MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Today's Posts Search

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?
Reload this Page Kobo Touch or Sony T1 or another reader?

Notices

Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 11-02-2011, 08:12 AM   #1
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
Kobo Touch or Sony T1 or another reader?
I will be buying a new Ereader within the next couple of weeks and I would be grateful for any advice. My partner already has a Kindle, which gives us access to all Kindle books and I have an Android Tablet PC with 7” screen and use it partly as an Ereader but of course it is much heavier than the Sony PRS-T1 or the Kobo Touch, which are the Ereaders which have interested me most so far. But which one would you advise me to choose?

These are: my bottom-line requirements:
It should be around 200g or less in weight with an e-ink 6” touch screen.
It needs to be relatively idiot-proof, reliable and easy to use.
I want to be able to download Ebooks I already own onto it. I have bought ebooks from both Amazon and Kobo and have a fair number of freebees.

I am British but live in Spain. Amazon only allow me to buy ebooks from the USA but I also want to be able to buy from the UK. The Kobo allows me to do this without any problem. I imagine the Sony T1 would too? I will be in the UK in December and will probably buy the Ereader there – this seems the cheapest option at the moment and also seems to help to ensure that I can download British as well as American books.

Thanks for your help.
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2011, 09:21 AM   #2
Tony1988
Guru
Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tony1988 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 718
Karma: 4033862
Join Date: Jun 2011
Device: sony prs-350
Either are fine choices. The amazon purchases will have to be stripped of their drm's before you can use them on either device. Having played with both devices I like the look and feel of the kobo better. If the t1 had a matte finish they would both be about equal. Both are really easy to use. So I think its just going to come down to personal preference between those two. Now their are other choices of course. The pocketbooks look nice and have tons of options (more than any other reader I have seen so far) but still use vizplex screens which bothers some.
Tony1988 is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 11-02-2011, 12:08 PM   #3
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
Thanks for that, Tony. I haven't seen the Kobo or the T1 "in the flesh", so your impressions are helpful. The pocketbooks do look nice but are a bit heavier and I don't really need the extra options, as I already have an Archos 70 tablet with 250 Gigs on board. But it weighs twice as much as the T1. Muchas gracias.
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 02:47 AM   #4
SmokeAndMirrors
Addict
SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 280
Karma: 2064388
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MN, US
Device: Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Pad Slider
I own a Kobo Touch and I love it. It is very simple to use and quite light. According to the Wiki article, it's 184g. It's very compact, which is a benefit of a touch screen - the bezel doesn't have to be as big. I like the feel of the finish as well.

The other nice thing about the Kobo is that it's more "open" than other readers, and it also has frequent firmware updates that add more features.

I also like that it tracks my reading - how many hours, pages, etc. For some reason I just find that a fun feature. It has wifi and a basic browser, but obviously the internet experience on an e-ink screen is so-so. Still, if you need it, it's there.

As far as your Kindle books, well, I've got bad news for you: Neither the Kobo or the Sony will read Kindle books, unless you convert them to Epub format. Neither will any other ereader. Kindle uses a proprietary format to prevent people from buying other devices.

The good news is that you can save your Kindle books. Calibre is a computer e-library program that can convert books from one format to another. You can download it here: http://calibre-ebook.com/

However, it is likely that many of your Kindle books are DRM'ed, and this will prevent you from converting them. Google "apprentice alf." That's all I can tell you on the forums, but it will help you out with that.

...And all this trouble you'll have to go to in order to save your Kindle books is exactly why proprietary formats are bad. Your Kobo books will be readable on the Kobo (obviously) or the Sony, because they are the universal Epub format.
Last edited by SmokeAndMirrors; 11-03-2011 at 02:56 AM.
SmokeAndMirrors is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 04:47 AM   #5
gari189
Connoisseur
gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.
 
Posts: 57
Karma: 7758
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: UK
Device: Elonex 621eb, PRS-T1, HP Touchpad
Ultimate test is to look at both and see which one you prefer. I was 90% convinced I would buy the Kobo but when I saw them, it just had no appeal and when I looked at the Sony, I really liked the finish and the look......
The good news is that the Kobo is readily available in WH Smith stores but only the larger ones have them on display. The Sony shops have working display models of the PRS-T1 so availability shouldn't be a problem.
gari189 is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 11-03-2011, 06:51 AM   #6
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
I agree that the Kindle is a pain but Amazon has more ebooks than any other online shop and for me, living in Spain with practically no English bookshops, the more ebooks I have access to the better. For the same reason I will make sure that the ereader I buy this time will NOT be a Kindle.
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 06:58 AM   #7
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
Quote:
Originally Posted by gari189 View Post
Ultimate test is to look at both and see which one you prefer. I was 90% convinced I would buy the Kobo but when I saw them, it just had no appeal and when I looked at the Sony, I really liked the finish and the look......
That suggests that I have to wait until I am in the UK before I can decide which to buy. I agree that it's best to see them and handle them first but could you explain what it was that put you off the Kobo?
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 09:07 AM   #8
gari189
Connoisseur
gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.
 
Posts: 57
Karma: 7758
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: UK
Device: Elonex 621eb, PRS-T1, HP Touchpad
It was mostly a gut feeling based on its appearance rather than functionality. I'd read Sony was more responsive and the Kobo did seem a bit laggy but this may be because the firmware on the Kobo demo units in WH Simth are probably out of date.

Before viewing my main concern with the sony was that the buttons would prevent you holding it by finger/thumb at the bottom left/right corner (but there's plenty of room). I knew the Sony had the advantage of the overdrive app for borrowing from UK public libraries (and it works great) has audio, then there is the Sony branding and appearance wise I thought it looked a sleeker product.

BUT the Sony Europe support site has little material or help documents available, their quick start guide is pretty useless, the UK Sony store has still to open so all in all it feels a bit like the hardware was ready before anything else.
gari189 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 01:24 PM   #9
SmokeAndMirrors
Addict
SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 280
Karma: 2064388
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MN, US
Device: Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Pad Slider
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertolt View Post
I agree that the Kindle is a pain but Amazon has more ebooks than any other online shop and for me, living in Spain with practically no English bookshops, the more ebooks I have access to the better. For the same reason I will make sure that the ereader I buy this time will NOT be a Kindle.
I hear ya. And ya know, if you're going to save your Kindle books via the method I suggested above, it's really easy once you set it up. Calibre has one-click conversion, so that's easy. But the set-up to remove DRM if you need to do that first is a little tedious. Still, once it's set up, you never have to think about it again.

I don't buy from Kindle because I don't want to support them, but if there's a free book on Amazon I want, I'll download and convert it. Takes 2 seconds.

As Gari said, it's ideal if you can go see them yourself. If you can't, for whatever it's worth, my Kobo is pretty snappy with the 1.9.11 firmware (which is the 2nd most recent update). I don't know whether it's faster than the Sony, but I have no complaints.

Aesthetically, the Kobo has love 'em or hate 'em looks for sure. I sort of like its double personality - slick tech from the front, quaintness from the back.
SmokeAndMirrors is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2011, 01:46 PM   #10
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokeAndMirrors View Post
I hear ya. And ya know, if you're going to save your Kindle books via the method I suggested above, it's really easy once you set it up. Calibre has one-click conversion, so that's easy. But the set-up to remove DRM if you need to do that first is a little tedious. Still, once it's set up, you never have to think about it again.

I don't buy from Kindle because I don't want to support them, but if there's a free book on Amazon I want, I'll download and convert it. Takes 2 seconds.
I already use Calibre on my laptop, so am used to that. As you say, removing DRM may be a steeper learning curve. I too hate Kindle and hate the way they try to manipulate/force us to use their products but I practically have to use Amazon because I don't live in an English speaking country. What really bugs me is that I can buy paper books from the UK on Amazon but not ebooks and also the fact that ebooks are often/normally dearer. None of that makes any sense from an environmental point of view but I suppose it makes good sense to a died-in-the-wool capitalist.
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2011, 04:57 AM   #11
mrklaw
Member
mrklaw began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 13
Karma: 10
Join Date: Nov 2009
Device: none
You'll really need to take a look when you're over here. But I had a play with the Sony T1 a couple of weeks ago and it feels great. amazingly light and slim, makes my kindle 3 look like a right lump. I even didn't mind the swipe to turn pages (but will probably use the buttons)

My main reason for wanting it is borrowing from my local library (might be worth checking if you have family in the UK whether you can do that too, don't know if overdrive geo-lock, might just need a valid UK library card), but I have a bunch of kindle purchases and so going multi-platform is a concern.

Does the Kobo support library books, but only via USB syncing with a computer?

I gather I can strip the DRM of kindle and/or epub but is one easier than the other? I'd like to tend towards one main store and then convert for the other device.
mrklaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2011, 06:24 PM   #12
SmokeAndMirrors
Addict
SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SmokeAndMirrors ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 280
Karma: 2064388
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MN, US
Device: Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Pad Slider
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrklaw View Post
You'll really need to take a look when you're over here. But I had a play with the Sony T1 a couple of weeks ago and it feels great. amazingly light and slim, makes my kindle 3 look like a right lump. I even didn't mind the swipe to turn pages (but will probably use the buttons)

My main reason for wanting it is borrowing from my local library (might be worth checking if you have family in the UK whether you can do that too, don't know if overdrive geo-lock, might just need a valid UK library card), but I have a bunch of kindle purchases and so going multi-platform is a concern.

Does the Kobo support library books, but only via USB syncing with a computer?

I gather I can strip the DRM of kindle and/or epub but is one easier than the other? I'd like to tend towards one main store and then convert for the other device.
Kobo is supported at my library. All Epub-readers are. I use Calibre as my desktop program, so I always plug it in to sync and I can't comment on the Kobo Desktop program. Epub is supported by most digital libraries around the world. And there's nothing unusual about the types of files Kobo reads, so you can pretty much assume that any library that supports Epub format supports Kobo. Same goes for Sony, obviously.

Maybe this is just my paranoia, but I prefer to strip Kindle books simply because I know for sure whether it's worked once I convert the file. Since I can't "see" the stripping process, I like to do something to make sure. Epub isn't necessarily more difficult though.
Last edited by SmokeAndMirrors; 11-04-2011 at 06:36 PM.
SmokeAndMirrors is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2011, 04:07 AM   #13
Bertolt
Connoisseur
Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.Bertolt once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 1812
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Spain
Device: Kindle K4, Kobo mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab
I'm leaning towards the Kobo at the moment but will go to Marbella during the week to see the T1 in Fnac (a large book shop). The Kobo doesn't seem to be available here in Spain at the moment. I shall buy whatever I buy in the UK, because the T1 is much cheaper there. Thanks for everyone's input.
Bertolt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2011, 05:00 AM   #14
gari189
Connoisseur
gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.gari189 knows the square root of minus one.
 
Posts: 57
Karma: 7758
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: UK
Device: Elonex 621eb, PRS-T1, HP Touchpad
Kobo sell their ereaders through FNAC. May only apply to French stores though........
http://blog.kobobooks.com/kobo-partn...ore-in-France/
gari189 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2011, 07:46 AM   #15
paola
Wizard
paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.paola ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
paola's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,840
Karma: 5843878
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: UK
Device: Pocketbook Pro 903, (beloved Pocketbook 360 RIP), Kobo Mini, Kobo Aura
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertolt View Post
I'm leaning towards the Kobo at the moment but will go to Marbella during the week to see the T1 in Fnac (a large book shop). The Kobo doesn't seem to be available here in Spain at the moment. I shall buy whatever I buy in the UK, because the T1 is much cheaper there. Thanks for everyone's input.
sitting in Gatwick, I've just seen the Kobos in WHSmith - maybe there was also a Sony sitting there, I can't remember, but if I get a chance I'll double check (Dixon's only had the Kindles). I am sure that if Gatwick have them on display, you'll find them in Heathrow too.
paola is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Kobo Touch vs. Sony PRS-T1; advice appreciated! LuvReadin Which one should I buy? 36 02-02-2012 12:39 AM
kobo e-reader touch gr941 Kobo Reader 2 07-08-2011 05:17 PM
Kobo touch or Eco-reader or Kindle? dorkmania Which one should I buy? 3 07-07-2011 11:23 AM
Will Kobo, Nook and Amazon Touch kill Sony? advocate2 Sony Reader 140 06-26-2011 04:03 PM
Kindle 3, Nook Simple Touch, Kobo Touch and Libra Pro Touch jbcohen Which one should I buy? 4 06-18-2011 07:58 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:34 AM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.