Has anyone used Kobo? I have seen a model on display that seems quite similar to reMarkable (maybe some newer Kindles, but I stopped following their evolution a while back), with a nice pressure-sensitive stylus that works with little lag. If it is less locked-down than alternatives, it seems like it could be a good value.
I still use my old Kobo and love it.
Works perfectly, despite being like 8 or 9 years old now. I've read dozens upon dozens of books on it, it still works like new, still syncs well, has multi-month-long battery life, is lightweight enough to keep in a bag at all times. Works perfectly with OverDrive for eLibrary stuff as well.
My only complaint is that it uses the old micro USB cables to charge (it's the only thing I use regularly that doesn't work with USB-C).
The new Kobo's look nice (and now support color, and bluetooth audio, and such). But I wouldn't actually use any of that, my old one still works just like new, and it feels silly to buy a whole new e-reader just for a minor USB-C charging convenience.
Good to know. I do not really care about colour and the rest, but the ability to take notes and write/draw with a pressure-sensitive stylus is very enticing.
I switched from a Kindle Paperwhite (2023 is the year I got the Kindle, not sure what model that is, but it was the most recent version at the time) to a Kobo Clara BW right after it came out (pretty sure it's the same as the Kobo Clara 2).
I personally really value the "sideload" mode on the Kobo where I have no internet connection and can drop my files onto it via USB without any work-arounds. That's enough for me to keep using the Kobo.
That said, the Kindle Paperwhite's display is incredible and the store is pretty good (you risk losing your book "license" on all platforms), plus the extra small bit of screen size on the Paperwhite is just the perfect size IMO.
But the Kobo is the one I use most. I connect it to the internet like twice a year to get an update and then turn it back off. It's absolutely perfect at showing me text of files, which is all I need.
Kobo is generally excellent. Usually if there's a hardware problem, it's visible out of the box, and you can exchange it immediately. Then, you're good for years, usually. The recently available color e-ink screens come with a couple of caveats (no matter what brand reader they are in). The background color is more gray when compared to previous black and white/grayscale e-ink screens (some compare the experience to reading a color newspaper). The second caveat is that at this time, color content renders at a lower dpi than black and white content does on a color/Kaleido e-ink screen.
Thanks! I do not really care about colour screens, but the ability to take notes and write/draw on a monochrome one (with a pressure-sensitive stylus, too) is very enticing.