Anyone have experience of these? I want to move my e-reading away from the Amazon ecosystem and Kobo looks like the most likely alternative to me. All info gratefully received :)
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on February 08, 2025, 02:59:15 AMAnyone have experience of these? I want to move my e-reading away from the Amazon ecosystem and Kobo looks like the most likely alternative to me. All info gratefully received :)
FWIW I had a kindle keyboard e-reader that died within a couple of years, replace it with a nook simple touch, which seems to be stil working, I think Kobos and Nooks were similar in build quality and the current reviews suggest Kobos are well made.
Of course the issue you have is, how much of your e-book library is Amazon format?
I remember I 'liberated' most of my amazon purchases into the universal format using calibre (?sp), though a handful failed.
edit:
Just remembered I have a fire tablet, that's never used, seems limited/crippled to me, must give it to my relatives.
I'm on my second one, it's 9 years old. I never had a Kindle so I don't have comparable to offer but they work!
It used to be much easier to get epubs on them compared to Kindles and you get no ads.
I only recently started using my kindle for non-fiction books (navigation has improved) and most of my fiction is out of copyright and hence free; so switching formats is not such a problem. Coverage is important though, it would be no good for me if you could only get relatively popular stuff for it.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on February 08, 2025, 01:06:53 PMI only recently started using my kindle for non-fiction books (navigation has improved) and most of my fiction is out of copyright and hence free; so switching formats is not such a problem. Coverage is important though, it would be no good for me if you could only get relatively popular stuff for it.
Well I logged into my Kobo ebook account, the place I seem to buy most e-books from and copied over my purchases, the 2nd lot are copyright free ebook that I've downloaded from there, so hopefully this randon selection will give you an idea of availability there:
QuoteRakuten Kobo
My Account
eBOOKS
Persian Fire
The First World Empire, Battle for the West - 'Magisterial' Books of the Year, Independent
Tom Holland
Another Now
Dispatches from an Alternative Present from the Sunday Times bestselling author
Yanis Varoufakis
Ancient Worlds
An Epic History of East and West
Michael Scott
Lords of the Desert
Britain's Struggle with America to Dominate the Middle East
James Barr
A Line in the Sand
Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East
James Barr
The Second World War
Antony Beevor
MI6
Life and Death in the British Secret Service
Gordon Corera
Buried
An alternative history of the first millennium in Britain
Alice Roberts
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister
Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China (From the bestselling author of Wild Swans)
Jung Chang
The Map That Changed the World
A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption
Simon Winchester
To the Ends of the Earth
Ranulph Fiennes
Eighty Minute Hour
Brian Aldiss
The Vietnam War
An Intimate History
Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns
Helliconia
Helliconia Spring, Helliconia Summer, Helliconia Winter
Brian Aldiss
Book 89 - S.F. MASTERWORKS
A Short History of Europe
From Pericles to Putin. Discover the perfect gift for readers of European history!
Simon Jenkins
Arnhem
The Battle for the Bridges, 1944: The Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller
Antony Beevor
Greybeard
Brian Aldiss
Book 38 - S.F. MASTERWORKS
The History of the Hobbit: Mr Baggins and Return to Bag-End
John D. Rateliff, J. R. R. Tolkien
The Day Of The Jackal
The legendary thriller, now a major TV series starring Eddie Redmayne
Frederick Forsyth
The Devil's Alternative
From the number one bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth
The Apollo Murders
The gripping Cold War thriller from the bestselling author and astronaut
Chris Hadfield
The Brightfount Diaries
Brian Aldiss
QuoteFree stuff/previews
The Return of the Native
Thomas Hardy
The Trumpet Major
Thomas Hardy
Tess Of The D'Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy
The Talisman
Walter Scott
Jude the Obscure
Thomas Hardy
The Second Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
King Lear
William Shakespeare
North and South
Elizabeth Gaskell
Barchester Towers (Chronicles of Barsetshire)
Anthony Trollope
King Solomon's Mines
H. Rider Haggard
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine
The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1)
J. R. R. Tolkien
Reader And Educator Guide To "the Hobbit" And "the Lord Of The Rings"
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The Histories
Herodotus, Tom Holland, Paul Cartledge
Episodes
Christopher Priest
The Adjacent
Christopher Priest
The Islanders
Christopher Priest
The Dream Archipelago
Christopher Priest
Read Now
The Last Hero
Terry Pratchett, Paul Kidby
Bring Up the Bodies (The Wolf Hall Trilogy, Book 2)
Hilary Mantel
Yeah, that looks fine, thanks :cool:
Nice to see Christopher Priest still being read :cool:
I have a soft spot for his book Inverted World btw, its a bit crazy but a great read.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on February 08, 2025, 03:44:55 PMYeah, that looks fine, thanks :cool:
Nice to see Christopher Priest still being read :cool:
I have a soft spot for his book Inverted World btw, its a bit crazy but a great read.
Indeed and one of very favourite books from my 1980s. :bowler:
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on February 08, 2025, 02:59:15 AMAnyone have experience of these? I want to move my e-reading away from the Amazon ecosystem and Kobo looks like the most likely alternative to me. All info gratefully received :)
I've had a couple of the years. I stopped using my most recent one when I left it on an airplane some years ago :lol: :cry:
I was happy with it. I bought books online from a Canadian big-box bookstore/ the Kobo store. I also had it hooked up to my library card and read books that way.
I was perfectly satisfied with it, and plan on getting another one eventually. It was easy on the eyes to read - no eyestrain. The page turning felt a bit slow, coming from a regular tablet, but nothing that really signified.
I can't compare it to the Amazon e-reader as I've never used it. But I was content.
Eyestrain is also a reason why I'm increasing the proportion of books I read in the electronic format. A mix of formats seems to give the most amount of reading time. Old age sucks (apart from the very important freedom of not having to work :) ).
Quote from: Jacob on February 09, 2025, 02:25:13 PMI've had a couple of the years. I stopped using my most recent one when I left it on an airplane some years ago :lol: :cry:
I was happy with it. I bought books online from a Canadian big-box bookstore/ the Kobo store. I also had it hooked up to my library card and read books that way.
[Jacob I know you know this stuff - it's for RH's benefit]
In Canada we have basically a monopoly on books-and-mortar bookstores. Indigo, founded by the wife of a billionaire, formed her own book chain, then bought out rivals Chapters and Coles back in the 90s - only to then face competition from Amazon (back when it was still mostly known for books).
So they formed Kobo as an alternative to Amazon's e-book ecosystem. They then spun it off (currently owned by a Japanese corporation).
So Kobo is pretty well regarded and well supported in Canada. But I am uncertain if that is true in the rest of the world.
Quote from: Barrister on February 10, 2025, 04:09:07 PMSo Kobo is pretty well regarded and well supported in Canada. But I am uncertain if that is true in the rest of the world.
Seems to be a major player in the UK as well, or maybe I just stumbled upon it by accident. Anywhere here, their prices are the same as the same individual Amazon e-book, with the added benefit that their DRM in used across the industry, rather than amazon's walled garden.
Kobo still makes readers with physical page turn buttons, so they have that going for them. I haven't bought one as my old Kindle Oasis is still working fine, although the micro-USB charging is an annoyance in 2025.
Quote from: mongers on February 10, 2025, 05:28:58 PMQuote from: Barrister on February 10, 2025, 04:09:07 PMSo Kobo is pretty well regarded and well supported in Canada. But I am uncertain if that is true in the rest of the world.
Seems to be a major player in the UK as well, or maybe I just stumbled upon it by accident. Anywhere here, their prices are the same as the same individual Amazon e-book, with the added benefit that their DRM in used across the industry, rather than amazon's walled garden.
Works in Belgium and I assume The Netherlands since it can be connected to the local variant of Amazon.
We're very happy with our kobos
Because of this thread I went out and got another Kobo e-reader over the weekend, to replace my old one.
I Canada I can connect it to my library account and use it to check out e-books from the public library system via Overdrive. Do you have similar options in Europe?
Quote from: Jacob on March 03, 2025, 12:32:18 PMBecause of this thread I went out and got another Kobo e-reader over the weekend, to replace my old one.
I Canada I can connect it to my library account and use it to check out e-books from the public library system via Overdrive. Do you have similar options in Europe?
Just tried it with my library, borrowed a tolkien e-book, sent be to 'borrowbox' and asked to download their app, ignored that and just opened the DRM url with then enabled to ebook to read in Adobe digital editions and hence any none amazon e-reader.
(much easier than it sounds as a description)
I'm happy to say that getting the new Kobo has been a resounding success in the Jacob household.
Right now it's replaced youtube and videogames for my 11-year old as his default "I don't know what I'll do with myself, so I guess I'll just look at this screen" activity.
I haven't really gotten to use it much myself, but it's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make :wub:
Quote from: Jacob on March 04, 2025, 12:35:01 PMI'm happy to say that getting the new Kobo has been a resounding success in the Jacob household.
Right now it's replaced youtube and videogames for my 11-year old as his default "I don't know what I'll do with myself, so I guess I'll just look at this screen" activity.
I haven't really gotten to use it much myself, but it's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make :wub:
:cool:
+1 Parenting skills.
Any of you took advantage of the Rakuten monthly subscription?
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 04, 2025, 05:09:31 PMAny of you took advantage of the Rakuten monthly subscription?
Not yet, but I'm considering it. If the boy keeps reading at the current speed it may be worthwhile.
Quote from: Grey Fox on March 04, 2025, 05:09:31 PMAny of you took advantage of the Rakuten monthly subscription?
Pity I didn't find out about that at the start of Winter, maybe I'll do it next Winter. :bowler:
Fantastic that your kid has become a kobo addict Jacob :cool:
I'm currently working my way through my kindle backlog, in Portugal no less, and will be buying the kobo replacement once I'm back in Blighty :bowler: