I’ve never made a secret of the fact I’m an Apple girl. Since the day I got my first Mac Classic nearly 25 years ago (oops, giving my age away there!) I’ve been utterly faithful, so it would take a lot for me to cheat.
Which is why I greeted the KOBO AURA H20 e-reader with a little side eye… this device was going to have to do something pretty special to entice me away from my fruity favourite.
I usually read e-books on my mini-iPad, so the first thing I noticed was how much lighter the Kobo was. A good start, but it was going to take a lot more than that to win me over.
I quickly connected the device to our home wifi, and set up an account via my Facebook account. Then it was straight to the library to check out the Stephen King titles. I’ve found it hard to find time to read since the girls were born, so have seriously missed my horror fix.
I quickly found a new novel I hadn’t read yet, and downloaded it while running a bubble bath.
Normally I’d be a bit nervous reading in the bath – one slip of bubbly fingers and you have a hefty repair bill on your hands – so here’s where the Kobo (dare I say it) kicks some iPad butt. Because it’s waterproof.
Not ‘it’s OK if you splash a bit of water on it’ but completely water tight, as in – you could completely submerge it up to one metre deep for 30 minutes, and it would keep on truckin’.
So how else does it compare? The 6.8″ screen is black and white and isn’t quite as bright white as my mini iPad, but neither of these really matter for standard book reading.
The only slight issue I noticed was that sometimes when I turned the page the screen would invert for a split second. I did some digging, and apparently it’s the e-reader resetting the page every six turns. Again, it isn’t a deal breaker, just something you notice when it happens.
Other than that, the high definition capacitive touchscreen is beautifully reactive and the pages turn quickly – both of which are important to me. The other obvious difference was the Kobo has a slightly vaulted back, which I actually liked, as I found it easier to hold.
Overall opinion? I’ll keep the iPad for movies and reading the newspaper, but I actually prefer reading books on the Kobo. There, I said it. If I could change anything it would be to make screen slightly brighter, but other than that, I have no complaints.
With an RRP of £139.99 it’s not the cheapest e-reader, but the fact I can also read in the bath, by the pool, or at the beach without worrying about water or sand damage is something I’d personally pay a premium for.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a book to finish before the kids get home…
• provided for the purpose of review
I quite fancy one of these. I got myself a mini tablet with the intention of using it to read books but I get distracted by emails and never make it to my books. Would be nice to just settle down and relax to read other than work!! I have a kobo account so will have to look into it.
Yes! That’s exactly what happens! You tell yourself ‘I’ll just quickly check my Facebook’ and two hours later you’ve run out of time, and haven’t read a single page of your book. This totally removes temptation for hopeless social media addicts, like ourselves… 😉
Looks fab. Personally I’d rather buy books, as it’s quite expensive, but, if I had the money, I’d definitely buy one….the waterproof part sold me!!
Hey Renna, the waterproof part is what I really loved about it too – ideal for summer holidays. x
I really want to try a reader like this, as it would be much easier for travelling, but I just love the feel of holding a book.
I must admit I was dubious of e-readers at first too, but what Iove is being able to read with one hand – something that’s pretty much impossible with thick books. x
This really reminds me of the kindle! I have one and love it xxx
It’s very similar to the Kindle, but with the added benefit of being waterproof. x
I have to admit I’ve not heard much about KOBO, but this sounds like a fantastic readers – I’ve been debating getting one as my books take up a lot of space on my iPad these days.
Yes! That’s the other thing – I’m constantly having to clear things off my iPad is the memory is always full. x
This looks amazing but I still prefer my Amazon Kindle anyday…..
I’ve tried out a Kindle Fire in the past and really liked that too, but I do LOVE the fact this is waterproof. x
Wow it’s amazing that it is waterproof, that’s a real selling point for me as I love to read in the bath and this would be perfect for taking on holiday too and having by the pool
Totally agree – the waterproof feature makes it absolutely ideal for holidays. x
I’ve got myself an Amazon Kindle and it’s great for the long journeys to college and airplane rides. Never heard of this brand.
I didn’t know much about Kobo either, but was really impressed! x
I have a Kindle and absolutely love it, it comes everywhere with me. I do also like to read books from time to time too x
I haven’t been able to read much since the girls were born, so getting my book groove back on has been such a pleasure – I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! x
I love my kindle but I do worry about water – this looks great as I do like to read in the bath.
The bath is the BEST place to read! I get to bed so late that I can’t read there anymore – I fall asleep before I’ve finished one page… 😉 x
This looks great – I love my Kindle fire but rarely have time to read. Oh and I LOVE Stephen KIng!! Christine is my all time fave.Kaz x
*high fives you* Stephen King is the BEST – people underestimate what an amazing writer he is – and Christine is one of my favourites too! x
E-readers seem to be so much more practical and portable than books! I’m still reluctant to make the switch because I love buying and owning books sooo much, however I remember once I switched from CDs to my iPod I wished I’d done it sooner! x
It’s funny isn’t it, Zoe, how you resist something and resist something, then look back and wonder why it took you so long to get with the programme! I was just the same with swapping my Blackberry for an iPhone. Finally I swapped and a whole new iPhone world opened up for me… 😉 x
Sounds like this has made quite an impression on you. I will have to check it out. I need something like this for going on holiday with
Definitely! I’m thinking I need to book a beach holiday, so I can really try it out… 😉 x
[…] much as I love my tech (including this KOBO e-reader) traditional books will always have a warm, fuzzy place in my heart. Which is why […]
[…] that promotes and regulates sleep – which is why I choose to use an e-reader, like the KOBO AURA H20 I was recently sent to review. Dedicated e-readers are illuminated from the front, rather than […]
I love the gadgets which are light weighted and have a good quality display. I think it’s great that it is waterproof. I would like to buy it.