If you are looking for a large screen device and want to bypass the entire Apple ecosystem there are a few new ones available today. Amazon has just announced it is shipping the brand new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 in the US, all other markets will have to wait until November 26th. The Kobo Arc 10 HD has just been released via the main Kobo website and dealers such as Best Buy and Shop e-Readers in North America.
The Amazon and Kobo ecosystem are fairly different in terms of content and execution. You only really benefit from doing business with Amazon if you live in the US, as the wellspring of content is only truly accessible there. If you live in Canada, the UK or other international markets you will be able to buy book, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers but not videos or rent television shows. You also are basically locked into exclusively dealing with the Seattle based company, unless you load in your own apps.
The Kobo ecosystem is a bit more agnostic. You can purchase books, newspapers and magazines in most countries in the world. The company relies on the Google Play ecosystem to get all of your apps and games. This might be a deciding factor for the vast majority because Google is simply integrated into more markets than Amazon is.
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.