There is no shortage of bad e-readers out there. Over the past 15 years, when e-readers first started to hit the market, there have been countless brands that tried to release a device or two, only to fail. Wexler, Aluratek, Cool-er, Icarus, iRiver, Trekstor, Txtr, Entourage, iRex, Samsung, Asus and a myriad of others released a couple of models each and quickly bowed out of the market, either shutting down their company completely or pivoting into tablets or other consumer electronics. There are a number of older players that got into the game and are still making e-readers, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Onyx Boox, Pocketbook, Boyue/Meebook, Sony, and Fujitsu. There are a handful of newcomers that are quickly making a name for themselves, like Bigme and Remarkable. With so many different readers over the years, what is the worst one that you have bought?
Good e-Reader has reviewed almost every single ebook reader that has ever come out. At the time, some were really innovative and took risks in the design. The flexible screen of the Wexler Flex One comes to mind and ditto with the dual screen Entourage Edge and the GVIDO Music Reader. There have been some really crappy ones too, such as the Bookeen Odyssey, iRiver Story and the infamous Aratech InkBook Lumos, which was the WORST e-reader we ever reviewed.
Products running E INK technology have moved beyond e-readers in the past five years. A new breed of digital note taking devices basically saved the industry. The products give users the ability to view and edit PDF files and some allow you to make notes and highlights in ebooks with a stylus. Some brands are better than others, but the major players in this space are Remarkable, Fujitsu, Bigme and Onyx Boox. The build quality is normally very high, since most devices retail for $300 to $1500.
What is the worst e-reader you ever bought? Weigh in below, would love to hear from you.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.