Which Ereader for international use (Canada, Australia)

Tash79 · 05-08-2012, 03:04 PM

Hi everyone,

I have a slightly complicated situation, I'm hoping for suggestions.

I would like to buy my first ereader and it looks like most but Nook work for me.
The reason is I currently live in Canada, but am moving to Australia in 8 months so want something that will work well here as well as over there (forcing out the Nook)

I'm also heading to Chicago in a few days so have the option to purchase the device in the states at somewhere like Bestbuy.

Which would you suggest? I had plans to buy Kindle Fire in Chicago (would love to also watch movies!) but realized you can only buy online + it would be crippled in Australia.

Perhaps the Sony Touch or Kobo Touch would be best?

I would like to spend under $250 and do not need 3G.

Thanks!
Tash

Shirohane · 05-08-2012, 03:32 PM

If you cared for a full-fledged tablet you could always go for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, it has great specs. However, it is 50$ more than the Kindle Fire.

Otherwise, my vote would go to the Sony Reader as you always have the option of rooting it and installing android apps on it.

Tash79 · 05-08-2012, 03:42 PM

Is the Galaxy as an Ereader? Is it hard on the eyes?

If I purchased something like this in Chicago would my content be seriously limited when moving to Australia? I'm guessing less so than if I went with the Kindle Fire?

Shirohane · 05-08-2012, 04:09 PM

Well, the Samsung Galaxy tab 2 is a tablet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Tab)

So it has a backlit screen like the Kindle Fire. For many people those types of screens are indeed hard on the eyes.

If you bought a Galaxy Tab, you would have to download an e-reader app to do your reading. (https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Android#Applications)

But if you are unfamiliar with this concept, your best bet would probably be the Kobo Touch since it is easier to use and I hear that the Kobo store has more choice for people outside the US and Canada.

Tash79 · 05-08-2012, 05:25 PM

I'm fine to download an e-reader app so long as I'm not restricted.

So you would suggest Kobo over Sony? Any reason?

HarryT · 05-09-2012, 02:43 AM

The first decision you need to make is whether you want an eInk reader or an LCD tablet. They are very different things. Which is it?

treadlightly · 05-09-2012, 07:51 AM

I have both the Sony T1 and the Nook STR and am in Canada. Since both read ePubs,, you can buy your books anywhere that sells ePub format - Kobo, Sony, B&N, etc. as well as read library books. If you are looking for an eInk reader, these are both good options. I like right justified text, and the Nook forces this, which for me is a slight advantage over the Sony.

ProfCrash · 05-09-2012, 11:55 AM

You are going to be restricted where ever you go no matter what the device. Geo Restictions are the same for every e-book store. If you cannot buy the book at Amazon, you are not likely to be able to buy the book at Kobo. The issue is not that the stores don't want to sell the book to you, it is that the Publishers in those countries have not granted the right to the stores to sell the book to you.

The good news for you is that there are very easy ways around this. They involve a VPN blocker, a fake address in the US, and using gift cards and not a credit card to buy the books that you want.

If you want to be able to read outside while hanging on the beach in Australia than a tablet is not a good idea. There will be a good amount of glare and they can be hard to see. I was using my IPad outside this weekend and was under a good amount of shade and still had some glare issues. An e-ink reader will not have that problem. And they are less expensive.

And if you are willing to strip DRM, you will find that it takes you about 30 minutes to visit Apprentice Alf and get yourself set up so you can buy and convert books from any book store. There is no real reason for format to be an issue unless you have an ethical problem with removing DRM.

Harry_Y · 05-09-2012, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tash79

Is the Galaxy as an Ereader? Is it hard on the eyes?

If I purchased something like this in Chicago would my content be seriously limited when moving to Australia? I'm guessing less so than if I went with the Kindle Fire?

I have the new Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and it is not hard
to read on but I do prefer my Kindle 3 for reading.

HarryT · 05-09-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

he good news for you is that there are very easy ways around this. They involve a VPN blocker, a fake address in the US, and using gift cards and not a credit card to buy the books that you want.

Or elsewhere, of course. There are, for example, lots of eBooks available in the UK which aren't available in the US. That's expecially true if you happen to be a fan of the classic British mystery genre.

Bookpossum · 05-10-2012, 04:13 AM

I'm in Australia and have a Kobo Touch, while my husband has the Sony T1. (He was going to get a Kobo also, but a while before it actually became available here, sales to Australia from the US and elsewhere were being blocked. I had bought mine from the US soon after it came on the market.)

Sony doesn't have a good selection of books (here at least) but Kobo has a very wide range. However, prices could well be higher than elsewhere as I just see the $A price when I look at the Kobo site.

So I can certainly recommend Kobo in Australia and also the Sony T1 which does have the advantage of sorting the library by category.

Our libraries here are not yet lending ebooks, but I believe it will come in another year or so. It's not a problem for me as I have a large heap of TBR books both paper and electronic.

Laridae · 05-10-2012, 08:08 AM

I have both a Kobo Vox and a RIM PlayBook and I much prefer the latter for ereading and everything else.
Both support Overdrive for Canadian library books and Kobo ereader app for purchasing books from Kobo.
I'd recommend the Playbook as it's much faster and just operates very slick in general. They are both $200 for the base version but I'd recommend paying the extra $50 for the 32G version - you'll need it if you have many movies and songs to store as it has no external SD card slot.
It's not exactly running Android but it has good synch with GMail, Google Calendar, etc now.. so I don't really notice the difference.

zzroger · 05-10-2012, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tash79

Hi everyone,

I would like to buy my first ereader and it looks like most but Nook work for me.
The reason is I currently live in Canada, but am moving to Australia in 8 months so want something that will work well here as well as over there (forcing out the Nook)

Which would you suggest? I had plans to buy Kindle Fire in Chicago (would love to also watch movies!) but realized you can only buy online + it would be crippled in Australia.

Perhaps the Sony Touch or Kobo Touch would be best?

I would like to spend under $250 and do not need 3G.

Thanks!
Tash

You say that you want an E-Reader and then start talking about tablets.
If you want an E-Reader, then the Kobo is good as is the Kindle.
If you want a tablet then there are many Android tablets available at reasonable prices.

I'm an Australian and my original Kobo works well as does my wife's Kindle keyboard. I dislike the Kobo desktop as it's only about sales. But Calibre sorts that out. Wi-Fi only is good, all MacDonalds here have free Wi-Fi and there are Macdonalds everywhere, well, not quite but they are in many places on the highways and many byways.

HarryT · 05-10-2012, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzroger

You say that you want an E-Reader and then start talking about tablets.

Precisely - hence my question in post #6, which the OP has not answered.

Tash79 · 05-10-2012, 11:37 AM

Ultimately I want something I can read in bed at night. Movies and apps would be great but they are not the most important thing.

If it's completely comfortable to read ebooks on something like the Galaxy or RIM Playbook then I will have a look at those.
If they are uncomfortable then I will have to go with an ereader.

To be honest, I'm leaning towards the Sony Touch. The last thing I want is to buy a tablet and then not use it for reading. I'm not crazy about apps (have iphone for that) and only travel 5 or 6 times per year so don't really need a tablet to play movies, its just that it would be a nice add on. Shirohane suggested I look into tablets so I have.

I don't have a definitive answer yet as I am still researching but all thoughts are welcome and are certainly helping

05-08-2012, 03:04 PM	#1
Tash79 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2012 Device: none	Which Ereader for international use (Canada, Australia) Hi everyone, I have a slightly complicated situation, I'm hoping for suggestions. I would like to buy my first ereader and it looks like most but Nook work for me. The reason is I currently live in Canada, but am moving to Australia in 8 months so want something that will work well here as well as over there (forcing out the Nook) I'm also heading to Chicago in a few days so have the option to purchase the device in the states at somewhere like Bestbuy. Which would you suggest? I had plans to buy Kindle Fire in Chicago (would love to also watch movies!) but realized you can only buy online + it would be crippled in Australia. Perhaps the Sony Touch or Kobo Touch would be best? I would like to spend under $250 and do not need 3G. Thanks! Tash

05-09-2012, 11:55 AM	#8
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	You are going to be restricted where ever you go no matter what the device. Geo Restictions are the same for every e-book store. If you cannot buy the book at Amazon, you are not likely to be able to buy the book at Kobo. The issue is not that the stores don't want to sell the book to you, it is that the Publishers in those countries have not granted the right to the stores to sell the book to you. The good news for you is that there are very easy ways around this. They involve a VPN blocker, a fake address in the US, and using gift cards and not a credit card to buy the books that you want. If you want to be able to read outside while hanging on the beach in Australia than a tablet is not a good idea. There will be a good amount of glare and they can be hard to see. I was using my IPad outside this weekend and was under a good amount of shade and still had some glare issues. An e-ink reader will not have that problem. And they are less expensive. And if you are willing to strip DRM, you will find that it takes you about 30 minutes to visit Apprentice Alf and get yourself set up so you can buy and convert books from any book store. There is no real reason for format to be an issue unless you have an ethical problem with removing DRM. Last edited by ProfCrash; 05-09-2012 at 11:57 AM.

05-10-2012, 08:08 AM	#12
Laridae Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 1203096 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Nexus 7, Blackberry PlayBook, Nexus 4, ChromeBook	RIM Playbook I have both a Kobo Vox and a RIM PlayBook and I much prefer the latter for ereading and everything else. Both support Overdrive for Canadian library books and Kobo ereader app for purchasing books from Kobo. I'd recommend the Playbook as it's much faster and just operates very slick in general. They are both $200 for the base version but I'd recommend paying the extra $50 for the 32G version - you'll need it if you have many movies and songs to store as it has no external SD card slot. It's not exactly running Android but it has good synch with GMail, Google Calendar, etc now.. so I don't really notice the difference.

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05-08-2012, 03:32 PM	#2
Shirohane Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 497132 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nook Tablet	If you cared for a full-fledged tablet you could always go for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, it has great specs. However, it is 50$ more than the Kindle Fire. Otherwise, my vote would go to the Sony Reader as you always have the option of rooting it and installing android apps on it.

05-08-2012, 03:42 PM	#3
Tash79 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2012 Device: none	Is the Galaxy as an Ereader? Is it hard on the eyes? If I purchased something like this in Chicago would my content be seriously limited when moving to Australia? I'm guessing less so than if I went with the Kindle Fire?

05-08-2012, 04:09 PM	#4
Shirohane Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 497132 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nook Tablet	Well, the Samsung Galaxy tab 2 is a tablet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Tab) So it has a backlit screen like the Kindle Fire. For many people those types of screens are indeed hard on the eyes. If you bought a Galaxy Tab, you would have to download an e-reader app to do your reading. (https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Android#Applications) But if you are unfamiliar with this concept, your best bet would probably be the Kobo Touch since it is easier to use and I hear that the Kobo store has more choice for people outside the US and Canada.

05-08-2012, 05:25 PM	#5
Tash79 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2012 Device: none	I'm fine to download an e-reader app so long as I'm not restricted. So you would suggest Kobo over Sony? Any reason?

05-09-2012, 02:43 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The first decision you need to make is whether you want an eInk reader or an LCD tablet. They are very different things. Which is it?

05-09-2012, 07:51 AM	#7
treadlightly Wizard Posts: 1,370 Karma: 6957792 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ottawa, ON Device: Kobo H2O	I have both the Sony T1 and the Nook STR and am in Canada. Since both read ePubs,, you can buy your books anywhere that sells ePub format - Kobo, Sony, B&N, etc. as well as read library books. If you are looking for an eInk reader, these are both good options. I like right justified text, and the Nook forces this, which for me is a slight advantage over the Sony.

05-10-2012, 04:13 AM	#11
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,146 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	I'm in Australia and have a Kobo Touch, while my husband has the Sony T1. (He was going to get a Kobo also, but a while before it actually became available here, sales to Australia from the US and elsewhere were being blocked. I had bought mine from the US soon after it came on the market.) Sony doesn't have a good selection of books (here at least) but Kobo has a very wide range. However, prices could well be higher than elsewhere as I just see the $A price when I look at the Kobo site. So I can certainly recommend Kobo in Australia and also the Sony T1 which does have the advantage of sorting the library by category. Our libraries here are not yet lending ebooks, but I believe it will come in another year or so. It's not a problem for me as I have a large heap of TBR books both paper and electronic.

05-10-2012, 11:37 AM	#15
Tash79 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2012 Device: none	Ultimately I want something I can read in bed at night. Movies and apps would be great but they are not the most important thing. If it's completely comfortable to read ebooks on something like the Galaxy or RIM Playbook then I will have a look at those. If they are uncomfortable then I will have to go with an ereader. To be honest, I'm leaning towards the Sony Touch. The last thing I want is to buy a tablet and then not use it for reading. I'm not crazy about apps (have iphone for that) and only travel 5 or 6 times per year so don't really need a tablet to play movies, its just that it would be a nice add on. Shirohane suggested I look into tablets so I have. I don't have a definitive answer yet as I am still researching but all thoughts are welcome and are certainly helping

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