The typical Kindle PaperWhite vs Kobo Glo dilemma

[DonalDuck]

So, as you can guess from from the title I am yet another person who hasn't made up his mind and so I come to you to help me choose.

First of , the most important aspects to me:
Good PDF support - I'll use this ereader to read manual/academic books as so, I want a good pdf support - zooming is also important as I don't want a 9.7 ereader nor tablet or smartphone. So in overall terms (not just zooming but annotations as well, for example) which one do you consider best?
I don't really care about store, number of supported extensions, dictionaries. I've got to admit that I am tempted by Kobo's micro SD card option- it's not really a need but a considerable plus.

Other important things worth mentioning are that I'm not in the US and so I cannot verify the device I buy, and I would prefer to not have to base it on luck; that I'll still read normal ebooks; and that I must choose today or, in the worst case scenario, tomorrow . Any feedback is appreciated - which one do you think I should buy? PS: I like the lit screen and would like to buy one (hence the Pw and Floor face-off).

Thanks,
DD

[ring0_event]

If PDF use is at least fairly important to you then steer clear of both:

PW PDF review below:

When it comes to PDF files, the Kindle Paperwhite is pretty much exactly the same as the Kindle Touch from last year. All the features are the same, with the exception of the new instant translations feature and the removal of text-to-speech.
The Kindle line of ereaders have never been a very good option for reading PDFs, and the Paperwhite is no exception. It’s okay for referencing PDFs occasionally but certainly isn’t something you want to use everyday.
The main reason for this, of course, is the small screen size. At 6-inches diagonally there’s not much you can do but zoom in on everything. With the Paperwhite there are two options for zooming: double-tapping and pinch-zooming.
Double-tapping shrinks the margins down to about a quarter of an inch on all sides, and pinch-zooming allows you to customize exactly how far you want to zoom in. When using zoom you can pan around the page and there’s an indicator that appears at the bottom of the screen and to the right of the screen that shows what part of the page you are zoomed in to.
With two-column PDFs, double-tapping automatically fits one column to the screen at a time, which is nice.
Zooming remains when turning pages with the double-tap method, but resets with each page with pinch-zooming.
One problem with double-tap zooming is the level is set automatically, and if there are any kind of variations in the text size or if there are diagrams or pictures from page to page or column to column, the zooming levels get messed up because it automatically sets for the different size and then doesn’t re-adjust for the rest of the page.
As far as features for PDF files go, you can highlight, add notes, look-up words in the dictionary, jump to specific pages, add bookmarks, switch to landscape mode, use the table of contents (generated by the Kindle), run searches, share on social networks, reference Wikipedia, and get instant translations just the same as with regular Kindle ebooks.

http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...-review-video/

When it comes to PDF files and comics, the Kobo ereaders are rather basic and don't offer very much in terms of features. There's a zoom dial for zooming in and out, no presets, reflow, pinch-zooming, or advance features whatsoever. Not even any of the typical on-screen features work. No notes, no highlights, no dictionary. Nothing.

http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/kobo-glo.html

The PW is the winner, but given the choice here, that isn't saying much.

EDIT: I know this is contrary to your specification, but do consider getting a 9.7 inch e-reader device like the Onyx M92 (the best for academic uses); otherwise you will be stuck using the PW in landscape mode for PDFs, and even then it may not work for large PDFs.

[DonalDuck]

Hey, sorry for taking so long to answer you.


Firstly, I will be using it to read ebooks, just scientif ones (programming, computer science, etc.) - but the PDF readibility is going to be the ultimate deal breaker. I do want a 6" (or close) sized eredear, for portability and the price doesn't hurt as much .

What I dislike about the PW is the lack of external memory (can you use the cloud with non amazon books ( I bought many of my ebooks for my tablet, a big number not from amazon)?) . (Sorry for so many brackets, programming habits)
And also the fact that you can't turn the light completely off - does it have some kind of consequence on the device itself?
Lastly, I read on some other topics that some PW came with screen problems (bluish screens or something like that) - is this still true or has amazon fixed that?

So I guess in thee end my only choice is the PW - any thoughts, suggentions or tye like on that or my questions above?

Thanks,
DD

[ring0_event]

Hi, I don't own a PW or a glo, just a Kindle 3, PRS-950, PRS-T1, and Onyx M92, so I can't give many details on the PW. I NEVER use my Kindle 3 for PDFs, and I use my PRS-950 for simpler PDFs when I want a small form factor device, and my Onyx M92 when form factor is not a constraint.

You can read about the PW here:

General review:
http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/kindle-paperwhite.html


PDF review:
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...-review-video/

Another review:
http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...le-paperwhite/

You can ask PW owners in this subforum here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140

If you are prepared to read PDFs in landscape mode, then perhaps the PW will be usable for *most* PDFs. But you had better ask some PW owners how well that works, and even if you get decent answers, please realize that PDFs viewed on 6-7 inch screens are always something of a compromise, with the PW coming in the middle of the pack in PDF usability as far as I know (the older Sony PRS-950 being the best, though it is discontinued, and can only be purchased used from eBay).

I know this runs counter to your constraints, but I still think that the Onyx M92 would be the best if PDF support is of paramount importance, especially if there are many charts and/or graphs.

[ring0_event]

OK, I now admit to being very confused about the PW's PDF abilities, as the two reviews below give *completely* different takes on whether the PW offers PDF reflow. I HIGHLY recommend that you ask people in the Amazon sub-forum here in order to get to the bottom of this. For me, zooming in is NOT reflow.
(https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140)

The PDF experience is very unique and allows you to easily pinch and zoom to find your comfort zone. You can also elect to double tap on the document and it automatically reflows the text. PDF viewing is best made in Landscape mode, which can be accessed via the settings menu. I found most image heavy things look noticeably better in this perspective.
The high resolution display really makes complex PDF files with images look really great. The text on both PDF and other eBook types look phenomenal and crisp. There are tons of options to really augment your reading experience and changes you make are persistent across the entire Amazon ecosystem.

http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...le-paperwhite/

It’s okay for referencing PDFs occasionally but certainly isn’t something you want to use everyday.
The main reason for this, of course, is the small screen size. At 6-inches diagonally there’s not much you can do but zoom in on everything. With the Paperwhite there are two options for zooming: double-tapping and pinch-zooming.
Double-tapping shrinks the margins down to about a quarter of an inch on all sides, and pinch-zooming allows you to customize exactly how far you want to zoom in. When using zoom you can pan around the page and there’s an indicator that appears at the bottom of the screen and to the right of the screen that shows what part of the page you are zoomed in to.

[...]

As far as features for PDF files go, you can highlight, add notes, look-up words in the dictionary, jump to specific pages, add bookmarks, switch to landscape mode, use the table of contents (generated by the Kindle), run searches, share on social networks, reference Wikipedia, and get instant translations just the same as with regular Kindle ebooks.

[...]

As usual, there’s no PDF reflow option available from the Kindle itself, but you can send PDFs to Amazon and have them converted for free to Amazon’s Kindle format, and that is essentially the exact same thing as reflow. And it actually works pretty well, as long it is a basic text-based PDF and doesn’t have complicated formatting.

http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...-review-video/

[Xanthe]

Reading a .pdf on a 6" reader is an exercise in futility. The aggravation is really, truly not worth it.

[Germanc]

I read pdf on a daily basis on my kindle 3 using kindlepdfreader (I think it's called koreader now). Mostly math and physics books full of formulas and graphs, and I'm very pleased with the result. Vanilla pdf support is really poor, but if you are willing to jailbreak it it's completely doable.
PS: there is a version of koreader for the paperwhite but I didn't have the chance to try it. You can see it in action in youtube or read about it in the kindle developer corner section.

[HarryT]

The PW has PDF zoom, but not reflow.

As has been stated numerous times in this thread, don't waste your time and money by attempting to use a 6" reader for PDF - it will be an exercise in futility. Believe the people who are telling you this - we are speaking from long experience. You need a large-screen device to read PDFs satisfactorily.

[Josieb1]

The only device I know of that has PDF reflow is the Nook Simple Touch, but its only okay for simple text only (no columns, graphs etc) PDFs and each PDF is different so some render okay some don't. I have a Nook Simple Touch so I speak from experience.

I would never consider reading a PDF on a Kindle or any other ereader device. A large tablet is seriously your best choice.

[ring0_event]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

The only device I know of that has PDF reflow is the Nook Simple Touch, but its only okay for simple text only (no columns, graphs etc) PDFs and each PDF is different so some render okay some don't. I have a Nook Simple Touch so I speak from experience.

FWIW the Sony T1, T2 and older x50 series all have PDF reflow. I didn't know this about the NST, I admit. I just added to the list for completeness is all.

I would never consider reading a PDF on a Kindle or any other ereader device. A large tablet is seriously your best choice.

I think the Onyx M92 should be considered as well, since its 9.7 inch pearl e-ink screen makes it easy to use for many hours of reading both inside and outside, quite unlike a tablet under both metrics. Another possibility would be to wait for the upcoming Sony 13.3 inch slate with its Mobius-based screen, but God knows what the price will be...
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=213019
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Sony_E_Ink_slate

[HarryT]

There is no "upcoming Sony 13.3" slate". There has been a demonstration of a prototype. Most prototypes never make it into production - they're simply there to "test the waters" of the market, so to speak.

[ring0_event]

Ah, thank you for that correction. I hope it makes it to market, though for now I have no compelling reason to buy one. My M92 is enough for me.

[mgmueller]

A friend of mine bought a Sony reader for his MBA.
Mainly because of the reflow option.
He got rid of the reader after less than a week.
Yes, reflow on PDFs is working.
But it really depends on your texts, whether it makes sense and whether you can live with the results.
In his case, there had been lots of diagrams, graphs, formulas and such in his texts.
Reflow couldn't handle them satisfactorily.
Pure text, no problem.
But in combination with diagrams and stuff, lots of information got lost, the context wasn't obvious anymore and so on.
He didn't find any solution and forgot about the Reader.

[DonalDuck]

Thanks for all the replies and I am sorry for how long it took me to answer you (my computer died yesterday...). I did go ahead and bought the PaperWhite - I think it satisfies to at least a good degree my pdf needs - the only downside really is the small 1.25 GB memory - any tips on that?

Thanks,
DD

[HarryT]

Small? I currently have 738 books on my PW, and have about a third of the storage space free still. How many books is it essential for you to have loaded onto your PW at one time? Ebooks are not large.