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Thursday 7 February 2013

Go Kobo

Koboedit

I wanted to make sure I had written my Reading On The Go blog post before I wrote this one, mainly because I feel that this is a supplement to that post and my opinions on the whole about reading on the go haven't changed since I have recieved this gadget.

In May I had my twenty-fourth birthday, and I was very lucky that my other half wanted to treat me to an e-reader. Having been against the Kindle for such a long time I was a bit nervous when he first said he wanted to get an e-reader, but relieved that he had paid attention and knew that if I did get a reader I would want a Kobo.

Why a Kobo you may ask, well as you probably know I am a Librarian, Amazon quite famously restricts which file formats can be placed on a Kindle, and library books from my library are some of those affected. If you are lucky enough to have a library service which uses Overdrive you probably don't have that problem, but it isn't a widespread service here in the UK. Any restriction to eBooks is a huge no-no for me!

I had been admiring the Kobo for about a year since it came to my attention during my dissertation. Firstly I was attracted to the freedom it allows you, then the features available for a low price point, and then the fact that they are a darn sight prettier than the kindle. I recieved the black touch version which costs around £80, much cheaper than a touch screen Kindle, and the features have really impressed me. It was incredibly easy to set up, I already had a Kobo account (which was also easy to set up) and it synced all of my books quickly using Kobo desktop after inputting a couple of details into the reader to register it.
I also use Calibre to sync books which I haven't purchased from Kobo (for when I'm being a bit sneaky) and Adobe Digital Editions to add library books to my reader, all of which recognise the device quickly without prompting and are easy to transfer either specific files or groups of files to.

I find I generally use my reader when out and about, especially during breaks at work, but also when I am just sitting at home. It enables me to read really long books without carrying the weight of one with me, I doubt I would have read Game of Thrones quite so quickly if I hadn't had this! The light weight also means that if I am really tired, too tired to properly hold a large book open, but just want to read one more chapter, the weight doesn't stop me reading before I am ready.

I shall be updating you as I go with more posts on my Kobo, but for the time I have had it I have fallen in love with it!

The only problem is it does prompt a few case purchases :)