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[Backorder] Kobo Elipsa 10.3" E-Reader $509.15, Kobo Forma 8" $364.95 + Delivery ($0 to Select Area) @ JB Hi-Fi

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[Backorder] Kobo Elipsa 10.3" E-Reader $509.15, Kobo Forma 8" $364.95 + Delivery ($0 to Select Area) @ JB Hi-Fi
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LPolytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:01 jbhifi.com.au (551 clicks)
Last edited 21/07/2021 - 00:53 by 1 other user
ONLINE15

First post. I've had my eye on these for a while, and these seem to be all-time low prices for both devices. I've been looking for an e-reader for academic PDFs + simple highlighting/note-taking (+ no web browser distractions), and the Elipsa almost perfectly fits the bill. Includes Overdrive (allowing you to "borrow" books from your library) and no Amazon DRM. I'm getting free delivery when I add either to my cart (Sydney region).

The Elipsa was released in June 2021, and given Kobo's reluctance to discount (due to pandemic e-reader popularity), I doubt we're going to see it cheaper for some time.

The Kobo Elipsa comes with an active stylus for note-taking and (icky-coloured) Sleepcover. It has 32GB storage, dropbox integration, and reviews generally agree it is has the sharpest screen for a 10" e-ink tablet (at 227 PPI). It has a front light (but only white, not yellow light) and weighs 383g. Has a USB-C port and sadly not waterproof.

There is a great review of the Elipsa here (yeah I watched 2+ hours of it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6kA3-XvvmE&list=PLsSI9-gaSS…

The Kobo Forma is waterproof, has an even higher definition 8" 330 PPI screen, 8GB of storage and 512MB RAM. It weighs 197g. The screen is flush with the bezels (same as the Elipsa), there are great page turn buttons, and an adjustable front light (including colour temperature). Unfortunately a Micro USB port. The way to go if you're going to primarily be reading ePubs.

Battery life is weeks for both devices. Delivery estimate is 06/08/21, which is reasonable for me.

Original Coupon Deal

Electrical & Electronics eBook Reader Kobo

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closed Comments

  • AustriaBargain on 21/07/2021 - 00:05
    -4

    How it compare to Kindle? I had a kobo years ago and it was instant garbage.

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:55
      +3

      Not sure what the old Kobos were like (I remember hating how slow/low-def eReaders used to be, so I never got one), but I think they are pretty comparable to Kindle quality-wise now, at least from the Clara HD up (I wouldn't get any eReader without a flush screen).

      The Forma's chief competitor is the Kindle Oasis — main advantage of Kobo is no compulsory DRM (so sideload all your own ePubs + PDFs), Dropbox and Overdrive integration, + 1 inch bigger screen.

      The Kindle Oasis is much cheaper, though: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/11/kobo-forma-review-a-…

      Kindle doesn't really have anything like the Elipsa out. The competitors to the Elipsa are the Remarkable 2 and eTablets from companies like Boox, which are pretty different all round (with their own sets of advantages/disadvantages, as the latter are full android devices).

    • koplik8 on 21/07/2021 - 07:52
      +1

      I agree with you. My step Dad had one and it was rubbish

    • Wildozer on 21/07/2021 - 09:07
      +1

      I have a kobo libra and my mum has an entry level kindle. Maybe the one up from entry level.
      I find the kobo much nicer. Easier to navigate and less bloated. When i first bought the kobo it had a crappy dictionary but it now has the oxford which was a huge improvement. I have not used the store on either one so I can't comment on that aspect. Maybe things have changed since you purchased

      • AustriaBargain on 21/07/2021 - 19:38

        I don't use the Kindle store either, I just right click my sourced ebooks on my computer and choose "Send to Kindle".

  • GreyMann on 21/07/2021 - 00:10
    +3

    How it compares with remarkable 2?

    • juns on 21/07/2021 - 00:16

      curious to know about this too

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:20
      +2

      General consensus is that the note-taking on the Elipsa is significantly worse (although the handwriting -> text conversion is excellent). The stock stylus is average and stroke detection is much slower (though it seems the latter could be improved with a software update, although you shouldn't count on it).

      However, the Elipsa's ability to read PDFs is much, much better — the Remarkable 2's software is pretty embarrassing, in this regard — and you can easily sync with dropbox, rather than go through the Remarkable's cloud storage. This is basically a must for me as I have a bunch of shared academic folders on dropbox.

      I seriously considered the Remarkable 2, but the crappy PDF software, lack of reading light, and the fact it was not suited for left-handers (the uneven top/bottom bezels mean you can't flip around the device), made me decide against it. The Remarkable 2 would still be better if you primarily wanted a note-taking device, though, whereas I'll be mostly just marking up PDFs.

      • Ahan on 21/07/2021 - 06:31
        +1

        My ereaders are a Kobo 8 inch and a Boox note 2. Display quality on Kobo is significantly better but the versatility of Boox is insane given it’s android base.

        Sold my Kindle recently because its usage is too limited and can be replaced by Boox Kindle app.

  • belongsinforums on 21/07/2021 - 00:14

    insane price for an e-reader. i had a big kindle back in the day and it was nowhere near this expensive. im no apple fan but get an ipad at this price, especially for pdfs

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:23
      +1

      Yeah, definitely specialist devices, I'd only recommend them for niche uses (such as reading a hell of a lot of PDFs). I've been using a 2 in 1 for reading PDFs, and the backlit screen has been getting to me (the eyes!) + I want to avoid the wanton delights of a web-browser.

      Edit: def agree that an iPad is better suited to most users at this price point.

    • Tekuza on 21/07/2021 - 00:45
      +1

      If you're speaking about the Forma I agree very prich for an ereader as have had them from Sony, Nook and Kobo days and still have my waterproof Kobo Aura which I still use and was nowhere near these price points.
      If you're referring to the Elipsa, it's a completely different category as Polytrope mentioned. These are targeted for ppl who want an eink note taking device. Agree about your comment about the ipad which is what I use my surface pro and go for during work and studies. But I'm planning to invest in an eink device like this for all my meetings and the good ones in my opinion are currently at this price. The turn off from most eink note taking devices these days, like most manufacturers is they're removing the SD/Micro SD card which is a huge let down. Would prefer the option to keep and read all my books on the one device and use it for work and home, as limited to memory is a bad thing if you read lots of PDF, Manga or Comics. Sorry for the long reply, but hope it helps anyone to understand the difference between the two hence a specialised device at this current time. I'm expein the future all of them might just have a pen option or accessory,but I'm certain the manufacturers are going to milk it.

  • nfr on 21/07/2021 - 00:25

    I was interested in Elipsa, but after watching hours of videos by my deep guide I realised what I need is max lumi.

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:30

      The lumi def has some advantages, but that price tag tho… :'(

      I'll see how I go, the Elipsa isn't perfect (waterproofing + colour temperature are at the top of my wishlist) but close enough for me.

    • y12345678 on 09/08/2021 - 22:36

      Lumi is great other than its weight.

  • thangcuoi on 21/07/2021 - 00:28
    +1

    The Kobo Eclipse is getting almost weekly update. They are still ironing out the bugs.

  • mr_asstight on 21/07/2021 - 00:30

    Can I load my downloaded PDFs and EPUB files for reading on these?

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 00:34
      +4

      Yes you can — not a locked down ecosystem like Kindle (which is why I would never consider a kindle).

      • mr_asstight on 21/07/2021 - 00:39

        Nice!

      • belongsinforums on 21/07/2021 - 01:11

        I put pdfs on my kindles. Not sure what you're talking about

        • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 01:29

          You can't load ePubs on Kindles natively (they need to be converted to mobi via Calibre, etc) + no dropbox integration. Good to know about the PDFs, looks like it was much more of a pain on the older Kindles than now. How do you load them — do you email your kindle and is the performance/rendering alright? Screen size is probably the biggest issue for PDFs on Kindles now, I guess.

          • Newgod on 21/07/2021 - 02:04
            +1

            @Polytrope: I usually transfer PDFs via email but for large files (>25Mb), cable is required. Rendering is decent on my 2019 Paperwhite, I can read PDF containing multiple images without much lagging. For journal articles, PDFs are mostly not ideal for small screens due to the common multiple-column format. If a PDF is too hard to read, I either get epub papers from Pubmed or convert to epub myself using Python. A bigger screen e-reader would be great but the current Kindle can still satisfy my needs.

            • bindok on 21/07/2021 - 09:53
              +1

              @Newgod: Email the PDF to your Kindle address with the subject line “Convert”. Your PDF will get converted to an EPUB before being delivered. No need for manual conversion.

              • Newgod on 21/07/2021 - 11:39

                @bindok: Thanks mate, I tried this but the format was broken in multiple-column PDF files. I manually convert to EPUB from the web page (the journal website), not PDF though.

                • bindok on 21/07/2021 - 19:21
                  +1

                  @Newgod: No worries. Calibre is another excellent option to manage and convert Ebooks.

  • 0zbargained on 21/07/2021 - 00:39

    How does Eclipse compare with Reinkstone R1?

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 17:49

      The Reinkstone R1 is great on paper, but I'll believe it once I see it.
      The company which is launching the device on kickstarter crowdfunded another e-note device called the Wisky EE Write, which was an "unmitigated disaster", and less than 30% of backers got their incredibly buggy product: https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/hands-on-review-of-the-…

      The review above is not promising at all. The underlying tech is pretty interesting, though.

  • Newgod on 21/07/2021 - 02:47

    Thanks OP for the useful info. Do you have any recommendations for colour e-readers? I'm very keen on getting one but imo the new technology still needs much improvements to justify its cost.

    • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 18:02
      +1

      Yeah, same here, I agree about the technology — colour e-ink readers are too expensive and underdeveloped in their current state.

      As you perhaps know, as well as being low res, colour e-ink currently makes the display of black/white images considerably worse, because the white background of the display has to be obstructed by the RGB stripes of the "passive color filter". This means you need to shine more light on the device to read it, even with the newer e-ink tech, and the screen is worse all round. Though colour would def be nice to have, the worse B/W display is basically a deal breaker for me.

      The best colour e-ink device is probably the Boox Nova 3, I think, but you might not want this form factor and it makes a lot of compromises. It's still not very vibrant and you apparently need a light to read it indoors: https://www.mydeepguide.com/post/boox-nova-3-color-review

      • Polytrope on 21/07/2021 - 18:09
        +1

        P.s. there is some good research on much better e-ink tech, but it's still pretty far from being seen in commercial products: https://news.cision.com/chalmers/r/new-electronic-paper-disp…
        We might see some more incremental improvements in the meantime, though.

        • Newgod on 21/07/2021 - 19:22

          Thanks Polytrope, agree with your solid points. Even on the flagship colour e-reader Boox Nova 3, the render ghosting and low res issue totally put me off. Your attached research on the new reflective e-paper reminded me of the reflective LCD, a worthwhile competitor of e-ink. The coming TCL NXTPAPER is a highly anticipated example, it has the ability to switch between reflective and backlight mode so is somewhat like a hybrid between e-ink and LCD.

  • Will Mcdonald on 21/07/2021 - 12:35

    Not as nice looking or well designed as the remarkable 2. But cheaper than the remarkable 2.

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