Kindle the best???

[haertig]

I view Kindle vs. Kobo kind of like VHS vs. Betamax back decades ago. Pretty much, Betamax was technically superior in every way, but VHS was what you wanted, unless your desire was to support a dying format for some reason. (Betamax did not die in the commercial market, only in the consumer market)

I'm not saying Kobo is technically superior to Kindle. I am not knowledgeable enough to discuss that. However, Kindle is VHS and Kobo is Betamax from the marketing and sales perspective. I would buy a Kindle for this reason alone.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by haertig

Kindle is VHS and Kobo is Betamax from the marketing and sales perspective. *I would buy a Kindle for this reason alone*.

(e.a.)

You would buy a Kindle solely BECAUSE it had better marketing? That's an interesting choice. As someone who moved from Kindle to Kobo, I can think of a few reasons to buy Kindle, superior marketing and promotion definitely not one of them.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by theducks

TNX, so Walmart got the slower model

Not sure if that is correct. The difference between the two CPUs in execution speed is negligible with both rated at 2500DMIPS though some other benchmarks do show minor benefits from the improvements in the Cortex-A9 core between the two generations. From what I read on NXP's site, the SLL runs about 50% lower on suspend power, supports hardware dithering and supports newer memory and eMMC specs. The two chips are pin compatible but there are enough hardware and software differences that minor system and SW tweaks are needed.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Um..it's collections. There are no shelves. Just like there are no folders as it's directories and subdirectories.

Ummm... in earlier Kobo firmware, they did use the term shelves.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Kobo has Rakuten behind them. Another giant corporation. So your statement while true is lacking in facts about Kobo.

Okay. Ask a thousand people in the U.S. if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask a thousand people around the globe if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask all those people if they've heard of Amazon.

Amazon also benefits from being known as a bookseller. Royal Dutch Shell is a larger corporation than Amazon, and is likely as well known. But I'm guessing people would not be lining up to buy an ereader from them.

As to how better the Kindle dictionary is depends on what words you are looking up. X-ray (IMHO) is not all that special. Goodreads integration can be OK. Kindle Unlimited can be a mess trying to find something good to read. Yes there are good books, but a lot are dreck.

I don't know that I agree with you, but for the sake of argument, I'll say everything you say is true. That is something you would only find out about after you've purchased a reader and spent time using it. To someone comparing they sound good and I'd say the same is true for reviewers.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Okay. Ask a thousand people in the U.S. if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask a thousand people around the globe if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask all those people if they've heard of Amazon.

If I didn't already know who Rakuten is, I'd be really confused about the Kobo connection, because the only thing I see about Rakuten in "normal" consumer channels is the advertising for their app, which gives cash back offers from various retailers. So even if they had heard of Rakuten, I'm not sure it would do Kobo any favors with that exposure.

I like Kobo (though Kindle meets my needs better) but they're definitely at a marketing disadvantage.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

I like Kobo (though Kindle meets my needs better) but they're definitely at a marketing disadvantage.

Yeah, I definitely prefer Kobo The better library management and micro adjustments to the reading experience work for me. But I also understand that I and many users here aren't the average e-reader user.

And even though I understand the immediate appeal of Kindle, I do think Kobos would meet the needs of most average consumers.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

If I didn't already know who Rakuten is, I'd be really confused about the Kobo connection, because the only thing I see about Rakuten in "normal" consumer channels is the advertising for their app, which gives cash back offers from various retaile

Rakuten also do the excellent Viber for text, audio and video chat financed by Viber out calls to regular numbers, sticker market and a tiny amount of adverts in the chat lists (not in a chat). iOS, Android, Windows, Linux and MacOS. Seems private, secure and encrypted. Lacks brokenness of Skype and total privacy fail of WhatsApp.
Group text chat, but one to one video, not group Vidoe Conferencing like Zoom, which is insecure and sells usage to Facebook and others.
Not an out of control USA Corporation but Japanese, I think.

The #1 in the world might not be Facebook/Whatsapp/Instagram Zukerberg empire but the Chinese TenCent that sells phone apps and hosts QQ and Wechat, but most users don't have English for a first language.

MS progressively broke Skype and destroyed privacy of it since they bought it from ebay. Ebay/Paypal bought Skype thinking to somehow use it with auctions, but that didn't work.

[JSWolf]

Rakuten also has RaketenTV for buying/renting movies online. Rakuten is a sponsor of Barcelona soccer team. And Rakuten also currently owns Overdrive.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Rakuten also has RaketenTV for buying/renting movies online. Rakuten is a sponsor of Barcelona soccer team. And Rakuten also currently owns Overdrive.

I hadn't ever heard of the first, didn't know about the second (I don't pay any attention to Soccer) and the only reason I know about the third is because of this forum. Here's ZodWallop's question again:

Okay. Ask a thousand people in the U.S. if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask a thousand people around the globe if they've heard of Rakuten. Then ask all those people if they've heard of Amazon.

I can honestly say that the only place I have ever heard of Rakuten is on this forum. I would bet you that if you did a (US) nationwide survey asking people what products Rakuten is associated with, the largest number of responses would be "I've never heard of them". Ask the same question about Amazon, and you may get a lot of different answers, but the largest number of responses would *definitely* not be "I've never heard of them". I don't know how well known they are in the rest of the world, but I know that nobody I know knows who they are or what they sell.

Shari

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Rakuten also do the excellent Viber for text, audio and video chat financed by Viber out calls to regular numbers, sticker market and a tiny amount of adverts in the chat lists (not in a chat). iOS, Android, Windows, Linux and MacOS. Seems private, secure and encrypted. Lacks brokenness of Skype and total privacy fail of WhatsApp.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Rakuten also has RaketenTV for buying/renting movies online. Rakuten is a sponsor of Barcelona soccer team. And Rakuten also currently owns Overdrive.

You both missed my point - the average consumer in the US is either going to not know about some or all of these, or not connect them. I had no idea about Viber because I don't use it; same with RakutenTV, never heard about it anywhere. I don't follow international sports, so I wouldn't come across that. The only reason I know about them owning Overdrive is because I hang out here. And all but Overdrive are completely unconnected to ebooks / ereaders.

It doesn't matter how big or stable Rakuten is - if people in a given market don't know enough about it to inspire confidence in the brand and extend that confidence to Kobo, it won't make a difference. There is a segment of the market that will go to the Kobo website, see Rakuten, and look further, but let's be honest - a lot of people won't bother. Rakuten just isn't that recognizable as a brand for most folks.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Rakuten just isn't that recognizable as a brand for most folks.

I'd correct that to "for most folks in North America". The same set of folks that would look blank when asked about Ali Baba, Jing Dong, FlipKart, Otto, etc. Well, perhaps not Ali Baba though they are unlikely to think of a top ecommerce company. For a name more familiar to North Americans, I was rather surprised to see Home Depot listed as a top ecommerce company though most of their business is click and mortar.

And for a sports name more familiar to North Americans, Rakuten sponsors the Golden State Warriors.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I'd correct that to "for most folks in North America".

Well, I did start my post by specifying that I was talking about consumers in the US.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I'd correct that to "for most folks in North America".

I think it's hard for any non-USA brand in the USA and easy for USA brands in most of the world due to USA Corporate and USA Franchises and USA exported culture.

Though technically Kobo is North American based, Canada.

So people NOT in the USA know about almost every USA brand and even the curiously named "World Series".

Of course it's Paris, France and Dublin, Ireland. But many people outside the USA know that European Settlers brought their place names and only put "New" in front of some of them.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Of course it's Paris, France and Dublin, Ireland. But many people outside the USA know that European Settlers brought their place names and only put "New" in front of some of them.

My opinion on US citizens and their knowledge of the world outside their borders is not very high. An opinion based partly on my love for Jeopardy. All too often the contestants showed an abysmal level of ignorance when asked questions that were not centered on the USA. One of the most humourous—to me—was when in a category called World Capitals, a contestant answered Atlanta as the capital of Georgia.