2 things I didn't like about Kobo Glo, but what about others?

[edurbrow]

I had a Kobo Glo for a few months (my first e-reader). I accidentally broke it and now I need to buy a replacement. I bought a Sony PRS-T3 because I saw it had dedicated page turn buttons, but I didn't know that it had no light and cannot change the language (with the Japanese domestic version).

Basically, I loved having the Kobo. There are just two complaints I have. When I hold with one hand, the most natural way to hold it is with the thumb on the front. Unfortunately, that turns the page. It turns out that was even true with the Sony to some extent.

The other thing was I found the interface a bit clunky: it was often hard to turn pages and hard to get to the Home screen. Also, the dictionary would not go to words in the definition, so for an adjective it might say "of or having the quality of xxx" which doesn't help.

The great advantage of the Kobo was it was around $50, brand new with a backlight.

So my question is: do all the e-readers suffer from the thumb-turns-the-page flaw? Also, is the Kindle that much snappier that it would warrant paying a bit more for? As long as it is around $100 or less, that would be fine.

Thank you in advance for your opinions.

[booklover6]

Where did you find a new in box Kobo Glo for $50? I seldom see them that low even for used.

Were you putting your thumb ON the screen while holding it? If so, any touch screen reader is going to do that.

The Kindle has good dictionary support, and you can at times get a good price on a used or refurbished Paperwhite (previous generation) - I got mine for $69 when Amazon was having a special. I don't find it "snappier" but it is a fine ereader.

Too bad about the Sony, have you asked about it in the Sony forum, here on MR? Someone there may have some ideas for you.

The kobo is my favorite reader. I love the Glo, and don't find it clunky, though I rarely if ever use the dictionary. You can sometimes find them for $90 new. There is a guy here on MR selling one in the deals forum, but he didn't state a price. You could ask him.

[Rizla]

Indeed. For $50 I'd pick one up and install Android on it.

I think you need to alter how you hold the device.

I don't think the Kindle is any snappier than the others (played with one the other day. It's speed was the same as my Nook ST).

[edurbrow]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Where did you find a new in box Kobo Glo for $50? I seldom see them that low even for used.

kakaku.com which is something like Pricewatch for Japan. Maybe it was $60 with yen rate. I tend to round down when I think of the price I paid. :-)

Were you putting your thumb ON the screen while holding it? If so, any touch screen reader is going to do that.

Yes. The Sony seemed to not change the page unless you slid your digit, but the Kobo would turn and keep turning the page. So, they all do that, even the sony. I guess a wide edge is a good idea.

The Kindle has good dictionary support, and you can at times get a good price on a used or refurbished Paperwhite (previous generation) - I got mine for $69 when Amazon was having a special. I don't find it "snappier" but it is a fine ereader.

Is there any real advantage to the new model? I don't need wifi. I suppose the screen has more resolution?

Too bad about the Sony, have you asked about it in the Sony forum, here on MR?

Yes. That is how I found this forum. The lack of a backlight was a deal breaker for me. I could perhaps have lived with the Japanese system if it had a backlight.

The kobo is my favorite reader. I love the Glo, and don't find it clunky, though I rarely if ever use the dictionary. You can sometimes find them for $90 new. There is a guy here on MR selling one in the deals forum, but he didn't state a price. You could ask him.

I'm in Japan. The Kobo glo is currently ¥7,754 new on Kakaku.com which is about $76. Kindle Paperwhite ¥10,280 ($100.74).

You find the Kobo better than the Kindle? In what way?

Just curious, but why do you and others here have more than one reader?

Thank you for your thoughtful reply.

[booklover6]

Ok, the Sony T series only changes pages with a swipe, not a tap. The other major readers change with swipe or tap. Also most readers have an IR touch screen, so you don't even have to touch the screen, just break the beam by coming close to it, to turn the page.

As for the Kindle Paperwhite, it does not have an IR screen. It has a capacitative touch screen. So that might work better for you. In any case, you shouldn't rest your thumb ON the screen. As for the difference between PW1 and PW2, they have the same resolution, but there are other differences. You can look at the product pages and see which one you like better. I got rid of my PW2 and got a PW1 because I wanted the older firmware. But the newer one has a different screen and is a smidgeon faster.

There are many things I like better about the Kobo. The ease of adding and using my own fonts, the ease of changing the display (margins, etc), and the ease of managing collections with Calibre (a free ebook management program). Also the Kobo Glo is a little smaller and lighter than the PW. (For the PW1, I have added my own font, but I convert my books in Calibre to a larger size font before I load it, otherwise the text is too small (or too large) using the stock kindle font sizes).

As for why have more than one, some of us here at mobileread are a little obsessive. And like to have back ups (what if one breaks, or is out of battery? What if I want a bigger one for at home and a smaller one for my purse?) The reasons are endless! Variety, playing with rooting, etc. [One of my Glo's I opened up and put a 16gb card inside. I did the same to one of my Mini's. The other Mini had a 4gb card so I extended the partition to use the whole card.] I really like the Kobo hardware and firmware, so I actually have 6 of them

[robko]

Originally Posted by edurbrow

The other thing was I found the interface a bit clunky: it was often hard to turn pages and hard to get to the Home screen. Also, the dictionary would not go to words in the definition, so for an adjective it might say "of or having the quality of xxx" which doesn't help.

The newer firmware on Kobo's will at least get past the dictionary issue for you. It is now possible to select a word in a definition and it will open up a definition for that word.

[Joeldmtl]

If you find that when using the Kobo dictionary, the definition of a word includes the words that are derivatives of the original word (which it often does in Kobo's English dictionary), just touch the derived word given in the definition and it will give you more definitions.

Hope that helps

[edurbrow]

Useful information.
Thank you.

[edurbrow]

Thank you for that.
Now, I'm leaning back towards the Kobo Glo!
I was trying to find info on the Aura last night because most of the comparisons I found were between the Aura and the Paperwhite. The big thing that was different seemed to be the flush screen. I was trying to find out how wide the margin/boarder that you can hold is. If you can't even put your thumb a little ways over the edge, that would be a deal breaker. The other interesting thing I saw was that you can adjust the brightness with a two finger swipe. Not sure if that justifies the extra expense over a glo. I don't need wifi. Any big advantages of Auro over Glo anyone?
Thanks again,

[Cosimo]

I didn't notice it mentioned but Kobo has the Aura discounted to $109.

[the.Mtn.Man]

Originally Posted by robko

The newer firmware on Kobo's will at least get past the dictionary issue for you. It is now possible to select a word in a definition and it will open up a definition for that word.

I didn't know that. Good tip.

[the.Mtn.Man]

Originally Posted by Cosimo

I didn't notice it mentioned but Kobo has the Aura discounted to $109.

Ah, crud. I just ordered one a week ago. Wish I had known there was a sale coming up. As far as I know it hasn't shipped yet, so maybe I can still get the discounted price? Who knows.

Edit: No luck. Just contacted customer support, and even though the order is still in "processing" after a week, they can't change the price after sale. I briefly considered canceling the order and then redordering, but that could take another two-weeks, and I don't feel like bothering with the hassle. Guess I'll just eat the $30.

[robko]

Originally Posted by edurbrow

The other interesting thing I saw was that you can adjust the brightness with a two finger swipe. Not sure if that justifies the extra expense over a glo. I don't need wifi. Any big advantages of Auro over Glo anyone?
Thanks again,

There's a hack for that . Just a drag and drop file (no rooting or anything complex) that will give you that functionality on other devices if it's something you want. The big differences are flush screen and the fact that the Aura (not to be confused with the Aura HD) uses capacitive touch rather than IR touch that the Glo uses. Some people like one, some like the other. The Aura will be slightly faster (newer) hardware and has a different refresh system that means less flash on screen refresh if that bothers you.

[edurbrow]

The BIG question about the Aura I have (since it has a flush screen), is what is the distance from the edge that you can touch before it starts turning pages.
TIA

[booklover6]

You can put your thumb anywhere on the bezel, which is about 3/8" of an inch, without turning the page.