I'm happy with the Kobo

bradbase · 07-31-2010, 08:06 AM

I'm incredibly happy with the Kobo. I bought it two nights ago and it's doing everything I want of an E-Reader and, thankfully, nothing more (except maybe an easter egg I seem to have found).

The Kobo even rendered a 56Mb PDF thesis I wrote which has broken significantly more advanced devices. Below, at "The E-mail", is an e-mail I wrote to my friends exclaiming my surprise.

I've read posts that complain about what it doesn't do and how people are pleading for more of it. I see the Kobo as a no-frills E-Reader and it delivers on that. The things it doesn't do are, in my opinion, its strengths. I don't need yet another Internet hungry multimedia all-things-to-all-people device that contains my life. If I wanted one I'd have bought an IPad. I did, at first, consider an IRiver Story but it's priced the same as a netbook computer and I love my Clix version 1. Also, how much media can the human body actually take? Between a "phone", computer/laptop, MP3 player, MP4 player, wretched IPhones, etc... All of which most people seem to already own. Anyway I seem to have crushed my soapbox with enthusiastic pre-rant... Back to the praise.

In my opinion the Kobo is about $AU50.00 too expensive, but as it came out recently I can understand someone needs to pay for development costs.

The E-mail
===============================
Moving house aggravates one particular bane of my existence... my growing book collection. I love books and like reading. The trouble is that books heavy, they take up space and I don't use them often. In terms of keeping a simple life clear of possessions not owning books is a smart move. Of course the love of books and the desire to keep life clutter free causes me conflict.

Enter the E-Reader revolution. Last night I bought myself a Kobo. The most no-frills E-Reader I can find. The price is on the high end of what I find acceptable, but it's all new tech so I figure someone has to pay for development.

I have found the Kobo to be the solution I had dreamed it to be.

Of course being a techie, and as part of my nature, I have to see where the Kobos limits are. The most challenging document I have been able to find is my honours thesis. PCs struggle to render it and printers worth many thousands of dollars have been known to crumble trying to print it. It's a PDF created by LaTeX and I have vectorised all images in it (except one). Due to the images it's a 56 Mb PDF. File size wise it's significantly larger than an entire book collection. eg; I have downloaded 71 classics incl. Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Carroll, Dickens, Dostoevsky and the like which take up 25 Mb between them.

So, I put my thesis on the Kobo expecting to hang it, get some obscure message about how I should be more considerate to a wimpy specification focused budget manufacturer or maybe even reading the document without pictures.

To my great surprise and complete astonishment, I have been able to read my thesis pictures and all without fuss, complaint or omissions whatsoever. The pages with the complicated images take a little while to render, but they eventually appear. I can even have the document turned landscape and re-sized without complaint or hiccup. The rendering engine in the Kobo seems to be better than most software PDF viewers I've come across.

EDIT for this post: My images and tables come out pristine however the tables in the book "Freakonomics", Levitt and Dubner, 2005, Penguin Books are far from impressive and in some cases not easily readable. The typesetter for that book needs to do a better job.

I am seriously impressed.

Now I need to book publishers to hurry up and get greater catalogues so I can buy the e-versions and get rid of more books.

bradbase · 07-31-2010, 08:11 AM

looks like I'm waaaay too late on the easter egg;
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ght=easter+egg

Roadkiller · 07-31-2010, 10:37 AM

I'll chime in with a "Me too".

I've had a Kobo since the first week they hit the stores here in Canada. I'd been talking about getting an e-reader and my wife picked me up one at Chapters. This must have happened in the 1/2 hour during the initial week after their release when there were actually Kobo's on the shelf.

I have never had any of the problems that seem to fill these forums. I like it, it works fine, I actually read more than before I got it.

dmacmart · 07-31-2010, 01:52 PM

And "me too". I've had mine for a couple months, since around the second shipment arrived at our local Chapters. I've also made more time to read than I have in the last few years. I've struggled a bit with the different paradigms - the concept of a "library" that resides at Kobo, then getting books to my desktop and then to my Kobo - via Kobo desktop application, via ADE, PDFs via drag&drop, and via Calibre (I've only dabbled a tiny bit with Calibre).

I had a twinge of buyer's remorse at the announcement of the new Kindle, but then I smartened up. I am able to borrow library books (albeit availability is problematic; I hope that improves over time). And, the keyboard on the Kindle is positioned where my left thumb goes when I read my Kobo, so I can't imagine it being comfortable to hold. I don't find books in the Kobo store "not available in Canada". I have my iPhone with me if I need to look up a word in the dictionary, or Google a historical fact. Or use the Kobo app to buy a book RIGHT NOW and have it delivered wirelessly in seconds.

The Kobo is an easy-to-use reader that fits my needs.

thekidintheclock · 07-31-2010, 05:14 PM

same here - had mine a couple days now. in love. little kobo is way chill.

really like the look of the menus and the layout of the free books. really don't like the nook or sony touch menus. kindle is fine, but the kobo fonts used and the margins and graphics are all great. i'm okay with a margin as look as it looks pleasing.

kindle 3 has clearly copied the kobo's size and weight and quilted back and the placement of the d-pad.

all i want from a future kobo is (maybe) a 7" inch screen in the same device size and a bit more contrast. but perfectly happy as is. wait, less glare actually.

SensualPoet · 08-01-2010, 01:32 AM

I'm a strong supporter of the Kobo as an entry level reader and, when it was $149 vs $259 for a Kindle 2, it made a strong case. Something closer to $99 is where it needs to land, and quickly, and make a little more noise about its benefits which includes the Kobo book store which, for Canadians, offers some titles not in the US and many titles cheaper than Amazon. It also includes public library access which the Kindle does not.

Don't mistake me: I prefer the Kindle 2i and will almost certainly get a Kindle 3; I may even sell my Kindle 2i. But the Kobo has its merits and as my window into ePub, it's worth keeping around. For all this, I have no trouble recommending Kobo.

soup · 08-02-2010, 12:46 AM

I've read more books sin the last month since buying the kobo than I have read in paper for the last year.

Solicitous · 08-02-2010, 01:02 AM

So..I'm still torn (Kobo or new Kindle 3).

If my understanding is correct, the Kobo indexes all ebooks you put onto your reader? Does this include copying via the PC, Calibre and Kobo software? So this in turn means putting your books into a folder structure is a futile effort?

Secondly, is it only PDFs that go into the Documents folder, all other epubs get indexed as an ebook??

sabredog · 08-02-2010, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soup

I've read more books sin the last month since buying the kobo than I have read in paper for the last year.

That is the best thing about the Kobo...

An ereader that lets you get on with reading!

dmacmart · 08-02-2010, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solicitous

So..I'm still torn (Kobo or new Kindle 3).

If my understanding is correct, the Kobo indexes all ebooks you put onto your reader? Does this include copying via the PC, Calibre and Kobo software? So this in turn means putting your books into a folder structure is a futile effort?

Secondly, is it only PDFs that go into the Documents folder, all other epubs get indexed as an ebook??

The Kobo user interface does not have folders, exactly. There is no hierarchy (that I have seen). The display options are books or documents, and in books, hide or show free books. The books display has the further refinement "I'm Reading" to display books with bookmarks. There are sort options (title, author, and I think date read).

You can choose Books or Documents. Based on my experience, only PDFs are selected when you choose Documents. All other ePubs were displayed under Books.

corona · 08-02-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

That is the best thing about the Kobo...

An ereader that lets you get on with reading!

SensualPoet · 08-02-2010, 05:14 PM

The Kobo is very nice in and of itself.

I am keeping it (and using it) because it gives me access to local ePub library ebooks; there are titles at Kobobooks in Canada not at Amazon (Steig Larsson, and every title from Dundurn Books, a fine mystery publisher); it just feels really nice in the hand.

07-31-2010, 08:06 AM	#1
bradbase Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	I'm happy with the Kobo I'm incredibly happy with the Kobo. I bought it two nights ago and it's doing everything I want of an E-Reader and, thankfully, nothing more (except maybe an easter egg I seem to have found). The Kobo even rendered a 56Mb PDF thesis I wrote which has broken significantly more advanced devices. Below, at "The E-mail", is an e-mail I wrote to my friends exclaiming my surprise. I've read posts that complain about what it doesn't do and how people are pleading for more of it. I see the Kobo as a no-frills E-Reader and it delivers on that. The things it doesn't do are, in my opinion, its strengths. I don't need yet another Internet hungry multimedia all-things-to-all-people device that contains my life. If I wanted one I'd have bought an IPad. I did, at first, consider an IRiver Story but it's priced the same as a netbook computer and I love my Clix version 1. Also, how much media can the human body actually take? Between a "phone", computer/laptop, MP3 player, MP4 player, wretched IPhones, etc... All of which most people seem to already own. Anyway I seem to have crushed my soapbox with enthusiastic pre-rant... Back to the praise. In my opinion the Kobo is about $AU50.00 too expensive, but as it came out recently I can understand someone needs to pay for development costs. The E-mail =============================== Moving house aggravates one particular bane of my existence... my growing book collection. I love books and like reading. The trouble is that books heavy, they take up space and I don't use them often. In terms of keeping a simple life clear of possessions not owning books is a smart move. Of course the love of books and the desire to keep life clutter free causes me conflict. Enter the E-Reader revolution. Last night I bought myself a Kobo. The most no-frills E-Reader I can find. The price is on the high end of what I find acceptable, but it's all new tech so I figure someone has to pay for development. I have found the Kobo to be the solution I had dreamed it to be. Of course being a techie, and as part of my nature, I have to see where the Kobos limits are. The most challenging document I have been able to find is my honours thesis. PCs struggle to render it and printers worth many thousands of dollars have been known to crumble trying to print it. It's a PDF created by LaTeX and I have vectorised all images in it (except one). Due to the images it's a 56 Mb PDF. File size wise it's significantly larger than an entire book collection. eg; I have downloaded 71 classics incl. Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Carroll, Dickens, Dostoevsky and the like which take up 25 Mb between them. So, I put my thesis on the Kobo expecting to hang it, get some obscure message about how I should be more considerate to a wimpy specification focused budget manufacturer or maybe even reading the document without pictures. To my great surprise and complete astonishment, I have been able to read my thesis pictures and all without fuss, complaint or omissions whatsoever. The pages with the complicated images take a little while to render, but they eventually appear. I can even have the document turned landscape and re-sized without complaint or hiccup. The rendering engine in the Kobo seems to be better than most software PDF viewers I've come across. EDIT for this post: My images and tables come out pristine however the tables in the book "Freakonomics", Levitt and Dubner, 2005, Penguin Books are far from impressive and in some cases not easily readable. The typesetter for that book needs to do a better job. I am seriously impressed. Now I need to book publishers to hurry up and get greater catalogues so I can buy the e-versions and get rid of more books.

07-31-2010, 08:11 AM	#2
bradbase Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	egg looks like I'm waaaay too late on the easter egg; https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ght=easter+egg

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07-31-2010, 10:37 AM	#3
Roadkiller Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: KOBO	I'll chime in with a "Me too". I've had a Kobo since the first week they hit the stores here in Canada. I'd been talking about getting an e-reader and my wife picked me up one at Chapters. This must have happened in the 1/2 hour during the initial week after their release when there were actually Kobo's on the shelf. I have never had any of the problems that seem to fill these forums. I like it, it works fine, I actually read more than before I got it.

07-31-2010, 01:52 PM	#4
dmacmart Fanatic Posts: 531 Karma: 696908 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch	And "me too". I've had mine for a couple months, since around the second shipment arrived at our local Chapters. I've also made more time to read than I have in the last few years. I've struggled a bit with the different paradigms - the concept of a "library" that resides at Kobo, then getting books to my desktop and then to my Kobo - via Kobo desktop application, via ADE, PDFs via drag&drop, and via Calibre (I've only dabbled a tiny bit with Calibre). I had a twinge of buyer's remorse at the announcement of the new Kindle, but then I smartened up. I am able to borrow library books (albeit availability is problematic; I hope that improves over time). And, the keyboard on the Kindle is positioned where my left thumb goes when I read my Kobo, so I can't imagine it being comfortable to hold. I don't find books in the Kobo store "not available in Canada". I have my iPhone with me if I need to look up a word in the dictionary, or Google a historical fact. Or use the Kobo app to buy a book RIGHT NOW and have it delivered wirelessly in seconds. The Kobo is an easy-to-use reader that fits my needs.

07-31-2010, 05:14 PM	#5
thekidintheclock Member Posts: 22 Karma: 8040 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	same here - had mine a couple days now. in love. little kobo is way chill. really like the look of the menus and the layout of the free books. really don't like the nook or sony touch menus. kindle is fine, but the kobo fonts used and the margins and graphics are all great. i'm okay with a margin as look as it looks pleasing. kindle 3 has clearly copied the kobo's size and weight and quilted back and the placement of the d-pad. all i want from a future kobo is (maybe) a 7" inch screen in the same device size and a bit more contrast. but perfectly happy as is. wait, less glare actually.

08-01-2010, 01:32 AM	#6
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	I'm a strong supporter of the Kobo as an entry level reader and, when it was $149 vs $259 for a Kindle 2, it made a strong case. Something closer to $99 is where it needs to land, and quickly, and make a little more noise about its benefits which includes the Kobo book store which, for Canadians, offers some titles not in the US and many titles cheaper than Amazon. It also includes public library access which the Kindle does not. Don't mistake me: I prefer the Kindle 2i and will almost certainly get a Kindle 3; I may even sell my Kindle 2i. But the Kobo has its merits and as my window into ePub, it's worth keeping around. For all this, I have no trouble recommending Kobo.

08-02-2010, 12:46 AM	#7
soup Member Posts: 24 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	I've read more books sin the last month since buying the kobo than I have read in paper for the last year.

08-02-2010, 01:02 AM	#8
Solicitous Wizard Posts: 1,434 Karma: 1525776 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: TAS, Australia Device: Astak Pocket Pro (Black), 2 x Kindle WiFi (Graphite), iPod Touch 4G	So..I'm still torn (Kobo or new Kindle 3). If my understanding is correct, the Kobo indexes all ebooks you put onto your reader? Does this include copying via the PC, Calibre and Kobo software? So this in turn means putting your books into a folder structure is a futile effort? Secondly, is it only PDFs that go into the Documents folder, all other epubs get indexed as an ebook??

08-02-2010, 05:14 PM	#12
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	The Kobo is very nice in and of itself. I am keeping it (and using it) because it gives me access to local ePub library ebooks; there are titles at Kobobooks in Canada not at Amazon (Steig Larsson, and every title from Dundurn Books, a fine mystery publisher); it just feels really nice in the hand.