This is just a quick note to mention that I won’t be posting a dedicated hands-on review of the Kobo Glo HD on The-eBook-Reader.com.
I’ve posted reviews, video walkthroughs, tutorials, and comparisons of all the different Kobo ebook readers released up until now, but the Kobo Glo HD is where that ends.
Kobo apparently has no interest in accommodating potential customers in the US, where this website is based, so I’ve decided to stop reviewing and thus recommending Kobo ereaders until that changes.
I just wanted to let people know what’s going on so they aren’t waiting ages for me to post a review. There are lots of ebook readers that I don’t review because they aren’t available in the US, PocketBooks, Cybooks, Tolino, and now Kobo is getting added to the list. It’s no big deal. It’s just the nature of the business.
Sorry to leave you folks with reviews posted by people that don’t use ebook readers regularly or even know the difference between a frontlight and a backlight, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. I apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully Kobo will provide more buying options in the US in the near future.
The next article is a roundup of Kobo Glo HD reviews with videos already posted for the Glo HD so you can at least get an idea of what to expect from the device.
Update: I decided to give in and order a Glo HD from Chapters.Indigo to review after all. As mentioned in the comments, you have to enter your address at Chapters before choosing PayPal to avoid an error message that prevents completing the order (that was the final straw that prompted me to post this article in the first place, but since there’s a workaround I was willing to try again).
I completely understand and agree with this policy — it’s a shame because I have definitely been interested in Kobo since they come out with the H2O a while back. Oh well, if they don’t have any interest in our market they can’t expect us to be interested in their product.
You realize that the internet is not limited to the United States and there are plenty of English speakers globally that are interested in a Kobo Glo HD review, right? You realize that it’s rather arrogant for you to withhold information for what the entire fundamental concept of what this site is based off of, right? You realize that there will be other sites that will pick up where your bizarre sense of self-righteous patriotism left off, right? You’re doing nothing but harming your site and brand by omitting the Glo from your reviews.
Keep it up if you want to keep losing visitors, because you sure lost this one.
Sorry you feel that way but how do you expect me to buy a Kobo Glo HD to review if it isn’t sold anywhere in the US? The only place it sells from is Kobo’s website, and I decided last year when I bought the Aura H2O that I would not be placing any more orders from there because they don’t give any shipping or tracking information whatsoever, so you have no idea when it’s going to arrive or by what carrier or if it’s even shipped or not. I tried to order from Chapters a couple times but it would not accept my US address, even though others from the US have ordered from there successfully. I’ve tried contacting Kobo through various means and never get anywhere.
I just wanted to let people know the truth so they aren’t waiting ages for me to post a review. There are lots of ebook readers that I don’t review because they aren’t available in the US, and now Kobo is getting added to the list. It’s no big deal, just the nature of the business.
So you are essentially saying you give Kobo bad press because they do not provide a tracking number?
The US is dominated by Amazon and it’s not surprising to see Kobo concentrating on markets where they have a better edge. Their service in Canada is excellent, fast and reliable. They have more non-english content than Amazon, they support epub but in the US, the market goes another way.
Not bad press. I’m not saying don’t buy Kobos. More like no press. Because of lack of buying options. So I won’t be able to review and thus recommend them anymore. Tracking numbers are very important when you’re going to be away from home and want to avoid an expensive device potentially sitting in the rain for three days, although I guess that wouldn’t be a problem with the H2O…
Buying from indigo.ca doesn’t work for you?
No, it doesn’t work for me for some reason. It always comes back saying there’s an error with my address even though everything’s entered correctly.
If you used Paypal then you need to wait until after you enter your address on the Chapters Indigo site and then choose the Paypal option and not the option that is given at the beginning. I had the same problem and this worked. If you used a credit card it could be that you need to let them know about the purchase being an international one and then place your order. But since it mentioned the invalid address I figure you probably used PayPal because that is the exact problem I had.
Good tip. That’s probably it because PayPal enters the info automatically.
I’ve had the same issue in South Africa. Although the lower end Kobo reader is available here, and I bought it, when I wanted to upgrade the better models were just not for sale here. So I ended up buying a Kindle Paperwhite. Really tragic that they throttle their own business like this.
I don’t blame you. I’m a frustrated U.S. Kobo customer too. When I ordered my Kobo Aura HD, it didn’t ship until after I contacted them to find out what had happened. It then took about a week. I live in Detroit, a few hours from Kobo in Toronto. Things I’ve ordered from Amazon Canada have taken 2 or 3 days to get here from Toronto. I purchased my H2O from an ebay seller because I wasn’t going through that again.
Far more important than tracking numbers and PayPal address exchange shortcomings is the Amazon monopoly. I love my Paperwhite, but we need other vendors, especially ones that support non-proprietary formats. If the Glo HD is as good as the Voyage at a much better price, we need to spread the word in the U.S.
I ordered a Glo HD from the Kobo website price listed at 129.99 and was charged 106.86 plus a foreign transaction fee of 3.16 (both charges in US dollars). This is weird since my books have always been charged the price listed on the website with no foreign transaction fee. Still don’t know when they plan to ship …
I value your reviews and am sad that you’ve had to remove Kobo from your list. I can understand why you don’t want to mess around with them tho. Amazon makes the ordering process so painless! With Kobo, I can’t even check open orders ;(
Maybe my Canadian VPN confused them ;p
On a sidenote I’d just like to add that I’m not totally sorry for you in the states 😉 For so long I’ve paid double for Kindle to get one to Sweden and there are a ton of sellers who just wont ship stuff at all.
Welcome to the dark, sorry, I meant sad side. 🙁
Welcome to the way the people in Canada feel being unable to order a Voyage almost a year after it came out.
Not sure but the delay might be because of patent issues regarding haptic feedback in Canada.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2750759/summary.html
Also, it hasn’t been out anywhere close to a year (I’m sure it probably feels like it though), more like 5 months, and in stock availability didn’t stabilize until about 2 months ago, so it could be a supply issue as well.
Hi from Switzerland,
For us getting things is outrageously expensive due to market protection laws and powerful groups. So for example, buying from dx.com is a no-go. Buying electronic goods from amazon is also impossible, but for the Kindle. BTW there’s no Swiss amazon!
So I understand the issue… But we do have access to the glo here 🙂 FNAC is serving their market first…
Not sure if it’s a patent issue, especially since the PW1 didn’t show up until like two MONTHS in Canada before the PW2 came out in the States.
As for a supply issue, the Voyage launched in the UK and Germany two months after the September release in the States, and is available in both Japan and China, as well as of January 2015. That doesn’t say “Not enough supply” to me. And, unlike Chapters with the Kobo Glo HD, Amazon refuses to ship the Kindle to Canada.
So yeah, welcome to my world, except you can order one from someone. You may now get an idea why I feel very little sympathy. Amazon seems to hate Canada, as anytime the US gets something like the Voyage or Amazon Prime, we never see the advantages Americans get.