Does bias bother you in reviews?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I don't know if it's so much bias as it is ignorance. These reviewers have no clue how to use anything NOT Amazon so they assume Barnes & Noble and Kobo can't do what Amazon can do. When I read these reviews I just try to bypass the opinion and get to the device details -- sometimes that's nearly impossible as the review are heavy on opinion and light on substance.

Just look at the video reviews done by BadEReader when they review Kobo vs. Kindle. They have no clue how to use a Kobo or they do what they do on purpose to make the Kindle look better. Either way, Kobo does not get a fair review.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just look at the video reviews done by BadEReader when they review Kobo vs. Kindle. They have no clue how to use a Kobo or they do what they do on purpose to make the Kindle look better. Either way, Kobo does not get a fair review.

Can you point out one of these videos perhaps?

[Derf]

Originally Posted by dakini

The Kindle does make it so much easier to get books. So much easier. And I think that's what they mean. Not just the store. But even books from other sites are easy to show up. A friend sends me a book, it shows up. A family member lends one to me, it shows up. I check something out of libraries in more than one country ... they just show up. I use the Kindle Owners lending library, it shows up. I send something via email, it shows up. Kindle dominates in more than just the store ... in the free books each month, the kindle lending library, family sharing, friend sharing, emailing books to yourself instead of side loading through Calibre, library Overdrive integration. And mind you, I bought a 4-year-old kindle that does all this while I'm on the bus to work.

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Pardon my language, but this is bullshit. It has nothing to do with male or female and "being into technical features". It simply has to with the ease with which you can put books on an ereader. Both male and females like something that is easier.

Your argument that loading content onto a Kindle being easier than Kobo makes for a better eReader are salient points, but here is my “against your logic” response.
The iPod was arguably the single best MP3 player back in the day. In fact all MP3 players were default branded iPods by some, just as all copier machines were Xerox machines, all facial tissues called Kleenex. But the iPod was not a standalone device, to put music on you had to “sideload” everything from a computer. People just had to learn how to do it, and it wasn’t that bad. iTunes for Mac worked well enough, but iTunes for Windows (the dominant desktop OS) was buggy. And yet people didn’t have any issue using a computer to buy music and put their purchased /pirated music onto their mobile devices, and off they went singing the praises of the iPod listening to a whole lot of music before needing to go back to a computer to load on some more music.
Why is it so hard for people to do so with a Kobo that they complain about it so much? To me Calibre is no worse than iTunes.

Now, both the Kobo and Kindle have an expansive online store and can purchase books directly from the device. And with Kobo putting Overdrive support into their newest eReaders, you’ll be able to borrow library books directly. So I wonder if people will still poo-poo Kobo?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by dakini

check something out of libraries in more than one country ... they just show up.]

Given the number of messages from posters outside the USA about having to strip DRM from library books so they can be converted and sent to their Kindle eInk device and out of a perhaps morbid curiosity, from which countries other than the US are you able to borrow an ebook in a Kindle compatible format and have it show up on your Kindle eInk device? To quote from Overdrive's site: "Since Kindle Books are available in the U.S. only, you can't send books to Kindle from outside the U.S. (even if you borrow from a U.S. library)."

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Derf

So I was showing my Kobo Clara to my sister, and she said it was 'neat', but asked me why I didn't get a Kindle. I tried explaining to her all the benefits I saw, but she just shrugged and said 'yeah, but I mean, I would probably just have gotten a Kindle.'

That's not all that uncommon. Everyone knows Apple and Samsung make the best phones. They sell the most, don't they?

Some people don't want to put in the research on a new device that others do, so they go with what's the most popular. Honestly, I can't blame them. I love my Kobo. But if my mother-in-law wanted a new reader, I'd recommend a Kindle.

They are basically saying that Amazon is the best, and anything that isn't Amazon or can't access Amazon is therefore not capable of being the best. Like if someone said "A Chevy is a good car, but it isn't a Ford, therefore the Chevy is not as good as the Ford." To me this logic does not compute.

I used to see the same thing in tablet reviews. No matter how wonderful the tablet under consideration would be, it was never better than an iPad. This is the case for almost every tablet reviewed anywhere. It used to irritate me. I always assumed that there was just an unreasoning bias amongst reviewers for Apple or Amazon.

But I've never owned a Kindle or an iPhone/iPad. As dakini mentions, there may be good reasons one device is better, even if the reviewer does a poor job of explaining the reasons.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Derf

Now, both the Kobo and Kindle have an expansive online store and can purchase books directly from the device. And with Kobo putting Overdrive support into their newest eReaders, you’ll be able to borrow library books directly. So I wonder if people will still poo-poo Kobo?

Unfortunately, professional folks rarely go back and re-review old devices, so the Clara getting Overdrive support is too late. Likely the next Kobo device will have that factored in to its review.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just look at the video reviews done by BadEReader when they review Kobo vs. Kindle. They have no clue how to use a Kobo or they do what they do on purpose to make the Kindle look better. Either way, Kobo does not get a fair review.

In their case it's probably both ignorance AND bias. But, hopefully, they're the exception, not the rule.

[dakini]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Given the number of messages from posters outside the USA about having to strip DRM from library books so they can be converted and sent to their Kindle eInk device and out of a perhaps morbid curiosity, from which countries other than the US are you able to borrow an ebook in a Kindle compatible format and have it show up on your Kindle eInk device? To quote from Overdrive's site: "Since Kindle Books are available in the U.S. only, you can't send books to Kindle from outside the U.S. (even if you borrow from a U.S. library)."

I live in both the US and UK. I have books from two library systems in the US and one in the UK on my kindle right now.

If a kindle doesn’t have the current update, they probably still sideload ADobe Books, or have trouble. So,e of the older models don’t have the newer features, to be honest I didn’t think a 2014 model would.

[Derf]

It appears that PCMag has updated their reviews and ratings!!!

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/ebook-readers#

The Kobo Clara HD now is rated at 4.5 stars, and earned the Editor's Choice award!
It shares the EC award with the Kindle Oasis 2017 and Kindle Paperwhite.

They updated the review date of the Clara HD to September 11th 2018, and added a section to the review reflecting the Overdrive support.

It used to be awkward to borrow library books with Kobo, but a September software update changed everything.

If your library uses Overdrive, you can enter your library card number in the device's Settings and then see your local library integrated into the Kobo store. You can browse the library's virtual shelves or search, right on the device. If a book is available, you'll see a Borrow with Overdrive option, and it will be wirelessly downloaded. You can also use your library or Overdrive's site to browse and download books, and they'll sync automatically. If a book isn't immediately available, you can place it on hold. On the home screen, you see exactly how many days you have left before you have to return it.

There's one minor failing: If you're a member of multiple library systems (like I am), you can only sign into one at a time on the device. Still, though, this is great. It's better than the Amazon interface, which requires you to use your library's site to send the book to your e-reader. I downloaded Nancy Isenberg's "White Trash," and the formatting and internal linking was perfect.

Comparisons and Conclusions

Some people are library readers. I think more people should be library readers. If you're a library reader, your Kobo becomes a magic extension of your library system.

The Kobo Clara HD is an easy, light, and simple way to read ebooks. It slips into a pocket, its 300ppi screen is sharp, its battery life is terrific, and its color-changing front light won't keep you up at night. Unlike Barnes & Noble, which is in dire corporate financial straits, Kobo is owned by very stable giant Rakuten, which also owns the company that rents out all of your library's ebooks. And Kobo has the best Overdrive library reading experience of any e-reader.

That said, Amazon and Apple own 92 percent of the ebook market in the US, and Amazon has also become one of America's largest publishers. You can't read Amazon or Apple ebooks on this e-reader. That means we can't kick Amazon's Paperwhite out of the Editors' Choice category entirely. But now it has to share with Kobo.

[Mrs_Often]

Wow, that's very good of them!!

[Uschiekid]

One fact is wrong in the article. If you use the Libby app to connect your library accounts for your overdrive account, you can stay signed in to multiple libraries.