Kindle the best???

[HDestruct]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to this forum. Been exploring for a while and now I'd like to ask a question.

It's pretty frustrating when I read reviews of best eReaders and almost EVERY single review keeps saying that Amazon Kindle is superior over Kobo. I was surprised. Why?? Isn't a Kobo just as good as a Kindle? What is the reason why almost all reviewers find Kindle better than Kobo? I'm perplexed.

[pdurrant]

The hardware is similar. Most people think that the Amazon user experience is better, overall. (This includes purchasing, etc, not just the reading environment.)

[HolyAura]

Hmm. I agree with you that Kindle is not really superior over Kobo. They each have their pros and cons.

Kobo has Pocket Integration which allows you to save web articles on your Reader and keep it for offline reading. It also has Overdrive that allows you to borrow books from your public library and read it anytime for free within a few days loan period. Kobo also has more options like font size, type and margins. It also has support for Epub files, unlike Kindle.

Kindle has Word Wise, which gives you simple meanings of certain words. You can change difficulty of the words that definitions will be given for. Kindle has a wider variety of eBooks in their Store, though the popular books by well-known authors will probably also be found in your Kobo and it doesn't make that much of a difference. Kindle has an X-Ray that can tell you what role each character plays in the book and will not let you forget who a certain character is.

[JSWolf]

I think the reading experience on Kobo is better then on Kindle because the Kobo firmware has a lot more useful features. Plus Kobo works much better with Calibre as Kobo is not a closed environment as Kindle is. You can manage Collections an series on a Kobo using Calibre. Kindle, all you can do is just add/remove content. Collections have to be manged by hand on the Kindle. And there is no series management.

So overall, I'd say Kobo is better.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by HDestruct

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to this forum. Been exploring for a while and now I'd like to ask a question.

It's pretty frustrating when I read reviews of best eReaders and almost EVERY single review keeps saying that Amazon Kindle is superior over Kobo.

Amazon is massive and reviews on Amazon are untrustworthy.
The Media and Internet reviewers often follow the money. See also Apple.
I have H2O original, Libra, PW3 and have held and used a PW4. Also various older models Kindle.

The Kobo is marginally better than Kindle in HW, but similar. H2O original was peak for screen contrast.
Kobo + Kobo Utilities in Calibre best for Annotation.

If you only want to buy Amazon books then PW4 is best choice.
If you mostly read PD books (Gutenberg), then Kobo Libra is better. Loads of Indie books with no DRM on Smashwords. There are big name books on Kobo.

If you want your cake and eating it, then get a Kindle Basic, download via PC, remove DRM in Calibre Alf's plug in using the Basic's serial number, ignore the Cloud. Read on a Kobo Libra.

Always consider the reviewers normal usage. Ignore reviews in national paper's websites or leading Tech mag/blogs.

[issybird]

I think it’s bias, myself, at least in the US, reflecting market saturation and telling people what they want to hear. However, the reality also is that Kindle is the only one you can walk into a store and purchase, unlike Kobo (and this ignores Nook, but I won’t go into that).

Two things that I think are given minimal value that I think are very important are bang for the buck, where Kobo is clearly the winner, and OverDrive integration. There are other factors, some favoring one manufacturer and some favorite the other, but not giving much weight to price or not needing a computer or tablet to borrow OD books makes any such review suspect.

[Sirtel]

There's one thing Kindles are superior for and that is Whispersync for non-Amazon books. Kobo doesn't have anything like that. Otherwise no. I certainly wouldn't say my Libra is inferior to my Kindles, hardware- or software-wise.

Now Nook software is inferior to both Kobo and Kindle. Their hardware is fine, but software not so much.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

There's one thing Kindles are superior for and that is Whispersync for non-Amazon books. Kobo doesn't have anything like that. Otherwise no. I certainly wouldn't say my Libra is inferior to my Kindles, hardware- or software-wise.

Now Nook software is inferior to both Kobo and Kindle. Their hardware is fine, but software not so much.

Price should be a much more important factor in reviews, value for money. You pay $270 for a 7” device without ads at Amazon, $250 for an 8” device at Kobo, and $200 for a 7.8” device at B&N. That should be the starting point; then the bells & whistles can add or subtract value.

For me, personally, OD integration is far more important than WS for non-Kobo books would be. It’s just not that hard to find where I left off in side-loaded books and my Kobo books do sync. That’s where the bells & whistles factor kicks in; it’s really all about the price. The Nook is a fantastic value for a very nice device and for most people, the software is good enough.

Price tends to be an afterthought in rating Kindle devices and that’s where I think the bias lies.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

I think it’s bias, myself, at least in the US, reflecting market saturation and telling people what they want to hear. However, the reality also is that Kindle is the only one you can walk into a store and purchase, unlike Kobo (and this ignores Nook, but I won’t go into that).

What about going to Walmart to buy a Kobo in the US?

[theducks]

I have an ancient (by today's standards)Kindle 4nt
I have a Kobo Aura2 v1

Both have solid hardware. Both have WiFi (only)
I use Calibre to USB side load, so I could care less about the Device Store UI.
I shop from my PC, take care of that pesky DRM, and load on whichever device strikes my fancy (The Kobo stays home always).

I sorta like the latest Kobo firmware book manager, but either gets the job done.

Note: I use my TAB A for PDF or color when needed, so I do not need or want a LCD reader for just my normal reading.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by theducks

I have an ancient (by today's standards)Kindle 4nt
I have a Kobo Aura2 v1

Both have solid hardware. Both have WiFi (only)
I use Calibre to USB side load, so I could care less about the Device Store UI.
I shop from my PC, take care of that pesky DRM, and load on whichever device strikes my fancy (The Kobo stays home always).

I sorta like the latest Kobo firmware book manager, but either gets the job done.

Note: I use my TAB A for PDF or color when needed, so I do not need or want a LCD reader for just my normal reading.

One major advantage Kobo has over Kindles older then the PW2 is that Kobo is supporting older Kindles with the current firmware. Kindles firmware on older devices is pretty meh! at best.

So when you look at what you can do with a Kindle 4nt and a Kobo Aura 2, there's no question that that Kobo will blow the Kindle away. The only non-touch Kobo that was made was the first model. Every other has a touch screen. That means that the newer firmware on these older devices is still usable since they have a touch screen.

Amazon's firmware is created to be very simple and in this simplicity, they take away many useful features. Kobo firmware is for users who want to have choices and be able to manage their eBooks.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What about going to Walmart to buy a Kobo in the US?

They don't have them in stock.

I think this thread's been sidetracked (and I contributed my own detour). it's whether or not there's a bias favoring Kindles in reviews. I think there is. I hope the OP won't mind if I restate my interpretation of the question: Are reviews biased, and if so, why?

I think it's a good question, whereas the relative advantages of the devices and personal preferences thereto have been discussed in umpteen threads.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I hope the OP won't mind if I restate my interpretation of the question: Are reviews biased, and if so, why?

Probably yes. Why, might depend on the reviewer. Kindles are simply much better known. The higher price tags seem to mean higher quality to more than one reviewer. The early Kobo readers were plagued by more bugs and stability issues than Kindles (no longer true, but people are slow to change their opinions). And so on.

[ps67]

I expressed my opinion in comparing Kindle and Kobo in this post:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...le#post3926698

The only thing I forgot is that PW3 is a little faster than KA1. KA1 is not really slow but I can see the small difference between them. But the comparison should be made between devices now on sale.

And about the eventual bias in favor of Kindle: may be, many reviewer did not really use the device for some days before writing, they simply says: it is not compatible with Amazon's store so it is a negative point an so on. But serious people that do accurately their job will report strength and weakness of both.

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by HDestruct

What is the reason why almost all reviewers find Kindle better than Kobo? I'm perplexed.

For me I'd guess that they have very simple needs from an ereader. And they probably don't use calibre to manage their books. When you pair calibre and a kobo it's a very nice system. For me the most important advantages of the kobo are being able to list the authors with how many books by them you have, collections, and now series. With calibre I have collections set up by source, with library being one, so that I can see what library books I need to get started on.

By comparison the kindle seems like its UI has barely changed since my old kindle touch.