Wednesday 24 October 2012

My New E-Reader...

Over the summer my Sony Pocket e-reader began needing the battery charging before I could open the reader, even when it was still three quarters charged- it was clearly malfunctioning.

So I accepted that I either paid a horrible amount of money to get it working again, or buy a new e-reader. Well there really wasn't a contest. I could buy a brand new reader and a few books for what it would cost to repair. And I needed more storage too.

I'd been considering a Kindle but didn't want to be locked into only buying e-books from Amazon, so I was interested by a display of kobo's in WH Smith (when I'd only popped in to look for a plastic box).

I was trying to work out how to get from one page on the reader screen to the next, when a child of no more than 8 years old, out with her grandparents, proceeded to whizz through the pages on the nearest device with a few slides of her fingers.

Yes, I hadn't understood that the idea of touch-screens was sweeping movements...I'm a simple basic phone person, nothing that needs sliding. :-)

Resorting to the tactic of all technology bemused adults, I got an assistant to help me.

The three latest readers, mini, touch, and glo were on stands and connected up so I got a demonstration of how they worked, and was able to ask the 'kobo' assistant questions and get an answer immediately-great customer service (if only other stores had staff like this).

My only question was which one did I choose?

Should I pay £59.99 for the mini- ideal for fitting in the pocket, 1GB storage, with built in wi-fi for downloading ease; or spend a bit more on the glo (£99.99) and have the added advantage of an integrated front-light with adjustable brightness, the 1GB storage, but with the ability to use a Micro SD card for extra storage if needed...

Now if you read in bed, or are travelling as a passenger in a car when it's dark outside, then the light option is essential, though using the light will drain the battery quicker.

I decided to buy the glo and the assistant even helped set it up while I was in store, so when I got home all I needed to do was sign into kobo.com and download my kobo desktop, plug in my reader and synchronise it.

It was then an enjoyable hour (or two) browsing through the book categories, and then downloading a few free previews of books I'm interested in buying. Some are books by authors I've read before, others are new to me.

I'm sure there will be elements that confuse me, but I can pop in store and ask the assistant if I need to, which is great.

I'm mastering the sweeping motion, and not accidentally opening the dictionary too often now.

And best of all, I should be able to load the One Word Challenge Anthology onto it, when it's published in early December, so I can show relatives and friends my stories. :-)

My only problem now is resisting reading, so I can get on with writing...



5 comments:

John Byatt said...

The Kobo sounds a good option, and one which I may consider, as I am somewhat put off Amazon and their treatment of kindle owners recently publicised elsewhere. When I got my Kindle last Christmas I thought I would get quickly addicted to it, but the reality has been that I've downloaded hardly a dozen books, and have gone weeks without even picking it up. I rather think I shall explore the Kobo myself for this Christmas.

Patsy said...

I've been considering getting an ereader (for when we're out in the van). Can you still download from Amazon onto the Kobo?

Helen Baggott said...

You can download non-Amazon eBooks to a Kindle, so you're not necessarily locked into Amazon with a Kindle.

And you can also transfer PDFs - something I've done, although it's not as a great as an eBook.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

That sounds like a good alternative, Carol - although I love my kindle, it's wise to know what else is out there. Love the new photo!

Carolb said...

I can be a bitty reader, John.

I like being able to read in between stages of cooking a meal. But also longer sessions when I'm travelling.

So as long as I'm comfortable holding the e-reader and can work the settings, I'm happy.

Thanks for answering Patsy's query, Helen.

Thanks, Rosemary. (I cropped out the reindeer antlers with the bells on.):-)