I was the lucky winner of a Kobo Touch e-reader. (Competition details at the end of the post)
From the start I will admit that I received a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday last year, and it's probably the best gift that I have ever received. So please forgive me if I am biased.
Okay back to the Kobo.
My favourite aspect is the cute character that indicates whether the reader is sleeping or charging. It gives a certain friendliness to the Kobo and makes using it a bit more fun.
My second favourite feature is Kobo Reading Life. It tracks your reading stats from the first time you turn a page. It's pretty neat, I would love to know how much time I spent reading on my Kindle. (If you know how, let me know in the comments!) With Reading Life you also get Awards that incentivises you to spend more time on the reader or to link your account to your Facebook. I am a bit obsessive so I want to get those awards as soon as possible.
The diamond patterned back of the e-reader makes it comfortable to read and quite appealing. On the other hand, the matt finishing quickly smudges which will drive a neat freak crazy. So make sure your hands are clean.
The reading experience is pleasing, changing the settings simple and it is really easy on the eyes. It fits comfortably in your handbag and it won't weigh you down.
Also the Kobo allows a bunch of formats, even CBZ and CBR. That is a big plus!
On the down side, it is not as responsive as you might expect so you might have to turn the page a few times.
Also the lack of a back light is a deal breaker, but that's personal preference.
These are the technical details > I got them from the Kobo website okay...
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Available Colours
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Lilac, blue, silver, black, and white
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Wireless Connectivity
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802.11b/g/n
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Processor
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Freescale 508 Processor
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Device Size
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114 mm X 165 mm (4.5 in X 6.5 in)
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Device Depth
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10 mm (0.4 in)
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Weight
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185 g (6.5 oz)
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Display
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6" E Ink XGA Pearl screen; 800 x 600 resolution
16-level grey scale
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Storage
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2 GB*
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Memory Expansion
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Up to 30,000 eBooks with a 32 GB Micro SD card
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Connectivity
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USB, Wi Fi
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Battery Life
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1 month**
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Supported File Formats
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eBooks: EPUB, PDF, and MOBI
Documents: PDF
Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, and TIFF
Text: TXT, HTML, and RTF
Comic Books: CBZ and CBR
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Pre-Loaded eBooks
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15 free previews
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Fonts
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10 font styles, 24 sizes
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Software
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New and improved free Kobo Desktop software
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Advanced Features
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Library personalization, predictive search, double-tap PDF zoom in, SimpleTurn™ page turning
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*1 GB available to store content (up to 1,000 eBooks).
** Actual results may vary depending on individual use.
Final thought:
It is an entry device with loads of features, perfect for the traveller, simple to use and you do not have to lug around a bag of books.
Okay, as promised, the competition details to win your very own Kobo:
Simply tweet the book's name that you are currently reading with the hashtag #STbooks
More details:
http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2013/06/30/twitter-competition-win-a-kobo-ereader-with-the-sunday-times/