# ePub Devices



## Vicki G.

As I start reading more library books, I find my library being slower to have Kindle format ebooks so I've been thinking about getting another device.  I'm thinking probably Kobo as Nook seems to be falling way behind.  Anybody have an opinion?  Thanks.


----------



## booklover888

I would go with Kobo. They make a great epub reader. You can authorize them with Overdrive ADE, and also use them with the 3M Cloud Library. Super easy! I transfer them via my PC and a USB cord.


----------



## Vicki G.

I have Overdrive for iPad but don't use it much so I'm not real knowledgeable about this stuff.  Does going through Overdrive mean you can borrow books directly from the Kobo?  I have no problem using PC and USB, just wondering.  Thanks again.


----------



## Saul Tanpepper

Consider spending a little more and getting a tablet. You can do so much more. If you've got sufficient data with your mobile carrier, I find it's a life saver. Otherwise, I'd go with a Kobo, if you just want a dedicated ereader.


----------



## TheGapBetweenMerlons

My sons have NOOK tablets (Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, currently with a $50 rebate) and they love 'em. They _{ahem}_ don't use them for reading books much, but the tablets work fine for reading an ePUB, and not just books bought through B&N. I can email them a draft I'm working on and it's apparently smoothly added to their library when they open the attachment.

And Snapchat works...


----------



## WDR

Go with the Kobo for a dedicated ePub-file reader.

It uses the same eInk screen as the Amazon Kindle Page White, so the quality of the text is excellent. You can turn off the backlight completely when not needed. Also, I find the library interface on the Kobo to be better than the Amazon or Nook.

When I go camping or day riding, it is the Kobo I take with me for reading when I'm relaxing.


----------



## booklover888

Vicki G. said:


> Does going through Overdrive mean you can borrow books directly from the Kobo? I have no problem using PC and USB, just wondering. Thanks again.


I am not sure, as I don't like turning on wifi on my Kobo. If I recall, only the Sony T series could borrow directly from the device. That may have changed.

Yes tablets can do it and are multi purpose devices....I really prefer my single purpose e-ink devices. I love the size of my Kobo Aura. If the Kobo Mini was lighted, it would be even better. If Amazon would make a Aura or Mini sized eink reader, I would have one. Even the Voyage is too large, compared to them.


----------



## Vicki G.

WDR said:


> Also, I find the library interface on the Kobo to be better than the Amazon or Nook.


How so, WDR? Sorry, I'm being really dense but my brain is of the hands-on variety and I can't hands on. lol



booklover888 said:


> Yes tablets can do it and are multi purpose devices....I really prefer my single purpose e-ink devices. I love the size of my Kobo Aura. If the Kobo Mini was lighted, it would be even better. If Amazon would make a Aura or Mini sized eink reader, I would have one. Even the Voyage is too large, compared to them.


It's really smaller than the Voyage? I've been researching on the Kobo website and saw the mini but I see it is no longer available. Plus my old eyes are becoming very dependent on the light.

For those who suggested a tablet, I have an iPad Mini. I love it, don't get me wrong. But I don't love it to read on. It's too heavy. And then there's the glare. This is all so subjective to the way we hold our device. If sitting up reading then of course, it's fine... great! If laying down in bed, it gets a bit more complicated, for me anyway with the glasses and getting the angle right. If you've been there, you understand... if not, I don't think it's possible.

Thanks to everyone for your help.


----------



## WDR

Vicki G. said:


> How so, WDR? Sorry, I'm being really dense but my brain is of the hands-on variety and I can't hands on. lol


First, I really like the home screen on the Kobo. It shows what I am currently reading in the largest box. Next to it, it shows the last four books I have recently perused or are unfinished. A quick show of how many books have been added recently to my library, and then a small summary of how much reading I've done recently. (That reading summary is a actually a marketing tool to _gamify_ reading. The idea to get readers to see their reading as a score and compete, thereby needing to buy more books.)

Both the Nook and the Kindle show books that are NOT in my ereading device and purposefully make it look like they are part of my library list. The idea is to increase the likelihood that a user will accidentally click on an unpurchased book and buy it. Currently, my Nook is the biggest offender in that books I already own are in a tiny list in the upper-right corner and unpurchased books have twice the landscape. The Kindle does offer a subtle border between owned books and advertisements, but it is still kept subtle as to make it look like one of those books is already in my library in the hope I will accidentally click on one:










In the actual library list, the Kobo maximizes the number of book covers visible, requiring fewer page strokes to go through my library. The Nook does edge out the other two by listing the titles along with the covers, but it is possible I missed a setting in my Kobo that would do the same thing. The Kindle shows three books and then shows advertisements. I paid for my Kindle, I shouldn't be seeing advertisements. Note, at the bottom of the page is very purposefully placed advertisement bar. In order to go through the library, one must stroke from the bottom of the page to the top, meaning the advertisement has a very high likelihood of being activated and transporting the reader to the Amazon Store instead of the next page of books in the library. I find this incredibly irritating.










When putting the ebook reader to sleep, the Nook wins hands down. The screen image becomes an image of my choosing. I can load a variety of images into my Nook so it will display each one on a rotating basis each time the unit is put to sleep. The Kobo displays the cover or title page of the book which I am furthest along reading but not yet finished with. Not too bad, but I would prefer to have a nice decorative image like I have with my Nook. The Kindle comes in absolute dead last: it shows an advertisement for somebody else's products. This angers me to no end. I paid for my Kindle, I paid for my books contained within it. Why am I being fed paid advertisements? It makes me feel like I don't actually own my Kindle.


----------



## Vicki G.

Wow WDR!  What a lovely response.  The Kobo and Nook I can't tell you but with the Kindle, which is the only ereader I've ever owned, to date that is, as I ordered a Kobo Aura just this morning.  The ads you see on your Kindle are referred to as Special Offers.  You bought the Kindle at a reduced price.  At any time you can go to Manage My Kindle and buy out of that option.  Then the ad screen savers will go away, they will become pictures typically dealing with letters, typesetting, typewriter keys, etc.  The buy out is $20, I think.  Also, when you do that and open the cover of your Kindle, it automatically goes to the place you were at when you closed it last.  Some people like the ads, others don't.  Also there are a bazillion ways to see things on your Kindle PW.  Settings is the place to be.

I think we are using the word "library" differently.  I'm talking about borrowing books from the public library, I'm thinking you are talking about the contents of your ereader.  As I buy my books from Amazon, they are all Mobi format.  I want an ePub format ereader as ALL the books from the public library are in ePub format.  Not all are in Kindle format.  

Thank you so much for your reply.  That took a LONG time to do and I really appreciate it.


----------



## MariaESchneider

Yes, Kobo refers to your bought books as books in your "library."  So that may be part of the confusion!


----------



## WDR

Vicki G. said:


> &#8230;At any time you can go to Manage My Kindle and buy out of that option. Then the ad screen savers will go away, they will become pictures typically dealing with letters, typesetting, typewriter keys, etc. The buy out is $20, I think.&#8230;


I paid the full value for my Kindle. It still shows ads. Hence, my upset with the Kindle. Happily, it doesn't show ads while I'm reading. If it did that, its usefulness would be ended with a spectacular high-energy event.

There are positive things about the Kindle i can say. The chassis design is outstanding. The lightness and rounded edges of the bezel are very comfortable to hold in the hand. It is well-enough designed, I wouldn't be surprised if I found out Apple had a hand assisting in that design. The backlight at its dimmest setting is just about right for reading in the darkest hours of the night between first and second sleep and not disturbing my night vision. The e-ink Pearl display (same on the Kobo) produces excellent text quality. (I have a first-generation PageWhite. I'm pretty sure they upped the display resolution on the newer models.)

I do not purchase books through my reading devices (well, iPhone and iPad excepted), I prefer to go to the website to peruse and purchase new books. Amazon does a pretty good job at ensuring when I turn on my Kindle's WiFi, all the newest books will load onto my Kindle, ready to read. That is a very important point for any ebook reader!


----------



## MariaESchneider

Great write-up WDR.  Very helpful comparison of some of the features.  We've talked about getting a tablet a few times here recently and every time the Kindle Fire comes up as a possible, we're leery about the "push" for products and lean towards an android device.


----------



## WDR

For the record, I don't count tablet computers as ebook reading devices because tablets do SO much more than just read ebooks. Also, because they are so expensive, to buy one only to read books is a waste of money in my opinion.

However, if you were going to be doing a lot of other things beyond reading with your tablet, then I say go for it!


----------



## booklover888

Vicki G. said:


> It's really smaller than the Voyage? I've been researching on the Kobo website and saw the mini but I see it is no longer available. Plus my old eyes are becoming very dependent on the light.


Well since I broke down and ordered a Voyage, I'll let you know tomorrow. It's taller than the Aura, but since it's very thin, that may make it acceptable! In contrast, my Glo is quite a bit thicker than my Aura, and that is one reason I grab my Aura more often.


----------



## booklover888

WDR said:


> First, I really like the home screen on the Kobo. It shows what I am currently reading in the largest box. Next to it, it shows the last four books I have recently perused or are unfinished. A quick show of how many books have been added recently to my library, and then a small summary of how much reading I've done recently. (That reading summary is a actually a marketing tool to _gamify_ reading. The idea to get readers to see their reading as a score and compete, thereby needing to buy more books.)
> 
> Both the Nook and the Kindle show books that are NOT in my ereading device and purposefully make it look like they are part of my library list.


Kobo definitely has the best home screen of them all!!!

But you can VERY easily get rid of the suggested books on the Kindle home page! Go into settings and removed suggestions or something.....I don't have a kindle in front of me so I can't give you all the steps. Then, all you will be left with is the bottom ad, which you can pay $20 if they bother you that much! Paying the $20 will also get rid of the ads on the sleep screen!


----------



## MariaESchneider

I think the OP decided and bought the Aura?  If not or if someone is looking I might have a coupon code for 10 percent off.  I'm a kobo associate and I posted some coupon codes a while back. Some of them may still be working.


----------



## TheGapBetweenMerlons

WDR said:


> Also, because they are so expensive, to buy [a tablet] only to read books is a waste of money in my opinion.


Price today of a Kindle Voyage (price reduced by accepting Special Offers) with 6" screen: $199.00
Price today of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK tablet with 7" screen: $149.99
Price of same NOOK tablet after rebate ends: $199.99

It all depends on what you want to compare. That NOOK tablet is an Android device from a big-name manufacturer; there are no-name-brand Android tablets under $100.

There are valid reasons for wanting a dedicated reader instead of a tablet -- preference for e-ink, lack of distractions, maybe weight or other ergonomic factors, etc. -- but I disagree that price is a valid reason, especially when dedicated readers can cost _more_ than a multi-purpose tablet.


----------



## Vicki G.

MariaESchneider said:


> I think the OP decided and bought the Aura? If not or if someone is looking I might have a coupon code for 10 percent off. I'm a kobo associate and I posted some coupon codes a while back. Some of them may still be working.


I did see those and tried but they were no longer valid. The Aura is currently $129, no tax and free shipping. Looking forward to getting it.


----------



## MariaESchneider

Cool.  I hope you really love it.  I've been eying the H2O, but I don't *need* another reader.


----------



## Vicki G.

MariaESchneider said:


> I think the OP decided and bought the Aura? If not or if someone is looking I might have a coupon code for 10 percent off. I'm a kobo associate and I posted some coupon codes a while back. Some of them may still be working.


Just curious, what is a Kobo Associate? Reason I'm asking, I tried to actually see a Kobo a couple of years ago. A bookstore near me was listed so I paid them a visit. The owner had her own Kobo, which she had to hunt down in the store in order for me to see it. But she didn't carry any stock. And I see from the email confirming my purchase that everything is in Canada. Also that Best Buy and Walmart IN CANADA carry them. Strange! Well, not strange that it is in Canada but strange that there's nothing in the U.S. and even stranger that I hadn't heard this before.


----------



## MariaESchneider

It's the same thing as an "Amazon associate."  Kboards is an Amazon associate, meaning if you buy books via their links, they get a commission.  I'm both an Amazon and a Kobo associate (along with a few other places).  I run a book blog and talk books a lot.  I link to Kobo and Amazon and if someone buys a book (or device) via that link, I get a small commission.  

I am not a store or anything--just a blogger.  Commissions paid on "referral links" is basically just an advertising mechanism, although places like kboards and blogs are just talking whatever products come up and we have links that can bring in a small amount of income for purchases when a person "clicks through" to the retailer site.  

Sometimes I get notice of deals/coupons via the various retailers.  There is a thread below this one that has info about a trivia contest going on at Kobo right now--but the coupons for that are for books only and then pretty much a subset of books (major publishers rarely allow the use of coupons, but small publishers and indies almost always do.  There are some text book companies that also allow the coupons.)


----------



## Vicki G.

Thanks, Maria.  I'm learning something new every day.


----------



## booklover888

booklover888 said:


> Well since I broke down and ordered a Voyage, I'll let you know tomorrow. It's taller than the Aura, but since it's very thin, that may make it acceptable! In contrast, my Glo is quite a bit thicker than my Aura, and that is one reason I grab my Aura more often.


The Voyage has sailed into port, and all I can say is WOW. It is so light and thin. The lighting is very even, the screen so smooth and white, the text so sharp....I love it! I don't know if I'll be able to go back to my Kobo any time soon!


----------



## WDR

Vicki G. said:


> Just curious, what is a Kobo Associate? Reason I'm asking, I tried to actually see a Kobo a couple of years ago. A bookstore near me was listed so I paid them a visit. The owner had her own Kobo, which she had to hunt down in the store in order for me to see it. But she didn't carry any stock. And I see from the email confirming my purchase that everything is in Canada. Also that Best Buy and Walmart IN CANADA carry them. Strange! Well, not strange that it is in Canada but strange that there's nothing in the U.S. and even stranger that I hadn't heard this before.





MariaESchneider said:


> It's the same thing as an "Amazon associate." Kboards is an Amazon associate, meaning if you buy books via their links, they get a commission. I'm both an Amazon and a Kobo associate (along with a few other places). I run a book blog and talk books a lot. I link to Kobo and Amazon and if someone buys a book (or device) via that link, I get a small commission&#8230;


Just to give a little history to add along with Maria's answer&#8230;

A lot of people have been screaming for years that Amazon has killed off the little bookstores. However, recent evidence shows otherwise: indie bookstores were waning as big franchise bookstores were waxing in the market. Amazon hit the profits of the big box stores more than the little box stores. As the big franchise stores have been failing, the market in the past two years has seen a resurgence of the small, indie bookstores. I conclude from this that Amazon's effect on the small bookstores has been to open the market as Amazon has been killing off the big box, franchise chain bookstores.

Anyway, getting off my soapbox and onto the subject, Kobo decided to create a cooperative atmosphere between Kobo selling ebooks and the small, independent bookstores. As Maria said above, they created an associate program so that these independent bookstores could sell ebooks through Kobo and gather a small share of the profits from that sale. This way, the bookstores could benefit from selling ebooks rather than viewing them as competition. Both businesses benefit from the sales of the Kobo ebook readers as well.

A friend of mine inherited her mother's book-selling business, so technically she's been in the bookselling trade all her life. The Kobo deal was decent enough that she decided to jump into the ebook market. I sell my ebooks on Kobo through her store. (Example link here)


----------



## Meemo

WDR said:


> I paid the full value for my Kindle. It still shows ads. Hence, my upset with the Kindle. Happily, it doesn't show ads while I'm reading. If it did that, its usefulness would be ended with a spectacular high-energy event.


What you're seeing is what Amazon calls "Recommendations", and you only see them when viewing your Kindle library in "Cover View". They don't show up when you choose to show your Kindle books in "List View". You can turn off the Recommendations in Settings. Open Settings (from your Home Page) and choose Device Options-->Personalize Your Kindle-->Advanced Options-->Cover View Options and turn that off. Now all 6 covers on your Home Page are books in your Kindle library.

Personally I prefer List View to Cover View anyway, because (1) it's what I'm used to after having Kindles from the first generation on and (2) I can see 8 titles per page instead of the 6 that show in Cover View. Makes a difference when paging through a large library. But of course lots of folks love the Cover View, it's just a personal preference thing.


----------

