Discussions

My old (2nd gen?) Kindle finally konked out and I am in the market for a new ereader but I don't really know much about them. I have purchased lots of ebooks from Amazon and want my new ereader to be able to download these books and I also want to borrow books from the library, something I could not do with my Kindle. What do you recommend?

Getting library books on it is possible but takes a bit of know how. It is completely legal but a pain in the butt. (You use adobe digital editions) Perhaps watch some how to videos on it before you decide if it is what you want to do. The Kobo has an amazing battery life. I use it a lot and only charge it about once a month.  
 
Your other option is a cheap tablet for reading your ebooks on. It is easy to get both library and your already purchased Kindle ebooks on using apps. However the battery life won''t be as good.  
 
I made the switch from a tablet to a Kobo and am glad I did. Nearly all my ebooks are purchased through Kobo. I rarely put library books on it.  
 
You can get lots of free ebooks from Bookbub.com. They can be read on the Kobo or a tablet.  
 
Edited by Happy_ Hour, 2017-01-29 15:29:15

Far as I know you would have to stay with a kindle to read any books you purchased from Amazon. I think you can borrow books for free from the website "open  
library" in PDF format for your kindle.

I am looking for a new e-reader too. I have a Kobo Arc now and it is getting pretty "glitchy".  
I just finished reading an article about e-readers.  
It said....the Kindle Paperwhite was the best value for the money. Amazon and Kindle are tied at the hip, but their book library is second to none. Kindle cannot download library books. Library books are generally in a E-Pub format and Kindle doesn't support that.  
Kobo is next best for weight,size and price reasons. It does support downloading library books, you can get one that's waterproof for about $200. I think this is what I'm going to buy. I download library books a lot. It is easy once you get the hang of it.It is also a pretty good little tablet. I have really liked the one I own now, and it has had a lot of wear.  
Something else, the article said that only books in the same devices carry over to your new e-reader. It won't move books from Kindle to Kobo for example.

Is the one I have. (It is still edition 1, not 2 and not waterproof either)  
 
I think if it died on me I would last no less than 24 hours before it would get replaced. E readers are so handy and easy to hold.  
 
I thought Kindle was more commonly used in the USA, not in Canada as much. When I was interested nobody I talked to had Kindles, just Kobo.  
 
Edited by Happy_ Hour, 2017-01-29 17:17:45

I have a new kobo and love it. I just go to amazon, search books, then search the book on Kobo and download it from there.

Get an Ipad and you can download the Kindle App and have all your books, plus the Apple books. Subscribe to Bookbub and get emails for cheap books, too!

Yeah, just get an Andriod tablet and you can download free apps to read all kinds of formats including Kindle. I read Kindle on my Andriod phone all the time. My daughter reads library looks on her tablet (uses the Adobe version).

I have a waterproof kobo and have taken it to the beach on many occasions. love it in the sun or in the dark. it is light and easy to travel with. I downloaded books from amazon and from kobo. I can also use my surface pro as it too has kindle and kobo readers on it but I prefer the kobo to it. lighter and text is fine. battery lasts months. I read 5 books on vacation these last 2 weeks and am still at over 60% battery. I don't read much when at home and it can last months without needing recharging. I have about 130 books downloaded from bookbub all for free. I think in the last 2 yrs I purchased 6 books I wanted to read. Love it and it kicks butt to my wife's kindle. Her kindle is better for internet browsing but for that I go to my surface pro 4.

I have a waterproof kobo and have taken it to the beach on many occasions. love it in the sun or in the dark. it is light and easy to travel with. I downloaded books from amazon and from kobo. I can also use my surface pro as it too has kindle and kobo readers on it but I prefer the kobo to it. lighter and text is fine. battery lasts months. I read 5 books on vacation these last 2 weeks and am still at over 60% battery. I don't read much when at home and it can last months without needing recharging. I have about 130 books downloaded from bookbub all for free. I think in the last 2 yrs I purchased 6 books I wanted to read. Love it and it kicks butt to my wife's kindle. Her kindle is better for internet browsing but for that I go to my surface pro 4.

Find the tablet with app better value for your money. Get all the same benefits plus you get the flexibility of the tablet.

The newest in the Kobo line is waterproof and does direct download from the library- no more messing around with Adobe Digital Editions.  
 
If you want to convert your Amazon ebooks to Kobo format, it is very possible (you bought them, after all!). Calibre has various plug-ins available to help with this, and lots of advice online.

bryology101 said "The newest in the Kobo line is waterproof and does direct download from the library- no more messing around with Adobe Digital Editions.     If you want to convert your Amazon ebooks to Kobo format, it is very possible (you bought them, after all!). Calibre has various plug-ins available to help with this, and lots of advice online. "

Which Kobo is that? I may need to upgrade!  
 
 
To the original poster: lots to think about 'eh? Made a decision?