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Old 01-25-2012, 09:10 AM   #1
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Need an all rounded ereader. Kobo Touch vs the rest...

Hi,

I'm looking to buy in ereader in Australia in the next month or so. Currently, the Kobo Touch, the Sony PRS T-1 and the iRiver Story HD are the only mainstream models that are "officially" imported. Of the three, I've only used the iRiver Story HD and it was unimpressive. The text was sharp but I found the "wobbly nav-bar thingo" cumbersome to use and the screen contrast was poor. It was quite dark and yes, it was fully refreshed. Not sure if it has a partial refresh anyway. Is this the case with the E-Ink Pearl displays as well?

The T-1 seems okay but I am hesitant to pay 50 extra because it doesn't seem to do much more than the Kobo Touch which does most of what I need. So by elimination and its open nature, I am leaning towards the Kobo Touch.

I'm impressed by the formatting options for text and the clean user interface and landscape support for PDFs. I also like the frequency with which the Kobo team is pushing out firmware updates.

I don't need much out of the ereader. Like I mentioned, the formatting options are important to me and good PDF support as well. Reflow is not important.

It will cost a little bit more but importing a Nook ST or Kindle Touch is no big deal and also an option. What bothers me is that I will have to convert all non-AZW books to Mobi to use them on the Kindle and the Amazon store's selection outside of the US does not impress me, there are already several key titles that were more expensive or missing entirely. There's nothing wrong with the Nook but I have no compelling reasons to buy one. The ability to root the device and sideload Android apps is appealing but I have no real use for it.

I'm also considering the Bookeen Odyssey. It looks promising but I don't really know anything about it. Smooth scrolling, reflow and boot animations are nice but don't interest me.

So with all that in mind, is there something I've missed? Do any of you think there are good reasons to get any of the other readers mentioned that I have missed?

I also have a question about speed. This is one of the most important things to me and is pretty much the only thing I haven't been able to learn from YouTube reviews. The Kindle Touch just got a firmware update and is supposedly faster. So is the Kobo but most of the reviews are out of date and don't demonstrate this. From what I've seen, the Nook is plenty fast already. Does anybody think that after the latest round of updates, there is an appreciable difference between all these models?

Thanks for reading this far! Any input would be appreciated.
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Old 01-25-2012, 09:59 AM   #2
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NO don't get KOBO

KOBO is nothing but a gimmich now that loads your reader with junk from KOBO and does not even work well since last update

Get a Sony
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:10 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geenp View Post
The text was sharp but I found the "wobbly nav-bar thingo" cumbersome to use and the screen contrast was poor. It was quite dark and yes, it was fully refreshed. Not sure if it has a partial refresh anyway. Is this the case with the E-Ink Pearl displays as well?
IMHO the Story HD offers pretty much the same contrast as the other models. I hade a Kindle 4 Nontouch for a couple days and color wise the display was very similar to the Story HD. I posted a picture here (created using a flatbet scanner in a single pass): https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=107

I love the "wobbly nav-bar thingo", couldn't handle the side keys on the Kindle (although I hear they are wider / better reachable on the other kindles). In the end it's just something you get used to I guess.

I don't want touchscreens so touch models just arent an option for me.
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:29 AM   #4
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KOBO is nothing but a gimmich now that loads your reader with junk from KOBO and does not even work well since last update

Get a Sony
Agreed - I bought a Kobo Touch when they came out, but only recently started using it- it wont work with anything but what I buy from Kobo itself, making it effectively useless to me.
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:31 AM   #5
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I'm looking to buy in ereader in Australia in the next month or so. Currently, the Kobo Touch, the Sony PRS T-1 and the iRiver Story HD are the only mainstream models that are "officially" imported.
The Kindle non-Touch, aka Kindle 4, is also available in Australia, is it not? It may not be actually physically in the shops, but you can certainly buy it from Amazon.
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:37 AM   #6
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I also have a question about speed. This is one of the most important things to me and is pretty much the only thing I haven't been able to learn from YouTube reviews. The Kindle Touch just got a firmware update and is supposedly faster. So is the Kobo but most of the reviews are out of date and don't demonstrate this. From what I've seen, the Nook is plenty fast already. Does anybody think that after the latest round of updates, there is an appreciable difference between all these models?
I really wouldn't get too hung up on speed. All eInk devices are sufficiently fast; the page turns much more quickly than you can turn the page of a paper book. Whether a page turns in 0.1s of 0.2s is really just marketing hype; it makes no practical difference.
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Old 01-25-2012, 08:54 PM   #7
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Thanks for all the replies.

reader12345, I can't tell if you're being serious about the Kobo. Can you elaborate please?

I don't like how the built in store on the Sony won't be accessible in Australia and the glossy bezel bothers me. I don't have hands on experience so I'll see if I can get to use one first. Thanks for the suggestion


frostschutz, thanks for the comparison, I've actually been looking for one. The screen doesn't bother me anymore but I'm still reluctant to use the bar. I actually do like the idea of a touch screen, all my other devices are touch based so this won't be an issue. Oddly enough I quite liked the thingo on the older Cover Story where it was mounted vertically.


owlman112, is this is a bug? I believe the Kobo was supposed to be able to read ADE epubs, was this something that got broken in the latest update?


HarryT, the speed of the page turns is not an issue. I'm referring to the general interface. It's just something I get really fussy about when it comes to any piece of tech.

Yes, the Kindle 4 ships here and it is sold in brick and mortar shops but I am reluctant to get one after seeing how easy stuff like the dictionary and notes is on the touch models, especially when compared to the Kindle Touch. If I did get a Kindle it would be the Touch or maaaybe the Kindle 3 for the keyboard.
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Old 01-25-2012, 10:12 PM   #8
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Kobo is a great little reader with a few caveat's.
Not sure what problem owlman112 is having but either he has broken hardware or hasn't upgraded firmware because what he's describing isn't normal.
The latest firmware upgrade brought a "recommended" list to the home screen BUT it can be set to your shortlist instead of having to look at them (currently it get's reset back to recommended list when you sync, but that will be fixed so shortlist is persistent). Some (a few?) people have had random issues with the last upgrade causing menu touches to not be registered properly -- seems to be a combo hardware/firmware issue since some people can fix it by a 2nd upgrade install and others can make it go away with downgrade to previous version but it always comes back. I haven't had the issue.
The big drawback with the Kobo is that customer service is questionable at best and sucks big time at worst. I don't think Kobo is any more prone to an issue than any other reader, but service if you have a problem is slow.
Other than customer service I would highly recommend the Kobo.
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Old 01-26-2012, 02:15 AM   #9
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Thanks robko,

I don't mind the "recommended" section but the option to turn it off (if working) would be nice. I'm out of the country and still have time till I get back so hopefully they've fixed the issues by then.

I saw the thread into the Kobo sub-forum about the tweaks that can disable the entire bottom section. I'm looking forward to seeing what progress they make with that.
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Old 01-26-2012, 03:25 AM   #10
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HarryT, the speed of the page turns is not an issue. I'm referring to the general interface. It's just something I get really fussy about when it comes to any piece of tech.

Yes, the Kindle 4 ships here and it is sold in brick and mortar shops but I am reluctant to get one after seeing how easy stuff like the dictionary and notes is on the touch models, especially when compared to the Kindle Touch. If I did get a Kindle it would be the Touch or maaaybe the Kindle 3 for the keyboard.
The interface on all these devices is sufficiently fast. I honestly can't recall anyone ever complaining about such things with any reader.

I have a Kindle Touch - it's certainly a very nice reader indeed. It would be a good choice.
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Old 01-26-2012, 07:36 AM   #11
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Thanks HarryT. I'll try the T1 and the Kobo Touch in person first. After your input, the Kindle is back on my shortlist but it'll probably stay at the bottom unless there is something wrong with the Sony or Kobo. Thanks for your help.
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Old 01-26-2012, 07:41 AM   #12
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Thanks HarryT. I'll try the T1 and the Kobo Touch in person first. After your input, the Kindle is back on my shortlist but it'll probably stay at the bottom unless there is something wrong with the Sony or Kobo. Thanks for your help.
My primary reasons for preferring the Kindle are:

1. Amazon's superb bookstore. By far the largest store, and generally the best prices.

2. Simply outstanding customer service.

I'm sure, though, that you'll be happy with any of the devices you've mentioned. All are good.
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Old 01-26-2012, 10:23 AM   #13
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The big drawback with the Kobo is that customer service is questionable at best and sucks big time at worst. I don't think Kobo is any more prone to an issue than any other reader, but service if you have a problem is slow.
Other than customer service I would highly recommend the Kobo.
The customer service is atrocious, "slow" doesn't begin to describe it. I was extremely happy with my Kobo until something went wrong a few weeks ago. I am, quite honestly, absolutely blown away by how non-responsive and apathetic their support was. Every email reply took at least a full day, for the first two, then over a week went by with nothing.
If you call them, all they will do is, quite literally, read aloud to you the transcript of your email, and tell you that there's nothing they can do, and you'll get an email when the support team gets to your email.
(That's almost verbatim)

After over half a dozen people bought a Kobo directly on my recommendation, I have only this to say now:
If I could physically prevent you from buying a Kobo by holding you back from the store, I would.
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Old 01-26-2012, 03:41 PM   #14
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I have had a Kobo Touch for 4 months or so and I love it. Yes, there are some niggles with the recent firmware upgrade but overall it works just fine.
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Old 01-26-2012, 10:33 PM   #15
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KOBO is nothing but a gimmich now that loads your reader with junk from KOBO and does not even work well since last update

Get a Sony

What they mean is that Kobo has a new bar at the bottom of the screen that can ONLY IF YOU WANT IT display recommendations or New Releases, if you don't like to see those you can just set it to show "Shortlist" which is a list of books that you either like or are going to read soon.

With the current firmware you can't remove the bar at the bottom. I really like the recommended and New Releases option because it saves me from going to the Kobo website to look for new books. There has been a HUGE over reaction to this small bar at the bottom.
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