Glo, Shine or PW?

jineapple · 02-04-2015, 05:04 PM

Hi, we wanted to get a friend his first ereader for his birthday. It shouldn't cost more than 100 €, so it seems like the decision would be between the Kobo Glo, the Tolino Shine and the Kindle Paperwhite. The Shine is a tad cheaper than the others.

I'm from Germany, so ePub would also mean he can get ebooks from the library. He doesn't use it for physical books though, so it's a nice extra but not a requirement

I've heard the Tolino is a tad slower, do you notice that?

How are the built-in shops? Both regarding size and how comfortable it is to browse through the offers..

Thanks for any tips

Ripplinger · 02-04-2015, 05:44 PM

I have the Kobo Glo and the PW2, and I much prefer the Glo over the PW for several reasons, but my reasons may not apply to your friend's choices.

Will your friend be buying a lot of books through the reader? Many of us don't so which store a reader is tied to doesn't matter at all, it's strictly a hardware/software choice for us then. If having easy access to a store matters more than easy library use, then the Kindle might be the better option.

I buy all my books through my PC only so I can keep them all stored in one location and never purchase books through any reader. I use Calibre to send all my books to my devices after removing DRM (Google "Apprentice Alf" about that, we can't get into any specifics about how to remove DRM). So I can convert books purchased anywhere to a format my readers require (Amazon mobi/azw/azw3 to epub or vice verse).

I can borrow books from the library on the Glo, although some libraries are now also offering Kindle format books as well. Again, depends on your friend's library.

Other reasons I prefer the Glo is that it's much more customizable without having to root it (and if you have newest firmware on the PW2, you won't be able to root it yet, but it may be possible in the future). The Kindle's line spacing is too large for my taste and no way to reduce it, whereas the Glo has easily applied patches that will let you change that. The Glo has font weight adjustments that make the text appear darker and thicker; the PW does not, so even though it's said to have the superior screen, my text on my Glo has much better contrast than on the PW. The Glo uses infrared touch, while the PW uses capacitive (again might not matter at all to your friend like it does to me).

I have no experience at all with the Tolino Shine other than reviews I've read around saying what you've heard... slow, clunky, but the price seems right.

owly · 02-05-2015, 04:18 AM

The Kobo Glo is an older model, look at the Kobo Aura instead, much better lighting.

darryl · 02-05-2015, 04:43 AM

My opinion is go for the Paperwhite unless borrowing from the library is really important.

jineapple · 02-05-2015, 05:56 AM

Thanks for the tips. We got a new Paperwhite

Josieb1 · 02-13-2015, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owly

The Kobo Glo is an older model, look at the Kobo Aura instead, much better lighting.

Actually having had both devices whilst the Aura is very nice the Glo has afar better screen. It's clearer and easier to read and hasn't pin pricks which the Aura can have. My Aura had three pin pricks.

davidfor · 02-13-2015, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Actually having had both devices whilst the Aura is very nice the Glo has afar better screen. It's clearer and easier to read and hasn't pin pricks which the Aura can have. My Aura had three pin pricks.

As far as I can tell, all the frontlit ereaders suffer from pin pricks. It is a manufacturing defect that seems to be getter better. From memory, the incidence of pin pricks in the Glo was a lot worse when they were first released than for the Aura. The first Glo I had, had one but the replacement was perfect.

As to the choice between Glo and Aura, personally, I would choose the Glo again (though I have gone to the Aura H2O). The extra money never seemed worth it. I think the reason to choose the Aura is if you want a capacitive touch screen rather than the IR of the other Kobo devices.

Ripplinger · 02-13-2015, 11:24 PM

I have 3 Glos now and each of them were perfect out of the box, have never seen a pin prick yet. From what I've read about the text being not quite as sharp on the Aura as on the Glo, they seem to think it's caused by the capacitive layer, not the light layer. I would think the light layers would be the same and any kinks should be ironed out by now.

davidfor · 02-14-2015, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have 3 Glos now and each of them were perfect out of the box, have never seen a pin prick yet.

I should have said that I have since brought three Glo's for other family members. Two were perfect and the third had a tiny pin prick that was only noticeable with the light up full in a dark room. That one went to my mother-in-law*.

Quote:

From what I've read about the text being not quite as sharp on the Aura as on the Glo, they seem to think it's caused by the capacitive layer, not the light layer. I would think the light layers would be the same and any kinks should be ironed out by now.

The concern is that the capacitive touch is an extra layer. It's hard to compare as they use different screens and we don't know if the light layer is the same or not.

And I agree the light layer has been improved. Or at least the manufacturing has as there are a lot less complaints about pin pricks now than with the Glo.

* It wasn't deliberate. My wife said get a pink one for her mum, and that was the bad one. I actually get on well with my in-laws. But, that doesn't stop me from making jokes.

booklover6 · 02-19-2015, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have 3 Glos now and each of them were perfect out of the box, have never seen a pin prick yet. From what I've read about the text being not quite as sharp on the Aura as on the Glo, they seem to think it's caused by the capacitive layer, not the light layer. I would think the light layers would be the same and any kinks should be ironed out by now.

Three? Why three? I feel sort of guilty because I have 2, and a Mini, and an Aura, and I just ordered a Voyage. I will sell the Mini, not sure about the others.

What do you do with three? Inquiring minds want to know!

Ripplinger · 02-19-2015, 10:21 AM

I bought 1 as a backup, and then saw such a great deal on a used one, I couldn't resist. And oddly enough that used one has the whitest screen of them all. Finding readers that use infrared touch is getting pretty rare for 6" screens, and I don't like capacitive touch on my readers for several reasons. So if my Glo dies, I now have a backup.

JSWolf · 02-19-2015, 10:28 AM

My H2O does not have any pin pricks on the light layer. I do have 4 Readers. A nook STR, 650, T1, and H2O. The 650 could use a new battery if it is to be used.

I have a feeling that the Kobo Glo is not going to be sold any more. Chapters is sold out of the Glo and the Buy Now page on Kobo's website goes a page not available error.

booklover6 · 02-19-2015, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I bought 1 as a backup, and then saw such a great deal on a used one, I couldn't resist. And oddly enough that used one has the whitest screen of them all. Finding readers that use infrared touch is getting pretty rare for 6" screens, and I don't like capacitive touch on my readers for several reasons. So if my Glo dies, I now have a backup.

It makes sense to have a back up. I'll be keeping both of my Glos. I just broke my Aura

so now it's even more important that I keep them.

jackie_w · 02-19-2015, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booklover6

I just broke my Aura

Sounds like you'll have a ready-made retail excuse when this supposed Kobo 300dpi model gets announced. Well played!

booklover6 · 02-19-2015, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Sounds like you'll have a ready-made retail excuse when this supposed Kobo 300dpi model gets announced. Well played!

I totally plan to buy it!

It would be so awesome if it would fit into my Aura covers. *crossing fingers*

02-04-2015, 05:04 PM	#1
jineapple Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 107250 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Germany Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Glo, Shine or PW? Hi, we wanted to get a friend his first ereader for his birthday. It shouldn't cost more than 100 €, so it seems like the decision would be between the Kobo Glo, the Tolino Shine and the Kindle Paperwhite. The Shine is a tad cheaper than the others. I'm from Germany, so ePub would also mean he can get ebooks from the library. He doesn't use it for physical books though, so it's a nice extra but not a requirement I've heard the Tolino is a tad slower, do you notice that? How are the built-in shops? Both regarding size and how comfortable it is to browse through the offers.. Thanks for any tips

02-19-2015, 10:28 AM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,740 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	My H2O does not have any pin pricks on the light layer. I do have 4 Readers. A nook STR, 650, T1, and H2O. The 650 could use a new battery if it is to be used. I have a feeling that the Kobo Glo is not going to be sold any more. Chapters is sold out of the Glo and the Buy Now page on Kobo's website goes a page not available error. Last edited by JSWolf; 02-19-2015 at 10:32 AM.

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02-04-2015, 05:44 PM	#2
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I have the Kobo Glo and the PW2, and I much prefer the Glo over the PW for several reasons, but my reasons may not apply to your friend's choices. Will your friend be buying a lot of books through the reader? Many of us don't so which store a reader is tied to doesn't matter at all, it's strictly a hardware/software choice for us then. If having easy access to a store matters more than easy library use, then the Kindle might be the better option. I buy all my books through my PC only so I can keep them all stored in one location and never purchase books through any reader. I use Calibre to send all my books to my devices after removing DRM (Google "Apprentice Alf" about that, we can't get into any specifics about how to remove DRM). So I can convert books purchased anywhere to a format my readers require (Amazon mobi/azw/azw3 to epub or vice verse). I can borrow books from the library on the Glo, although some libraries are now also offering Kindle format books as well. Again, depends on your friend's library. Other reasons I prefer the Glo is that it's much more customizable without having to root it (and if you have newest firmware on the PW2, you won't be able to root it yet, but it may be possible in the future). The Kindle's line spacing is too large for my taste and no way to reduce it, whereas the Glo has easily applied patches that will let you change that. The Glo has font weight adjustments that make the text appear darker and thicker; the PW does not, so even though it's said to have the superior screen, my text on my Glo has much better contrast than on the PW. The Glo uses infrared touch, while the PW uses capacitive (again might not matter at all to your friend like it does to me). I have no experience at all with the Tolino Shine other than reviews I've read around saying what you've heard... slow, clunky, but the price seems right.

02-05-2015, 04:18 AM	#3
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	The Kobo Glo is an older model, look at the Kobo Aura instead, much better lighting.

02-05-2015, 04:43 AM	#4
darryl Wizard Posts: 3,108 Karma: 60231510 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O, Kindle Oasis, Huwei Ascend Mate 7	My opinion is go for the Paperwhite unless borrowing from the library is really important.

02-05-2015, 05:56 AM	#5
jineapple Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 107250 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Germany Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Thanks for the tips. We got a new Paperwhite

02-13-2015, 11:24 PM	#8
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I have 3 Glos now and each of them were perfect out of the box, have never seen a pin prick yet. From what I've read about the text being not quite as sharp on the Aura as on the Glo, they seem to think it's caused by the capacitive layer, not the light layer. I would think the light layers would be the same and any kinks should be ironed out by now.

02-19-2015, 10:21 AM	#11
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I bought 1 as a backup, and then saw such a great deal on a used one, I couldn't resist. And oddly enough that used one has the whitest screen of them all. Finding readers that use infrared touch is getting pretty rare for 6" screens, and I don't like capacitive touch on my readers for several reasons. So if my Glo dies, I now have a backup.

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