, no complaints to speak of besides an slightly weaker black/white contrast than the non-colour models. i use KOReader for the software though, which i can highly reccomend. default software is just rather shallow. 3rd pary software install was dead easy, too
I have a kobo color and like it but the software definitely lacking. I’ve also found it hard to find some mainstream books for purchase outside Amazon store which is hard.
Where do you find content and do you have any recommendations for third party software setup?
Caveat: I haven’t purchase or used another e-reader since I bought my first one (Kobo) ~15 years ago.
My Kobo still works and the battery still lasts like a week or longer before needing a recharge.
I don’t think I’ve run into a book file it can’t read, but I mostly stick to epubs and PDFs.
I’m pretty sure it has an online store, if that’s important.
For your requirements, I have no idea if a planner has been implemented in the last decade, but I would suspect Kobos can read Libby library books (not sure what they are though). I believe my ~15 year old Kobo has a sync feature, but I don’t use it. So that’s probably available as well. For easy on the eyes, I’m assuming brightness settings, which Kobo had and I used on occasion (they may have adaptive sensing now).
I recall Kobo used to be marked as the “open” platform, so unless something has significantly changed, Kobo shouldn’t lock you in or charge you a subscription fee.
Best of luck. Hope you are able to find an e-reader that works for you.
Edit: Just found this website with a bunch of Kobos compared. It looks like some have Dropbox sync and “Dark Mode” (I assume for easier on the eyes).
I second the Kobo. I’ve owned 3 different kindles over the years, and I like the Kobo better than any of them.
I can still sideload on my
JoJoKobo from 2019 without any restrictions or having had to change any settingsApologies, I’m confused. Is “JoJo” an autocorrect error, a type of Kobo e-reader, or a different reader?
It’s the bastardly combination my god forsaken typos being misinterpreted by my autocorrect LOL
Haha. All good. Thanks for clarifying :)
I was gifted a Kobo Clara2E by my wife and I’m very happy with it.
I’m using a boox. I dislike their built-in library tools, but it’s just an e-ink android tablet, so I installed a simple launcher and download whatever apps I want, including Libby.
Onyx Boox, runs on Android so you can install whatever apps you want.
I second this. Been using their Nova 3 model for a good long while now and love it, been telling people it’s one of my favorite tech purchases ever. Running android and being able to sideload things is a gamechanger for e-readers.
Check out the channel My Deep Guide on YouTube for in depth reviews of the latest Onyx Boox offerings and how they compare to others though before you buy, apparently some weirdness in their newest model
I have a Kobo Libra Color. It doesn’t have an actual planner but it has a notebook that I’ve actually considered using as a Planner before.
I like my Kobo Libra H2O, it’s still chugging along nicely since 2019 (I think?) and fits my needs perfectly with my Calibre lib
It just won’t break. I’ve been waiting for years to replace it with a newer Kobo model, for just one single reason: USB-C.
We ended up giving our older ones to our kids so we could have new usb-c ones lol. It was purely out of the kindness of our hearts!
Haha great solution! I only have cats that have no interest in reading.
Exactly, my case is battered and falling apart, but the Kobo inside is perfectly fine with still impressive battery health :)
For kobo users, where do you get your books now that Amazon has stopped you from downloading and converting into epub?
Personally I pirate my books and if there’s one I particularly like then I’ll go find the author and give them money directly. Most have a substack/patreon/ko.fi and they get more money
I do sometimes. But theres an author I like who’s books are only on Amazon (I’ve asked him to widen availability), and amazon the absolute cunts turned off the ability to download Kindle books so you can convert them
I’ve got the same shit happening. I don’t like audiobooks but there’s a series I like where the third is an audible exclusive. So I have to pay money to Amazon for a service I don’t want if I want to read that book
Anna’s Archive.
Thank you
MAM
Just for the record, I’m using kindles since their keyboard version came out, and never paid any subscription fees or bought an e-book from Amazon. But I can understand the sentiment, and the touchscreen-only platform development was a horrible choice of directions. It could be argued if a reader needs a full keyboard, and the always-free internet also turned to shit thanks to “development” of the internet, but I loved the first Kindle.
If you are in Europe: Pocketbook.
Reasonably open plattform, good support, works with almost everything.
Another Kobo fan here. Got the Libra 2 for physical page turn buttons. No subscriptions. Haven’t accessed Libby but it’s an option. Can sideload with no issues. Doesn’t have a planner unfortunately. Great device, had mine for three years so far and hoping I never have to buy another one.
Another vote for Kobo here. I have a Clara 2e that i really like. It can use Overdrive to get books from the library, or you can just load books yourself either over USB, or download documents using its built in web browser. The browser would also let you look at an online planner, I guess? There isn’t one built in. The slow screen updates make using the browser pretty impractical for the most part, though.
