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Old 07-12-2014, 07:02 PM   #1
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Kobo Aura HD or Kindle Paperwhite 2013?

I've been using my Kobo Touch for two and a half years now. I love it, but it's a bit unresponsive and I've had a few issues with it crashing. Plus, I've fallen in love with the idea of a front-light and am kind of hankering after a device that has one.

My dilemma is that I'm not sure which device to plump for! I discounted the Kobo Aura because I really want a recessed screen - I generally read without a case (though I do have one to protect the device while it's in my bag) and I don't like the "feel" of the device without the recessed screen. However, I can't decide how to proceed from there. I'm attracted by the stronger font customise-ability in the Kobo, and as far as I can see there are more varied options on setting page refresh rate? On the other hand, the vast majority of my books are purchase from Amazon and I've been disappointed by the support of side-loaded books in the Kobo, in particular with relation to footnote support. I've read the it's reasonably easy to add custom fonts to the Paperwhite if you have a little technical know-how - is this true?

I truly can't decide between the two devices so it would be nice to hear a little from supporters of both/either. I kind of don't want to purchase either if there's going to be a device refresh in the near future (that is, before Christmas this year) but if the device refresh is likely to mean more non-recessed screens, I'd much rather have a current device. Thoughts?
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Old 07-13-2014, 04:17 AM   #2
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Kindle Fonts hack can be found here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=219405

Requires jailbreak, but it's pretty simple. Everything usage is handled through the KUAL launcher.

HOWEVER, this is very much a hack, so here be dragons. That being said, lots of people have found a lot of success, assuming their custom font doesn't blow everything up.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:10 AM   #3
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Kindle Fonts hack can be found here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=219405

Requires jailbreak, but it's pretty simple. Everything usage is handled through the KUAL launcher.

HOWEVER, this is very much a hack, so here be dragons. That being said, lots of people have found a lot of success, assuming their custom font doesn't blow everything up.
Thanks for the advice, certainly food for thought! I'm not 100% convinced that I would hate the native fonts on the Kindle anyway but it's nice to have options. Such a hard decision to make!
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Old 07-14-2014, 09:41 AM   #4
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I should probably also note I can get the Paperwhite (Wifi) for £99 (possibly less if I have some Tesco vouchers lying around), whereas the Kobo would set me back £140. It does seem like rather a price difference...
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Old 07-14-2014, 09:46 AM   #5
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I should probably also note I can get the Paperwhite (Wifi) for £99 (possibly less if I have some Tesco vouchers lying around), whereas the Kobo would set me back £140. It does seem like rather a price difference...
This isn't really surprising, since the Aura HD is a premium device with a larger screen. If you're looking for a cheaper Kobo with a recessed/IR screen, how about the Glo?
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Old 07-14-2014, 09:51 AM   #6
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Thanks for the advice, certainly food for thought! I'm not 100% convinced that I would hate the native fonts on the Kindle anyway but it's nice to have options. Such a hard decision to make!
One benefit of the Kindle not having user-installable fonts is that the supplied fonts can be (and are) optimised for the Kindle's screen, and hence have higher contrast than the user-installable fonts on some other devices. When the Kobo Aura HD first came out, there were quite a few complaints here on MR about how "grey" its fonts appeared. Personally I think the Kindle's fonts are just fine.
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:21 AM   #7
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This isn't really surprising, since the Aura HD is a premium device with a larger screen. If you're looking for a cheaper Kobo with a recessed/IR screen, how about the Glo?
I forgot to mention, I've handled all three of the devices mentioned briefly in person and didn't really like the feel of the Glo for some reason. The things I'm particularly asking about are things that I couldn't mess about with in store (in particular, the display Kindles in Waterstones have the settings menu disabled so you can't footer about with it). Price isn't really a consideration seeing as they're both fairly cheap as gadgets go, I just was musing upon whether there really was £40 worth of a difference in quality between the two.

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One benefit of the Kindle not having user-installable fonts is that the supplied fonts can be (and are) optimised for the Kindle's screen, and hence have higher contrast than the user-installable fonts on some other devices. When the Kobo Aura HD first came out, there were quite a few complaints here on MR about how "grey" its fonts appeared. Personally I think the Kindle's fonts are just fine.

Thanks for the info! That's really interesting. When I saw the screens I did think that despite further options for customisation of font on the Kobo (such as sharpness/weight) the text on the Kindle seemed somehow crisper. Obviously, it's harder to tell in store because nothing is adjusted to your "natural" reading conditions. I'm not particularly fussy about fonts, so I probably would adjust pretty quickly - I was just wondering what the benefit of limiting the fonts available could be, which you've manager to make a bit clearer

Is sideloading via Calibre just as easy with the PW2 as with the Kobo? (I can't see why it wouldn't be).
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:25 AM   #8
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Is sideloading via Calibre just as easy with the PW2 as with the Kobo? (I can't see why it wouldn't be).
Yes, just as easy.
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:32 AM   #9
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Yes, just as easy.
Thanks! I don't see it being as much of an issue anyway as I purchase primarily from Amazon but it's always good to gather as much information as possible.
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:34 AM   #10
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All that sideloading involves on the Kindle is copying files into the "documents" folder on the mountable USB drive.
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Old 07-14-2014, 10:58 AM   #11
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Price isn't really a consideration seeing as they're both fairly cheap as gadgets go, I just was musing upon whether there really was £40 worth of a difference in quality between the two.
If having a larger screen in particular is important to you, as well as it having an SD card slot and more customisation options, then its probably worth the extra £40 to buy the Aura HD.

While the Aura HD is a premium device and that's why it's a little more expensive, if the larger screen isn't really that important, or not really an issue at all, then no, it's not really worth the extra £40. There are things that are better about the PW than the Aura HD and vice versa, but it's mainly the really nice screen and it's bigger size that sets the Aura HD apart.

In terms of possible new devices, well it's usually around Autumn that they are announced. However, as the Aura HD is supposedly a limited edition, it seems unlikely there will be a newer version of it, the standard Aura might get an update, and possibly the Paperwhite, but there's a possibility the latter will follow the Aura's tablet like flush screen, so not of any interest to you anyway.
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Old 07-14-2014, 11:12 AM   #12
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If having a larger screen in particular is important to you, as well as it having an SD card slot and more customisation options, then its probably worth the extra £40 to buy the Aura HD.

While the Aura HD is a premium device and that's why it's a little more expensive, if the larger screen isn't really that important, or not really an issue at all, then no, it's not really worth the extra £40. There are things that are better about the PW than the Aura HD and vice versa, but it's mainly the really nice screen and it's bigger size that sets the Aura HD apart.

In terms of possible new devices, well it's usually around Autumn that they are announced. However, as the Aura HD is supposedly a limited edition, it seems unlikely there will be a newer version of it, the standard Aura might get an update, and possibly the Paperwhite, but there's a possibility the latter will follow the Aura's tablet like flush screen, so not of any interest to you anyway.

Thanks, this was really informative! I think having the bigger screen would be nice, but not really essential to me. It's looking more and more like the Paperwhite suits my needs better. I won't be purchasing for a few weeks (just trying to get my research in early!) but this was definitely interesting to read. I'm reasonably sure that I don't need an SD card slot (I've barely put a dent in my Kobo's memory in 2.5 years). Customisation options are the only thing I'm really swithering over. I'm terribly indecisive :

Thanks for the note about the general update period as well. I'd usually wait to see what an update might bring but my poor Kobo is annoying me something awful with all its double page turns and freezing. Plus if there is a chance that it's trending towards flush screens, I'm not really interested. I just really don't like the page turn feeling on a flush screen for some reason.
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Old 07-14-2014, 12:28 PM   #13
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Just my 2 cents. I really like the pw2 font rendering. I had a Kobo Glo(gave it to my husband) and while it was nice to add my own fonts, the pw2 is so much clearer to me. I stayed away from Kindle for a long time thinking that having all of those font settings on the Kobo would help my not so great vision. I honestly prefer the Kindle. I take it everywhere and read on it daily.

I am sure that the Aura HD is a great reader. I was tempted by the larger screen, but I am spoiled to the kindle now. I am perfectly happy with the paperwhite.

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Old 07-14-2014, 01:41 PM   #14
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One benefit of the Kindle not having user-installable fonts is that the supplied fonts can be (and are) optimised for the Kindle's screen, and hence have higher contrast than the user-installable fonts on some other devices. When the Kobo Aura HD first came out, there were quite a few complaints here on MR about how "grey" its fonts appeared. Personally I think the Kindle's fonts are just fine.
They are fine, but apart from Baskerville and Palatino, they are also ugly, IMHO. Then again, Baskerville and Palatino are too thin for me.

Last edited by Katsunami; 07-15-2014 at 10:40 AM.
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Old 07-14-2014, 03:54 PM   #15
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Just my 2 cents. I really like the pw2 font rendering. I had a Kobo Glo(gave it to my husband) and while it was nice to add my own fonts, the pw2 is so much clearer to me. I stayed away from Kindle for a long time thinking that having all of those font settings on the Kobo would help my not so great vision. I honestly prefer the Kindle. I take it everywhere and read on it daily.

I am sure that the Aura HD is a great reader. I was tempted by the larger screen, but I am spoiled to the kindle now. I am perfectly happy with the paperwhite.

Penny

I definitely thought the Kobo Glo was a bit less clear when I looked at it - among other things, that was off-putting. Thanks for your opinion though - I like to hear other people's personal experiences with regard to this kind of thing. What font do you tend to use? I do like the idea of the larger screen, but I'm not sure how much.

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They are fine, but apart from Baskerville and Palatino, they are also ugly, IMHO. Then again, Baskerville and Palatino are to thin for me.
I'm not too keen on whatever the default font was on the Kindle I tried in the shop, but I quite like Baskerville I think. I'm reasonably sure it's dark/sharp enough for me, but it's so hard to tell when looking in the shop.
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