Quote:
Originally Posted by tomsem
I’m not sure it is any better on a Kobo eReader, even with OverDrive integration built in (both owned by Rakuten of course). I don’t have one and the details in the User Guide are minimal. Once you configure Overdrive/library credentials, it looks like you have to visit Kobo Store and browse and check books there to see if they can be borrowed: no way to browse the library’s collection directly. Then after it downloads, you can filter library view to see what you have borrowed. Does not seem you can even return books from the eReader, they just expire and vanish. Also not clear if you can borrow using web/Libby/Overdrive and pick it up on your Kobo eReader (or Kobo apps) wirelessly; there’s no mention of it so I assume not. So from the little I can glean it seems an inferior user experience, maybe not even as good as the Sony had (if I remember you could browse library collection directly). But I would be curious to hear from someone who has first hand experience with it.
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You've made two incorrect assumptions in regard to borrowing from OverDrive with Kobo. You can borrow an ebook via any portal and it will push to your device the next things it syncs and you can return a book directly from the device (and even if you borrowed it elsewhere).
I'm not fussed about checking availability in the Kobo store before I borrow a book. If it turns out it's not available through Kobo, I'll just sideload it; it hasn't happened yet anyway. And it can be very handy to look for a book on my device and see that the options include borrowing! Once OD allowed borrowing for Kindle in the US I'd say they had the edge because you didn't have to tether your ereader to get your book, but Kobo now has the lead in making another device for the actual borrowing unnecessary.