Should you buy an Amazon Kindle eBook in 2021?
Every now and then they flash in Russian online stores
What is more correct to buy in Russia - Kindle or PocketBook?
It would seem that there is no difference:you open a Yandex.Market, choose an Amazon or PocketBook e-book, and buy. Everything seems to be the same. However, in reality, there is a difference, and it is huge.
The fact is that Amazon Kindle e-booksare not officially supplied to Russia. They are supplied only to the USA, a number of countries in Europe and Asia. Russia is not one of these countries – and never has been. Therefore, those Kindles that are sold in Russia were actually imported into the country in suitcases by resellers. What does it mean? A certain Vasya or Kolya brought a Kindle from abroad and resells it at a premium in his online store. As a result, the Kindle buyer in Russia is deprived of warranty. If the reader breaks down, the manufacturer - Amazon - will not repair or replace it for free. Simply because the reader was sold to Vasya or Kolya in the USA or, for example, in Germany. Do you want free repairs? Then go to the USA or Germany, but in Russia - sorry! Moreover, paid Kindle repair in our country is also almost impossible. The fact is that in the Russian Federation there are no workshops specializing in Amazon Kindle. It turns out that buying a Kindle is a risk: if the device breaks, you will most likely just have to buy a new reader.
“Delivery to Russia is impossible” - this is what Amazon says when you try to order a Kindle in the Russian Federation
With PocketBook everything is simpler:Readers of this brand have been officially supplied to Russia for the last 13 years and are sold in dozens of stores and retail chains. PocketBook e-books are provided with a direct manufacturer's warranty for a period of 2 years. And if you buy a reader in a company store on pocketbook.ru, you will get a 3-year direct company warranty. And this is a record guarantee not only among all readers, but also in the portable consumer electronics market in general. If something happens, the reader can be repaired at any of dozens of PocketBook service centers throughout Russia. Moreover, there is a Russian-language support service and brand groups on social networks. There you can ask any question about operating the PocketBook device in Russian - and almost immediately receive a qualified answer.
PocketBook has a website store in Russian with the possibility of free delivery of devices throughout the country
Total:you just need to understand that PocketBook e-books are a product also for the Russian market. With all the infrastructure required in this case: availability in a bunch of stores, warranty, support. But Kindle is a product for the USA and a number of other foreign countries. Kindle readers are simply not intended for the Russian Federation.
And here's another thing.In the USA, Amazon Kindle models are cheap - for example, in our money, about 7 thousand rubles ($100) for an entry-level model. However, taking into account the markups of resellers, all these low prices… disappear! And Kindle and PocketBook models of similar class cost approximately the same money in the Russian Federation. So that!
Which readers are more modern and more convenient - PocketBook or Kindle?
So, we sorted out the purchase. But the question arises: maybe Amazon e-books are so good that it’s worth taking the risk and buying just such a reader? Perhaps they are very cool technologically? Very comfortable?
Unfortunately no.An analysis of the current Kindle lineup shows that these readers lag behind the market in terms of technology. For example, since the summer of 2020, the PocketBook line has included the world’s first color reader with an E Ink Kaleido screen – PocketBook 633 Color. Moreover, in February 2021, a 7.8-inch model with a Kaleido color display also appeared.
PocketBook 740 Color is the first 7.8-inch color e-reader both in Russia and in the world
Meanwhile, Amazon's e-book lineupThere are no color readers at all - only black and white. Meanwhile, black and white electronic readers are actually only suitable for reading texts without illustrations. But comics, documents with diagrams, business and technical literature, textbooks, children's books - all of this requires a color screen! Moreover, the larger this screen is, the better! The same PocketBook today offers two color models at once, including a large-format 7.8-inch one. And in the Kindle line, we repeat, there are no color readers at all. Even the most expensive Amazon Kindle Oasis model is equipped with only a 7-inch black and white screen.
The only way Kindle can display color illustrations is in black and white.
Or, for example, take audio playback.PocketBook readers can play music and any audiobooks, as well as translate text into speech using speaker voices. You open a text book, press a button on the screen, and the reader begins to reproduce this text in a voice - male or female. The sound is output to headphones or an audio speaker (either via Bluetooth or wired – as is convenient for the user). This is possible in one and a half dozen languages, including Russian. But the Kindle does not play music, does not support text-to-speech translation, and plays audiobooks only in a specific format. Such books are offered only for money on Amazon. It turns out that formally both PocketBook and Amazon Kindle work with audio. But in practice there is a huge difference. And she is in favor of PocketBook.
PocketBook readers are suitable for both music and audiobooks without any extra tricks
Or, just for example, take a look at the front-endconnectors. PocketBook already uses a modern and convenient USB Type-C in its readers with might and main: the corresponding plug can be inserted either this way or that way, without first selecting a position. For example, here is the USB Type-C port on the case of the PocketBook X.
Meanwhile, all current Kindles have the ancient MicroUSB. Even in the same Amazon Kindle Oasis model, which seems to be the flagship solution - see photo below.
There are many similar examples that can be given.It is clear that the Kindle developers are not trying to make their devices modern and saturate them with functions. Why is an open question. PocketBook, in turn, uses all the latest technological innovations in its readers - just remember the same E Ink color screens.
What formats of e-books do PocketBook and Kindle readers open and where can I get these books?
Kindle readers are designed for proprietary booksAmazon online store. The logic is this: you bought a book from Amazon and read it on Kindle. A step to the left, a step to the right - and Amazon is already wagging its finger at you. Well, jokes aside, Kindle readers only work with 6 e-book formats. And this short list does not include FB2, EBUP, or DOC - formats that are traditionally widespread in Russia. Why is that? And we repeat again: the owner of the reader, according to Amazon’s plan, must buy books from the Amazon online store. Dot. At the same time, the Amazon store is not intended for Russia: the books there are mainly in English, German, French, etc. There are Russian-language publications, but they are few. Reviews from Amazon Kindle users confirm this: Russians often complain about the meager assortment of this store.
PocketBook is much more loyal to its ownersreaders. Models of this brand support two dozen (20!) formats of electronic books and documents, including the most popular in Russia FB2, EPUB, DOC. In other words: no matter what book you find on the Internet, it will open on the PocketBook reader without problems, converters and other dances with a tambourine. Well, the PocketBook store is much more relevant specifically for the Russian reader. There are several hundred thousand books in Russian on offer (both text and audio). Descriptions are also in Russian. There are plenty of options for payment methods that are relevant for Russia, even Mir cards are supported. Access to the store is possible both from a reader and from a computer via a browser - at books.pocketbook.ru. You can buy books on the website, and then they instantly appear in the reader.
PocketBook readers open two dozen book formats – and this is a record for the market!
At the same time, we repeat, PocketBook does notrestrict the user to their store. This is just one of the options for replenishing your library. Books can be taken anywhere, anytime, and they can be in any format. Amazon Kindle does not provide such freedom: everything there is tailored to a branded American store, which is irrelevant for the Russian Federation.
What sizes are Amazon Kindle and PocketBook e-books?
Amazon offers 6 and 7 diagonal readersinches. Let's take the current Amazon 2020 line (the brand has not yet launched any new models in 2021). The Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite have 6-inch screens, while the Kindle Oasis has a 7-inch screen. At the same time, a 7-inch display feels little different from a 6-inch screen. It turns out that Amazon has all e-books in the same format.
Kindles offer virtually only one single screen size
In the current PocketBook line, for comparison,more than 10 models. There are devices with a diagonal of 6 inches. There are 7.8-inch ones (7.8 inches in practice is much larger than 7, and the difference with 6 inches is already very noticeable). There is even a 10.3-inch PocketBook X - a giant reader for newspapers, sheet music and other similar content.
PocketBook readers: 10.3 inches, 7.8 inches, 6 inches
Another difference.All Amazon readers have a touch screen, while PocketBook has both touch and push-button ones. Push-button models, as practice shows, are more convenient for older people who are accustomed to push-button technology. And sometimes it is better for children to buy a push-button reader - it will be perceived as a reading device. Children often perceive sensory models as something like a tablet, and they immediately begin trying to access the Internet, access social networks, and so on. A push-button reader won’t allow you to do any of this. Finally, it’s worth repeating that PocketBook already has two color models, and in the Kindle line all readers are exclusively black and white.
This subsection can be summarized as follows:PocketBook offers many more reader options. In fact, anyone can find a reader to suit their needs. But Amazon’s line is very narrow and uncomplicated. If you want a bigger one, screw it up; if you want a color reader, it won’t work… By the way, this comes up regularly in reviews of Amazon models. People want diversity, but they only get typical standard models. Moreover, they are only black or white; other colors are rare on the Kindle. Meanwhile, PocketBook models can be, for example, bronze, red, silver… And this, of course, is in addition to the classic black and white colors.
Instead of output
It's hard to say - what's the point in buyinge-books Amazon Kindle in Russia: they open few formats; they are not so cheap; they don't offer any interesting technical features; they are actually available with only one diagonal option; they cannot be repaired under warranty in Russia.
In general, it is not clear how you can buy a modelAmazon in our realities. It’s like with a car for the Japanese domestic market: you can bring it to Russia, but the on-board computer will display information in the form of hieroglyphs, the steering wheel will be on the right, and the headlights will not shine as they should due to our left-hand traffic. And in the event of a breakdown, you will be tormented with searching for spare parts and will be very upset when you find out their price. At the same time, Japanese cars have fans who will foam at the mouth to prove that such a purebred “Japanese” can easily beat, for example, any “German” or “French” intended specifically for the Russian market. What can I say - fans!
This is no longer a matter of reason or practicality, it isquestion of religion. It’s the same with Amazon e-books: they are not “at all” suitable for Russia, but they have fans. These fans are few and far between, but sometimes you can see rave reviews on the Internet. Whether you should believe such reviews after reading this material - decide for yourself. (Spoiler: it's not worth it.)
PocketBook readers, on the contrary, have the maximumtailored to Russian realities. They do not provide any problems with the purchase, operation, or possible repairs. And PocketBook’s technology is great: for example, this company was the first in the world to release readers with E Ink Kaleido color screens.