Kobo eReader Touch Review
Cheapest Price: £109 from WH Smith
Verdict: 9/10!
The 6 inch Kobo eReader Touch is the third generation from Kobo (launched in May 2011) and at £109 I think it’s the best rival to the Kindle so far.
Just like the Kindle 3G, the Kobo offers Wi-Fi connectivity, internet access and a large 6-inch screen with E-Ink technology. The Kobo eReader Touch used to be the cheapest 6-inch eReader on the market (£6 less than Barne and Noble’s touchscreen Nook and £30 cheaper than the Sony eReader Pocket Edition PRS-350), however since then Amazon have released the Kindle Touch (£89) and Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi (£79) at cheaper prices.
The great thing about WH Smith’s Kobo eReader Touch is that it has a bigger selection of online books than Amazon’s store (choose from more than 2.4 million book titles), supports far more ebook formats and it also has a special social media integration. You can also syn your Kobo eReader books with apps for the PC, iPhone, iPad and Android too.
Size, Weight and Specifications
The Kobo eReader is extremely small and lightweight, small enough even in to fit into the palm of your hand. At just 7 ounces and 165mm x 114mm x 10mm, the Kobo eReader is significantly lighter than the Kindle 3G and half an inch narrower than the Nook.
The great thing about using this device is that you can hold it in the palm of your hand whilst comfortably changing the pages. You can leave your other hand completely free.
The Kobo eReader Touch is available in several colours (black, white, navy blue or in a special silver edition). Overall the device is well built and has a minimalist look with just one silver button on the front underneath the screen making it very similar to the iPad 2.
Screen Display and Reading Menu
The Kobo eBook Reader has a 6 inch, E-Ink screen with a maximum resolution of 800x600.
The E-Ink technology in the device is the same as the one used on the third generation Kindle 3G and the Nook. It’s high contrast screen means that you can read it in direct sunlight without any glare. I’ve also managed to avoid getting any smudgy fingerprints on the touch screen which is nice.
Once you turn on the device by using the flick button at the top the homepage displays a range of features including up to 5 different books, newspapers of magazine documents that you’re reading. The Kobo comes complete with a dictionary. You can also access the online Kobo Store through wireless Internet and Wi-Fi capability (not offered by the original Kindle).
The menu system for the Kobo eReader is really good. The touch-screen display is very responsive and you can tap the screen either to change pages, select a menu option or to open a new book/magazine. You can also swipe your finger across the screen to turn a page. One of the best things about this device is that you get 2 different fonts and 17 font sizes to choose from.
Track Your Reading Patterns and Reading Time
One of the advantages of getting a Kobo eReader over the Kindle is that it includes a special Reading Life Network. This allows you to track how long you’ve been for, how many books, how many pages you’ve turned and the total amount of books that you’ve read.
I don’t think any of this is necessary but I do think it’s a nice touch to see how many pages you’ve read on holiday for example. You can also share your reading list either on facebook or syn it on your Mac OS or Android mobile phone.
Battery Life, Storage Capacity and Hardware
The Kobo has a solid 2GB internal harddrive which is also supported by a Micro SD card slot and USB port. In total you can store up to 1500 eBooks, newpapers on magazines n your device at any one time.
The battery life is meant to last up to 1 month and you can choose and download more than 2.4 million book titles from Kobo’s bookstore. Other file formats supported include ePub PDF, Adobe, JPEG, HTML, Text and more).
Kobo eReader Touch Video Review:
