Nook SimpleTouch Glowlight, Kobo Glo, or Something Else?

[peachiekene]

I'm looking at purchasing a lighted ereader.
I'm currently using a book light with my nook SimpleTouch, which is okay, but not great. This wasn't a big issue before, but I've been reading more at night over the past few months and the wavering, flickering light is getting to me.

The reason I'm looking at the Simple Touch with Glowlight now is because they are going to be doing a major sale where you can get one for $50.
I've seen them in store and while I wasn't unimpressed with them, I wasn't so impressed that I felt the need to upgrade my Simple Touch.
I don't have anything bad to say about it - it just seems like the same device I have plus a built in light.
No complaints about my ST, I'd just like to hear input from people who own/have owned the lighted one.

The other major one I was looking at is the Kobo Glo. I like the idea of buying an ereader from an independent bookseller and the ability to add my own fonts. I've seen a lot of praise for this device on the site that is really swaying me. -However, the (US)customer service reviews scare me. I also have not played with one in a store nor do I know if I will get the chance to. According to the Kobo site, the nearest bookstore that sells them is a good 30-45 min away and I'd have to cross the tunnel.

I'm open to other suggestions so long as the ereader is front lit AND has an SD card slot.

[soulfuldog]

Hopefully some Nook Glowlight owners will give you feedback (might be worth posting a request in the B&N forum too), in the meantime.....

If you particularly like the Nook ST and how it works, the side buttons etc then the Glowlight version is just the same with the addition of a light. The light isn't that great, it was the first generation to include a light, and it shows. You should easily be able to see a difference if you are able to compare it next to the new Nook Glowlight (the one with no SD card and no buttons). But that might not worry you too much, and if it looks ok to you in the shop, then you might be perfectly happy with it.

The Kobo Glo is the better of the two. It's newer, so will probably feel a little faster, it has a higher resolution screen, newer light tech etc, so it will look and probably handle a little better. It'll probably be feel quite different in use to your Nook (its smaller and lighter too) some people prefer the wide bezel of the Nook to hold, so think about that aspect too.

Plenty of people are very happy with their Glo's, they like the small & light feel of it, the excellent font customisation options etc and are prepared not to worry too much about minor bugs, don't necessarily bother updating to the latest firmware (Kobo seem to have a continual stream of firmware updates to fix bugs, make improvements etc, but can often introduce other bugs!) and just hope not to have to deal with customer service.

If you aren't really worried about having the latest tech and just want the best value, the heavily discounted Nook is the one to go for, if you don't mind paying a little more for a better product (but still not top price) try the Kobo.

[peachiekene]

Originally Posted by l_macd

If you aren't really worried about having the latest tech and just want the best value, the heavily discounted Nook is the one to go for, if you don't mind paying a little more for a better product (but still not top price) try the Kobo.

Both of those fit me. ^^;

Thank you for the response, the information you've given me is really helpful.

I've been leaning more towards the Kobo Glo since learning about it's existence from these forums. I also *just* found out it supports .html and .mobi which is a huge plus. I have no issues with converting, but I like the idea of not needing to.
It's just what I have heard about the US Customer Service is a bit off putting. I do distinctly remember seeing Kobo ereaders in my local Best Buy earlier this year (February) so I may go look again. I was in there a week or two ago, but I wasn't actively looking for ereaders so they weren't really on my radar.

I have played with the new nook Glow and was really impressed with it, but the lack of an SD card slot is a complete deal breaker for me.
I'm half wondering if I should just hold off and maybe see if they release an SD card version (sort of like how they did with the first nook offering a 3G + wifi and later a cheaper wifi only version) because I know they have been getting a lot of complaints about that.

I'm also really hesitant about brand switching, even though I know B&N books can be loaded onto a Kobo (even without removing the DRM).

[meeera]

Originally Posted by peachiekene

Both of those fit me. ^^;

Thank you for the response, the information you've given me is really helpful.

I've been leaning more towards the Kobo Glo since learning about it's existence from these forums. I also *just* found out it supports .html and .mobi which is a huge plus. I have no issues with converting, but I like the idea of not needing to.

I really do recommend converting, however. A lot of issues people have had with trying to read .mobi books on a Kobo are easily solved with a conversion to epub.

[icedtea]

Originally Posted by peachiekene

I'm also really hesitant about brand switching, even though I know B&N books can be loaded onto a Kobo (even without removing the DRM).

You should double check that if that's important to you. I think you would need to remove DRM to read any BN-purchased ebooks on a Kobo. Nook readers can read any Adobe DRM books but I don't think the reverse applies (because BN uses their own version of DRM).

[peachiekene]

Hmmm, I remember reading something like that somewhere, but I will definitely double check on that.
I'm in the process of deDRMing and backing up my "nookbooks" anyway, so it would be moot.