Thread: Paperwhite or Kobo Glo?
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Old 03-05-2013, 02:01 AM   #9
eschwartz
Ex-Helpdesk Junkie
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Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rev. Bob View Post
My first reader was a Kobo Wireless, then I picked up a Kobo Touch (about to get replaced with a Glo) and ultimately a Kindle Touch as well...so I've struggled with this very issue myself, just one generation back.

As far as the reading experience goes, I greatly prefer the Kobo. I like having the cover displayed when the unit's turned off, and I just generally prefer the interface. The one weak spot, where I really have to give the Kindle credit, is store integration in general and wish lists in particular. The Kobo has a rudimentary wish list that's only accessible through the device, but the Kindle can see and easily manipulate your existing wish list(s).

As far as buying from third party bookstores, I much prefer buying EPUBs that will go on my Kobo than MOBIs for my Kindle. First of all, there are simply more EPUB stores, and secondly, I can just put the new books on a microSD stick without having to connect a USB cable. (Or, for DRM-free EPUBs, I can use the Kobo browser and download 'em directly to the internal memory!) Big win for Kobo there.

All in all, I'll let my money speak for me: as noted above, I'm jumping through hoops to buy a new Kobo Glo, despite it being much easier to get a Kindle Paperwhite. The Kobo's where I do the lion's share of my reading; I only got the Kindle so I'd have access to Kindle-only deals and books. (I determined that I'd rather buy the second reader than deal with an ongoing conversion hassle, and I don't regret it.)
The Kindle's web browser can be used to download any MOBI or azw3 ebook from the web, no different than the Kobo. And most sources for free EPUBs also offer MOBIs now, I believe. Certainly Project Gutenberg and the Baen Free Library, which are the only 2 I've actually used so far, offer both. And the books I buy, I see no reason to purchase from a dozen different stores. I prefer the baked-in store which is built around any particular device.

And maybe you can put ebooks onto your microSD for the Kobo and Nook, but with Amazon, you can email them to your Kindle, so they are part of your cloud library, and get them synced too! That is just as useful a feature, I believe.

Incidentally, if it's between the Nook and the Kobo, I would go for the Nook, I'm pretty sure Barnes and Noble has a bigger catalog.
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