Review: The Kobo Glo HD E-reader

When it comes to e-readers the market has become saturated with various products all with the primary aim of making reading easier and more accessible.

But as someone who has an obsession with physical books but doesn’t actually read that much I was worried I couldn’t do this review justice.

So, I drafted in my other half Ciaran McElhinney, who is not only an avid reader but an ebook and e-reader convert.

The product we’re looking at here is the brand new Kobo Glo HD which retails for £109.99 and available from WHSmith stores and online at www.kobo.com.

On opening the Kobo Glo HB the first thing I noticed was how sleek, slim and well sized it was.  As someone with relatively small hands it felt comfortable in mine, it wasn’t too heavy and there was something natural about handling it.

We were off to a good start.

Getting set up was easy, in fact much much easier than I initially anticipated.  There’s nothing worse than getting a new product and having to go through the trauma of a long, drawn out set up.

With the Kobo Glo HD I was up and running with a few books downloaded within minutes.  Navigation was easy, uncomplicated and stress free.  In fact, you wouldn’t need to have much technological knowledge to get this product up and running.

The product itself offers fantastic high-definition front-lit display at a reasonable and affordable price.  The actual display is crisp and clear and the clarity is second to none.  No squinting, straining or confusion when it comes to this e-reader.

Once in and reading the ability to adjust the light means this e-reader can literally be read anywhere from out in the bright sunlight of a holiday destination to under the covers in the middle of the night.

Flicking between pages was made much easier by the fact this product is touch screen, many older generation e-readers have fixed button arrangements which depending on your reading position can be awkward.  The e-reader gives the option of being able to turn the page from a selection of areas on the page.

One lovely novelty is being able to fold the corner of the page as a bookmark, an action many book lovers would cringe at.

As your reading through your book the Kobo Glo HD has a few interesting features such as being able to highlight words to find definitions as well as a status update of how far into the book you are and how much you still have to go.

If you’re using your Kobo Glo as a study tool there is a great option of being able to highlight passages and make notes.

As well as that this is a great option as a gift for someone beginning their reading journey.  It not only encourages you to keep reading with the status information but actually charts your reading rate and estimates how long it might take you to complete the book.  On top of that the stats option gives you small goals to achieve making completion of a book a much more achieveable goal for those who may not be avid readers.

Whilst reading you can choose your font size and style as well as even changing the justification on your page allowing you to create a book that aesthetically pleases you.  We did see an option for a font called Open Dyslexic, we can only assume this is a function created to aid dyslexic readers.

One thing Ciaran felt whilst using the Kobo Glo HD is the fact that it allows you to focus solely on the book you’re reading.  Some e-readers have many other options of functionality, but for Ciaran, an avid reader, these were nothing but a distraction reducing the reading pleasure.  With the Kobo Glo HD you can absorbed in the story.

For those who do need or want extra functionality, there is the ability to surf the web (in black and white of course), make notes and other various additions.  However, these do not crowd the reading process.

It is important to note that this is not a tablet screen as its primary function is for reading.  If you’re looking for a multi-functional device it’s important that you test this before you buy.

However, if you simply want to engross yourself in a wide variety of reading products this comes highly recommended from us.

Ps, if you do buy this Kobo Glo HD look out for the reading awards….and the many little surprises that you will discover on your reading journey.

For more information or to buy a Kobo Glo HD click HERE