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Originally Posted by mtreader
Could you specify what you prefer about Kobo software/operation vs Inkpad 3?
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I like a couple of things better on the Kobo than on the Inkpad 3. I've had an Inkpad 3/Inkpad 3Pro between the end of October and last Friday. I thought I liked the form factor of a 7.8 inch device better than the Kobo Forma. in the end there were just some (probably minor for almost everyone else) things that made me go back to a Kobo and those are mostly software related.
Pocketbook has some very nice software features. It is highly costumizable, the library can be fine tuned to the t and the screen is a beauty! Lights are even but they are considerably dimmer (30%) than on Kobos and only half as bright as on an Oasis. They do contain the brightness so they can claim a longer battery life.
This was the first thing that drove me nuts. I thought I would get used to it in time, but I kept swiping up the screen in futile attempts to make it brighter. You see, I do read with the lights turned up to the max during the day. Most people don't do that so the maximum brightness might not be important for them but it is for me. I asked Pocketbooks help desk if there was some patch for me to crank it up but was told the brightness would be perfect as it is. Well, I like to be the judge of what is perfect for me, so I was a bit miffed by their answer.
Kobos can be patched. Not everything is possible, but there are a couple of very nice people around here that do write patches for us. Furthermore there are some of Kobo beta testers on the forums so word/wishes get back to Kobo, which is nice. They won't do everything we would like to have, but they seem to listen and consider stuff. At least this is the impression I got over the years. So Pocketbooks self-righteous answer didn't sit well with me.
The second thing was that I like to read the first two or so pages of a book to see if I wanna read it next. I read the synopsis and when I think this could be nice, I read the first page. This way I open up a couple of books that then are on the front page as marked "reading right now". On a Kobo is an option to set a book as "unread" so it isn't listed as "reading right now" anymore. When I asked a Pocketbook official that is very active in a German forum and answers stuff, if there was something similar I could do to set my books back to "unread" other than deleting them and reinstalling on the Pocketbook, I was told it was a Pocketbook and no Kobo. No suggestion how to achieve this in another way or anything, he was royally put off by my question and let me know in no uncertain terms.
The third thing was of more importance, at least for me. There is no possibilty to change the contrast. With Kobo you can just darken the font by changing the contrast. You can't with a Pocketbook.
Fourth they don't have justified text. You can make Calibre do it for you by converting epub to epub, but you have to make this with every book you send to your device. Which is a major bummer as I get all my books from the library. Although I know how to strip the DRM, it doesn't sit well with me to do this with library books.
Pocketbook software lets you sort your library in a gazillion ways, which is good if you read fanfic or something like this (I don't, Kobos sorting options are more than adequate for my needs), there are games on a Pocketbook, a calender, even a calculator but a basic stuff to enhance the reading experience - nada!
I don't need a calculator or a calendar on my ereader, I want my text to be justified, and dark on a brightly lit screen. So when I realized I won't get used to these things I got rid of the Pocketbook and bought a Kobo again.
If you don't need a screechingly bright screen, don't read justifyed and have an extensive library that needs to be managed in impossible ways the Pocketbook is a joy!