Nook Simple Touch Glolight: embedded fonts and drm-free files.
May 9, 2013 9:10 AM   Subscribe

I have a Sony prs 600 touch Ereader that is about to expire. To replace it I am considering a Nook Simple Touch Glolight I just have three specific questions about the Nook that I need answered. Details inside

I am considering the Nook Glolight for two specific reasons:

1 - The built in light will mean I can read at night time, without need for additional light. I currently use, my iPad, but staring into a backlit LCD is messing up my ability to get to sleep.

2 Nooks have the Opendyslexic font as a system font built in as a system font.

I am in the UK, and so far have been unable to handle one in person, but from the spec description it doesn't seem too dissimilar in size and dimensions to the sony reader.

So I have three specific questions:

1 - So do you have a Nook Glolight and what do you think of it - particularly the reading light.?
2- How comfortable do you find holding it for long periods of reading?
3- I know I can put my own drm-free epubs (sideload) onto a nook via Calibre (or just plugging in via usb), but will hardware system fonts like opendyslexic work with my own files, or will I still have to change the css /fonts in each book individually?

I don't want to buy a kindle because most of my digital library is in epub format which kindle doesn't support out of the box
posted by Faintdreams to Computers & Internet (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
The Glowlight screen sometimes (often?) has this problem. Personally, even when it doesn't, I do not find the reading experience the same as with the Simple Touch. Not necessarily worse; plenty of people are satisfied with it but it looks different even when the light is not turned on.

You may have to tinker with font/font size. But I use Abode Digital Editions more than Calibre so someone else may know more. (Calibre I use mostly to convert Word documents and I definitely have to tinker with those.)
posted by BibiRose at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2013


I really, really wouldn't buy a Nook right now. Microsoft is offering $1 billion to buy the whole business from B&N, with the intention of killing off the hardware and using the store as a content pipeline for Windows/Phone 8.
posted by Oktober at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2013


A Nook e-reader can be hacked into behaving as a fairly low-power Android tablet, capable of running whatever software for the platform you care to sideload onto the thing - including all manner of open-source ebook software (or Kindle, for that matter). Given today's news, you should probably buy a Nook only if that's what you intend to do with it.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2013


It's also on the Kobo Glo, which also has a reading light and works reasonably easily with Calibre. The Kobo's UI is about a million times worse than Sony's, so if you can hold out at least until the announcement of their next version, it might be worth doing.

That said, I love the integrated light on my reader -- but it scratches more easily; you need a case. I find it very comfortable for long periods of reading and easy to use in bed/dark. I haven't tried switching everything to OpenDyslexic, but the people at the MobileRead forums should be able to answer that.

If you have a Kindle, though, and use Calibre, Calibre will just automatically convert things before it sends it to the Kindle.
posted by jeather at 9:44 AM on May 9, 2013


Best answer: This is not a good time to buy a Nook unless it's a really, really, really good price. Even disregarding the current B&N and Microsoft shenanigans, the Glowlight screen isn't durable and many people have issues with light leaks. If you're Kindle averse, I'd go with a Kobo, but try getting one from a store rather than online. Maybe their online customer service is better in the UK, but I have heard horror stories about buying from the Kobo site in the USA & Canada, while my friends who purchased Kobo Glos from physical indie bookstores seem to have better luck.
posted by angst at 11:05 AM on May 9, 2013


Best answer: Following up on angst's comment, the other nice thing about the Kobo Glo is that if you buy it from a live Indie bookstore, that store will get a small percentage kickback from the ebooks you buy. So you can support your local.

I have a Kobo Glo and it has a nice light and is comfortable to hold for long periods. It could use a firmware upgrade (it lacks some of the aspects I liked on Kindle, namely the ability to lock the screen and the ability to know a book's price without pushing buttons to discover it) but I think it will get these things in time. I don't know about your other questions because I never used those programs.

Re: the Nook Glowlight, it also has a nice light and is comfortable to hold. I rooted a Simple Touch and they can do almost anything once rooted, including running Kindle and Kobobooks and any other reading app you like, but some of those apps look pretty bad on the e ink screen because they are optimized for LCD. Take a look at youtubes of rooted Nooks to see what I mean.
posted by feets at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2013


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