$99 Kobo Aura or Kindle Paperwhite

jaekqubp · 05-09-2015, 07:56 AM

Both are on sale for $99 through Sunday. Which are you getting (or would you like to get) and why?

soulfuldog · 05-09-2015, 08:24 AM

I'd ignore the Aura and wait for the Glo HD instead (if its not already available for you), simply because the screen of the Aura isn't as good as it should be.

That apart, depends what you want from your ereader. If you aren't that fussed over having tons of control over how many fonts you can use, margin settings etc, and are happy with half a dozen settings as options, and want an ereader you can simply pick up and read happily on with no fiddling, then get the Paperwhite. If you'd like More control over how your books look (fonts, margains etc) then go for the Kobo as it has a ton of customisation options.

barryem · 05-09-2015, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaekqubp

Both are on sale for $99 through Sunday. Which are you getting (or would you like to get) and why?

I have a Kobo Aura and a couple of Kindle Paperwhites, the Paperwhite 1 and 2. I think the screen on the Paperwhite is considerably better when comparing them. The smaller size and weight of the Aura make it a lot easier and more comfortable to hold while reading, and they have the same screen size.

The Aura gives you finer control over fonts but no matter how much controlling you do the Paperwhite text is better and the screen has more contrast.

The problem is that when reading with them, as opposed to comparing them side by side, whichever I'm reading with seems perfect.

My suggestion is to toss a coin.

However, if you plan to also buy the books from the device's supplier then I'd get the Paperwhite. Amazon has a better store and much better prices.

Barry

Rizla · 05-10-2015, 07:35 AM

The Kobo is a flexible device that can be customized in many ways (Coolreader, browse books by directory, notepad type app), as well as having some really impressive font-customization options.

The PW2 is a nicer piece of hardware and probably faster, but the software is locked-down tight and the viewing options are absurdly minimal.

It depends on what you use it for.

HarryT · 05-12-2015, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rizla

The PW2 is a nicer piece of hardware and probably faster, but the software is locked-down tight and the viewing options are absurdly minimal.

It's a device for reading books on; most people don't need a vast number of viewing options. To my mind, the Kindle offers an entirely acceptable range of font and size choices. I've owned both Kindles and Kobos and never personally felt the greater selection options on the Kobo to be of practical benefit, although perhaps some people do feel otherwise.

jshzh · 05-20-2015, 04:01 PM

Kobo Aura HD (refurbished) was on sale for 80 CAN$ + shipping and tax in Canada a few days ago. Aura H2O has also been on sale.

Kobo Arc 16G, 32G, 64G refurbished or new have been sold for 60, 70 and 90 CAN$ + tax for a long time in various outlet stores.

Last weekend I got a Kobo Arc 16G brand new with 3 months warranty from a warehouse for 60 without tax. So far pretty happy with it. After rooting and installing Adaway, Go Launcher and Flash Player, I have to say it provides a much better android experience than that on my old small phone or the android system forced into my Aura HD. Good for reading subscribed news/web articles, emails, free online videos, audio books, and cam apps like skype. For reading books, Aura HD is still more comfortable. I don't feel comfortable putting the Arc too close to my face when I don't wear glasses but with the Aura HD I have no concerns as I don't need the wifi on the Aura and the screen is not bright. One can easily lower the brightness on the Arc, or change contrast/use night mode but it is still not as soft. For most apps (I don't play games) and reading large-sized epub books with a lot of notes to jump to, Arc is a winner, well, at least for the price I paid.

Sonist · 05-20-2015, 04:10 PM

I might be prejudiced, based on my mysteriously failing Kobo Aura HDs, but I'd stay away from Kobo.

Amazon stands by its product a lot better, the Kindles I've had are noticeably better made than the Aura HD and Kobo's customer service is terrible.

cybmole · 05-20-2015, 04:18 PM

Then there's this. I could not in good conscience buy from Ratuken. At least amazon mostly only exploit their workforce.
http://eia-international.org/rakuten...ory-whale-meat

jshzh · 05-20-2015, 07:49 PM

Well, I bought my Aura HD for 120$ 6 months after it was launched. I felt that the screen was not as even as I expected so I contacted the customer service. They sent me a new one but I found the screens were similar so I sent back the new one. They paid shipping both ways. I guess if you are in Canada, the service is still there. Canada Post's shipping rate is an international joke so I did appreciate Kobo's service.

I don't want to advertise for any brand, no loyalty here, but since Kobo Arc was discontinued and so will be all their products, I don't mind supporting it a bit. Their design and material don't look cheap and the specs are above decent.

Amazon changed its listed price for a book a few days after I put it in my cart so that the discount looked deeper. They didn't know I remembered the original listed and on-sale price, which was cheaper than the newly-"reduced" one. I eventually bought the book from any website. I will stay away from business like this whenever I catch it. BTW, the book was not a popular one at all so I am pretty sure there was a trick built in their online pricing system to lure potential customers. It is okay but like an insult for my IQ, lol, as they say.

And with all the fake product reviews? I still read online reviews but mostly for fun. Who will post 50 product reviews a day if they are not paid, regardless of the stars? Manufacturers do it. Amazon also does it. To be fair, as a big business, Amazon does have good customer service. I agree.

eschwartz · 05-21-2015, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

Then there's this. I could not in good conscience buy from Ratuken. At least amazon mostly only exploit their workforce.
http://eia-international.org/rakuten...ory-whale-meat

Rakuten != Kobo.

eschwartz · 05-21-2015, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshzh

Amazon changed its listed price for a book a few days after I put it in my cart so that the discount looked deeper. They didn't know I remembered the original listed and on-sale price, which was cheaper than the newly-"reduced" one. I eventually bought the book from any website. I will stay away from business like this whenever I catch it. BTW, the book was not a popular one at all so I am pretty sure there was a trick built in their online pricing system to lure potential customers. It is okay but like an insult for my IQ, lol, as they say.

If you want to feel your intelligence is being insulted, go right ahead.

Me, I think Amazon is well-known for constantly-changing algorithmic pricing, as they work to maximize sales.

And I don't believe Amazon sets the list price... they set their own sales price.

Quote:

And with all the fake product reviews? I still read online reviews but mostly for fun. Who will post 50 product reviews a day if they are not paid, regardless of the stars? Manufacturers do it. Amazon also does it. To be fair, as a big business, Amazon does have good customer service. I agree.

Oh, do you have some sort of evidence to indicate that any particular group of reviews are false? I am sure Amazon would love to hear about it -- they don't like fake reviews either.

Book nerds love talking about books, whether reviews or not, paid or not.

cybmole · 05-21-2015, 01:32 AM

amazon change prices constantly, often by large percentage swings. Having item in basket is no protection. Having item on wish list will let you see when price has dropped, as they say price dropped by x since you added it; they are less forthcoming with price rises. I dithered over a disc silencer gizmo for PC that went £16 - £24 - £16 - £24 regularly as stock levels went up & down. I've seen kindle books go from 0.99 to 6.99 and point in between over just a few days. Patience is advisable if you are building a collection & want to do it cheaply.

there is useful freeware - amazon price watcher - that will price track specific amazon items for you & alert you to falls. there is also reader IQ alert that does a similar thing for Kindle books

there is plenty of 3rd party evidence of paid for reviews, and of folks voting books up /down in line with their religious beliefs rather than on content. no easy way to block either activity. Pick any controversial tome & go inspect the 1 star reviews

I reckon that as a pretend author you could find where to buy reviews online almost as fast as you could find where to download pirate copies. Google has no conscience. I just typed in "buy book reviews"- there is no shortage of links...

Rizla · 05-21-2015, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Oh, do you have some sort of evidence to indicate that any particular group of reviews are false? I am sure Amazon would love to hear about it -- they don't like fake reviews either.

Amazon recently pursued fakes reviews in court.

GlenBarrington · 05-21-2015, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshzh

And with all the fake product reviews? I still read online reviews but mostly for fun. Who will post 50 product reviews a day if they are not paid, regardless of the stars? Manufacturers do it. Amazon also does it. To be fair, as a big business, Amazon does have good customer service. I agree.

I personally think it's pretty easy to spot the fake reviews. Who but the author's mom would give 5 stars to a 99 cent book where not even the book description can pass the "Grammar/Spelling Stink Test"? I mean, Mom is just happy that junior could actually stick to a project long enough to carry it to completion, and maybe that means He/She will actually move out of her basement. To her, that god-awful book is a triumph!

As far as reviews of more substantial manufactured products, simply ignoring the unrelentingly positive or unrelentingly negative reviews gives a fairly accurate view of product quality, I think. I've not felt misguided by using this strategy.

meeera · 05-21-2015, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonist

I might be prejudiced, based on my mysteriously failing Kobo Aura HDs, but I'd stay away from Kobo.

Once again, Sonist, your Kobos didn't "mysteriously fail", they had broken screen substrates.

05-09-2015, 07:56 AM	#1
jaekqubp Member Posts: 21 Karma: 131034 Join Date: Jan 2015 Device: Microsoft Surface Pro, Kindle Fire 2015 (KFFOWI), Nook Simple Touch	$99 Kobo Aura or Kindle Paperwhite Both are on sale for $99 through Sunday. Which are you getting (or would you like to get) and why?

05-10-2015, 07:35 AM	#4
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	The Kobo is a flexible device that can be customized in many ways (Coolreader, browse books by directory, notepad type app), as well as having some really impressive font-customization options. The PW2 is a nicer piece of hardware and probably faster, but the software is locked-down tight and the viewing options are absurdly minimal. It depends on what you use it for. Last edited by Rizla; 05-10-2015 at 11:26 AM.

05-20-2015, 04:01 PM	#6
jshzh Addict Posts: 320 Karma: 3394 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Pocketbook 602 Pro, Kobo Aura HD, LG G Pad III	Kobo Aura HD (refurbished) was on sale for 80 CAN$ + shipping and tax in Canada a few days ago. Aura H2O has also been on sale. Kobo Arc 16G, 32G, 64G refurbished or new have been sold for 60, 70 and 90 CAN$ + tax for a long time in various outlet stores. Last weekend I got a Kobo Arc 16G brand new with 3 months warranty from a warehouse for 60 without tax. So far pretty happy with it. After rooting and installing Adaway, Go Launcher and Flash Player, I have to say it provides a much better android experience than that on my old small phone or the android system forced into my Aura HD. Good for reading subscribed news/web articles, emails, free online videos, audio books, and cam apps like skype. For reading books, Aura HD is still more comfortable. I don't feel comfortable putting the Arc too close to my face when I don't wear glasses but with the Aura HD I have no concerns as I don't need the wifi on the Aura and the screen is not bright. One can easily lower the brightness on the Arc, or change contrast/use night mode but it is still not as soft. For most apps (I don't play games) and reading large-sized epub books with a lot of notes to jump to, Arc is a winner, well, at least for the price I paid. Last edited by jshzh; 05-20-2015 at 04:18 PM.

05-20-2015, 07:49 PM	#9
jshzh Addict Posts: 320 Karma: 3394 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Pocketbook 602 Pro, Kobo Aura HD, LG G Pad III	Well, I bought my Aura HD for 120$ 6 months after it was launched. I felt that the screen was not as even as I expected so I contacted the customer service. They sent me a new one but I found the screens were similar so I sent back the new one. They paid shipping both ways. I guess if you are in Canada, the service is still there. Canada Post's shipping rate is an international joke so I did appreciate Kobo's service. I don't want to advertise for any brand, no loyalty here, but since Kobo Arc was discontinued and so will be all their products, I don't mind supporting it a bit. Their design and material don't look cheap and the specs are above decent. Amazon changed its listed price for a book a few days after I put it in my cart so that the discount looked deeper. They didn't know I remembered the original listed and on-sale price, which was cheaper than the newly-"reduced" one. I eventually bought the book from any website. I will stay away from business like this whenever I catch it. BTW, the book was not a popular one at all so I am pretty sure there was a trick built in their online pricing system to lure potential customers. It is okay but like an insult for my IQ, lol, as they say. And with all the fake product reviews? I still read online reviews but mostly for fun. Who will post 50 product reviews a day if they are not paid, regardless of the stars? Manufacturers do it. Amazon also does it. To be fair, as a big business, Amazon does have good customer service. I agree. Last edited by jshzh; 05-20-2015 at 08:17 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Kobo Aura HD or Kindle Paperwhite 2013?	missimpossible	Which one should I buy?	70	09-18-2014 01:16 PM
Kobo Aura/Glo or Kindle Paperwhite?	jenniann111	Which one should I buy?	2	09-02-2014 01:16 AM
Kindle Paperwhite 2 or Kobo Aura	STIPPPOX	Which one should I buy?	128	08-04-2014 07:00 AM
Kobo Aura or Paperwhite 2?	Waylander	Which one should I buy?	8	07-11-2014 03:59 AM
Does the Kobo Aura have something similar to Kindle Paperwhite's "page flip" feature?	Stridr	Kobo Reader	5	03-04-2014 06:09 AM

05-09-2015, 08:24 AM	#2
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	I'd ignore the Aura and wait for the Glo HD instead (if its not already available for you), simply because the screen of the Aura isn't as good as it should be. That apart, depends what you want from your ereader. If you aren't that fussed over having tons of control over how many fonts you can use, margin settings etc, and are happy with half a dozen settings as options, and want an ereader you can simply pick up and read happily on with no fiddling, then get the Paperwhite. If you'd like More control over how your books look (fonts, margains etc) then go for the Kobo as it has a ton of customisation options.

05-20-2015, 04:10 PM	#7
Sonist Apeist Posts: 2,126 Karma: 381090 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The sunny part of California Device: Generic virtual reality story-experiential device	I might be prejudiced, based on my mysteriously failing Kobo Aura HDs, but I'd stay away from Kobo. Amazon stands by its product a lot better, the Kindles I've had are noticeably better made than the Aura HD and Kobo's customer service is terrible.

05-20-2015, 04:18 PM	#8
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	Then there's this. I could not in good conscience buy from Ratuken. At least amazon mostly only exploit their workforce. http://eia-international.org/rakuten...ory-whale-meat

05-21-2015, 01:32 AM	#12
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	amazon change prices constantly, often by large percentage swings. Having item in basket is no protection. Having item on wish list will let you see when price has dropped, as they say price dropped by x since you added it; they are less forthcoming with price rises. I dithered over a disc silencer gizmo for PC that went £16 - £24 - £16 - £24 regularly as stock levels went up & down. I've seen kindle books go from 0.99 to 6.99 and point in between over just a few days. Patience is advisable if you are building a collection & want to do it cheaply. there is useful freeware - amazon price watcher - that will price track specific amazon items for you & alert you to falls. there is also reader IQ alert that does a similar thing for Kindle books there is plenty of 3rd party evidence of paid for reviews, and of folks voting books up /down in line with their religious beliefs rather than on content. no easy way to block either activity. Pick any controversial tome & go inspect the 1 star reviews I reckon that as a pretend author you could find where to buy reviews online almost as fast as you could find where to download pirate copies. Google has no conscience. I just typed in "buy book reviews"- there is no shortage of links...

Advert

Advert