After a number of years as a Kindle fan, I’ve deserted ship.
Final month, Amazon introduced it was eradicating a function that allowed customers to obtain their Kindle books to their PC, whether or not to backup these books or use a software like Calibre to learn them on a non-Kindle gadget. With this function gone, the solely approach 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 better take a look at the Kindle’s closest rival, Kobo. In case you’re additionally contemplating making the change, you could be skeptical about whether or not or not it is actually value it or whether or not Kobo ereaders can really 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 must, too)
Picture 1 of 2
Amazon’s change to its book downloading guidelines may not sound like a giant deal. In spite of everything, when 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 whenever you purchase a Kindle book, you do not truly 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 exterior Amazon’s ecosystem.
Amazon has already made use of this management prior to now. Again in 2009, Amazon eliminated copies of 1984 from Kindle gadgets after discovering an impartial vendor did not have the correct authorization to promote the book. In fact, 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 possibility to decide on which model of the e book they need.
Seeing Amazon take away the one function that might enable customers to manage entry to the ebooks they’ve bought did not sit effectively 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 My Kindle was getting a bit outdated and battered across the edges anyway, so I made a decision it was time to make the leap to Kobo.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
Picture 1 of 2
Like Amazon, Rakuten presents a spread of Kobo ereaders, from the fundamental Clara BW to the feature-packed Libra Color. I favor small, mild ereaders and did not really want a coloration show, so I went with the fundamental Kobo Clara BW (black and white). It is successfully the Kobo equal of the Kindle Paperwhite.
Essentially the most inconvenient a part of making the change was truly getting my Kobo. Because of Prime, you’ll be able to 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 couple of week from the time I positioned my order to when my ereader arrived.
The construct high quality of the Kobo Clara BW feels actually strong, 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 far more sensible. I additionally like that the Kobo has its energy button on the again as a substitute of on the perimeters just like the Kindle. The position of the facility button on the underside fringe of my Kindle made it simple to press on accident.
Sadly, since Kobo ereaders aren’t as widespread as Kindles, there are far fewer choices for instances and equipment. I wasn’t searching for something fancy, so I simply obtained the fundamental clear plastic Clara case. Nonetheless, when 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.
Picture 1 of 2
The studying expertise on the Kobo is improbable. The interface may be very simple and solely took a couple of minutes for me to get used to. I particularly love that the House display screen on my Clara is not filled with store suggestions like my House display screen on my Kindle. You possibly can entry the Kobo retailer and purchase ebooks from the Clara, however the promoting is not proper in your face, which is a aid.
One factor that originally threw me off that I ended up appreciating is the way in which Kobo counts pages. As an 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 modify web page numbers to your gadget and show settings so that you will be on “web page 8” for a number of swipes of your display screen. I favor the way in which 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. In fact, ebooks go on sale on Kindle, as effectively, however I’ve seen extra important and frequent reductions on Kobo.
As an added bonus, Rakuten nonetheless means that you can obtain and export your Kobo ebooks to different gadgets, a minimum of on the time of writing. You additionally need not pay to take away lockscreen advertisements like on the Kindle (that is proper, there are no lockscreen advertisements on Kobo).
Do I remorse switching to Kobo?
I have never picked up my Kindle in over every week, and admittedly, I forgot the place it was for just a few 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 nearly 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, consists of 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.
In fact, making the change may not be for everybody, particularly in case you have a big Kindle library you are not capable of export. Nonetheless, in case your Kindle is due for an improve, you are seeking to go away the Amazon ecosystem, otherwise you’re purchasing to your first ereader, I extremely suggest giving Kobo a shot. The drawbacks in comparison with Amazon are few and comparatively small and the pricing is just about an identical.
I’ve had a terrific expertise with my Kobo up to now and may safely say will probably be my ereader of selection for the foreseeable future. So lengthy, Kindle.
