The size and weight of this device is fantastic. I give those aspects 5 stars. I found the touch screen to be "difficult" (not as responsive as some). The MAJOR issue I have with Kobo has less to do with the device itself, but with the company's customer service; Kobo seems to have bitten off way more than it can chew. I initially needed help, so went the online route. The site was having technical issues and wouldn't even allow me to set up my account properly. So I emailed them, and finally got a reply about two weeks after the email was sent. Calling customer service connected me to folks in the Caribbean (where there service call center is located), and they were not very helpful. Just kept telling me they sent a "work ticket" to their technical department and I'd be hearing from them in time (as they were overloaded with requests). Overall, I thought Kobo was going to be wonderful since their book choices are varied and not locked in (as Amazon's often are), & you can use internationally (unlike B & Noble's Nook), but I found the company to be so inept that in frustration, I sold the device to someone who apparently didn't need customer service as I did, and I opted for a SONY which I LOVE.Read full review
This is a good basic e-reader. The screen is sharp and easy to read and the battery life is pretty good. However, it is a monochrome display and it is not back lit so you need good ambient lighting when using it. I would also deem the processor to be too slow for any WiFi or Internet usages. It is not a substitute for a tablet computer.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Why an ebook reader? I liked the idea of being able to carry around 1000 books in my pocket. I studied the current state of devices in some detail, with a list of desirable features: 1) e-ink screen, preferably 16-grey pearl, in 6" size. (I've tried reading on non-e-ink and didn't like it). 6" is better for reading but still pocket-size, larger ones are also more expensive) 2) touchscreen (touchscreen devices tend to be more compact) 3) wifi 4) memory card slot 5) price around GBP 100. 6) good range of formats. Obviously, you can't get all of these things simultaneously. I found readers which support many formats but cost too much, readers with no touchscreen or no wifi or no card slot. The card slot is not essential for book storage until you get into the thousands, but I liked the idea of having it, it provides or should provide an additional way of moving data. Why Kobo? I narrowed down the choice to the Kobo Touch, Kindle 3, Nook Simple Touch in the end. Kobo offered a slight edge in my list of desirable features over the other 2. Kindle lacks the touch screen although it does have a keyboard, it has more internal storage (4GB vs 2GB on Kobo) but lacks the card slot. It is available in the UK, unlike the other 2, if that bothers you. You can also get it with 3G mobile phone network connectivity, but this makes it about GBP 40 more. Nook simple touch looked a tad more bulky; a 6" reader is already marginal to fit in pockets. Also, it lacked some features which I wanted. Kobo touch in use So far, very little to complain about. Compared to non-touch e-ink screens there's slightly more reflection of light, but it's only an issue at specific angles to the light source and easily avoided. The handiness of touch screen makes up for it. If you do want to type, a keyboard comes up on the screen. It's not that good, but you don't type essays on an ebook reader. The Kobo uses micro B USB plug, which is slightly annoying if you already have several of the more common mini B leads and more than one computer. As with some other USB-charged devices, it doesn't work reliably in an unpowered USB hub. Works fine plugged into the computer directly or into a powered hub. Other than that, it's good. The display is commendably sharp and easy to read, even in quite low light. Page turns are nice and fast so there's little delay when reading, not really any more than turning a page in a paper book. There's a choice of 7 fonts. Good range of font sizes (I think it's 17) from too-small-to-read to HUGE, where there are only about 8 words per page! You can also adjust line spacing, and can rotate pan and zoom PDFs. There's a "Home" button on the device for when you get lost, it's slightly recessed, so you don't press it by mistake. You can also adjust the sleep and auto power off behaviour. Haven't tested battery life as yet, but the charge indicator has yet to move much below the top. I will see how that goes, Kobo claim 8000 page turns but obviously using wifi will absorb some power, if you do. Tested the wifi on my home network, and it connected fine and accessed the kobo store. When you set it up on the computer, it updates the reader software automatically. Among the extras is a web browser which works via the wifi connection, not an important feature but could be useful, although limited as web browsers go. It seems to work, however, despite being listed as experimental.Read full review
Very fiddly reading pdf, great for epub. Takes about two seconds to turn a page (minor but still). Need a light source to read with it. All in all though it is good for reading as long as you aren't doing pdf's. The mucking around to get the page the right size and turn pages is a pain in the butt! Also even though it is a touch it should still have buttons for certain things like sizing and page turning but it doesn't.
I love the Kobo Touch. Lightweight, easy to read, long lasting battery 2-3 days of use about a week idle and a good price. Honestly what I wanted was a color e-ink reader, but there are only 3 being sold and 1 was discontinued. So the remaining two are very expensive. So I looked for the best e-ink reader I could get in terms of value. The Kobo Touch fit that bill perfectly. It has wifi connection, allows the use of micro sd cards and it doesn't limit you to only book for a specific vendor.
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