If you're reading a book at the gym you ain't working hard enough

Having read all the above, it's been a close call but the Kobo wins.

I've taken a look at them both today, there isn't a lot to choose from in design but the Kobos memory and open source software win the day. I'm not a fan of being tied to anyone who firstly uses DRM software, and the idea of being more-or-less tied to Amazon to buy books doesn't really appeal.


Cheers all,

Let us know how you get on with it, it might be on my Christmas list.

It's on my christmas list now too, Mrs Scooter Nik has told me to hang on to my money....

Been looking at them both in the flesh, and the Kobo seems to fit better in my hand. It's possibly a little slower, but not so as you'd really notice, and I have a vague suspicion that the Kindle screen is maybe a touch clearer, but that may have been down to the settings of the machines - I can't see them NOT having contrast and brightness controls somehow?

At the moment the Kobo is still winning on DRM grounds, but there isn't much in it from a personal taste point of view. One thing that did surprise me though, was that I prefered the cheaper Kobo to the touch screen one. I'm not that much of a bibliophile that I want the sensation of flicking pages!

Think again

The "paper" reading technology means that the screens are not what you would be used to in tablets, monitors or even your mobile phone, the technology has been developed so that the screen of most readers is pre-set to most closely resemble the experience of reading from a book, a sheet of paper with typed writing on it.

As such its not back-lit (works wonders for battery duration) and so there is no brightness adjustment, nor is there any need for contrast as thats already been carefully calculated for you.

Don't worry though - you'll get used to it

Fair enough, looking at the Kobo I did wonder where the controls were!

Well timed thread this as I'm looking at one of these for Christmas, didn't realise there was so many coming on the market, I didn't even know Kobo existed until I saw this thread so bit of advice, having read some of the Kobo reviews they don't seem to be getting as good as the Kindle? I've been looking at this one, anybody got any though or recommendations? http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002LVUWFE/r ... B002LVUWFE I've also noticed people saying that you can get ones that you can use apps on, I think, which models are these? I've also noticed Sony have ereaders on the market too, although they seem dearer than the other two makes and I'm guessing that's because it's a Sony so I'm leaning towards the above Kindle.

Well timed thread this as I'm looking at one of these for Christmas, didn't realise there was so many coming on the market, I didn't even know Kobo existed until I saw this thread so bit of advice, having read some of the Kobo reviews they don't seem to be getting as good as the Kindle? I've been looking at this one, anybody got any though or recommendations? http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002LVUWFE/r ... B002LVUWFE I've also noticed people saying that you can get ones that you can use apps on, I think, which models are these? I've also noticed Sony have ereaders on the market too, although they seem dearer than the other two makes and I'm guessing that's because it's a Sony so I'm leaning towards the above Kindle.

"being tied to Amazon for books" ................. is like saying being tied to Blockbuster for films, and tied to itunes for mp3's.

ebooks are available everywhere, and the same person on here harping on about 'format' has been told that ANY format can be converted with ultimate ease in seconds.

You're surely not encouraging people to remove the time limited licensing element of the ePUB format, the very bit that enables public libraries to offer them as a lending service ?

You'll be encouraging people to copy dvds next.

I've never seen (or even heard of) a Kobo so I can't comment on how it compares to the Kindle - all I can do is say how I find the Kindle. I've had mine for nearly a year now and I'm very happy with it. The fact that the screen is not back-lit is a real bonus and doesn't seem to be a strain on my eyes as much as a tablet or other e-reader. The flickering of the page as it turns is not as big an issue for me as it seems to be for others - in fact it doesn't bother me at all. It's practically instantaneous and doesn't take long to get used to. I got the 3G version but to be honest I wish I'd saved money and just gone for the wi-fi version as I have never had to download a book using 3G and I never use it to browse the internet (which I understand is not a pleasant experience on the Kindle, but I see it purely as a reading device). As has been pointed out, any e-book format can be swiftly converted to be read on the Kindle using a free program. Should you be so inclined, just as with music, there are plenty of places on the internet where you can download books for free - not that I condone such practices I hasten to add.

I find that I am reading far more books than I used to do (and I've always been a voracious reader). I always used to have three or four books on the go at once and would pick one up depending on the mood I was in. This is even simpler with a Kindle. I recently read the six Booker Prize nominated books on the Kindle far quicker than I would have done with physical versions.

I do still read the 'hard' copies of books though. I'm currently reading a History of Europe that I picked up before I had the Kindle. It's 1300 pages long and is a pain to hold and read in bed - a Kindle version would come in handy!

I also don't think that e-readers are for everyone. I keep trying to get my partner to use the Kindle but she just can't take to it. It's a shame as we always used to share books and if she had a Kindle as well it would be simpler but she still prefers the physical version.