Which KOBO to buy?

2nutz4travel · 01-11-2012, 10:18 AM

I have a 1st generation Kobo ereader. While I love reading on it, the battery will no longer hold a charge more than a couple of hours so it's time to replace it. I've read a lot of reviews, but that isn't helping. I'm not sure if I should "upgrade" to the Kobo Touch or go with the Vox. I like the idea of being able to watch movies, but I'm not sure how often I would do that... How is the Vox for reading books?

Any comments welcome! Thanks

HarryT · 01-11-2012, 10:34 AM

You need to decide whether you want an eInk reader or a general-purpose Android tablet. They are completely different. Do you want a dedicated reading device or a backlit LCD tablet? Only you can answer that.

robko · 01-11-2012, 01:22 PM

What HarryT said. If you post in the Kobo sub-forum on here there are people with both that can likely give you a more precise answer on their views, but it really comes down to e-ink vs LCD. Personally, if your primary purpose is reading, I'd go for the Kobo Touch, but I don't have a VOX to directly compare.

Matth79 · 01-14-2012, 07:39 PM

I haven't seen a single good review of the Vox - it seems they took a not that great Android pad, glued the signature Kobo trim on the back, broke android market etc.

Maybe pricing works out differently in other places, but in the UK, I'd love to see someone put the Kobo Vox (and maybe the Kindle Fire) up against the the Arnova Tablet from Carphone Warehouse, loaded with an app - and of course, if you load your own choice of reader apps, your tablet reader can be a KoboKindle crossbreed.

Suzanna · 01-14-2012, 09:08 PM

It will depend on how you plan to use your new Kobo. If you want a device to do light reading and check email/twitter/facebook, then you'll want a Vox or another tablet . You can also load other ereading apps on it like the Kindle app, but the battery life is much shorter so the device will need to be charged daily.

If you want mainly an ereader, then definitely go for the Kobo Touch. With the recent firmware updates, we can add custom fonts, multiple bookmarks, annotations. And of course, the battery lasts much longer.

renee0986 · 01-18-2012, 09:23 AM

I recently purchased a Kobo Vox during Indigo's lovely online Boxing Day sale for $169.99 CAD. I have been considering the purchase of an eReader for over a year now and finally took the leap. After much research I decided I wanted a Kobo as I like the fact that you can easily side load books (or apps as in the case with the Vox) via SD/microSD and the fact that with the expandable storage you are not limited to the smaller capacities of some of the other readers internal memory (I am the type that likes to have all my books and/or music with me at all times).

At first after seeing some of the reviews online about the Vox I was a little hesitant to buy it. Most of what you'll see online is reviews by those who actually have wonderful access to books on the Kindle because they are in the US - being in Canada the Kindle doesn't work as great for us. The kindle actually doesn't work with my local library's eBook borrowing system either (major – for the Kindle). So once you look past the kobo v. kindle reviews and get deep into the reviews that are specific to Kobo you really have to decide for yourself what you want.

The Vox is a little more expensive than the touch but in my mind (after playing with both for a period of time in the store) I preferred the Vox. It allows extra capabilities should you want to check your email or facebook on the run, it's colour which is a plus, I find the back lighting to be a plus for me as I like to read in bed in the dark – I don’t want to have to purchase a book light and worry about battery power for that as well especially when travelling (it also has a nice night mode where it swaps the text for a black background and white text), which is extra friendly on your eyes in the night). Despite the fact that the Vox is a glossy colour screen and not pearl eInk when you turn the screen’s brightness up to adjust for the brightness of the sun it is still quite easy to read in direct sunlight – great for beach reading!

The Vox's processor is a little slow when comparing it to a "real" tablet but if you're looking to use it primarily as an eReader and not to use apps or the internet I think it's wonderful. However, if you're looking for something to first browse the web and use apps first and then second to read on you may want to invest a little more money into purchasing a "real" tablet. I also found the Vox to be a little heavy but when I considered the weight and thickness of some books I read that are 1000+ pages the Vox is still much lighter.

Right now on my brand new Vox with the wi-fi turned off I can get about 8-9 reading hours out of it. I don’t know what the longevity of the battery will be as time goes on with several charges and discharhes. So the battery life is not quite as great as what you can get out of the touch but again it’s all in what you expect out of a eReader.

So obviously by owning a Vox I’m a little biased and would say get a Vox. But it all depends on what you’re looking for. I suggest going to YouTube and watching some video reviews of both the Touch and Vox (not those irritating ones where it compares the Kobo to the Nook or Kindle – those won’t help you much if you’ve committed to sticking with the Kobo). Prehaps visiting a FutureShop or Chapters store and playing with the demo versions of the devices could also assist you.

I hope my input helps you decide, or at least get a better understanding of what the Vox has to offer.

01-11-2012, 10:18 AM	#1
2nutz4travel Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: kobo	Which KOBO to buy? I have a 1st generation Kobo ereader. While I love reading on it, the battery will no longer hold a charge more than a couple of hours so it's time to replace it. I've read a lot of reviews, but that isn't helping. I'm not sure if I should "upgrade" to the Kobo Touch or go with the Vox. I like the idea of being able to watch movies, but I'm not sure how often I would do that... How is the Vox for reading books? Any comments welcome! Thanks

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01-11-2012, 10:34 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You need to decide whether you want an eInk reader or a general-purpose Android tablet. They are completely different. Do you want a dedicated reading device or a backlit LCD tablet? Only you can answer that.

01-11-2012, 01:22 PM	#3
robko Wizard Posts: 2,454 Karma: 5469320 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	What HarryT said. If you post in the Kobo sub-forum on here there are people with both that can likely give you a more precise answer on their views, but it really comes down to e-ink vs LCD. Personally, if your primary purpose is reading, I'd go for the Kobo Touch, but I don't have a VOX to directly compare.

01-14-2012, 07:39 PM	#4
Matth79 Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 502620 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kobo Touch	I haven't seen a single good review of the Vox - it seems they took a not that great Android pad, glued the signature Kobo trim on the back, broke android market etc. Maybe pricing works out differently in other places, but in the UK, I'd love to see someone put the Kobo Vox (and maybe the Kindle Fire) up against the the Arnova Tablet from Carphone Warehouse, loaded with an app - and of course, if you load your own choice of reader apps, your tablet reader can be a KoboKindle crossbreed.

01-14-2012, 09:08 PM	#5
Suzanna Living in the past Posts: 432 Karma: 6011289 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc	It will depend on how you plan to use your new Kobo. If you want a device to do light reading and check email/twitter/facebook, then you'll want a Vox or another tablet . You can also load other ereading apps on it like the Kindle app, but the battery life is much shorter so the device will need to be charged daily. If you want mainly an ereader, then definitely go for the Kobo Touch. With the recent firmware updates, we can add custom fonts, multiple bookmarks, annotations. And of course, the battery lasts much longer.

01-18-2012, 09:23 AM	#6
renee0986 Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kobo Vox	I recently purchased a Kobo Vox during Indigo's lovely online Boxing Day sale for $169.99 CAD. I have been considering the purchase of an eReader for over a year now and finally took the leap. After much research I decided I wanted a Kobo as I like the fact that you can easily side load books (or apps as in the case with the Vox) via SD/microSD and the fact that with the expandable storage you are not limited to the smaller capacities of some of the other readers internal memory (I am the type that likes to have all my books and/or music with me at all times). At first after seeing some of the reviews online about the Vox I was a little hesitant to buy it. Most of what you'll see online is reviews by those who actually have wonderful access to books on the Kindle because they are in the US - being in Canada the Kindle doesn't work as great for us. The kindle actually doesn't work with my local library's eBook borrowing system either (major – for the Kindle). So once you look past the kobo v. kindle reviews and get deep into the reviews that are specific to Kobo you really have to decide for yourself what you want. The Vox is a little more expensive than the touch but in my mind (after playing with both for a period of time in the store) I preferred the Vox. It allows extra capabilities should you want to check your email or facebook on the run, it's colour which is a plus, I find the back lighting to be a plus for me as I like to read in bed in the dark – I don’t want to have to purchase a book light and worry about battery power for that as well especially when travelling (it also has a nice night mode where it swaps the text for a black background and white text), which is extra friendly on your eyes in the night). Despite the fact that the Vox is a glossy colour screen and not pearl eInk when you turn the screen’s brightness up to adjust for the brightness of the sun it is still quite easy to read in direct sunlight – great for beach reading! The Vox's processor is a little slow when comparing it to a "real" tablet but if you're looking to use it primarily as an eReader and not to use apps or the internet I think it's wonderful. However, if you're looking for something to first browse the web and use apps first and then second to read on you may want to invest a little more money into purchasing a "real" tablet. I also found the Vox to be a little heavy but when I considered the weight and thickness of some books I read that are 1000+ pages the Vox is still much lighter. Right now on my brand new Vox with the wi-fi turned off I can get about 8-9 reading hours out of it. I don’t know what the longevity of the battery will be as time goes on with several charges and discharhes. So the battery life is not quite as great as what you can get out of the touch but again it’s all in what you expect out of a eReader. So obviously by owning a Vox I’m a little biased and would say get a Vox. But it all depends on what you’re looking for. I suggest going to YouTube and watching some video reviews of both the Touch and Vox (not those irritating ones where it compares the Kobo to the Nook or Kindle – those won’t help you much if you’ve committed to sticking with the Kobo). Prehaps visiting a FutureShop or Chapters store and playing with the demo versions of the devices could also assist you. I hope my input helps you decide, or at least get a better understanding of what the Vox has to offer.

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