Best E-Reader for bed-bound arthritis sufferer?

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

The kindle non-touch doesnt have a keyboard, just navigation and nextpage prevpage buttons.

Ah - I guess that's the basic 2GB, non 3G one that Amazon are selling for £89 in the UK. I would get that if it had 3G, as I don't want the keyboard.
Thanks,
David.

[ProfCrash]

Yes, it is the one with less memory and no text to speech and no keyboard.

I would ask around and see if the touch to speech handles page turning the same way on the Kindle Keyboard. If it is does it could be helpful for someone with arthritis since they could put the book on a stand or lean it on a pillow and read without having to worry about pushing buttons. The trick will be finding the speed that works best for her reading pace and making sure she knows how to turn it on and off.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

Thanks for the reply LuvReadin,
This is good first-hand information I'm getting here - thank you. Is the initial messing about require any special knowledge, or is it just a set of steps to follow? Has the T1 got 3G connectivity?
Thanks,
David.

No, it's just a series of steps, but they're not very intuitive, and the manual isn't much help You have to register your Sony with ADE, but also run the Sony software. Thread here describes how it's done: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=163145

Once the Sony tells you it's registered, it should then just be a case of you going to the library website, logging in with the borrower number (if your friend hasn't got this already, she'll need to ask the library for it, and possibly for a PIN), then just pick a book, and hit download. Not entirely sure what happens if you download via the Sony web browser - I've only done it via my PC. On that, I download a .acsm file (which seems to be a sort of 'key' to the real file) and then I have to open that in ADE, which then downloads the actual epub. Then I just load it onto the T1, and read!

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by polly

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. .

Basically, think Stephen Hawking - it doesn't sound like a person. Most people find a computerized voice very difficult to listen to for long periods of time. For audiobooks, you're better off using the library, the very good selection provided by services such as RNIB, and the free public domain books read by volunteers at librivox.org

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

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,

Surprises me - surely the home's staff would need a wifi connection? Even if it meant her going down every so often to the office, I'm sure there would be a way round it.

Originally Posted by HarryT

The obvious choice in the UK is the Kindle. Great bookstore, excellent price, and superb customer service.

Well, no, not if the library is going to be a main source of books - in that case, the Kindle is out, and the T1 or the Kobo would be a better choice. The OP's friend can still buy books from Amazon (UK) with these.

Originally Posted by Carnyx

TMy 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.
.

Yes, almost certainly - to buy books in the UK, you really only have the choice of the Kindle, Kobo or T1, and if you go for the Kindle, you can't access the library, so it depends what's the most important to your friend. If she mainly buys books, then a Kindle might be the best choice, but if she uses the library a lot (and I suspect, being bed-bound, she probably does), then the Kobo or T1 might be better.

[Rizla]

To me it sounds like the K3 / Kindle Keyboard is your best bet. It has text to speech, page turn buttons and 3G, plus it's easy to buy books on. It can probably play audio-books too. It's only downer is the keyboard and lack of touch. I'm a Sony fan-boy, so my opinion is objective on this.

You're friend is lucky to have someone who is going to the trouble for her. Compassion is in surprisingly short supply.

[ProfCrash]

You can turn the volume down on the text to speech if you are using it only for page turning. That is what people do at the gym. That said, it is a nice addition if you find yourself in a position where you cannot read and the books you are interested in are not available as audio books. The voice is not great but it is better then nothing.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Yes, it is the one with less memory and no text to speech and no keyboard.

I would ask around and see if the touch to speech handles page turning the same way on the Kindle Keyboard. If it is does it could be helpful for someone with arthritis since they could put the book on a stand or lean it on a pillow and read without having to worry about pushing buttons. The trick will be finding the speed that works best for her reading pace and making sure she knows how to turn it on and off.

Yes, having spoken to the carer, it sounds like she's more restricted than I'd previously thought. She will definitely need a stand to hold the E-Reader, and will be restricted on just how much interaction she can do with the interface. It may even come down to a carer switching it on, choosing the book and positioning it for her to read, with her truning the pages. I believe hte 3G has text to speech so, one we've got an E-Reader, I will investigate this auto page-turning feature and see how she gets on with it vs manual page turning. I will also try and suss out the text-to-speech so she could have listen to the book instead - might be the best option in the end.
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

No, it's just a series of steps, but they're not very intuitive, and the manual isn't much help You have to register your Sony with ADE, but also run the Sony software. Thread here describes how it's done: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=163145

Once the Sony tells you it's registered, it should then just be a case of you going to the library website, logging in with the borrower number (if your friend hasn't got this already, she'll need to ask the library for it, and possibly for a PIN), then just pick a book, and hit download. Not entirely sure what happens if you download via the Sony web browser - I've only done it via my PC. On that, I download a .acsm file (which seems to be a sort of 'key' to the real file) and then I have to open that in ADE, which then downloads the actual epub. Then I just load it onto the T1, and read!

Well I've since spoken to the carer and there's no definitely no WiFi. She has no PC, and neither does the carer, so it's looking like 3G is definitely the way to go here. As someone pointed out(Kacir?), even if she can't do the ordiering process herself, someone else(me) could order books for her and they'd be magically transmitted through the phlogiston straight onto the E-Reader. I'm no fan of mobile phones or the radio waves they receive/emit, but 3G looks ideal in this case. So, much as I was hoping for touchscreen and prefer other designs, it's looking very much like a Kindle 3G. If she finds the interface unusable, then I'll then start investigating some of the ideas Kacir mentioned about integrating assistive technology or even hacking 3rd party tech onto the thing(e.g. keyboard for basic operations). Apparently the guys who are looking at potentially designing a stand have also been asked to investigate the possibility of hooking the E-Reader up to the remote control device that she has for operating lights, TV etc. Sounds like a heck of a big ask though, connecting 2 bespoke technologies that were not designed to be hooked up to anything else - will be amazed if they can pull that off but we'll see.
Anyway I would efinitely consider the Sony if it were for me, but looks like it sadly won't be an option in this case.
Thanks LuvReadin,
David.

[ProfCrash]

All of the Kindles have Text to Speech except for the Kindle Mini (Kindle Non-Touch). The 3G or WiFi capability does not influence the text to speech.

You can also download books from sites like Mobile Read and email them to her Kindle. So she does not need a PC because even non-Amazon books can be sent wirelessly to her device. I believe that there is still a free email address, it takes longer but there is no charge. Again, something to look into.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

No, it's just a series of steps, but they're not very intuitive, and the manual isn't much help You have to register your Sony with ADE, but also run the Sony software. Thread here describes how it's done: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=163145

Once the Sony tells you it's registered, it should then just be a case of you going to the library website, logging in with the borrower number (if your friend hasn't got this already, she'll need to ask the library for it, and possibly for a PIN), then just pick a book, and hit download. Not entirely sure what happens if you download via the Sony web browser - I've only done it via my PC. On that, I download a .acsm file (which seems to be a sort of 'key' to the real file) and then I have to open that in ADE, which then downloads the actual epub. Then I just load it onto the T1, and read!

Well I've since spoken to the carer and there's no definitely no WiFi. She has no PC, and neither does the carer, so it's looking like 3G is definitely the way to go here. As someone pointed out(Kacir?), even if she can't do the ordiering process herself, someone else(me) could order books for her and they'd be magically transmitted through the phlogiston straight onto the E-Reader. I'm no fan of mobile phones or the radio waves they receive/emit, but 3G looks ideal in this case. So, much as I was hoping for touchscreen and prefer other designs, it's looking very much like a Kindle 3G. If she finds the interface unusable, then I'll then start investigating some of the ideas Kacir mentioned about integrating assistive technology or even hacking 3rd party tech onto the thing(e.g. keyboard for basic operations). Apparently the guys who are looking at potentially designing a stand have also been asked to investigate the possibility of hooking the E-Reader up to the remote control device that she has for operating lights, TV etc. Sounds like a heck of a big ask though, connecting 2 bespoke technologies that were not designed to be hooked up to anything else - will be amazed if they can pull that off but we'll see.
Anyway I would definitely consider the Sony if I was looking for a device for myself, but looks like it sadly won't be an option in this case.
Thanks LuvReadin,
David.

[CRussel]

An important consideration, I think -- it seems like there's a fair amount of speculation going on here about exactly what will work or not work. Given that, I'd strongly recommend Kindle models, since their customer service and return policies are the best around, full stop. You could even go so far as to order all three possible Kindle models (Kindle Keyboard 3G, Kindle Non-Touch, and Kindle Touch), and try them out. Keep the one that works the best, and return the other two.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Basically, think Stephen Hawking - it doesn't sound like a person. Most people find a computerized voice very difficult to listen to for long periods of time. For audiobooks, you're better off using the library, the very good selection provided by services such as RNIB, and the free public domain books read by volunteers at librivox.org

Yeah I can see how it could get annoying very quickly. I really hope that option isn't required *but* nice to know it's there as a fall back option if the manual page turning is a problem. I've made a note to check out the audio book option - I'd be staggered if she hasn't already explored audio books, but who knows. Worth checking out at any rate.
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Surprises me - surely the home's staff would need a wifi connection? Even if it meant her going down every so often to the office, I'm sure there would be a way round it.

Well I asked the carer, but I contacted the home in case she'd got the wrong end of the stick and they confirmed that there's no WiFi.
I agree with you - I think there ought to be WiFi throughout the building, or the folks that run it shouldhelp out with that - but it doesn't sound like it quite works that way I'm afraid. There appears to be very strict delineation about what they provide/don't, and what they will/won't provide. Regardless of that though, she could not physically get up out of bed and go down to an office, but would be reliant on the next carer doing it. Ideally I want to give her full control so she can say what books she has and when. Of course I *could*| sign her up to a £20 a month ISP contract, but without a PC that's money down the drain, especially when 3G is bundled in with the Kindle.

Well, no, not if the library is going to be a main source of books - in that case, the Kindle is out, and the T1 or the Kobo would be a better choice. The OP's friend can still buy books from Amazon (UK) with these.

You raise a good point about the library. I'd heard library access is an option, but didn't realise the Kindle was restricted on library access. Why's that - a choice by Amazon or just format incompatibility, or something else? In my naivety I'd always imagined her buying(or being bought) current books, but you may well be right - perhaps she would prefer the cheaper library option. I need to check this out as well.

Yes, almost certainly - to buy books in the UK, you really only have the choice of the Kindle, Kobo or T1, and if you go for the Kindle, you can't access the library, so it depends what's the most important to your friend. If she mainly buys books, then a Kindle might be the best choice, but if she uses the library a lot (and I suspect, being bed-bound, she probably does), then the Kobo or T1 might be better.

That's exactly the kind of info I was hoping to get on here - saying what's available on what device, so thank you. I liked the look of the Kobo but no-one recommended it, and I don't think it has 3G. I also thought Kobo was created by Borders bookshop, and thought they'd gone out of business for some reason, so had written it off early on. Looks like that's wrong.
Thanks LuvReadin,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Rizla

To me it sounds like the K3 / Kindle Keyboard is your best bet. It has text to speech, page turn buttons and 3G, plus it's easy to buy books on. It can probably play audio-books too. It's only downer is the keyboard and lack of touch. I'm a Sony fan-boy, so my opinion is objective on this.

You're friend is lucky to have someone who is going to the trouble for her. Compassion is in surprisingly short supply.

It is indeed, especially round these parts. It's a long story but she's had a very rough time of it of late, I mean on top of her physical difficulties. *Extremely* upsetting stuff. The carer has gone to amazing lengths for her, so this is just pathetic in comparison. Too little too late. Sadly our enslavement to money stops us being compassionate. Anyway that's a whole different debate.
But thank you for your kind words Rizla.
David.