Kindle Voyage vs Kobo Aura H2O

[cct1]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

After all I said about not going near the Voyage I've bought one too now. I love the size of it, the smooth screen, the clear fonts and the crisp display. I have the H20 as well and I read so much they are both worth the cost.

That's how I justify it too. If I had to keep one, it would be the H20 hands down, but the small size of the Voyage fit the portability niche perfectly. And with the front light low, the two tone thing isn't bothersome. I still like the Kobos screen color much better.

As for reading with one hand, I use both that way, the kobo is in a cover, the kindle coverless (since I settled on a very nice sleeve. I found a cover I like for the Voyage, but I've gone for minimal weight on it). The Voyage is noticeably smaller/lighter, and if that's your number one priority, especially if you have smaller hands, it's the better choice.

[MikeyLNG]

I bought a Voyage from Argos on the weekend, and while reading it in pitch black with the frontlight set to about 8-9, I definitely noticed the top half of the screen was more yellow compared to the colder bottom half. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to live with it.

With the way people are saying they've exchanged it 3-4 times with Amazon and still gotten a bad screen, I'm not sure if it's even worth the hassle attempting to exchange mine. I'm going to go have a play with a H2O at a store in the weekend, and if I like what I see then I'll most likely try and trade mine. I just wish Kobo would sort out their dire PDF viewing.

-edit- Photo added

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by cct1

That's how I justify it too. If I had to keep one, it would be the H20 hands down, but the small size of the Voyage fit the portability niche perfectly. And with the front light low, the two tone thing isn't bothersome. I still like the Kobos screen color much better.

As for reading with one hand, I use both that way, the kobo is in a cover, the kindle coverless (since I settled on a very nice sleeve. I found a cover I like for the Voyage, but I've gone for minimal weight on it). The Voyage is noticeably smaller/lighter, and if that's your number one priority, especially if you have smaller hands, it's the better choice.

I have too many ereaders now so a sort out is in order, I think the Voyage will stay in my handbag, the Glo will replace my Aura for Fan Fiction and i'll try and sell the Aura.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I have too many ereaders now so a sort out is in order, I think the Voyage will stay in my handbag, the Glo will replace my Aura for Fan Fiction and i'll try and sell the Aura.

Do you prefer the Glo to the Aura ? Can you explain why ? I have never seen a Glo "live"....

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by aceflor

Do you prefer the Glo to the Aura ? Can you explain why ? I have never seen a Glo "live"....

I've had my Aura for a year now, and like you I love the form factor and the small size, flat screen, thats one of the reasons I wanted the Voyage, as a replacement.

The problem with the Aura is that its fine if you have nothing else to compare with but if you start looking at other screens you begin to realise that the text can be a bit grey and a bit fuzzy, especially when using the light in low light or dark conditions. I think its because of the extra layer Kobo had to put over the text as its a Capactive screen, rather than the IR used for all other Kobo devices. Amazon use Capactive screens and that is where they do excel over Kobo.

I've attached a photo of the two of them side by side. Its not the same story, but it is the same font and size (roughly) and both are at full brightness. Its 3pm here so full day but its not bright. It might help in showing what I mean.

I got my Glo for £70 and mainly because I had heard Kobo might be discontinuing them and wanted to get one before they all disappeared. Also size wise there's not much difference in the size.

Sorry i forgot, Aura on the left, Glo on the right

[aceflor]

Thanks Josie, also for the pics.

[DannyVee89]

Can you buy the Kobo H20 in the united states yet? I've been looking and haven't found them for sale. I've checked google shopping, ebay, buy.com, bestbuy, etc

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by DannyVee89

Can you buy the Kobo H20 in the united states yet? I've been looking and haven't found them for sale. I've checked google shopping, ebay, buy.com, bestbuy, etc

No retailer in the US sells Kobo ereaders. You best best is ordering off the Canadian website Chapters Indigo.

[cct1]

Originally Posted by DannyVee89

Can you buy the Kobo H20 in the united states yet? I've been looking and haven't found them for sale. I've checked google shopping, ebay, buy.com, bestbuy, etc

There are some independent bookstores that sell Kobo readers here in the U.S., there is a list on here somewhere, but I don't know if the H20 is one of them. There weren't any close by to me, so I took a big gulp and ordered. And got lucky; it was a concern with Kobo's reputation of less than stellar CS, but my device is by far the best ereader I've personally seen, the Voyage included. Couldn't be happier with the Kobo.

[sparklemotion]

They sell other Kobo readers at some of the independent book stores near me, but not the H20 and they told me they won't be getting the H20 in. So I got mine in Canada and I'm SO happy I did! Like cct1, it's the best e-reader I have ever seen. So pleased with it.

[DannyVee89]

I see, thanks for the tips guys! I found a few canadian websites that will sell it. Anyone getting a discount on these? any sales/coupons?

Perhaps I should wait a few weeks and see if holiday deals come available. This may be my first e-reader ever =]

[PixelKnight]

Originally Posted by DannyVee89

I see, thanks for the tips guys! I found a few canadian websites that will sell it. Anyone getting a discount on these? any sales/coupons?

Perhaps I should wait a few weeks and see if holiday deals come available. This may be my first e-reader ever =]

I think Amazon might have them for sale from some independent sellers. Don't quote me on this though :X

[karter]

Hi! Finally I bought the H2O. Now I can go to read under the swimming pool :P Speaking seriously, I like it a lot. I thought I would fall immediately into unhappiness seeing the defects, but.... i could pretty much pay not attention to them and enjoy the reading.

Anyway! I have a pair of "doubts"/issues. I see some kind of discoloration in the font. It is... it's not 100% black, there are some very little "gray" pixels in them which make the characters look discolored/faded. Some letters suffer it more than others. And it also depends on the section of the screen. The question is: is it normal? Is it because I have not the font thickness to 100%? I think the font should look black or gray, but not black with gray pixels inside?

Finally, is it normal to see some lines with their characters more bold than others?

Thanks

PT: cct1 thanks for your kindness and objectivity. The best user in mobileread.com hands down

[jackie_w]

@karter,
Whilst you're doing your initial screen close scrutiny, it would probably be best if you set the screen refresh rate to 1 (Settings - Reading settings - Refresh screen every 1 page). Then you can eliminate eink ghosting from the equation. Also after some actions (e.g. tap screen to get top & bottom menus then tap again to dismiss them), the screen isn't fully refreshed so the text 'under' the top/bottom menu areas may not be fully black. If you turn the page, the full 'page black flash' should even everything out again.

Another consideration is that some fonts have smoother outlines than others. Try a few different ones. Having font weight set to 100% seems a little excessive to me but each to his own

Having said all that, eink evenness and contrast is never going to match a hi-res phone/tablet screen so one has to set expectations accordingly. Eink doesn't suit everyone.

[robko]

What jackie_w said! What you're describing is very likely artifacts from ghosting and definitely shows up worse after using a menu. Every page refresh doesn't have much impact on battery and personally I like it the same every time rather than a flash every once in a while (YMMV).