Kobo Glo vs Sony Prs T2

[gadetra]

Hi There.
I'm new to the whole eReader thing and this forum so firstly hi!, and also help!
I am looking to buy my first ereader. I mainly need one that connects to my college library and one that I can make notes on academic texts/books. My library uses Adobe Digital Editions, so I have done a bit of reading and the Kobo Glo and The Sony seem to support this so I should be able to borrow from the library with this?
The Sony seems to be great for library and note making, but does not perform in low light and all the erviews say it is way behind technologically (although I'm not entirely sure what this means-oh dear!). The Kobo reviews say it is great for low light, library borrowing and PDf's (as is the Sony?) but not so good for making notes.
So I don't know which one to get! I feel like if I get the Sony it will be horribly outdated in a short space of time and I like the idea of being able to read in the dark with the Kobo. I am completely at sea on this!
I would rather an eReader to a tablet and LCD screens give me headaches after a whole day spent in front of them.
Also I am in Ireland so the Nook isn't available to me.
Thanks for reading all of this, sorry it's so long. Any help greatly appreciated!

[Cdesja5]

I have both brands and I don't think the Sony's "technology" is behind except where it comes to the lit screen. I think the Sony will do everything that you want better than the Kobo, annotation-wise and for library books (Sony lets you borrow directly on the reader) . The Kobo doesn't do these as well yet. Just get yourself a good light if you need lighting...

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by gadetra

The Sony seems to be great for library and note making, but does not perform in low light

That's because, like the Kobo (and the Kindle and the Nook and most other dedicated ereaders), it uses an "eInk" screen. Just like reading on paper (about the visual quality of a mass market paperback, for most, including the Sony). And, just like reading on paper, you'll need some sort of external light. In other words, it's no big deal.

The Kobo reviews say it is great for low light, library borrowing and PDf's (as is the Sony?) but not so good for making notes.

The Kobo Glo is only better for low light because it includes its own light around the screen. It is superior for PDFs only because it has a slightly faster processor (1000MHz to the Sony's likely 800MHz) and a slightly better screen resolution (758x1024 to the Sony's 600x800).

As for library borrowing, apparently you can do so directly within the Sony, but with the Glo you would need to download Adobe Digital Editions in order to copy the files over. (library files generally come as .ascm files, which the Glo can't read) In both cases, you'll need to get an Adobe ID, by the way.

So I don't know which one to get! I feel like if I get the Sony it will be horribly outdated in a short space of time

Actually, you're going to get outdated no matter what you do. Both Sony and Kobo have a nasty habit of ignoring their older hardware when the new one comes out. For example, the original Kobo eReader (released May 2010) and Kobo Wi-Fi (October 2010) stopped being sold and getting updates early this year, while the Kobo Touch (June 2011) will probably stop getting supported by this summer... (not familiar enough with the Sony lines to give examples there)

[nandini]

Hello gadetra! Welcome to Mobileread.

I have PRS T2 and its my first ereader. So, I'm also new to this e-ink world.
But I guess I can share what I feel about my T2.
Yes, your fears are right and you can't read a thing in no light. But then you can always use lighted covers or any other source.
There's a library option in applications but I haven't used it because none of the libraries in my city offer ebooks
Sony is great with note making and you can transfer the notes to evernote. You can highlight the text, refer dictionary(quite handy), and you can feed in notes via handwriting or keyboard option.
I don't know about kobo but T2 is fast enough to not give you irritation of waiting.
Sony is certainly better than others in handling PDFs as its got landscape mode which kobo doesn't have, I guess? BUT this doesn't make it any good. PDFs are readable but don't expect much from landscape mode as it will only shrink the text horizontally and you will find normal mode much better. Again, I'm talking about PDF whose text can't flow! And be it landscape mode or normal one, increasing font size will not at all work with non flowing PDFs.
But the solution is that you can convert the PDF into epub and calibre will do it brilliantly. But you may have to bear the broken lines. But then it will not hurt.

Sony lacks somethings but then you have the alternatives.

And, I too had this region problem with nook but someone told me the trick that you can register it on B & N by giving an email address and skipping the credit card details. And, it will work fine then. But I chose sony as it was faster than nook ST. I'm not at all patient you see.

Again, I have only used T2 so can't say T2 is better than kobo. All the best with whatever choice you make. You will not regret buying any of them hopefully.

[gadetra]

Thank you all so much for replying.

Ok so Sony is in the lead so far. I had a feeling the Sony might be better, but only because Sony tend to be more reliable products in general.
The lack of updates for the Kobo is scary, (and also Sony!) I have a 7 year old macbook and I'd be lost if Apple stopped updating!
The annotation - ability of the Sony may well be a deal breaker as I like to note along when I'm reading an academic text.

Thank you for the replies again, you are making the decision so much easier!

[Mhtsos]

Originally Posted by gadetra

Thank you all so much for replying.

Ok so Sony is in the lead so far. I had a feeling the Sony might be better, but only because Sony tend to be more reliable products in general.
The lack of updates for the Kobo is scary, (and also Sony!) I have a 7 year old macbook and I'd be lost if Apple stopped updating!
The annotation - ability of the Sony may well be a deal breaker as I like to note along when I'm reading an academic text.

Thank you for the replies again, you are making the decision so much easier!

I have a PRS-T1 and I could tell you that Sony isn't updating last years model(as far as I know at least).

Also T1 isn't a bastion of reliability.I had quite a few crases in some ebooks that my old Cybook Orizon handled with absolutely no problem.

Btw:I had the same dilemma with you,but I chose the Kobo Glo over the "new" Sony.The lighted screen is the deal maker for me.No more clumsy led clips.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by gadetra

Thank you all so much for replying.

Ok so Sony is in the lead so far. I had a feeling the Sony might be better, but only because Sony tend to be more reliable products in general.
The lack of updates for the Kobo is scary, (and also Sony!) I have a 7 year old macbook and I'd be lost if Apple stopped updating!
The annotation - ability of the Sony may well be a deal breaker as I like to note along when I'm reading an academic text.

Thank you for the replies again, you are making the decision so much easier!

The main reason I recommended the Sony to you was the direct library download and the annotations that work better...As far as updates, Kobo is known for doing them regularly and on an ongoing basis to improve the software (and later on discontinued models). So I wouldn't rule out the Kobo for that reason for sure!

[gadetra]

Thank you for all the advice. I just had a long chat with the head librarian in my college (I'm doing a post grad so lots of reading!!) and the college has ebury which is Kindle compatible but the MyiLibrary is not Kindle compatible. But the ebury has 80,000 titles and the MyiLibrary has 50 so not too worried about that!
So there's the cat amongst the pigeons. I'm even more confused now. Is a Kindle a good idea?
I'm so confused now!

[Cdesja5]

Where do you live?
You talked about Adobe Digital Editions which is for epub format ebooks NOT kindle books. Are you going to be using your college library long term? Check what is available in public libraries where you live. As far as I know, outside the US most libraries do not loan kindle format ebooks, they lend epubs... If you're in the US then pick whatever. Looks like you have enough info apart from that to make your decision so good luck.

[dlcmdrx]

How is the sony landscape web browsing??

Does it zoom on double tap or on pinch??

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by dlcmdrx

How is the sony landscape web browsing??

Does it zoom on double tap or on pinch??

Pinch to zoom and double tap, but pinch gives the better result. I don't tend to use the browser that much, it's a bit small to be "comfortable " to use on any 6" device (especially when you have a 10 inch tablet) but it is useful when I don't have my tablet with me. I use the browser mostly for getting ebooks wirelessly using the Calibre server.

[Quexos]

I don't think comparison can be made. The T2 is so retarded compared to the Kobo, HD screen, Front-lit, faster processor ... It's like comparing a tricycle and a motorbike.

[gadetra]

Cdesja5 I am in Ireland.
I see your point about the long term ascpect of it. Makes a lot of sense!
Ok was sold on Sony yesterday and now Quexos has put me off it again.
So. Sony is good long term, reliable brand and quality device just not a world beater.
Kobo is newer technology, processor and the glow thing. But maybe not so reliable?
I don't need anything cutting edge just a good, solid, hard wearing eReader.
It's so hard to chose! I suppose the Kobo is just shinier, a bit prettier and fancier, like a second wife when actually I need a practical and dependable first wife. hmmn.
Pretty things are so distracting!!!!

[Cdesja5]

I have a brand new Kobo Mini which runs the same firmware and has the same hardware as the Kobo Glow, except for the screen & lighting. It is not faster than my Sony T1 for browsing, page turning etc. in any noticeable way. It is very much an exaggeration to say the Sony is "retarded"!
The Kobo are having software problems for annotation; you are limited for how many you can do before it bugs up, highlighting is difficult, and you CANNOT direct-download library books directly on them.
The Sony T2 which is the newest model supports sending annotations to Evernote. Sony readers are very stable readers with few software issues.
What you choose always will depend on your own needs and requirements and you will find there are many persons who are fans of the latest, newest things and recommend them but that doesn't mean they are the right device for you. If a light is a "must" and matters more than the rest of your needs, get a Glo. If not, based on your initial post, the Sony will do want you need very well.

[robko]

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

I have a brand new Kobo Mini which runs the same firmware and has the same hardware as the Kobo Glow, except for the screen & lighting.

Not quite. The Mini has an 800 GHz processor vs a 1 GHz for the Glo, so the Glo is actually faster which is likely what the people saying it has faster pages turns are comparing to.
I have a Glo and am very happy with it, but from what I've read Sony would be a better choice for annotations from the perspective ease of export. Kobo annotations will require you to go through some hoops to get them back out.
And so far there seems to be 1 person reporting that they are having an issue with multiple annotations preventing more so it's hard to say that this is actually a firmware issue.