Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyNihil
Hello,
I’m currently in the process of buying my first ebook reader and could use some advice.
Basically my questions are these:
1) Which device has the better contrast?
The best technical review of both I could get my hands on seems to suggest that would be the Paperwhite:
http://cme.at/ebook-reader-vergleich...le-paperwhite/
2) I’m aware you can adjust your fonts greatly on the Kobo making the default font bolder and possibly sharper than that of Paperwhite. If I find that I prefer such font, could I prepare it on my PC and embed it via Calibre to a book so that I can get it on Paperwhite as well?
3) Multiple reviews stated that there is a difference in how Kobo and Paperwhite handle paragraph breaks. Namely that the Kobo inserts blank lines instead of indenting the paragraph which I would prefer. Some suggested this is a software setting, some that it depends solely on what formatting the publisher of the book decided to use. I’m aware I can get rid of it via Calibre to some degree. Does doing so have some negative side effects?
4) For those of you who have had or at least t had the opportunity to try both devices, which display do you prefer with no light on and during normal indoors daylight?
Thank you for any help. |
1. I've played with a Paperwhite and own a Glo. I find very little difference between the two displays either with the lighting off or at the same lighting level. The Glo offers the ability to modify more font settings for personal reading preferences and the ability to easily add more fonts.
2. You could embed fonts in a book but that can result in a very large book. One book I have is over 22MB with it's embedded OTF font. Stripping the font resulted in a 479KB file. I've never tried embedding a font in an epub and then converting it for Kindle use so can't speak to the capability of Calibre for handling that task. Also, the adjustable fonts embedded in the Glo's firmware are not going to be usable for embedding into an epub.
3. Any reviewer who made such a comment about the Glo and paragraph breaks should turn in his keyboard. The Glo displays paragraph breaks as the epub file specifies. Want an indented paragraph? Add the text-indent element to the paragraph style? Want to modify the spacing between paragraphs? Apply the appropriate margin style element. Want to display the first paragraph of a chapter with no indent and a larger/bold/stylized first letter? Add the appropriate style elements. I can't speak to Calibre's capabilities here since I prefer to use Sigil to edit epubs. Another reason for preferring the Kobo devices in my case since I am not aware of an equivalent editor for Amazon's various formats.
4. I've only had limited experience with the Paperwhite but in that limited experience and reading with the light off, I preferred the Glo's display. Both devices did a good job of displaying text but I found the Glo's display be slightly easier to read. With the light on for the PW and Glo I was looking at, the Glo appeared to have more even lighting while the PW had a whiter looking light. Comparing another Paperwhite to another Glo could easily result in the opposite conclusion -- as you mentioned, the base eInk displays are the same.
Hope this is some help to you.
Regards,
David