Kobo - E-Reader

Kobo e-reader's won't do too much more than an Amazon Kindle, unless you are outside of the US. Kobo do just enough differently that I'd consider them to be thoughtful technology.

I can resist a trend, and tend not to jump onto very many things early. Amazon was one of those things. One of my first experiences with Amazon, that I still encounter today, is older relatives asking how to cancel a subscription that they didn't know they had. This happens a lot, it's like Amazon design their interfaces to intentionally trick people who are not tech literate into accidentally subscribing to additional services. And Kindle may be the biggest offender in that respect.

My mum is one such tech illiterate person, and the problem had become common enough to put her off trying to use her Kindle. E-readers tend to be pretty locked down in terms of software, so unless you are able to make modifications or track down an obscure model that is probably not suitable for tech noobs, then you're kind of stuck with what you get out of the box.

While looking for a different device for my mum, I found out about Libby and Overdrive, an e-book library system. I thought this was amazing, and wondered why it wasn't included as standard in Kindle's. I later found out that it is in fact included in Kindles, but not outside of the United States. However, I soon discovered that the Kobo e-readers do include Overdrive, even here in the UK.

Overdrive requires a library card for your local library, and despite being digital, there are only so many copies of a e-book that can be "borrowed", so it can be a bit of a wait for more popular titles, if they are even available at all. My mum is an keen and unfussy reader, so despite the limitations, this is a perfect system for her.

After setting up a Kobo for my mum, I was pleased with what I was seeing, and finally made the transition from paper to electronic books myself, although I keep mine offline and manage my own library using the Calibre e-book management software.