yay kobo!
I got my current Kobo back in 2021 (Kobo Libra H2O) and I love it (I like the Libra for the physical buttons too). By the way, it looks like it was retailing at $169.99 at the time and I had also gotten the compatible sleepcover which was an addtional $39.99.
I was reminded of this because of the Technically Good post highlighting Rakuten making the Libra Color and Clara repairable. So cool! Also because I just brought my kobo with me on a trip.
I have always loved having a dedicated eReader. Personally as someone that buys a lot of ebooks from indiepub authors + downloads AO3 fanfic often + using libby/overdrive I think Kobo is one of the best options out there. I also love the size that I got and how lightweight/easy it is to carry around. I didn’t get the color version (not sure if it was out yet) but as I primarily read b&w text I haven’t had an issue with that.
I often bring my kobo on the occasional beach/outdoor day since e-ink is a much better experience reading outside (NO GLARE!). I also like that it has a warm glow when reading at night. Battery life is really nice too. I also find that I have less carsickness when reading an eink reader.
Some pics I took that I found of me using my ereader (I mostly take pics of using this when I am traveling/at an event lol):
July 2021 - Took this on a trip to the beach with my friends. I loaded up a WIP fanfic by my friend where we were collaborating on a fandom “Big Bang” (a fandom event where writers and artists pair up together to work on a story with accompanying artwork) - I was reading to pick the scenes I wanted to draw for this BBC Merlin/Merthur fanfic.
August 2024 - Reading C. S. Pacat’s Dark Rise on the plane on our way to ANYC.
Late August 2024 - Reading the 2nd book, Dark Heir, during my tabling at San Japan.
January 2026 - Reading Heated Rivalry and also my attempt at reading this behind my table at Ikkicon (I have not finished yet but greatly enjoyed it). My table neighbor & friend had just bought the physical book at Kinokuniya and I wanted to join in on the fun lol.
April 2026 - Reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism (lol there’s the self-help read) during my flight to LA.
Also - my previous ereader was 2 versions of the B&N Nook. I think my later nook is still working, but since I’ve been buying books through Rakuten it’s just been easier to stick with the Kobo.