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Comment by bragr | Hacker News Reader

Do NOT buy a Kobo device for Libby integration. It is a LIE. I found out the hard way.

Kobo only integrates with OverDrive, the predecessor to Libby. You can only use one library card at a time with OverDrive, and don't have access to the audioboks or periodicals on Libby. Meanwhile Kobo will aggressively push you to sign up for their monthly subscription to get access to that kind of content.

If you want Libby on e-paper, sans Kindle, your best bet is to look at the E Paper android tablets (I use Boox) and just install the Libby app. The experience isn't perfect but its the least worst option.

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Just want to semi recommend Pocketbook (please do your own research, never take a random recommendation et al).

I bought the Verse Pro Color. It doesn't require an account, it doesn't require wifi. I transfer epubs via USB and the pocketbook works on device without ever logging into a Pocketbook account.

There are other reasons not to like the device, but it's refreshing not to need to login to even use the device.

Kobo works with Libby if you use Adobe Digital Editions as an intermediary.

From the Libby web page, you have an option to download the ASCM. Load that onto ADE, and you have the book. Then plug in your Kobo and transfer the book. It even respects the loan duration!

This isn't perfect, but it works, so I can't agree that Libby and Kobo are absolutely incompatible.

I tried that, and it was incredibly frustrating to have to run back to the PC every time, not to mention vacations and things like that. At that point you don't even need Libby since you can do the same with digital editions off your library's website.

> You can only use one library card at a time with OverDrive, and don't have access to the audioboks or periodicals on Libby.

I personally was fine with the limitations, after all I'm only one person and I would only ever read books on my ereader.

You can't even get all books either.

I've got multiple library cards so it is a non-starter.

Maybe it's a Canada thing, but it works seamlessly with Libby for me.

I forgot one more important thing: OverDrive only has a subset of the libraries on Libby, so it's possible for a library to be on Libby and be unavailable on Kobo.

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