First ereader

[FreshlyBakedPies]

I've been buying ebooks for a few months now, I really like just having any novel I want almost instantly. But reading on my notebook is not very enjoyable, and also makes my lap warm.

I've been reading and watching reviews, even demo'd a few at a local place, the past of few weeks, but I still can't decide between Glo and the PW.

• The Glo, big fan of the new firmware with the Aura-like menu. Lots of customization, seems to handle PDFs more to my liking. More formats, mainly epub/cbr support.Not too fond of the large header and footer. Potentially buggy, Kobo customer service poorly rated but I have no personal experience. It's $30 cheaper at ~ $115

• The Paperwhite.. (with no way to try out one, this is all based on a lot of videos from Youtube.) Seems more responsive, better highlightning. Less customization, locked to mobi, no Canadian libraries (yet?) Can't say whether the uneven light will bother me, hard to tell from videos and pictures. Amazon support supposedly better, but again no personal experience. ~$145

So that seems quite harsh on the Kindle, but I don't know, a lot of appeal for me is just Amazon. They're huge, it's the one everyone talks about (even my 92 year old grandfather), it's gotta be good. But that comes with a premium, hence my dilemna.

I was originally planning to get something much less expensive, as I was worried about the failure rates of these things. But I don't know.. enjoying my ereader for a year or being unhappy for three or four.

The mini is just adorable, and it reads fine, but it's hard to know if the small screen will become a problem for me during a several hour reading session. ~$50

The touch feels a bit slow, and to me seems like it has less contrast. To be fair it is two years old. Very reasonably priced, however. ~$80

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by FreshlyBakedPies

The mini is just adorable, and it reads fine, but it's hard to know if the small screen will become a problem for me during a several hour reading session. ~$50

I have a 5" Opus and there is absolutely no problem to read for hours on it. It has the same screen as mini (vizplex) and is just fine. I put my own font on it. Opus compared to mini side by side looks big and fat, mini is indeed adorable.

I guess they will issue new what-not sometime in Autumn so I'd consider to go for something cheap for starters to see how ereading feels. And it is so cute and small. I guess you don't need large font on it anyway. I personally wait to see what Amazon will come up with, will skip the current lighted ones. Currently I have a 6" K3 (for mobi & amazon) and 5" Opus (epub for all the rest) and it works fine.

Welcome to the forums!

[samhy]

Originally Posted by FreshlyBakedPies

The mini is just adorable, and it reads fine, but it's hard to know if the small screen will become a problem for me during a several hour reading session. ~$50

The Mini is great and the screen size isn't a trouble at all. It fits easily in many bags, satchels and even pockets. With all the discounts, lately lot of people have bought a Mini and so far I haven't seen complaints regarding the size. Quite the contrary. I think that the Mini is amongst the best Kobo devices (it's so easy to hold it ), but I'm biased.

Regarding the customer service, I would say that depends on people, issues and maybe even countries from which people have those issues. I've had to deal with C.S. once myself. At first, I thought they forgot about me. It took some time indeed, but the representative was very nice with me and my problem was solved.

Also, don't underestimate Amazon

Lastly, one thing that can make you go one way or the other could be the bookstore (even though now we're less tied to an one and only bookstore). With which one will it be easier to buy ebooks?

[cortman]

I own a Glo and am awaiting my new Kobo Mini. I used to own a Kindle 3G 3rd gen but lost it- (still sad about that- I really loved that reader). I bought a Paperwhite and a Kobo Glo to try out both.
The Paperwhite won as far as speed and some aspects of the software. But it had half the storage of the previous version (really, Amazon? ) and no SD card slot. With my large ebook collection that was the main reason I went to Kobo.
Kobo wins hands down with the backlight. I found the unevenness along the bottom of the Kindle's light to be quite distracting and uncomfortable. The Kobo light is second to none.
As far as the software interface it's pretty much a tie in my opinion. There are aspects I like of both.
Besides all this I'm also a proponent of free and open source software and I am glad to be running a device that doesn't use a proprietary format as well.
I recommend the Kobo, personally.

[Synamon]

I noticed that you mentioned Canadian libraries, I get a lot of my books from mine. If you have access to a decent library, then you'll want the Kobo Glo since there are only epub books available at our libraries.

[teija]

If you are still on the fence about eReaders, I would very much recommend starting with the Kobo Mini. It was the cute form factor and pocket-able size that snagged me when I saw one in the store and I still love it! I can easily fit it in all of my purses, even the smallest one I use, and it is a perfect size to tuck into a seatback on an airplane (just don't forget it's there!).

I was also worried about the screen possibly being too small, but I have NO complaints about it for reading simple text-only (don't buy it if you want to read PDF's or graphical stuff). I took it on a plane trip the other month, and just got back from a family road trip last week and can say it performed admirably for both! I managed to read it in the car and also out by the pool in the full Las Vegas sun (something I can't say for my iPhone). For the current price ($40) you can't really go wrong! Then, when the next readers come out in the autumn, you can perhaps consider an upgrade for Christmas...

[JSWolf]

(IMHO) if you are considering a Glo, forget it and consider an Aura HD instead.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by teija

pocket-able

If you buy a Kobo Mini because it will fit in your pocket, you may as well toss your money and save yourself the hassle of a broken screen. A Reader carried in a pocket is a Reader waiting to become broken. Don't do it. Don't put it in your pocket to carry around. It's just going to end in tears and a broken Reader.

[booklover6]

The Aura is nice if you want something larger. I got the Glo, and I like the 6" size. I also got the Mini, which is what I normally take out of the house as it is so small and light.

[ottdmk]

While I am a huge, admire-from-afar fan of the Aura (as I cannot currently afford one) there are reasons to pick up a Glo instead. Chief of which is price. $55 + taxes is not insignificant.

As you want Canadian library support I reiterate Synamon's point: Go Kobo. There hasn't been even a peep of Amazon expanding their library support beyond US borders. Canada is a secondary Kindle market and if history is a guide, always will be.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ottdmk

While I am a huge, admire-from-afar fan of the Aura (as I cannot currently afford one) there are reasons to pick up a Glo instead. Chief of which is price. $55 + taxes is not insignificant.

As you want Canadian library support I reiterate Synamon's point: Go Kobo. There hasn't been even a peep of Amazon expanding their library support beyond US borders. Canada is a secondary Kindle market and if history is a guide, always will be.

I thought (based on what I've read) that Canada was a third thought for Amazon.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ottdmk

While I am a huge, admire-from-afar fan of the Aura (as I cannot currently afford one) there are reasons to pick up a Glo instead. Chief of which is price. $55 + taxes is not insignificant.

As you want Canadian library support I reiterate Synamon's point: Go Kobo. There hasn't been even a peep of Amazon expanding their library support beyond US borders. Canada is a secondary Kindle market and if history is a guide, always will be.

$55 is a pretty good price. I didn't realize that the Glo price was that low.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you buy a Kobo Mini because it will fit in your pocket, you may as well toss your money and save yourself the hassle of a broken screen. A Reader carried in a pocket is a Reader waiting to become broken. Don't do it. Don't put it in your pocket to carry around. It's just going to end in tears and a broken Reader.

Well there are many different pockets, aren't there.
When it rains, I leave my bag at home and stuff everything in my raincoat pockets. The one for the Mini is at the same height as my upper-arms so I can't seat on it, I can't clap (best word I could find, sorry) it on a door or a desk. The rain never gets inside and I still can read during my commute

Did I mention that I love my Mini?

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

$55 is a pretty good price. I didn't realize that the Glo price was that low.

The $55 is the difference in price between the Glo and the Aura is it not, FreshlyBakedPies has already stated they can get the Glo for $115 in the original post.

Regards the Kobo Mini and the smaller screen. When I switch between my two ereaders I don't find any issues with the smaller screen in terms of reading for long periods, but I do find myself getting a little fed up at increased number of page turns.

Amazon are pretty good with returns so you could order a Paperwhite and try it out for a week to compare it with the Glo and then make your decision?

[teija]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you buy a Kobo Mini because it will fit in your pocket, you may as well toss your money and save yourself the hassle of a broken screen. A Reader carried in a pocket is a Reader waiting to become broken. Don't do it. Don't put it in your pocket to carry around. It's just going to end in tears and a broken Reader.

I don't put mine in a pocket, but "pocketable" can also mean easy to put into a purse, with a protective case... which is what I do! And besides, I'm pretty careful with my eReaders.