Kindle Paperwhite 2 or Kobo Aura

I'm currently looking for a replacement, or really and addition to , my Sony 900. I've always had good luck with Sony ebook readers, both the 900 and the 505 I owned before that, but technology has continued to advance. I would like a reader with a better contrast (the 900 background is really quite gray) and one that I can read in bed at night. My first thought was to check to see what Sony might now have on offer, but according to their web site it would appear that they are no longer in the ebook reader business, at least for those in the US?



So I am considering the same two alternatives as the thread initiator. I would really like to go with the Kobo Aura, as I really do not want to be tied to Amazon as my only source for books or be limited to their ebook format. The big question though is just how big are the problems with the Aura and can I count on any problems being resolved so I will end up with a reliable device I can get years of service out of?

[ProfCrash]

Hamlet, as an Kindle owner, I can tell you that I don't feel tied to Amazon for my books. I am very comfortable with moving to another e-reader if I feel that the quality and customer service is good enough.

But that is an individual choice. If you are not comfortable with the idea of removing DRM and converting, a Kindle is not for you. That is a personal call.

The impression I have of the Aura is that there are many people who love it and have not had any problems. There are many people who have had small problems and are minorly annoyed by them but not enough to change devices. There are many people who have had problems with their screens and firmware and have struggled to get the issues resolved with Aura customer service.

There are folks who have had problems with their screens with the PW but they have not had any problems with customer service. Amazon does a great job with customer service. The horror stories that I have read for the Kobo are mind boggling. Sony and BN have never had particularly great customer service.

I do believe that the number of folks having more serious problems is a small percentage of the Kobo population. But it seems painful if you are one of the ones with the problem.

ProfCrash thank you for your input. Ahem, my view of DRM has always been that when I buy an ebook I am buying it for good to read at any time in the future on any device I wish to read it on. I have read much more on this site now about the problems people have encountered with the Kobo Aura and with Kobo customer service in general. This leaves me really leaning to the Kindle PW. My very large Calibre library is all in epub format at the moment, though this will just mean an extra step (conversion to mobi) when I wish to read a title on my new Kindle.

[robko]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

I have read much more on this site now about the problems people have encountered with the Kobo Aura and with Kobo customer service in general.

I would suggest you look at the "older" (really only 6 months older) Aura HD. It has a larger screen (Sony 900 was a bigger screen wasn't it?) and doesn't have the screen issues that the new 6" Aura seems to have.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

ProfCrash thank you for your input. Ahem, my view of DRM has always been that when I buy an ebook I am buying it for good to read at any time in the future on any device I wish to read it on. I have read much more on this site now about the problems people have encountered with the Kobo Aura and with Kobo customer service in general. This leaves me really leaning to the Kindle PW. My very large Calibre library is all in epub format at the moment, though this will just mean an extra step (conversion to mobi) when I wish to read a title on my new Kindle.

I had the Sony 900 & 950. I loved the larger screen, but it didn't take me long to adjust back to the smaller size. I really like the Paperwhite. The conversion process in calibre is pretty painless. You might also want to wait and see what B&N offers for a new Nook Touch. It just cleared the FCC over the weekend and should be announced very soon.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

ProfCrash thank you for your input. Ahem, my view of DRM has always been that when I buy an ebook I am buying it for good to read at any time in the future on any device I wish to read it on. I have read much more on this site now about the problems people have encountered with the Kobo Aura and with Kobo customer service in general. This leaves me really leaning to the Kindle PW. My very large Calibre library is all in epub format at the moment, though this will just mean an extra step (conversion to mobi) when I wish to read a title on my new Kindle.

I have only read about the Kobo here. I have no idea how wide spread the issues are but I would not want to deal with Kobo's customer serviceif there was a problem.

I have had a Kindle since day 1. I have been lucky to not have any problems with mine. My MIL had to return her K2 because of the sun fade problem. The PWs have had some issues with lighting and pinholes but it takes Amazon about 5 minutes to send a replacement and it is normally there in 2 days.

My own bias is to go with Amazon but I have been with them since day 1. I don't find the SD slot and all the customization to be all that necessary, nice but not really needed. I adjusted from Marvin back to the PW with no problems.

The major e-readers are all pretty similar in their features. They each have their own quirks. I like having a company that I can turn to for support and actually expect to get some, so I stay with Amazon.

[soulfuldog]

I'd second the suggestion to at least consider the Aura HD. It does still 'suffer' from Kobo firmware updates (but not everyone has problems with the firmware/bugs) and you won't get the superior customer support Amazon provides, but the Aura HD appears to be a far better bit of hardware than the Aura. If you like the slightly bigger screen - it is still pretty small overall despite the increased screen size - it is worth considering.

However, if you are happy to convert your epubs, unless you particularly want to avoid Amazon, the last comment in the post ProfCrash has just made is exactly why the Kindle is such a big seller.

[treadlightly]

I would also suggest checking out the Aura HD or the Kobo Glo. It may be a while until the QC issues with the Aura screen are worked out. When I had to exchange my Glo because the light button stopped working, I had no issues with customer service - the return process was very straight-forward. The replacement has worked flawlessly for almost a year now.

[ProfCrash]

Yup. I have looked at the Nook, Kobo, and Sony but never moved. I can move easily enough. I use Marvin on my iPad. The folks on this board are much more into hacks, fonts, and customization then most of the population.

I know there are folks who love being able to adjust margins, change fonts, and adjust line spacing. I wouldn't mind being able to do that but I am fine with how I can adjust things right now.

I don't need an SD card. I have 440 books on my PW2 (given some are collections of all an authors work, it is really closer to 600) and it runs just fine. I think that I will be ok finding something to read even if I end up maxing out the memory. And the WiFi makes it easy enough for me to download a different book. And I have my iPad with a ton of space in a pinch.

And I know that if something happens to my Kindle if I am travelling, Amazon will send me a replacement where ever I am.

I think the Kindle does well because it works and has great customer support. I think that we tend to over look that Amazon jumped into the ebook market when it wasn't cool and before the tablet rage hit. The only ereader I knew of at the time was the Sony and its book store sucked. Amazon built brand loyalty by entering the market and doing a great job supporting the K1. The ebook store was superior for a long, long time.

I am not saying I won't buy a different e-reader only that a company has to do somethign really different with their ereader and have at least decent customer service to make me think about moving.

Thank you to all for additional input provided. When I made the upgrade from the Sony 505 to the 900 I did this for the touch screen capability, as well as the ability to highlight text and make notes. The larger screen size was just a bonus.

I do like the $119.00 pricing on the Kindle PW, but to be fair to other brands out there that price is only for those willing to accept the push advertising from Amazon on the reader. The “clean” price is $139.00, only $10.00 less than the Aura. Amazon promises that those ads will not appear while actually reading and that whole business may be stopped at any time by paying the $20.00 differential even after purchase and use so I will try it and if I find it annoying pay to have it stopped. I don't like that it does not ship with an AC charger, that's another $19.99. I already have and AC USB charger from my Nook Color. Anyone know if I could use that for the Kindle as well?

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by STIPPPOX

I saw Kobo Aura yesterday, too, a friend bought it and we compared it with his PW1 . The contrast is almost the same as in old Kindle and I was a bit disappointed. I'll buy the new PW2 mainly because of the better pdf software than Kobo.

Just found a photo comparing the Aura and the PW, and the PW definitely looks better to me (there are a lot of plus points for the Aura, but I think the PW has the edge in terms of the contrast and sharpness of the text). It's from a very detailed review on an Italian site (in Italian mind you!): http://www.eeevolution.it/recensione-kobo-aura/

There is also a video review (also in Italian, but turn caption on and you get English subtitles). Watching it makes me wish for the Aura body to contain the PW screen and interface, but with the Aura's superior customisation....

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

I already have and AC USB charger from my Nook Color. Anyone know if I could use that for the Kindle as well?

You'd perhaps be better asking that question on either the Kindle or Nook forum. I know you can interchange some chargers, but am not sure if one designed for a tablet will be suitable for an e-reader. You can just use the supplied USB cable and charge via your computer (although that does take longer).

[canuck100]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

The big question though is just how big are the problems with the Aura and can I count on any problems being resolved so I will end up with a reliable device I can get years of service out of?

I just received an Aura as a gift. It was purchased here at Chapters. At the time of purchase they said that they would replace it if any of these publicized problems occurred.

I have had NO problems. No pin pricks. No light leakage at full brightness in the dark. The "pattern" appears extremely faintly, only in full sunlight and only from a wierd angle that I would never use for reading. I would never have discovered it had I not known from reports here that I should look for it.

This is only one person's experience but many of the negative experiences are similarly only one person's experience. Just adding my experience to balance out the discussion.

[Crhis]

Originally Posted by l_macd

There is also a video review (also in Italian, but turn caption on and you get English subtitles). Watching it makes me wish for the Aura body to contain the PW screen and interface, but with the Aura's superior customisation....

Me too, me too.

I'm in the (urgent) market for a new reader as my K3 just bit the dust. I don't buy any of my books from Amazon and was hoping this time to move to a different reader so I could leave my collection as a set of definitive clean EPUBs. Added to that I don't really care about store features, cloud syncing and the like that only come with books purchased from that ecosystem.

My priorities are reading experience (hand feel, adjusting settings on the fly, selecting a new book) and screen quality (contrast, lighting) and it seems dead even.

* The Aura would allow me to leave everything as EPUBs, has the flush screen that I love, and capacitive touch to adjust the light in a really neat way. However I'd feel like a bit of a numpty spending a £10 premium on last years eink tech.

* PW2 requires the same conversion I go through now (easy enough to do, I'd just rather not), looks ugly compared to the Kobo and may not be as nice to hold in one hand. However from experience I know most of those things tend to fade away when you're in the middle of a good book and I think the PW2s superior contrast + lighting would come in to its own.

I can see positives and negatives anyway but just can't decide either way. I have a week or so until I finish the paper books I have on hand so if anyone has any suggestions then I'm all ears.

[booklover6]

I suggest you get the kobo Aura. There is hardly any difference between this year's screen tech (Carta) and last year's (pearl).

I think you will be very happy with a Kobo....I have a Glo that is awesome. I plan to get an Aura eventually.

[Synamon]

I've bought each of these over the past two weeks and tried them out since our Kindle Keyboards are nearing the end of their life. Despite reading many accounts of problems with screens on here, both of these readers were perfect out of the box. They are wonderful lighted readers with the latest and greatest screen technology and which works best for you depends what your needs are.

The Paperwhite is very responsive, comes with the Kindle ecosystem (I especially like the ability to email/send books to it wirelessly), has great dictionaries, and can be used in landscape mode.

The Aura firmware is a bit sluggish and there are more complaints about bugs, includes Pocket integration, and has excellent font customization options.

Since my husband likes to read in landscape mode and I need an easy way to load books onto his reader wirelessly, he's using the Paperwhite. Since I use Pocket to save things from Flipboard and want to customize fonts, the Aura is mine. We are both happy.