> The Kobo is an excellent reading device, but it is a very poor internet browsing device.
Sounds like a feature to me - perfect!
Sounds like a feature to me - perfect!
That's... about all the browser really handles. But Pocket or Wallabag get you a far better article reading experience anyway. Any long form article on the web now gets shoved in Pocket and read on my Kobo.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1998068#p...
But yes, I'll grant that the Kobo's experimental browser (which I think is the component that powers all the pieces I mentioned above that are slow/cumbersome) is noticeably less responsive than the Kindle's. They could probably do some additional tweaking under-the-hood to make it more responsive.
Beyond a certain point, however, the only way to make it faster would be to increase the hardware specs and put a beefier OS into it. But at that point, you wouldn't really have a dedicated eReader anymore--you'd have something closer to a conventional tablet with just an e-Ink screen. And there are definitely markets for those (see any number of e-Ink tablets running Android), but then the price starts skyrocketing.
This is like claiming that a phone never had the job of an internet browsing device. Sure, the hardware and maybe the form factor has some handicaps, but it is perfectly reasonable hardware, if only the software was up to the task.
But the problem is people claiming the poor software is so that "you can have a more distraction-free experience". That's just ridiculous, and the net conclusion is that again I have to bring a entire backpack full of gadgets rather than just one because of _minimal_ software differences.
If I am forced to bring new hardware in my luggage, I want it to be because of meaningful differences in the hardware itself (e.g. e-Ink easier to read outdoors), rather than ridiculous differences in the software (e.g., I also need to bring another computer because the ridiculous software won't let me visit a website to download a new ePub, even on eInk speeds), most specially if these differences are explained with very dubious excuses such as "distraction-free" experience.
Fair, I think "distraction-free experience" is a cop-out.
But I guess my point would be that there is a trade-off when you try to take a specialized gadget and make it more multi-purpose. The iPods and MP3 players of old did not have wireless-accessible storefronts, for example: you plugged them into a computer and pulled down your library, podcasts, etc. It was definitely more of a hassle from that perspective compared to using your smartphone as an mp3 player, but the advantage was arguably superior audio quality, and objectively superior battery life, since the mp3 player's OS had only one purpose compared to a smartphone's.
I'd argue the same on an eReader versus a conventional tablet. Yes, if you really wanted to browse the store / browse Libby & Overdrive library /browse Wikipedia while reading, you definitely could do all the reading on a standard iPad or Android tablet and use the Kobo App instead, and it would work. I have a 10" Samsung tablet and do this on occasion (mostly for comics, because the Galaxy Tab S5e has a gorgeous screen for a mid-range device). But I generally don't do it for any book that I'm going to read for more than an hour, because the reading experience on the tablet is subpar compared to that of the Kobo, to say nothing of the battery life (measured in hours on the tablet versus weeks on the Kobo).
And this is just me personally, but I don't think it's that big of a deal to pull out my smartphone and buy a book on the Kobo app, then click 'Sync' on my Kobo to connect to WiFi and bring it over. Or do the same with a Libby book checkout, or a Pocket article. It's not like I would've left my phone at home if the Kobo had been able to better do it on its own.
But I don't see a trade-off these days. The iPods and MP3 did not have wireless radios. These devices HAVE wireless radios, and not only that, they're constantly using them. You're paying the cost in weight, size, battery life. It's just the company doesn't want to pay the corresponding cost in software.
> And this is just me personally, but I don't think it's that big of a deal to pull out my smartphone and buy a book on the Kobo app, then click 'Sync' on my Kobo to connect to WiFi and bring it over.
Then why do you read your eBooks on a eReader rather than the smartphone? Whatever answer you give here, same thing applies to why I wouldn't want to bring/use another device.
This means the device is more of an appliance than a general computing device.
A good example is a reMarkable 2. It is a solid, well-designed digital version of a paper notebook. (I will add paper notebooks aren't searchable.)
Yes, anything else, including search, is bolted on but the core experience it was designed for isn't half-baked.
The hardware is quite capable, but held back by the software.
It's fine if you don't like that feature, but not every customer would like them to "finish the software" by putting a highly functional browser on every e-reader. There's room in the market for both types of devices.
You have actual root access to a reMarkable device by SSHing into it, so not sure your point here? Were you thinking it was a device locked down like an Apple product?
More details: https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable
A bit of "help" from RM (like a plugin system on the main stock app) would go a lot of the way.
Did they sell you a device promising a vibrant app ecosystem? Did they tell you it was a general purpose web connected computer? No, they sell it as an electronic notepad with syncing capability. Just because you think that is an “incomplete” feature set doesn’t change the fact that what it’s sold to do it does, and does it moderately well. Are you the type of person who goes into a vegetarian restaurant and rails on them for having an “incomplete menu” because they don’t offer filet mignon cooked to your liking?
Go and look for any Remarkable review. They all complain about the software being incomplete (expensive, lacks features, no apps, good for nothing else, etc.). Most people expected more and they lose sales because of it. We pay more because the hardware is way overpowered for what the software allows. Saying it's because "no distractions" is a cheap excuse.
The hardware already has Wi-Fi, it is powered on almost constantly, and the builtin software is constantly polling it in order to "sync". Let me know how much extra battery life would it kill for it to ship a browser.