> Kudos to Kobo for keeping their system so open. These days it’s not that common
This is such an underrated feature. I used to own a Kindle before, and now a Kobo Libra. I'm very pleased and satisfied with the Kobo - something I rarely feel about consumer devices these days. Kobo should be proud of themselves for sticking to the principle. I will not spend my money on anything less open when it's time to replace it. I hope the vendors take note.
Freedom and openness should be considered as a feature for any product - perhaps the most important one. And us, consumers need to encourage and if possible, force the vendors using our collective purchasing power, to offer us that feature. I may be preaching to the choir here. But this message is well worth spreading among the public. Please do.
PS: I have seen DIY devices that are more open than Kobo. But Kobo is also the most viable option here. Please mention any alternatives that you know of.
I've never touched the OS, but I've had four generations of Barnes & Noble Nook e-ink devices. I add a launcher via ADB and then can install any Android software. I usually only use them for AnkiDroid.
Pocketbook is the main alternative. Hardware better than Kobo imo (e.g. their 6-inch eReader has buttons, Kobo's doesn't), and the software is even more open.
Pocketbook has far worse service and are not easily available in the US. Their use of flat bezels means that any small fall or bump will destroy the screen too.
I appreciate the aesthetic of flat bezels, but I find cases more annoying than bezels so I go for bezels to avoid needing to buy a new reader every 6 months to a year. My flat-bezeled Onyx Boox and Pocketbook readers have proven much more fragile than my fully-bezeled Kobos and old Kindle.
This is such an underrated feature. I used to own a Kindle before, and now a Kobo Libra. I'm very pleased and satisfied with the Kobo - something I rarely feel about consumer devices these days. Kobo should be proud of themselves for sticking to the principle. I will not spend my money on anything less open when it's time to replace it. I hope the vendors take note.
Freedom and openness should be considered as a feature for any product - perhaps the most important one. And us, consumers need to encourage and if possible, force the vendors using our collective purchasing power, to offer us that feature. I may be preaching to the choir here. But this message is well worth spreading among the public. Please do.
PS: I have seen DIY devices that are more open than Kobo. But Kobo is also the most viable option here. Please mention any alternatives that you know of.