The Kobo Clara HD and the Tolino Shine 3 have the exact same hardware. This is no coincidence, because Kobo is now responsible for designing the hardware for all Tolino e-readers. Deutsche Telecom sold Kobo their stake in the Tolino Alliance in late 2017. The software for Tolino e-readers is the same and it uses Android, whereas all Kobo branded e-readers use Linux.
When Kobo bought their way into the Tolino Alliance, Kobo promised that they will no longer sell their own e-readers in Germany, so they would not cannibalize their own interests in that market and allow Tolino to compete better against Amazon.
In this exclusive Good e-Reader Video, Peter directly compares these two devices, side by side. You can get a sense on what they both bring to the table, but design wise, they are a mirror image of each other.
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.
