TeddyK
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I will preface my thoughts by first stating that the Kobo eReader Wireless seems to be aimed at entry-level users. In other words, if you’re already a veteran of the Kindles, Sony Readers and whatever other models of the world, your expectations will naturally be different. Kobo’s device isn’t really about ‘wowing’ anyone, but rather it’s about simplifying things enough to get you reading without any hassle.
For all intents and purposes, the eReader Wireless is pretty much the same as the original eReader, except for the fact it has Wi-Fi and immediate access to the Kobo Store. Some of the downsides of the original, like the slow typing and low storage capacity (just 1GB internally), are still there. But these are offset somewhat by a clean interface, support for newspapers and magazines (not always the case based on geography though) and lightweight design that makes it easy to take with you.
Kobo reckons that as many as 1,000 books can be stored on the device. Since the capacity is expandable using an SD card, you can add up to another 32GB just like that. The Kobo Store has plenty of titles at good prices, so selection isn’t a major issue. Plus, your purchases are attached to your account, so if you decide to pick up where you left off on the free Kobo app on your iPhone, you can easily do that too.
But again, I stress that this is an eReader meant for those who don’t care about extra features and bells and whistles. The Kobo eReader Wireless is simplified to the point that it only supports two file formats – ePub and PDF. You won’t be reading other types of documents on this thing.
Battery life is measured at 10 hours or 10,000 page turns. The screen is 6-inches and you can choose between two font sizes. You also get 100 free eBooks ready to download from the store from the start.
Pricing is currently $149.99, and you can get it in a couple of different colours. If you’re looking to take a chance on an eReader that’s easy to understand, Kobo does offer a pretty good one here.
