Why I Got an E-book Reader When I Already Have an iPad

My wife and I love to read and we have built a sizeable library over the years. However, since last year we have been reading mostly ebooks. Sure, we love books, but the love affair is more about the content of the books than the physical objects, so we are pretty satisfied to have started building an e-library. Quite frankly, we were running out of room for physical books and we are both pretty serious about the environment, so not cutting down trees to print books is a bonus.

Last Christmas I gave my wife a Kobo Touch, and that how she reads most of her books on her Kobo. I have been reading on my iPad. This Christmas I asked for a Kobo Glo. I was quite pleased that my lovely wife put one under the Christmas tree for me.

I love my iPad, but I have to tell you, I am enjoying reading books on my Kobo. For a long reading session, my iPad quickly gets too heavy. The Kobo is much lighter and easier to hold for the long haul. It is small, light, and nice to hold in one hand. The e-paper screen is much easier on the eyes, especially after spending a full work day staring at a backlit computer screen. One of the reasons that I stuck with my iPad is that I like to read in bed. With the iPad, my wife could turn out the light and go to sleep, and I could continue to read without disturbing her. The new Kobo Glo features a fantastic light that Kobo calls ComfortLight. It beautifully and evenly illuminates the page in a way that is much kinder to the eyes than a traditional tablet back light.

The battery life is just great. I received the Kobo on Christmas day, and have read it more that I think would be usual (I have had a nasty cold, so I have spent extra time curled up in bed with a good book). After a month, the battery is still at 65%.

One final observation. When I am reading on my iPad, I find that I am easily distracted. The iPad dings to tell me I have received an email, and I close my book to read it. I next thing I know, I am off browsing the internet and my book is forgotten. With my Kobo I can enjoy a long, uninterrupted, relaxing session of just reading. Beautiful!