Kindle Oasis, Kobo Aura One or ipad mini 4???

[mobama]

@sawdin2
There is a point you don't bring up, but that is well worth considering: page turn keys. Oasis has them, KA1 does not.

I personally consider page turn keys a very important convenience to be able to perform basic operations in one limited area of the device, instead of having to aim at different areas of the screen. Then again, it naturally depends on how well the keys are built. This must be tried out in person in a store.

And waterproofing is a good thing for bus-waiting and by-the-pool scenarios. In this case, both devices are waterproof.

[Deskisamess]

I personally consider page turn keys a very important convenience to be able to perform basic operations in one limited area of the device, instead of having to aim at different areas of the screen. Then again, it naturally depends on how well the keys are built. This must be tried out in person in a store.

The page turn buttons are the ONE thing I don't like on my Oasis 2. I don't use them and would be happier if there were none. The small roll motion I use to turn the page is less motion that is needed to find and click the button.

[sawdin2]

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback!

I'm leaning towards going with the KA1 but will wait a bit to see if they finally become available via Walmart (USA) in the next month or so. Purchasing and potential return via Walmart will be easier than dealing with Rakuten Kobo. In addition, I'm sure Walmlart will offer free shipping and I have a $60 store credit from Walmart. If the Oasis goes on sale, I'll order one of those so that I can actually compare both models.

Thanks again and feel free to add other comments to the thread as I'm sure others are evaluating the Oasis, KA1 and ipad mini 4 as well.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback!

I'm leaning towards going with the KA1 but will wait a bit to see if they finally become available via Walmart (USA) in the next month or so. Purchasing and potential return via Walmart will be easier than dealing with Rakuten Kobo. In addition, I'm sure Walmart will offer free shipping and I have a $60 store credit from Walmart. If the Oasis goes on sale, I'll order one of those so that I can actually compare both models.

Thanks again and feel free to add other comments to the thread as I'm sure others are evaluating the Oasis, KA1 and ipad mini 4 as well.

Ordering from the USA, I would actually suggest ordering from Chapters/Indigo as quite a few people have mentioned that they have had a good experience ordering from them for shipment to the USA. With the current Canada/US exchange rate, the Aura One comes out to $188.50 US so even adding in the shipping, you still pay less than ordering from Kobo's US site.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

The page turn buttons are the ONE thing I don't like on my Oasis 2. I don't use them and would be happier if there were none. The small roll motion I use to turn the page is less motion that is needed to find and click the button.

I rest my thumb on the page forward button. Never have to lift a finger to turn a page, just press slightly. Compared to the Voyage "buttons," the ones on the Oasis are easier to find by feel alone since they are raised.

[mobama]

Oh, and nobody has mentioned cases or covers yet, as far as I can see. A solid case is indispensable for any ereader, if you ever plan to use it outdoors and on the go. Eink screen is rather fragile.

One problem with Kobo is that their cases are criminally overpriced. Perhaps someone can recommend a third-party cover that fits KA1.

[Deskisamess]

One problem with Kobo is that their cases are criminally overpriced. Perhaps someone can recommend a third-party cover that fits KA1.

Amazon branded covers are also over priced, but I've always done well with 3rd party covers, even for my Kobo Glo.

[sawdin2]

How long does the battery last if you have the display set to 50% and wi-fi turned off?

Also, I've read that the screen is prone to smudges. I tend to clean my screens often (spray and use clean microfiber cloth) as I can't stand a hazy/dirty screen. Will the KA1 screen remain "scratch-less" if you clean often?

[sawdin2]

Originally Posted by mobama

I have done some patching on my Kobo H2O, so I don't see the header anymore at least. However, I find the patching system convoluted and error-prone, and it addresses too few of my annoyances with Kobo software, so that I circumvent Kobo software entirely and I use Koreader instead. Koreader is sufficiently configurable and can handle both epubs and pdf files more competently. Here's an overview of Koreader on Kobo Aura One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2oSOeAnD10

1. Does using Koreader rather than the Kobo software degrade the ease of using overdrive with the KA1 or does it only affect page layout options?
2. If using Koreader, can you still remove the header from pages?
3. Do you use epub or Kepub files? Does it make a difference if you are using Koreader?

TIA!

Dino

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

1. Does using Koreader rather than the Kobo software degrade the ease of using overdrive with the KA1 or does it only affect page layout options?

At this time and likely in the future, you are not able to use the KA1's Overdrive integration from KOReader.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

2. If using Koreader, can you still remove the header from pages?

I seem to remember that last time I used KOReader, you could enable or disable the title display. KOReader has little to do with the setup when you are using Kobo's renderers. My experience with KOReader was that it worked better for the few PDFs I had on my Kobo and finally, I decided that it wasn't worth keeping around. The Kobo software handles CRZ/CBR and RTF and I have no XPS, DjVU, FB2 or PDB ebooks so little advantage for me in the additional formats supported by KOReader.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

3. Do you use epub or Kepub files? Does it make a difference if you are using Koreader?

I use almost exclusively epub. The exceptions are those few books that have maps and other illustrations that have high enough resolution to make it worth zooming in to see more detail and the 4 epub3 fixed layout I currently own.

For KOReader, there shouldn't be that much if any difference between epub and kepub since the spans that are added to kepubs should not affect the display. If you have some of the old kepubs that used javascript, that could make a difference.

[sawdin2]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I use almost exclusively epub. The exceptions are those few books that have maps and other illustrations that have high enough resolution to make it worth zooming in to see more detail and the 4 epub3 fixed layout I currently own.

For KOReader, there shouldn't be that much if any difference between epub and kepub since the spans that are added to kepubs should not affect the display. If you have some of the old kepubs that used javascript, that could make a difference.

David,

Thanks for the reply.

1. I am building my library from scratch. I can purchase from Amazon, Kobo, Google, etc. and use Calibre if needed to convert into whatever format is required. I'll use DeDRM_tools_6.6.1 w/ Calibre as well.

2. If I purchase books from KOBO, won't those books be in kepub format?

3. If using KA1 with native software, doesn't the file format have to be kepub?

4. For PDF's, I'll view those on a monitor, not the KA1 (or Oasis if I determine I like that better).

5. Excluding price, which seems to be very similar between most providers, which service is easiest to use? For Kindles, obviously Amazon. For KA1, would it be the Kobo store?
TIA,
Dino

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

1. I am building my library from scratch. I can purchase from Amazon, Kobo, Google, etc. and use Calibre if needed to convert into whatever format is required. I'll use DeDRM_tools_6.6.1 w/ Calibre as well.

Pretty much what I do.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

2. If I purchase books from KOBO, won't those books be in kepub format?

The books that synchronize directly to your KA1 (either purchased or library loans) will be kepub (the file name will be a long string that looks like a GUID with no extension). You can use the obok plugin for calibre to import these from the Kobo Desktop App or you can download them from your acccount page using a web browser and then import those epub files into calibre (Kobo => My Account => My Books and click on the ... under actions.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

3. If using KA1 with native software, doesn't the file format have to be kepub?

The KA1 has two renderers. One is Adobe's RMSDK which handles epubs and Adobe DRM. The other is based on the ACCESS NetFront BookReader EPUB Edition which is pretty much part of Readium now. It handles epub3 allowing for complex page layouts and Japanese text. The .kepub.epub file extension is used for epubs intended to be open by that renderer (.fxl.kepub.epub is also used for fixed layout epub3 ebooks). These books may have Kobo proprietary DRM which is where obok comes in. There have been some almost religious arguments over which renderer is better. I prefer epub for it's superior handling of typographic elements (kerning, ligatures, etc.) however I suspect that if you are not the type of person who goes "that page is using Garamond for headings", you probably won't notice many differences other than the popup footnotes when using kepub.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

4. For PDF's, I'll view those on a monitor, not the KA1 (or Oasis if I determine I like that better).

For me, either my laptop or an iPad Pro are my preferred PDF devices. The bigger screen, faster processor and more memory make reading PDFs a much nicer experience.

Originally Posted by sawdin2

5. Excluding price, which seems to be very similar between most providers, which service is easiest to use? For Kindles, obviously Amazon. For KA1, would it be the Kobo store?

I use Baen, Kobo and Amazon for most of my purchases. Kobo has the advantage that I can use WiFi to sync new purchases directly to my KA1 which is handy when I'm not at home and looking for a new read. Otherwise, my workflow is to purchase the ebook, download to my computer, import into calibre, massage the metadata, covers, etc., and then either USB to transfer to the ereader or calibre-server to allow downloading over the network.

[sawdin2]

David,

If I understand correctly, native KA1 software will work with either epub or kepub file formats, is that correct?

For initial ease of use, the following makes sense:

1. Purchase file, import into Calibre, deal with DRM issues in calibre (using obok plug-in if file was in kepub format from Kobo, if file was in epub format, otherwise use the "regular" DeDRM plugin.)

2. Use installed "document viewer".
2.a If desired, modify to show "full page" (i.e., no header/footer).
2.b Once I get comfortable, evaluate KSM, Koreader, etc.


Does that sound about right?

Thanks again!

Dino

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sawdin2

David,

If I understand correctly, native KA1 software will work with either epub or kepub file formats, is that correct?

For initial ease of use, the following makes sense:

1. Purchase file, import into Calibre, deal with DRM issues in calibre (using obok plug-in if file was in kepub format from Kobo, if file was in epub format, otherwise use the "regular" DeDRM plugin.)

2. Use installed "document viewer".
2.a If desired, modify to show "full page" (i.e., no header/footer).
2.b Once I get comfortable, evaluate KSM, Koreader, etc.


Does that sound about right?

Thanks again!

Dino

That is correct. Basically, kepub is a minor variant on epub.

Sounds very good. Basically, use the ereader, get used to it and then decide if you want to use alternate software, patch the firmware, etc. Some people want to make changes, others are happy with the factory setup. It's very nice to have the choice.