What do you like best about your Kobo

jbcohen · 12-06-2010, 08:52 AM

My friends at home are constantly asking me what is the best reader for me so I have been out on these forums gathering info on which reader is best for what sort of person. Personally I have nothing against the Kobo, would consider buying one if the price would drop another $20. My opinion is that there is no best reader for everyone and what is best depends on what you want. What are the best features of a Kobo? What sort of person is the Kobo the best reader for?

Psyke · 12-06-2010, 09:04 AM

The two things would be the simplicity of the device (it's an e-reader with minimal buttons, and nothing else), and the fact that it does library books.

After evaluating it for the last couple of months, I just went and picked up my wife's and daughter's for their christmas gifts. Charged them up and synced with my account, deleted books not appropriated for the little one, put them in their book covers and wrapped them up.

Pookeysgirl · 12-06-2010, 09:12 AM

I've found that the best part of it for me is simplicity. I can read my books and that's all I bought it for. It's easy to use, to get books on it, and you have 3 different programs to get it on there with. I would highly recommend using calibre though to manage your ebooks (it's the easiest route and a fantastic program all around). The desktop app still isn't that great.

It's my first reader and I think it was a good choice. I'm finding my needs have changed a bit now, but I still like my kobo and plan on having it for a while still.

dmacmart · 12-06-2010, 10:55 AM

Another vote for library books, plus it's easy to use & lightweight.

3d0g · 12-06-2010, 11:59 AM

For me, the big kobo wins are great EPUB support, library e-loans, and it's OS agnostic. Don't even need an app to load non-DRMed books. Just copy like a USB drive. I also very much like the blue button. One-handed operation leaving the other free for beer.

La Coccinelle · 12-06-2010, 02:56 PM

I like that it can read EPUBs, so I can read library books and galleys and bought titles without having to mess around with converting the files. I also like that my selection of reading material is not limited like it would be with the Kindle because of where I live (I ultimately decided to go with the Kobo when I realized that quite a few of the Kindle books I wanted would not be sold to me because I'm in Canada).

sabredog · 12-06-2010, 07:54 PM

It is a simple no frills device that allows me to read books. It does that very well indeed.

There is no "extra features" to distract me either

feedbakbwr · 12-07-2010, 07:40 PM

I second the easy to use and lightweight.

EDinNB · 12-07-2010, 10:24 PM

I wanted an ereader, i didn't want a tablet computer/phone and with the kindle book restrictons, the kobo was the appropiate choice for me.. The 1 handed operation and button placement to minimize mistakes is a plus for me, calus there is usually a beer in the other hand too.

EDinNB

amo · 12-08-2010, 12:33 PM

Physical feel- I like the "quilted" back cover and somehow soft feel of the surface (not metallic). Looks good- I've got the WiFi Silver, it's classy. No unnecessary buttons that could get pushed accidentally (such as a keyboard along the bottom, or a touch screen). Lightweight. Clear, crisp screen image.
And functionality- that's the biggest. Library books, free epubs, etc.

pokee · 12-08-2010, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psyke

The two things would be the simplicity of the device (it's an e-reader with minimal buttons, and nothing else), and the fact that it does library books.

After evaluating it for the last couple of months, I just went and picked up my wife's and daughter's for their christmas gifts. Charged them up and synced with my account, deleted books not appropriated for the little one, put them in their book covers and wrapped them up.

This is EXACTLY what I love about my Kobo.

1. Simple
2. Supports library books

Those people looking for a 'gadget' should really just buy an iPad and get it over with...

sabredog · 12-08-2010, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokee

Those people looking for a 'gadget' should really just buy an iPad and get it over with...

There is that

A while back I wrote about a moment of time when using a smartphone. (this could equally apply to any sort of "feature rich" ereader, sans mobile phone call.

A smartphone moment in time today....

Dragged out my Omnia for a bit of reading whilst waiting for the train home.

Fire up Mobipocket and get stuck into a Edgar Rice Burroughs omnibus gained free from Mobileread.

Five minutes of reading....enjoyable....

Minute 6 - SMS
Minute 7 - appointment reminder
Minute 11 - email notification pop-up
Minute 14 - incoming phone call from lady wife...

Now if I had one of my readers, I would STILL enjoying uninterrupted reading and not dismissing distracting pop-ups and pushing the answer call button (well I would have got the phone out for that call!)

unsonia · 12-08-2010, 07:10 PM

Very easy to use, lightweight and big plus doesn't tire my eyes.

amo · 12-08-2010, 07:12 PM

I wonder if there's a certain e-reader demographic.
Most of us here seem to like both the simplicity of the kobo, and the library books. We're sort of the bare-bones e-readers types- we just want to read, and preferably for free. We probably frequent paper-book libraries in real life, too, vs. buying copies to keep, or we buy books for cheap from second-hand bookstores (I know I do).
But I bet there's the high-tech e-reader types who are eager to snap up the latest hot-off-the-press ebooks from Amazon, and the more bells & whistles they have on their e-readers, the better. Different strokes for different folks.

Maybe a really tech-savvy MR person could build a questionnaire that matches you up with the perfect e-reader, based on your preferences in other areas of life... (perhaps there's a correlation between your favourite hot drink and your preferred e-reader?).

EDinNB · 12-08-2010, 11:41 PM

I am a gadget freak..
I have a blackberry, a desk top computer, a laptop computer with a turbo stick so I can connect anywhere. I also have an mp3 player, a sirius satellite radio and a Garmin GPS. We also have Satellite TV and I used to Run an FTA reciever as well. So you see I love my e toys however other than the blackberry which is just a pocket sized computer all my mobile toys are single use items.. that is why I like my Kobo it does exactly what I want without causing me to deal with myltitasking on it.

I do not need the newest and greatest toys out there... there are no Apple products in my inventory.. I want simple and usefull, nothing more...

EDinNB

12-06-2010, 08:52 AM	#1
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,030 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	What do you like best about your Kobo My friends at home are constantly asking me what is the best reader for me so I have been out on these forums gathering info on which reader is best for what sort of person. Personally I have nothing against the Kobo, would consider buying one if the price would drop another $20. My opinion is that there is no best reader for everyone and what is best depends on what you want. What are the best features of a Kobo? What sort of person is the Kobo the best reader for? Last edited by Dr. Drib; 03-10-2011 at 05:38 PM. Reason: Typo corrected in the Title - Moderator

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12-06-2010, 09:04 AM	#2
Psyke Evangelist Posts: 482 Karma: 534340 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Ottawa/Canada Device: Kobo Wi-Fi - Kobo Touch - GNex - N7	The two things would be the simplicity of the device (it's an e-reader with minimal buttons, and nothing else), and the fact that it does library books. After evaluating it for the last couple of months, I just went and picked up my wife's and daughter's for their christmas gifts. Charged them up and synced with my account, deleted books not appropriated for the little one, put them in their book covers and wrapped them up.

12-06-2010, 09:12 AM	#3
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	I've found that the best part of it for me is simplicity. I can read my books and that's all I bought it for. It's easy to use, to get books on it, and you have 3 different programs to get it on there with. I would highly recommend using calibre though to manage your ebooks (it's the easiest route and a fantastic program all around). The desktop app still isn't that great. It's my first reader and I think it was a good choice. I'm finding my needs have changed a bit now, but I still like my kobo and plan on having it for a while still.

12-06-2010, 10:55 AM	#4
dmacmart Fanatic Posts: 534 Karma: 696908 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch	Another vote for library books, plus it's easy to use & lightweight.

12-06-2010, 11:59 AM	#5
3d0g I make fjords. Posts: 304 Karma: 11192 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Colorado Device: kobo 1 (retired), kobo 2, iPad, G2, Galaxy Tab 7+	For me, the big kobo wins are great EPUB support, library e-loans, and it's OS agnostic. Don't even need an app to load non-DRMed books. Just copy like a USB drive. I also very much like the blue button. One-handed operation leaving the other free for beer.

12-06-2010, 02:56 PM	#6
La Coccinelle Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 432 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo (original)	I like that it can read EPUBs, so I can read library books and galleys and bought titles without having to mess around with converting the files. I also like that my selection of reading material is not limited like it would be with the Kindle because of where I live (I ultimately decided to go with the Kobo when I realized that quite a few of the Kindle books I wanted would not be sold to me because I'm in Canada).

12-06-2010, 07:54 PM	#7
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	It is a simple no frills device that allows me to read books. It does that very well indeed. There is no "extra features" to distract me either

12-07-2010, 07:40 PM	#8
feedbakbwr Redwood Original Posts: 59 Karma: 93478 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Kingston, Ontario Device: Kobo, Kobo Wifi, Kobo Touch	I second the easy to use and lightweight.

12-07-2010, 10:24 PM	#9
EDinNB Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 208 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kobo	I wanted an ereader, i didn't want a tablet computer/phone and with the kindle book restrictons, the kobo was the appropiate choice for me.. The 1 handed operation and button placement to minimize mistakes is a plus for me, calus there is usually a beer in the other hand too. EDinNB

12-08-2010, 12:33 PM	#10
amo Teaist Posts: 230 Karma: 74542 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: British Columbia, Canada Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Aura ONE, Android cell phone	Physical feel- I like the "quilted" back cover and somehow soft feel of the surface (not metallic). Looks good- I've got the WiFi Silver, it's classy. No unnecessary buttons that could get pushed accidentally (such as a keyboard along the bottom, or a touch screen). Lightweight. Clear, crisp screen image. And functionality- that's the biggest. Library books, free epubs, etc.

12-08-2010, 07:10 PM	#13
unsonia Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: kobo	Very easy to use, lightweight and big plus doesn't tire my eyes.

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12-08-2010, 07:12 PM	#14
amo Teaist Posts: 230 Karma: 74542 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: British Columbia, Canada Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Aura ONE, Android cell phone	I wonder if there's a certain e-reader demographic. Most of us here seem to like both the simplicity of the kobo, and the library books. We're sort of the bare-bones e-readers types- we just want to read, and preferably for free. We probably frequent paper-book libraries in real life, too, vs. buying copies to keep, or we buy books for cheap from second-hand bookstores (I know I do). But I bet there's the high-tech e-reader types who are eager to snap up the latest hot-off-the-press ebooks from Amazon, and the more bells & whistles they have on their e-readers, the better. Different strokes for different folks. Maybe a really tech-savvy MR person could build a questionnaire that matches you up with the perfect e-reader, based on your preferences in other areas of life... (perhaps there's a correlation between your favourite hot drink and your preferred e-reader?).

12-08-2010, 11:41 PM	#15
EDinNB Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 208 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kobo	I am a gadget freak.. I have a blackberry, a desk top computer, a laptop computer with a turbo stick so I can connect anywhere. I also have an mp3 player, a sirius satellite radio and a Garmin GPS. We also have Satellite TV and I used to Run an FTA reciever as well. So you see I love my e toys however other than the blackberry which is just a pocket sized computer all my mobile toys are single use items.. that is why I like my Kobo it does exactly what I want without causing me to deal with myltitasking on it. I do not need the newest and greatest toys out there... there are no Apple products in my inventory.. I want simple and usefull, nothing more... EDinNB