Manage updates with the Download AppKobo eReader
Manufacturer: KOBO, Inc. Part number: KOBOEREADER
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Kobo eReader isn't a bad little basic e-book reader, but it's just not a compelling deal now that the more full-featured Barnes & Noble Nook has matched its low price.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borders.com | Not yet rated | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/14/2013 |
CNET editors' review
Kobo eReader price range: $149.99
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 07/08/2010
- Released on: 06/17/2010
The good: Relatively compact, lightweight, and affordable; integrates nicely with Borders e-book store; built-in Bluetooth; expansion slot for additional memory; $20 gift card bundled with unit; good battery life (up to two weeks).
The bad: No Wi-Fi or 3G wireless; somewhat generic feel to the whole device; no competitive advantage over similarly priced Barnes & Noble Nook; screen contrast could be better.
The bottom line: The Kobo eReader isn't a bad little basic e-book reader, but it's just not a compelling deal now that the more full-featured Barnes & Noble Nook has matched its low price.
User reviews
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Could be a lot better
by cyberay on July 7, 2010
Pros: Very light. Easy to hold. Feels good in my hands.
Cons: Location of the button used to turn pages many other function requires that you use two hands to operate it.
Hard to locate a particular page.
Battery life is not as advertised.
Page turning requires use of 2 hands due to location of button.Summary: I have contacted Kobo of the problems I am having and received a reply that an update to the software is in the works that will solve my batter life ...
Summary: I have contacted Kobo of the problems I am having and received a reply that an update to the software is in the works that will solve my batter life problem so I am assuming that others are having this problem too. They will also look at some of the suggestions that I have made.
After a week of ownership a few more cons to add to my list.
Overall this is my first ebook reader and I have no other to compare it with but I have found it simple and very easy to use. It is very light and feels real good in my hands. It is not a distraction and allows me to fully focus on the text that I am reading. Fix my cons and it will be the only ebook reader that i will ever need.
Updated on Jul 11, 2010
I have not been able to read a whole book on one charge of my battery. I have had to charge my battery 3 times so far.
You can not read when the battery is charging. All you will see is a screen that tells you that it is connected you your computer.
Epub files are kept in a book section whereas pdf files are in the document section. The features in each section are very different. In the book section you can adjust the font size. Not so in the document section which only allows you to magnify the page. The words in whole page view in the document section will be very tiny because of the ebooks screen size. If you magnify the page you will lose the ends of the sentences which you will have to use the toggle button to view one end then the other. There is a noticeable delay after hitting the toggle button so to try to read a magnified page is ridiculous.
Updated on Jul 28, 2010After I updated the firmware my battery life has improved but there are still problems with my kobo and if i could I would drop my rating to 2 stars.
Due to character limitation i will keep things brief.
After upgrade
Pros
Better battery life.
Cons
Ebook startup appears to be slower.
Takes longer to load books.
No significant changes to improve navigation and organizing my I'm Reading section problems using the kobo. This alone I feel will make some people throw their kobo into the trash can.
Borders software very simple and lacks very important features.
Problem inquires to both Borders and kobo customer service resulted in no real solutions to the problems I am having.
The bottom line right now is I will have to wait while their tech departments review and come up with a solution. For this I can not recommend this ereader at this moment.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great reader, great price
by rchunn on May 10, 2010
Pros: holds hundreds of titles. Great screen clarity. Long battery life. Simple to use. Great navigation. Nice to look at.
Cons: no wifi or 3G
Summary: I am an avid reader and traveler so an ereader is a perfect solution for me. I don't understand why people are so focused on the wireless funcitonality of ...
Summary: I am an avid reader and traveler so an ereader is a perfect solution for me. I don't understand why people are so focused on the wireless funcitonality of readers since they are hold hundreds (or thousands) of books. Save yourself $100, by a Kobo and hook it up to your computer, you have to charge it anyway.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wanted to share an example of poor cust. service attit.
by sparf on June 2, 2012
Pros: Kobo book store. Fairly ok price. Android capability
Cons: poor navigation quality. slight sluggish &poor cust. service handling.
Summary: If you are excited by the freshness etc. of produnt DO buy it..- The thing I really was disappointed with was I called was unable to give feedback about ...
Summary: If you are excited by the freshness etc. of produnt DO buy it..- The thing I really was disappointed with was I called was unable to give feedback about a systematic flaw . -When I wrote out that I would plse like an expert opinion: their response you should of got THE cord with your device~ thank you for letting us help you
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Terrible customer services
by MCA1982 on April 14, 2012
Pros: Good product
Cons: Customer services well below other companies
Summary: I would not buy a Kobo again because of the disgraceful service from customer care.
My Kobo broke within warranty and I initially exchanged multiple e-mails. I then had a ...Summary: I would not buy a Kobo again because of the disgraceful service from customer care.
My Kobo broke within warranty and I initially exchanged multiple e-mails. I then had a summary of my e-mails and was informed the situation had been resolved. There was no resolution with no repair or replacement. Since then, customer services have simply not replied to my e-mails.
I agree that this product is excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed my Kobo e-reader but I would strongly urge people to reconsider purchasing a Kobo when the customer services can not be relied on to help at all when things go wrong.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Vox reader died suddenty, terrible customer service!
by userme123 on March 28, 2012
Pros: Concerning customer service.
Indigo promised to send in my product for a one-time free replacement (they will cover shipping). The manager at Indigo was friendly, helpful and made me feel that my issues with the product were legitimate.Cons: Indigo misinformed me when I purchased the ereader that they handle such issues, but as it turns out, only within the first 14 days or if the product is in store-bought condition (i.e. untouched).
Summary: My kobo vox reader died suddenly (not a battery issue) after being used app. 25 times. I can't even reset factory settings either way: Power/Home button or Volume+/...
Summary: My kobo vox reader died suddenly (not a battery issue) after being used app. 25 times. I can't even reset factory settings either way: Power/Home button or Volume+/Power button. I called Kobo and received poor service (I'm being kind) Apparently even if you have a warranty, a product replacement for a product purchased at Indigo in Canada, will cost you the shipping fees each and every time it breaks, which is alarming considering the product died after such a short period of time when used properly. Kobo customer service reps and the very arrogant manager my call was forwarded to did not stand by their product and made me feel terrible for expecting a free replacement on a product that was still under warranty. In response to my questions regarding possible malfunctions every 20 times of usage, the manager implied that it was very unlikely but should it occur I will be expected to pay for shipping each and every time - even if that means I will have paid the amount of an entirely new product within a year. I am not satified with the product either: it's very slow (loading books, going from app to app)and has a lot of unnecessary facebook/forum pop ups that ruin the whole experience, and there is no way to turn them off. I am a facebook user but do not wish to have access to my facebook account on my ereader or anywhere else except for the facebook web page! The product - when functioning - is worth not more than half the price. I wouldn't recommend it. There is no agenda on it either. It's one of those *If only I had known...* situations for me! Think twice before purchasing!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not impressed with Kobo,koboboks, nor w. customer care.
by ginixon on January 15, 2012
Pros: Device can serve as a cheap portable pdf reader and can also read the popular opensource EPUB format.
Cons: Speed: Sluggish.
Display: No backlight, glare, only 200% zoom.
Features: No highlighting.
Stability: Frequent resets.
Pagination: Does not always work correctly.
Customer Service: Communication can be difficult.
Customer Satisfaction: Poor policies.Summary: Speed: Device is sluggish.
Display: Screen has no backlight and glare is an issue when using supplemental illumination. Zoom feature for pdf's only goes to 200% so you may ...Summary: Speed: Device is sluggish.
Display: Screen has no backlight and glare is an issue when using supplemental illumination. Zoom feature for pdf's only goes to 200% so you may require a magnifyer for some pdfs.
Features: Device lacks highlighting.
Stability: Accidentally depressing the a key (power key?) for a couple of seconds can send the device into an endless loop and require a reset to turn-off.
Pagination: Pagination does not work correctly when reading pdfs in lanscape mode using zoomed pages. If you navigate from the bottom of the page to the next, you are placed at the bottom of the next page and must scroll up to the top. Very annoying.
Customer Service: Communication can be difficult with offshore attendants, despite their politeness.
Customer Satisfaction: All eBook sales are final despite some products being of unacceptable quality and deceptively advertized on the kobobooks website.
Received my Kobo WiFi eReader for Christmas. No highlighting ability, no backlight, sluggish performance.
Also, I made my first eBook purchases using a $25 giftcard along with discount coupons. My purchase was for 2 EPUBs at kobobooks by Cram101 - advertised as Textbook Outlines for two popular Health Physics textbooks. I was very disappointed to find but a bunch of definitions or summaries for some of the 'terms' found in each chapter. No context provided concerning the 'subject' that is being taught and no equations whatsoever - very strange for what is purported to be a textbook outline in physics. Worse still, many of the same terms appear redefined from chapter to chapter, often containing completely unrelated subject matter (Newt Gingrich brought into the mix because the unit of Newtons was used)- very dismaying - apparently the creation of some automated process or bot and were clearly never properly QA'd by neither the publisher nor Kobo. I asked for a refund and recommended that they pull the offending products from their website. They merely responded that they were sorry for my inconvenience but that all sales were final.
I cannot recommend Kobo products based on my experiences with the sluggish eReader, my difficulties in with oral communication with the customer service department, and with my dissatisfaction with their lack of concern for customer satisfaction and for the quality of their advertiised online products (which appear without any means of rating on their kobobooks website).1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome Reader changed my mind
by zzone-com on March 13, 2011
Pros: So with Boders bankrupt I was able to pick it up for 69.99 Great Price and I always thought that E-Readers were stupid but its actually Good Better go say sorry to my friend whom i made fun out of for buying Kindle
Cons: Slow compare to other E-readers but bearable
Summary: Go get it if u can at 70 or less check ur nearest Borders Store
Summary: Go get it if u can at 70 or less check ur nearest Borders Store
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Superb little reader - easy on the eyes!
by thebarelip on March 3, 2011
Pros: I find this to be the lightest reader. As a writer, it is easy to put your own books on it for reading. Battery life good. optional sd card slot holds LOTS of books. Stays on the page you are reading when you power down.
Cons: A bit slow to boot up. Learning curve for efficient operation .
Summary: Great bang for the buck - special promo - $99 I am very pleased so far.
Summary: Great bang for the buck - special promo - $99 I am very pleased so far.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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No support or backup. Unit flawed
by beauzy on February 10, 2011
Pros: Same as all readers. Light and portable.
Cons: I neverf get more than a couple of hours reading with each charge. Kobo e-store is a rip off. I ordered and paid for a book that never arrived. Completely ignored by the help team. First book arrived o.k. Suspect that they sale books not in stock.
Summary: Absolutly no trust in kobo. They knowingly put a product on the back with flaws and expect buyers to use a firmware update that only partially fixes the problem. There ...
Summary: Absolutly no trust in kobo. They knowingly put a product on the back with flaws and expect buyers to use a firmware update that only partially fixes the problem. There e-store is unable to send off books thats are paid for and offer no reinbursement.
When I return from winter holiday I'm getting a kindle and only use the kobo for library downloads. This company deserves to go broke.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I have the Kobo and really, really like it.
by NLB124 on December 22, 2010
Pros: I tested quite a few e-readers before deciding - it is light - about as much as a paperback book, and easy to navigate. Love the click through buttons - so many touch screen readers are too slow and off (I do like the iPad but that is a computer).
Cons: No cons to report!
Summary: I really think it is a fantastic way to carry around a ton of books and expand my library (it came pre-loaded with 100 classic books - some I have ...
Summary: I really think it is a fantastic way to carry around a ton of books and expand my library (it came pre-loaded with 100 classic books - some I have read but some I haven't). I love to read so it is really nice to have so many great titles so close at hand! I have the wi-fi Kobo and my whole extended family (18 in all) tried to take it home with them this weekend! I am a Kobo Community Manager and am happy to work for She's Connected on this product.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: KOBO, Inc.
- Part number: KOBOEREADER
- Description: Marketing description is not available.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type eBook reader
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 4.7 in x 0.4 in x 7.2 in
- Weight 7.1 oz
Display
- Type 6 in Monochrome E Ink
- Display type 6 in E Ink
- Color Depth 3-bit (8 gray levels)
Memory
- Flash Memory 1 GB
- Supported Flash Memory Cards SD Memory Card
- Flash memory installed 1 GB
Communications
- Wireless Connectivity Bluetooth
EBook Reader
- Supported Text Formats EPUB ,
PDF - Features Bluetooth ,
Expandable memory Location
- GPS Navigation None
Input Device
- Type 4-way D-pad
Expansion and Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x USB
Battery
- Battery Life (pages) 8000 pages
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 4.7 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 7.2 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse KOBO, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:KOBO, Inc.
- Address:
82 Peter Street, Toronto, Ontario M5V 2G5
