Astak vs Kobo

dbrowdy · 04-17-2010, 06:08 PM

Okay so I was about to buy a 5" Astak PocketPro a month or two ago and ran into cash flow problems. Now I have some money again and I'm looking to buy so naturally I look for what new and such and I found this Kobo thing coming out soon for $150. I can't find any dedicated forum or threads for it so I'm asking here.

Compared to the 5" Astak (or the new 6" coming out "soon" which has the same internals now I believe), how does the Kobo rate? The thing I like most about the PP is that I can use pretty much any file I want on it so I don't have to worry about being locked into one store. Is this Kobo thing going to be locked in to their stuff or can I download stuff from anywhere, convert them in Calibre to ePub, and have at it?

The Astak is also pretty fast and has great customer support. However, for 25% cheaper, and 20% bigger, the Kobo can make up for that.

Anyways, what are people's thoughts?

Thanks,
Dan

PS - I'm mostly planning on reading novels and such. No magazines or comics or school books or anything like that.

ficbot · 04-17-2010, 07:37 PM

The Kobo will use epub, and pretty much only epub

(it does have PDF as well but I can't imagine why one would want to read PDF on such a small screen). I tried the Pocket Pro and they are two completely different sorts of devices. The Kobo is an entry level type of device and is great for if you want to read a book straight through and then read another one. But there is no file organization and to be honest it's a little slow compared to some other devices I have tried. Not slow in a deal-breaker sense for someone who reads very linearly one book at a time, but personally I have more than one book on the go and jump around a lot, so I don't think it would be my preferred device.

dbrowdy · 04-18-2010, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

The Kobo will use epub, and pretty much only epub

(it does have PDF as well but I can't imagine why one would want to read PDF on such a small screen). I tried the Pocket Pro and they are two completely different sorts of devices. The Kobo is an entry level type of device and is great for if you want to read a book straight through and then read another one. But there is no file organization and to be honest it's a little slow compared to some other devices I have tried. Not slow in a deal-breaker sense for someone who reads very linearly one book at a time, but personally I have more than one book on the go and jump around a lot, so I don't think it would be my preferred device.

I read the specs on the matrix and the Kobo is supposed to be the same speed as the PP (at least according to hardware specs). Does the software make that big of a difference?

And just to clarify, if I convert all my books to epub in Calibre, I can read them on the Kobo? Or can I only use stuff that I downloaded from their book store?

Thanks,
D

HarryT · 04-18-2010, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

The Kobo will use epub, and pretty much only epub

(it does have PDF as well but I can't imagine why one would want to read PDF on such a small screen). I tried the Pocket Pro and they are two completely different sorts of devices. The Kobo is an entry level type of device and is great for if you want to read a book straight through and then read another one. But there is no file organization and to be honest it's a little slow compared to some other devices I have tried. Not slow in a deal-breaker sense for someone who reads very linearly one book at a time, but personally I have more than one book on the go and jump around a lot, so I don't think it would be my preferred device.

You said in a previous post that there appeared to be quite serious issues with the ePub software on the Kobo, such as being unable to change the font size in many books. Do you know if these issues are being, or have been, addressed?

pholy · 04-18-2010, 12:24 PM

The Kobo has an SD slot, and a USB port, and I'm quite certain that I recall the guy from Kobo saying it could read any ePub that didn't have DRM. It might not handle B&N DRM, but it will handle the original ADE DRM, for sure. I've pre-ordered, and am looking forward to its arrival in the next two or three weeks.

ficbot · 04-18-2010, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbrowdy

And just to clarify, if I convert all my books to epub in Calibre, I can read them on the Kobo? Or can I only use stuff that I downloaded from their book store?
D

Yes.

Harry, I don't know if the issue is worked out yet. I know I told them about it and they said they knew and were working on it, but beyond that I could not say.

bob1xxx · 04-19-2010, 12:20 PM

hey don't over look the Aluratek Libre pro I got one and it very stable, handles a wide range of file formats including drm epub and adobe and if you shop around find it for as little 159.00 usd

AgentBEATS · 04-25-2010, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob1xxx

hey don't over look the Aluratek Libre pro I got one and it very stable, handles a wide range of file formats including drm epub and adobe and if you shop around find it for as little 159.00 usd

I've been looking at both the Aluratek Libre and the Kobo Reader and I just have a few questions before I decide if I want to get either of them.

I don't know much about it, but from what I understand between the differences between E-Ink and Reflective LCD, is that E-Ink is less power consuming, but other than that from what I've read the Reflective LCD displays better contrast, doesn't have that annoying page blackout and is cheaper then E-Ink. Which brings up the argument of seemingly the Reflective LCD has more advantages over E-Ink, why isn't it used more than E-Ink then?

Am I missing some of the advantages and disadvantages here?

BongoBong · 04-25-2010, 01:04 PM

I have not actually seen in person either in action but I have ordered a Kobo just recently. Here are a couple videos of it in action where you can see the screen flash and speed of turning pages (which I thought at first maybe would be a problem, but after seeing it in action I really don't think it will be a big deal at all). Watch them at youtube instead of embedded for bigger size.

04-17-2010, 06:08 PM	#1
dbrowdy Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 50 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Nook Wi-Fi	Astak vs Kobo Okay so I was about to buy a 5" Astak PocketPro a month or two ago and ran into cash flow problems. Now I have some money again and I'm looking to buy so naturally I look for what new and such and I found this Kobo thing coming out soon for $150. I can't find any dedicated forum or threads for it so I'm asking here. Compared to the 5" Astak (or the new 6" coming out "soon" which has the same internals now I believe), how does the Kobo rate? The thing I like most about the PP is that I can use pretty much any file I want on it so I don't have to worry about being locked into one store. Is this Kobo thing going to be locked in to their stuff or can I download stuff from anywhere, convert them in Calibre to ePub, and have at it? The Astak is also pretty fast and has great customer support. However, for 25% cheaper, and 20% bigger, the Kobo can make up for that. Anyways, what are people's thoughts? Thanks, Dan PS - I'm mostly planning on reading novels and such. No magazines or comics or school books or anything like that.

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04-17-2010, 07:37 PM	#2
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	The Kobo will use epub, and pretty much only epub (it does have PDF as well but I can't imagine why one would want to read PDF on such a small screen). I tried the Pocket Pro and they are two completely different sorts of devices. The Kobo is an entry level type of device and is great for if you want to read a book straight through and then read another one. But there is no file organization and to be honest it's a little slow compared to some other devices I have tried. Not slow in a deal-breaker sense for someone who reads very linearly one book at a time, but personally I have more than one book on the go and jump around a lot, so I don't think it would be my preferred device.

04-18-2010, 12:24 PM	#5
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	The Kobo has an SD slot, and a USB port, and I'm quite certain that I recall the guy from Kobo saying it could read any ePub that didn't have DRM. It might not handle B&N DRM, but it will handle the original ADE DRM, for sure. I've pre-ordered, and am looking forward to its arrival in the next two or three weeks.

04-19-2010, 12:20 PM	#7
bob1xxx Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 490 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: San Gabriel Califorina Device: kindle k3 and k2 and White Aluratek Libre Pro	hey don't over look the Aluratek Libre pro I got one and it very stable, handles a wide range of file formats including drm epub and adobe and if you shop around find it for as little 159.00 usd

04-25-2010, 01:04 PM	#9
BongoBong Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 54 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Device: none	I have not actually seen in person either in action but I have ordered a Kobo just recently. Here are a couple videos of it in action where you can see the screen flash and speed of turning pages (which I thought at first maybe would be a problem, but after seeing it in action I really don't think it will be a big deal at all). Watch them at youtube instead of embedded for bigger size.