The number of e-book readers with built-in backlighting used to be zero. No longer. There are now over half a dozen e-book readers with backlit screens, and one of them is the Kobo Glo. It comes with a rather sizable 6-inch e-ink Pearl touchscreen display and lasts up to 55 hours of continuous usage with the light on.
In terms of speed, the Glo has no issues. It runs on a 1GHz Freescale processor that’s more than capable of driving the 1024x758 pixel touchscreen display. The high native resolution results in crisp on-screen text, great for reading on the go. And of course, with the built-in backlighting, it’s possible to read pretty much anywhere regardless of whether it is day or night.
As with Kobo’s other e-book readers, the Glo is designed to work well with social networks and offers easy access to nearly 3 million books in the Kobo eBookstore. And the best thing is that it is available in a range of different colors, so you can easily choose a style that's uniquely you.
Need to Know: Kobo Glo
1. High-resolution e-ink Pearl touchscreen display offers crisp text on all kinds of digital content. (The Good)
2. Built-in backlighting makes it possible to read at all times of day. (The Good)
3. Lacks built-in 3G wireless connectivity. (The Bad)
4. A bit too expensive for its price-to-features ratio. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Michael Grothaus, Know Your MobileFor a suggested retail price of £99.99 the Kobo Glo is twice as expensive as the Nook, but still £10 cheaper than the new Kindle Paperwhite. But the Glo more than makes up for its double price over the Nook in both form and function, and at £10 cheaper than the Kindle it still come...
- Anna Attkisson, Laptop MagThe Kobo Glo offers a good reading experience with an extraordinarily bright backlight and a large selection of content. With a price tag of $129, the Kobo Glo backlight and gamified reading experience help this e-reader stand out, but it doesn't unseat the champ.
- K. T. Bradford, Digital TrendsThe Kobo Glo is a decent e-reader with good features and an average design. It doesn’t score a definitive win over the Nook or Kindle, but it is competitive in a way previous efforts from the company weren’t.
- Dave McClintock, Computer ShopperSo, take a very close look at the Kobo Glo. It’s a handsome device, and there’s virtue in supporting a high-quality underdog. However, for U.S.-based consumers, we suspect the Kindle Paperwhite still has an edge. You may already purchase items from Amazon, and it has a diverse product ra...
- Helena Stone, Chip ChickIn two areas the Kobo Glo clearly outdoes its competitors. Firstly, it offers better and more even lighting than both the Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight, and the Paperwhite. It also offers a MicroSD card slot that the Kindle Paperwhite lacks. Does that mean the Kobo Glo is a superior choice? Unfor...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Kobo Glo Manual (PDF)
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