10-15-2011, 09:20 AM | #1 |
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Kobo Touch vs. Sony PRS-T1; advice appreciated!
Hi everyone
My first post on this forum, but I've been an avid lurker for a while, and thank people most sincerely for all the help they provide. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this dilemma. I currently own a Cool-ER, which I love, but I'm thinking of upgrading, mainly so I can have one that can support notes. I've been holding off because of the launch of the T1, but now WH Smith are stocking the Kobo Touch, and the price points are very similar - £129 for the T1 and £110 for the Kobo. Having tried out various readers, I have worked out that there are some things that for me are crunch points and others I'm not really bothered about, and I'm not sure how either of these two products measure up. So, this is what I've identified as essential, desirable or non-essential to me (not really in any particular order within the categories). Some of these I already know the Kobo and T1 have, but just in case there's a better one I haven't considered, I've listed all the points below (sorry it makes the post quite long). Essential 1. Notes - both allow them. However, I'm not clear exactly how they export them. I'd prefer if I could export a bit of text with the note attached, rather than exporting the note as a mere drawing with no context. (BTW, I should mention I'm a proofreader, so I prefer to add notes using text and symbols rather than as 'sticky notes'.) 2. Compatibility with Overdrive - both have this, to allow library borrowing (the Kindle isn't compatible with UK libraries, so I'd never even consider one). 3. Stylus - do both of them need a special stylus? I tried out the Sony 600, and found that a cheap DS-type stylus worked perfectly well. Does anyone know if either or both of these can use a similar one? I also tried out a Samsung E60, and although the touch screen was fab, especially for making notes, it needed its own stylus; I even tried out other makes of Wacom stylus - nothing! I really, really don't think I want the stress of having a specific stylus (especially at what they cost!!) - ideally, I'd prefer to take out and lock away the stylus it comes with and use el cheapo DS one (or something similar that I'd be able to pick up in a pound shop). 4. Screen reflection. The Cool-ER is e-ink, and it's matte, and I can get lost in the book - the mechanism of delivering it disappears. The Samsung was the same (kind of - the weight was a bit of an issue), but the Sony 600 - oh, dear. I know people have said it's not that big a deal, that it's fine if you tilt the screen. And yes, it is, but I just found that every time I turned the page, or the sun moved a bit, or even if I moved, the screen became the focus, not the text - it was like someone slapping me on the face and screaming 'that's not a book, you fool!!' Added to that the really quite severe eyestrain I felt after a short while (as opposed to the total lack of it even after hours reading the Cool-ER), and I'm convinced I do not want a screen that's anything like the 600! 5. Screen size - 6" minimum. I'm a fast reader, and 5" is too small. 6. Sensible organization of the library. I have Calibre, and I quite liked the way it organized books on the Sony, but it collapsed in a heap using the Cool-ER, even though I'm sure I read somewhere on here that this ereader was supported. Anyway, on the Cool-ER, Calibre organizes the books into folders named with the author's name, which isn't awfully convenient - I'd really like to be able to organize by genre, as either an index or a list of folders. 7. Reasonably light weight. The Samsung was about 320g, and that was quite tiring on the wrist after a while. The <185g weight of the Kobo and T1 seems much more sensible. Desirable, but not dealbreakers 1. Long battery life. I can obviously charge it up, even if I'm on holiday, but I'd prefer one with a battery life of 2-3 weeks. Both of these seem to be a month with wireless off. 2. Ability to handle PDFs reasonably well. Not really bothered 1. Wireless - both have it. 2. Link to bookshops - ditto. --------------- So, if it were you, which one would you choose, and why? And of course, if you have any suggestions as to one that might fit the bill even better, that would be great too. Many thanks in advance for any help! |
10-15-2011, 01:43 PM | #2 |
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Sony fixed the screen with the PRS x50 line. The T1 and the Kobo touch have identical Pearl Eink screens. If you thought your Cool-ER screen was good, just wait until you see the Pearl screen.
The Sony will export notes; how much text comes with them depends on publisher permissions with the DRM encrypted books. The Kobo and Sony both use normal styli. Anything that can write on the screen without scratching it will work. With the T1, the stylus no longer fits into the reader when not in use. Battery life should be about the same for both, depending on whether you have WiFi on or not. Sony has the best reputation for handling PDFs, but PDF is a horrible format for a book. None of the readers will deal well with PDFs that are images or that have lots of charts, tables, or figures in them. It's my opinion that Sony does the best job of helping me manage my books on the device. The Kobo seems much more basic and was released with a lot of bugs. You can adjust how Calibre sends books to your Cool-ER. It doesn't have to be author folders. |
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10-15-2011, 06:55 PM | #3 |
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If you're coming to the table with many sideloaded books, pass on the Kobo. The Kobo excels with their own books that use a rendering engine different from Adobe's. With these books you'll be able to take advantage of all the features of the Kobo. Many of those features are not available with regular Adobe DRM books or even books that have DRM removed. You can get specifics by posting in the Kobo forum.
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10-16-2011, 10:32 AM | #4 | |||||
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Thanks, folks. Looks like the trend's towards the T1, then, unless someone can suggest any other I should consider?
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Thanks - didn't know that. I do have a lot of books, but they're all out-of-copyright books I've downloaded, so it would only cost me a bit of time to replace them. However, I'd prefer to stick with epubs, so it still seems a good reason to avoid the Kobo. |
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10-16-2011, 11:32 AM | #5 | |
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I know the Kobo doesn't and I'm not sure the Sony actually allows you to WRITE notes (only use the keyboard) if that's what you want to do with the stylus. |
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10-16-2011, 11:35 AM | #6 |
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The Sony does support handwritten annotation in addition to using the on-screen keyboard.
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10-16-2011, 11:50 AM | #7 | |
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Also, endnotes still appear to be problematic (with no explanation) in sideloaded books. Not aware if this has been fixed in the recent firmware updates. Thanks again. |
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10-16-2011, 03:00 PM | #8 |
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There are couple of features exclusive to T1 worth mentioning. One is that you can download books from Dropbox and some RSS book websites, using the reader's web browser. The other feature is that after highlighting a word, you can access Google or Wikipedia off the highlighted word, and then return to reading. Both are key features I was looking for that brings a reader more to tablet functionality.
I'm wary of Kobo. From reading their forum, it seems Kobo is just really buggy. My recommendation is Kindle first for being rock solid. There are some reports of bugginess in T1, but others aren't seeing it. My Sony Reader (PRS 950) is pretty rock solid. |
10-16-2011, 03:05 PM | #9 | |
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10-16-2011, 03:23 PM | #10 | |
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Are you able to access Google in Kindle off a highlighted word? Last edited by sonyreaderfan; 10-16-2011 at 03:51 PM. |
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10-16-2011, 03:32 PM | #11 |
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Sonyreaderfan, a question about your 950 (I'm considering buying one):
Does it also have the ability to go to wikipedia or google from a highlighted word, and straight back? Or is this something only the t1 can do? |
10-16-2011, 03:43 PM | #12 | |
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Btw, for PRS 950, you really ought to install PRS+ to install custom fonts and other features. It makes the 950 so much more useful. Googling "Installing PRS+" will give you a lot of resources. Install it is painless. Here's one good resource: http://www.anamardoll.com/2011/06/er...tion-with.html |
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10-16-2011, 04:03 PM | #13 | |
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10-16-2011, 04:21 PM | #14 | |||
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10-16-2011, 04:38 PM | #15 | ||
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That's how the computer will see the Sony, too. The adjustment is with Calibre. Go to Preferences/Saving Books to Disk. In the middle is the "Save template" text box. Calibre uses Python, so {} ]puts the variable in its own folder and / creates a subfolder. For example: {tag}/{author_sort}/{title} - {authors} should give you a top folder for the tag, with author folders inside the folder, and then each title in its own folder. With your reader attached to the computer, select Save to Disk and then navigate to your Cool-ER. That's as much as I know about Python variables; for more detailed help, I'd start a new thread in the Calibre forum. |
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