Paperwhite 3 or Kobo Glo HD?

Tom8o · 06-06-2016, 12:25 PM

Hello! I'm new here, so I'm sorry if some of these questions are glaringly obvious and/or against the rules. Here goes!

Turkey is not a prosperous place for reading, let alone ereaders. Up until literally last week, the only ereader officially on sale in Turkey was a local brand called "reeder". However, as of last week a popular bookstore has been displaying several Kobo models with rather fair prices! They had a model without backlight, forgot which (Aura HD?), Glo HD, and Aura H2O. Glo HD seems to be the sweet spot for me. Perfect size too (I love small-ish devices). So far so good! I love all the options for text formatting, margins, text size, etc. In fact, I have no complaints about it at all save for one crucial thing:

I'm very disappointed in the Kobo library.

I looked for some books I'd already bought for Kindle, and many of them were not on Kobo (tried to switch to Worldwide on the Kobo app on my phone as well, which yielded the same results). As my main purpose for buying an ereader is for reading English books for cheap, this is very worrying. However, I know that Amazon books can be sideloaded to Kobo ereaders. I already downloaded Calibre and de-DRM'd several books, which wasn't too inconvenient. I have a couple questions about the process, though.

1) Is the AZM3 -> KePub conversion in Calibre consistently good? Does it mess up often when it comes to Amazon books, does it create issues with the formatting? I don't think that having to buy books from the Internet and sideloading them will be a problem.
2) What exactly do I lose if I primarily sideload books to Kobo? I think I lose some social features, and obviously inter-device sync, but does a sideloaded book have any difference from a book you'd buy from Kobo?

In comparison, the only reason I'm considering the Kindle is because of its library- Kobo's freedom in terms of platform is very welcome, and so is the myriad text options. However, book sync and the convenience and security of buying books from Amazon's own store is putting me in a dilemma. It isn't officially available, but it seems that a liked seller on a reputable local website (like Ebay) is selling Paperwhite '15 for more or less the same price.

TL;DR:

Kobo pros:
+More freedom with text in the book and the ereader itself
+Prefer the design (helps that unlike the Kindle I can hold this one before buying)
+Sold officially (also makes me want to support the brand for bringing it over, with a surprising Turkish ebook library and Turkish language options) which probably means it's also in better hands if it is defective or breaks or something)

Kobo cons:
-THE STORE IS SHITTY.

Kindle pros:
+THE STORE IS AMAZING!
+A better-known and (IMHO) more trustworthy brand
+More convenient overall

Kindle cons:
-Worse design (don't like the thick bottom bezel)
-Not sold officially
-Less freedom with text while reading
-Less freedom for the platform (don't think this will matter much though since I'd likely need nothing more than Kindle's store)

So yeah, it's a pretty tight dilemma for me, but I think that if Kindle books work consistently well when sideloaded to Kobo (as KePub since I like the title display etc. features) I'll go with the Glo HD.

Thanks a ton for reading!

HarryT · 06-06-2016, 12:35 PM

They're both good devices. My personal preference is for the Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Josieb1 · 06-06-2016, 12:41 PM

I've never had any issues converting kindle ebooks to ePub using Calibre. Then I send them to my Kobo GLO HD as kepub using the Calibre plugin. Everything works and looks fine on the Kobo. I have a H20 as well and it makes no difference which device I send them to.

Cinisajoy · 06-06-2016, 12:55 PM

Note, we have books free here on Mobileread that can be read on a Kobo.

church mouse · 06-06-2016, 01:01 PM

I have used a Kobo for the last few years, having switched from Kindle (though nothing wrong with Kindles in my experience), and have never had an issue with an Amazon purchase converted to epub or kepub (I favour kepubs because I happen to like the heading at the top and page in chapter count at the bottom, plus my Kobo is quicker handling a kepub).

I have also compared several kepubs directly loaded from Kobo to the reader against the same books sideloaded from Calibre and noticed no difference (other than that my Calibre "polished" version is smaller in file size) .

Tom8o · 06-06-2016, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by church mouse

I have used a Kobo for the last few years, having switched from Kindle (though nothing wrong with Kindles in my experience), and have never had an issue with an Amazon purchase converted to epub or kepub (I favour kepubs because I happen to like the heading at the top and page in chapter count at the bottom, plus my Kobo is quicker handling a kepub).

I have also compared several kepubs directly loaded from Kobo to the reader against the same books sideloaded from Calibre and noticed no difference (other than that my Calibre "polished" version is smaller in file size) .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I've never had any issues converting kindle ebooks to ePub using Calibre. Then I send them to my Kobo GLO HD as kepub using the Calibre plugin. Everything works and looks fine on the Kobo. I have a H20 as well and it makes no difference which device I send them to.

That's quite a relief to hear! Kobo Glo HD it is, then!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

They're both good devices. My personal preference is for the Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Note, we have books free here on Mobileread that can be read on a Kobo.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Cinisajoy · 06-06-2016, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom8o

That's quite a relief to hear! Kobo Glo HD it is, then!

Thanks for the heads-up!

Link to the books.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=132

barryem · 06-06-2016, 04:05 PM

I have a few different Kindles and a couple of Kobos and I prefer the Kindles but I really could be happy with either of them, just looking at the devices themselves.

I buy most of my books from Amazon and I do backup unprotected copies in both epub and mobi formats so I can read them on either device. Converting is trivial and I'd do it even if I didn't have to, which really I don't.

I think the Kindle has a better screen although I don't have the latest Kobo so that might not be a valid comparison. Kobo has mostly better features but a lot of them don't work all the time, on every book. Most do so that's a minor issue. Kindle has fewer features but they're the features I care most about and they always work.

I agree with you about the Kindle library being better but since I back up my books anyway that doesn't really matter to me. Even if I read a Kindle book I usually send the converted copy to Amazon to convert for me so I don't have to deal with device limits, since I have several Kindles and phones and tablets and I never know which one I'm likely to be reading on.

I'm glad I have a Kindle to read on. If I only had a Kobo that wouldn't bother me much. It's almost as good a device and when I'm actually reading it's pretty nearly perfect. Bezos is right that we sink into the book and forget the device and Kobo's do that just as well as Kindles.

Barry

soulfuldog · 06-07-2016, 09:02 AM

Yep, converting Amazon books to read on a Kobo using Calibre should be the least of your concerns. I say that as someone who isn't that picky about formatting (I'm not a huge fan of a large header & footer just because of the waste of space), but I've never really had any issues converting either epubs or mobi/awz. Just grab the Glo HD and try it out.

GERGE · 06-07-2016, 12:27 PM

As someone who also lives in Turkey, I could say with some confidence that books from the traditional pubilshers are much cheaper on Kobo with local Turkish Lira pricing. And if they are not cheaper, they are the same.

For example, the recent winner of the Man Booker International, The Vegetarian, is $11 on Amazon, and with today's rates ~$7 in Kobo. But you need to sign up with a Turkish account for that. Turkish billing address and everything. You can also sign up to Kobo with your D&R account.

The problem is non-traditional publishing. Most of them are only available on Amazon. But converting formats are easy, that is what I do.

06-06-2016, 12:25 PM	#1
Tom8o Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2016 Device: Kobo Glo HD	Paperwhite 3 or Kobo Glo HD? Hello! I'm new here, so I'm sorry if some of these questions are glaringly obvious and/or against the rules. Here goes! Turkey is not a prosperous place for reading, let alone ereaders. Up until literally last week, the only ereader officially on sale in Turkey was a local brand called "reeder". However, as of last week a popular bookstore has been displaying several Kobo models with rather fair prices! They had a model without backlight, forgot which (Aura HD?), Glo HD, and Aura H2O. Glo HD seems to be the sweet spot for me. Perfect size too (I love small-ish devices). So far so good! I love all the options for text formatting, margins, text size, etc. In fact, I have no complaints about it at all save for one crucial thing: I'm very disappointed in the Kobo library. I looked for some books I'd already bought for Kindle, and many of them were not on Kobo (tried to switch to Worldwide on the Kobo app on my phone as well, which yielded the same results). As my main purpose for buying an ereader is for reading English books for cheap, this is very worrying. However, I know that Amazon books can be sideloaded to Kobo ereaders. I already downloaded Calibre and de-DRM'd several books, which wasn't too inconvenient. I have a couple questions about the process, though. 1) Is the AZM3 -> KePub conversion in Calibre consistently good? Does it mess up often when it comes to Amazon books, does it create issues with the formatting? I don't think that having to buy books from the Internet and sideloading them will be a problem. 2) What exactly do I lose if I primarily sideload books to Kobo? I think I lose some social features, and obviously inter-device sync, but does a sideloaded book have any difference from a book you'd buy from Kobo? In comparison, the only reason I'm considering the Kindle is because of its library- Kobo's freedom in terms of platform is very welcome, and so is the myriad text options. However, book sync and the convenience and security of buying books from Amazon's own store is putting me in a dilemma. It isn't officially available, but it seems that a liked seller on a reputable local website (like Ebay) is selling Paperwhite '15 for more or less the same price. TL;DR: Kobo pros: +More freedom with text in the book and the ereader itself +Prefer the design (helps that unlike the Kindle I can hold this one before buying) +Sold officially (also makes me want to support the brand for bringing it over, with a surprising Turkish ebook library and Turkish language options) which probably means it's also in better hands if it is defective or breaks or something) Kobo cons: -THE STORE IS SHITTY. Kindle pros: +THE STORE IS AMAZING! +A better-known and (IMHO) more trustworthy brand +More convenient overall Kindle cons: -Worse design (don't like the thick bottom bezel) -Not sold officially -Less freedom with text while reading -Less freedom for the platform (don't think this will matter much though since I'd likely need nothing more than Kindle's store) So yeah, it's a pretty tight dilemma for me, but I think that if Kindle books work consistently well when sideloaded to Kobo (as KePub since I like the title display etc. features) I'll go with the Glo HD. Thanks a ton for reading!

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06-06-2016, 12:35 PM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	They're both good devices. My personal preference is for the Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

06-06-2016, 12:41 PM	#3
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,086 Karma: 18051062 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kindle Scribe, Coloursoft, PW SE, Kindle 6, Kobo Libra 2	I've never had any issues converting kindle ebooks to ePub using Calibre. Then I send them to my Kobo GLO HD as kepub using the Calibre plugin. Everything works and looks fine on the Kobo. I have a H20 as well and it makes no difference which device I send them to.

06-06-2016, 12:55 PM	#4
Cinisajoy Just a Yellow Smiley. Posts: 19,161 Karma: 83862859 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas Device: K4, K5, fire, kobo, galaxy	Note, we have books free here on Mobileread that can be read on a Kobo.

06-06-2016, 01:01 PM	#5
church mouse Evangelist Posts: 485 Karma: 5277078 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo Clara HD, Boox Poke 2, PocketBook Verse Pro (634)	I have used a Kobo for the last few years, having switched from Kindle (though nothing wrong with Kindles in my experience), and have never had an issue with an Amazon purchase converted to epub or kepub (I favour kepubs because I happen to like the heading at the top and page in chapter count at the bottom, plus my Kobo is quicker handling a kepub). I have also compared several kepubs directly loaded from Kobo to the reader against the same books sideloaded from Calibre and noticed no difference (other than that my Calibre "polished" version is smaller in file size) .

06-06-2016, 04:05 PM	#8
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I have a few different Kindles and a couple of Kobos and I prefer the Kindles but I really could be happy with either of them, just looking at the devices themselves. I buy most of my books from Amazon and I do backup unprotected copies in both epub and mobi formats so I can read them on either device. Converting is trivial and I'd do it even if I didn't have to, which really I don't. I think the Kindle has a better screen although I don't have the latest Kobo so that might not be a valid comparison. Kobo has mostly better features but a lot of them don't work all the time, on every book. Most do so that's a minor issue. Kindle has fewer features but they're the features I care most about and they always work. I agree with you about the Kindle library being better but since I back up my books anyway that doesn't really matter to me. Even if I read a Kindle book I usually send the converted copy to Amazon to convert for me so I don't have to deal with device limits, since I have several Kindles and phones and tablets and I never know which one I'm likely to be reading on. I'm glad I have a Kindle to read on. If I only had a Kobo that wouldn't bother me much. It's almost as good a device and when I'm actually reading it's pretty nearly perfect. Bezos is right that we sink into the book and forget the device and Kobo's do that just as well as Kindles. Barry

06-07-2016, 09:02 AM	#9
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	Yep, converting Amazon books to read on a Kobo using Calibre should be the least of your concerns. I say that as someone who isn't that picky about formatting (I'm not a huge fan of a large header & footer just because of the waste of space), but I've never really had any issues converting either epubs or mobi/awz. Just grab the Glo HD and try it out.

06-07-2016, 12:27 PM	#10
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	As someone who also lives in Turkey, I could say with some confidence that books from the traditional pubilshers are much cheaper on Kobo with local Turkish Lira pricing. And if they are not cheaper, they are the same. For example, the recent winner of the Man Booker International, The Vegetarian, is $11 on Amazon, and with today's rates ~$7 in Kobo. But you need to sign up with a Turkish account for that. Turkish billing address and everything. You can also sign up to Kobo with your D&R account. The problem is non-traditional publishing. Most of them are only available on Amazon. But converting formats are easy, that is what I do.

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