Switching from Kindle to Kobo

On the left: new Kobo – On the right: Old Kindle

My Old Kindles

After using Kindle e-readers and Goodreads for 9+ years, I decided to move away from Amazon’s e-book empire. I’ve had 2 Kindles in my life: the 6” 4th Generation (2012) and the 6” Kindle Paperwhite 1 – 5th Generation (2013). At the time I got my first Kindle, back in Brazil, there weren’t too many options available. I wanted to read books in English and Amazon was the only service I could access back then. Amazon was convenient.

At some point along the way, I heard about Rakuten Kobo, a Canadian e-reader/e-books focused company (now also owned by a Japanese group). There was also Barnes and Noble with their Nooks and even a Brazilian publisher with their locally produced e-readers. But the access to the huge Amazon’s e-books catalog was unrivaled back then. My Kindle Paperwhite worked fine throughout all those years. Sometimes it froze, true, but nothing that a soft (and long) reset couldn’t solve. I tend to use my devices (be it e-readers or mobile phones) up until they become useless due to lack of support or just stop working. There are some exceptions in which I just want a better device.

My first 2 Kindles (Left: 4th Generation 2012 | Right: Paperwhite 1 – 5th Generation 2013)

Over the years I grew leerier and leerier of Amazon’s power and influence. Not to mention the accounts of their underpaid and over-exploited employees. Since my Kindle was almost 10 years old and it started to lag more than usual, I finally made the jump out of Amazon’s grasp.

Kobo Libra H20

I got the Kobo Libra H20 and I’ve been using it for over a month now. These are the main reasons I’m enjoying it:

Battered old Kindle and the new Kobo side by side

I also got Kobo’s sleep cover which can be folded and act as a kickstand. I love it when I’m reading during breakfast or lunch breaks while I’m seated.

I’m getting most of my books from the Public Library now. It’s a precious resource that I have overlooked for years!

Not all the books are available at the Library, of course. For those, I’ve been exploring the Kobo store and there are really good deals. There’s a rewards points system, too, so it pays to buy there.

A few months ago the ladies from the Reading Glasses Podcast published an interview with Kobo’s CEO Michael Tamblyn and that influenced me to choose the Kobo Libra H20 over the other models. It just seemed right.

Since reading is my favorite downtime/leisure activity, having a device I truly enjoy makes my day! 😎

Final Note

After I switched to Kobo, I went back to my digital Amazon library and backed up everything. I counted 316 e-books. Unfortunately, these books are all tied to Amazon’s proprietary format (.MOBI or .AZW) and they can only be read on Kindle devices. Those 316 books are locked to Amazon’s system. (There are ways to “unlock” them, but I won’t get into that here).

Unlike Amazon, Kobo makes it easy to download e-books to whatever device you own. The opposite is also true: Kobo devices accept various formats.

So, public library access + non-proprietary formats + good device = 💙

#Books #Reading #Kobo #Kindle #ereader

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.