05-26-2011, 03:23 AM | #1 |
Wizard
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Location: Tokyo, Japan
Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3
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So is this new Kobo worth buying?
I am a previously contented Sony 650 owner. It's a great device and I thought the best of the bunch until I heard about this new Kobo. Sony's reader is great but it's lack of wifi, syncing across different apps is starting to hurt it. I like the fact that the kobo can do these things as well as have stuff like stats and achievements (I had no idea!) and sharing. Of course the price doesn't hurt either. I think I paid about $290 tax included for my Sony 650 and cover last Christmas-ouch!
I just downloaded the kobo app for the iphone and had a lot of fun with it although it seemed a little sluggish and the only way to get other non-kobo stuff onto it seems to be through i-tunes which is a non-starter for me. How will content be accessed with the actual reader itself. Will I be able to upload non-kobo content (books, instapaper, calibre recipes) wirelessly and simply? Or will I still have to connect to calibre directly to get that kind of stuff? How about the hardware itself? Is Kobo ereader (the previous version) fairly reliable? |
05-26-2011, 07:27 AM | #2 |
Addict
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You will almost certainly need to use a desktop application like Calibre or ADE to load non-Kobo content.
My reader has crashed hard in somewhat limited use. I don't trust it to operate if I do anything more than reading... Even changing font sizes is fraught with peril. For someone who already has a good ereader, I don't see the point in upgrading, but if your current platform is lacking, Kobo is a fine choice. |
05-26-2011, 07:49 AM | #3 |
Enthusiast
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Device: Kobo Wifi, Ipod Touch 4th Gen
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The hardware is good for me. I have yet to have any problems with my kobo. I use Calibre to load and manage all my books. I have the kobo app for my 4g ipod touch and it doesn't seem sluggish for me.
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05-26-2011, 08:52 AM | #4 |
Fanatic
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Location: Ottawa Canada
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@Canuck_In_Japan - I've started using Dropbox for my iPad and iPhone Kobo apps. Copy the file to a dropbox folder, open dropbox on your iDevice, navigate to the required file, and open it. Dropbox will be unable to but use the "open" icon (box with arrow sticking out) and "Open in Kobo". You can then delete them using the Kobo app. SO MUCH BETTER than iTunes.
Not that this will work on the KTouch. |
05-26-2011, 09:09 AM | #5 | |
Wizard
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3
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Quote:
I will try the dropbox trick, |
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05-26-2011, 06:36 PM | #6 |
Addict
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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I have an original Kobo and have never had a problem with the hardware, firmware upgrades or adding books. I use Calibre to sideload epubs and to convert PDFs and other formats to epub.
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05-26-2011, 07:01 PM | #7 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
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Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
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Quote:
I mean, if you have a read you can use no problem, wait. What problems will the new nook & Kobo have? Will there be a touch/sans-physical keyboard Kindle with ePub? What will Sony do? These are questions we have no answer to and if you have a good enough reader, wait. By the time Sony (they've released new devices in October) should announce a new line of Readers, we'll know about bugs/fixes/etc. for the new nook & Kobo. Also, we may know what's up with the Kindle by then too maybe. Not really sure when that will be, but if you can wait 4-7 months, then you'll know a lot more and can actually make a well informed decision instead of rushing and maybe wishing you didn't. |
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05-27-2011, 09:59 PM | #8 |
Junior Member
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Device: Kobo Wireless
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In My case, I'll wait and see how it goes. One thing that I noticed is how the new Kobo lags. Kobo reps have said that it will be fixed with a firmware upgrade. That's fine with me but I'll still wait. I also heard that the new Kobo has certain audio features (unlike the nook touch). I sure hope thats the case. I'm hoping for some kind of browser or at least a rss solution. All in all, I like the KTouch and I'm very impressed with new PDF support which is not the case for the Nook Touch. Whats the point of a battery lasting 2 months if it cant go landscape or support pdf decently??
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05-28-2011, 12:43 AM | #9 | |||||
himself
Posts: 576
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Join Date: May 2010
Device: Kobo
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Quote:
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least, this forum will notify you. It is not a small fortune. Even I would get new reader somewhere at the end of the year, spite I'm fully happy with my first ver- sion device. Quote:
next year/century. Quote:
way. I reflash almost every electronic device, including music player, router... My only concern is how long new device would process loaded files, since I have them a lot now. Best regards all. |
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05-28-2011, 01:26 AM | #10 | |
Connoisseur
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Device: Kobo Wifi
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05-28-2011, 02:17 AM | #11 | |
Now you lishen here...
Posts: 2,494
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Seattle-ish
Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire
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Quote:
Thanks. |
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05-28-2011, 06:47 AM | #12 | |
Junior Member
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Device: Sony e505
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Quote:
Ah yes I've looked at Nook for Mac and it seems to have potential. Last edited by gyuen; 05-28-2011 at 06:52 AM. |
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05-28-2011, 09:50 AM | #13 | |
Evangelist
Posts: 482
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Ottawa/Canada
Device: Kobo Wi-Fi - Kobo Touch - GNex - N7
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Quote:
It makes much more sense for people to wait for a reviews, or even reviews of second revisions/first firmware updates that usually fixes many of the problems that fell through the cracks with the first production runs. It also makes sense to be fully informed about a purchase and your options prior to purchasing, and unfortunately, information like what we're currently seeing for the new Kobo is nothing but marketing hype. you can't assume that they've fixed all the problems from previous versions because you know what they say about when you assume, right? But you're not entirely wrong though, at least when it comes to features. yes, if you keep waiting for particular features as they are announced, ie - kobo announces touch screen for June...just before release, kindle announces the same, but with a virtual keyboard for september, so you decide to wait for that, and again just before release, Sony announces all the above but adds yet another wanted feature, but for release another 3 months down the line and again you decide to wait for that...you're absolutely right, you'll never make a purchase as you wait for the next best thing, or you'll be like I used to be and have a lot of similar devices piling up that you're not using anymore and his last point is dead on; if you have a device that's doing the job already and doing it well enough, you can afford to wait longer to make sure you're not purchasing a lemon. Last edited by Psyke; 05-28-2011 at 09:52 AM. |
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