After a number of years as a Kindle fan, I’ve deserted ship.
Final month, Amazon introduced it was eradicating a characteristic that allowed customers to obtain their Kindle books to their PC, whether or not to backup these books or use a device like Calibre to learn them on a non-Kindle gadget. With this characteristic gone, the solely method to learn Kindle books is now on a Wi-Fi-connected Kindle or the Kindle app.
This announcement sparked frustration for lots of readers, prompting many (myself included) to take a more in-depth have a look at the Kindle’s closest rival, Kobo. When you’re additionally contemplating making the swap, you is likely to be skeptical about whether or not or not it is actually price it or whether or not Kobo ereaders can actually evaluate to a Kindle.
I switched to a Kobo ereader for every week to seek out out. My expertise left me completely sure which ereader I will be utilizing to any extent further.
Why I left Kindle (and you need to, too)
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Amazon’s change to its book downloading guidelines may not sound like an enormous deal. In any case, should you’re shopping for ebooks on Amazon, you are in all probability planning to learn them on a Kindle or within the app anyway. Nonetheless, this transfer cements the truth that once you purchase a Kindle book, you do not really personal it as a result of Amazon can change or take away that title out of your library at any level and you may’t learn it outdoors Amazon’s ecosystem.
Amazon has already made use of this management previously. Again in 2009, Amazon eliminated copies of 1984 from Kindle gadgets after discovering an unbiased vendor did not have the right authorization to promote the book. After all, the individuals who purchased it had no means of understanding that. Amazon and publishers can also (and have) modified the content material and covers of Kindle ebooks with out giving readers any choice to decide on which model of the guide they need.
Seeing Amazon take away the one characteristic that might permit customers to regulate entry to the ebooks they’ve bought did not sit nicely with me. My Kindle was getting a bit outdated and battered across the edges anyway, so I made a decision it was time to make the leap to Kobo.
What Kobo does higher (and worse) than Kindle
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Like Amazon, Rakuten gives a spread of Kobo ereaders, from the essential Clara BW to the feature-packed Libra Color. I want small, mild ereaders and did not really want a coloration show, so I went with the essential Kobo Clara BW (black and white). It is successfully the Kobo equal of the Kindle Paperwhite.
Probably the most inconvenient a part of making the swap was really getting my Kobo. Because of Prime, you may order a Kindle and doubtlessly have it that day. Whereas Kobo ereaders can be found on Amazon, it appeared a bit counterintuitive to purchase one there so I ordered straight from Rakuten. The transport took a few week from the time I positioned my order to when my ereader arrived.
The construct high quality of the Kobo Clara BW feels actually stable, noticeably moreso than my Kindle (2022 All-New Kindle). The plastic on the Clara is visibly extra textured, which makes it simpler to carry. It does not look as “minimalistic” as the graceful case on the Kindle, nevertheless it’s rather more sensible. I additionally like that the Kobo has its energy button on the again as an alternative of on the sides just like the Kindle. The location of the facility button on the underside fringe of my Kindle made it straightforward to press on accident.
Sadly, since Kobo ereaders aren’t as well-liked as Kindles, there are far fewer choices for instances and equipment. I wasn’t in search of something fancy, so I simply received the essential clear plastic Clara case. Nonetheless, should you prefer to deck out your ereader with a trendy or distinctive case, you in all probability will not have as many to select from.
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The studying expertise on the Kobo is improbable. The interface could be very easy and solely took a couple of minutes for me to get used to. I particularly love that the Dwelling display screen on my Clara is not stuffed with store suggestions like my Dwelling display screen on my Kindle. You may entry the Kobo retailer and purchase ebooks from the Clara, however the promoting is not proper in your face, which is a reduction.
One factor that originally threw me off that I ended up appreciating is the best way Kobo counts pages. For example, if I am on “web page 8 out of 16” in a chapter on my Kobo, every “web page” is one swipe of my display screen. In distinction, Kindle does not alter web page numbers in your gadget and show settings so that you will be on “web page 8” for a number of swipes of your display screen. I want the best way my web page quantity is displayed on Kobo as a result of it makes it a lot simpler to gauge how shut I’m to the tip of a chapter.
To this point, I just like the Kobo retailer higher than the Kindle retailer. Even simply in my first week of utilizing my Kobo, I’ve discovered over a dozen titles from my wishlist on sale for $5 or much less. After all, ebooks go on sale on Kindle, as nicely, however I’ve seen extra vital and frequent reductions on Kobo.
As an added bonus, Rakuten nonetheless means that you can obtain and export your Kobo ebooks to different gadgets, no less than on the time of writing. You additionally need not pay to take away lockscreen adverts like on the Kindle (that is proper, there are no lockscreen adverts on Kobo).
Do I remorse switching to Kobo?
I have not picked up my Kindle in over every week, and admittedly, I forgot the place it was for a number of days. That is how content material I’m studying on my Kobo.
The battery life and the standard of the E-ink show on my Kobo are simply pretty much as good, if not higher than, my Kindle, and Kobo nonetheless helps downloading and exporting your ebooks, so your library is not locked into one ecosystem or gadget. The Kobo UI is much less cluttered with store suggestions, contains extra fonts, and has a extra handy page-counting system. Primary options like highlighting, including notes, or trying up definitions for phrases all work simply as easily as they do on Kindle.
After all, making the swap may not be for everybody, particularly when you have a big Kindle library you are now not capable of export. Nonetheless, in case your Kindle is due for an improve, you are seeking to depart the Amazon ecosystem, otherwise you’re purchasing in your first ereader, I extremely advocate giving Kobo a shot. The drawbacks in comparison with Amazon are few and comparatively small and the pricing is just about equivalent.
I’ve had an excellent expertise with my Kobo to date and might safely say it will likely be my ereader of alternative for the foreseeable future. So lengthy, Kindle.
