I'm planning to buy Kindle Paperwhite 10th gen, the waterproof one, to replace my broken Kobo Aura 6". But I need to know if the Kindle is exactly what I'm looking for before purchasing. Would you guys mind answering questions regarding this?

So I bought Kobo because it can read epub files. But Kindle couldn't. It has to be mobi. And I read that you can convert epub to mobi via Calibre.

1. Is the converted result of Calibre ok? I mean no cranky spacing, paragraph, page, etc?
2. I intent to use the Kindle to read ebook I downloaded from internet like Mobilism and transfer it using Calibre just like when I used my Kobo, no purchasing from Amazon. Is Kindle the right replacement?
3. I'm afraid that Kindle is not as flexible as Kobo but I see there are ways to go around it. Should I be aware of any other disadvantage of using Kindle this way? I mean, only using it to read downloaded ebooks from PC then transfered and converted via Calibre?

I don't want to buy Kobo again because I kinda traumatized of how my Kobo's screen blacked out LOL and where I came from, there is none who can fix it because no one sell the spare parts. Kindle here is the most popular choice of ebooks, and that's rich since here ereader device isn't really popular.

I hope you guys can help me so I can decide whether Kindle Paperwhite 10th gen is my next go. TIA

[Anonyma'am]

Why I'm answering: I have a Paperwhite 2 (6th Gen) and The Husband has a PW4 (10th Gen).

The Kindle Paperwhite series (which is what the 10th Gen is) does read mobi. If you purchase ebooks from Amzn, they're delivered in azw or azw3. Many folks post these here.

If you convert an epub to azw3, you might want to change a couple of conversion settings. In "Page Setup", I use the Default Input profile and "Tablet" for the Output Profile. Do not add a TOC unless there isn't one already available. If you do add one because it's missing, you may have to edit it.

If you choose to release books here, epub is the standard. To get the best result, install the Kindle Unpack plug-in to Calibre. This will extract the embedded epub (yup, Amzn uses epub) instead of converting it.

Transferring ebooks from Calibre to Kindle is easy. Plug it in, wait for Calibre to discover what's already on your Kindle, choose your book, click Send to Device, select the correct format.

You can also send documents or ebooks from your PC with Send to Kindle, articles/short stories with browser add-ons (I use Push to Kindle), or email mobi format books to yourself or others using Kindle email addresses (johndoe@kindle.com).

Neither I nor The Husband have used Audible or enhanced/immersive ebooks. Hopefully, someone will weigh in on that.

The drawbacks for some are no color and no PDF support. Converting a PDF to *any* other format is ugly and often unreadable, although PDF to docx sometimes works well. Also, being a dedicated ereader, it does not support video. The storage capacity is not expandable AFAIK. Unless you pay extra (US$20?), there is a small buy-this-book ad at the bottom of the screen. No ads will interfere with your reading. You cannot choose a screensaver unless you jailbreak it. It does not have light sensors or warm light for night reading. It does not automatically rotate the page/image.

You can always return it, right?

But we love our PWs!

[Anonyma'am]

One other problem that has never been resolved: after purchasing a book from Amzn, the author/publisher sometimes issues a revised or updated version which can only be delivered to your device. I've never been able to get the update to my PC and into Calibre. Choosing "Deliver via USB" just downloads the old version, even after updating to my device.

Thank you for the detailed explanation, although I’m a bit lost with the technicality of it since I’ve been only using Calibre to upload epub to my Kobo without cranking any setting It seems like Kindle suits me. It’s just, I need to learn a lot more about the hacking tips!

I learned early that PDF is better left alone, unconverted, because the result is always messy, so I don’t intend to use Kindle to read PDF-converted files. Though I intend to use it to read comic in PDF files. Kindle can read PDF files, right?

For the warm light, I don’t think it will bother me. But Paperwhite built in light, isn’t it? Unlike All New Kindle with lower resolution, (167 ppi?).

Have you jailbreak the ads in your Kindle? I heard there are many tutorials all around and it’s very easy to do it.

How big is your Kindle storage? I intend to get 32 GB Kindle because I think in the future I’m going to use it to read many comics, since it has crisp 300 ppi resolution.

[Anonyma'am]

Amzn will convert PDF to azw3, but their results are no better than any other conversion. I've never tried to convert a PDF comic into a Kindle-friendly file. If you just put a PDF onto a Kindle, I think you'd have to zoom each page and it might be fuzzy. Again, I hope someone else has tried it.

The PWs all have front lights. If you tilt the device and look down at the bottom edge, you'll see them. They are not visible individually when you are reading at a less-extreme angle.

I have not jailbroken my Kindle. It entails avoiding all updates after a certain one and despite some interesting-sounding add-ons, I don't feel the need for them nor do I want the hassle. I've read that the PW4 is not able to be jailbroken, but that was a few months ago. Who knows what they're doing to it now?

Definitely get the 32Gb if you plan to read comics or listen to audiobooks!

Just a little personal history: I got the PW2 a few years ago because I have very bad eyesight (legally blind w/out correction) and a video posted by a multi-device user convinced me. I've never regretted it (except I'd like color and PDFs). The Husband initially bought one of the Fires - and traded it for a PW because reading on the Fire quickly made his eyes tired. He reads for hours on his PW4.

If you need help with Calibre itself, you could try posting a question here at Mobilism but we generally refrain from discussing DRM issues. A very comprehensive, friendly site is mobileread.com. You'll have to settle in for some reading because there are very few quick and easy answers there.

I didn't know there is Kindle-friendly PDF, how is it so different with regular PDF?

Yeah I was drawn into ebook reader because it's friendly for long time reading. My eyesight is also getting bad. Unfortunately my first experience with ereader is not so good because I was very skeptic in getting Kindle which is purely designed for Amazon environment.

I take a peek at mobileread, seems like very comprehensive tutorials from experienced users are all there. Thank you for the recommendation, definitely will browse it later.

Seems like it settled, I'm going to get PW4. Thanks a lot for the Kindle insight

[Anonyma'am]

I guess I wasn't clear - my apologies! There is no PDF that is Kindle-friendly. It may be on your device, but it's ugly and extremely frustrating to read.

I hope you enjoy your new Kindle!

[PollyannaRoe]

If you need help with Calibre itself, you could try posting a question here at Mobilism but we generally refrain from discussing DRM issues. A very comprehensive, friendly site is mobileread.com. You'll have to settle in for some reading because there are very few quick and easy answers there.

Thanks for all your feedback on your Paperwhite experience, Anonyma'am. I wanted to second your recommendation of the MobileRead Forums. I used it a few times when I was new to calibre and was struck by how friendly, helpful and quickly responsive the regulars were to my really basic questions. But WHOAA! Your mention of DRM made me want to warn any prospective user of that site to refrain from that topic, or of saying anything which even implies that you take advantage of, um, free books. I innocently mentioned how many books I had and someone was all over me like white on rice. Clearly, I must be a pirate! And some don't take kindly to that.

[PollyannaRoe]

P.S., I love my Paperwhite. But, yeah, PDFs don't belong on Kindle.

[Anonyma'am]

want to warn any prospective user of that site to refrain from that topic, or of saying anything which even implies that you take advantage of, um, free books. I innocently mentioned how many books I had and someone was all over me like white on rice. Clearly, I must be a pirate! And some don't take kindly to that.

Thank you! Thinking back, I don't remember ever asking specifically about...locked...books there so my enthusiastic directions deserved a reining in!