KOBO vs Sony Ereader Pocket

[foghat]

^I see. I guess that makes sense and is kind of cool, but perhaps a bit confusing? Wouldn't it be harder to get a true sense of how long a book really is and/or how much more reading you have to go, if the page number displayed doesn't necessarily correspond the screen change?

Right now I am using Stanza, which does not display the total number of 'pages', so I have never noticed how many screen changes constitute a singe page.

[lchen]

I'd recommend the Kobo eReader. The Sony is priced too high (prices will probably drop now that the Kobo eReader has been released which may help you make the decision between the two).

[Turt99]

lchen, I got the Kobo on the 1st actually. But I would point out that with the Sony eReader on sale right now and the fact that you can send a Text (check sony's twitter) to get a $25 off an ereader coupon. The 2 readers basically end up at the same price.

I got the Kobo because it has a bigger screen, and has expandable memory. I actually got all my ebooks formatted and ready on a little 128mb card before I bought it and I just had to plug the card in and go.

[lchen]

Hi Turt99, I got mine on the 1st too Also my first e-Ink device and I'm pleased with it.

The Sony might be attractive to some buyers now that the price has been lowered (but they should really reduce the price if they want to leaders in the ebook product sector ->i.e. instead of just applying reactionary pricing for a slightly older eReader). The Sony Reader might also have an aluminum casing and alternative colours which would appeal to some buyers. The support for other formats may be a key decision maker.


Hope you enjoy the Kobo eReader. Works as advertised. Simple.

[Shecky]

(Grr. Got logged out when trying to submit, so I'll try to recreate the post.)

I'm hoping someone is able to make a direct compare/contrast between the Kobo and the Sony Touch. The Touch is currently on sale through this weekend for $200 US, and I'm wondering whether it's worth the extra $50. I'm looking for a bare-bones reader - something that just reads e-books. Don't need wireless connectivity, color or anything else; I don't want to read newspapers, magazines or comics. Just books.

One additional criterion: formats. I have a number of texts in .html and .doc format, but I don't see whether either of these readers can handle them. Can they? If not, is there conversion software out there that can make them readable by one or the other? My wife and I just got Office 2007, and I've been told it can make a PDF out of just about any document. I know that both readers can read PDFs... but do they read PDFs well? Or does it make for awkward reading?

With all this in mind, and IF the Touch is better than the Kobo, is it worth the extra $50 (yes, I'm a cheap b*****d )? The sale on the Touch expires this weekend, so I'd like to know today or tomorrow, if possible. Thanks for your help!

[Shecky]

Wow, no Canadians on here? Darn. I was hoping someone had direct, hands-on experience with both.

[Shade]

The kobo look like having much plastic (like a toy?), is it as solid as the sony 300 reader?
Because the bigger screen for less money looks interesting. Someone have both of them?

[Turt99]

I am the OP of this thread but since then I got myself a KOBO and my wife got a SONY, you can read my thoughts as I posted them in another thread.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83138

Short Version: If the upcoming firmware update for Kobo fixes some of the bigger issues, then combined with the larger screen and SD slot I believe the KOBO wins. But as of right now the Sony seems to have the "it just works" thing going for it.

[JSWolf]

As of right now, you can get a 600 and a cover for about $214. Yes, I know it's more expensive then the Kobo, but, as was said before, IT JUST WORKS. True, it may not be the latest version of ADE, but the dictionary is nice and it works. The 600 has history, bookmarks, a dictionary, hyperlink support, and you can change font sizes.

So, do you want to get a 600 that works or a Kobo that might someday on a Bookeen Monday work?

[Shecky]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

As of right now, you can get a 600 and a cover for about $214. Yes, I know it's more expensive then the Kobo, but, as was said before, IT JUST WORKS. True, it may not be the latest version of ADE, but the dictionary is nice and it works. The 600 has history, bookmarks, a dictionary, hyperlink support, and you can change font sizes.

So, do you want to get a 600 that works or a Kobo that might someday on a Bookeen Monday work?

Which is why I was asking if there were Canadians or Australians who've actually gotten their hands on a Kobo to compare. Beyond that, I don't need a history, a dictionary or a cover, and the Kobo can change font sizes. If those are the only differences between the Touch and the Kobo, I'll save my $50. If they aren't... well, that brings me back to my hope that there are people with hands-on-experience with the Kobo in order to give us concrete information instead of unproven/undisproven speculation. By the numbers, the Kobo looks better for my use, but...

[Shecky]

Originally Posted by Turt99

I am the OP of this thread but since then I got myself a KOBO and my wife got a SONY, you can read my thoughts as I posted them in another thread.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83138

Short Version: If the upcoming firmware update for Kobo fixes some of the bigger issues, then combined with the larger screen and SD slot I believe the KOBO wins. But as of right now the Sony seems to have the "it just works" thing going for it.

And I've heard great things about the Sony Touch (specifically wanting the Touch compared, not the Pocket); plenty of happy readers out there. Anyway, has the firmware update come out yet?

[Turt99]

The Kobo update isn't out yet, but there is talk that it will be out this weekend, or atleast before the Kobo is launched in the states.

[luqmaninbmore]

Originally Posted by Shecky

Which is why I was asking if there were Canadians or Australians who've actually gotten their hands on a Kobo to compare. Beyond that, I don't need a history, a dictionary or a cover, and the Kobo can change font sizes. If those are the only differences between the Touch and the Kobo, I'll save my $50. If they aren't... well, that brings me back to my hope that there are people with hands-on-experience with the Kobo in order to give us concrete information instead of unproven/undisproven speculation. By the numbers, the Kobo looks better for my use, but...

The Sony 600 is also fast. Fast booting, true suspend, quick opening of books and quick page turns.

[DarthV]

I tried out a Kobo the weekend they were released and found the demo unit to be very slow on page turns. I'm somewhat in the same boat and I'm tempted to see if the Nook lite or new Sony readers will be out this summer.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Shecky

Which is why I was asking if there were Canadians or Australians who've actually gotten their hands on a Kobo to compare. Beyond that, I don't need a history, a dictionary or a cover, and the Kobo can change font sizes. If those are the only differences between the Touch and the Kobo, I'll save my $50. If they aren't... well, that brings me back to my hope that there are people with hands-on-experience with the Kobo in order to give us concrete information instead of unproven/undisproven speculation. By the numbers, the Kobo looks better for my use, but...

Actually, history is very useful. If you have an eBook that has endnotes, you'd use the history to go back to where you were reading if the eBook does not have a back link in the endnote. A good example of this is the Discworld series which has endnotes but no links to specifically go back.

The Kobo currently has issues changing font sizes when it should be able to. The 600 works.

Also, you do need a cover to protect the reader. The screen uses a glass substrate and can get damaged if you drop it. So not having a cover means you have a higher risk of breaking your reader if it was to be dropped. Also, the cover makes the reader easier to hold.