*puts her geek hat on and clears throat*
Hello.
I am a fan of gizmos and gadgets. At my day job I work for a tech company and get play with all sorts of cool new products. It probably explains why I love sci-fi shows and books as much as I do – toys! You might not be aware *snort*, but recently I purchased a Kobo e-book reader. Aside from a few shipping challenges, the entire process from start to finish has been great. I wanted to share with you my first impressions of the Kobo reader.
I ordered the device online (www.chapters.ca) and I did break down and pay for the fast shipping. I’m a sucker for wanting a tracking number. A quick note on the Chapters site itself–the experience was great. I had excellent online updates as to where my package was. Chapters knew, even when Canada Post didn’t. 
Finally, the box arrived!
It was pretty light, but I knew my prize was waiting for me. I dove in to discover – the Kobo box.
I like that there wasn’t a lot of extra packaging with the device. The unit itself came with a little getting started guide and a USB cable. Everything was straightforward and the directions were very clear.
It didn’t take me long to figure out what I needed to do. Step one, using the USB cable, I had to charge this puppy. The book said it could take about three hours to charge to full, but mine only took two. I’m assuming once I drain the battery, three will be about the norm.
(my computer)
The next step was to install the desktop application. Even this was very easy. Once I plugged the Kobo in, it launch from my desktop, giving me access to the .exe file on the Kobo itself. I love that I didn’t have to worry about a CD (which I would lose). Keep this folder on the Kobo in case you ever switch computers or in the event you need to reinstall your operating system. I now had the Kobo program launched on my computer and I was ready to buy books!
The Kobo store is very easy to use. Most companies do know the online interface is important, so it’s not really a surprise. They have an excellent selection of books and I found more than my Visa would allow to purchase. One thing I don’t like about the store, is the way I can only seem to buy one book at a time. There doesn’t seem to be a way to add multiple books to your shopping cart. I’m sure there must be a way around this, but I have yet to find it. If anyone knows and I’m just being a dork, please fill me in so I can spend money more efficiently. 
My first purchase was Loretta Chase’s Lord Of Scoundrels. *cheer*
The blurriness is from my BlackBerry camera, not the Kobo itself. The e-paper is very crisp and easy to read. It is very similar to the Sony e-reader in the feel. Much lighter than the Sony, and I found it easy to lay back in bed and read. It comes loaded with tons of books (mostly classics), many of which I will enjoy reading. They had Sherlock Holmes, I’m thrilled.
The book I bought loaded within seconds and I didn’t have to do anything crazy to get it to move into the library. With the .pub format, I can zoom in nicely and get that text as big as I need it to be.
One of my original complaints with the Sony (and the reason I returned it) was how it handled standard PDF files. I know they have a work around now, but at the time it frustrated me. Most of the e-books I’d bought previously were in PDF, so I was concerned I’d have a similar issue. These documents show up under the document list rather than the book list, and I do have the ability to zoom in. The only concession is that I need to pan the page in order to read it once zoomed. Mildly annoying, but I CAN read the documents. I don’t have to go and modify them into a different format or get a third party app to do it for me.
The good news, going forward I’ll be buying all my EC books in .pub format, so I won’t have to worry about it.
When I power the Kobo off, it actually puts the cover on the screen of the book I was in the middle of reading. I think this is a great touch, making it feel more like a real book.
Did I mention this baby is light?? It is very easy to navigate around the menus and I know I could have figured out how to use it without reading the manual. I’m glad I did, but it wasn’t necessary.
Overall? I’m thrilled with this device. It’s small, light, with give me an expandable memory slot so I can get 4G more worth of books on there. The price is a lot less than the Sony, with just as much viewable space. Plus, I can get cool skins to put on it to snazz it up.
Yes, I’m a girl.
Currently, the Kobo is only available in Canada, but according to their website it will be coming to the US this summer. If you have been putting off buying an e-reader, I would suggest you give this one a look. I’m very pleased.
You can see more on the device by checking out the Chapters site here.
Woohoo!! I didn’t hear about your shipping problem until I read this, but it’s funny, cause when I called Chapters? They didn’t have mine, it had been shipped to another store, so the lady was wonderful and set aside one of the first come ones for me!
I’m just starting to play with it!
I HATE how it reads the pdf. I will be converting those to epub using Caliber.
AND do you know how to put the 100 free books onto your computer, rather than keeping them on the reader?
I wonder what they would do to me if I ordered one from Canada? I WANT.
Natasha, I’m thinking I might use Caliber to convert the few new EC books I bought. I’m not a big fan of pan and scan, but it’s better than the Sony.
I haven’t figured out how to get them off, but I do know you need to control it from the desktop. I’ll play some more tonight and I’ll let you know.
Gwen, you never know, they might ship it! There’s no connection to the Internet from the device itself, so I’m sure it would work just fine for you.
I might get a Nook instead…most of my current ebooks are secure ereader format and Nook reads those. The problem is that they don’t have an android app yet and Kobo does. Gah.
Maybe send them an email and ask, Gwen. It could be one of the reasons for the delayed release to the US. Maybe they are trying to get more compatible file formats?
Actually, I sent an email about 1/2 hr ago. I’ll let you know what they come back with. The more I think about it, the more I’ll probably go with Kobo. Since the agency model fiasco, I haven’t bought anything at Fictionwise, which is where I was getting all my .pdb files. I’ve been buying at Kobo anyway. So…yeah. I might just not worry about the books I bought and worry about the book I want to buy.
I’m thinking they might ship it to the US but I’m got no hope of getting it sent down under. *sigh*
I’m keeping the link though, by the time I get around to buying an ereader it may be here.
Yes, Gwen, keep me posted! I haven’t been to Fictionwise in ages, personally. I hope Kobo is flexible enough to handle the other formats.
Rhian, maybe if you make it over for Romanticon, you can buy one when you’re here. I don’t think there would be anything stopping you from using it once you get home.
FYI – I just bought another book. My husband should be fearful of the credit cards LOL!
Probably will get one while I’m over there next time. Hopefully it will be for Romanticon, if not definitely RT in LA next year.
My Hubby threatened to take the credit cards off me at one point. *grin*
Sounds like you’re in love and I’m pleased for you. I haven’t bought a dedicated reader yet. I’m using my iPod, which I love.
Btw, you do know a certain someone’s books are available at Kobo?? Just mentioning that fact…
Rhian, you could always paypal someone the money and get them to send it to you
Great review, C. I have the KOBO app on my iPhone (and am holding out hope of having an iPad soon too!). Thinking of getting my father-in-law this reader. Looks very friendly and useable.