Is a Kobo Mini worth buying?

[samhy]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I'm very happy with my Mini. Yes, Kobo SW has some bugs, but bot annoying enough for disturbing me. I use it frequently (everyday?) and no problems. And a great battery life.

Thanks for your input

EDIT: how would you compare the Mini and the Sony PRS 350?

And Happy New Year to all of you fellow readers (whatever device you may use )

[Terisa de morgan]

Well, I use more Mini than Sony now. It's smaller and it has almost all the things I liked from PRS+, and some small details (like summary in book details) I like. Sony dictionary is better, but Kobo one is OK, and I miss the customization I had of the screen, but, overall, I mainly use Mini now.

[Teknikal]

I'll also put in some positive thoughts for the mini, I bought one for my dad and I've been very impressed with it true he hasn't had it long yet but there are definitely some things it does better than my own T1 like letting you read the book details without opening the book and the font options are much better also.

I'm also pretty impressed by it's screen I've read it's a lower standard than pearl but from what I can see with my own eyes it looks whiter and better than the pearl one on my T1

[samhy]

Thank you Terisa de morgan and Teknikal
So far, the limited offer on the Mini is over. I'll see in the next weeks if there's another discount (Winter Sales, please!). About 49€ would be a interesting price for me.
Whatever I end up buying (whenever would be more accurate), I'll keep you posted.

For those having a Kobo device (no Glo), do you have a white or a black one?
In my opinion, the white looks better, but I'm afraid the colour will limit its use outside on sunny days. My eyes are really sensitive And with the black bezel, the screen does look whiter, doesn't it?

All of your advice, the pros and cons stated, have helped me to get a better understanding. So thank to all of you.

[llcj]

Hi samhy,

Some people find the black bezel attracts fingerprints, particularly oils from skin. I don't seem to have this problem as I tend to have dry skin.

[paola]

let me chip in with another question: how much of the 2GB internal memory is left free with the current firmware?

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by paola

let me chip in with another question: how much of the 2GB internal memory is left free with the current firmware?

1345 mb. I have 90 books on mine and they take up only 85 mb of the available space

[Terisa de morgan]

I have a white one, because I don't like black in electronic devices, but I have no problem with margins or screen. And I have 200 books in my Mini, and I think I have more than 1 Gb free.

[Borges]

Is the mini worth buying? I think so. I have the Sony 350 and Kindle touch also. It's size is the main feature. Large ereaders have some or most of the qualities of the mini. I can carry a library of books in my shirt pocket; amazing. As for It being a Kobo, it supprised me at how feature rich the device is. Of the three readers I have, I found much to like about all of them and a few things I didn't. The mini is the best five inch device I think. It might not be perfect, I doubt any are, but it is very good.

[samhy]

Thank you llcj, Terisa de morgan and Borges.
I am more and more sold to a Mini, for its size.
On the white ones, the Kobo logo doesn't seem to stand out too much. That's good. And, like Terisa de morgan, I try to avoid black devices as much as I can.
So I think when the price is right or my Sony doesn't want to share books with me anymore, whichever one comes first , I'll get me a little white Kobo.

paola, thanks for the question! And it's good to know the answer.

Did I tell you that prior to registration on this very own forum, my faithful Sony PRS 650 almost never showed any bad behaviour? And now, it's sluggish I have to try and understand if a file is responsible

[paola]

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

1345 mb. I have 90 books on mine and they take up only 85 mb of the available space

thank you Chantal - my dearly loved Pocketbook 360, also a "five-incher", is misbehaving, and it may not be fixable. Sadly, it has gone out of production, so I am looking around for a possible replacement of my 360 in case it is really terminal!

As I like to go around with my library on just in case , I am worried by the lack of sd card - however 1345 sounds quite good, and the WIFI is definitely a plus, as I could connect to my library remotely and get the books I need - not the same, but an acceptable compromise. The nice surprise is that the Mini is even smaller than the 360!

Final final question for those who have a Mini: do you think some form of cover/sleeve is necessary to protect it (again, the pocketbook comes with a nice rigid cover that protects the screen)?

[Terisa de morgan]

samhy, you can try two things: delete all the books and, prior to that, turn it off and later on, if you don't do it. At the end, it's a poor computer which has to be its memory cleaned from time to time

[Terisa de morgan]

About the cover: I think so. I don't think it's necessary any sturdy or heavy but, something that protects a bit the screen, in the same way I carry around my smartphone in a sleeve.

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by paola

As I like to go around with my library on just in case , I am worried by the lack of sd card - however 1345 sounds quite good

Really, unless you read lots of PDFs or comic books, neither of which any 5" or 6" device, especially eInk touchscreens, are good for, 1345 MB'll be more than enough space. The only problem the lack of microSD slot causes is that you have to manually reload everything not bought from Kobo if you need to factory reset (and, being a Kobo device, you almost certainly will :P).

Final final question for those who have a Mini: do you think some form of cover/sleeve is necessary to protect it (again, the pocketbook comes with a nice rigid cover that protects the screen)?

Covers are always a good idea, at least if you're the type who'll be tossing your ereader into a bag or a pocket with other stuff in it. If you don't care for looks (since it'll just be for storage), a small baggie with a properly-sized piece of stiff cardboard will be more than enough protection from casual bumpage while it's stored in a bag or whatever.

[paola]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

About the cover: I think so. I don't think it's necessary any sturdy or heavy but, something that protects a bit the screen, in the same way I carry around my smartphone in a sleeve.

thanks Terisa, it is what I suspected.

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

at least if you're the type who'll be tossing your ereader into a bag or a pocket with other stuff in it.

yes, that would be the fate of the mini - hopefully I may concoct something, it may even fit a CD case...

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Really, unless you read lots of PDFs or comic books, neither of which any 5" or 6" device, especially eInk touchscreens, are good for, 1345 MB'll be more than enough space. The only problem the lack of microSD slot causes is that you have to manually reload everything not bought from Kobo if you need to factory reset (and, being a Kobo device, you almost certainly will :P).

thank you! Yes, the problem is with pdf, of which I have many for work - agreed it is not ideal, but I've got used to read them in landscape on a 5" (sure, I love it on my 9.2" much better :-) ), and it is manageable, so I guess I will have to think more about which books I need before I leave.

On factory reset thing: that IS interesting, and delighted you mentioned this, as it will be annoying - is it possible to upload your non-Kobo (legally acquired) books on their cloud for a sync?