Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kobo eReader Review

I got the Kobo™ Wireless eReader as a Christmas gift from my wonderful parents. I wasn't sure how I would feel about using an eReader. It's not a book. But, I'll admit, I have been pleasantly surprised with my Kobo™ in the past couple months.

What is my favourite thing about having an eReader? Well, let's say I want a book, NOW. I make my way to the local book store only to find that said book is not in stock, and will take 1-2 weeks to ship. Great. Now what? I could either order the book and wait up to two weeks, in utter agony, before I can finally read it. OR, I could go home, find the eBook to purchase, instantly download the book to my eReader, then settle in for a night of fantastic reading.

Sounds awesome, right? But what about the eReader experience?

I can't speak for all eReaders. I haven't gotten my hands on a Kindle, Nook, or Sony Reader. But, I can tell you what I think about the Kobo™.


The Good

Price. The Kobo™ Wireless eReader sells for $149 CDN, which is comparable to the price of the Amazon Kindle™.

Lightweight and Portable. The Kobo™ weighs in at only 221 grams, about the same weight as your average paperback, but much thinner at only 10mm. It's compact size makes it easy to carry with you in your purse, pouch, or backpack.



"Quilted" Design. I must admit, this is one of my favorite things about the Kobo™. It is unbelievably comforable. One of the selling features is the unique "quilted" back, which makes it very easy to hold in one hand, without the fear of slipping. And so soft!

Colour Options. Just saying...some people like a choice. The Kobo™ is available in four colours: Porcelain, Onyx, Metallic Silver, and Pearlized Lilac.

Pre-loaded Books. The Kobo™ comes pre-loaded with 100 classics. These books may not be for everyone, but it's a nice touch.


Expandable Memory. The Kobo™ comes with 1GB onboard memory. That's enough memory to hold 1,000 books. But you can add an SD memory card up to 4GB, for even more.

Book-like Reading. The 6" E Ink screen means that there is no glare, making for easy reading.

Choice of Font Size and Style. I believe this is a standard in the world of eReaders. There are 5 font sizes to choose from, and multiple fonts to choose from.

Battery Life. The Kobo™ boasts a long battery charge, which allows for up to two weeks of reading or 10,000 "page turns".

The Bad

Formats. The Kobo™ Wireless eReader only supports ePub, PDF, and Abode DRM files. While this may be problematic for some, I have not had any issues finding eBooks to download from kobobooks.com. In fact, I have found some that I could not find on Amazon.

Sluggish Performance. It hurts me to phrase it in such a way, but it's the truth. The page refresh time on the Kobo™ is not as prompt as I would like it to be. I'm only talking a second, but I had expected a page turn to be instant. This issue is minor enough that it does not effect my reading experience, but I can see that it may test the patience of others.

Internet Connectivity. The problem here is that, there is none. This is probably the biggest factor in deciding to buy the Kobo™ or an alternative eReader. Personally, I am happy to not be distracted by the internet. That is why I have a computer. Isn't an eReader meant for, you know, eReading?

Overall

If you are looking for a device with non-reading features, the Kobo™ is not for you. But if you are looking for an eReader with a single purpose, the Kobo™ Wireless eReader will get the job done.

I was pleasantly surprised with my Kobo™ eReading experience. While I'll never stop buying hardcopy books, I will always be sure to have my Kobo™ close by.

Rating

4 comments:

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

I got a Nook for Christmas and I love it! I'm glad you like your Kobo!

I stopped following your old blog but I signed up to follow here! You're not posting on your old blog any longer, right?

XOXO~ Renee

Jessica said...

Hi Renee! No, I'm no longer posting on Book Bound, except to let people know about this blog. And thank you for following Bitten! I hope you enjoy the new blog. : )

Mom2boys said...

AHHHHH I want one so bad!
Thanks for all the great pros and cons!

Book Dragon said...

I had a Kindle but returned it because of the page refresh time. Plus the screen totally blacked out between pages. Don't know if they've fixed that or not.

I currently read on my iTouch but the Kobo site is still bookmarked.

Thanks for the review :)