Yes, I know the exclamation marks are excessive, but I don't care! If I were posting this on a forum somewhere I'd be including happy, bouncy smilies with that sentence. Look, isn't it pretty?
Okay, I know there are a lot of naysayers out there who love to point out that the Kobo eReader doesn't have wireless capability (it does have Bluetooth for using with a smartphone). And it also doesn't read .doc or .txt files. I don't foresee myself needing that feature often, but if I do I can always convert the file to .pdf. I am pleased that Kobo chose to go with the more universal epub format.
And to everyone who thinks this eReader looks like a Fisher Price toy ... I think the blue button is cute!
Let's face facts. This eReader wasn't designed for those who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars for a device with bells and whistles. There are already many very good eReaders on the market that can do all those extra things. No, Kobo obviously designed this device, and set the $149 price point, for people like me who balk at the idea of paying hundreds of dollars for a device just to read ebooks. I already have a laptop, a netbook, an iPod and a PDA (haven't bothered with a smart phone since I almost never use the cell phone I already have) so I don't need those bells and whistles. I just want a nice, cost-friendly, portable device on which to read my ebooks. I've been using my netbook, but the battery life on that thing is horrible. I've ordered a battery with a longer charge (9+ hours) and am waiting for it to arrive as I type this, but even then reading on a netbook will always be a bit of a hassle.
It's obviously a very exciting time for ebooks (the shaky adoption of the agency model for setting prices notwithstanding.) The Kobo eReader is the perfect device for those of us who were standing on the sidelines wondering if we'd ever get the chance to jump into this new medium with both feet.
Now I just have to hang on until May when it will be released in Canada. (It will be released in the U.S. in June and will be available at Borders.)
7 comments:
Suzanna, I share your thoughts because there's no way I'd give more than that for a ebook reader, I just find it frustrating the way the prices are going, and you're right about the format of teh files, you just need to convr«ert if needed.
Hi, Ana. Yes, $150 seems to be my upper limit. It's not that we can't afford a higher costing device, but I already have so many gadgets (does one person really need three computers?) that I'd just feel guilty paying a lot for a device I only want to use for reading books. People get all hyped up about how they can surf for books on their Kindle and download with the click of a button, but I'm not that impatient that I can't walk over to the computer and download from there.
Yes, Karyn, the prices of ebooks are becoming ridiculous. I don't know if you've been following anything about the Agency Model for pricing, but that just went into effect and prices have jumped noticeably. I'm hoping it's just a period of adjustment. While I can understand an ebook being more expensive if it's released at the same time as its hardcover counterpart, I think it's ridiculous to expect people to pay more for an ebook if they can buy the paperback for less.
I have a little stockpile of ebooks. Many are public domain classics I've always wanted to read but never got around to, and some are books I've been downloading to read on the netbook before prices went up. (Kobo had a pre-Agency sale the last two days of March.)
I think that is part of it, Karen. I've also read that while ebooks are on the rise, it's still a very small part of the market. Maybe the publishers are hoping that if they establish the prices high now, those who adopt it in the future will come into a system where the prices are already established at the higher price point. Who really knows what they're thinking, though. I just hope this is an adjustment phase and that prices will go down a little.
The iPad frenzy is insane! If there's one thing Apple can do well it's market their product and create hype. I actually think it would be perfect for my husband, but we're going to wait for the second generation model (I think). I'm sure they'll be adding more goodies to it.
So, what's the verdict? Do you like the kobo? I currently use the kindle and the eReader aps on my itouch and love the backlit feature I get by using the itouch. Is there a light attachment for the kobo?
I love my Kobo, Debora! I was going to post a review after I got it, but then I read so many different reviews that pretty much said everything I wanted to say. Since I had nothing new to add I didn't see the point.
The Kobo is an eInk device like the Kindle, so there's no backlight. It also doesn't have any of the extras that the Kindle has - it's strictly a device for reading ebooks. That suits me fine since that's all I need it for and the price was right. $150 seems to be my limit for a dedicated eReader. There are some issues that need to be fixed with a firmware update which should *hopefully* be ready by the end of June.
Oh, and yes, the light attachments that work for the Kindle also work for Kobo. I got this one ( http://www.amazon.com/Great-Point-Light-Reading-Kindle/dp/B002VEC45W/ref=pd_cp_e_3 ) which was for sale at Indigo Books and Music here in Canada (which is the majority owner of Kobo.)
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