Read On is having a "one trillion minutes read" contest (on the Kobo, natch), and is giving away thousands of dollars worth of e-books to schools and community organizations for every 10 million minutes read. And let me remind you of the success enjoyed by both Foursquare and the Reading is Fundamental campaign. You earn badges and unlock goodies as you reach certain plateaus. Read On gives you achievement-based rewards and feedback on your reading prowess. Kobo gets this, and so it has added a social game-like twist with its Read On campaign (there are even stickers in the box). All the manufacturers are doing it, but social integration on an e-reader isn't just about incorporating the ability to share on Twitter, Facebook and via e-mail. Second, Kobo has also come up with a formula to make what is a very solitary pursuit into a truly social activity. And that's a great thing if you ever want to change your brand of reader, since your investment isn't held hostage to a particular device from a single company. However, the books you buy for the Kobo Touch can be sideloaded onto other readers and reader apps on tablets. All of those booksellers use different proprietary formats which keep you indentured to their readers and apps. It's important to note that you can not load books you've purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple onto the Kobo Touch (even though it has a USB port and an SD card slot). The device is a bit rough around the edges compared to its more high-profile cousins, but it does boast two big differentiating features that won me over.įirst, the e-reader's native file format is the same one offered by Kobo's storefront, the relatively open EPUB format, which uses Adobe's DRM. Apples-to-apples, the Kobo Touch has enough going for it to recommend it as an alternative to the Nook and Kindle. Still, the Kobo Touch is a legitimate contender for the hearts and minds of people wanting a dedicated e-reader. With touchscreens making their way into the e-reader market, the timing is right for the arrival of Kobo's touch-equipped device.īut the Kobo Touch remains an also-ran to Barnes & Noble's Nook and Amazon's Kindle, both of which are much more popular.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |