

The main reason I purchased an e-reader in the first place was to remove myself from the distractions of notifications and web browsing. It feels great to flip it open and closed like a physical book, and the Kobo automatically sleeps and wakes when I do so.įor the most part, the Kobo’s user interface is pretty run-of-the-mill. I purchased the SleepCover in rose because I’m a millennial through and through. The SleepCover’s strange fold-up design allows it to stand on a tabletop - perfect for hands-free reading while you scarf down your morning toast.

It’s a magnetic, soft-leather case that protects the sensitive E Ink touchscreen while also looking fabulous.

I was also drawn to the Libra H2O by its main accessory, the SleepCover. The lower end of the spectrum - the Nia and the Clara HD - will get you just the touch screen, while the higher-range Libra and Forma add physical buttons to the mix. Much like Amazon’s e-readers, Rakuten’s Kobo lineup takes the form of a few variations on the same theme - in this case, that theme is an E Ink touchscreen ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 8 inches in diagonal diameter. In the few months since I first picked up Kobo’s Libra H2O, I’ve done more heavy e-book reading than I did in the six years I owned a Kindle.Īnd the best part? None of my book purchases line Jeff Bezos’ pockets (more on this below.) It turns out that my assumptions about the future of reading were naive at best. Then I found out about Kobo’s line of e-readers. For years I read discounted Amazon books and raggedy PDFs on the device, thinking to myself all the while: this is what modern reading feels like. I’ve owned Amazon’s most basic Kindle - you know, the one with a small-ish touchscreen and not much else - since 2014, when I impulse-bought the e-reader during a Prime Day sale.
