I have to admit that I'm fascinated by e-book readers, although I currently do most of my reading on my smartphone or using dead-tree formats. I recently had the chance to play with the new Kobo Wireless eReader,and was impressed by its simplicity and usefulness. Sometimes, all you really want to do is just read.
What does it do? The Kobo's Wireless eReader, which is an upgrade of the previous model, has been somewhat redesigned and has one major addition: The current version now lets you shop via a Wi-Fi connection.
The small (7.2 x 4.7 in.), lightweight (7.8 oz.) device is wrapped in a pleasantly plain frame that comes in three colors: silver, lilac or onyx. Unlike the Kindle, which has its page forward-and-back controls on the edges of the device, the Kobo has a square directional pad on the front right just under the display; you press the right and left sides of the square to go forward and back; the top and bottom to scroll up and down, and the center to select. It's not a perfect system -- I occasionally hit "select" when I was trying to scroll up -- but works well once you get used to it.
On the left edge of the e-reader are the Home, Menu, Shop, and Back buttons; the power button is on the top edge on the right. The Kobo offers, besides its built-in 1GB of storage, a slot for an SD memory card (it will handle up to 32 GB).
What's cool about it? I have to admit that I am taken with the Kobo's look and feel. The 6-in. E-Ink Pearl display offers very sharp, clear text. The frame has a matte finish that is pleasant to the touch; the back of the device is patterned, making it easier to hold without slipping.
It is a great e-reader for people who don't want to take notes, surf the Web or do anything else than just read. You can change the size of the type, use a serif or san serif font, and that's about it. Operation is straightforward, and the small size and light weight make it very convenient to carry around anywhere.
Kobo itself is, according to its Web site, an international e-book retailer backed, in the U.S., by Borders, which means you get a wide variety of books to choose from when you're shopping for something to read. (The desktop software that comes with the e-reader and that you use for managing your library is branded Borders.)
The Kobo comes with 100 "classics" (you can easily find them on Gutenberg or any other source for legally free literature, but it's nice to have them so easily available). Unlike the Kindle, the Kobo easily accepts ePub and PDF files, so that you can use it to read books accessed from a variety of sources.
What needs to be fixed? I had no trouble connecting the Kobo to my home wireless network, either initially or thereafter. I found shopping for books via the e-reader a bit trying, however. You have to search using the hunt-and-choose method, using the directional pad to move to and then select each letter on an onscreen keyboard. This can quickly become frustrating, especially if you don't have a specific book in mind -- it's a lot faster to use the Kindle's hard keypad.
There is a feature for having newspapers and magazines delivered to the Kobo through its wireless connection; apparently, they weren't available in my area when I was testing it.
Bottom line: The Kobo Wireless eReader currently lists for $139, exactly the same as the Wi-Fi-only version of the Kindle (although you can find the Kobo for $129 at Walmart). Which e-reader to choose would, I think, depend on how often you plan to shop -- the buying experience using the Kindle is much better than that of the Kobo. However, the Kobo's comfortable design and its easier access to more open formats such as ePub offer considerable advantages as well.
What does it do? The Kobo's Wireless eReader, which is an upgrade of the previous model, has been somewhat redesigned and has one major addition: The current version now lets you shop via a Wi-Fi connection.
The small (7.2 x 4.7 in.), lightweight (7.8 oz.) device is wrapped in a pleasantly plain frame that comes in three colors: silver, lilac or onyx. Unlike the Kindle, which has its page forward-and-back controls on the edges of the device, the Kobo has a square directional pad on the front right just under the display; you press the right and left sides of the square to go forward and back; the top and bottom to scroll up and down, and the center to select. It's not a perfect system -- I occasionally hit "select" when I was trying to scroll up -- but works well once you get used to it.
On the left edge of the e-reader are the Home, Menu, Shop, and Back buttons; the power button is on the top edge on the right. The Kobo offers, besides its built-in 1GB of storage, a slot for an SD memory card (it will handle up to 32 GB).
What's cool about it? I have to admit that I am taken with the Kobo's look and feel. The 6-in. E-Ink Pearl display offers very sharp, clear text. The frame has a matte finish that is pleasant to the touch; the back of the device is patterned, making it easier to hold without slipping.
It is a great e-reader for people who don't want to take notes, surf the Web or do anything else than just read. You can change the size of the type, use a serif or san serif font, and that's about it. Operation is straightforward, and the small size and light weight make it very convenient to carry around anywhere.
Kobo itself is, according to its Web site, an international e-book retailer backed, in the U.S., by Borders, which means you get a wide variety of books to choose from when you're shopping for something to read. (The desktop software that comes with the e-reader and that you use for managing your library is branded Borders.)
The Kobo comes with 100 "classics" (you can easily find them on Gutenberg or any other source for legally free literature, but it's nice to have them so easily available). Unlike the Kindle, the Kobo easily accepts ePub and PDF files, so that you can use it to read books accessed from a variety of sources.
What needs to be fixed? I had no trouble connecting the Kobo to my home wireless network, either initially or thereafter. I found shopping for books via the e-reader a bit trying, however. You have to search using the hunt-and-choose method, using the directional pad to move to and then select each letter on an onscreen keyboard. This can quickly become frustrating, especially if you don't have a specific book in mind -- it's a lot faster to use the Kindle's hard keypad.
There is a feature for having newspapers and magazines delivered to the Kobo through its wireless connection; apparently, they weren't available in my area when I was testing it.
Bottom line: The Kobo Wireless eReader currently lists for $139, exactly the same as the Wi-Fi-only version of the Kindle (although you can find the Kobo for $129 at Walmart). Which e-reader to choose would, I think, depend on how often you plan to shop -- the buying experience using the Kindle is much better than that of the Kobo. However, the Kobo's comfortable design and its easier access to more open formats such as ePub offer considerable advantages as well.
No comments :
Post a Comment