I have switched from a 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite to a Kobo Libra Colour. I transferred my entire Kindle library to kepub with just two clicks using Calibre. With Kobo, I have access to Google Drive, Dropbox, Pocket… I can use digital books from public libraries, take notes, write… I’m happy to leave the Amazon ecosystem, and I’m saving money along the way.
I ended up doing this last night. I didn't realize you could do it more than once and continue to purchase through amazon when needed and move them over. I'm lazy and not super tech-savy, so I was happy there were so many videos to walk me through this. I need to learn how to maximize the use of the google drive now! Thanks!
Totally agree. I did the same this weekend. I may still purchase the odd 99p kindle offer sometimes, but I’ll be transferring them straight onto the Kobo! ❤
@@brianrolfsen9487 You do have to have an older Kindle on your account to be able to download and transfer your Amazon books. I have seen many people buy an old kindle on ebay really cheap just to have it registered to their account.
You are right about Authors being forced to exclusively sell on KU if they are participating in KU. I worked in publishing for small publishers for a few years and this really hurt the industry. Two small publishers I worked for ended up going under because of lost revenue because you're pretty much forced to sell on KU because readers prefer it, but then publishers/authors lose revenue from sales on Amazon plus many other retailers. It's a monopoly and should be illegal.
This is awful. I understand why authors do it to get their name out there, and Amazon makes it easy up front, but what bullshit. If an author gains enough of a following, can they later remove their work from KU and put it out in other places?
@ yes, they can take their books off of Kindle Unlimited and just sell on Amazon and then list at all resellers but as long as they are in KU they can’t. Authors have even lost their amazon accounts because their book was pirated on a site and Amazon dropped them and kept earning from the author and the author has to fight to get it all backs Amazon is AWFUL for authors and small publishers.
For books that are only on Amazon I still purchase them and side load them onto my Kobo using Calibre. It's super easy once you have everything set up. One thing a lot of reviews don't mention that is a game changer for me is the library organization. I used Calibre to tag all of my books and add them to their respective series. When I transferred them that auto put them into different collections for me. You can also filter your books via different settings. Trying to organize your books on a kindle is incredibly manual and difficult.
Yes to all of what you said. I was a kindle guy for many years but I changed to the Libra colour and I don't miss kindle. But of course I think it's a better fit for me but they are both excellent devices, and some differences are si subtle that it comes to personal preference. That being said, your suggestion about downloading Kindle books through calibre, I would strongly recommend that every kindle user does it even if they don't have a Kobo or other device. Kindle sometimes changes or even delete books for licencing matters and you would have a backup you can sideload to your kindle if that happens. It doesn't happens often, but it did happen and it could happen, so better be safe.
Everyone in the comments is so smart! I knew about Calibre, but for some reason I only thought of it as a one-time thing. Since I liked the idea of starting fresh on a new e-reader, I then forgot about this and never considered that I could KEEP using it as time went on. I ended up moving the books I wanted over to my kobo last night....and I might return my kindle. Thanks for the idea!
@@Kritz_Reads i think we will at some point, but as i've said with people is that amazon is a jugernaut that they are up against; and i believe many indie authors would like to join kobo. although they are stuck with some version of a exclusivity contract.
Thanks for the indepth review of these newer e-readers. I'm sticking with my Paperwhite for now, but I'll keep this review in mind when I'm ready to upgrade.
I had both and I found the Kobo to be very comfortable in the hand. The dealbreaker for me was that when you turned the Kobo, you could see the lights shining on the side of the screen. I wish Kobo had made the screen flush with the basil. I loved the color soft, but had to return it because of the yellow band at the bottom. Thanks for the comparison though. Now I sit with the color E reader.😢😅
I often find my dog hairs stuck in that little crease where the screen isn't flush, so I get what you mean. It is a bit annoying, but I can get past it.
I did a review on your presentation regarding the kobo libra colour where you explain about your pro and cons! I put info regarding offers on new kindle in the different colours and also that you can transfer your kindle books to the kobo! Good reviews and presentation. Comments I made just before this!
Thanks for the video. I love my Colorsoft. I tried the kobo. Loved it too. But being color and reading comics sometimes. The panel view made my final decision to go with the kindle. Though I loved the brightness adjustment with kobo. Maybe I’ll end up getting a kobo again if they go on sale.
If I read comics more, I would also go with the kindle. It chugs a LOT slower on the kobo. Hopefully, in time we will see the tech get better and better
Now that you have both, what do you think? Are you leaning any one way? After being told about using Calibre to be able to buy independent authors on amazon and switch them to my kobo....I'm starting to think I might return my kindle
@@Kritz_Reads The problem is...I like both. I much prefer the design and the look of the Kobo Libra: it's white, very easy to hold and has page turn buttons. It doesn't look anything like a phone or a tablet, which I love. On the other hand, I'm so used to Kindles that the Colorsoft is very easy to use for me so I'll probably keep both even though my Colorsoft has the infamous "yellow band" at the bottom of the screen but it doesn't bother me that much and it's not visible at all in certain lighting conditions and settings.
Thank for the review of both devices. I currently have the antique kindle Oasis, lol. I want the Kobo, but my Oasis is still running perfectly. I didn’t know about the whole kindle unlimited thing, that is so crazy. It actually makes me want to get the Kobo even more. What Amazon is doing seems wrong to me 🤷🏽♀️
I never had an Oasis, but people who have them seem to love it. Kobo is similar because it has those page turn buttons. If your oasis ever breaks, at least you know you have another option! And I agree...it does seem wrong
My kobo came in today. Omg I did not Know I needed color until now. My Pw came in today too….im on my kobo. When the color soft comes in I’ll probably get it too and give my wife the new Pw. Yes, I need both cause unlimited is a thing. Other than that, I buy the kindle book and transfer to kobo via calibre.
I agree about needing both...though I like your idea about purchasing and transferring as a work around for those indie authors I miss on the kobo. For now, I'm happy to use both!
Thank you so much. Great video. Also when you get a new kindle and you try to transfer via usb to use your purchase book on your kobo you can’t per other users. Can your next video talk about that? Just to make sure I am correct?
I used the transfer via usb last night to get all my kindle books over to my kobo. There are many videos on youtube that helped walk me through this. There are a few steps you have to take to get it set up, but once you do, it looks like it will just take a few clicks to continue to purchase books via amazon and transfer them to kobo. The worst part is that you have to do each book one by one. The whole thing took me about an hour to set up/figure out/ transfer.
Thanks for the breakdown of the two devices. I pulled screengrabs of your side-by-side of the tea party in the graphic novel and then compared them to the Google Books image of the same scene. The interesting thing is that the Kindle is color accurate in everything except saturation. With the Kindle the saturation is uniformly off by 10%. I imagine it's as close as they could get.
I love that you did all that to get the info! I think this is as good as the tech is right now and still have the the e ink. I enjoy it for what it is though !
I have a question about the availability of books on the Kobo. I know that you cannot side-load Kindle Unlikited books from the kindle to your Kobo because the drm is different and you don’t technically own those. But if you pay full price for the book on kindle, upload it to Calibre and sideload it to your Kobo will that bypass the downside of the Kobo store being smaller?
YES! I knew about Calibre, but for some reason my mind thought of it as a one-time transferring of books. Since I made this video, I have used it and transferred the ones I want to my kobo. I can continue to purchase books through amazon and use calibre to move them to my kobo. It is an extra step, but possible!
@@Kritz_Reads thank you for the response! I was hoping that was the case; I have a paperwhite but I just bought a kobo libra color and I was hoping I could do this.
@trashpandarabie5972 I'm sure it happens, but I have not personally had an instance where I couldn't find the book I was looking for on the Kobo store.
You can download ebooks for your old Kindle, put the serial number in calibre, and transfer them to the kobo. Slight hassle, no need to buy the 2nd one.
For some reason, I thought of using Calibre as a one-time thing. After getting quite a few comments like this, I decided to take your advice and I returned the kindle. Kobo and I are very happy together ☺️
@@Kritz_Reads Thanks. I have four library cards. I have lived in areas with multiple library systems and I have discovered that library cards don’t expire.
@@anotherbibliophilereads nice! I wish I had more than one. I think MJ said in her video you have to erase and input each one every time. I can see how that would be a pain.
Good comparison. I bought the Colorsoft two weeks ago but I'm returning it. I could live with the yellow gradient at the bottom but what I can't get used to is lack of page turn buttons. The Kobo Libre Colour sounds great but I enjoy queer romance and there are books on Kindle Unlimited that are not available on Kobo. I'm sticking with my 2019 Kindle Oasis with the obsolete USB. Kobo needs to woo authors away from Kindle.
After making this video, many people have pointed out to me that you can continue to purchase books from amazon authors and use a program to send them to your kobo. (only with books you purchased, so not books you don't technically own through KU). There are many step by step videos on YT that walks you through this process (thankfully, because I didn't know what I was doing). So the good news is....if you really want a color device with buttons, you can get the kobo and still support these indie authors. It will be an extra step using your computer to get them to your device...but it is possible!
So, now that you know you can convert content from Amazon through Calibre to your Kobo, are your considering ditching the Kindle? I ask, because I just got a 7th gen Kindle off eBay specifically to get content for my Kobo.😁
I already returned the kindle after many pointed out that I could purchase those items through amazon and transfer. I find my kobo way more comfortable to hold, and it has the ability to write on the page. bye kindle!
@@Kritz_Reads Thank you very much! As I understand it, you may still need a Kindle to get the files, which is why I got the cheapest version I could find on eBay. But I’ll be using the Kobo. I especially like that it interfaces with public libraries.
hi, your video is very good, but i know there is the button for page colour, do it different from black and white for reading page, since i would like to have color cover, but inside page of book always black and white is enough, do it do that? is it page colour is 150ppi while bw page is 300ppi?
You can go into settings and change it to be blackout mode within the book only (not in the menus). I personally never use this mode, so I forgot to mention it, but I've seen others say that it doesn't get as black as a paperwhite, and it isn't "true blackout mode" because the main menu will still be in regular mode. I hope that helps!
I did when I first received it and didn’t notice much of a difference. If you have any tricks of letting us know where we change the settings I’ll definitely try it out 🙂
@@jamie_dag To access the hidden developer’s settings menu, go to the search bar, type in devmodeon, and exit the search bar. Next, visit the settings menu, select device information, and select developer options. On page 2 of developer options, select CFA and a sidebar will open that allows you to change the various colour modes
My kobo came in today. Omg I did not Know I needed color until now. My Pw came in today too….im on my kobo. When the color soft comes in I’ll probably get it too and give my wife the new Pw. Yes, I need both cause unlimited is a thing. Other than that, I buy it and transfer to kobo.
100%. Kobo plus did nothing for me. I think it just makes sense for these smaller authors to put their work onto KU, but then they have a hold on those titles over at amazon.
The reason KU has so many more titles, especially from indie authors ,is because they force authors into exclusivity contracts and they can not sell anywhere else while they are participating in KU. It's bad for authors and consumers but great for Amazon 🫠
I have switched from a 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite to a Kobo Libra Colour.
I transferred my entire Kindle library to kepub with just two clicks using Calibre.
With Kobo, I have access to Google Drive, Dropbox, Pocket… I can use digital books from public libraries, take notes, write… I’m happy to leave the Amazon ecosystem, and I’m saving money along the way.
I ended up doing this last night. I didn't realize you could do it more than once and continue to purchase through amazon when needed and move them over. I'm lazy and not super tech-savy, so I was happy there were so many videos to walk me through this. I need to learn how to maximize the use of the google drive now! Thanks!
Totally agree. I did the same this weekend. I may still purchase the odd 99p kindle offer sometimes, but I’ll be transferring them straight onto the Kobo! ❤
Do you need a Kindle to be able to convert using Calibre? I found a tutorial but you needed to have a Kindle and input the serial number.
@@brianrolfsen9487 You do have to have an older Kindle on your account to be able to download and transfer your Amazon books. I have seen many people buy an old kindle on ebay really cheap just to have it registered to their account.
@brianrolfsen9487 As far as I know you do need a Kindle. That's how I did it.
You are right about Authors being forced to exclusively sell on KU if they are participating in KU. I worked in publishing for small publishers for a few years and this really hurt the industry. Two small publishers I worked for ended up going under because of lost revenue because you're pretty much forced to sell on KU because readers prefer it, but then publishers/authors lose revenue from sales on Amazon plus many other retailers. It's a monopoly and should be illegal.
This is awful. I understand why authors do it to get their name out there, and Amazon makes it easy up front, but what bullshit. If an author gains enough of a following, can they later remove their work from KU and put it out in other places?
@ yes, they can take their books off of Kindle Unlimited and just sell on Amazon and then list at all resellers but as long as they are in KU they can’t. Authors have even lost their amazon accounts because their book was pirated on a site and Amazon dropped them and kept earning from the author and the author has to fight to get it all backs Amazon is AWFUL for authors and small publishers.
For books that are only on Amazon I still purchase them and side load them onto my Kobo using Calibre. It's super easy once you have everything set up.
One thing a lot of reviews don't mention that is a game changer for me is the library organization. I used Calibre to tag all of my books and add them to their respective series. When I transferred them that auto put them into different collections for me. You can also filter your books via different settings.
Trying to organize your books on a kindle is incredibly manual and difficult.
Yes to all of what you said. I was a kindle guy for many years but I changed to the Libra colour and I don't miss kindle. But of course I think it's a better fit for me but they are both excellent devices, and some differences are si subtle that it comes to personal preference.
That being said, your suggestion about downloading Kindle books through calibre, I would strongly recommend that every kindle user does it even if they don't have a Kobo or other device. Kindle sometimes changes or even delete books for licencing matters and you would have a backup you can sideload to your kindle if that happens. It doesn't happens often, but it did happen and it could happen, so better be safe.
Everyone in the comments is so smart! I knew about Calibre, but for some reason I only thought of it as a one-time thing. Since I liked the idea of starting fresh on a new e-reader, I then forgot about this and never considered that I could KEEP using it as time went on. I ended up moving the books I wanted over to my kobo last night....and I might return my kindle. Thanks for the idea!
Ive been so tempted to get a kobo. Still lots of life left in my kindle so maybe when it dies. Great video!
I just wish we could get those indie authors on the kobo!
@@Kritz_Reads i think we will at some point, but as i've said with people is that amazon is a jugernaut that they are up against; and i believe many indie authors would like to join kobo. although they are stuck with some version of a exclusivity contract.
Thanks for the indepth review of these newer e-readers. I'm sticking with my Paperwhite for now, but I'll keep this review in mind when I'm ready to upgrade.
I ended up returning the kindle and just going to be using my kobo. I loved my paperwhite for many years, but I was happy to try something new
Great video! One of the best reviews I've seen since the release of the colorsoft Thanks so much!
Thank you!
I really enjoyed your video! Thanks for your insights.
Thank you so much !
I had both and I found the Kobo to be very comfortable in the hand. The dealbreaker for me was that when you turned the Kobo, you could see the lights shining on the side of the screen. I wish Kobo had made the screen flush with the basil. I loved the color soft, but had to return it because of the yellow band at the bottom. Thanks for the comparison though. Now I sit with the color E reader.😢😅
I often find my dog hairs stuck in that little crease where the screen isn't flush, so I get what you mean. It is a bit annoying, but I can get past it.
I did a review on your presentation regarding the kobo libra colour where you explain about your pro and cons! I put info regarding offers on new kindle in the different colours and also that you can transfer your kindle books to the kobo! Good reviews and presentation. Comments I made just before this!
Thanks for the video. I love my Colorsoft. I tried the kobo. Loved it too. But being color and reading comics sometimes. The panel view made my final decision to go with the kindle. Though I loved the brightness adjustment with kobo. Maybe I’ll end up getting a kobo again if they go on sale.
If I read comics more, I would also go with the kindle. It chugs a LOT slower on the kobo. Hopefully, in time we will see the tech get better and better
Such a great breakdown!! 👏🏻
I couldn't decide which one to get so I got both. 😂
Now that you have both, what do you think? Are you leaning any one way? After being told about using Calibre to be able to buy independent authors on amazon and switch them to my kobo....I'm starting to think I might return my kindle
@@Kritz_Reads The problem is...I like both. I much prefer the design and the look of the Kobo Libra: it's white, very easy to hold and has page turn buttons. It doesn't look anything like a phone or a tablet, which I love. On the other hand, I'm so used to Kindles that the Colorsoft is very easy to use for me so I'll probably keep both even though my Colorsoft has the infamous "yellow band" at the bottom of the screen but it doesn't bother me that much and it's not visible at all in certain lighting conditions and settings.
@@xavierrethore3778 it doesn't bother me either. Nothing wrong with keeping both if you can use them both!
@@Kritz_Reads Yes, I'm gonna keep them both and use them both. 🤩
Thank for the review of both devices. I currently have the antique kindle Oasis, lol. I want the Kobo, but my Oasis is still running perfectly. I didn’t know about the whole kindle unlimited thing, that is so crazy. It actually makes me want to get the Kobo even more. What Amazon is doing seems wrong to me 🤷🏽♀️
I never had an Oasis, but people who have them seem to love it. Kobo is similar because it has those page turn buttons. If your oasis ever breaks, at least you know you have another option! And I agree...it does seem wrong
My kobo came in today. Omg I did not Know I needed color until now. My Pw came in today too….im on my kobo.
When the color soft comes in I’ll probably get it too and give my wife the new Pw.
Yes, I need both cause unlimited is a thing. Other than that, I buy the kindle book and transfer to kobo via calibre.
I agree about needing both...though I like your idea about purchasing and transferring as a work around for those indie authors I miss on the kobo. For now, I'm happy to use both!
Thank you so much. Great video. Also when you get a new kindle and you try to transfer via usb to use your purchase book on your kobo you can’t per other users. Can your next video talk about that? Just to make sure I am correct?
I used the transfer via usb last night to get all my kindle books over to my kobo. There are many videos on youtube that helped walk me through this. There are a few steps you have to take to get it set up, but once you do, it looks like it will just take a few clicks to continue to purchase books via amazon and transfer them to kobo. The worst part is that you have to do each book one by one. The whole thing took me about an hour to set up/figure out/ transfer.
Really great comparison!
Thanks, Olly! I ended up returning my coloursoft after I realized how easy calibre was and that I could keep transferring things over if need be.
Thanks for the breakdown of the two devices. I pulled screengrabs of your side-by-side of the tea party in the graphic novel and then compared them to the Google Books image of the same scene. The interesting thing is that the Kindle is color accurate in everything except saturation. With the Kindle the saturation is uniformly off by 10%. I imagine it's as close as they could get.
I love that you did all that to get the info! I think this is as good as the tech is right now and still have the the e ink. I enjoy it for what it is though !
I have a question about the availability of books on the Kobo. I know that you cannot side-load Kindle Unlikited books from the kindle to your Kobo because the drm is different and you don’t technically own those. But if you pay full price for the book on kindle, upload it to Calibre and sideload it to your Kobo will that bypass the downside of the Kobo store being smaller?
Good question. I don't mind buying ebooks, especially from independent authors.
YES! I knew about Calibre, but for some reason my mind thought of it as a one-time transferring of books. Since I made this video, I have used it and transferred the ones I want to my kobo. I can continue to purchase books through amazon and use calibre to move them to my kobo. It is an extra step, but possible!
@@Kritz_Reads thank you for the response! I was hoping that was the case; I have a paperwhite but I just bought a kobo libra color and I was hoping I could do this.
@trashpandarabie5972 I'm sure it happens, but I have not personally had an instance where I couldn't find the book I was looking for on the Kobo store.
You can download ebooks for your old Kindle, put the serial number in calibre, and transfer them to the kobo. Slight hassle, no need to buy the 2nd one.
For some reason, I thought of using Calibre as a one-time thing. After getting quite a few comments like this, I decided to take your advice and I returned the kindle. Kobo and I are very happy together ☺️
Are you able to link more than one library on the Kobo?
I only have one library card myself, but I've seen in other videos that you cannot have multiple libraries
@@Kritz_Reads Thanks. I have four library cards. I have lived in areas with multiple library systems and I have discovered that library cards don’t expire.
@@anotherbibliophilereads nice! I wish I had more than one. I think MJ said in her video you have to erase and input each one every time. I can see how that would be a pain.
@@anotherbibliophilereadssame 😂
@anotherbibliophilereads
You have to sign out and pull up the next library. There is no need to type the information each time.
Good comparison. I bought the Colorsoft two weeks ago but I'm returning it. I could live with the yellow gradient at the bottom but what I can't get used to is lack of page turn buttons. The Kobo Libre Colour sounds great but I enjoy queer romance and there are books on Kindle Unlimited that are not available on Kobo. I'm sticking with my 2019 Kindle Oasis with the obsolete USB. Kobo needs to woo authors away from Kindle.
After making this video, many people have pointed out to me that you can continue to purchase books from amazon authors and use a program to send them to your kobo. (only with books you purchased, so not books you don't technically own through KU). There are many step by step videos on YT that walks you through this process (thankfully, because I didn't know what I was doing). So the good news is....if you really want a color device with buttons, you can get the kobo and still support these indie authors. It will be an extra step using your computer to get them to your device...but it is possible!
🖤📚
So, now that you know you can convert content from Amazon through Calibre to your Kobo, are your considering ditching the Kindle? I ask, because I just got a 7th gen Kindle off eBay specifically to get content for my Kobo.😁
I already returned the kindle after many pointed out that I could purchase those items through amazon and transfer. I find my kobo way more comfortable to hold, and it has the ability to write on the page. bye kindle!
@@Kritz_Reads Thank you very much! As I understand it, you may still need a Kindle to get the files, which is why I got the cheapest version I could find on eBay. But I’ll be using the Kobo. I especially like that it interfaces with public libraries.
hi, your video is very good, but i know there is the button for page colour, do it different from black and white for reading page, since i would like to have color cover, but inside page of book always black and white is enough, do it do that? is it page colour is 150ppi while bw page is 300ppi?
You can go into settings and change it to be blackout mode within the book only (not in the menus). I personally never use this mode, so I forgot to mention it, but I've seen others say that it doesn't get as black as a paperwhite, and it isn't "true blackout mode" because the main menu will still be in regular mode. I hope that helps!
You can adjust the color on you Kobo to make it more vivid.
How?
I did when I first received it and didn’t notice much of a difference. If you have any tricks of letting us know where we change the settings I’ll definitely try it out 🙂
@@jamie_dag To access the hidden developer’s settings menu, go to the search bar, type in devmodeon, and exit the search bar. Next, visit the settings menu, select device information, and select developer options. On page 2 of developer options, select CFA and a sidebar will open that allows you to change the various colour modes
@@jamie_dagjust search for kobo libra developer mode on you tube for how to do it, it’s very simple
My kobo came in today. Omg I did not Know I needed color until now. My Pw came in today too….im on my kobo.
When the color soft comes in I’ll probably get it too and give my wife the new Pw.
Yes, I need both cause unlimited is a thing. Other than that, I buy it and transfer to kobo.
I liked my kobo but I hated Kobo Plus. KU has a way bigger and better selection.
100%. Kobo plus did nothing for me. I think it just makes sense for these smaller authors to put their work onto KU, but then they have a hold on those titles over at amazon.
The reason KU has so many more titles, especially from indie authors ,is because they force authors into exclusivity contracts and they can not sell anywhere else while they are participating in KU. It's bad for authors and consumers but great for Amazon 🫠