Amazon Kindle

Sterlingtimes

I have been using a Kindle DX for a decade. This has a 9.7 inch screen and allows a large text size to be used. Amazon no longer provides large-screen Kindles. What would be a good replacement for someone preferring a large text presentation?

QrizB

It's quite a difference experience but would a Fire Tablet work for you? The 10" version is currently on offer for £100, which is a pretty good price for what it is.

(You've probably thought of this already, but just in case ...)

Savvy_Sue

I don't know anything about the Fire tablet, but I find that I can do more on my tablet than on my Kindle, and that includes reading on the Kindle app. To be fair, I find the tablet pretty useless (slow and clunky compared to my laptop), but I think if I only used it as a Kindle I'd be less frustrated by it ... 

missile

Can you not use your laptop for Kiddle app?

Savvy_Sue

missile said:

Can you not use your laptop for Kiddle app?

Yes, but it's hard to fit a large laptop in your handbag to take advantage of any odd moments for reading ...

Sterlingtimes

QrizB said:

It's quite a difference experience but would a Fire Tablet work for you? The 10" version is currently on offer for £100, which is a pretty good price for what it is.

(You've probably thought of this already, but just in case ...)

Thank you for your kind response. This is a good suggestion but I really do want the paperwhite display.

Sterlingtimes

Savvy_Sue said:

I don't know anything about the Fire tablet, but I find that I can do more on my tablet than on my Kindle, and that includes reading on the Kindle app. To be fair, I find the tablet pretty useless (slow and clunky compared to my laptop), but I think if I only used it as a Kindle I'd be less frustrated by it ... 

Thank you. I use a large screen for most of work, I find that the Kindle is less harsh on the eyes.

Sterlingtimes

I think that Amazon has abandoned the large-screen market. The Kobo Forma could be a possibility.

blue.peter

Sterlingtimes said:

Thank you for your kind response. This is a good suggestion but I really do want the paperwhite display.

The largest eInk display in a Kindle is the 7" Oasis. The new (11th generation) Paperwhite isn't a lot smaller, at 6.8", but it's a good deal cheaper. That's the one that I'd recommend. As with all Kindles, the font size is adjustable.

The Oasis is a Marmite Kindle - you either love it or hate it. I hate it. I find it very uncomfortable to hold: the corner digs into my palm. Also, the battery life is dreadful - about 25% of the Paperwhite's under identical usage conditions. In practical terms, I can't even read a single book on the Oasis without having to recharge it.

From left to right:
Kindle Paperwhite, 11th generation, 205g
Kindle Paperwhite, 10th generation, 180g

Kobo Clara HD, 166g (This is my favourite, but it's not a Kindle and, in any case, might well not be suitable for you. It's only included because I already had this picture available for another purpose.)

(Sorry, no comparison picture of the Oasis available. I took the hit and sold mine at a loss on eBay.)

blue.peter

Sterlingtimes said:

I think that Amazon has abandoned the large-screen market. The Kobo Forma could be a possibility.

Is the Forma still available? I thought that it had been discontinued. Perhaps I'm mistaken.

The Kobo Elipsa has a 10.3" screen. However, (a) it's fabulously expensive and (b) Kobos aren't directly compatible with Amazon's infrastructure. If you want to buy e-books from Amazon - or already have a library there to which you want to retain access - you'd need to:

1. download the books from Amazon; and
2. convert format from .azw or .mobi to .epub.
   

The second of these would, I believe, require the prior removal of DRM.

All of this is certainly possible, and not difficult, with free software. However, it might be more laborious than the OP wants.

Sterlingtimes

blue.peter said:

Sterlingtimes said:

I think that Amazon has abandoned the large-screen market. The Kobo Forma could be a possibility.

Is the Forma still available? I thought that it had been discontinued. Perhaps I'm mistaken.

The Kobo Elipsa has a 10.3" screen. However, (a) it's fabulously expensive and (b) Kobos aren't directly compatible with Amazon's infrastructure. If you want to buy e-books from Amazon - or already have a library there to which you want to retain access - you'd need to:

1. download the books from Amazon; and
2. convert format from .azw or .mobi to .epub.
   

The second of these would, I believe, require the prior removal of DRM.

All of this is certainly possible, and not difficult, with free software. However, it might be more laborious than the OP wants.

Thank you, blue.peter, for your great help. I have spent the afternoon reflecting upon it. The Kindle DX's days are numbered because of the pending removal of 2G/3G access. Even after over ten years, the battery lasts well over a month and the screen size has been perfect. 

I appreciate that I may lose the books that I have read but they can remain on the DX. Nothing will make me read Dante's Divine Comedy for a second time (-:

The Elipsa may have been perfect as a DX replacement but it has more functionality than I require and there are suggestions that it is not as sharp as the Forma.

So I have made a decision. The Kobo Forma is 8" but has an unusual aspect ratio. I think that I could raise the text size and use it in landscape mode. I have bought it from Rakuten for £199.99 which is good value compared with Amazon.

It has all been about getting the best machine to suit my eyesight. Regards, Stephen