Switching from Kindle to ... ?
 

One of my favorite possessions is my Kindle Paperwhite. I am, however, trying to wean myself away from Amazon and considering switching to something else. Kobo seems to be the next most popular system. Anyone use it and have any comments, pro or con?

Thanks.

kathy

Interesting topic. I do like my Kindle paperwhite, that'd be a hard habit to break.

I use a iPad mini. For reading books I use the kindle app. I can get books for Amazon and also for the Library. The iPad allow my to do so much more then just read books.

It looks like Kobo has a device similar to the Kindle Oasis, which has a high resolution screen and real buttons to turn the pages. But, I would never switch from the Kindle to Kobo. The inexpensive Kindle Fire 7 can often be bought on sale for less than 40 dollars, and you can load the books you own onto about 6 Kindle devices and lend them to friends. Also, the Kindle format is compatible with many public libraries for free lending. Very convenient.

My first tablet was the first iteration of the Nexus 7. I went from that to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, 10-inch. I still have it and use it and love it. They haven't upgraded the operating system in a couple of years, but everything works on it and all the apps update with no trouble at all. I use it as a mini-laptop with a bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse when I'm away, I can watch movies and read books and use Libre Office (because it's better than Microsoft Office plus it's free), play games, take pictures and videos and edit them and use Zoom or Skype. I can even make phone calls using VoIP technology. Mine came with 32gb internal storage and I could add a microSD card (which I use to store all my files).

I bought my Nexus in 2012 when it first came out. I got the Samsung S2 in 2016, a year after it came out. I've had it since and it's still working great. The battery is only supposed to last a couple of years but I haven't seen any slowdown on mine yet. They are theoretically not replaceable - but if you have the right tools they can be replaced.

I have a 2020 iPad Air which is a very nice tablet but there is no comparison to reading a book on an iPad vs a Kindle Paperwhite with the e-Ink display.

The point is that I prefer not to buy products (including ebooks) from Amazon these days if I can find comparable alternatives. (I would explain why but I think most people can figure out why and I don't want to annoy the moderators by going into that FORBIDDEN SUBJECT.)

I have software that can convert various formats of ebooks from [whatever] to Kindle (removing the DRM crap) so in theory I could buy books from B&N or Kobo or (???), convert them to Kindle format, and send them to my Kindle. I would prefer, though, to buy a new device and just download books straight to it without doing all that conversion nonsense.

So has anyone used an actual Kobo device? Thanks.

k.

There is an APP for your iPad in the App Store for Kobo Books iPad and create Kobo account.

Good for you, we are kicking the Amazon to the curb as well, hopefully you find something enjoyable..

You already have the Kindle, so that ship has sailed.

That said, you can often buy books directly from the publisher. Baen, one of my favorite publishers sells directly.

There are also millions of free ebooks available elsewhere and no, I'm not talking about pirated books, but those are out there too.

Just find the .mobi and copy it directly to your Kindle with a usb cable.

You can also email the mobi as your Kindle actually has an email address just for sending books. Many publishers that you buy books from will email them directly to your Kindle.

Emailing to your Kinda uses resources from Amazon, such a shame. While minute, there is a cost to bandwidth. If 10s of millions of people a day were all utilizing Amazon bandwidth for books not purchased from them, why, that'd be a darn shame.

iPad mini witch can read both mobi and epub formatted books with the proper app.

I try to buy American first. Rakuten, the seller of KOBO is referred to as the Amazon of Japan.

I would hazard a guess that most electronic devices are either manufactured and assembled overseas, or their components are made there.

Insiders View
 

I am an independent publisher, so I can tell you that The Zon (Amazon) is about 80% of the book market. There are many titles that are only available on Amazon, particularly if they are on Kindle Unlimited. Kobo was an Australian service that was bought our a couple of years ago by Walmart. Personally I use an iPad with the Kindle app, but I do a lot of other book related work on it. I wish you all the best in your decision!

I have not used Kindle so it is difficult to compare. I have used Kobo for years and can read a book on my Kobo, Laptop and Tablet. Good selection of authors, easy to use and pricing is ok.

I'm just curious why you don't want to support Amazon? I don't see it as any different than other big monopolies in the country.