MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Trying to decide between Kobo and New Kindle 3

barcode015 · 10-28-2010, 04:03 PM

Currently I have both the Kobo Wi-Fi and Kindle 3 side by side at the moment deciding which one I will keep, and no contest it will be the Kindle.

I have a soft spot for the Kobo, I like the company, they seem to work hard at customer relations, use the ePub standard, and last but not least they are Canadian. But the new Kobo isn't ready for prime time, it's glitchy, slow, not 100% user friendly and appears to suffer some of the same ills as it's predecesor. And using it right now beside the Kindle 3 makes it seem inadequate.

Speed wise there is no comparison, I can do two page turns on the Kindle by the time the Kobo has turned one. The Kindle has three different places to do page turns--the dedicated buttons on either side of the device and it's own d-pad, the kobo has just its d-pad on the right side.

Shopping on the device the Kindle experience wins hands down. The Kindle will allow me to read the user reviews on the book, try a sample if available, show other books by the author, and gives a full synopsis. Shopping on the Kobo just shows my the book and price and partial synopsis...thats it. And reading newspapers is much better on the Kindle(in this case it is Vancouver paper The Province).. The Kindle has proper sections for editorials, sports etc. The Kobo puts editorials, sports and news all in the same section with no separation.

Reading wise, the new Kobo screen does not match that of the Kindle. It's not a bad screen at all on the Kobo, but using it beside the Kindle you can definitely see it isn't the same quality.

With the Kindle everything just seems to work and menu transitions are quick. Using the Kobo is a test of patience as menu transitions and selections can be slow. I have also have had to do a factory reset on the Kobo as it was unable to open and sync publications with my desktop on two different occasions in the period of a week.

I could go on and on, but when you have two devices side by side, hands down it's the Kindle. I want to love the Kobo, and I still have a soft spot for it, but practically speaking at $149.00 compared to the Kindle it's a no go. Maybe if the Kobo wi-fi was priced at 99.00 like it's predecessor is now I would recommend it.

10-28-2010, 04:03 PM	#48
barcode015 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle3/Kobo WiFi	Currently I have both the Kobo Wi-Fi and Kindle 3 side by side at the moment deciding which one I will keep, and no contest it will be the Kindle. I have a soft spot for the Kobo, I like the company, they seem to work hard at customer relations, use the ePub standard, and last but not least they are Canadian. But the new Kobo isn't ready for prime time, it's glitchy, slow, not 100% user friendly and appears to suffer some of the same ills as it's predecesor. And using it right now beside the Kindle 3 makes it seem inadequate. Speed wise there is no comparison, I can do two page turns on the Kindle by the time the Kobo has turned one. The Kindle has three different places to do page turns--the dedicated buttons on either side of the device and it's own d-pad, the kobo has just its d-pad on the right side. Shopping on the device the Kindle experience wins hands down. The Kindle will allow me to read the user reviews on the book, try a sample if available, show other books by the author, and gives a full synopsis. Shopping on the Kobo just shows my the book and price and partial synopsis...thats it. And reading newspapers is much better on the Kindle(in this case it is Vancouver paper The Province).. The Kindle has proper sections for editorials, sports etc. The Kobo puts editorials, sports and news all in the same section with no separation. Reading wise, the new Kobo screen does not match that of the Kindle. It's not a bad screen at all on the Kobo, but using it beside the Kindle you can definitely see it isn't the same quality. With the Kindle everything just seems to work and menu transitions are quick. Using the Kobo is a test of patience as menu transitions and selections can be slow. I have also have had to do a factory reset on the Kobo as it was unable to open and sync publications with my desktop on two different occasions in the period of a week. I could go on and on, but when you have two devices side by side, hands down it's the Kindle. I want to love the Kobo, and I still have a soft spot for it, but practically speaking at $149.00 compared to the Kindle it's a no go. Maybe if the Kobo wi-fi was priced at 99.00 like it's predecessor is now I would recommend it.