Is there a single high-end e-reader which is not also tied to a store? I'm currently using a tolino (hardware-wise, mostly a rehoused Kobo) which is at least "multi-store" and has no account dependency at all, but it still has some ads/branding for whichever retail partner you bought it from. Much less invasive than the Kindle/Nook experience I had in the past but still - I'm willing to pay, where's the completely independent device that isn't a 7" screen running basic Android in a crappy case?
Cool device that would be nice if the goal is hacking on something, but for a reading experience, PineNote is probably not what you're looking for (today at least).
I’ve had two Kindles (a Voyage and a first‐gen Oasis) and never tied either one to an Amazon account. I’ve always kept them in airplane mode and sideloaded books over USB.
It’s unfortunate that Kindle doesn’t support EPUB but it’s easy enough to convert with Calibre, and some free book providers (like Standard Ebooks) provide compatible .azw3 for download.
Even though I’m not keen on how locked down Kindles are and their software and rendering quality could be improved, the physical form factor and ability to sideload is enough benefit that my next ebook reader will be a Kindle too, unless something clearly better comes along.
I had a very first-gen Kindle and in many ways it was still ahead of everything on the market. Today I'd probably find the screen refresh too long, but the jogwheel was the best e-reader "pointer input" method by far.
A friend who got a recent Kindle was not able to use it at all without linking it to his Amazon account. He could sideload books only after that. I'm also not sure how firmware updates work without connectivity.
Kindle Keyboard from 2010 is my most used reader in 2022. Still several book’s use on the original battery, text to speech, music, 4 GB, better contrast than illuminated models, works nicely with Calibre, back/forward buttons on both sides. Repairable.
My newer kindle has an on/off button on the bottom which is easy to hit by accident.
It has a touch screen which is easy to hit by accident. The original sounds better.
Pocketbook devices run Linux. Linking to an account or connecting to a network is entirely optional. I haven't done much with mine other than install koreader and read epub files copied over usb, and it's been perfectly adequate. I bought mine through goodereader and although it worked out I regretted it. I'd have been better off ordering it on aliexpress myself and retained the tracking and dispute options, rather than paying goodereader a premium for the same experience.
I've seen these but haven't had a chance to use them - the edges looked pretty sharp and unergonomic which worries me since I tend to read for >1h at a time. The price was also not significantly better than a tolino for slightly lower specs across most axes, but maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. (And technically, it is tied to a store, but it does seem fully optional.)
I have little interest in installing custom software for an appliance, so it would need a very good hook if the default reader is so bad most people are replacing it.
> that isn't a 7" screen running basic Android in a crappy case
Boox devices run Android, but in relatively recent versions and the system isn't that bad. And you can install any Android App (even the Play Store, but why bother when there are F-Droid and Aurora).
reMarkable is on the expensive side cost wise, but otherwise a device that fits what you want. If you're on the technical side of things, it even provides a root shell over SSH if you want.
Maybe there's a more recent model, but the one I demoed, the screen is slightly too big - the 8-9" range is ideal, I could maybe do 9.5" if it kept the weight down elsewhere - and more importantly, low contrast, low DPI, and no light. I want a reader, not a replacement for a legal pad.
