Sony T1 vs Kobo Touch

[aimango]

I've never owned an e-reader. I have a Motorola Xoom, but it's way too heavy to read books (plus it's LCD and I would rather have eInk).

Unfortunately I'm not near a store that sells either (at least, I think so), thus I'll be buying my e-reader online. Price does not matter right now because T1 is on sale for 99$ on the official site right now.

I am really leaning towards T1 because of the hardware buttons to navigate between pages. The only cons I don't like are the reflective screen - can someone confirm how bad it is?

Also I heard that the page refresh is for every page while for other readers, you can set this to 6 pages or something. Have they updated this in the newest firmware?

What are the best supported formats for either e-readers in terms of smoothness and quality?

Also, how is the availability of books from Kobo compared to Sony? I will likely get mainly free books but I've heard that Kobo books are more expensive. Also, I hear that Kobo leaves out features for non-Kobo books, is this the same for Sony?

I also will probably be reading PDFs often for school - but I've heard that the experience isn't that great on either device. Can anyone give some input into this?

I will likely not be getting a case at all. Any input on either device accumulating dirt/dust w/o a case?

Oh yeah, and if it helps I'm from Canada, but I'll be in the US for a few months.
Thanks!

[robko]

Originally Posted by aimango

I am really leaning towards T1 because of the hardware buttons to navigate between pages. The only cons I don't like are the reflective screen - can someone confirm how bad it is?

I think it is actually the case rather than the screen itself so people that have issues with it just buy a skin for over it. I don't have a Sony so I can't comment directly.

Originally Posted by aimango

Also I heard that the page refresh is for every page while for other readers, you can set this to 6 pages or something. Have they updated this in the newest firmware?

Don't think so, but most people want shorter rather than longer time between updates. Vast majority of people don't even notice the update flash after using it for a short period of time.

Originally Posted by aimango

What are the best supported formats for either e-readers in terms of smoothness and quality?

For the most part you'll want to use e-pub on both. They can both read some other formats, but that's the key one.

Originally Posted by aimango

Also, how is the availability of books from Kobo compared to Sony? I will likely get mainly free books but I've heard that Kobo books are more expensive. Also, I hear that Kobo leaves out features for non-Kobo books, is this the same for Sony?

Both can use e-pubs from virtually all sources (other than Barnes and Noble that use a different DRM scheme) so availability/price of books is a wash. With current firmware I can't think of any features on the Kobo that are available on Kobo books that aren't available on non-Kobo e-pubs.

Originally Posted by aimango

I also will probably be reading PDFs often for school - but I've heard that the experience isn't that great on either device. Can anyone give some input into this?

PDF is far from perfect on any e-reader primarily due to screen size limitations. Sony does pdf reflow which may make pdfs more readable if they are text only (i.e. no diagrams/tables etc).

Originally Posted by aimango

I will likely not be getting a case at all. Any input on either device accumulating dirt/dust w/o a case?

I've never used a case while reading. I have a hard case that I use to protect it if I'm traveling with it.

[nick101]

Originally Posted by aimango

I've never owned an e-reader. I have a Motorola Xoom, but it's way too heavy to read books (plus it's LCD and I would rather have eInk).

Unfortunately I'm not near a store that sells either (at least, I think so), thus I'll be buying my e-reader online. Price does not matter right now because T1 is on sale for 99$ on the official site right now.

That's a really good price. Here, the Sony is GBP40 (USD60) costlier than the Kobo. Had there been no difference, I might have made a different decision - read on.

Originally Posted by aimango

I am really leaning towards T1 because of the hardware buttons to navigate between pages. The only cons I don't like are the reflective screen - can someone confirm how bad it is?

The hardware buttons are nice (I have an older Sony 600, and they make it easy to use one-handed - useful on the packed London Underground). I found the Sony screen a little bit more reflective than the Kobo. The 2 devices have the same screen, so there shouldn't be a difference, but it's definitely there.

Originally Posted by aimango

Also I heard that the page refresh is for every page while for other readers, you can set this to 6 pages or something. Have they updated this in the newest firmware?

Page refresh is a trade-off. Refreshing less frequently makes page turning a bit quicker, but at the cost of less crisp text. The manufacturer seem to think refreshing every 6 pages is a good compromise. On the Kobo, you can change it - I have mine set to 2 pages. The difference in text quality i noticeable; the difference in page turn speed isn't. I don't know whether the Sony allows you to change this.

Originally Posted by aimango

What are the best supported formats for either e-readers in terms of smoothness and quality?

ePub all the way

Originally Posted by aimango

Also, how is the availability of books from Kobo compared to Sony? I will likely get mainly free books but I've heard that Kobo books are more expensive. Also, I hear that Kobo leaves out features for non-Kobo books, is this the same for Sony?

In the two year I've had my Sony 600, I've never bought a single book from the only Store. It's expensive and, if you're not in the USA, painful. The Kobo store has a better selection.

But with ePub, you can buy from loads of different places. You can even use Amazon, if you want to go to the little bit of effort needed to remove their DRM.

I don't believe Kobo leaves out features - I think they may add minor things to one of their own books, but nothing that matters (not to me).

Originally Posted by aimango

I also will probably be reading PDFs often for school - but I've heard that the experience isn't that great on either device. Can anyone give some input into this?

If the pdf are standard pages sizes and mostly text, they're both OK. I expect your Xoom is far better. The e-ink green in't rest for pdf, or any image, and the 6" screen is too small. They're both usable, but not great,

Originally Posted by aimango

I will likely not be getting a case at all. Any input on either device accumulating dirt/dust w/o a case?

My 2-year-old Sony hasn't collected much dirt or dust. I used it in a case for a while, and then just a push (to protect the screen from garbage in my satchel. I think they'll both be much of a muchness

Oh yeah, and if it helps I'm from Canada, but I'll be in the US for a few months.
Thanks![/QUOTE]

Final comment: I went for the Kobo because, although I slightly preferred the Sony build and the buttons, I couldn't see it being worth another GBP40. Also, as I said above, the screen seemed to have a but more reflectivity. Had they been the same price, I might have chosen differently

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by nick101

The hardware buttons are nice (I have an older Sony 600, and they make it easy to use one-handed - useful on the packed London Underground). I found the Sony screen a little bit more reflective than the Kobo. The 2 devices have the same screen, so there shouldn't be a difference, but it's definitely there.

Are you comparing the T1 screen to the Kobo, or your "old" PR600? The PR600 screen has a LOT more glare than the x50 and T1 screens. Huge difference!
I haven't compared the T1 alongside the Kobo, but I can't see any glare on the T1.

As said in the first reply the T1 bezel is glossy while the Kobo is matte. Some hate the glossy T1 finish, but of course it can be skinned (as mentioned).

Apart from that I really can't add much to the two previous posts that both have plenty of good info!

[nick101]

Originally Posted by Asawi

Are you comparing the T1 screen to the Kobo, or your "old" PR600? The PR600 screen has a LOT more glare than the x50 and T1 screens. Huge difference!
I haven't compared the T1 alongside the Kobo, but I can't see any glare on the T1.

As said in the first reply the T1 bezel is glossy while the Kobo is matte. Some hate the glossy T1 finish, but of course it can be skinned (as mentioned).

Apart from that I really can't add much to the two previous posts that both have plenty of good info!

No - I was comparing the T1 to the Kobo. As you say, the 600 is, by comparison to both of them, very reflective. But I did see a little more reflectivity in the T1 than in the Kobo. Not enough to make a real difference, but it was there (to my eyes).

[Asawi]

Actually, maybe I will add...
If controlling text on the device is important to you the Kobo has lots more to offer. Hardware-wise I love the T1, and the general UI is to my taste as well. The one thing I wish the Sony was better at is on-device-text-control. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it if I hadn't tried out a Kobo for a short while and got spoiled by the ability to control margins, line spacing and text size. ANd of course the ease of adding fonts (but the font selection on the T1 is at least better than on the x50 series).

(Thanks for clarification, Nick101)

[aimango]

^ What do you mean by on device text control?

I ended up getting the T1 from Best Buy (didn't even know there was one near me lol), but yeah if I don't like it I'll just exchange it. Liking it so far and wowing at the availability of epubs on the intarweb.

[The Terminator]

You can buy from Kobo if you have a Sony, you just download the Adobe DRM ePub version from the site, notmany free books have the option but most (if not all) purchasable books have the ePub download available.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by aimango

What do you mean by on device text control?

I mean the ability to change font, good control of font size, margins and line spacing when the book is already on the device. You can set those things by adding css sheets to the books before transferring, but that's an extra step and some more things to learn. But then you may not feel that this is something you need at all, one way or the other, and all is fine anyway!

The T1 is awesome!

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by nick101

No - I was comparing the T1 to the Kobo. As you say, the 600 is, by comparison to both of them, very reflective. But I did see a little more reflectivity in the T1 than in the Kobo. Not enough to make a real difference, but it was there (to my eyes).

I've compared them side by side, and coudn't see any difference, but as you say, it may be down to the individual. Or it may be down to the conditions - if you didn't compare them in the same place under the same lighting, that might account for it.

Originally Posted by aimango

I will likely not be getting a case at all. Any input on either device accumulating dirt/dust w/o a case?

Each to their own, but I personally wouldn't recommend this, especially as it sounds like you'll be carrying it round. As someone on another thread said: a naked ereader is a broken ereader.

[nick101]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

I've compared them side by side, and coudn't see any difference, but as you say, it may be down to the individual. Or it may be down to the conditions - if you didn't compare them in the same place under the same lighting, that might account for it.

That's probably it. In the end, it wasn't a big factor me - not as big as the price difference, anyway.

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Each to their own, but I personally wouldn't recommend this, especially as it sounds like you'll be carrying it round. As someone on another thread said: a naked ereader is a broken ereader.

I'm using the neoprene sleeve that came with my Sony 600. Light, padded, small and convenient. I did actually buy a leather case for the Kobo but I haven't used it yet.

[equinox1000]

Originally Posted by nick101

If the pdf are standard pages sizes and mostly text, they're both OK. I expect your Xoom is far better. The e-ink green in't rest for pdf, or any image, and the 6" screen is too small. They're both usable, but not great,

If you have a normal PDF document (not a commercial e-book), say with 2 columns of text, on the PC, can you convert it to say epub format to use properly on the Kobo? If so, what software would you use to convert?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by equinox1000

If you have a normal PDF document (not a commercial e-book), say with 2 columns of text, on the PC, can you convert it to say epub format to use properly on the Kobo? If so, what software would you use to convert?

I wouldn't bother converting it. Chances are very good that it won't convert well.

[jenccyang]

I clicked on the "Adobe DRM EPUB" and the files downloaded onto my computer are .acsm files. Does this seem right? How do I transfer them onto my Sony T1?? Please help! Thanks.

Originally Posted by The Terminator

You can buy from Kobo if you have a Sony, you just download the Adobe DRM ePub version from the site, notmany free books have the option but most (if not all) purchasable books have the ePub download available.

[jenccyang]

I downloaded the files but they are .acsm files. Is that the right format??? Also, after I've downloaded, how do I get them onto my Sony?? Please help. Thanks!