The Story HD is likely to be the first high-resolution model to market, although other manufacturers may have goodies in store soon, Kobo included.
Short of opting for the smaller Sony PRS-350, which has a 5in screen and 800×600 resolution – or waiting for iRiver’s 1024×768 pixel Story HD, you can’t do any better at present. All the big-name ereaders of the moment use 800×600 pixel screens – not quite enough to keep smaller text looking ultra-sharp. It makes no bold steps forward, though, and there are some elements that will improve in E-ink technology over the next six months or so, most important of all being screen resolution. Naturally, it gives the paper-like, non-glare reading experience that makes E-ink readers so worthwhile, as opposed to LCD-screened counterparts. Text is nice and dark, but the background is slightly greyer than the best. The screen quality compares reasonably well with our current favourites, including the Kindle and Sony PRS-650, although contrast isn’t quite as good. In a world of phones that can display 16.8 million colours it might not sound like much, but this spec holds plenty of weight in the ereader arena.
The Kobo Touch uses an E-ink Pearl screen capable of rendering 16 shades of grey. This minimal design looks great, and means you can hold the Kobo up proudly on the train or bus without feeling like you’ve bought the Kindle’s poor relation. There are also just two physical controls – a Home button on the front and a power slider up top. It’s a neat addition but not a must-have – ebooks take up so little storage that we find the internal memory sufficient. There are just two sockets about its body, one microUSB to transfer files and charge the battery and a microSD slot to let you expand upon the 2GB of internal memory. This screen size has become the standard for devices of this type, and there are only a few that stray from it, such as the old Kindle DX and the dinky Sony PRS-350. It’s 10mm thick and has a 6in screen, giving it similar dimensions to many readers of the past few years, most notably Sony’s touch models. When put under stress, the Kobo Touch doesn’t flex or bend at all, but the impression in-hand is not of something too hard and immovable. The quilted back further softens the design, making it seem friendlier and less severe than it otherwise would. It sounds a bit naff, a back textured with a pattern seen on jackets worn by rich middle-aged people taking their beagles out for a walk, but it just works. This is a major win for the Kobo, with Christmas around the corner.Ī quilted back ensures this is no flat-out Kindle copy too. The Kobo Touch is much closer to the Kindle Touch than the 2011 Kindle in looks, but that model is yet to come to the UK – and as yet Amazon has not revealed a date for its arrival. With no physical page turn buttons and just a single seam on the back of the device, it’s cuter and prettier than the Kindle. The whole of the device is finished in soft-touch plastic and feels delightful. It weighs 183g, which is a little bit heavier than the new £89 Amazon Kindle, but is just as comfortable to hold one-handed. The Kobo Touch is petite, simple, light and attractive – and yet for all its daintiness, it feels strong too. Today we’re looking at the more expensive model, which is equipped with a touchscreen.įew manufacturers of eink readers have demonstrated an understanding of what an ereader should be like as well as Kobo has with this device. Partnering with high street giant WHSmith, Kobo offers a pair of eink readers, both attractive in price and design.
The Kobo range is here to change all that. Many people couldn’t name an ereader apart from the Kindle. The Amazon Kindle dominates the ereader market more the iPad does in tablet town.
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