KOBO, Borders bookstore's contribution to the ereader market, is another big name in cheap ereaders of good quality—especially in Canada.
Canada, like Sweden, is pretty far north and parts of the country have very long, dark winter nights—quite conducive to reading. A lot. Without doing a quantitative study covering the reading habits of people in northern lands compared to folks closer to the equator, we'll take a wild guess that northerners spend more time reading than do their southern neighbors. Makes sense. So on these shaky grounds, we'll assume that Canadians have an edge when it comes to knowing which ereaders make for the best reading experience.
Which ereader is your average Canadian reader's choice? We were surprised to see that a large number of Canadians seem enamored of the KOBO ereader. Between us, we know a lot of Canadians and so we had to find out why they tend to choose the KOBO ebook reader over the KINDLE and the Sony PRS.
Curious about the KOBO? Read on.
The KOBO ereader with WiFi at about $140 (that's USD)
The latest KOBO has WiFi—a bit late in the game, but better late than never. KOBO does not offer 3G. If you're uncertain what WiFi is and why it's so nifty, see our homepage, where we explain WiFi and 3G.
The KOBO has enough built-in memory to house *drum roll, please* a paltry 1,000 ebooks—more than most will ever read, but far less than the competition. It's expandable up to 4 GB with an SD card, but that brings you up to a grand total of about 3,500 ebooks—the same number as KINDLE and a fraction of what you can store on the Sony PRS. When it comes to that 4 GB of storage space, KINDLE is cheaper than KOBO as KOBO requires the extra cash for the SD card.
How big is the KOBO?
The KOBO is a lightweight alternative, weighing in at a mere 221 grams or 7.78 ounces. It's 10 mm or 0.39 inches thick. It's screen is the usual 152 mm or 6 inches.
How do I navigate around the KOBO?
The KOBO is not only a cheap ereader, it's an easy ereader. KOBO doesn't have all the buttons for typing notes, which saves some room but makes for a lack of certain features, like note taking. Instead, it uses a 4-way directional pad like you see on some cell phones and video game controllers. Pretty basic, but maybe basic is what you're looking for.
Does KOBO read library books?
Yes, the KOBO, like most cheap ereaders, reads the encrypted format used by most libraries. KOBO only reads ePub and PDF, while most ereaders can tackle several different formats, but your local library most likely uses ePub that's been encrypted. Give them a jingle to find out what format they use.
Everybody breathing easier now? Let's see what else the KOBO has to offer.
What type of screen does KOBO with WiFi have?
The good news is that KOBO with WiFi has a non-glare e-ink display and a 16-level grayscale. The bad news is that it's not Pearl, the best e-ink out there and the one used on both KINDLE and Sony PRS.
OK, so it's got second-rate e-ink; at least it's got e-ink! Remember that e-ink is what any serious reader will choose as it is superior to LCD screens for reading text.
Why is the KOBO popular in Canada?
KOBO has targeted Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Combine their targeting with the fact that KINDLE and Sony only recently began shipping outside the US, and it's easy to see why the KOBO had such a following in the Great White North. We predict that the KOBO's following will dwindle as more people turn to KINDLE, Sony PRS, and other ebook readers with better screens and wider selections of reading materials.
For those who want just a basic reader with zero frills, a cheap KOBO on sale might be what you're looking for. At this very moment (Jan 2011), the KOBO is on sale at Borders for $99 (that's USD, our Canadian friends). At that price, it's might be worth it.
Where can I buy ebooks for a KOBO?
If you're a big Borders fan, the KOBO might be a good choice for you. The KOBO integrates seamlessly with Borders books and offers over 2.2 million books, newspapers, and magazines to choose from. Keep in mind that the KOBO reads library ebooks and do remember the links we've shared links to free ebooks (check our links to the left and see our FREE E-books page).
In summary
KOBO is one of the cheap ereaders of good quality but its a rather ho-hum ebook reader. It was popular in Canada before you could import a KINDLE to Canada. Canadians can now import the KINDLE, and the KOBO's popularity seems to have dropped.
The KOBO reads ebooks but that's about it and it's screen is a step behind the competition. We'd recommend the KOBO for folks who like to keep things simple and don't mind an ebook reader that does nothing more than read ebooks. Grandma and kids who are too old for color pictures might be very pleased with the KOBO. Shop around and you will probably find it on sale for under $100.
In summary
KOBO is one of the cheap ereaders of good quality but its a rather ho-hum ebook reader. It was popular in Canada before you could import a KINDLE to Canada. Canadians can now import the KINDLE, and the KOBO's popularity seems to have dropped.
The KOBO reads ebooks but that's about it and it's screen is a step behind the competition. We'd recommend the KOBO for folks who like to keep things simple and don't mind an ebook reader that does nothing more than read ebooks. Grandma and kids who are too old for color pictures might be very pleased with the KOBO. Shop around and you will probably find it on sale for under $100.
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