MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Thoughts on moving from Kindle Tocuh to Kobo Auro 2013

AnemicOak · 10-27-2013, 09:10 PM

I went from a Kindle Touch to the Aura HD (same firmware as the Aura basically) and also had a Paperwhite 1 for about a week. I find there are things I like and dislike about the Kobo, but overall I'm mostly happy with it.

Like vs Kindle...
May seem minor, but I like the cover being the sleep screen (& also the fact you can turn that off).

I like that the light can be turned on/off as opposed to the PW where it's always on (eve if you can turn it way down).

I like the ease of using your own font(s), the various font adjustment features and other customization options.

Dislike vs Kindle...
The way shelves/collections work. I don't that dislike is the correct way to characterize this as much as that I had a system I liked on my Kindle and it can't be used on the Kobo.

That the sync feature automatically assumes I want any books purchased since my last sync downloaded to my device.

The home screen of the Kobo. I'd much prefer just seeing my library as a home screen.

The little bugs/glitches that I seem to encounter every time I read.

Sometimes miss the cloud features Amazon offers.

As far as customer service I haven't had to use either very much over the years, but I'd definitely rate Amazon's as better. How much better is really the question. My more recent contacts with Kobo CS have been pretty satisfactory, although most of the time they seem to need to 'upgrade' things to another level making things take longer and require multiple contacts. I do however have one Kobo CS experience that took many, many months to resolve and that's always left a bit of a sour taste so to speak.

While I find Amazon's store superior in many ways for me it's pretty much a non-factor. While I think the Kobo website is very poor in some aspects it has never been so poor as to keep me from getting the book I wanted if I went shopping there.

Ultimately both work fine and some of it is just what you get used to. I will say that after reading over 100 books on my Kobo I still sometimes find myself wanting my Kindle or being distracted by some aspects of the Kobo. I really just want to be able to read without any screwing around and am toying with getting a PW2 since I can get a deal right now. Being in the UK you will likely be able to try both devices out at least a little bit in a shop before hand, assuming you can that should make things a bit easier. Both systems are 'good enough' IMO and you can likely be happy with either.

10-27-2013, 09:10 PM	#12
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	I went from a Kindle Touch to the Aura HD (same firmware as the Aura basically) and also had a Paperwhite 1 for about a week. I find there are things I like and dislike about the Kobo, but overall I'm mostly happy with it. Like vs Kindle... May seem minor, but I like the cover being the sleep screen (& also the fact you can turn that off). I like that the light can be turned on/off as opposed to the PW where it's always on (eve if you can turn it way down). I like the ease of using your own font(s), the various font adjustment features and other customization options. Dislike vs Kindle... The way shelves/collections work. I don't that dislike is the correct way to characterize this as much as that I had a system I liked on my Kindle and it can't be used on the Kobo. That the sync feature automatically assumes I want any books purchased since my last sync downloaded to my device. The home screen of the Kobo. I'd much prefer just seeing my library as a home screen. The little bugs/glitches that I seem to encounter every time I read. Sometimes miss the cloud features Amazon offers. As far as customer service I haven't had to use either very much over the years, but I'd definitely rate Amazon's as better. How much better is really the question. My more recent contacts with Kobo CS have been pretty satisfactory, although most of the time they seem to need to 'upgrade' things to another level making things take longer and require multiple contacts. I do however have one Kobo CS experience that took many, many months to resolve and that's always left a bit of a sour taste so to speak. While I find Amazon's store superior in many ways for me it's pretty much a non-factor. While I think the Kobo website is very poor in some aspects it has never been so poor as to keep me from getting the book I wanted if I went shopping there. Ultimately both work fine and some of it is just what you get used to. I will say that after reading over 100 books on my Kobo I still sometimes find myself wanting my Kindle or being distracted by some aspects of the Kobo. I really just want to be able to read without any screwing around and am toying with getting a PW2 since I can get a deal right now. Being in the UK you will likely be able to try both devices out at least a little bit in a shop before hand, assuming you can that should make things a bit easier. Both systems are 'good enough' IMO and you can likely be happy with either.