Kindle Touch or Kobo Touch?

MissKittiness · 07-31-2012, 02:29 AM

I might be grabbing an e-ink device soon, and at the moment I'm trying to choose between a Kobo Touch and a Kindle Touch. I'm leaning towards the Kobo Touch mostly due to Reading Life, the price point and .epub compatibility, but I just want to make sure that I'm not overlooking any major points.

Both readers, from my understanding, have the features that I want - wi-fi, basic shelving capabilities and a dedicated store. The Kindle Touch is more physically appealing, though, and I have heard that it has a marginally stronger battery life?

Is there anything specific I should consider about either device when choosing between them?

owly · 07-31-2012, 03:56 AM

The main thing is Kindle can't read epub so you'd have to convert the epub files to be able to use them. Another pet peeve is that there are very few fonts to choose from on the Kindle.

MissKittiness · 07-31-2012, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owly

The main thing is Kindle can't read epub so you'd have to convert the epub files to be able to use them. Another pet peeve is that there are very few fonts to choose from on the Kindle.

I really like the default font for the Kindle app on iPad - it looks a bit like Georgia, but I can't find it listed anywhere. Is Georgia offered on the Kindle?

Calibre automatically converts files for the reader they're synced to, so I don't think it will be a lingering problem, as I don't have that many ebooks at all at this stage.

HarryT · 07-31-2012, 05:01 AM

Amazon have by far the best bookstore and customer service in the industry. That, for me, is a significant benefit. ePub compatibility is a non-issue; any book that you can get in ePub format is also available for the Kindle (and, conversely, many Kindle books are NOT available on other platforms) and, as has been mentioned, converting between Kindle and ePub formats is easy and painless.

soulfuldog · 07-31-2012, 08:56 AM

If possible you should try and see them both in the flesh. There's not a huge deal to choose between them and you might find you like the feel or interface of one over the other.

Both have same screen quality, but Kobo has more font choices. Kindle has better battery life (advertised as up to one month for Kobo, up to two for Kindle, though I don't think it's more like 3 weeks & 4-5 weeks respectively). Kobo has just recently added sorting capabilities in a recent firmware update (Kindle has always had collections), and this is my only real issue with Kobo, so many firmware updates for different things. Kindle has 4GB storage over Kobo's 2GB but you can use an SD card with the Kobo, not with the Kindle. Both have pretty good bookstores but unless you have a particular aversion to Amazon, I don't think anyone can argue it's the best. Customer support, another nod for Amazon. Social aspects like Reading Life on the Kobo means it's better if you like that sort of thing. It's easier to get library books on your Kobo, but it's easier to buy books and get them on your Kindle - though both are pretty much negated if you use Calibre to manage your books and are ok with switching formats.

Like HarryT, Amazon support/infrastructure wins for me, but that apart, both have good and bad points so I'd definitely recommend try them out if possible.

HarryT · 07-31-2012, 10:50 AM

You might like to take a look at the Kobo Touch Firmware 2.0 thread in the Kobo forum. The Kobo's firmware seems to be "a work in progress", and many people seem to be experiencing issues with the latest version of it.

spindlegirl · 08-01-2012, 05:56 AM

I have never owned a Kindle, but I am not delighted with the Kobo Touch. The firmware has changed several times since I bought it last year. As HarryT Pointed out above the Kobo seems to be more of "a work in progress" than staying stable as the actual e-reader I bought last year.

If it is a choice between the two, even though I've never seen a Kindle, I'd probably pick the Kindle. If you have calibre you can convert any book to the format needed to sideload.

I upgraded to a Sony Reader and gave the Kobo to my husband. It costs a bit more, but I've enjoyed it immensely so far.

MissKittiness · 08-01-2012, 07:47 PM

Thanks for all the informations, guys!

A Kindle DX is out because I can't play with a demo version at all, whereas I'm able to play with demo versions of the Kobo Touch and and Kindle Touch (as well as the K4, KK, Kobo non-touch, iRiver Story HD and Sony PRS-T1 - but none of those float my boat!).

I have one more question. I've gone and had a play with the Kindle Touch now, and I noticed that the menu screen is text-only. I played around with the settings, but couldn't see anywhere to change that. Is there a setting in the non-demo firmware to allow you to display book covers in your home screen as a default (or, failing that, any software for the jail broken Kindle Touch)?

It's so hard to choose between them!

Canuck_in_Japan · 08-01-2012, 08:01 PM

I own neither the Kobo nor the Kindle although I've tried both of them. I think I was slightly more impressed with the Kindle's hardware. On the other hand I buy most of my books through Kobo because of their constant 40-50% off coupons which allow me to get bestsellers for $5 or $6.
I'm hoping that Kobo will come out with a new reader sometime soon (surely Amazon will and B&N already has).

HarryT · 08-02-2012, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissKittiness

I have one more question. I've gone and had a play with the Kindle Touch now, and I noticed that the menu screen is text-only. I played around with the settings, but couldn't see anywhere to change that. Is there a setting in the non-demo firmware to allow you to display book covers in your home screen as a default (or, failing that, any software for the jail broken Kindle Touch)?

No, the Kindle's home screen is text only. Heck of a lot easier to find books that way, to my mind.

techiemonkey · 08-02-2012, 02:40 AM

I would recommend the kindle touch.additional font choices and nesting collections in. Collections and having collections according to folder structure and much more features can be achieved by rooting the kt which is really easy.

Solicitous · 08-02-2012, 02:49 AM

One aspect between Kindle/Kobo that isn't mentioned very often is the device management, particularly for those who have more than one device per account.

With Amazon you can select which ebooks to download to which Kindle you own (and through the Archive access all purchased content and download additional ebooks from there).

Kobo appears to sync all ebooks to all devices, even previews. My wife and I have different reading tastes, and by having a Kindle each neither of us have ebooks flooding our devices which the other one has bought.

Lastly if you intend to also use an Android/iPod app in conjunction with your ereader, I personally find the Kindle app far less intrusive than the Kobo, and a little more polished.

MissKittiness · 08-02-2012, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, the Kindle's home screen is text only. Heck of a lot easier to find books that way, to my mind.

Aww, okay. I really like that the iPad Kindle app displays the book covers.

owly · 08-02-2012, 04:00 AM

Have you looked at the Sony T1? It's also a good alternative.

MissKittiness · 08-02-2012, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owly

Have you looked at the Sony T1? It's also a good alternative.

I have, actually! They're stocked at the same store as the Kobo Touch. They're a bit too pricey for me to justify it, though, and the bezel is uncomfortable - where I naturally want to hold it, the corners poke me.

07-31-2012, 02:29 AM	#1
MissKittiness Achievement Unlocked! Posts: 60 Karma: 972056 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Aussie-land. Device: none	Kindle Touch or Kobo Touch? I might be grabbing an e-ink device soon, and at the moment I'm trying to choose between a Kobo Touch and a Kindle Touch. I'm leaning towards the Kobo Touch mostly due to Reading Life, the price point and .epub compatibility, but I just want to make sure that I'm not overlooking any major points. Both readers, from my understanding, have the features that I want - wi-fi, basic shelving capabilities and a dedicated store. The Kindle Touch is more physically appealing, though, and I have heard that it has a marginally stronger battery life? Is there anything specific I should consider about either device when choosing between them?

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07-31-2012, 03:56 AM	#2
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	The main thing is Kindle can't read epub so you'd have to convert the epub files to be able to use them. Another pet peeve is that there are very few fonts to choose from on the Kindle.

07-31-2012, 05:01 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Amazon have by far the best bookstore and customer service in the industry. That, for me, is a significant benefit. ePub compatibility is a non-issue; any book that you can get in ePub format is also available for the Kindle (and, conversely, many Kindle books are NOT available on other platforms) and, as has been mentioned, converting between Kindle and ePub formats is easy and painless.

07-31-2012, 08:56 AM	#5
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	If possible you should try and see them both in the flesh. There's not a huge deal to choose between them and you might find you like the feel or interface of one over the other. Both have same screen quality, but Kobo has more font choices. Kindle has better battery life (advertised as up to one month for Kobo, up to two for Kindle, though I don't think it's more like 3 weeks & 4-5 weeks respectively). Kobo has just recently added sorting capabilities in a recent firmware update (Kindle has always had collections), and this is my only real issue with Kobo, so many firmware updates for different things. Kindle has 4GB storage over Kobo's 2GB but you can use an SD card with the Kobo, not with the Kindle. Both have pretty good bookstores but unless you have a particular aversion to Amazon, I don't think anyone can argue it's the best. Customer support, another nod for Amazon. Social aspects like Reading Life on the Kobo means it's better if you like that sort of thing. It's easier to get library books on your Kobo, but it's easier to buy books and get them on your Kindle - though both are pretty much negated if you use Calibre to manage your books and are ok with switching formats. Like HarryT, Amazon support/infrastructure wins for me, but that apart, both have good and bad points so I'd definitely recommend try them out if possible.

07-31-2012, 10:50 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You might like to take a look at the Kobo Touch Firmware 2.0 thread in the Kobo forum. The Kobo's firmware seems to be "a work in progress", and many people seem to be experiencing issues with the latest version of it.

08-01-2012, 05:56 AM	#7
spindlegirl Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	I have never owned a Kindle, but I am not delighted with the Kobo Touch. The firmware has changed several times since I bought it last year. As HarryT Pointed out above the Kobo seems to be more of "a work in progress" than staying stable as the actual e-reader I bought last year. If it is a choice between the two, even though I've never seen a Kindle, I'd probably pick the Kindle. If you have calibre you can convert any book to the format needed to sideload. I upgraded to a Sony Reader and gave the Kobo to my husband. It costs a bit more, but I've enjoyed it immensely so far.

08-01-2012, 07:47 PM	#8
MissKittiness Achievement Unlocked! Posts: 60 Karma: 972056 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Aussie-land. Device: none	Thanks for all the informations, guys! A Kindle DX is out because I can't play with a demo version at all, whereas I'm able to play with demo versions of the Kobo Touch and and Kindle Touch (as well as the K4, KK, Kobo non-touch, iRiver Story HD and Sony PRS-T1 - but none of those float my boat!). I have one more question. I've gone and had a play with the Kindle Touch now, and I noticed that the menu screen is text-only. I played around with the settings, but couldn't see anywhere to change that. Is there a setting in the non-demo firmware to allow you to display book covers in your home screen as a default (or, failing that, any software for the jail broken Kindle Touch)? It's so hard to choose between them!

08-01-2012, 08:01 PM	#9
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,475 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	I own neither the Kobo nor the Kindle although I've tried both of them. I think I was slightly more impressed with the Kindle's hardware. On the other hand I buy most of my books through Kobo because of their constant 40-50% off coupons which allow me to get bestsellers for $5 or $6. I'm hoping that Kobo will come out with a new reader sometime soon (surely Amazon will and B&N already has).

08-02-2012, 02:40 AM	#11
techiemonkey Tech Geek Forever Posts: 230 Karma: 568824 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: USA Device: Kindle Touch hacked	I would recommend the kindle touch.additional font choices and nesting collections in. Collections and having collections according to folder structure and much more features can be achieved by rooting the kt which is really easy.

08-02-2012, 02:49 AM	#12
Solicitous Wizard Posts: 1,434 Karma: 1525776 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: TAS, Australia Device: Astak Pocket Pro (Black), 2 x Kindle WiFi (Graphite), iPod Touch 4G	One aspect between Kindle/Kobo that isn't mentioned very often is the device management, particularly for those who have more than one device per account. With Amazon you can select which ebooks to download to which Kindle you own (and through the Archive access all purchased content and download additional ebooks from there). Kobo appears to sync all ebooks to all devices, even previews. My wife and I have different reading tastes, and by having a Kindle each neither of us have ebooks flooding our devices which the other one has bought. Lastly if you intend to also use an Android/iPod app in conjunction with your ereader, I personally find the Kindle app far less intrusive than the Kobo, and a little more polished.

08-02-2012, 04:00 AM	#14
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	Have you looked at the Sony T1? It's also a good alternative.