In search of the simplest ereader

December 4, 2020 4:30 PM

Help me choose an ereader for my dad-- criteria inside.

You all convinced me to get an ereader and now I've got my dad talked into it, too. I would like to get him one for Christmas, but I'm not sure which one. I think probably a used Kindle but also wondering if Kobo or something else might be good.

Below are the criteria, in descending order of importance.

1. Syncs *easily* with Overdrive to get library books. Any kind of Calibre file converting thing is probably not going to be a good fit.

2. Is easy to use. My dad is not that old and is certainly capable of learning how to use new devices, but he gets frustrated with technology easily-- he recently asked me how to send a text on his smartphone. So looking for something that is easy and intuitive. It doesn't need a ton of features.

3. Ideally doesn't give money to Amazon. He acknowledges that Kindle might be the best option because of the Overdrive thing. But if he's going to go Kindle, he wants a used model.

4. Possibly one with a light? He's sensitive to eye strain from electronics, but also has trouble reading in dim light.

5. Otherwise, probably the fewer bells and whistles the better. He's a simple guy who often finds added features insulting.

posted by geegollygosh to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

Does he do email? Because one thing Amazon provides that is nice is an email address you can send any book or news article to and they will just magically appear the next time it syncs. Also I think basically all of them have a backlight and the e-ink screen is very easy on the eyes and great for reading in dim light.
posted by bradbane at 4:40 PM on December 4, 2020 [3 favorites]

One more factor to consider is whether he'll feel more comfortable with physical buttons or with a touchscreen.

I kind of hate the graphics-heavy interfaces on lots of modern ereaders (just give me a text-only list of books and nothing else please) and would probably buy a used Kindle 3 for that reason. But ymmv!
posted by trig at 4:55 PM on December 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

My Kobo works great with Overdrive (and Libby). I have to log back in to my account periodically (library card number, last 4 of my phone number with the library) but otherwise stuff just shows up and disappears.

I did spend the big bucks for the Forma with physical buttons (I'd still be using my physical-button-kindle if it was backlit), and it's better than I even dreamed - I can flip it over to use with my left hand, or flip it buttons-down to hold from the bottom, and the screen re-orients AND the buttons reorient on each side (so up is always back and down is always forward - but this behavior is configurable).
posted by Lyn Never at 5:01 PM on December 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can buy inexpensive used Kindles of various generations from The Unclaimed Baggage Center.
posted by Joleta at 5:09 PM on December 4, 2020 [3 favorites]

Some Kobo e-reader models have Overdrive built in.

If he's going to BUY many books, that's a consideration - does he strongly want to avoid buying books on Amazon? Buying a used Kindle is easy but if he has a Kindle then it may be hard to buy most books somewhere other than Amazon without jumping through hoops to convert formats/remove DRM. Occasionally I see (smaller?) publishers sell un-DRM'ed mobi (a format native to Kindle) ebooks, but it doesn't seem that common. Kobo has their own e-book store. I don't know if Kobo is substantially less evil than Amazon though.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:14 PM on December 4, 2020

I have a Kobo at home that has Overdrive built in. It is actually a bit of a hassle to copy downloaded books over from a computer but getting them from Overdrive or the Kobo store is easy.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:15 PM on December 4, 2020

Has he kind of mastered his smartphone? Only reason I ask is that if he's comfortable with this and NOT other new things then a tablet of the same general model as his smartphone (Apple or Android) with the Overdrive or Libby (better UX if you don't need accessibility features) on it might do the trick. For him the most important part will be making sure it's got a backlight and then figuring out how he will interact with it (i.e. will it have physical buttons like older Kindles or Lyn Never's forma or will it all be touchscreen?). There's nothing inherent that links Overdrive and Amazon, so if you want to avoid Amazon a Kobo (definitely less evil than Amazon) or other tablet that has the Overdrive or Libby app should be fine. Can you set it up for him ahead of time? That may be the biggest deal so that you can delete all the extra junk that comes with most of these options.
posted by jessamyn at 8:57 AM on December 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

I would recommend the Kobo Clara HD - the screen is excellent, the interface is simple, it has a color-temp-adjustable frontlight, and it is very easy to sync with Overdrive as others have noted. Don't get the Nia or entry level Kindle, they both have inferior screens.

If you want physical buttons, the H20 is the cheaper cousin of the Forma, but still not exactly cheap.

I've been using a Boox Poke 3 that I love but the interface is complex (full Android) so I'd strike that brand from consideration.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:40 PM on December 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

My mum is in her 80s and read the complete works of nearly every prominent writer of the 1800s on various Kobos. A couple have gone back for tech issues, so buy from someplace that allows easy returns. Her current Forma is her favourite because of the larger screen size. We get her Kobo gift cards for Xmas but she's been using Overdrive more and more. I don’t think her previous Kobo worked with overdrive, so it's worth checking.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:21 AM on December 6, 2020

I realize I'm too late for this question, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents for future purchasers. I want to throw my wife's Kobo off a bridge. We primarily use our ereaders for checking out books from the library, and the Kobo keeps steering you toward the store instead. The library functionality is clunky at best and unusable at worst. So much so that I'm thinking about buying her a Tolino or Pocketbook or another Likebook (I'm using the Mars right now), and giving away the Kobo.

We may be a bit of a special case as we have multiple libraries we check books out from. Sacramento, Los Angeles, etc... across multiple devices.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:26 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]