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WHSmith Kobo Touch wireless e-book reader: With with Wi-Fi, touchscreen and textured back, perfect match for Kindle |
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Review
The Kobo you tap on the screen. The on-screen keyboard is efficient, but, boy, is it slow. If you’re putting in your credit card details to buy a book, it’s worth entering this on your PC or Mac first to save some time. The Kobo download instants and feels like magic
Perfomance
The technology is the same as on Amazon’s beauty: size and weight are similar, internal memory (2GB) is identical, though the Kindle holds 1,400 books, the Kobo only 1,000. Mind you, the Kobo also has expandable storage. If you put a 32GB microSD card into the device you can carry 30,000 books.
Display
The touchscreen is easy to use, tapping or stroking the right hand side of the screen takes you on a page, left takes you back. Simple, and as effective as the Kindle. The only downside is that whenever I picked it up it was partly by the screen so the page turned or a book loaded. This was annoying but only mildly. The touchscreen keyboard is, as mentioned, not fast, but that applies to the whole machine.
Design
It’s a fraction thicker, by a mere 1.3mm, and a hair shorter but they both sport the same 6in E Ink pearl screen. However, despite looking identical in use, only the Kobo has a touchscreen. So there are no buttons on the Kobo apart from a power slider on the top edge and a home button on the front. As well as feeling thicker in the hand, the quilted back is different, and its matt finish means it feels pleasingly non-slip as you hold it. The dimensions is 165 x 144 x 10mm and weigh only 185g.
The quilted back comes in a range of colours with a white front or just all black. It looks good, and the white version appears fresher than the latest Kindle, especially as there’s only the home button on the front.
Storage
Kobo has 2GB-1GB for Books plus MicroSD up to 32GB external storage.
Software
Books are in the ePub format which is widely available, though most have DRM to prevent copying.The Kobo store offers a wide choice, with plenty of free titles alongside the new biography of Steve Jobs, for instance.
Connectivity
Its a Wieeless
Price
the Kobo E-reader Touch Edition is an accomplished, affordable reader with access to many thousands of titles, will cost you around £110.
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