It wasn’t that long ago when reading a book involved physical page turning. With the advent of eReaders such as the soon-to-be-released Kobo Glo HD, book fans have either embraced the technology that has cured them of wrist strain and the age-old dilemma of how to fit multiple books in their purse, or they have kicked the technology to the curb and remained “old-school.”
Without a doubt, in the eReader market, Amazon’s Kindle has risen to the occasion and produced a product that catered to every book nerd’s whim and fancy. Not only do they produce products that are economical eReaders but they have branched out into the tablet and phone markets with their Kindle Fire and have also managed to get their Kindle app onto every smart device out there!
But with the release of Kobo’s Glo HD, Amazon may now have some strong competition. The Glo HD, scheduled for release on May 1, 2014 , comes with a price tag of only $129.99 and already Kobo are comparing their Glo HD with the Amazon Kindle.
But what does this mean for the average book reader? Should they consider dropping their Kindle in favor of Kobo’s Glo HD?
Well, it might be something to consider, especially if you are in the market for a new eReader or are new to eReader technology. While a Kindle will mainly support Amazon’s own file formats (such as.azw3,.azw,.kf8 and.mobi), Kobo offers many other formats, which means you can read a wider range of content from a broader source. Obviously, the Kindle files are not among the Kobo Glo HD formats. This could substantially be a drawback to the wide range of formats on offer by the Kobo Glo HD, considering Amazon is one of the most popular retailers among book readers and offers, arguably, the largest selection of books.
Also adding to the Kobo Glo HD appeal is the price. At $129.99, it offers a lot more bang for its buck in comparison to a sharper image (326ppi compared to 265 ppi) than Kobo’s Aura H20 ($229.00). It will also be cheaper than Amazon’s newest rival product, Voyager ($199.00).
If it is just an eReader you are after, without all the bells and whistles, there are many cheaper alternatives out there. Some come with the preferable eInk function (to help reduce glare issues such as headaches and eye strain) and others also offer the option of being able to play video for when you want to decide on whether the book was better than the movie, but at $129.99, the Kobo Glo HD offers so much more than just your run-of-the-mill generic eReader, so readers just might be willing to take the risk on this new product when choosing their next eReader.
Which eReader do you use — Amazon’s Kindle, Kobo products, or another brand?
[Image Credit: Kobo.com]
