Comments on: Kindle vs Kobo: Choosing the Right E-reader Ecosystem

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 23:04:32 +0000

In reply to Ian. You can use overdrive anywhere. I borrow books from my library in Scotland even though I live in Paraguay. I have both Kindle and Kobo but find the 8" inch screen on the Kobo much better.

By: Barbara Paul

Barbara Paul — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 06:26:56 +0000

My Amazon account was hacked into and I cancelled charges through my credit card company…long story short, Amazon closed my account and won’t allow me to open a new one…my Kindle has been shut down also. Thinking of a Kobo but confused about Overdrive thru my library…seems it only functions through Kindle and forces me to enter my Amazon login & pw which I no longer have. Can a Kobo borrow books in USA from a library without going through Amazon?

By: J

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:18:07 +0000

I myself have a kindle. Got it used and locked out of Amazon. All I need is a usb cable to transfer books and I can convert any format I need online. Using project gutenberg, I’ve been reading a heap load of free classic books. Haven’t paid for a single book ever since I got my kindle about 4 years ago. Might go for a Kobo once this little kindle gives up, but it’s still strong.

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 23:30:49 +0000

I prefer kobo as it supports ePub

By: Will Sherman

Will Sherman — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 05:31:22 +0000

Great article. I’m in the US, and I’m a heavy Amazon user. However, I don’t like investing so much into one company. I remember when Amazon only sold books? probably go with Kobo. This will be my first e- reader. Getting a couple on Monday to try out. I also love the Overdrive support on Kobo. Feels good to use a library in these times.

By: Gail

Gail — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 20:31:26 +0000

Thanks so much…was going back and forth on a first purchase as I love to read and get library books. As I am in Canada, I will now definitely go with the Kobo!

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 01:39:52 +0000

Thanks Antonio,

I previously had a Kobo Moni device about 8 years ago, it was having problems charging and the cost to repair was not feasible,

Your comparison between Kindle and Kobo, makes my decision easy because I live in Canada and enjoy downloading from Onedrive so I will get another Kobo.

Please tell me about the waterproof Kobo ereaders

By: Abdulwahab Alkhatib

Abdulwahab Alkhatib — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:48:29 +0000

Great review. I am still torn between both of them since I live in Canada. Do you think in Canada I can get a larger number of books for cheaper still?. Becasue I was wondering if things might have changed. Thank you

By: Albin Foro

Albin Foro — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 20:20:37 +0000

I much agree that it’s more about the ecosystem than the devices. In Toronto, with the wonderful “tpl” public library available, I’ve been between the two stools of an already heavily-invested Android Kindle collection and Amazon’s failure to offer the same local library support for Kindle ereaders that it does in the US, and that Kobo does here. There is no e-ink reader that covers the bases as (very good) Android apps do, but at the expense of a weighty tablet, battery life, and outdoors reading. Apart from library loans the ebooks I read, including public domain classics, are generally available in either epub or mobi – never had to convert formats myself – and I’ve recently installed the Kobo Android app to consider if I’ll finally get an e-ink device.

By: VC

VC — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 16:48:33 +0000

Thank you for this helpful comparison. As an established Amazon customer, it seems so convenient to pop into my account, order the ebook, and have it available on my devices. There are a couple things that, if I understand them, give me pause about their ecosystem.

Amazon seems intent on strongly guiding Kindle users, if not locking them in, to Amazon for ebook purchases. Of course they want to showcase their ecosystem, but I’d appreciate more flexibility.

Downloading ebooks for central storage on one’s PC doesn’t seem very well supported. It seems the model is that the user accesses the book on Amazon-controlled systems. I prefer my ebooks to be product I own (like music mp3 files), not a service I license. Kobo’s website says they allow downloads for at least some of their books. I wonder what the criteria is for whether a book can be downloaded. I know applications like Calibre can be used for this, but I’d appreciate an ecosystem more amenable to direct downloads.

Amazon collects a lot of data about users’ every interaction with the ebook. They says it’s to enhance their services. Be that as it may, any reading you do for medical or psychological conditions, political activism, etc., could potentially be discovered. I haven’t seen anything about what data Kobo collects.