Having an e-ink reader is great!
A month ago I purchased a Kobo Clara BW e-ink reader. Having used it daily since then, I'm very impressed with the device! Having a small, portable e-ink reader always within reach has dramatically increased the amount that I read.
Most recent tech products I've used (even from big names like Apple) have felt unpolished and riddled with bugs, so using something that does what it's supposed to without any fuss has been nice.
Having a dedicated single purpose reading device is wonderful! It's small enough to bring with me every time I go out, so I can read a few pages while waiting at the bus stop or for an appointment. Just open the cover and I'm right where I left off. No futzing around to open up a reader app and no potential to get distracted by other functionality.
Some rapid-fire impressions about the device:
- The 6" form factor is great. Fits easily into a pocket, but not so small that it loses all information density.
- The screen is sharp. Text looks very crisp and I haven't noticed any ghosting at all during reading. It looks a lot sharper than the screen on my Boox Note.
- Waking from sleep is sub-second fast. Turning pages is also quick, and navigating the library doesn't feel annoyingly slow.
- As with most e-ink devices, I don't have to think about battery life. I charged it once when I first got it and haven't needed to charge it since.
- The reader UI looks good and is simple to use.
- I haven't felt that Kobo is aggressive about pushing purchases from their store. There was no hassle in loading EPUBs I already had onto the device, and setting up the built-in OverDrive integration to borrow ebooks from my public library worked great. Amazon purportedly shows advertisements on the lock screen for some of their kindles, which I consider an immediate disqualifier for any of their devices.
I'm still in the habit of using paper books for my dedicated bedtime reading, but the Kobo has been a great alternative to pulling out my phone during downtimes.