u/GameChaserFan

Disclaimer* I have a specific use case: I already have a file library, I mostly read at home, mostly Manga and BW comics***

I am going to go over what I looked for in my next reader and why all the recs came up short. And why literally only 1 ereader on the market checked all of my boxes.

I have a large digital library of books and mangas etc. When I began looking for a new ereader I had several must have specs:

Micro SD slot - this is a must for me, I want expanded storage, because I read a lot of Manga. Many ereaders recommended on here lack an expansion slot. That is fine for epub books, but for large manga series? I can't tell you how many times I read a review or watched info about an ereader on YouTube that had been recommended on here, only to find out last minute that wait, it actually lacks a tf slot.

Backlight with warm and cold - a lot of readers that redditors recommend lack a backlight or are lacking warm settings on the light, that's a deal breaker for me, warm light can be really nice sometimes and is a huge plus IMO

A 10+ in screen - reading Manga on a 7in is not ideal unless travelling, boy was this confusing when you ltraveling, You can find posts from people saying that they read all of their Manga on a 7in reader just fine, and posts that say that it isn't doable at all on a 7in. Here's the deal, unless you really are using this for travel or portability, Manga should be on a 10in reader, period. I have good eyes, but you often have to scroll or mess with settings more, Manga on a 7in is a downgrade.

Black and white - whew this one knocks out a lot of contenders, the best readers for Manga are black and white, color ones look dimmer and if most of your Manga is BW they look better on a non color device.

Android - I hate proprietary readers linked with stores like the Kindle. The last thing I want is to be locked in to an ecosystem like that. Nope. Did that with iTunes, never again. Android is the way, this gives you a lot of future proofing and flexibility. It allows you many options for viewing and those options increase over time.

So how many readers hit ALL of these specs? Surprisingly almost zero. Ideally I would also want a reader with an easily replaced battery as well, but those essentially do not exist.

I found ONE ereader that hits these specs, I kept checking and rechecking to see if there were any others, I think only one exists with these specs...

I would love to know if anyone can find one that checks ALL these boxes.

So far as I can tell the Bigme 1051 BW straight from the Bigme store is the ONLY one.

i bought one and have been using it, it is fantastic for my use case. As a mostly home ereader for manga I think it is the best available. Using perfect viewer the experience is great. Turn off transition animation in perfect viewer and you basically have an S tier reader in your hands.

Due to the fact that when I researched this topic it took me forever because there was no post like this, I figured I would make one.​​

More and more readers are color, which isn't great for BW. And a lot of readers nowadays lack an expansion slot. I don't like paid services or cloud services. Maybe if I had a NAS setup it would be fine, but that's a future project. I was actually surprised that few ereaders have these specs.

I think there is a great argument here that these specs are ideal for this use case, and yet so few readers have them..

I am not sponsored in any way. If you have a similar use case to me, I recommend the Bigme 1051 BW.

You will have to pay a customs fee to DHL if you order in USA

Box it comes in was surprisingly nice

To whomever is concerned,

Dear reader, I am a longtime Game Chasers fan. I own their physical media releases. I have followed Billy and Jay's journey as content creators for the entire length of their channel. I speak as a fan who has never met Billy or Jay in person, but whose life has been very much positively impacted by their work.

At times in life when you don't have anybody in your corner, it can happen that you sort of live vicariously through media. I didn't even realize that I was, but I would watch Game Chasers when I felt alone and unmoored. It became a habit, and it helped me through hard times. It is my own issue that the Game Chasers filled some sort of void left by a shipwrecked life.

I don't post on social media. I made this account just to post this.

Billy's death and the final two videos on the channel have been shocking to me. In my opinion, whether it was Billy's wish or not, the final two videos and then no further posts on the channel is a mishandling of things. Regardless of who made the decision, it is a mishandling.

Due to habits of mind, I find myself checking back on the channel regularly like I have done for many years now, usually when I feel down. Sometimes the experience of doing this just to be faced again with the final two postings throws me off, you know?

I just want to say, for the record, there is a person out there in the world, struggling at times, who used the channel as a coping mechanism, and who is being negatively affected by the way this has all been handled.

Wood had a very nice video about the passing of Billy. That said, I don't feel like it is right to just leave those two vids up and upload nothing else and call it a day. Can you imagine a cable network show doing this? I get that YouTube isn't cable, but my point is that this is an innappropriate manner for something like this to be handled.

Just to be clear, I am not asking for more episodes; I am saying that to have two jarring incredibly vulnerable and disturbing videos without context and without any follow-up or closure seems like an entirely unmanaged and callous way to treat this man's passing and his work. And it isn't just about Billy. Others also worked on the show, and the show is their legacy too. If you were watching your favorite show and then it cut to the next video after a break and it is the lead actor dying, and then the transmission cuts out, people would call in to the studio, people would be upset, and would justifiably wonder why things weren't being managed more thoughtfully. Surely something can be done. There are plenty of people who care if family are preoccupied, the matter could be delegated.

The final two vids should be taken down or linked to a different channel, or there should be some sort of vid that provides closure. What about people who come upon this channel in the future? It is tricky to even recommend the channel to some people in its current state frankly. I think that with some love and care the channel could continue to help the family monetarily and maybe a Kickstarter could even be run to help even more.

The world doesn't have to bend towards what works for me, but I have the right to state my opinion and make it known that I don't think this handling was thoughtful and I think it is irresponsible.

I also feel that the way Jay has been handled is poorly considered. Decisions were made in the heat of the moment and I really can't imagine how it must make him feel. It certainly isn't fair, and all of this adds more pain to an already painful situation.

It is perfectly OK for a widow in this situation to be unable or not have the head space to honor Billy's life's work. It is understandable and you can't really hold anything against someone in this situation really. That said, it doesn't change the fact that this handling comes across as an unmanaged sensitive matter and poorly considered.

Somehow I truly doubt that Billy would want those last two vids on the channel to be THOSE last two vids and for a fan like myself to feel the ways I am feeling. I don't think this was his plan. I don't think that he thought he was actually going to die.

I would just ask that if Billy's family see this, please give clemency and forgiveness to Jay, he is surely hurting too. And please try to bring some closure to the channel somehow, I worry about how it will impact the mental health of others, because I know that the handling of this has impacted me more negatively than Billy's death itself. I say again, the handling of this has negatively impacted me far more negatively that the death itself. It makes me really question things. I mean, this wan't just a channel with thoughtless uploads. This was a show, a series they spent countless hours making. And where is the dignity for Billy? This feels so wrong to me on a deep level. This is wrong, someone has to say it.

I ask that the community not pester anyone.

If someone sees this or if a grieving widow sees this, I just humbly ask that you consider that the bottom line is that this was basically Billy and Jay's life's work, probably their greatest life achievement, making this series. It might seem silly, and juvenile and the guys in the show might be obnoxious at times. But it is a man's life's work, or at least one of them apart from raising a family. I beg that more respect be shown for what Jay and Billy built together. And I beg that more peace be brought to the situation.

Please, please, do something about the final two videos and the state of the channel. This doesn't feel right, it is bad enough Billy has passed away, it would mean a lot to see this handled differently.

My thoughts and empathy rest with everyone involved. I want the best for everyone concerned. Forgiveness and love, forgiveness and love.

People can think what they want and I totally understand if people have a bad reaction to my words. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to say, hey, one person at least does in fact feel this way.