The Kobo eReader
There's another eReader choice coming mid June... The Kobo eReader, which will be distributed by Borders. And at $150 it's going to make digital reading even more affordable! It won't have 3G and WiFi, but is it really such a problem to plug your eReader into to your computer to download your books? You won't get that instant gratification of pressing that "buy" button like you do on your Kindle or iPad and start to read your new book, but you will save quite a bit of money buying the Kobo eReader itself. It looks like the design is similar to the Kindle, with a 4-way blue rubber pad on the front used to navigate the page. The left side of the Kobo eReader has buttons for Home, Menu, Display and Back, for navigating between books etc. And the back of the Kobo is quilted and is suppose to "bring the feel of traditional books to your eReading experience" (really?!) So, what's the Kobo eReader going to offer...
* E-Ink Technology... non glare, easy on the eyes viewing.
* Font choice... a choice between sarif and sans-serif style, AND 5 font sizes, which is a nice feature.
* ePub, Adobe DRM, and PDF support
* 6 inch display and weighing in at only 8 ounces
* 1 GB of memory... can store up to 1000 books
* Battery Life = the turning of 8000 pages ( or about 2 weeks)
A lot of nice features for what some are considering to be a "bare bones" eReader. But the point is really to be able to read books, and the Kobo seems to have all that it takes to do that. The Kobo site, formerly Shortcovers, has always been a great site to download ebooks. They are a multiplatform store where you can buy and download books for your iPhone, Sony readers, PC and Mac's, along with a host of other venues. They have a great selection of free ebooks available too. If you buy a Kobo eReader, you'll also get 100 free classic books pre-loaded in your eReader! You can read more about the Kobo eReader at Borders.com, and if you're interested you can pre-order one there too.
Matthew Miller who co-writes an online column, The Mobile Gadgeteer, wrote a great piece on the Kobo eReader, after getting a chance to preview it in April. Here's a link to his article Hands on with the Kobo eReader.
If you've been on the fence about an eReader, will the $150 price tag of the Kobo tempt you? Do you have an eReader? What features do you like the most? I love my Kindle, (sold my Nook), and am enjoying my iPad... The Kobo eReader looks to be a great addition to the growing family of eReaders. Features seem to be pretty consistent in the eReaders, with screens improving and having a choice in size and type of font. eReaders are said to be a lifeboat for dwindling "traditional" book sales, might the prices of eReaders go even lower?! Let's just hope the prices of eBooks stabilize...
