Clara Just ordered the Clara HD

[Cleophauna]

After much deliberation I finally ordered the Clara HD. I should receive sometime next week. I'm super excited! I'm coming from a very old Aluratek Libre. Very clunky but as my Gramma used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out", well it finally wore out. LOL I guess I got my $75.00 worth out of it.

The main reason for going with the Kobo is the software and not being tied to a single vender. Almost all of my books are e-pubs, with a few pdf's.

I'm new to the Kobo and currently use Calibre to manage my library and wanted to know if the kobo plugin would work with the new Clara? Also, would it be wise to convert my books to kepub (?) format? Do I need to? I do have a lot of series type books.

In other words should I do some prep work on my library to make it a smoother process when loading onto the Clara?

Thanks

[Python Master]

The Clara HD is supported by Calibre. And there's nothing special differentiating the kepub and an epub. Both work fine on the device.

[k9reeder]

Ha. Good for you. My Aluratek Libre is still going strong. Although whenever I use it (rarely) I feel like I'm back in the USSR - like it's a Stalinist era eReader-ski, clunky with buttons galore yet always gets the job done. Been away so long...

[Cleophauna]

It did get the job done as you say. The buttons are the problem, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Using it over the years though did help me create a wishlist and the Kobo ticked off just about all of those items. I just hope I don't miss the buttons. LOL

[dordale]

I'm sure you're going to love your Clara HD!

No need to convert your books to kePub, even if you prefer kePub on your device (which I do). If you want kePub, you can just install the Kobo Extended Driver plugin in Calibre and it will convert your ePubs to kePub when transferring them to your Clara. The file in Calibre will remain an ePub.

Once you get your Clara, I'd try both to see which you prefer. If you haven't already, search this forum--there are many posts from both people who prefer kePub and those who prefer ePub stating the reasons they prefer the format they do.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by Cleophauna

After much deliberation I finally ordered the Clara HD. I should receive sometime next week. I'm super excited! I'm coming from a very old Aluratek Libre. Very clunky but as my Gramma used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out", well it finally wore out. LOL I guess I got my $75.00 worth out of it.

The main reason for going with the Kobo is the software and not being tied to a single vender. Almost all of my books are e-pubs, with a few pdf's.

I'm new to the Kobo and currently use Calibre to manage my library and wanted to know if the kobo plugin would work with the new Clara? Also, would it be wise to convert my books to kepub (?) format? Do I need to? I do have a lot of series type books.

In other words should I do some prep work on my library to make it a smoother process when loading onto the Clara?

Thanks

i'd convert 1 book from epub to kepub and then you can try both and decide which YOU prefer.

best wishes koboy

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cleophauna

The main reason for going with the Kobo is the software and not being tied to a single vender. Almost all of my books are e-pubs, with a few pdf's.

I'm new to the Kobo and currently use Calibre to manage my library...

Kobo is just as tied in to a single vendor as a Kindle or a Nook. Using Calibre to manage your library frees you up to use any device you choose.

I do like Kobo's software though. It is very good with series, which you mentioned elsewhere.

Originally Posted by dordale

No need to convert your books to kePub, even if you prefer kePub on your device (which I do). If you want kePub, you can just install the Kobo Extended Driver plugin in Calibre and it will convert your ePubs to kePub when transferring them to your Clara. The file in Calibre will remain an ePub.

Once you get your Clara, I'd try both to see which you prefer. If you haven't already, search this forum--there are many posts from both people who prefer kePub and those who prefer ePub stating the reasons they prefer the format they do.

This is very good advice. If you do prefer kepub, there's still no reason to keep them on your PC.

[Calenorn]

I've ordered one too! Mine should arrive on Monday!

[John F]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kobo is just as tied in to a single vendor as a Kindle or a Nook. Using Calibre to manage your library frees you up to use any device you choose.

...

Just to nitpick, stripping DRM and converting frees you up to use any device you choose; Calibre helps simplify the process.

[Cleophauna]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kobo is just as tied in to a single vendor as a Kindle or a Nook. Using Calibre to manage your library frees you up to use any device you choose.

I do like Kobo's software though. It is very good with series, which you mentioned elsewhere.

Maybe tied to a single vendor is not quite the correct wording. I don't want to have to do acrobatics to get any book I choose on my device. I dislike proprietary equipment. I know you can sideload on just about any device, but, like I said I don't like having to do the file acrobatics. I would never buy a Kindle for that reason. Calibre does help, but, IMO you shouldn't limited to only 1 format.

Kobo's ability to handle series was actually one of the deciding factors. I'm looking forward to that feature.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kobo is just as tied in to a single vendor as a Kindle or a Nook. Using Calibre to manage your library frees you up to use any device you choose.

I find your statement a bit odd. Before using calibre, I was purchasing epubs from multiple vendors for use on my Kobo ereaders. I even purchased a few from B&N before I was banned for being from the wrong country.

[azayn]

Good choice! I came close to buying the Clara myself when I upgraded from my Nook ST, but ended up going with the Oasis due to the larger screen. That said, if/when my Kobo Mini kicks the bucket, it will be replaced with the Clara as it's the closest to the Mini in terms of size and weight.

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by Cleophauna

After much deliberation I finally ordered the Clara HD. I should receive sometime next week.

Congrats! Good choice 👍🏼

[...]as my Gramma used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out",

I like your grandma!!

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kobo is just as tied in to a single vendor as a Kindle or a Nook.

I don't think it is. I can buy from several vendors in the Netherlands and they can all link to my Kobo account. This means I buy from vendor X and the book shows up in my Kobo account and syncs to all my Kobo readers just like a Kobo-bought book would. I can't say the same about Kindle/Amazon. (I don't know Nook.)

[Derf]

Originally Posted by Cleophauna

After much deliberation I finally ordered the Clara HD.

Congrats on a fine choice. I love mine!

... as my Gramma used to say "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out"

I like that expression!

Originally Posted by koboy

i'd convert 1 book from epub to kepub and then you can try both and decide which YOU prefer.

That's a good suggestion. Some prefer the ligatures and Kerning of ePub, other's prefer the reading stats and features of KEPUB. I actually prefer to use the Calibre plugin Kobo Extended Driver to convert my ePub files to KePub on the fly when sideloading onto Kobo. I think Kobo works a little better with KEPUB, offering a few niceties over ePub, but for non-english speakers ePub may look better.

Originally Posted by Cleophauna

I don't want to have to do acrobatics to get any book I choose on my device. I dislike proprietary equipment. I know you can sideload on just about any device, but, like I said I don't like having to do the file acrobatics. I would never buy a Kindle for that reason. Calibre does help, but, IMO you shouldn't limited to only 1 format.

I actually felt the same way, which helped sway me towards the Kobo. What I didn't realize at the time was that you can sideload on Kindle in AZW or Mobi format. I thought you could only read Amazon purchased books on a Kindle.

50% of all eBook sales come from Amazon, so if you buy ebooks from Amazon and read on an alternate company's device, you'll need to perform the file acrobatics; at the very least you'll need to download the books to a computer first, and possibly de-DRM'ed and converted to another file format, to load them onto your alternate device.

On the other hand, if you have a large ebook library already, esp. in the open ePub format, a Kobo looks better than a Kindle since it can already handle that format.

The argument seems to be more about your preference to avoid buying on Amazon than to avoid Kindle and file acrobatics. But in any case, Calibre does help.

Originally Posted by azayn

Good choice! I came close to buying the Clara myself when I upgraded from my Nook ST, but ended up going with the Oasis due to the larger screen.

While the Nook ST and the Clara might be in the same league, the Oasis and the Clara are not at all. One is an 'entry level' eReader, and the other is a top-tier eReader. The waterproofing, bigger screen, and bluetooth support for Audible make it a different animal from the Clara. The price tag alone of the Oasis is worth about 2X Clara's. It's like someone saying I considered the Toyota Camry as an upgrade from my Honda Civic, but decided on the BMW X5 instead! I'm not sure why you consider it a good choice, considering you decided not to buy it.

However, if you were considering a Kobo Clara, I'm curious why you didn't also consider a Kobo Aura H2O for the bigger screen and waterproofing for $50 more, and decided to go with the Kindle Oasis for $120 more?

[azayn]

Originally Posted by Derf

While the Nook ST and the Clara might be in the same league, the Oasis and the Clara are not at all. One is an 'entry level' eReader, and the other is a top-tier eReader. The waterproofing, bigger screen, and bluetooth support for Audible make it a different animal from the Clara. The price tag alone of the Oasis is worth about 2X Clara's. It's like someone saying I considered the Toyota Camry as an upgrade from my Honda Civic, but decided on the BMW X5 instead! I'm not sure why you consider it a good choice, considering you decided not to buy it.

However, if you were considering a Kobo Clara, I'm curious why you didn't also consider a Kobo Aura H2O for the bigger screen and waterproofing for $50 more, and decided to go with the Kindle Oasis for $120 more?

I'd rate the Clara as a mid-tier device. The Aura and regular Kindle are what I consider entry level.

Actually, the Oasis wasn't even a contender until the recent price drop brought it to $179 for a refurb. That's the same price point at as the H20. The waterproofing and Audible support is nice and all, but not really useful to me since I don't read in the tub and use my smartphone for audiobooks. For me the major selling points were the large screen, the UI speed and responsiveness, and physical page turn buttons.