Best E-Reader for bed-bound arthritis sufferer?

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

I knew some devices allowed this kind of thing but wasn't terribly clear on what devices allow this via a 3G connection in the UK. All I know is that the Kindle does, and I *think* the Nook does not. Would be good to have a definitive list but I couldn't find one on the WWW.

Not even all Kindle models can do that. Some Kindle models lack 3G chip. You would need to have WiFi in the apartment/hospital room for such 3G-less Kindle model (called WiFi-only). I am not sure Nook does have 3G working in GB. When you think about it, such 3G device has to have SIM card inside that is linked to mobile-phone provider. Amazon does this by using USA-based AT&T and using their roaming agreements for the rest of the world. This is why, until recently you had $2 surcharge to any e-book purchase outside USA. Now that Amazon sells Kindle models specifficaly for GB this is not the case anymore. At least not for GB.
You will have to visit Nook forum and ask GB based owners about 3G connectivity outside USA. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/

Originally Posted by Carnyx

I do like that idea though I lack the know-how. I would consider it if the basic device turns out to be unusable for her. That said, I can't think of where I'd go to get this done. The bog standard sparkies round here would pull a face and fob me off if I asked for something like that.

You can find a good hacker anywhere. By hacker I mean the oldest definition - people that love to modify the stuff to do things it wasn't designed for.
Also, consider the [astronomical] price of the above mentioned off-the-shelf equipment.

Originally Posted by Carnyx

I prefert that option - is jailbreaking installing third party software or is there a hardware change to do as well?

Jailbreak is purely software. You modify the software inside the device by means not supported/endorsed/allowed by manufacturer. Jailbreaking usually uses some forgotten "back door" or bug to escalate user privileges, so you can, for example, install un-approved software.
Nook has an USB socket that works in guest mode. Guest means that the device can be connected to PC and files can be uploaded to device as if it was an USB stick.
Devlopers at site I linked to in my first post found out that Nook does have hardware that would enable the port to work in host mode. "All" you need is to install proper driver. To install proper driver you need to unlock (jailbreak) the device and connect it to Google Android Development Kit running on PC. It is non-trivial, but all you need to connect USB keyboard to device is software plus non-standard USB cable that will connect guest-type device to guest-type (I am talking about physical dimensions here) port.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

That's a good idea actually. This was mentioned in a previous reply but I envisaged it being a one-at-a-time process which would be OTT and unbearable for the user; but if it were just grabbing all the free books I could find and putting them on an SD card(s), that's something I could definitely do. Good call on that(and to previous reply).

One more thing ...
Not all e-book readers have slot for SD card.
Not all e-book readers can bear gracefully putting over a thousand books on.
Some e-book readers do not support folder / directory structure so putting 2000 books on them would result in 200 pages long list with alphabetically sorted books. Many of those non-supporting-directory-structure readers do have Collections or similar functionality, but collections are not hierarchical. Some e-book readers will choke on too many books. For example Kindle tries to index all the books in case user wants to search for some text inside e-books.

So you will need some reader that does support directory structure and has SD card slot.
Or you need reader that has SD card slot and you provide ten cheap SD cards filled with 200 books each.


Oh ... By the way ... You have set your account not to receive Private Messages.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

I'm curious: how are buttons better than touchscreen? Is it just that the touchscreen technology is a bit ropey at the moment so that it's somehow more difficult than pressing a button?

Touch screen require more delicacy of touch and a higher level of precision when it comes to things like selecting items from a menu. I imagine that may be an issue for someone with arthritis.

I'd read other reviews that mentioned similar copyright restrictions. Now I'm guessing from what you've said that there's ways around all this. However my main concern is that she will be able to use 3G to download the books when she wants, without any fuss or PC intervention(if possible obviously). So would getting hold of some otherwise-unavailable-in-UK books require PC legwork?

I wouldn't get hung on this "unavailable in the UK" thing. Take a look at the Amazon UK eBook store; the availability of eBooks in the UK is extremely good.

[polly]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Touch screen require more delicacy of touch and a higher level of precision when it comes to things like selecting items from a menu. I imagine that may be an issue for someone with arthritis.

Touch screens do require more precision for some tasks, but buttons require pushing the same thing in the same way hundreds of times in an hour. I spend a lot of time turning pages compared to very little time navigating menus. What works best certainly depends on the type of arthritis, but mine includes the base of my thumb. I learned with the very first reader I used (Sony 505) that pushing a button quickly became painful. I use PRS+ with my 650; a light tap anyplace on the right half of the screen turns the page. With lots of different ways to hold my hands and still tap the screen combined with no pressure required, I can comfortably turn pages for hours. I think that touch screen combined with a few key buttons is ideal.

[polly]

Originally Posted by kacir

Nook Simple Touch reader is an interesting choice.
It has touch screen, so the user can touch the screen very, very lightly to turn the page.

But B&N does NOT support this reader outside of the US. They won't ship it to the UK, they won't do warranty work on it if it's in the UK, they used to even block updates to people without a US IP address. I'd personally stay away from something so unsupported, especially when making recommendations to someone new to e-readers who lives in the UK.

[polly]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

Thanks for the reply Katie,
That's interesting - a lot of people seem to be against touchscreen which I'm surprised at. I thought it would be better for arthritic users, but apparently not always.
Please could you elaborate on "ability to read the book" - is this what text-to-speech does? For some reason I'd thought text-to-speech just worked on menus and basic operations, not actually reading out the book itself. If so, doesn't it sound a bit weird reading a book, without the right intonation etc? Still impressive though.
Thanks,
David.

When people say text-to-speech, what they mean is that the device will read the book aloud through the headset jack. This is actually an interesting idea, as most readers that have text-to-speech will turn the pages automatically, so no touching is required. You should be aware that the speech is an electronic computer voice, so you're not going to get the inflections and pronunciations that a human would give it. If she reads at about the same speed as the text to speech, she wouldn't have to listen to the voice to have the pages turn automatically.

I'm not aware of any e-ink readers that are voice activated. All of them require touching buttons or screen to navigate menus and do other basic operations.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by polly

But B&N does NOT support this reader outside of the US. They won't ship it to the UK, they won't do warranty work on it if it's in the UK, they used to even block updates to people without a US IP address. I'd personally stay away from something so unsupported, especially when making recommendations to someone new to e-readers who lives in the UK.

I agree. It would be a very poor decision to buy a nook. The obvious choice in the UK is the Kindle. Great bookstore, excellent price, and superb customer service.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by polly

But B&N does NOT support this reader outside of the US. They won't ship it to the UK, they won't do warranty work on it if it's in the UK, they used to even block updates to people without a US IP address. I'd personally stay away from something so unsupported, especially when making recommendations to someone new to e-readers who lives in the UK.

I am aware of that. But it is also the only reader you can connect an USB keyboard to [and even that one doesn't support it officially, and even even hacking community doesn't have complete solution at the moment]. So you could make a hack for somebody who is unable to operate standard reader without having to take it apart.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by kacir

Not even all Kindle models can do that. Some Kindle models lack 3G chip. You would need to have WiFi in the apartment/hospital room for such 3G-less Kindle model (called WiFi-only). I am not sure Nook does have 3G working in GB. .

Yes, it appears that the Kindle 3G is the only one to offer built-in free 3G in the UK after all. I still can't get hold of the carer today, but I'm fairly sure there's no WiFi there, so it would have to be 3G. It's a shame the Kindle's the only device offering this in the UK, but as such it's got to be a strong contender. Just a shame about that big old keyboard. Still - easily remedied:
http://www.buyatool.co.uk/item.php/s...e/sn/SHU211116

You will have to visit Nook forum and ask GB based owners about 3G connectivity outside USA. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/
You can find a good hacker anywhere. By hacker I mean the oldest definition - people that love to modify the stuff to do things it wasn't designed for. Also, consider the [astronomical] price of the above mentioned off-the-shelf equipment. Jailbreak is purely software. You modify the software inside the device by means not supported/endorsed/allowed by manufacturer. Jailbreaking usually uses some forgotten "back door" or bug to escalate user privileges, so you can, for example, install un-approved software. Nook has an USB socket that works in guest mode. Guest means that the device can be connected to PC and files can be uploaded to device as if it was an USB stick.
Devlopers at site I linked to in my first post found out that Nook does have hardware that would enable the port to work in host mode. "All" you need is to install proper driver. To install proper driver you need to unlock (jailbreak) the device and connect it to Google Android Development Kit running on PC. It is non-trivial, but all you need to connect USB keyboard to device is software plus non-standard USB cable that will connect guest-type device to guest-type (I am talking about physical dimensions here) port.

If it was for me, then I'd consider the hacking/jailbreaking option as I might end up with a better device or access to better stuff, but I'm going to try and avoid that in this case for reasons stated before - I *really* don't want to introduce unforeseen technical problems that mean she's suddenly reliant on regular support, don't want to invalidate warranty.
Seriously though - thank you for telling me about all of this - you clearly are very knowledgeable on this subject, and it's nice to hear about all the available options before making a decision.
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by kacir

One more thing ...
Not all e-book readers have slot for SD card.
Not all e-book readers can bear gracefully putting over a thousand books on.
Some e-book readers do not support folder / directory structure so putting 2000 books on them would result in 200 pages long list with alphabetically sorted books. Many of those non-supporting-directory-structure readers do have Collections or similar functionality, but collections are not hierarchical. Some e-book readers will choke on too many books. For example Kindle tries to index all the books in case user wants to search for some text inside e-books.
So you will need some reader that does support directory structure and has SD card slot.
Or you need reader that has SD card slot and you provide ten cheap SD cards filled with 200 books each.

Another good point - that makes sense- I think I'll still try this but, as you say, with smaller chunks at a time.

Oh ... By the way ... You have set your account not to receive Private Messages.

Oh really - I did try to edit account settings to allow all the messaging options so not sure what wen t wrong there. I will try and change it now.
Thanks again Kacir,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by kacir

Oh ... By the way ... You have set your account not to receive Private Messages.

Well I just checked and everything including "enable private messaging" appears to be enabled so I'm not sure what's going on there Kacir.
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Touch screen require more delicacy of touch and a higher level of precision when it comes to things like selecting items from a menu. I imagine that may be an issue for someone with arthritis.

That's a real shame - I'd envisaged some larger touchscreen controls for people who needed them, but it doesn't sound like the E-Reader boffins have cracked that one yet.

I wouldn't get hung on this "unavailable in the UK" thing. Take a look at the Amazon UK eBook store; the availability of eBooks in the UK is extremely good.

Ok - I think I've badly communicated this somewhere in a previous post. I'm really not concerned with which books are available in the US vs UK due to publishing agreements etc. My only concern is that this bed-bound UK lady can get access to whatever books are *supposed* to be available in the UK when she wants them, and without outside intervention. e.g. if I went for a Nook(without the hacking/jailbreaking), it sounds like she would not have access to this, whereas if I went for a Kindle 3G, it sounds like she would.
I hope that makes sense, but probably not - I'm renowned for writing a lot, and people not understanding it.
Thanks again Harry,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by polly

Touch screens do require more precision for some tasks, but buttons require pushing the same thing in the same way hundreds of times in an hour. I spend a lot of time turning pages compared to very little time navigating menus. What works best certainly depends on the type of arthritis, but mine includes the base of my thumb. I learned with the very first reader I used (Sony 505) that pushing a button quickly became painful. I use PRS+ with my 650; a light tap anyplace on the right half of the screen turns the page. With lots of different ways to hold my hands and still tap the screen combined with no pressure required, I can comfortably turn pages for hours. I think that touch screen combined with a few key buttons is ideal.

Yes - I suspect it's very much swings and roundabouts with buttons vs touchscreen, though what you've described encapsulates what I'd originally envisaged with touchscreen for arthritic users. I like the sound of touchscreen on the Sony, plus it's lighter than a Kindle, *but* I don't think it has 3G built in. In fact this whole 3G thing seems to be blowing my original question out of the water somewhat. Sorry all, I should have crossed that bridge before I posted, but that didn't become apparent until afterwards. I'm finding all of this information extremely useful nonetheless.
Thanks
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by polly

But B&N does NOT support this reader outside of the US. They won't ship it to the UK, they won't do warranty work on it if it's in the UK, they used to even block updates to people without a US IP address. I'd personally stay away from something so unsupported, especially when making recommendations to someone new to e-readers who lives in the UK.

That's what I feared from their response. I guess with a huge market like the US, the UK seems relatively trivial so they can afford to just focus on the US. Thanks for the tip Polly.
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by polly

When people say text-to-speech, what they mean is that the device will read the book aloud through the headset jack. This is actually an interesting idea, as most readers that have text-to-speech will turn the pages automatically, so no touching is required. You should be aware that the speech is an electronic computer voice, so you're not going to get the inflections and pronunciations that a human would give it. If she reads at about the same speed as the text to speech, she wouldn't have to listen to the voice to have the pages turn automatically.

Well I wasn't aware that any of them could do that so that's something she could try to see how she gets on with it.

I'm not aware of any e-ink readers that are voice activated. All of them require touching buttons or screen to navigate menus and do other basic operations.

What a shame the technology isn't there yet - this would be absolutely ideal in this case. Maybe next time.
Thanks Polly,
David.