NST to ---> Kobo or Kindle?

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What you don't get is that your wife now has a Kobo Aura HD and it is not broken. You had a three HDs and they all broke. Maybe that should tell you that it was something you did that caused all three to break.

I've been in possession of six different Readers and not one of them ever had a broken screen. One of these is a Kobo Aura H2O.

We've been through this in another thread that it was something you did. Nobody else has ever had three Readers spontaneously have screen breakage. Just resign yourself that you did it and it's not Kobo's fault.

Dude, I am hardly the only one -- there is even a facebook page for people commiserating about broken Kobo screens.... I also posted a link to the Canadian Best Buy review page, where out of less than 20 reviews, there are at least a couple complaining of broken screens and Kobo's refusal to honor the warranty. Here is the link, again: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/.../10319775.aspx

If we are measuring "experience," I've actually had more than six e-ink readers in my life: 2 Sonys, 1 Irex, 2 Kindle DX, 2 Kindle DXG, 3 Kobo Aura HDs (plus one given as a present, which was also broken), 1 Kindle Paperwhite (short-lived -- decided I did not love it) and one Kindle Voyage (really good).

I have never had another reader fail, and most (especially the DXGs) I have subjected to rather extreme conditions (hot and humid salt sea air on one end and freezing high altitude on the other). The DXGs are 9.7" devices.

In fact, I have been rather gentle with the Kobo Aura HDs. If I really felt that I had done something to damage the Kobos, I'd say so -- it's just another gizmo.

I have examined fairly closely the Kobo Auras and they are somewhat poorly made, at least compared to the Kindle DXG and the Voyage, which are the devices I currently have handy. The Kindles are much more rigid, there is no twist in the bodies and the tolerances are minimal. The Kobo Aura HD squeaks when minimal pressure is applied, which is due to the sloppy assembly and noticeable gaps between the case and the screen.

If you are happy with your Kobo, more power to you. But please don't tell me that all e-readers are apt to break just by being left on a chaise lounge for a couple of hours.

I am merely making a potential buyer aware that in my experience, the Kobos are considerably more likely to break and that Kobo does not stand by its product, while Amazon does.

Cheers.

[eschwartz]

You lot keep on getting into the same circular argument.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sonist

I am merely making a potential buyer aware that in my experience, the Kobos are considerably more likely to break and that Kobo does not stand by its product, while Amazon does.

It's not a matter of "standing by" a product. A fractured screen substrate is not a warranty issue; it's user damage. If you're prone to breaking screens, as it appears you are, the sensible course of action would perhaps be to buy a third-party extended warranty which covers you against accidental damage.

[PeterT]

Additionally the existence of a Facebook page for those complaining is irrelevant. The standard approach of people is to only post IF they are dissatisfied; the thousands (at a minimum) of happy users couldn't be bothered too.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not a matter of "standing by" a product. A fractured screen substrate is not a warranty issue; it's user damage. If you're prone to breaking screens, as it appears you are, the sensible course of action would perhaps be to buy a third-party extended warranty which covers you against accidental damage.

With all due respect, you know nothing about me, so please do not make assumptions that I am "prone to breaking screens."

I have had over a dozen ereaders, five of them with larger screens than Kobo Aura HD, and none but the Kobos have ever had screen issues. Leaving an ereader on a chair and coming back to find that the substrate is cracked (presumably from expansion) might be acceptable to you, but not to me.

It's not the money or having to get extended warranties. It's the fact that Kobo automatically blames the customer (like some of the Kobo aficionados here), while Amazon stands by its product and will remedy issues when there is doubt. The customer is always right, remember.

Most importantly, this is a place where people ask questions and other people offer opinions. I and other posters unhappy with Kobo's build quality and customer service offer opinions based on our own experience. Calling our ability to handle ereaders into question just because you have not had similar issues is presumptuous, at best.

[Sonist]

And to add to the point that cracked Kobo screens are likely not a rarity, here are two posts (out of 15 total) from the Canadian Best Buy site:

Very Disappointing

I bought this for my wife for Christmas, and while she loved it, after a month of use the screen broke while sitting overnight on a flat surface inside the sleepcover. Customer service diagnosed it as "physical damage" due to the radiating lines and denied warranty coverage, so I opened it up to take a look and found the cracks radiating from a spot on the edge of the screen behind the bezel. So, either this had some sort of pre-existing defect, or the screen is so flimsy that it can crack from normal use. Even if it had fallen from that spot (which there was no evidence of), it's a two foot fall onto carpet! I won't be buying anything Kobo any time soon.

Very fragile

There is something wrong with the way its made, as the screen broke and started displaying lines all over the screen, while I was actually reading it. Granted it was a cold day at the bus stop but I have never had any f of older ebook readers do this. I have had one out in a blizzard once and it slowed a little but the screen never acted like this one. So if your looking for an easy way to toss ...bucks away this is the way to do it. I had my device for a little over 1 month before this happened.

[JSWolf]

To get back on topic, one good reason to go Kobo is that your ePub eBooks will work with the Kobo without having to convert to a different format. If they are DRMed and bought at B&N, then you will have to remove the DRM. To find out more about removing the DRM, go to...

https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sonist

With all due respect, you know nothing about me, so please do not make assumptions that I am "prone to breaking screens."

I'm not making any assumptions; I'm going from your own statement that you've broken three of them. Breaking one screen can be a mishap, but breaking three sounds awfully like a habit.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not making any assumptions; I'm going from your own statement that you've broken three of them. Breaking one screen can be a mishap, but breaking three sounds awfully like a habit.

Harry, I posted about my experience with Kobo devices and Kobo's customer service compared to Amazon's customer service. You may disagree, but please do not make unwarranted assumptions about the "habits" of someone you know absolutely nothing about. If you wish to share your personal long-term experience with Kobo devices, or want to explain why Kobo is better than the Kindle for you, please do.

Again, one of the broken screen devices was in my possession. The other two were not -- one was left on a chaise lounge, the other was in luggage. Neither had been dropped. The experience of the Best Buy reviewers I quoted above is similar.

Since Kobo Aura HD is the only device (out of many different brands) that has had numerous screen issues, methinks it is more likely that it is something to do with Kobo's build quality.

As to EPUB compatibility, it's largely irrelevant if one uses something like Calibre, which will convert between formats rather well.

Here is a guide for using Calibre with the DRM plugins:

Link deleted by moderator

For what it's worth, I recently switched from Kobo Aura HD to Kindle Voyage and converted The Goldfinch to MOBI so that I can continue reading on the Kindle. The page count was wrong on the Kobo (not a big deal), but it was correct on the Voyage. Another small plus for the Voyage in my book.

I do make most of my ebook purchases on Amazon, since both the selection and the prices are generally better than those in the Kobo store.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Sonist

And to add to the point that cracked Kobo screens are likely not a rarity, here are two posts (out of 15 total) from the Canadian Best Buy site:

So 13% of the reviewers had problems with screens and 87% had no trouble.
That still sounds rather rare.

[MartyTX]

Originally Posted by RHWright

It really comes down to Kobo or Kindle, likely a Glo HD or Paperwhite.

Have you given any consideration to another tablet, like the iPad Mini?

Back in June, Apple's website stopped selling the original iPad Mini (non-retina display). The iPad Mini-2 (retina display) is now the entry-level model.

The Mini-1 is an excellent EPUB reader using Marvin. It is priced under $200. I switched from a Nook ST to the first generation iPad Mini and have had zero regrets. However, if you need 1-month battery life, the Mini will not meet your needs.

[Ripplinger]

I have both the Kindle PW2 and 3 Kobo Glos and now a Kobo Glo HD. I only bought the PW2 when it was on sale to see what all the fuss was about, and I honestly only use it to get a free monthly book from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

I only use the Kobo Glo HD, and before that only the Kobo Glo. The Glo HD has a beautiful, very evenly lit and colored screen. It's absolutely perfect and I love it, and 6" is the perfect portable size for me. I take my reader with every time I leave the house, I'd never be interested in lugging around any larger screen than that.

For me I just never saw the attraction for Kindles after actually using one. The text display (to me) is very poor in comparison to the Kobo readers because you can't add your own fonts, can't adjust the fonts to add contrast or weight, you have very limited margin and line space height adjustments, so the text is too thin and not as dark as I'd like it (for my eyesight). You can't automatically add collections when you add books through Calibre, you must do them manually. And there's no way I'm doing that with even 100 books, let alone those who keep 1000s on their reader. You can name books to sort by series using plugboards in Calibre, but you can't add genre tags doing that.

Yes, page turns will be a bit faster on the Kindle, but page turns on the Kobo readers are still fast enough so the text is ready by the time I shift my eyes to the upper left, so what does it really matter if pages turn a few microseconds faster. And microseconds is all the difference there is.

So bottom line is that Kindles are very uncustomizable... you use it only as you get it (there is a way if you're up to taking it apart and using a serial connection to root it, not sure if they've gotten that far with PW3s yet though). Kobos give you many adjustments which can greatly add to your reading enjoyment, especially if you have poorer eyesight, and allow easy patching without rooting to give you even more customization options. You can also have Calibre automatically add all your books to collections on Kobo readers so they can be sorted by series or genre tags.

I'm quite sure that Amazon's customer service is always going to be better than Kobo's. But I've never had a problem with a Kobo reader to need customer service to find out. I've used them for years without any problems and have never had a broken screen on any reader I've owned. I keep them in decent sleep covers always.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

So bottom line is that Kindles are very uncustomizable... you use it only as you get it (there is a way if you're up to taking it apart and using a serial connection to root it, not sure if they've gotten that far with PW3s yet though). Kobos give you many adjustments which can greatly add to your reading enjoyment, especially if you have poorer eyesight, and allow easy patching without rooting to give you even more customization options. You can also have Calibre automatically add all your books to collections on Kobo readers so they can be sorted by series or genre tags.

Depends on one's personal needs, of course. Having owned both Kobo and Kindle devices, my personal preference is for the Kindle. I have no need for any customisation beyond what the Kindle offers: basic changing of font size, line spacing, and margins, and a reasonable selection of decent fonts. I have 1800 books on my Kindle and not the slightest difficulty in locating the one I want.

Everyone's requirements are different.

[Maritimer555]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Dude, I am hardly the only one -- there is even a facebook page for people commiserating about broken Kobo screens.... I also posted a link to the Canadian Best Buy review page, where out of less than 20 reviews, there are at least a couple complaining of broken screens and Kobo's refusal to honor the warranty. Here is the link, again: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/.../10319775.aspx

If we are measuring "experience," I've actually had more than six e-ink readers in my life: 2 Sonys, 1 Irex, 2 Kindle DX, 2 Kindle DXG, 3 Kobo Aura HDs (plus one given as a present, which was also broken), 1 Kindle Paperwhite (short-lived -- decided I did not love it) and one Kindle Voyage (really good).

I have never had another reader fail, and most (especially the DXGs) I have subjected to rather extreme conditions (hot and humid salt sea air on one end and freezing high altitude on the other). The DXGs are 9.7" devices.

In fact, I have been rather gentle with the Kobo Aura HDs. If I really felt that I had done something to damage the Kobos, I'd say so -- it's just another gizmo.

I have examined fairly closely the Kobo Auras and they are somewhat poorly made, at least compared to the Kindle DXG and the Voyage, which are the devices I currently have handy. The Kindles are much more rigid, there is no twist in the bodies and the tolerances are minimal. The Kobo Aura HD squeaks when minimal pressure is applied, which is due to the sloppy assembly and noticeable gaps between the case and the screen.

If you are happy with your Kobo, more power to you. But please don't tell me that all e-readers are apt to break just by being left on a chaise lounge for a couple of hours.

I am merely making a potential buyer aware that in my experience, the Kobos are considerably more likely to break and that Kobo does not stand by its product, while Amazon does.

Cheers.

I have also had a Kobo Glo screen fail after only 2 months reading. Thankfully it happened on my 2nd last day of vacation in Cuba and not the first day. Also Costco exchanged it for a new one ,no questions asked.

[neil74]

I have had a Kindle (voyage) for a while, it is a really nice device but I have grown tired of the frequency of page turns, the new page press buttons are ok but they are not as nice as the buttons from the K4 et-al, it would help if Amazon allowed more customisation of margins and headers/footers to fit more on a page but they don't and it looks like they never will

I recently picked up a Kobo H2o and whilst it is not as nice in the hand as the voyage the extra screen space coupled with more options for customisation means I can fit way more text on a page, it is built pretty well and the screen is great too.

I still have the voyage but am going to give the H2o a few weeks,so far for me the extra screen real estate wins out, gut feeling right now is less page turns wins.