[davidfor]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

Apologies for the length.

As the title says, it looks like my PRS-T1 died due to a battery issue. I'm trying everything to fix it before buying something new but I'm not hopeful of a good outcome.

I'm in Australia and the following look like my best options for a quick replacement;

Kobo Glo - $99 (refurbished but with full manufacturer warranty)
Kobo Aura2 - $169
Possibility of a Kobo GloHD - $189(Myers has it listed but not all stores have any in stock)

Kindle paperwhite - $169

A bit about my priorities and reading habits;

Works out of the box preferred - I don't like having to play around with firmware, add features, download apps etc just to get the thing to be usable.

The Kobo devices will update to the latest available firmware during the setup process.

Dependability - no buggy firmware, no freezing up, no resets preferred.
Quickest page turns I can get - the PRS-T1 was always a bit slow for my liking but I got used to it. If I'm buying new hardware I might as well get as quick as I can.

That probably means the Kindle or using kepubs on the Kobo. But, personally the page turn for epubs on my Kobos is about the amount of time it takes to move my eyes from the bottom right of the screen to the top left.

Ability to adjust font size, type, etc.

Kobos win here. But the Kindle has multiple fonts and sizes, so they are probably OK.

Easy to use dictionary.

For the Kobos, long press on a word and the definition pops up. Pretty sure that the Kindle works the same. But, it is accepted that the Kindles have a much better dictionary than the Kobos.

Solid build quality - I'm careful with my device but I don't want to have to wear cotton gloves and pack it in cotton wool when not in use.

All my Kobos are in one piece and I don't treat them with kid-gloves. I have no complaints on the build quality of any of them.

Would like to get a quality protective cover for whichever one I buy, preferably not exorbitantly expensive.
I put 5-10 books on the reader at one time, read one and move on to the next. Don't do collections, groups etc. I usually delete the books off the device once read.
I don't use the cloud, I plug into the computer and load up books by using Calibre to "send to device". I have a wireless router and could use that but wireless is not hugely important to me and I'd probably prefer the way I'm used to.
My book collection is in epub format. I'm unlikely to read any of my current books again but could easily use Calibre to occasionally change the format of a book if need be.

Doing a conversion during the send is so simple, that it doesn't really matter about the format and the device.

The price of any of them is not a worry but obviously the Glo is cheapest and that would be nice. I'd be having a good look at it to see what sort of condition it is in prior to purchase. Is there any obvious reason not to buy it if it's in good condition?

The only thing I can think of is the battery. They haven't made Glos for close to two years. That means the battery is at least two years old.

Of the others;

I realise the Aura2 has a lower resolution than GloHD and PW, however I've found the 167ppi on the PRS-T1 fine so I imagine the Aura's 212 would be even better and perfectly fine for me. Of course more ppi is better though. ;-)
I've read that the light on the Aura is better than the one on the GloHD but maybe not as good as the PW.

I would have said the Glo HD had the better light than the PW. I haven't seen enough comments on the Aura Edition 2 to comment.

I've read that the build quality of the GloHD may not be as good as the Aura.
I've read that the firmware on the GloHD has had problems and that the Aura2 is less buggy.

Kobo uses the same firmware on ALL of their recent ereaders. But, they haven't released the latest version to the Glo HD, only the two newest devices. They should be doing this soon. I have used all these firmware versions, and for general reading, they are the same. There were some problems with the newer firmware, but, for you usage, you probably wouldn't have seen them. These problems have been fixed and an update should be out soon.

I've heard the Kobo doesn't really support epub but only Kepub so maybe no real benefit over the Kindle in terms of format anyway.

Please go back and tell whoever said that that they don't know what they are talking about. Kobo do full support of epub and they are using a much newer version of the Adobe RMSDK than your Sony is using. They have added features (image zoom, footnote popups) for their kepub renderer, but unless you use these, you won't notice them. You can use plugins in calibre to send the books as kepubs.

I've read that the Kobo's in general are pretty slow with regards to page turns, opening books, etc but have no idea if that is simply an e-ink thing and if the PW is any faster.

If I had to rank them right now it'd be like this.....
1: Kobo Glo (cheapest and does what I need it to do)
2: Kobo Aura2 (due to reports of better light, better build quality, better firmware than GloHD and possibly better format support than the PW)
3: Kindle PW (due to Amazon proprietary formats, would happily move it up the list if the whole Kepub Vs epub thing means the Kobo is no better and if page turns are noticeably quicker than the Kobo's)
4: Kobo GloHD (Unless negative reports I've read have been greatly exaggerated and assuming I can find one in stock)

So, what's the consensus? Which would you all buy?

If I lost my Glo HD, I would rush out to find another.

I was very happy with my Glo. I still works, but the light doesn't. When I do pick it up, the screen is not as clear as the Glo HD, or the Aura H2O (you don't mention this, 6.8" waterproof). I wouldn't buy one now.

The Aura Edition 2 should have a better screen than the Glo. I've had a quick look at it, and it is nice, but I prefer the higher resolution.

I haven't used a Kindle of any sort outside a quick test in a shop, so I can't comment on the PW.