MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Kobo Touch vs. Sony PRS-T1; advice appreciated!

LuvReadin · 10-15-2011, 09:20 AM

Hi everyone

My first post on this forum, but I've been an avid lurker for a while, and thank people most sincerely for all the help they provide. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this dilemma. I currently own a Cool-ER, which I love, but I'm thinking of upgrading, mainly so I can have one that can support notes. I've been holding off because of the launch of the T1, but now WH Smith are stocking the Kobo Touch, and the price points are very similar - £129 for the T1 and £110 for the Kobo. Having tried out various readers, I have worked out that there are some things that for me are crunch points and others I'm not really bothered about, and I'm not sure how either of these two products measure up. So, this is what I've identified as essential, desirable or non-essential to me (not really in any particular order within the categories). Some of these I already know the Kobo and T1 have, but just in case there's a better one I haven't considered, I've listed all the points below (sorry it makes the post quite long).

Essential
1. Notes - both allow them. However, I'm not clear exactly how they export them. I'd prefer if I could export a bit of text with the note attached, rather than exporting the note as a mere drawing with no context. (BTW, I should mention I'm a proofreader, so I prefer to add notes using text and symbols rather than as 'sticky notes'.)

2. Compatibility with Overdrive - both have this, to allow library borrowing (the Kindle isn't compatible with UK libraries, so I'd never even consider one).

3. Stylus - do both of them need a special stylus? I tried out the Sony 600, and found that a cheap DS-type stylus worked perfectly well. Does anyone know if either or both of these can use a similar one? I also tried out a Samsung E60, and although the touch screen was fab, especially for making notes, it needed its own stylus; I even tried out other makes of Wacom stylus - nothing! I really, really don't think I want the stress of having a specific stylus (especially at what they cost!!

) - ideally, I'd prefer to take out and lock away the stylus it comes with and use el cheapo DS one (or something similar that I'd be able to pick up in a pound shop).

4. Screen reflection. The Cool-ER is e-ink, and it's matte, and I can get lost in the book - the mechanism of delivering it disappears. The Samsung was the same (kind of - the weight was a bit of an issue), but the Sony 600 - oh, dear. I know people have said it's not that big a deal, that it's fine if you tilt the screen. And yes, it is, but I just found that every time I turned the page, or the sun moved a bit, or even if I moved, the screen became the focus, not the text - it was like someone slapping me on the face and screaming 'that's not a book, you fool!!' Added to that the really quite severe eyestrain I felt after a short while (as opposed to the total lack of it even after hours reading the Cool-ER), and I'm convinced I do not want a screen that's anything like the 600!

5. Screen size - 6" minimum. I'm a fast reader, and 5" is too small.

6. Sensible organization of the library. I have Calibre, and I quite liked the way it organized books on the Sony, but it collapsed in a heap using the Cool-ER, even though I'm sure I read somewhere on here that this ereader was supported. Anyway, on the Cool-ER, Calibre organizes the books into folders named with the author's name, which isn't awfully convenient - I'd really like to be able to organize by genre, as either an index or a list of folders.

7. Reasonably light weight. The Samsung was about 320g, and that was quite tiring on the wrist after a while. The <185g weight of the Kobo and T1 seems much more sensible.

Desirable, but not dealbreakers
1. Long battery life. I can obviously charge it up, even if I'm on holiday, but I'd prefer one with a battery life of 2-3 weeks. Both of these seem to be a month with wireless off.

2. Ability to handle PDFs reasonably well.

Not really bothered
1. Wireless - both have it.

2. Link to bookshops - ditto.

---------------
So, if it were you, which one would you choose, and why? And of course, if you have any suggestions as to one that might fit the bill even better, that would be great too.

Many thanks in advance for any help!

10-15-2011, 09:20 AM	#1
LuvReadin Addict Posts: 372 Karma: 1925568 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: England, UK Device: Sony PRS-T1 and Cool-ER	Kobo Touch vs. Sony PRS-T1; advice appreciated! Hi everyone My first post on this forum, but I've been an avid lurker for a while, and thank people most sincerely for all the help they provide. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this dilemma. I currently own a Cool-ER, which I love, but I'm thinking of upgrading, mainly so I can have one that can support notes. I've been holding off because of the launch of the T1, but now WH Smith are stocking the Kobo Touch, and the price points are very similar - £129 for the T1 and £110 for the Kobo. Having tried out various readers, I have worked out that there are some things that for me are crunch points and others I'm not really bothered about, and I'm not sure how either of these two products measure up. So, this is what I've identified as essential, desirable or non-essential to me (not really in any particular order within the categories). Some of these I already know the Kobo and T1 have, but just in case there's a better one I haven't considered, I've listed all the points below (sorry it makes the post quite long). Essential 1. Notes - both allow them. However, I'm not clear exactly how they export them. I'd prefer if I could export a bit of text with the note attached, rather than exporting the note as a mere drawing with no context. (BTW, I should mention I'm a proofreader, so I prefer to add notes using text and symbols rather than as 'sticky notes'.) 2. Compatibility with Overdrive - both have this, to allow library borrowing (the Kindle isn't compatible with UK libraries, so I'd never even consider one). 3. Stylus - do both of them need a special stylus? I tried out the Sony 600, and found that a cheap DS-type stylus worked perfectly well. Does anyone know if either or both of these can use a similar one? I also tried out a Samsung E60, and although the touch screen was fab, especially for making notes, it needed its own stylus; I even tried out other makes of Wacom stylus - nothing! I really, really don't think I want the stress of having a specific stylus (especially at what they cost!!) - ideally, I'd prefer to take out and lock away the stylus it comes with and use el cheapo DS one (or something similar that I'd be able to pick up in a pound shop). 4. Screen reflection. The Cool-ER is e-ink, and it's matte, and I can get lost in the book - the mechanism of delivering it disappears. The Samsung was the same (kind of - the weight was a bit of an issue), but the Sony 600 - oh, dear. I know people have said it's not that big a deal, that it's fine if you tilt the screen. And yes, it is, but I just found that every time I turned the page, or the sun moved a bit, or even if I moved, the screen became the focus, not the text - it was like someone slapping me on the face and screaming 'that's not a book, you fool!!' Added to that the really quite severe eyestrain I felt after a short while (as opposed to the total lack of it even after hours reading the Cool-ER), and I'm convinced I do not want a screen that's anything like the 600! 5. Screen size - 6" minimum. I'm a fast reader, and 5" is too small. 6. Sensible organization of the library. I have Calibre, and I quite liked the way it organized books on the Sony, but it collapsed in a heap using the Cool-ER, even though I'm sure I read somewhere on here that this ereader was supported. Anyway, on the Cool-ER, Calibre organizes the books into folders named with the author's name, which isn't awfully convenient - I'd really like to be able to organize by genre, as either an index or a list of folders. 7. Reasonably light weight. The Samsung was about 320g, and that was quite tiring on the wrist after a while. The <185g weight of the Kobo and T1 seems much more sensible. Desirable, but not dealbreakers 1. Long battery life. I can obviously charge it up, even if I'm on holiday, but I'd prefer one with a battery life of 2-3 weeks. Both of these seem to be a month with wireless off. 2. Ability to handle PDFs reasonably well. Not really bothered 1. Wireless - both have it. 2. Link to bookshops - ditto. --------------- So, if it were you, which one would you choose, and why? And of course, if you have any suggestions as to one that might fit the bill even better, that would be great too. Many thanks in advance for any help!