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mgmueller · 12-29-2012, 02:06 PM

Got mine yesterday.
Now I've got all the "specialised" tablets I had lusted for:
Nook HD and HD+, Kindle Fire HD (7" and 8.9") and Kobo Arc. Plus Nexus 7 as the probably widest spread direct competitor. And iPad mini as some "exotic" deviation.

More later on.

In brief:
I like Nook HD+ and Kindle Fire HD 8.9" a lot.
But if I had to choose a sole unit, I'd opt for a 7" tablet.
Especially for prolonged reading sessions > 2 hours, I find bigger tablets uncomfortable to hold.

To briefly differentiate Kindle Fire HD 7", Nook HD, Kobo Arc and Google Nexus 7:

Nook HD probably has the best display, obviously the highest resolution.
The difference isn't massive, but easily visible.
In my opinion, the build quality of the housing/frame is sub-par and not acceptable in comparison to the others.

Kindle Fire HD has the most modifications of the stock Android. To me, it's not so much a tablet but more of a media consumption platform for content from Amazon. As such, I find it brilliant.

Google Nexus 7" probably has the best chances of all Android tablets, to be first in line for all updates. The updates from 4.0.x to 4.2.x aren't huge, but still significant enough.

Kobo Arc is the only "specialized" tablet, that's entirely open. It's stock Android with only minor modifications. Even the Kobo app seems to be 100% identical to the "standard" one.
Kobo doesn't limit to their own book store, you can install all the others (Kindle, Nook, Sony, ...) as well. Quite surprising...

12-29-2012, 02:06 PM	#1258
mgmueller Member Retired Posts: 3,308 Karma: 13024950 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Augsburg (near Munich), Germany Device: 26 Readers, 44 Tablets	Kobo Arc Got mine yesterday. Now I've got all the "specialised" tablets I had lusted for: Nook HD and HD+, Kindle Fire HD (7" and 8.9") and Kobo Arc. Plus Nexus 7 as the probably widest spread direct competitor. And iPad mini as some "exotic" deviation. More later on. In brief: I like Nook HD+ and Kindle Fire HD 8.9" a lot. But if I had to choose a sole unit, I'd opt for a 7" tablet. Especially for prolonged reading sessions > 2 hours, I find bigger tablets uncomfortable to hold. To briefly differentiate Kindle Fire HD 7", Nook HD, Kobo Arc and Google Nexus 7: Nook HD probably has the best display, obviously the highest resolution. The difference isn't massive, but easily visible. In my opinion, the build quality of the housing/frame is sub-par and not acceptable in comparison to the others. Kindle Fire HD has the most modifications of the stock Android. To me, it's not so much a tablet but more of a media consumption platform for content from Amazon. As such, I find it brilliant. Google Nexus 7" probably has the best chances of all Android tablets, to be first in line for all updates. The updates from 4.0.x to 4.2.x aren't huge, but still significant enough. Kobo Arc is the only "specialized" tablet, that's entirely open. It's stock Android with only minor modifications. Even the Kobo app seems to be 100% identical to the "standard" one. Kobo doesn't limit to their own book store, you can install all the others (Kindle, Nook, Sony, ...) as well. Quite surprising... Last edited by mgmueller; 12-29-2012 at 02:08 PM.