I am thinking to buy an e-book reader.

 

Why?

 

At age-71, I might get back into reading books again more than recent past. The past 10 years, i have been reading maybe only 2 or 3 books a year (compared to when I was age 15 when i would read 3 or 4 books a week).

 

This week, I re-read a couple of old (very basic) books that I had read years ago and I pleasantly surprised myself as to how much I enjoyed reading such. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading books. With an ebook reader i can take multiple books with me when travelling, and not have a bunch of separate books to carry with extra weight.

 

I am heading to Canada for a month of travel very soon. Plus next year I have about 3 months of international travel planned. I checked prices , and I can typically obtain an ebook reader cheaper in price in Canada than I can in Thailand. That was a surprise, but given I depart in 2 week for Canada, I think I will order one and have it shipped to a Canadian address and pick it up there.

 

After a bit of a search, I think I will go for the Black and White Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32 GB) 2024 edition (for $229 Cdn$ - which is about 5,285 Thai baht equivalent).

 

Book electronic formats / conversion

 

One disadvantage of the Kindle series of e-readers, is I read that they use Amazon's proprietary AZW3 format.

The Amazon readers do thou read pdfs with no issue, but for ePub format (where I already have e-books in that ePub format), the ePub does need to be first converted to AZW3 format (which purportedly can be done for free with an Amazon website which does an 'ok' job).

I read a computer GNU/Linux e-reader program called 'Calibre' purportedly does an even better job than Amazon's conversion. The disadvantage of 'Calibre' is one needs to be familiar with Linux and know how to install 'Calibre'.  In my case, I have been using GNU/Linux for over 25 years, and I have been using 'Calibre' already for over 10 years, so that should not be an issue for me. Once converted, I can copy the book from my computer to the Kindle ebook reader. I also read the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024 edition) likely runs a Linux operating system.

 

Amazon Kindles I considered

I read a few reviews on ebook readers, and a Kindle reader was typically cost to being the 'best' pick, or close to the top.

There are different versions of the Kindle e-readers, and I looked at:

• Kindle Paperwhite Signature - 32GB ($229 Cdn$ - ~5,285 THB equivalent)
• Kindle Paperwhite - 16GB ($185 Cdn$ - ~4,270 THB equivalent)
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition - 32GB ($309 Cdn$ - ~7,130 THB equivalent)

 

I want a 32 GB version, and I also do NOT want the colorsoft version. The Colorsoft is great (they say) for reading comic books, but I stopped reading comic books at the age of 14 or 15.

 

Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32GB) vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) 

I read the Kindle Paperwhite Signature display is a bit better than the 16GB Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, where the Signature has more memory, and it also does not come with Amazon adverts, where I read there are adverts on the 16GB Kindle Paperwhite. (I read one has to pay Amazon money extra, about ~800 THB to disable the 16GB version's Amazon adverts - that almost reads to be criminal !  I do not know if accurate ).

 

Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32GB) vs Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32GB)

I also spotted a colour version of the 32 GB Kindle called the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.

I read the cheaper Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32 GB) has more sharp black and white text than the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32 GB) and I do not believe i need colour.
.
I like the idea of very sharp text, as over 2 decades ( 3 decades? ) ago, it was my (biased ? ) opinion of the relatively poor text presentation together with light background, that made me dislike e-book readers over books with real paper print.

Cover for Ebook reader

I am thinking to get a case for the ebook reader. Something light. I think i will avoid the heavier stand covers as I want to minimize weight. I am thinking to go for a PU 'leather like material' as opposed to the more rubbery (?) TPU. There are many colours of covers to choose from. And likely I will  get a case with a magnetic closure to keep the front cover sealed.

 

Hopefully I have not overlooked something obvious here.

 

I am curious about any ebook reader experiences of our forum's experienced travelers or long time ebook reader users.

.

 

Got the Paperwhite when it first came out. 

 

Little bit glitchy if you allow the battery to completely discharge and had a "white screen" a few times. but got it sorted by leaving it on charge for a few days.....otherwise fine.

 

Got the PU backing cover.....and glued the magic-ring thing to the back of it so I can put it on a stand rather than hold it. 

Kobo have a decent range of e-book readers. They're much cheaper and support ePub files. I bought the Libra a few years ago and am still very happy with it.

 

 

https://gl.kobobooks.com/collections/ereaders?utm_source=Kobo&utm_medium=eReadersApps&utm_campaign=eReadersApps

2 hours ago, oldcpu said:

Amazon readers do thou read pdfs with no issue, but for ePub format (where I already have e-books in that ePub format), the ePub does need to be first converted to AZW3 format (which purportedly can be done for free with an Amazon website which does an 'ok' job).

Put Calibre on you pc, add in all your books, transfer by usb cable direct to the kindle. Doesn't matter what format it was in, Calibre reformats as it transfers.

 

Almost every book in the world free through Mobilism.org or Z library.

 

Which kindle, kids paper white, cheaper with a free case, hardware identical.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Put Calibre on you pc, add in all your books, transfer by usb cable direct to the kindle. Doesn't matter what format it was in, Calibre reformats as it transfers.

 

Almost every book in the world free through Mobilism.org or Z library.

 

Which kindle, kids paper white, cheaper with a free case, hardware identical.

Agree totally about Calibre and Z-Lib. 

I REALLY don't understand why anyone bothers with these Kindles or similar. Not insulting OP, but why purchase an expensive extra machine just for one purpose?

I have been reading e-books for more than 10 years and I just use a simple android tablet (currently a 7-year-old samsung A6). All manner of apps for it, but my personal recommendation is AI Reader

 

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neverland.alreader

 

which is NOT AI! but a simple and versatile reader that is happy with all manner of formats. Failing that, FB Reader.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geometerplus.zlibrary.ui.android

Either gives plenty of options for the look of the pages.

Tethering a machine (Amazon, Kindle) to a specific system or bookstore is an insult to consumers and should be illegal. The above readers don't.

Example: two days ago I found that my favourite author has just published a new novel. Using Z-Lib, it took me five minutes to download, add to Calibre, transfer to tablet and start reading. Didn't need DRM removal but that too is simple, and there are countless converters to/from Mobi, e-pub etc. I could order from a major bookstore in Sydney where I have an account, but it's not published there for another three months.......

Only one downside - Calibre doesn't have an android version yet, although as a library organiser it's superb on the PC. Upside - increasingly I use the tablet for all the other stuff - daily news etc as well as just e-reading. I have 1400 books stored right on the tablet, no internet connection or cloud storage needed.

 

I would love to read actual paper books, but it's not feasible living here. 

I have both a Kindle ebook reader and a Samsung Galaxy S4 tablet.

 

I much prefer the tablet and use Moon Reader to read there.

The kindle is too small, and the format restriction is just annoying. It was fine when you bought books direct from Amazon, very convenient. But I actually prefer the epub format and read on the tablet now.

 

Hardly use the kindle at all. TCL just came out with a tablet that allows you to switch between full tablet and e-paper mode, which is the holy grail really and I suspect Samsung will copy this in the future.

7 hours ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

Kobo have a decent range of e-book readers. They're much cheaper and support ePub files. I bought the Libra a few years ago and am still very happy with it.

 

Thanks.  I liked a lot about the Kobo, but every interent image I looked at in regards to its light-greyish background, turned me off.  I have a couple of friend with an ebook reader (I don't know of Kobo) with similar and they loved it. But when they showed it to me ... well ... it was not for me. I think that would discourage me from reading.

 

I don't think I could get used to it ... sadly ..  I say sadly because otherwise it looks to be fabulous.

 

So that is in a very large part why I am considering the Kindle.

45 minutes ago, Dilligaph98 said:

 

I have been reading e-books for more than 10 years and I just use a simple android tablet (currently a 7-year-old samsung A6). All manner of apps for it, but my personal recommendation is AI Reader

 

 

I appreciate your view. My wife has a Samsung tablet. I borrowed her tablet for one 6 week trip, and have read many documents on it, but honestly, after reading many documents, I said never again - at least not as an ebook reader for me. The tablet was heavier, the contrast/text rendition to the background was a continual irritation.

 

I kept going back to printed copies on real paper.  The same I believe is true for books.

 

Don't get me wrong, those who I know who use tablets as an e-reader agree with you - 100% agree.  But it did not work for me.

 

Which gets back to  why I am considering the Kindle.  I think thou, many others should seriously consider what you suggest re; the Android tablet approach, and/or the Kobo Clare BW approach.  It just doesn't work for me, unfortunately for me.

 

Many thanks thou, for the suggestion.

 

33 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I have both a Kindle ebook reader and a Samsung Galaxy S4 tablet.

 

I much prefer the tablet  ... 

The kindle is too small, and the format restriction is just annoying. It was fine when you bought books direct from Amazon, very convenient. But I actually prefer the epub format and read on the tablet now.

 

Hardly use the kindle at all. TCL just came out with a tablet that allows you to switch between full tablet and e-paper mode, which is the holy grail really and I suspect Samsung will copy this in the future.

 

That is scary. 

 

It suggests i need to stay with paper back books and chuck out the entire ebook reader idea.

8 hours ago, oldcpu said:

I am thinking to buy an e-book reader.

 

Why?

 

At age-71, I might get back into reading books again more than recent past. The past 10 years, i have been reading maybe only 2 or 3 books a year (compared to when I was age 15 when i would read 3 or 4 books a week).

 

This week, I re-read a couple of old (very basic) books that I had read years ago and I pleasantly surprised myself as to how much I enjoyed reading such. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading books. With an ebook reader i can take multiple books with me when travelling, and not have a bunch of separate books to carry with extra weight.

 

I am heading to Canada for a month of travel very soon. Plus next year I have about 3 months of international travel planned. I checked prices , and I can typically obtain an ebook reader cheaper in price in Canada than I can in Thailand. That was a surprise, but given I depart in 2 week for Canada, I think I will order one and have it shipped to a Canadian address and pick it up there.

 

After a bit of a search, I think I will go for the Black and White Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32 GB) 2024 edition (for $229 Cdn$ - which is about 5,285 Thai baht equivalent).

 

Book electronic formats / conversion

 

One disadvantage of the Kindle series of e-readers, is I read that they use Amazon's proprietary AZW3 format.

The Amazon readers do thou read pdfs with no issue, but for ePub format (where I already have e-books in that ePub format), the ePub does need to be first converted to AZW3 format (which purportedly can be done for free with an Amazon website which does an 'ok' job).

I read a computer GNU/Linux e-reader program called 'Calibre' purportedly does an even better job than Amazon's conversion. The disadvantage of 'Calibre' is one needs to be familiar with Linux and know how to install 'Calibre'.  In my case, I have been using GNU/Linux for over 25 years, and I have been using 'Calibre' already for over 10 years, so that should not be an issue for me. Once converted, I can copy the book from my computer to the Kindle ebook reader. I also read the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024 edition) likely runs a Linux operating system.

 

Amazon Kindles I considered

I read a few reviews on ebook readers, and a Kindle reader was typically cost to being the 'best' pick, or close to the top.

There are different versions of the Kindle e-readers, and I looked at:

• Kindle Paperwhite Signature - 32GB ($229 Cdn$ - ~5,285 THB equivalent)
• Kindle Paperwhite - 16GB ($185 Cdn$ - ~4,270 THB equivalent)
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition - 32GB ($309 Cdn$ - ~7,130 THB equivalent)

 

I want a 32 GB version, and I also do NOT want the colorsoft version. The Colorsoft is great (they say) for reading comic books, but I stopped reading comic books at the age of 14 or 15.

 

Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32GB) vs Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) 

I read the Kindle Paperwhite Signature display is a bit better than the 16GB Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, where the Signature has more memory, and it also does not come with Amazon adverts, where I read there are adverts on the 16GB Kindle Paperwhite. (I read one has to pay Amazon money extra, about ~800 THB to disable the 16GB version's Amazon adverts - that almost reads to be criminal !  I do not know if accurate ).

 

Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32GB) vs Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32GB)

I also spotted a colour version of the 32 GB Kindle called the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.

I read the cheaper Kindle Paperwhite Signature (32 GB) has more sharp black and white text than the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32 GB) and I do not believe i need colour.
.
I like the idea of very sharp text, as over 2 decades ( 3 decades? ) ago, it was my (biased ? ) opinion of the relatively poor text presentation together with light background, that made me dislike e-book readers over books with real paper print.

Cover for Ebook reader

I am thinking to get a case for the ebook reader. Something light. I think i will avoid the heavier stand covers as I want to minimize weight. I am thinking to go for a PU 'leather like material' as opposed to the more rubbery (?) TPU. There are many colours of covers to choose from. And likely I will  get a case with a magnetic closure to keep the front cover sealed.

 

Hopefully I have not overlooked something obvious here.

 

I am curious about any ebook reader experiences of our forum's experienced travelers or long time ebook reader users.

.

Please don't buy a dedicated EBook reader. Buy an ordinary tablet  and install Calibre and FB Reader. They are not expensive to buy, You can expand the text size to make it easier to read, and you can also use the tablet for many other things, such as emails, sending and receiving SMS and phone calls, even playing games if you wish.

 

Using Calibre and FB Reader you can read almost any book in any format and you are not tied to Kindle to get books to read.

 

I have 6 to 7,xxx authors should you need any reading material (that is authors and not just books).

 

Please send me a PM if you want a copy. There are enough books to last my lifetime (I am 81) and probably enough books to last your lifetime as well.

 

There is probably over 1TBit of books as I have been collecting them for years.

 

I used to use a Lenovo TAB3 10 inch tablet but it stopped charging last year after being used for about 4 hours a day for 6 years. I have never got around to replacing it and use my pc and an external hard drive.

I recently bought a Redmi Pad tablet computer with a 11-inch FHD+ IPS LCD (฿6200).  It gives you the ability to run all of your normal Android apps plus you can download Kindle and read Kindle books.  I  also have downloaded ReadEra Epub book reader which will also read ebooks. And I also listen to Audible books on it. Plus I can run whatever is available for download on the Google Play store.

So you really don't need to limit yourself to just Kindle Readers that run a proprietary OS.  I tablet is primarily for reading/listening to book.  I gave a Kindle Reader about 2 seconds worth of thought and then got the Redmi Pad.  You're sort of limiting yourself with the proprietary readers tethered to Amazon.  Imho. 

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

Please don't buy a dedicated EBook reader. Buy an ordinary tablet  and install Calibre and FB Reader.

 

I hear you.

 

When i was working (before retirement) I always carried a tablet around with me.

 

More recently, as noted, I used my wife's Samsung tablet reading documents for a while recently (for travel from Thailand to Australia and back, with 6 weeks in Australia). I took the Indian Pacific train across the south of Australia and during those days on the train, read a book (paperback) and also read stories on the Tablet.  It reminded me, why I prefer a real paperback book and not a tablet.

 

The tablet was passable, but it is 2x to 3x the weight of an ebook reader and also much heavier than a paperback book. 

 

So while the concept seemed viable, the tablet is no longer for me. 

 

Similar to my knowing friends with ebook readers (with black text on white-ish grey backgrounds) , I found the tablet approach not for me (but for different reasons). Again i have friends who use still tablets (like I once did). They don't mind using it as a reader, and I did not mind too much then (as I also wanted it for other things). But today? Those other things are not needed.   

 

I believe I can do better with an ereader that has no other functionality and needs no other functionality. And that has a better (for me) background than the Kobo has.   Its just me. I am certain others feel different.

 

I am pretty familiar with Calibre. i have been using it on my desktop PC (running GNU/Linux) for more than a decade. I have a command line script that i run that works for PDFs, mobi, lit, and epub and converts them to azw3 format. 

 

I just type:  ereader-convert somefile.epub 

and it creates somefile.azw3 in correct format.

 

The script is very fast, although I concede with calibre GUI, such a command line script is likely not needed.

 

So please, don't get me wrong. i think a tablet a great suggestion. If i was still routinely carrying a tablet around, i would not bother with an ebook reader. But I stopped using a tablet about 6 years ago after retiring from work (after having used tablets for over a dozen years).

 

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

 

Using Calibre and FB Reader you can read almost any book in any format and you are not tied to Kindle to get books to read.

 

Yes. I use calibre on my GNU/Lnux desktop PC

 

I think if i was still using a tablet for other things, i would consider more going with tablet approach ... I think others (not me) should seriously consider your suggestion.

 

1 hour ago, connda said:

 You're sort of limiting yourself with the proprietary readers tethered to Amazon.  Imho. 

 

This was my thought at first - until I discovered how easy it was to convert files to the Amazon format.  As noted, I simply on my desktop open a bash shell, cd to the directory where the epub, lit, mobi, or pdf file is located and type
 

ereader-convert somefile.mobi 

and it creates somefile.azw3 in correct format.

 

I created the script to handle pdf, mobi, lit, epub formats.  I have not yet tested it against other formats.

 

Ok - it took me almost an hour to create the script, but I had fun creating such. And now the script is in place and works great. No need to create again.

For my eyes I changed to reading on my TV instead of a device 12 inches from my face. Fbreader on my android box works great. Easily adjust text size so it's easy to read. And you're focusing on something far away so your eyes don't get screwed up like they do reading a tablet/bookreader.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

Using Calibre and FB Reader you can read almost any book in any format and you are not tied to Kindle to get books to read.

 

 

I am obviously still  considering .. but is one really tied into Kindle with Amazon proprietary formats only?  

 

My understanding is that Kindle uses a GNU/Linux operating system (of which I am familiar as I have not used MS-Windows at home since 1998 - I only use GNU/Linux).  

 

I have used Calibre for years (albeit not until earlier today used it to convert file formats) as today I coded a script to do some conversions.

 

I read Calibre can convert from pdf, mobi, lit, epub, others(?) to azw3 ... and now, as of today, I have now a script that does that.

 

I also read Calibre can convert files back to the other formats (ie from azw3 to epub, for example) but i have not yet updated my script to do that.  

 

i don't see this as an issue - but I concede - i could be missing something.

.

9 minutes ago, gargamon said:

For my eyes I changed to reading on my TV instead of a device 12 inches from my face.

 

lol ... well at age-71 i am not there yet (needing a TV sized device) -- but --- but ... that may be in the future for me yet. 

 

Hopefully my eyesight lasts.

 

29 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

lol ... well at age-71 i am not there yet (needing a TV sized device) -- but --- but ... that may be in the future for me yet. 

 

Hopefully my eyesight lasts.

 

It's not the eyesight. i have 20/20 with glasses can read without any glasses. It's just so much simpler to read on the TV.

20 minutes ago, gargamon said:

It's not the eyesight. i have 20/20 with glasses can read without any glasses. It's just so much simpler to read on the TV.

 

Interesting. Are you 'chrome casting' from tablet (or PC) to TV ? or using some other technique?

 

Edit : of course a TV may not fit in my airline carry on.  😂 ... but could be useful at home.

1 hour ago, oldcpu said:

I also read Calibre can convert files back to the other formats (ie from azw3 to epub, for example) but i have not yet updated my script to do that.  

 

 

OK - its past my bed time. But I just completed figuring out the bash shell command to convert a azw3 file (which I found on the web) to a pdf file, in a nice format (using a flatpak version of calibre in GNU/Linux).

 

i am going to stop for the night, but in next few days I will likely update my script to be more flexible to change azw3 to PDF or ePUB, in addition to its current functionality in going from lit/pdf/mobi/epub to azw3. 

 

I think (hope ?? ) I have convinced myself that these 'proprietary' format aspects are not a concern.

.

2 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 

Interesting. Are you 'chrome casting' from tablet (or PC) to TV ? or using some other technique?

 

Edit : of course a TV may not fit in my airline carry on.  😂 ... but could be useful at home.

If you have an Android or Google TV you should just be able to install fbreader there. I do it on an android box.

7 hours ago, oldcpu said:

appreciate your view. My wife has a Samsung tablet. I borrowed her tablet for one 6 week trip, and have read many documents on it, but honestly, after reading many documents, I said never again - at least not as an ebook reader for me. The tablet was heavier, the contrast/text rendition to the background was a continual irritation.

Reading on my tablet for hours hurts my eyes, also when travelling I can read on a kindle all the trip, tablet is finished after 2 hours.

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Put Calibre on you pc, add in all your books, transfer by usb cable direct to the kindle. Doesn't matter what format it was in, Calibre reformats as it transfers.

 

Almost every book in the world free through Mobilism.org or Z library.

 

Which kindle, kids paper white, cheaper with a free case, hardware identical.

Calibre is perfect for ebooks. 

9 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 

I hear you.

 

When i was working (before retirement) I always carried a tablet around with me.

 

More recently, as noted, I used my wife's Samsung tablet reading documents for a while recently (for travel from Thailand to Australia and back, with 6 weeks in Australia). I took the Indian Pacific train across the south of Australia and during those days on the train, read a book (paperback) and also read stories on the Tablet.  It reminded me, why I prefer a real paperback book and not a tablet.

 

The tablet was passable, but it is 2x to 3x the weight of an ebook reader and also much heavier than a paperback book. 

 

So while the concept seemed viable, the tablet is no longer for me. 

 

Similar to my knowing friends with ebook readers (with black text on white-ish grey backgrounds) , I found the tablet approach not for me (but for different reasons). Again i have friends who use still tablets (like I once did). They don't mind using it as a reader, and I did not mind too much then (as I also wanted it for other things). But today? Those other things are not needed.   

 

I believe I can do better with an ereader that has no other functionality and needs no other functionality. And that has a better (for me) background than the Kobo has.   Its just me. I am certain others feel different.

 

I am pretty familiar with Calibre. i have been using it on my desktop PC (running GNU/Linux) for more than a decade. I have a command line script that i run that works for PDFs, mobi, lit, and epub and converts them to azw3 format. 

 

I just type:  ereader-convert somefile.epub 

and it creates somefile.azw3 in correct format.

 

The script is very fast, although I concede with calibre GUI, such a command line script is likely not needed.

 

So please, don't get me wrong. i think a tablet a great suggestion. If i was still routinely carrying a tablet around, i would not bother with an ebook reader. But I stopped using a tablet about 6 years ago after retiring from work (after having used tablets for over a dozen years).

 

 

Yes. I use calibre on my GNU/Lnux desktop PC

 

I think if i was still using a tablet for other things, i would consider more going with tablet approach ... I think others (not me) should seriously consider your suggestion.

 

I used to have a dedicated Ebook reader from Barnes and Noble which like all yjings simply died after a while. after which I got the Lenovo tablet, which sadly also died as it simply stopped charging and I would have had to send it off yo Bangkok for repairs. As I use my pc for most things nowadays, I simply didn't bother to get it repaired.

 

In your position a simple Ebook reader is probably your best option though which brand I have no idea nowadays. I suppose that the best option is one that is not locked to any particular company and that you can download form any Ebook source.

I had 'fun' (ok - I can be a masochist at times with computer scripts 😅 ) updating the script for my GNU/Linux PC to convert from one e-reader format to another.  

 

It uses a flatpak version of calibre on my Lenovo X1 carbon gen-9 laptop that has openSUSE LEAP GNU/Linux running. I deliberately limited the conversion types.

 

Basically I had the script look at the file extensions, and 

1.  if PDF extension detected it creates both an ezw3 format and a separate ePub format file, and 
2. if lit, epub, or mobi extension detected, it creates both an ezw3 format and PDF format fle, and
3. if ezw3 extension detected it creates both an epub and a PDF format
4. if a different valid format from PDF, epub, mobi, PDF or ezw3 format is detected, it should save the file to PDF, ePub and ezw3 formats (I have not tested this yet)
5. at end before exiting it describes the conversion it made (ie from which format to which format)
6. if the file format can not be determined, the script exits, providing an explanation as to why (and giving an example of command line format needed for script to work).

 

Then, I updated to put in some error correction logic, such that if an epub file is mislabeled as an ezw3, the script's error detection code will detect that, note format (of the file extension) is wrong and it will prompt the user, asking to be given the correct extension type.  When given the correct extension, it will

   (a) correct the original file extension, and

   (b) do the conversion per steps (1) to (6) above. 

 

I tested it best I could with file formats I had on my GNU/Linux PC.  I have not yet (obviously) tested the ezw3 files created in a kindle ebook reader, but I am reasonably optimistic they will be fine.

 

So I believe that means I need not worry about proprietary formats, albeit yes, I will need to have to convert files one at a time to ezw3, if not already in ezw3.   

 

I did not bother to make the script convert an entire directory at once, but I guess I could have. However I only have a few dozen ebook files at present, so I did not see the point to make that effort (to modify the GNU/Linux bash shell script) to convert an entire directory. 

 

If I had hundreds of ebook files I would have made the effort to have the script convert hundreds of files.  Obviously, this only works on my PC (with GNU/Linux and with a flatpak version of Calibre).

.

No reason to buy an ereader... If your pc or phone is apple. It has a ereader built in. If you use windows, microsoft has a free ereader. All are good to use. They can bookmark where you stopped reading. or pin pages that you want to return to. 

There is no need to really buy ebooks as well. You can borrow the book you want to read from an elibrary. Or download ebooks from loads of free websites or use torrents to get ebooks that are old or new. 

 

2 minutes ago, thesetat said:

No reason to buy an ereader... If your pc or phone is apple. It has a ereader built in. If you use windows, microsoft has a free ereader. All are good to use. They can bookmark where you stopped reading. or pin pages that you want to return to. 

 

I think everyone (?) agrees there - that one can read edocuments on many devices, such as phones, and tablets. ...

 

We start next to get into the more 'subjective' aspects, as to weight and appearance and file formats, battery life, robustness, etc .... 

 

An image/size/weight of a reader that is superb for many, might not be so great for a person with a bit of an outlier viewpoint. 

 

Fortunately, there are MANY great ways to go about this.

.

48 minutes ago, thesetat said:

There is no need to really buy ebooks as well. You can borrow the book you want to read from an elibrary. Or download ebooks from loads of free websites or use torrents to get ebooks that are old or new. 

 

How easy is it to borrow or download audio Ebooks?

34 minutes ago, billd766 said:

How easy is it to borrow or download audio Ebooks?

I believe the latest Kindle update allows audio output direct from the book via bluetooth.

Just tried it, works fine.

 

 

On 9/25/2025 at 11:40 AM, oldcpu said:

 

So I believe that means I need not worry about proprietary formats, albeit yes, I will need to have to convert files one at a time to ezw3, if not already in ezw3.   .

 

I should , I think, qualify this by noting Amazon, from what I have read, are moving past the ezw3 format, to a more new KFX format with stronger DRM controls (with one book spread across multiple files), making it difficult for those buying an eBook, to back up their book 'locally' on their home computer.

 

I think newer Amazon Kindle eBook readers (like the Kindle Paperwhite Signature) that I have ordered, use a KFX format, which for any who wish to locally back such up, may have an issue. I read in some cases, Calibre with the DeDRM plugin and KFX plugin, may be able to 'unlock'/'decrypt' some eBooks using the KFX format to allow saving to an ePUB , PDF or other format, but many (majority ? ) of eBooks on the newer Amazon Kindles in KFX format, can not be locally backed up (at least not yet) by Calibre. 

 

Having typed this, ... it was not a consideration for me.  The Kindle will allow other formats (such as mobi, ePub, PDF, lit) to either be copied on the Kindle and viewed, or converted to an ezw3 format and viewed on the Kindle.

 

There was a lot to learn (for me) on this eBook reader topic, and one thing is 100% certain :  I am still learning here.