kindle 4 or Kobo touch

charsee · 05-22-2019, 05:19 PM

Hi, I am desperate to buy an e-reader. Unfortunately, there's no official reseller here and Amazon/ebay doesn't ship to my country either. I have been looking at used e-readers, most of them are basic kindle. I found one deal, One is kindle 4 and other is kobo touch.
I was supposed to buy one today and I was gonna go with kindle 4 but I realized I had overlooked one feature. I want to be able to read math textbooks on ereader aswell. When I posed this question, apparently I got negative feedback from reddit. I know they're not suitable for pdfs. I learned about koreader on youtube, that's how I ended up here. First of all, I want to thank the dev team for making it happen.
I went through few posts, I see that koreader (Liberator) is no longer supported for Kindle 4 while Kobo even has 1 click install package? so Should I go with Kobo for it has room for addon? Secondly, are there alternate methods, like changing the font size of all pages on pdf on PC and then transfer to e-reader, so text kind of appears larger on Kobo/Kindle screens? I know Kobo has touch so it's a plus but I had been hearing about glitch/lag in responsiveness, that's why I was going with Kindle 4. After this pdf issue, I am unsure. In addition, any pro/cons of both devices, thank you

JSWolf · 05-22-2019, 09:22 PM

Neither. You won't be happy with either.They are old, slow, and low resolution with no frontlight.

But if you do want a good 6" Reader, the Kobo Clara HD is a really good choice.

barryem · 05-22-2019, 10:28 PM

For me the front light is essential for an ereader. But before I got my first lighted reader I was perfectly happy with the Kindle 4. I never had a Kobo Touch but I did get a Kobo Aura and I liked that a lot.

I'd try pretty hard to get a reader with a front light. If you can do it that's such a huge improvement that everything else about the device, brand, features, etc. will be secondary.

If you can't get one with a front light you'll probably be happy anyway till you see your first reader with a light. If you do see one never look at it. You'll hate your device from that moment on if you do.

Barry

charsee · 05-23-2019, 08:41 AM

thank you for response. The others I can find are used Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Mini, Sony Prs-505 and then Android tablets

charsee · 05-23-2019, 11:32 AM

Otherwise, Can you recommend tablets with most battery time?

ottdmk · 05-23-2019, 11:53 AM

Given your choices, I would recommend the Kobo Touch. It has more flexibility than the Kindle 4, in my opinion. With a current firmware (you may need to manually install it, which is fairly simple and directions can be found in the Kobo forums) PDF performance is acceptable, although not great. Several people swear by koreader, so that may be something you want to pursue.

A big advantage of the Kobo, in my opinion, is that most countries' libraries use Adobe's Digital Rights Management for e-book loans. All Kobos can be used with the Adobe Digital Editions program if you have a laptop or computer available to you.

For tablets, I've had good luck with Lenovo tablets. I also use an old Blackberry Playbook as a PDF reader. It's small (7") but even after all this time the battery usually lasts me a couple of days of reading PDFs. If you can find one I'm sure it would be quite cheap.

Good luck! Let us know what you choose.

barryem · 05-23-2019, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charsee

thank you for response. The others I can find are used Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Mini, Sony Prs-505 and then Android tablets

Of those I'd pick the Paperwhite. It has a lighted screen and is a really nice device.

I wouldn't get the Fire. That's not an ereader. It's a tablet. You can read with it but you won't like it nearly as much.

As for battery life, ereaders (the e-ink variety) get really good battery life. All of them do. Tablets don't, even the best of them.

Barry

teija · 05-24-2019, 08:12 PM

If you are using it for textbooks, etc, I wouldn't recommend the Kobo Mini at all. You will find the small screen a little restrictive. I'd definitely pick the Kobo Touch over the Mini.

And the Kindle Paperwhite is a fantastic option if you want the lighted screen. I wouldn't bother with the Kindle Fire as it is basically a locked-down Android tablet. I am assuming your preference is for eInk, not an LCD screen?

05-22-2019, 05:19 PM	#1
charsee Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Pakistan Device: kindle4/kobo touch	kindle 4 or Kobo touch Hi, I am desperate to buy an e-reader. Unfortunately, there's no official reseller here and Amazon/ebay doesn't ship to my country either. I have been looking at used e-readers, most of them are basic kindle. I found one deal, One is kindle 4 and other is kobo touch. I was supposed to buy one today and I was gonna go with kindle 4 but I realized I had overlooked one feature. I want to be able to read math textbooks on ereader aswell. When I posed this question, apparently I got negative feedback from reddit. I know they're not suitable for pdfs. I learned about koreader on youtube, that's how I ended up here. First of all, I want to thank the dev team for making it happen. I went through few posts, I see that koreader (Liberator) is no longer supported for Kindle 4 while Kobo even has 1 click install package? so Should I go with Kobo for it has room for addon? Secondly, are there alternate methods, like changing the font size of all pages on pdf on PC and then transfer to e-reader, so text kind of appears larger on Kobo/Kindle screens? I know Kobo has touch so it's a plus but I had been hearing about glitch/lag in responsiveness, that's why I was going with Kindle 4. After this pdf issue, I am unsure. In addition, any pro/cons of both devices, thank you

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05-22-2019, 09:22 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,044 Karma: 129333562 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Neither. You won't be happy with either.They are old, slow, and low resolution with no frontlight. But if you do want a good 6" Reader, the Kobo Clara HD is a really good choice.

05-22-2019, 10:28 PM	#3
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	For me the front light is essential for an ereader. But before I got my first lighted reader I was perfectly happy with the Kindle 4. I never had a Kobo Touch but I did get a Kobo Aura and I liked that a lot. I'd try pretty hard to get a reader with a front light. If you can do it that's such a huge improvement that everything else about the device, brand, features, etc. will be secondary. If you can't get one with a front light you'll probably be happy anyway till you see your first reader with a light. If you do see one never look at it. You'll hate your device from that moment on if you do. Barry

05-23-2019, 08:41 AM	#4
charsee Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Pakistan Device: kindle4/kobo touch	thank you for response. The others I can find are used Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Mini, Sony Prs-505 and then Android tablets

05-23-2019, 11:32 AM	#5
charsee Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Pakistan Device: kindle4/kobo touch	Otherwise, Can you recommend tablets with most battery time?

05-23-2019, 11:53 AM	#6
ottdmk Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 3765734 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Libra 2, Lenovo Tab M10 FHD Plus, Lenovo Tab M8 HD	Given your choices, I would recommend the Kobo Touch. It has more flexibility than the Kindle 4, in my opinion. With a current firmware (you may need to manually install it, which is fairly simple and directions can be found in the Kobo forums) PDF performance is acceptable, although not great. Several people swear by koreader, so that may be something you want to pursue. A big advantage of the Kobo, in my opinion, is that most countries' libraries use Adobe's Digital Rights Management for e-book loans. All Kobos can be used with the Adobe Digital Editions program if you have a laptop or computer available to you. For tablets, I've had good luck with Lenovo tablets. I also use an old Blackberry Playbook as a PDF reader. It's small (7") but even after all this time the battery usually lasts me a couple of days of reading PDFs. If you can find one I'm sure it would be quite cheap. Good luck! Let us know what you choose.

05-24-2019, 08:12 PM	#8
teija Gadget fiend Posts: 354 Karma: 2111100 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Kobo Clara HD, Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite 2021, Sony PRS-350	If you are using it for textbooks, etc, I wouldn't recommend the Kobo Mini at all. You will find the small screen a little restrictive. I'd definitely pick the Kobo Touch over the Mini. And the Kindle Paperwhite is a fantastic option if you want the lighted screen. I wouldn't bother with the Kindle Fire as it is basically a locked-down Android tablet. I am assuming your preference is for eInk, not an LCD screen?