Considering for my child

crystalwaterdanc · 05-04-2010, 09:48 PM

I have a daughter, who is 10. She like to try and steal my Sony Reader and check out the books I have on it. She has asked for a SR, but I cannot afford one for her. We saw the Kobo Chapters, and she got to fiddle with it. She started reading Alice in Wonderland and I had to practically drag her out of the store. Once in the car she promptly asked if she could buy one with her allowance.

So I have a couple questions before I decide if this is a cool thing for her or not. I am really a total noob at all this stuff, I use the reader software that came with my SR, and I figured out how to get the pub dom books onto it. I also figured out by pure dumb luck how to work our local library system for the SR.

Will the Kobo work basically the same as the SR does? I think I read that I will need adobe to transfer books onto it. Right? Am I able to put pub dom books on the Kobo? Library books? I have heard that it is impossible to remove the books that come preloaded on it. Is this true? If it is possible to remove those books, am I able to put them onto the SR for me, as most will be too advanced for her to read?

If you made it through my questions I thank you in advance for helping me out! So does my little voracious reader child!

wallcraft · 05-04-2010, 10:09 PM

The software on the Kobo isn't good enough to recommend the device yet. Software can get better over time, but updates can also take forever to arrive. So it is best to wait for the software to get fixed before buying.

Since you already have a PRS-600, why not buy a PRS-300? This is now relatively inexpensive ($149 in the US), likely better constructed than the Kobo, and you only have to deal with one company's software. If Kobo has the ebooks you want, you can still buy ePubs from them and read them on both Sony's. A single AdobeID account works with six desktop computers and six reading devices, so you only need one account for both Readers.

SensualPoet · 05-04-2010, 11:04 PM

The Kobo is a good choice for you -- it's available locally from a real bricks and mortar store and sold by a Canadian (woman) entrepreneur who makes a great role model for a young person.

Yes, it works easily with the public library using Overdrive. I have that working with the Toronto Public Library. The instructions could be clearer ... but it works fine. If you got that working for the Sony you already have, you should be fine with Kobo.

You could remove all the books that come pre-loaded ... they are all public domain and could be added in again, for free, later, from sources like ... mobileread and Project Gutenberg. Plus -- although I haven't checked every one -- you ought to be able to download ALL the 100 titles directly from the Kobo bookstore, for free. That is the source of these, after all.

What I really like about the Kobo is, at the price, it is a stripped down ereader that provides, well, reading, and nothing else. And nothing else to distract young minds: give her "Alice in Wonderland" or "Wizard of OZ" or whatever drives her interests and encourages her to read. What's that skill worth? Bells and whistles can come later.

The Kobo also comes with a one year warranty and I'd be willing to bet you'll find an easier exchange at Indigo -- a place that actually sells books -- than a Sony Style store or a Future Shop where selling 3D HDTVs is the focus of the business.

pholy · 05-04-2010, 11:39 PM

I'd be inclined to wait a month or two to see how fast some software upgrades come. Both the reader and the desktop software have some annoying bugs right now. In a couple of months, either Kobo will have newer software, or the busy beavers here will have some workarounds for most problems.

If she needs to save up for a bit, that's your perfect excuse for waiting...

StealthyScribe · 05-05-2010, 12:45 AM

I'm with SensualPoet on this one. I think it'd be a great eReader for your daughter, and I don't even have mine yet. I've done a lot of research on eReaders and if I were buying one for a child, I'd go with this one. It's a bare bones, a straight forward, affordable eReader without a bunch of bells and whistles.

I'm honestly a little worried about how the books are uploaded onto the reader because there are a lot of people who have had problems but there are also a lot of people who haven't had any.

I imagine if you do your research and read the helpful threads you shouldn't have any problems and you'd have one happy 10 year old on your hands!

GA Russell · 05-05-2010, 01:50 AM

I think that wallcraft has the right idea. I've come to the conclusion that all eBook readers have inadequate firmware when they are brand new, and that it is a bad idea to be the first one on your block to have a specific model.

A jetBook Lite cannot use library books, but three websites sold it for $99 in the past three weeks, so for a ten-year old that might be the way to go.

bandsaw · 05-05-2010, 02:17 AM

As far as PD books are concerned, you can just drag and drop them onto the reader's root directory. No need to use the kobo software which I agree is a bit hokey.

lchen · 05-05-2010, 08:54 AM

Crystalwaterdanc, I'd also recommend the Kobo for your child. Happy you are encouraging daughter with the joy reading. God bless.

juiceless · 05-05-2010, 09:08 AM

I think this would be great for a kid. Just load a couple of books on there to tide her over until the firmware revisions come in, and you'll be good to go.

DArenson · 05-05-2010, 09:28 AM

I recommend the Kobo for your daughter. I own a Kobo myself. There is a *slight* learning curve how to buy books and load them into the reader, but within an hour, I was very comfortable using the Kobo and the Kobo store. You do need to install Adobe software, but it's fairly easy to do, and I was set up pretty quickly and buying books. If you do buy the Kobo, and run into trouble, feel free to email me (there's a contact form on my website, www.DanielArenson.com), and I can help you.

ttluisa · 05-05-2010, 03:01 PM

Count my vote for Kobo. I just got mine and it works great with adobe digital edition. Once the reader is plugged in, the ADE recognize it right away and shows a kobo icon on the left side, then you drag whatever DRM free books already in your ADE into the Kobo icon, easy. I agree that this is kind of an early model but I've read there blog and it seems to me that they're pretty serious about all the feedbacks so I have no doubt all the glitches will be improved later.
As many people says it is a great affordable ereader. All the pre-loaded books are public domain books available for free download over internet so you can get them for you as well. I think those classics are rather good for your little one. I personally had been encouraged to read classics as young as I was 8, and I just went for help from my parents or teacher for more advanced contents.

Turt99 · 05-05-2010, 03:13 PM

I think its a great device for a beginner, if you are using Public Domain books you can just get an SD card (I had an old 128mb one from an older camera) load the books on that and put it in the device.

DRM books are going to be a little different, but you'll have plenty of time to play with that before she is finished reading the free books or public domain books.

NotchJ · 05-05-2010, 08:11 PM

My daughter is 8. We saw the Kobo on Global news and she was going to the mall anyway so I told her to check it out. She loved it so much that she helped pay for it with her own money.

She's on chapter 10 of Alice in Wonderland and loving it. It's a great device for kids like my Grade-3'er.

05-04-2010, 09:48 PM	#1
crystalwaterdanc Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Sony Reader 600/Kobo	Considering for my child I have a daughter, who is 10. She like to try and steal my Sony Reader and check out the books I have on it. She has asked for a SR, but I cannot afford one for her. We saw the Kobo Chapters, and she got to fiddle with it. She started reading Alice in Wonderland and I had to practically drag her out of the store. Once in the car she promptly asked if she could buy one with her allowance. So I have a couple questions before I decide if this is a cool thing for her or not. I am really a total noob at all this stuff, I use the reader software that came with my SR, and I figured out how to get the pub dom books onto it. I also figured out by pure dumb luck how to work our local library system for the SR. Will the Kobo work basically the same as the SR does? I think I read that I will need adobe to transfer books onto it. Right? Am I able to put pub dom books on the Kobo? Library books? I have heard that it is impossible to remove the books that come preloaded on it. Is this true? If it is possible to remove those books, am I able to put them onto the SR for me, as most will be too advanced for her to read? If you made it through my questions I thank you in advance for helping me out! So does my little voracious reader child!

05-05-2010, 03:01 PM	#11
ttluisa Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 30 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo, kindle 3	Count my vote for Kobo. I just got mine and it works great with adobe digital edition. Once the reader is plugged in, the ADE recognize it right away and shows a kobo icon on the left side, then you drag whatever DRM free books already in your ADE into the Kobo icon, easy. I agree that this is kind of an early model but I've read there blog and it seems to me that they're pretty serious about all the feedbacks so I have no doubt all the glitches will be improved later. As many people says it is a great affordable ereader. All the pre-loaded books are public domain books available for free download over internet so you can get them for you as well. I think those classics are rather good for your little one. I personally had been encouraged to read classics as young as I was 8, and I just went for help from my parents or teacher for more advanced contents. Last edited by ttluisa; 05-05-2010 at 05:58 PM.

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05-04-2010, 10:09 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The software on the Kobo isn't good enough to recommend the device yet. Software can get better over time, but updates can also take forever to arrive. So it is best to wait for the software to get fixed before buying. Since you already have a PRS-600, why not buy a PRS-300? This is now relatively inexpensive ($149 in the US), likely better constructed than the Kobo, and you only have to deal with one company's software. If Kobo has the ebooks you want, you can still buy ePubs from them and read them on both Sony's. A single AdobeID account works with six desktop computers and six reading devices, so you only need one account for both Readers.

05-04-2010, 11:04 PM	#3
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	The Kobo is a good choice for you -- it's available locally from a real bricks and mortar store and sold by a Canadian (woman) entrepreneur who makes a great role model for a young person. Yes, it works easily with the public library using Overdrive. I have that working with the Toronto Public Library. The instructions could be clearer ... but it works fine. If you got that working for the Sony you already have, you should be fine with Kobo. You could remove all the books that come pre-loaded ... they are all public domain and could be added in again, for free, later, from sources like ... mobileread and Project Gutenberg. Plus -- although I haven't checked every one -- you ought to be able to download ALL the 100 titles directly from the Kobo bookstore, for free. That is the source of these, after all. What I really like about the Kobo is, at the price, it is a stripped down ereader that provides, well, reading, and nothing else. And nothing else to distract young minds: give her "Alice in Wonderland" or "Wizard of OZ" or whatever drives her interests and encourages her to read. What's that skill worth? Bells and whistles can come later. The Kobo also comes with a one year warranty and I'd be willing to bet you'll find an easier exchange at Indigo -- a place that actually sells books -- than a Sony Style store or a Future Shop where selling 3D HDTVs is the focus of the business.

05-04-2010, 11:39 PM	#4
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	I'd be inclined to wait a month or two to see how fast some software upgrades come. Both the reader and the desktop software have some annoying bugs right now. In a couple of months, either Kobo will have newer software, or the busy beavers here will have some workarounds for most problems. If she needs to save up for a bit, that's your perfect excuse for waiting...

05-05-2010, 12:45 AM	#5
StealthyScribe Feverish Posts: 70 Karma: 42 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Alberta Device: Black Kobo	I'm with SensualPoet on this one. I think it'd be a great eReader for your daughter, and I don't even have mine yet. I've done a lot of research on eReaders and if I were buying one for a child, I'd go with this one. It's a bare bones, a straight forward, affordable eReader without a bunch of bells and whistles. I'm honestly a little worried about how the books are uploaded onto the reader because there are a lot of people who have had problems but there are also a lot of people who haven't had any. I imagine if you do your research and read the helpful threads you shouldn't have any problems and you'd have one happy 10 year old on your hands!

05-05-2010, 01:50 AM	#6
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I think that wallcraft has the right idea. I've come to the conclusion that all eBook readers have inadequate firmware when they are brand new, and that it is a bad idea to be the first one on your block to have a specific model. A jetBook Lite cannot use library books, but three websites sold it for $99 in the past three weeks, so for a ten-year old that might be the way to go.

05-05-2010, 02:17 AM	#7
bandsaw Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006	As far as PD books are concerned, you can just drag and drop them onto the reader's root directory. No need to use the kobo software which I agree is a bit hokey.

05-05-2010, 08:54 AM	#8
lchen Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo EReader	Crystalwaterdanc, I'd also recommend the Kobo for your child. Happy you are encouraging daughter with the joy reading. God bless.

05-05-2010, 09:08 AM	#9
juiceless Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	I think this would be great for a kid. Just load a couple of books on there to tide her over until the firmware revisions come in, and you'll be good to go.

05-05-2010, 09:28 AM	#10
DArenson ebookworm Posts: 268 Karma: 100026 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo, Kindle	I recommend the Kobo for your daughter. I own a Kobo myself. There is a slight learning curve how to buy books and load them into the reader, but within an hour, I was very comfortable using the Kobo and the Kobo store. You do need to install Adobe software, but it's fairly easy to do, and I was set up pretty quickly and buying books. If you do buy the Kobo, and run into trouble, feel free to email me (there's a contact form on my website, www.DanielArenson.com), and I can help you.

05-05-2010, 03:13 PM	#12
Turt99 Connoisseur Posts: 92 Karma: 14 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I think its a great device for a beginner, if you are using Public Domain books you can just get an SD card (I had an old 128mb one from an older camera) load the books on that and put it in the device. DRM books are going to be a little different, but you'll have plenty of time to play with that before she is finished reading the free books or public domain books.

05-05-2010, 08:11 PM	#13
NotchJ Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Calgary Device: Kobo	My daughter is 8. We saw the Kobo on Global news and she was going to the mall anyway so I told her to check it out. She loved it so much that she helped pay for it with her own money. She's on chapter 10 of Alice in Wonderland and loving it. It's a great device for kids like my Grade-3'er.