Kindle or Kobo Aura (HD)?

[Buber]

Hi there fellow readers!

I've been reading books on Kindle for 2 or 3 years now, alas, this summer my trusty Kindle K3 3G got stolen along with my backpack. Clearly a sign to get something new
So, I would like to ask your opinions about prospective new device. Please take into account my "guidelines":

- 90% of my books are on my computer. So quality of the website or amount of the books on the website is irrelevant.
- I like to think about myself as tech-savvy, and I really enjoy tweaking my devices - with kindle I had it all, my screensavers, my language interface, margins adjusted, fonts, etc. So, firmware bugs are not a problem, I can deal with them
- price might be a factor, but not very heavy one. I do read a lot (at least book a week), so I'm looking for quality device.

In other words - Kobo Aura (probably HD) or Kindle PW2? I want quality reading device. I'm leaning towards Aura HD, but since I never had it in my hands, I only rely on reviews. Screen quality looks impressive on the pics. How would it compare to PW2? Is the bigger screen more comfy when reading? Is Aura that more bulky to hold? (I will buy a case - I can't think of unprotected device!)

I would especially appreciate comparison from owners of both - and I would be most grateful for your opinion about the "reading quality" -which one gave you "better reading" for lack of better description

I guess I'm kind of decided on Aura HD, but maybe would like to read some encouragement? If buying in US - i will be there soon - where would you buy it from?

Or, do you think PW2 would be better choice?

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Buber

- I like to think about myself as tech-savvy, and I really enjoy tweaking my devices - with kindle I had it all, my screensavers, my language interface, margins adjusted, fonts, etc. So, firmware bugs are not a problem, I can deal with them

If so, you'll really enjoy the Aura HD . New ones (bugs I mean) in each new update

I have both the Aura HD and the PW (and a rooted prs-t1, and a k4, and a rooted nook gl, all of them working perfeclty well and still being used by various members of the household), I am tech-savvy, I enjoy tweaking too, but 2 months of Aura HD and I came back to my PW and have sworn of kobo forever. I could still buy a sony, I would even get a nook, but I am done through and through with kobo.

[Buber]

OK, but how about reading experience comparison?
I already found the patcher (I speak & read russian as well no problem ) and once I would find a working firmware I would not update.
So, how's the hardware?

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Buber

OK, but how about reading experience comparison?
I already found the patcher (I speak & read russian as well no problem ) and once I would find a working firmware I would not update.
So, how's the hardware?

It's good, no question about that.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Buber

So, how's the hardware?

The hardware is great IMO. If you can live with the seemingly random little bugs/glitches that seem to pop up the Aura HD is a very nice device. The screen is excellent. Some people seem to find the smooth plastic back to be a bit slippery, but I've never had that problem.

If you haven't seen it yet there are threads where folks have been sharing their impressions of each device...

Aura HD
Paperwhite 2

[drew2720]

I have both and the PW2 is an improvement over the PW1, but I really love reading on my Aura HD. The screen is very impressive and I really love the size. To me ,not bulky at all (have the Kobo Aura HD cover) and I read for hours without any discomfort.
The biggest sellers were the sharpness of eink and the size.

[Buber]

Thanks!

Well, i kind of got what i asked for that is, confirmation that hardware is good.
So, is the Kobo website reliable for buying? Seems that it is the cheapest place...

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Buber

Thanks!

Well, i kind of got what i asked for that is, confirmation that hardware is good.
So, is the Kobo website reliable for buying? Seems that it is the cheapest place...

If you can buy in store, I'd recommend it: fire up the light and check the screen thoroughly for light guide defects before you leave.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by aceflor

...I have both the Aura HD and the PW (and a rooted prs-t1, and a k4, and a rooted nook gl, all of them working perfeclty well and still being used by various members of the household), I am tech-savvy, I enjoy tweaking too, but 2 months of Aura HD and I came back to my PW and have sworn of kobo forever. I could still buy a sony, I would even get a nook, but I am done through and through with kobo...

I'm a bit less harsh about Kobo, but basically my experience is the same.

I'm not into tweaking eraders anymore. The only tweaking I'm doing is rooting my Android tablets and getting rid of bloatware. And on Nvidia Shield with its meager 16GB of internal memory rooting made foldermount possible.
But for ereaders I'm not doing this anymore.

On my ereaders I only want to read. Out of the box. And here I still find Kindles more or less perfect. Kobo Aura HD is not a bad device. But in every single aspect (design, online bookstore, ...) I find Kindle Paperwhite slightly (or sometimes enormously) ahead. And I love the free 3G, which on its own is more than enough reason to go for Paperwhite. I haven't seen Paperwhite 2 yet, mine won't be here (in Germany) for another 4 weeks or so. But I was absolutely fine with my Paperwhite 1, so no problems anyway.

I only made 1 update on Kobo Aura HD so far and didn't experience any problems. But I'm not doing any experiments with it, I'm just reading.
Still: It's really, really ugly...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Buber

Hi there fellow readers!

I've been reading books on Kindle for 2 or 3 years now, alas, this summer my trusty Kindle K3 3G got stolen along with my backpack. Clearly a sign to get something new
So, I would like to ask your opinions about prospective new device. Please take into account my "guidelines":

- 90% of my books are on my computer. So quality of the website or amount of the books on the website is irrelevant.
- I like to think about myself as tech-savvy, and I really enjoy tweaking my devices - with kindle I had it all, my screensavers, my language interface, margins adjusted, fonts, etc. So, firmware bugs are not a problem, I can deal with them
- price might be a factor, but not very heavy one. I do read a lot (at least book a week), so I'm looking for quality device.

In other words - Kobo Aura (probably HD) or Kindle PW2? I want quality reading device. I'm leaning towards Aura HD, but since I never had it in my hands, I only rely on reviews. Screen quality looks impressive on the pics. How would it compare to PW2? Is the bigger screen more comfy when reading? Is Aura that more bulky to hold? (I will buy a case - I can't think of unprotected device!)

I would especially appreciate comparison from owners of both - and I would be most grateful for your opinion about the "reading quality" -which one gave you "better reading" for lack of better description

I guess I'm kind of decided on Aura HD, but maybe would like to read some encouragement? If buying in US - i will be there soon - where would you buy it from?

Or, do you think PW2 would be better choice?

Interesting enough, I rarely see the free 3G on Kindles used as an argument.
To me, this still is a stroke of genius and a huge plus of Kindles.
I wouldn't bother to use one of my own SIM cards on a reader. I might be buying only 10 ebooks per year via 3G, not frequently enough to use my own SIM card. But for free? Phantastic! This alone, for me, is reason enough to keep at least one Kindle amongst my readers.
In all other aspects, I find Kindle Paperwhite 1 and Kobo Aura HD more or less equal. To me, Aura HD seems extremely ugly. But for a reader, that's not that important. I don't experience the problems, some report about Kobos firmware. But I don't see a single advantage of Aura HD. As an additional reader, it's fine. But as a sole one, personally I always would opt for a Kindle. Bigger bookstore, free 3G globally, more hardware iterations to choose from, ...

[meeera]

I'm not quite sure why people are referring to the Kindle's 3G as "free" - you pay seventy or eighty dollars for it, and usage is extremely limited (buying books/cloud books/Wikipedia/is there anything else?). If I ever feel the urge to buy a book on the go - and I haven't yet - I can just tether to my phone's 3G.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

I'll say what I always say: after 7 months of using the Aura HD I have yet to encounter a single bug with the exception of the long paragraph niggle which occasionally leaves a bit of unused space at the bottom of the page. I think I read a lot but there are some people who are power users who seem to encounter other bugs more often. The reading experience is fantastic on the Aura HD.
Probably the only real criticism I have against the Aura is that the actual physical hardware itself. I quite like the unconventional back but the plastic is a bit slippery and a fingerprint magnet. In terms of stores, I would not use the Kobo store to browse for books but if I know what I'm looking for then it's easy enough to find the title you're looking for. Amazon is cheaper at first glance but I find that in the end, with all the Kobo discount coupons that Kobo tends to be cheaper overall. For example Amazon's price may be $9.99 and Kobo's is $11.99 but then I use the (almost ubiquitous) 50% off coupon which brings it down to $6.

[Buber]

Thanks!

I would just reiterate that i don't mind the whole website business - i read non-fiction, and load everything through computer, so this is not a point for me. BTW, the only free 3G was with K3. On newer ones is limited only to wikipedia. Having said that, i used it only once on holidays abroad to check emails. I was doable, but not easy. But - i do not usually buy books online, so no matter for me.

Shape & fingerprints - I just can't picture me carrying it everywhere (as i usually did with my K3) without a cover, so it will be bit more bulky, but i guess this is the price for bigger screen. I can live with that.

So, other question then - which bigger chains carry Kobo in US? Best Buy? I'm working on ships, so my possibilites on land are somehow limited... to Fort Lauderdale primarily

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Buber

So, other question then - which bigger chains carry Kobo in US? Best Buy? I'm working on ships, so my possibilites on land are somehow limited... to Fort Lauderdale primarily

None. The only places that carry Kobo in the US are Family Christian stores and some indie booksellers.

If you go here http://www.kobo.com/indie and put in a zipcode at the bottom of the page you can find local stores. Using 33301 the closest store I see is Books & Books in Bal Harbour, but their store website doesn't list the Aura HD as one of the devices they carry so I'd call first to check. Most indies I've checked in various places seem to carry only the Glo, Mini and Arc or at least that's all they list (not all as some carry the Aura HD).

[Skydog]

I, too, have both the Kobo Aura HD and the new PW2. I love Amazon and the PW2 is a HUGE improvement over the first generation PW. That said, the Aura HD remains my favorite for reading due to the larger screen size and gorgeous display, not to mention the ability to customize with personal fonts, margin and line settings.

Although the Aura HD is a fingerprint magnet, I solved the problem by installing a plain matte black custom skin (front and back included) from DecalGirl skin for Kobo Aura HD. I strongly recommend ordering the MATTE version (not glossy) which is fingerprint resistant and does help to alleviate the slippery effect of the Aura HD's surface. The skin does not detract from or affect the look of the Aura. Of course, there are dozens and dozens of other colors/patterns to choose from if desired.