I’ve been doing so much research on non-Amazon e readers as I also abstain from supporting the Jeff Bezos Rocket Fund. This has definitely helped with my decision toward a Kobo.
"Jeff Bezos Rocket Fund" is hilarious, and I will absolutely be using that from now on, haha. I'm glad it helped! At this point I feel Kobo is the largest competitor to the kindle (especially at a similar price point) so I love helping people see if it would work for them!
I hear you, girl. Every time I think about Amazon, my heart feels heavy. There's this shadow of disappointment from some truly horrible experiences I've had with them. It's not just their services, but deeper than that. Their ethics, the way they approach business and the humanity behind each transaction, it just doesn't resonate with me. It feels like there's a missing soulfulness. That's why I sought solace in Kobo. There's a palpable connection there, a genuine understanding of books and the beautiful souls that cherish reading. It's like finding a kindred spirit in a world of commercial noise.
I LOVE my Kobo Forma with two caveats: 1. The auto sleep mechanism interaction with the protective cover never worked correctly. I ended up having to toss that expensive addon. 2. Kobo could improve the user experience dramatically by bumping up the processor and RAM a bit on their devices. The cost to them would be trivially small. The cost of device is mostly wrapped up in that screen. Otherwise, the device (Forma), now a bit dated, is just tremendous. The library experience is seamless (makes sense since they developed the Libby/Overdrive system that nearly so libraries use). The Kobo store is great. And the built-in Pocket app is just so amazing. From an ethical perspective: I'm a writer. Amazon is rather toxic to the author community (in particular, Kindle Unlimited). Kobo takes a "we are just one of many outlets" perspective. Kobo is a great citizen of the publishing world.
I also went with Kobo due to its library-borrowing functionality. Where I live, there's no library ebooks available for Kindle. My older Kobo Glo HD's battery is definitely draining much faster than it used to - that one is about 7 years old though. I've upgraded to a Kobo Libra 2 as my main ereader. Looks similar to the Libra H2O but has some improvements like 32GB storage and a USB-C connector.
The usb c connector really makes me want to upgrade, but there is nothing wrong with mine and it’s only 3 years old so I’m definitely going to hold out some more. 😂
Argggh when you said that you didn't buy a Kindle on principle I thought "She's better than me." haha. I mean that sincerely. You're totally right and I need to start valuing impact over convenience. You might have sold on me on the Kobo on just that. That blazer is absolute fire by the way.
I’m far from perfect, I still have an iPhone haha. For me, the kobo was actually the most convenient option on top of not being Amazon 😂 the fact that works so seamlessly with my library is soooo nice Thanks! I’m obsessed with this blazer.
I have the same model she has, and I also have Kindle. I'm able to borrow ebooks from the library and read on either device. I've used Overdrive on Kobo and it's a bit cumbersome to need to log out and log in again when I switch libraries (I borrow from multiple) while I'm logged into all at once on Libby. Libby most often will send the books to my Kindle and not the Kobo. I love both readers because they both have their pros and cons. Also, I can use Calibre to transfer ebooks to different readers or tablets.
I was going to get a Libra 2, but I ended up with a PoketBook Inkpad 4. I am quite ok with it. It has only 2 drawbacks: the contrast and brightness are not as good as the Kobos and Kindles Paperwhite. And when you first open it, there's a little lag, but when you read, there's no lag at all (there's a lag with the continuous scrolling function, but that's something normal for this type of screen).
Makes me want to buy a Kobo so bad. Unfortunately it's not sold in my country, and I can ship it but the it costs way too much. I am holding out hope for Kobo to maybe appear soon. Thanks for sharing your experience. Love the artwork on your right, btw! Very beautiful.
Hmmmm I use probably the most comparable Amazon product (the paperwhite) and I bought mine around the same time! I am interested in the function of using the library apps directly from the kobo.. but you can actually access goodreads through the kindle… also my battery life and click speed are still fantastic. That’s just my two cents but I agree to supporting a non-Amazon company because monopolies are 👎🏼
Great video. I particularly liked the savings statistics. In Germany, Kobo is not that widespread, which is why I bought a pocketbook that I mainly use for online rentals. But I also have a Kindle and use Kindle Unlimited. Totally worth it for me.
Appreciate this is quite an old video now but just wanted to thank you for highlighting the fundamental flaw with Amazons Kindle. I hope many more You Tubers will highlight this. In the UK it is impossible to use Kindle with a library membership to borrow books using overdrive and Libby. I believe in the US it is possible now via Libby. This is all down to Amazon forcing users to use the kindle store. I have owned a Kindle Paperwhite for a few years now and am getting fed up with the constant purchase cost of new books. I will probably invest in a Kobo device purely for the ability to borrow books from my library. This may be the future for Local libraries and Amazon is definitely missing a trick.
It's a tough situation. I understand people not wanting to support Amazon's dominance, but as a practical matter, Amazon just has more books. And the size of the library makes a difference. If you can fulfill your needs with Kobo, that's great, but that's what always keeps me coming back to Kindle: the selection. And while Kindles do require an extra step to borrow public library books, after a couple of years, I haven't found in my public library any e-book that *was* available in ePub format that wasn't *also* available in Kindle format. Having said that, I think that the government might step in soon and mandate use of ePub (or at least an ePub option) on the Kindle store. I think that's what caused Amazon to allow transfer of ePub files to Kindles. It's not as seamless as it should be (by far) but I think they were trying to fend off the government mandating the change.
I'm in North Carolina. I can borrow any book available in the entire state. I think most states library systems are like that. Amazon has more books if you count the books that Amazon sells exclusively. These are usually self-published authors that fell for the "free" services on Amazon (Amazon-exclusive ISBN) or if they chose to distribute to the Kindle Unlimited platform (exclusivity required for indie authors).
Been KindLe for about 3+ years, but am thinking of kobo. Have kobo & kindle app also on spare droid ( is use it for gps & podcasts & spare ereader ) because it has 1T micro so. It will just hotspot to iPhone if I need data, same as I do with an old kindle basic I bought used during COVID for $40.00 cnd. & $10 case.
Can't beat the Kindle though for comfortable clear reading when paired with Calibre software to access more ebooks online. Never buy old kindles the new base models are better than older high end ones.
I think I'm going to get one of these based on what I've heard about the image quality for manga among many other good reviews. I've had the same kindle for 10 years and the battery is just starting to be noticeably worse. Don't connect these suckers to the internet after initial set-up and they will last way longer than you ever thought possible. Of course we can't prove it, but when you allow updates companies have a huge incentive to intentionally make their products brick prematurely so you buy another.
I have never even been able to try Amazon 😂, they ducked me over since the moment I created an account. The same day I made an account they blocked me for trying to order something with my card (?). Such a horrible customer service jaja, so even if I got a kindle I wouldn’t be able to use it. Ended up deciding in a Kobo as well, for that and many other reasons
@@CarbonBondedBooks My first Pendergast book was Cabinet of Curiosities when it came out. I loved it then found out there were a few more before that. I've read a few of them at the time when there weren't that many. I stopped reading heavily for a while. Now I can't find my copy of Relic and have a lot of catching up to do.
Thanks for the nice video! I have a question. What if I transfered epubs from my laptop to this Kobo ereader, then in those epub books I put many notes, highlights, and bookmarks. Will they all be uploaded to the web and synchronized and be used again when I buy a new Kobo in the future? Because I just ordered my first ereader, and how to stick with Kobo for a long time.
I wish I had done even a single google search before I bought my current kindle cause I would have kobod so hard! But when it dies I will def be making the switch. The chokehold Amazon has on readers and writers ughhhhh
@@CarbonBondedBooks I think I would NOW but I'm pretty sure I bought my kindle in a panic before a long vacation because I didnt know how to pack enough books otherwise lol ereaders are built for vacation reading
you said exactly what i said as far as tempted to get the color, and i'm sold; but money is holding me back atm. i'd love her to review the color one. i love physical books the most, but when i travel or i need not have any light source to read.
what will happen in few years when the battery will be dead ? you can transfers all the books from one reader to another ? it is possible or they will be lost ?
I’ve been doing so much research on non-Amazon e readers as I also abstain from supporting the Jeff Bezos Rocket Fund. This has definitely helped with my decision toward a Kobo.
"Jeff Bezos Rocket Fund" is hilarious, and I will absolutely be using that from now on, haha.
I'm glad it helped! At this point I feel Kobo is the largest competitor to the kindle (especially at a similar price point) so I love helping people see if it would work for them!
I hear you, girl. Every time I think about Amazon, my heart feels heavy. There's this shadow of disappointment from some truly horrible experiences I've had with them. It's not just their services, but deeper than that. Their ethics, the way they approach business and the humanity behind each transaction, it just doesn't resonate with me. It feels like there's a missing soulfulness. That's why I sought solace in Kobo. There's a palpable connection there, a genuine understanding of books and the beautiful souls that cherish reading. It's like finding a kindred spirit in a world of commercial noise.
I LOVE my Kobo Forma with two caveats:
1. The auto sleep mechanism interaction with the protective cover never worked correctly. I ended up having to toss that expensive addon.
2. Kobo could improve the user experience dramatically by bumping up the processor and RAM a bit on their devices. The cost to them would be trivially small. The cost of device is mostly wrapped up in that screen.
Otherwise, the device (Forma), now a bit dated, is just tremendous. The library experience is seamless (makes sense since they developed the Libby/Overdrive system that nearly so libraries use). The Kobo store is great. And the built-in Pocket app is just so amazing.
From an ethical perspective: I'm a writer. Amazon is rather toxic to the author community (in particular, Kindle Unlimited). Kobo takes a "we are just one of many outlets" perspective. Kobo is a great citizen of the publishing world.
I love my kobo. The interface is so much cleaner than kindle and much better value.
Just ordered a Libra colour after only owning kindles can’t wait for it to come
I also went with Kobo due to its library-borrowing functionality. Where I live, there's no library ebooks available for Kindle. My older Kobo Glo HD's battery is definitely draining much faster than it used to - that one is about 7 years old though. I've upgraded to a Kobo Libra 2 as my main ereader. Looks similar to the Libra H2O but has some improvements like 32GB storage and a USB-C connector.
The usb c connector really makes me want to upgrade, but there is nothing wrong with mine and it’s only 3 years old so I’m definitely going to hold out some more. 😂
Is this new? Cause I can send Libby books to my kindle.
@@Thefloodsuck On the help pages for Libby and Overdrive it says they only do Kindle ebooks in the US.
Argggh when you said that you didn't buy a Kindle on principle I thought "She's better than me." haha. I mean that sincerely. You're totally right and I need to start valuing impact over convenience. You might have sold on me on the Kobo on just that. That blazer is absolute fire by the way.
I’m far from perfect, I still have an iPhone haha. For me, the kobo was actually the most convenient option on top of not being Amazon 😂 the fact that works so seamlessly with my library is soooo nice
Thanks! I’m obsessed with this blazer.
I have the same model she has, and I also have Kindle. I'm able to borrow ebooks from the library and read on either device. I've used Overdrive on Kobo and it's a bit cumbersome to need to log out and log in again when I switch libraries (I borrow from multiple) while I'm logged into all at once on Libby. Libby most often will send the books to my Kindle and not the Kobo. I love both readers because they both have their pros and cons. Also, I can use Calibre to transfer ebooks to different readers or tablets.
I was going to get a Libra 2, but I ended up with a PoketBook Inkpad 4.
I am quite ok with it. It has only 2 drawbacks: the contrast and brightness are not as good as the Kobos and Kindles Paperwhite.
And when you first open it, there's a little lag, but when you read, there's no lag at all (there's a lag with the continuous scrolling function, but that's something normal for this type of screen).
Makes me want to buy a Kobo so bad. Unfortunately it's not sold in my country, and I can ship it but the it costs way too much. I am holding out hope for Kobo to maybe appear soon. Thanks for sharing your experience. Love the artwork on your right, btw! Very beautiful.
Hmmmm I use probably the most comparable Amazon product (the paperwhite) and I bought mine around the same time! I am interested in the function of using the library apps directly from the kobo.. but you can actually access goodreads through the kindle… also my battery life and click speed are still fantastic. That’s just my two cents but I agree to supporting a non-Amazon company because monopolies are 👎🏼
Yeah, I really need to do some better data collection on my battery life because I’m pretty curious.
Great video. I particularly liked the savings statistics. In Germany, Kobo is not that widespread, which is why I bought a pocketbook that I mainly use for online rentals. But I also have a Kindle and use Kindle Unlimited. Totally worth it for me.
the dark academia look tho👀Love that you talked about how it stacks up against Kindle and Amazon's systems!
Kinda wish I’d gone all out and done the black lip 😂
I was thinking getting Kobo Clara colour version but I have another thought of getting Oppo Pad 2.
I know it's twice the price and a lot of function.
Appreciate this is quite an old video now but just wanted to thank you for highlighting the fundamental flaw with Amazons Kindle. I hope many more You Tubers will highlight this. In the UK it is impossible to use Kindle with a library membership to borrow books using overdrive and Libby. I believe in the US it is possible now via Libby. This is all down to Amazon forcing users to use the kindle store. I have owned a Kindle Paperwhite for a few years now and am getting fed up with the constant purchase cost of new books. I will probably invest in a Kobo device purely for the ability to borrow books from my library. This may be the future for Local libraries and Amazon is definitely missing a trick.
This sending ebooks to kindle must be like very very new
It's a tough situation. I understand people not wanting to support Amazon's dominance, but as a practical matter, Amazon just has more books. And the size of the library makes a difference. If you can fulfill your needs with Kobo, that's great, but that's what always keeps me coming back to Kindle: the selection. And while Kindles do require an extra step to borrow public library books, after a couple of years, I haven't found in my public library any e-book that *was* available in ePub format that wasn't *also* available in Kindle format.
Having said that, I think that the government might step in soon and mandate use of ePub (or at least an ePub option) on the Kindle store. I think that's what caused Amazon to allow transfer of ePub files to Kindles. It's not as seamless as it should be (by far) but I think they were trying to fend off the government mandating the change.
I'm in North Carolina. I can borrow any book available in the entire state. I think most states library systems are like that.
Amazon has more books if you count the books that Amazon sells exclusively. These are usually self-published authors that fell for the "free" services on Amazon (Amazon-exclusive ISBN) or if they chose to distribute to the Kindle Unlimited platform (exclusivity required for indie authors).
@@t0dd000I don’t think most state libraries are like that but I know Maryland and Virginia aren’t. Count yourself lucky!
@@t0dd000you can only borrow books from libraries in USA on kindle, because overdrive has a special deal with Amazon
Been KindLe for about 3+ years, but am thinking of kobo. Have kobo & kindle app also on spare droid ( is use it for gps & podcasts & spare ereader ) because it has 1T micro so. It will just hotspot to iPhone if I need data, same as I do with an old kindle basic I bought used during COVID for $40.00 cnd. & $10 case.
I have both kobo and kindle paper white but I’m indie reader so I have both subscription AND LOVE IT
I thought after the four minute mark, the new title would have been "Why I'm buying a new Kobo". Nice video.
Thanks for watching!
I've been thinking about buying a kindle, so this was really nice to watch, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you! nice review! confirms many of my decisions to go with Kobo.
Can't beat the Kindle though for comfortable clear reading when paired with Calibre software to access more ebooks online. Never buy old kindles the new base models are better than older high end ones.
I think I'm going to get one of these based on what I've heard about the image quality for manga among many other good reviews. I've had the same kindle for 10 years and the battery is just starting to be noticeably worse. Don't connect these suckers to the internet after initial set-up and they will last way longer than you ever thought possible. Of course we can't prove it, but when you allow updates companies have a huge incentive to intentionally make their products brick prematurely so you buy another.
I do wish the storage was a bit more, but that's because I use it a lot of academic PDFs with figure and Manga/comics. Images take up a lot of space!
That makes sense. I definitely prefer the ipad for textbooks/scientific papers and comics.
The kobo libra 2 has 32 Gb so its a big upgrade to storage.
Great thoughts on the difference between Kobo and Kindle. Thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Also in Canada, only Kobo is supported by Overdrive.
That’s a great point! It does seem like the kindle supremacy is a bit weaker in other countries than the US. 😂
I have never even been able to try Amazon 😂, they ducked me over since the moment I created an account. The same day I made an account they blocked me for trying to order something with my card (?). Such a horrible customer service jaja, so even if I got a kindle I wouldn’t be able to use it. Ended up deciding in a Kobo as well, for that and many other reasons
Also I and recommend getting some sort of stand if you want to read for longer
I've been thinking about getting one. Do you have any recommendations?
What about B&N (Nook)? I ONLY use my Kobo H2O for library books, everything is split between Kindle and Nook.
You have Preston / Child books on your shelf. Instant Follow. 👌
I have a few reviews of the Nora Kelly and Pendergast books up on my channel!
@@CarbonBondedBooks My first Pendergast book was Cabinet of Curiosities when it came out. I loved it then found out there were a few more before that. I've read a few of them at the time when there weren't that many. I stopped reading heavily for a while. Now I can't find my copy of Relic and have a lot of catching up to do.
I enjoyed my Kobo so much once it got smashed I bought a second one.
I would too! Although I think I'm gonna go smaller screen for my next one.
Thanks for the nice video! I have a question. What if I transfered epubs from my laptop to this Kobo ereader, then in those epub books I put many notes, highlights, and bookmarks. Will they all be uploaded to the web and synchronized and be used again when I buy a new Kobo in the future? Because I just ordered my first ereader, and how to stick with Kobo for a long time.
I wish I had done even a single google search before I bought my current kindle cause I would have kobod so hard! But when it dies I will def be making the switch. The chokehold Amazon has on readers and writers ughhhhh
Lol, I did waaaaay too much research, but honestly, I think I enjoy research products more than purchasing them 😂😂
@@CarbonBondedBooks I think I would NOW but I'm pretty sure I bought my kindle in a panic before a long vacation because I didnt know how to pack enough books otherwise lol ereaders are built for vacation reading
@@RubyReads I feel that
In Canada kobo is the only option. Dystopian Amazon store doesn’t even work here. I love my kobo forma gen 1. Tempted to buy the new color one.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to watch some reviews on the color screens and see!
you said exactly what i said as far as tempted to get the color, and i'm sold; but money is holding me back atm. i'd love her to review the color one. i love physical books the most, but when i travel or i need not have any light source to read.
Kobo Clara 2e for the world!
what will happen in few years when the battery will be dead ? you can transfers all the books from one reader to another ? it is possible or they will be lost ?
Yeah, all of the ebooks are saved to the account that I purchased them on!
what is the kobo model name?
It’s the Kobo Libra H2O, but they recently released a new model, the Libra 2
The kobo is a pos. So damn slow.
This is hilarious. I never got any or my ebooks from apple or kindle! All of em are on my kindle and books app
Kobo? No. Especially since Kindle Unlimited was released. Kobo tried to compete, but it's just...not the same.
That’s fair, KU just doesn’t really appeal to me as a reader because I borrow almost 100% of my ebooks from my library.
Like my mom you use to many words when you talk.
I got a kindle cause I don’t care did the math i would save over $700 borrowing from the library even if I went to half price books to purchase them!!