Ask HN: Which DRM-free ebook reader to buy? (2018 edition)

[tom_mellior]

My question is similar to https://news.ycombinator.com/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?

I'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 just to be allowed to use the physical object you bought, and which until that point worked fine without registration.

I'm happy to sideload all my EPUBs via USB from my PC, so "never connect the reader to wifi" is OK for me. But I don't want to be forced to register an account with anyone at any point.

Good PDF display would be nice, but it's not particularly important for me.

[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.

[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

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

[tom_mellior → upofadown]

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.)

[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

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.

[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.

[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.

[timonoko]

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 → timonoko]

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 → qwerty456127]

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.

[tom_mellior → timonoko]

Thanks, but Android and the Google App Store do fall under the "mandatory registration" thing I would like to avoid. No?

[timonoko → tom_mellior]

You can pirate or copy apk-files from your phone and install them unverified.

[tom_mellior → timonoko]

OK, but when you boot up the device for the first time, does it force you to register it with the Play Store or whatever?

(I'm trying not to troll, just to get clear answers here. Mandatory registration of your devices has become so commonplace that many people just shrug it off, but I would like to keep fighting even if the battle is pretty much lost.)

[r3bl → tom_mellior]

In general (on Android), you need an account to download apps from the Play Store, not to use the phone. You can still install from apk (and install F-Droid for example), so you can have something like KOReader[0] on Android without giving your data to anyone.

[0] KOReader was designed for e-ink displays: http://koreader.rocks/

[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.