the Gift Kobo Aura H2O, not the Kindle Voyage (Credit: Amazon, Kobo)
I am a bit of an e-reader packrat, or at least my wife thinks so. My collection includes Sony’s e-readers, Nooks, Kindles and Kobos. While early generation Kobo e-readers could be iffy in terms of quality, with the release of the excellent Kobo Aura, the company successfully transitioned to high quality devices that delivered a premium experience. And the follow-up Kobo Aura H2O is one of the best e-readers on the market for e-book lovers.
If you were going to buy someone a Kindle Voyage as a gift, you should consider the Kobo Aura H2O instead. Here’s why.
Killer Advantage: Kobo Aura H2O is Waterproof and Dustproof
Amazon likes to show product shots of people sitting on a beach or by the pool, relaxing while reading an e-book on their Kindle.
However, in reality, you’d be nuts to do that. They splash from a wave, they Cannonball dive too close to your deck chair, one spilled a Mai Tai, or one careless kick of sand and a Kindle Voyage is likely to be toast.
The best place to read is the riskiest place to use a Kindle (Credit: Amazon)
The Kobo Aura H2O, on the other hand, is IP67 certified waterproof and dust proof. That means it can survive up to 30 minutes submerged in 3.6-feet of water. Splashes, rain and a gust of sand-filled wind? Not a problem. And actually submerged a review unit in a sink and it not only was fine, but it kept working, even under water.
Kobo Auro H2O not only survives splashes, and rain, it can be submerged (Credit: brad Moon)
The Kobo Aura H2O is perfect for the hardcore reader. The person who wants to read while on vacation, sitting by their pool or even in the bath tub. The kind of reader who doesn’t want to scramble to put their book safely way just because they get caught in a bit of rain while waiting for a bus. You could stuff the Kindle Voyage in a protective case, but that’s ugly and anything that covers the display is inevitable that detracts from the reading experience. Or you could pay a third party company-it is waterproof the device, but you’ll pay for that upgrade.
Kobo Aura H2O Delivers a Flagship Reading Experience
You aren’t really giving up much by going with the Kobo Aura H2O instead of the Kindle Voyage, although the H2O is the most expensive $ 20 less (actually, at the time of publication, Kobo had knocked it down to a $ 40 difference).
Browse Forbes’ eBook library here.
The Kobo’s display is slightly lower resolution –265 ppi instead of 300 ppi– and I find it’s not quite as white as the Kindle’s. However, the Kobo’s display is larger at 6.8-inches. And find it’s plenty sharp, the extra size is appreciated (without adding bulk) and Kobo the Kindle is tops when it comes to e-book customization (24 font sizes are eight, plus 11 font styles and additional customization options).
The Kobo H2O also lacks the Kindle Voyage’s bezel-mounted page turning button, make sure purely on touch-screen page flips.
Otherwise the two e-readers are pretty evenly matched. Both offer excellent side-lighting solutions, wifi (although 3G is an option exclusive to the Voyage), long battery life, 4GB of storage, and the ability to borrow e-books from public libraries.
The Amazon Question…
If you’re shopping for someone who is an Amazon fan, the Kindle Voyage is tough to beat, especially if they already own a Kindle library of e-books or they’re an Amazon Prime member..
is Not locked into Amazon? Kobo’s online e-bookstore, carries over 5 million titles. I can’t recall ever looking for a book that I couldn’t find. Unlike the Kindle, the Kobo Aura H2O is also compatible with e-books purchased from Google Play’s e-book store, also boasting over 5 million titles. In other words, someone with a Kobo is not going to suffer from a lack of content available.
And while Kobo started out as a small, Canadian company, since 2011 it has been owned by Japan’s e-commerce giant Rakuten (often described as the Japanese Amazon) –it’s not going anywhere.
Converting Kindle e-books to a format that can be read using a Kobo e-reader is easy enough to do, although from a technical point of view, not legal in most countries. Unless they’re up to that challenge, if the person you’re shopping for has invested in a collection of Kindle titles, and the Kobo e-reader probably isn’t the best bet.
Kobo Aura H2O is perfectly at home on the beach or by a pool (Credit: Kobo)
Otherwise, the Kobo Aura H2O is the hardcore reader’s e-reader.
E-books look great and reading it offers unmatched customization options, the hardware is attractive and affordable, the selection of e-books is world-class and most importantly for someone who loves reading, it can be used literally everywhere. That includes the places where so many people enjoy extended reading sessions –at the beach, by the pool or soaking in a hot bath. You can’t do that (without risking damage) with a Kindle Voyage, so that’s why you should consider giving the gift of a Kobo Aura H2O instead.
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