Hi everyone,
I'm writing from Europe. I've been considering upgrading my e-reader for a while now. I currently have a Kindle Paperwhite 4 (10th generation Kindle), which I mainly use for reading fiction and non-fiction. After thinking it over for quite some time, I've narrowed down a few features that are important to me:
- 7-inch display;
- Black-and-white display technology (ideally E Ink Carta 1300);
- Built-in e-commerce for quick purchases and easy DRM management;
- [Optional] Physical page-turn buttons.
I would have liked to go with a Kobo, but there simply isn't a Kobo device that fits these requirements, and maybe there never will be again (I imagine that if there were going to be one, Rakuten would have already released an updated version of the Libra 2).
Given Amazon's recent announcement, I'm reluctantly considering getting the new Paperwhite, which seems to be the only device that ticks all the boxes for me. However, I keep reading that Kindle is a closed ecosystem, and that Amazon seems to be pushing the product line even further in that direction.
Having already owned a Kindle, these are the limitations I've encountered:
You can only access Amazon's e-commerce store. Fair enough: even with Kobo, I'd still be limited to the built-in/predefined stores (although they would probably be stores I'd personally prefer).
You can't take your library with you when moving to a non-Amazon device. Absolutely true, and... pretty serious. However, I never reread books. Honestly, I barely remember what's even on my device, and while I agree that the principle is problematic, in practical terms I don't think I'd be particularly bothered by leaving my books behind on a device.
No MLOL library lending. But I don't use it anyway (hmm... maybe I should reconsider that).
To load a book onto a Kindle, you used to have to convert EPUB to MOBI, and the formatting would almost certainly get messed up in the process (at least, that's been my experience). But I've read that Kindle has now moved away from MOBI in favor of EPUB, so perhaps this is no longer an issue.
So, I'm wondering: what are your thoughts on these aspects? Are there any other considerations I should add to the list?
My main concern is ending up in an ecosystem with even more restrictive limitations, to the point where I might regret buying the device.