
Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy? (2018 edition) - tom_mellior
My question is similar to https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=4682793 from five years ago: Which e-ink ebook reader can one buy if one wants to avoid things like remote wiping, creepy tracking of reading habits, and lock-in into a single store?<p>I&#x27;m currently using a Kobo Touch, which is fine except that its battery is starting to go. Also, I have to use a very old version of the firmware because at some point newer versions started to force you to connect to the Internet and register the device with Kobo <i>just to be allowed to use the physical object you bought, and which until that point worked fine without registration</i>.<p>I&#x27;m happy to sideload all my EPUBs via USB from my PC, so &quot;never connect the reader to wifi&quot; is OK for me. But I don&#x27;t want to be forced to register an account with anyone at any point.<p>Good PDF display would be nice, but it&#x27;s not particularly important for me.
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forinti
I would jailbreak a Kindle. It's a nice piece of hardware. I recently had to
change the screen on my Kobo and I didn't like what I found inside: it's just
not meant to be repaired. Things were glued together and you need all the
patience you have not to break the whole thing in order to remove the screen.

It would be nice to have an open-source reader. We can buy all the bits:
screen, single-board computer, batteries. All we need is some software.

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upofadown
Apparently you can still hack the sqlite database file on the newer Kobos to
bypass online registration:

* [https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223155](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223155)

Afterwards you have a thing that will happily add any epubs you copy to it
over USB. Alternatively, use a third party reader program:

* [https://github.com/koreader/koreader/wiki](https://github.com/koreader/koreader/wiki)

~~~
tom_mellior
Thanks. The technique from that thread (from 2013) is what I used while it
worked. It stopped working after some update which didn't allow you to mount
the device to hack the database until _after_ it was convinced that you had
registered correctly. (I think. It's been a while.)

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armagon
You may want to try out KOReader. It is an open-source "ebook reader
application supporting PDF, DjVu, EPUB, FB2 and many more formats, running on
Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, Ubuntu Touch and Android devices".
[https://github.com/koreader/koreader](https://github.com/koreader/koreader)

I haven't tried it, as I'm reasonably happy with my Kobo Aura 2nd Ed running
the first-party software, so I'm not certain that it replaces the firmware on
your device, or supplements it.

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jotjotzzz
I still have the old Nook Simple Touch with a mini-SD card slot. You can load
your ebooks via the SD card, either through connecting it via USB or loading
the SD card manually. It doesn't require WiFi and I doubt there is any sort of
tracking. It's an old and discontinued version and I am hoping that it keeps
going. It also has physical page buttons and great interface.

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brokenmachine
I would love a reader with a physical page-turn button (preferably bluetooth
like those tiny bluetooth camera shutter buttons).

I have a Kobo Glo and I hate having to use two hands - one to hold the reader
and one to press the touchscreen. If I had a page-turn button, I could prop
the reader up and use the bluetooth button in a comfortable position.

Also all the other requirements that OP listed.

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timonoko
[https://onyxboox.com/](https://onyxboox.com/)

They are just like any other android tablets, but with eink display. There are
no limits or restrictions, you can install reader program of your choice from
Google App store.

~~~
qwerty456127
What do you think to be some best reader and other Android apps optimised for
bw eInk displays?

By the way, OnyxBooxx runs a rather ancient Android version - 4.0.4.

~~~
timonoko
My ancient T68 have modified Eink-versions of Coolreader and Oreader builtin.
It can show whole-page pdf-scans of regular books without scrolling. T68 has
many shades of grey so most android apps work very well. Eink suitable for
static games, like GOroid and Sudoku. Best housekeeping program is the "Total
Commander", with access to Gdrive, Dropbox and FTP.

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rayalez
Sorry, not a direct answer, but for me the perfect reader is android tablet
and moon+ reader pro. It's not eink, but it's cheap and experience is amazing.

Reads DRM-free books in any format, highly customizable.

