Quote:
Originally Posted by wrenn1
SP, Do you have a device that makes the reading experience better? I think that I would end up having a favourite just for readability and would then not use the others.
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"Reading experience" for me isn't just my eyes following the words on the page ... it's getting there, too. Kobo's bookstore, although pretty basic, is also very easy to use and browse. There are lots of categories and sub-categories; the layout is easy to scroll through and visual; and while I miss the user reviews from Amazon and recommendation engine, I don't waste any time when I am looking for something specific. When I do select something, the purchase flow is dead simple and seconds later the title is in my library ready to be transferred to my Kobo.
Then there is the on device time. Kobo could handle the "Library / I'm Reading" better. I don't remember all the books I've been intending to put on the device (or already have); once they "disappear" into the library they are hard to stumble across. Kindle's page-by-page list is inelegant but it works well enough. I'm not someone intending to store 500 books on the device -- 100 is plenty -- so a list I can easily scroll through in the order put on the device or last read is helpful.
Finally, reading. I prefer the Kindle font, I prefer the justification and no paragraph spaces on most Kindle formatted books; Kobo seems to favour para linespaces, no indents and ragged right; Kobo's font Times font is less attractive and I often can't find a size between "medium" and "small" that suits me.
Yet with these, mostly niggling cavaets, Kobo is a pleasure to hold, the text is legible indoors and out, it works exactly the way I expect it to and there is content on it that I can't find (or is more expensive on) the Kindle -- certain Canadian titles, library books, etc. It was an easier sale when the devices were $149 in-store vs $259+shipping -- Kobo, simpler to use was also simply cheaper; now, not so much. But if the Kobo were $99 in-store vs $139/$189+shipping, the economics return and the current advantages -- like library access and access to the world of ePub -- come back into play.
To tell the truth, at $99 + $139, for the avid reader having one of each isn't out of the question. Like-for-like, e-books in Canada run $5 to $10 cheaper than available pbook editions so covering the cost of a $99 device can be done with the purchase of 15 or so ebooks. The Kobo pays for itself in less than a year (I've bought 14 titles so far since May 1).
So, all of those factors -- plus customer support (and both Kobo and Kindle are strong in this department) -- are part of the reading experience. I hope it's clear now why I am happy to continue with both, and the actual content is driving which device I pick up to read at any given moment.