Touch Web Browser and Textbook Websites

jhsilva-cc · 08-04-2011, 03:26 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm a college student in Canada and have heard great things on the Kobo Touch and its web browser. I haven't owned an eReader before, but have been reading up on them and am looking at purchasing one.

I know that most textbooks that are required for my classes are not offered as eReader downloads, but a lot of the publishers offer eTexts and eResources as an additional/alternative option accessible through their website. As I'm in an Accounting degree program, the majority of my textbooks are expensive and quite heavy.

So my question is, how does the Kobo Touch perform while navigating a web site like: http://www.myaccountinglab.com or http://www.mcgrawhillistudy.ca

Would someone who has a Kobo Touch be able to explore these websites? (ie. the ability to select from the dropdown menus, click links, etc.)

I have done some searches and haven't been able to find anything conclusive.

molman · 08-04-2011, 03:49 AM

@jhsilva-cc: I would choose a Tablet (iPad/Android etc..) or an Ultra-light notebook (laptop) or even a larger screen Netbook over a Kobo for your scenario. The web browser (on the Kobo) is 'ok', but it is limited. A lot of those textbook eResources (at least ones I've used in past) also can contain flash examples etc. which the Kobo browser does not support.

The other thing is that computers (notebook/laptop) and Tablets tend to handle .PDFs better than the current eInk eReaders. They are just faster and more flexible. I know for texts I used in the past they would often contain extra content as .PDFs.

One potential option if you are a tinker or on a budget could be the Color Nook which can be hacked/flashed with standard Android to be a general purpose Tablet. I can't speak to this directly as I don't have said device, nor have see said hack performed directly, but it seems to have gained some repute for being an interesting tablet option.

AlbertaCowboy · 08-04-2011, 02:21 PM

I would have to (regretfully) agree that a tablet would probably be the best option to replace a textbook.

Also keep in mind that the Nook Colour is not available in Canada, although I'm sure you could have it routed up here somehow.

PeterT · 08-04-2011, 02:46 PM

Surely there is more to these web sites than simple HTML. From trying the sample at MyAccounting labs, I see it uses Flash. I doubt Flash support is available for the Touch, and also, I don't believe Flash is supported by Apple on any of their IOS based devices.

jhsilva-cc · 08-04-2011, 04:10 PM

I would not be using the eReader exclusively for these eResources (as I'll be accessing these mostly from home), I would just like a workable way of accessing the eTexts that are only accessible via web browser to save me from having to lug the heavy textbooks (sometimes 3 at a time) to class with me. I also like the functionality of having the book separate from where I'm taking notes (be that either my laptop or loose-leaf binder).

The main function of the eReader would be to replace my overcrowding bookshelf and for borrowing books from my local library (which uses Adobe Digital Editions), the ability to access these eTexts is something extra that's worth exploring for me and some of my friends in the program.

The Nook Color (the spelling of colour throws me off, lol) seems like an interesting option as it has more functionality and is priced reasonably closer to the Kobo than a full tablet (even unrooted, with the latest update supporting flash 10.1) but I'll have to do more research on this option as I live in Canada and don't have any U.S. connections. I've seen youtube videos of its web browser and viewing pdf, word, excel, and ppt files fairly well but won't be able to try any of the features hands on unless I buy one.

I need to mull over this a little more.

08-04-2011, 03:26 AM	#1
jhsilva-cc Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: none	Web Browser and Textbook Websites Hi everyone, I'm a college student in Canada and have heard great things on the Kobo Touch and its web browser. I haven't owned an eReader before, but have been reading up on them and am looking at purchasing one. I know that most textbooks that are required for my classes are not offered as eReader downloads, but a lot of the publishers offer eTexts and eResources as an additional/alternative option accessible through their website. As I'm in an Accounting degree program, the majority of my textbooks are expensive and quite heavy. So my question is, how does the Kobo Touch perform while navigating a web site like: http://www.myaccountinglab.com or http://www.mcgrawhillistudy.ca Would someone who has a Kobo Touch be able to explore these websites? (ie. the ability to select from the dropdown menus, click links, etc.) I have done some searches and haven't been able to find anything conclusive.

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08-04-2011, 03:49 AM	#2
molman Evangelist Posts: 436 Karma: 538958 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	@jhsilva-cc: I would choose a Tablet (iPad/Android etc..) or an Ultra-light notebook (laptop) or even a larger screen Netbook over a Kobo for your scenario. The web browser (on the Kobo) is 'ok', but it is limited. A lot of those textbook eResources (at least ones I've used in past) also can contain flash examples etc. which the Kobo browser does not support. The other thing is that computers (notebook/laptop) and Tablets tend to handle .PDFs better than the current eInk eReaders. They are just faster and more flexible. I know for texts I used in the past they would often contain extra content as .PDFs. One potential option if you are a tinker or on a budget could be the Color Nook which can be hacked/flashed with standard Android to be a general purpose Tablet. I can't speak to this directly as I don't have said device, nor have see said hack performed directly, but it seems to have gained some repute for being an interesting tablet option.

08-04-2011, 02:21 PM	#3
AlbertaCowboy Guru Posts: 819 Karma: 171672846 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: PRS-350, PRS-650, iPhone 6, NVIDIA Shield K1	I would have to (regretfully) agree that a tablet would probably be the best option to replace a textbook. Also keep in mind that the Nook Colour is not available in Canada, although I'm sure you could have it routed up here somehow.

08-04-2011, 02:46 PM	#4
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,477 Karma: 78910112 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Surely there is more to these web sites than simple HTML. From trying the sample at MyAccounting labs, I see it uses Flash. I doubt Flash support is available for the Touch, and also, I don't believe Flash is supported by Apple on any of their IOS based devices.

08-04-2011, 04:10 PM	#5
jhsilva-cc Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: none	I would not be using the eReader exclusively for these eResources (as I'll be accessing these mostly from home), I would just like a workable way of accessing the eTexts that are only accessible via web browser to save me from having to lug the heavy textbooks (sometimes 3 at a time) to class with me. I also like the functionality of having the book separate from where I'm taking notes (be that either my laptop or loose-leaf binder). The main function of the eReader would be to replace my overcrowding bookshelf and for borrowing books from my local library (which uses Adobe Digital Editions), the ability to access these eTexts is something extra that's worth exploring for me and some of my friends in the program. The Nook Color (the spelling of colour throws me off, lol) seems like an interesting option as it has more functionality and is priced reasonably closer to the Kobo than a full tablet (even unrooted, with the latest update supporting flash 10.1) but I'll have to do more research on this option as I live in Canada and don't have any U.S. connections. I've seen youtube videos of its web browser and viewing pdf, word, excel, and ppt files fairly well but won't be able to try any of the features hands on unless I buy one. I need to mull over this a little more.

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