cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/42450984
Of course I dream of something with feature parity with the US and Eastern alternatives, but I am not interested in color or touch. Mostly care about format support and rendering.
Inkbook,
Pocketbok(Sorry, Pocketbook is Swiss so not EU), Tolino. Inkbook can sideload most Android apps so it doesn’t lock you into any particular ecosystem. I have one myself (Focus Plus) It’s fairly basic but ok. Above all it works with the app my local library uses. It’s the only European reader I’ve tried so can’t really comment on the others.Tolino is part of Kobo which is a Canadian company. Which itself is part of Rakuten, a Japanese company.
What’s the point of a Google Android product build in the EU?
Also keep in mind that the non-Google options are more optimised, have better battery life and are usually better to use due to less rough edges (Abdroid just isn’t designed for e-ink screens, it was meant to be used for digital cameras and Google decided to use it for phones).
Tech products like an eReader are almost always made in China anyway. Buying a real book would be without American BigTech and Chinese manufacturer
I’d love a European open hardware/free software device. But does that exist? I haven’t seen that yet.
Better is good. If it is made in China, but runs software that does not a rely on a cloud and it works offline, that might also work for quite a lot of people looking to get away from US products spying on them.
Fair enough, but different people have different needs and preferences. I appreciate being able to read daily papers from all over the world and prefer an e-papers screen over backlit alternatives. There are also books that have gone out of print or are only published electronically. And being able to load thousands of books onto a device weighing a few hg Is a huge plus especially if you travel.
InkBook’s OS is based on Android but it’s not stock Android so you don’t need to link the device to any Google account or such. My library uses Android apps for book lending and newspaper and magazine access digitally so personally my options for library loans is a reader that can sideload Android apps or nothing at all.
@Ooops Pocketbook offers devices with a custom OS (Linux based AFAIK) like the Era that I use and some are Android based. Tolino I always thought to be a completely autonomous development but I never really looked into that.
So you are telling me they are just really bad at advertising and I falsely dismissed them for the obnoxious Android-related ads I’ve seen?
(I checked again and yes, “the best e-book readers with Android” is literally the title for their webpage…)
@Ooops Hmm… I cannot confirm where you see that (if we’re talking about Pocketbook), I checked the Dutch, German and Swiss = International websites of them and don’t see that claim anywhere?
Only their eNotes (InkPad X Pro, InkPad Eo and the Color note) run Android.
All their ‘normal’ eReaders run a custom Linux based os. That’s 12 devices.
And yes, many companies really suck at marketing, because they don’t really understand their target audiences and live in a bubble.
I have been running german Tolinos for several years now and they seem like what you are searching for. Quite cheap. They are doing what they should. You can buy books from your local bookshop or even lend them from your local library. And that little Flip remote is one of the best things I bought in the last year
Just as a sidenote: Tolino are rebranded Kobos (you can actually switch by editing a config file). And Kobo is a Canadian company. Which is part od Rakuten, a Japanese company.
Yeah, but is there anything better fully European yet?
Buying a Tolino and using it offline might be what people are looking for. Just add files via a USB cable, does not need internet access, even makes the battery last longer.
Tbh, I am fairly happy with the pocket book. They use a custom Linux that e.g. alllows Koreader install(which is nice together with booklore), have public library access.
And at least they are swiss.
“And at least they are swiss.”
That would sound very strange out of context, I just noticed :D
Well, the swiss and privacy is more a marketing act,sadly.
