Kobo store previews useless?

dmacmart · 07-20-2010, 01:41 PM

Has anyone noticed that the previews that Kobo provides with their books are only what they call "Openers"? Title page, copyright notice, but no content? (Or is it just the books I am interested in?)

On my iPhone, Kindle and iBook "samples" let me download many pages, sometimes whole chapters. This lets me confirm whether this is the book I really want. I don't have a good memory for titles, and I don't always know if I've already read a book from a favourite author.

So if the book I'm looking for is available on Kindle, I can use their preview, but Kobo actually has a better selection than Kindle, and WAY more than iBooks (of books that I am interested in at least), so that doesn't always work.

Why is Kobo so chintzy?

Pookeysgirl · 07-20-2010, 02:39 PM

I go through the Chapters/Indigo website. Same books but with a proper preview and reviews. When you're ready to buy the ebook it redirects you to Kobo's website.

SensualPoet · 07-20-2010, 06:43 PM

Amazon does a superb job merchandising books. The free 3G wireless previews are a terrific way to encourage more sales. The user comments, the "if you like this you might like that" recommendations, and excerpts from published reviews make it easy, fun and informative to browse.

Kobo's bookstore, and desktop application, are severely lacking in comparison. The upside is there are some titles available at Kobo that aren't in Kindle format, especially for Canadians. Kobo has shown it is working hard to make improvements and is committed to an evolving product. I don't think they are chintzy: they are just getting off the ground.

Ardnas · 07-28-2010, 10:43 AM

I adore my Kindle for all the reasons above ...but the reason I got a Kobo reader is to get access to titles that I haven't been able to get at Amazon. I like having that additional option. ...Usually I have a pretty good idea of what I want to buy, so I don't need to browse a sample. My samples on my Kindle are mainly low-cost books that have caught my attention. ...I mainly want to see if the writing is of decent quality. I hate books that are poorly written!

07-20-2010, 01:41 PM	#1
dmacmart Fanatic Posts: 531 Karma: 696908 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch	Kobo store previews useless? Has anyone noticed that the previews that Kobo provides with their books are only what they call "Openers"? Title page, copyright notice, but no content? (Or is it just the books I am interested in?) On my iPhone, Kindle and iBook "samples" let me download many pages, sometimes whole chapters. This lets me confirm whether this is the book I really want. I don't have a good memory for titles, and I don't always know if I've already read a book from a favourite author. So if the book I'm looking for is available on Kindle, I can use their preview, but Kobo actually has a better selection than Kindle, and WAY more than iBooks (of books that I am interested in at least), so that doesn't always work. Why is Kobo so chintzy?

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07-20-2010, 02:39 PM	#2
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	I go through the Chapters/Indigo website. Same books but with a proper preview and reviews. When you're ready to buy the ebook it redirects you to Kobo's website.

07-20-2010, 06:43 PM	#3
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Amazon does a superb job merchandising books. The free 3G wireless previews are a terrific way to encourage more sales. The user comments, the "if you like this you might like that" recommendations, and excerpts from published reviews make it easy, fun and informative to browse. Kobo's bookstore, and desktop application, are severely lacking in comparison. The upside is there are some titles available at Kobo that aren't in Kindle format, especially for Canadians. Kobo has shown it is working hard to make improvements and is committed to an evolving product. I don't think they are chintzy: they are just getting off the ground.

07-28-2010, 10:43 AM	#4
Ardnas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Manitoba, Canada Device: Kindle 2, Kobo	I adore my Kindle for all the reasons above ...but the reason I got a Kobo reader is to get access to titles that I haven't been able to get at Amazon. I like having that additional option. ...Usually I have a pretty good idea of what I want to buy, so I don't need to browse a sample. My samples on my Kindle are mainly low-cost books that have caught my attention. ...I mainly want to see if the writing is of decent quality. I hate books that are poorly written!

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