I’ll second the kobo ecosystem but add that if you install the 3rd party koreader software on it it will make syncing to a local calibre-web seamless. And it leaves the stock reader software in place so you can read drm encrypted files if needed. I have a similar use case to yours where I use the device to read books but also papers, which I usually pdf and put in a specific shelf in calibre
Comment on Looking for a good kindle reader alternative
Peasley@lemmy.world 6 months ago
my wife has a Kobo reader and it’s a great alternative, from Canada. The reader works great with Calibre on desktop for books you already own, and the Kobo store is more or less equivalent to the Kindle store.
I have no suggestion for getting files off an iPhone, but presumably an app exists to arbitrarily send files to desktop, and from there Calibre works.
Kobo build quality is better, and it supports color and markups. Overall it’s pretty good for textbooks and novels, but manga/comics can be a little goofy.
I cant speak on the syncing since she has only the one device.
Good luck!
artifex@piefed.social 6 months ago
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 months ago
Two ways I like to get files to/from a mobile device: Syncthing (Möbius on iOS) or ResilioSync.
Resilio has a great feature, Selective Sync, that enables arbitrarily syncing files from a remote location. Nice for grabbing specific files when needed.
Unfortunately neither one handles any kind of reading status, they’re just file sync.
porcoesphino@mander.xyz 6 months ago
I wonder if there is some metadata any viewers use that I could also sync between devices
DaCrazyJamez@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
I had looked into Kobo, but ultimately Boox won out. Zero proprietary ecosystem, so I can use Calibre to manage everything.
I need to do a bit more work, but totally worth it to be completely DRM free