Kindle the best???

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

You would buy a Kindle solely BECAUSE it had better marketing?

Did I say that? No, I didn't.

What I was communicating is that most everybody has heard of a Kindle, whether they have one or not. I am willing to bet that very few, in the grand scheme of things, have even heard of Kobo. This is due in part to marketing, but much more so due to consumer acceptance and availability. You could hold up a Kobo product, or a Nook, in a crowd and 95% (or more) of the people would say, "Oh, I see you have a Kindle!"

Now, I am one who actually tends to gravitate to the underdog (bad choice of words - "to the one less used") if indeed it is better than the one everyone knows about. That is why I use Linux over Windows. In my view, Linux is so clearly superior that the choice is a no-brainer.

But for commodity products, like eReaders, I will gravitate to the one with the widest acceptance. For the purposes of reading a book, a Kindle is a Kobo is a Nook. They all do their basic job nearly identically. There are a few minor differences here and there - one might manage large collections of books better, one might have a slightly better lighting system, one might be slightly more waterproof, etc. But for for all practical purposes, they are all the same at their basic task, and it is individual preference as to which one to pick.

My preference is to pick the one most used by other people, for inexpensive commodity items.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by haertig

My preference is to pick the one most used by other people, for inexpensive commodity items.

But in the case of Kindle vs. Kobo, Kindle is not the most inexpensive. Kindle's are actually more expensive then Kobo. A Kindle Oasis is more expensive then a Kobo Forma and even less expensive is the Kobo Libra H2O. So if you are buying based on price, Kobo wins.

[HLS]

I kinda prefer kobo vs kindle. Kindle has those blasted adds on the home screen and crappy battery life. KOBO no adds and the battery lasts 8x longer. But then again the kindle store is better, shopping experience better and often books are cheaper but then again KOBO has a membership where you earn points towards a free ebook and VIP member discounts. They are both good devices. personally I own Nooks, KOBOs, and kindles cause I like variety

[JSWolf]

I own a nook. Waste of $20.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by haertig

Did I say that? No, I didn't.

Kindle is VHS and Kobo is Betamax from the marketing and sales perspective I would buy a Kindle for this reason alone.

In the usage I'm familiar with, "for this reason alone" is indeed synonymous with "solely because".

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by HLS

I kinda prefer kobo vs kindle. Kindle has those blasted adds on the home screen and crappy battery life. KOBO no adds and the battery lasts 8x longer. But then again the kindle store is better, shopping experience better and often books are cheaper but then again KOBO has a membership where you earn points towards a free ebook and VIP member discounts. They are both good devices. personally I own Nooks, KOBOs, and kindles cause I like variety

I prefer Kobo to Kindle as well. I buy my books from Amazon, strip the DRM and read them on my Kobo. I like feeling liberated to shop wherever I want and read on whatever device I want. But I admit, I nerdily enjoy it as a hobby and don't expect the average reader to invest time learning Calibre and the other tools.

[rant]And those ads are just tacky. And don't tell me they use those ads in order to make the Kindle cheaper. There's no way I believe that the much smaller Kobo has some special sauce that allows them to sell comparable readers ads free for the same price or less than Amazon does. And B&N manage to do the same for Nook.[/rant]

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I own a nook. Waste of $20.

If I send you $20, will you please stop taking the time to post your anti-Nook rhetoric every time they come up?

[Richwood]

I have current models of Kindle, Kobo and Nook as well as most older Sony reader models. Still like and use my PRS-T3. One option available exclusively on the middle and top end Kindle readers is cellular communications and the latest units list it as 3G and LTE capable, not just 3G. Great for travelers though many can accomplish the same via their smart phones to Kindle wifi I understand. My cell phone though is a very basic flip phone.

Personally I like both the Kindle and Kobo readers and find them equivalent for my usage. Amazon, being a publisher as well as a book seller, has a lot more fiction titles and many are exclusively available from them. Kobo has some configuration advantages and much better library support, particularly outside the USA. As for prices Kobo is lower for readers in general but Amazon has frequent sales so I typically wait for a sale to buy Kindle readers. Substantial savings are also available by buying Amazon refurbished units. I just saved about $90 on a top of the line Paperwhite with 32 GB and both Wifi and cellular communications, advertising free. Unit looked to be unused.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

If I send you $20, will you please stop taking the time to post your anti-Nook rhetoric every time they come up?

I'm giving my opinion based on experience.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm giving my opinion based on experience.

Your experience is outdated and wrong. Do you give all your opinions of cars based on the 1989 Geo Metro you owned at one point?

Should someone start smearing Kobo every time they are mentioned based on the early, buggy models?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Your experience is outdated and wrong.

Should someone start smearing Kobo every time they are mentioned based on the early, buggy models?

Other then the removal of the partitioning, what in the firmware for the current nook is better/new?

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

In the usage I'm familiar with, "for this reason alone" is indeed synonymous with "solely because".

Me too

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Other then the removal of the partitioning, what in the firmware for the current nook is better/new?

Just as the Kindle fans should consider price when looking at the relative values of Kindle v. Kobo hardware, it’s necessary to do the same when it’s Kobo v. Nook. The Nook is an excellent piece of hardware at a fantastic price for its quality; you get a 7.8” device for $50 less than the 8” Forma. The software’s not as good, but it’s good enough for most users.

Have you ever seen, much less handled, the new GlowLight? It’s not all about the software, just as it’s not all about the price or size. That the software wouldn’t meet your needs doesn’t make the Nook a bad buy.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

Just as the Kindle fans should consider price when looking at the relative values of Kindle v. Kobo hardware, it’s necessary to do the same when it’s Kobo v. Nook. The Nook is an excellent piece of hardware at a fantastic price for its quality; you get a 7.8” device for $50 less than the 8” Forma. The software’s not as good, but it’s good enough for most users.

Have you ever seen, much less handled, the new GlowLight? It’s not all about the software, just as it’s not all about the price or size. That the software wouldn’t meet your needs doesn’t make the Nook a bad buy.

Yes, I have seen the latest nook. I didn't try it out all that much. But I am interested to know what's better about the firmware then the firmware for the nook STR.

As for the hardware, yes the Forma is $50 more then the nook GL3. But with the Forma you get a plastic backed screen meaning it's much more durable.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Just as the Kindle fans should consider price when looking at the relative values of Kindle v. Kobo hardware, it’s necessary to do the same when it’s Kobo v. Nook. The Nook is an excellent piece of hardware at a fantastic price for its quality; you get a 7.8” device for $50 less than the 8” Forma. The software’s not as good, but it’s good enough for most users.

Have you ever seen, much less handled, the new GlowLight? It’s not all about the software, just as it’s not all about the price or size. That the software wouldn’t meet your needs doesn’t make the Nook a bad buy.

Price depends on where you live. The Nook may be pretty cheap in the US, but it's difficult to get elsewhere and much pricier with the shipping cost added.