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Old 11-01-2010, 10:16 PM   #1
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Deciding between Kindle 3 vs Kobo (both wireless)

I think I'm leaning towards either the Kindle 3 or the Kobo, both in wireless format. The Sony is too expensive and I don't care about touch screen capability, taking notes, dictionaries etc. It's desktop s/w on the Mac is awful.

A brief list of pros/cons:

Kindle 3:

Pros:
- Best device from what I read
- Amazon infrastructure behind the device
- Large ebook store, which is very easy to search and use
- E-Ink Pearl screen
- Online store supports wishlists, gifting books etc

Cons:
- American bias, prices in US, delivery of device from US (I live in Canada)
- Delivery from US (impatient!)

Kobo:

Pros:
- Canadian
- Easy availability; I could pick one up tomorrow
- Basic but has all the features I need
- Cheaper

Cons:
- kobobooks.com is primitive compared to amazon.com; search is painful
- history of issues?
- appears to have a large selection to buy online, but some of my searches of famous authors come up short
- online ebook store doesn't support wishlists or gifting, though I'm told gift card support is on its way

THat about sums it up. Which of the two has a larger selection of books? Are there any real world statistics that avoid the hype? I've read various numbers online but I'm ignoring any on Kobo or Amazon's sites.
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Old 11-02-2010, 10:22 AM   #2
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You can check on what books are available by shopping at either one of the bookstores. Check and make sure that the books that you want are available.

I wouldn't ignore the numbers on the websites, I would just try and look for what percentage of the available books are public domain and what are not.
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Old 11-02-2010, 12:03 PM   #3
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I live in Canada and have a Kindle 3G.

I sprung for the express shipping and the Kindle arrived in ONE DAY. (extra $25 or so in shipping - the "impatience tax")

I would strongly suggest the K3 over the Kobo Reader.
Book selection on Amazon's Kindle store is FAR better than the Kobo store and you've already hit on the website usability issues.

You can still purchase books from Kobo to use on the Kindle but may have to convert books to a Kindle-compatible format, something not discussed on this forum for legal reasons.
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Old 11-02-2010, 12:33 PM   #4
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Thanks cjottawa. Does it annoy when you only see US$ on amazon's store?
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Old 11-02-2010, 12:42 PM   #5
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Thanks cjottawa. Does it annoy when you only see US$ on amazon's store?
You get used
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Old 11-02-2010, 12:47 PM   #6
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Thanks for posting this stodge. I'm in Canada too and am deciding between the Kindle and the Kobo for the exact same reasons (Kindle: best device vs Kobo: Cdn). But I plan to do my purchasing at the kobo bookstore almost exclusively, so if I decide on the Kindle, I will have to convert the book format. I'm hoping that the Kobo wireless goes down to $99 at Christmas. That will make my decision very easy.
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:04 PM   #7
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Thanks cjottawa. Does it annoy when you only see US$ on amazon's store?
It doesn't annoy me - and I'm easily annoyed - but I do the conversion in my head when I see the price. Of course, when the Canadian Dollar reaches parity or is worth more than the US Dollar, it's a nice bonus.

Worth noting, Amazon has a UK domain (Amazon.co.uk) that has a Kindle section.

Perhaps they'll eventually expand Amazon.ca to include its own Kindle section, in Canadian dollars.
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:38 AM   #8
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Both devices have a different feel. Any way you can see a demo model?
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Old 11-03-2010, 07:06 AM   #9
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As far as I know, the Kindle isn't available anywhere in store in Canada.
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:25 PM   #10
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I thought some/a lot of the books in the amazon ebookstore were only available to US customers.

To be honest, I haven't checked to see if that's true because I have a Kobo, so I haven't needed to look at amazon, but you might want to look into it - or perhaps others here can comment.
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:45 PM   #11
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Do you only find out if they're available in Canada when you try to download them?
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:46 PM   #12
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All bookstores have to deal with geographic restrictions.
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:50 PM   #13
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All bookstores have to deal with geographic restrictions.
Yes, so if one is in Canada then all the books in the Canadian Kobo bookstore are available to them. And if one is shopping on the US Amazon.com bookstore, who knows how many books are available to a Canadian. (I don't know because I shop at Kobo.)

I'm just pointing it out as I think many users on here are American so this isn't a drawback of the Kindle for them the way it is for Canadians (assuming it's a big problem, maybe it's not).
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:53 PM   #14
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Do you only find out if they're available in Canada when you try to download them?
I think amazon.com can detect your country and only shows you books available to you. But don't hold me to that - as I said, I haven't tried to purchase stuff from amazon.com. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about Kindles+Canada can chime in!
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:53 PM   #15
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I would guess that any store that is available in Canda for the Kobo will be available for the Kindle at Amazon. That is a guess only.

I can see how it would be frustrating to look for a book, find something interesting, and then not be able to buy it.

I also know that there are ways of getting around the geographic restrictions. Topics are posted on this very subject in the Kindle boards.
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