Much as I love my Amazon Kindle, it’s not perfect. I’m now on to my third as it’s stopped working twice within a year.
So when I was offered a loan of the Kobo eReader to try out, I was intrigued to see how it would measure up. You’ve probably seen the Kobo on sale in WH Smith – in our local branch, even the staff are wearing Kobo t-shirts, so keen is the store to promote the brand.
What I liked about the Kobo eReader:
- It’s very pretty
As well as the regular black, the Kobo also comes in silver, blue and light purple. The soft rubber outer casing has a nice feel to it, especially with the quilted effect on the back - It’s a touchscreen device
Sometimes the clicking of the buttons on the side of the Kindle to turn the page can be distracting, so it was nice to turn the Kobo pages with a silent tap of the finger. Don’t read when you’re eating toast though, it makes the screen too greasy. - It reads pdf files
Some libraries will now lend ebooks in pdf format – you would have to convert these if you wanted to read them on a Kindle, whereas with the Kobo you can download and read straight away. - Reading community included
The Reading Life function is a giant online bookclub, and seems to work like a combination of Goodreads and Facebook. - It’s very simple to use
I had to go to the Kobo setup website, download some software, but it was all pretty simple and all done in under 10 minutes. From there, once you start buying books they’re downloaded on to the device with seconds. - Extra functions
Tucked away in the menu I found a drawing function where you can draw pictures on the screen with your finger, and a Sudoku puzzle option. Hours of fun, who needs reading?
Apart from that it’s all very similar to the Kindle – you can either buy books via your PC or directly from the Kobo when you’re out and about via wifi; you can share ebooks with other devices via a dedicated app and it can hold more books than you could ever read in a lifetime. As you can see from the picture above, the screen size is the same for both.
What I didn’t like:
- Less book choice than for the Kindle
They didn’t have my book on Kobo format – quelle horreur! With over 2 million Kobo titles available, mainstream books are well covered, smaller titles less so. There are a wide range of free and self-published titles (with some of the worst cover designs I’ve ever seen). If you’re the sort of person who can generally find a book you like in a large branch of WH Smith, then you’ll be happy with the choice available for the Kobo. - Home screen advertises books you haven’t bought
Whereas the Kindle only shows the titles in your library, the Kobo shows other featured titles you might enjoy. Some may find these suggestions helpful, I found it irritating.
In conclusion:
The Kobo eReader is a good, though not perfect alternative to the Amazon Kindle. I think it’ll be most suited to people who are used to touch screen devices; anyone who reads fairly mainstream books; and teen girls who like the purple and silver styling.
If you’re already used to buying your books from Amazon, then the Kobo is of less interest. But for people who are new to ebooks, the WH Smith connection gives the reassurance of a familiar brand. I can see a lot of aunties and in laws getting this as a gift.
The option to share your reads via Facebook may also appeal to younger readers who aren’t yet in Amazon’s clutches – my 12 year old bookworm daughter was very keen on the Kobo and didn’t want to send it back.
The facts
The Kobo eReader ranges in price from £59.99, compared to entry level for the Kindle at £89. It’s available online and instore from WH Smith.