Kobo Clara HD eReader

If you want an ereader that's cheap, good, and moddable, this is the one. There's a lot of software mods out there, but I find the default UI is totally fine. I don't want a device that can do everything, I want one that's comfortable and easy to use, and the vanilla UI is perfectly fine. However, if you like reading manga like I do, that 8gb of storage is gonna fill up fast. Luckily, the device is easy to open, and uses a regular SD card for storage. You just need to make an image of the drive it came with, flash it to a bigger SD card (I believe it has been tested to support up to 128gb), and use a tool to expand the storage partition of the card to fill the rest of the card. It uses a FAT32 filesystem, and the only one I could find that could do that for free was gparted. I used my linux laptop to do that, but I think there's a windows port and you could also always boot up a VM if needed. Just make sure you use a fast SD card. Don't cheap out on that. I've also had a few issues with managing books through Calibre even before doing the mod, but for the most part it's been easy to fix. One time I had an error where the database got borked, and had to factory reset it and reupload all my books. However I suspect that was a user error or something because I've had no issues like that since. The only problem I consistently have is that the metadata on new books are incorrect even if I manually update the metadata before ejecting, but the solution to that is just plugging it back in, updating metadata again, and then ejecting it. That always fixes it. I don't know why Kobo doesn't include a higher storage size by default, or even as an option. The mod is so easy and 8gb is really not enough for a system that supports cbr/cbz files.My only guess is that the extra storage space slows it down a bit when opening books, and it does- only a little bit, and only when opening a book- but that slowdown is probaby only present on big cards. My pick of 128gb is way overkill, but I wanted to be able to store everything on one device, including manga. OH yeah, one other little issue with big files- it can't load anything over 2gb. It appears in the filesystem when looking at the drive, but the device doesn't see it and it doesn't show up in Calibre. Luckily, for books that's a total non-issue, but for long comics like many popular manga, you'll have to split it up into multiple chunks. Personally, I wound up dividing long runs into multi-volume files, like "Jojolion Vol. 01-14" and Jojolion Vol. 15-27". Pretty easy workaround, and since cbz files are just zip files with a different extension, it's pretty easy to do. Overall, a great device, at a great price. The Android to Kindle's iPhone.

The Kobo is sort of the Linux of e-readers to the Paperwhite's MS Windows. If you want an easy-to-use, robust store and having all your books in the Amazon cloud then the Paperwhite is for you. However if you don't want your e-readers confined to the Amazon eco-space and desire to be able to easily add many different formats the Clara HD is the easy choice. First of all, forget any sort of competent software from Rakuten/Kobo to install on your PC to transfer books. Seriously, you'll hate yourself if you manage to locate and install their app. Just do what everyone does and download the free Calibre software (google it). And pass them a few bucks while you're at it. Calibre provides the ability to organize your ebook library as well as transfer to your Clara. It's a wonderful program I've been using for years and is actively updated. The Kobo connects to Walmarts ebook store and its perfectly fine to use for easy purchases. I do feel that much of what is said about the touchscreen not being quite as sensitive as the Paperwhite is true. It just misses the occasional swipe which can be annoying. However the excellent backlighting and color variations makes up for it. Very comfortable to hold and lightweight. Battery is very good but not amazing. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could but I round up to 5 and I'm thankful that at least one manufacturer has the ability to keep Amazon on their toes.

Several years ago I finally gave up on actual paper copies of books and went the Kindle Fire tablet route. Eventually upgraded to a competetor tablet and no longer used Kindle app but the Overdrive app from my local on-line digital library. I actually preferred this method as you borrow, return, browse, reserve, etc. all through the Overdrive app and do not have to add the extra step that the Kidle app required. The only issue I have experienced was when I wanted to read outside - or anywhere where direct sunlight, glare is a problem - which you know makes it virtually impossible to read on a tablet. They have so many great features, but outside reading isn't one of them. Was going on an extended trip where I would be outside a lot and wanted to be able to read. I first ordered a Kindle ereader. I did not realize that I could not "borrow" books directly from my library like I am able to do with Overdrive. My husband and I had a serious disagreement about this - says it isn't necessary, just download whatever books you want and put them on the reader -- return/borrow when you again have internet/tablet access. NO, NO, NO - this is not for me. If I am at the beach (wherever) finish and book and want to browse my library catalog, I want to do it now darnit - now have to wait. His kindle ereader what quite a few years old - so I said, "OK you love it so much, you can have this one. I will buy something that supports overdrive". Win-win for both of us. Checked overdrive to see what reader they recommended. After watching various youtube videos, reading reviews, I decided on the Kobo and I am glad I did. It works perfectly for an Overdrive gal like me. I have not had a particular situation where I could not read in any outside condition. Can easily browse library catalog anywhere I have internet access and can check on available books immediately from the Kobo without needing a computer or another device. Highly recommend this product for anyone who has my particular requirements. I will say the kindle ereader was very nice and looks almost exactly like the Kobo and was a LOT less expensive so if Overdrive isn't necessary for you, don't spend the extra on this ereader. Thanks.

It's very easy to read under the sun, the screen reads better than an old Sony reader that I transfer to my son. but this one also has light to use it in the darkness. I like it and works good, great reader for the money. There are some issuses. I like to load epub books and I found problems to find the correct order within a series of books. I know that that is probably a problem of the file naming, but I couldn't find a way of solving it on the reader. I didn't liked much the computer app, so I can't say much because I don't use it. I just plug the device to the computer and drop the files on a folder with windows file explorer, not the Kobo app. That is great, I should try to "adapt" the books titles before to find them better on the reader.. The button on the bottom of the device is not confortable. I found myself putting the device to sleep by accident when reading holding the reader on one hand. But is a great device, well made, good value for the money, and I considered buying another for one of my sons.

Pros: Fantastic display, good backlight, relatively intuitive controls. Cons: Touchscreen response is not perfect. Micro USB instead of USB C. Overall for the price I'm really liking it. It's been a long time since I had an ereader and clearly large strides have been made over the last decade on the hardware side. I've got very good vision and the display is really sharp with only occasional ghosting. Lots of typeface options make it customizable for any preference I can possibly imagine. I've only been playing with it for a few hours and I'm sure there's plenty more to discover both good and bad, but I'm really only interested in using it for its primary purpose - as an electronic book reader. I like that you can just drop EPUB files over USB. It's quick and it just works. Can't speak on the battery life since it's my first day messing around with it. I've got the brightness at 10% in my dimly lit apartment and it's both clear and easy on the eyes. The matte screen does a good job diffusing glare from overhead lights. Build quality and heft are both great. This thing is sturdy, though I'll probably get a case for it anyway just to keep it from getting beat up. One last thing: It tells you that you can adjust the brightness by gesturing up and down at the left edge. If you really hug the edge, it doesn't work well. If you move about a half inch in, it works almost every time. Even though it has some minor imperfections, nothing has been annoying enough to turn me off of it.

EXELENTE PRODUCTO

I really wanted to enjoy the Clara HD. I liked the idea of having an alternative to the Kindle and being able to checkout OverDrive books from my library right on an eReader. The OverDrive integration isn't great. I used my computer to put some holds on books. Out of four books, two of them showed up my Clara HD when they were ready and I was able to read them. The third book became available but it took eight hours before it finally showed up on the Clara HD. The fourth book never showed up. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite and I sent all four books to that device and it worked flawlessly. And now I can't even access the OverDrive section on my Kobo. The screen constantly says "Please wait..." even though my internet works fine and I can do other tasks on the Clara HD that involve using wifi. The other big issue with my Clara HD is the battery. It will sometimes quickly go from 50% to 30% and then within minutes go to 0% and shut off. So I don't fee like I can take this device out with me anywhere because the battery might randomly drain fast. The battery also drains while not using it, even with the wifi off. So between OverDrive not working properly (and now not working at all) and the battery issues, I would give the Clara HD zero stars. Please avoid this device.

I go back and forth between this and the paper books. The Kobo is so light and easy to read off of. It’s small, but with a large enough screen and the battery lasts weeks, if not months! It has smooth connectivity via WiFi and allows you to download ebooks from your library.

Bought two of these for my wife and myself to read when travelling and in bed with the light out. They replaced a previous generation kobo reader which didn't have a back light so needed external light to read in the dark. works well with all e books and a good selection of free or cheap classics in the Kobo on line library.

J'ai offert cette liseuse, elle fonctionne parfaitement et est très pratique. Très bonne autonomie.

Estoy más que satisfecha con el Kobo Clara. Llevo casi 7 años leyendo en un Kindle 4 y no veía la necesidad de cambiarlo (ni siquiera por uno con luz integrada); sin embargo, dado que necesitaba otro e-reader dónde poder leer los libros de la e-biblio (red de bibliotecas públicas de España), me di a la tarea de buscar dispositivos compatibles con la tecnología Adobe DRM. Me decidí por los Kobo porque buscaba un dispositivo respaldado por una gran empresa y con un amplio catálogo de libros, a la altura de la que nos ofrece Amazon Kindle. Y específicamente, me decidí por el modelo Clara, por dos razones: 1. Es el más ligero y pequeño del mercado (en la foto adjunta, se puede observar que aunque tiene la misma medida de pantalla que el Kindle 4: 6 pulgadas; al tener el marco más angosto, el tamaño del dispositivo es inferior). 2. Cuesta lo mismo que un paper white (o costaba, porque acabo de darme cuenta de que en Amazon ya han subido su precio), pero tiene el doble de capacidad de almacenamiento. Llevo 3 semanas usándolo y cada vez estoy más contenta de mi elección. De momento no he tenido que cargarlo ni una sola vez, usándolo todos los días, al menos una hora. Tiene un detalle muy chulo, que es, que cuando está en modo reposo, se queda como fondo de pantalla, la portada del libro que estés leyendo. Su iluminación es genial, se adapta a la luminosidad del ambiente; y sobre todo, la luz nocturna, que permite leer con claridad, sin cansar la vista. Precisamente la calidad de la luz nocturna es lo que más me ha sorprendido de este modelo. Una ventaja adicional, es que su uso es muy intuitivo; en el escritorio solo incluyen la biblioteca de libros propios, sin publicidad, lista de deseos, ni sugerencias. Tiene wifi, varios tipos de letra, búsqueda, diccionario, etc. como todos los e-readers actualmente. Soporta varios tipos de formatos de archivos de texto; por lo que no tienes que tirar de Calibre. Solo tiene botón de ON/OFF y entrada USB. La carcasa es de un plástico rugoso, por lo que da mucha confianza al sujetarlo, de que no resbale. Lo que echo en falta son los botones de cambio de página en el marco que sí tiene el Kindle 4; en el clara solo puede pasarse página pulsando la pantalla. Asimismo; otra ventaja de los Kindle que no tienen los Kobo, es la posibilidad de pasar los libros del PC al dispositivo a través de correo electrónico. Sin embargo, en términos generales me parece mucho mejor producto que el Paper White (hablo con conocimiento de causa, pues lo probé durante dos semanas antes de devolverlo); mucho mejor iluminación, el doble de gigas de almacenamiento, sencillez de manejo, sin publicidad y más ligero y portable. Lo recomiendo si eres usuario de ebiblio, o si no quieres limitarte a comprar libros en una sola tienda de ebooks.

Me encantó.... He usado Kindle, Nook de B&N y ahora éste Kobo. Me encanta el tamaño. La luz integrada. Puedes leer PDF, Epub TXT etc.. No tengo ya buena vista pero puedo poner Tipo de letra, o cambiar el tamaño de la misma! No pesa casi nada! Estupendo Ereader. La batería dura muchísimo! Y tiene capacidad para muchos libros

Bought the product and it became defective in less than 2 months. The screen has frozen and I cant get it to work. Ive tried for weeks by troubleshooting based on whatever tips Ive found online. Tried to ask the seller and was told that the warranty is only for 1 month... in that case, I tried to ask the seller what I can do but the seller does not seem to be responding. I dont recommend buying this