Kobo Glo review

Wi-Fi, an e-ink screen and EPUB compatibility on Kobo's Kindle Paperwhite rival

Kobo Glo review
ComfortLight makes the Kobo Glo pleasant to read at night

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By the end of 2012 we expect virtually all e-ink screened e-readers to come with an optional backlight, but for now the Kobo Glo is one of few such devices ripe for a gloomy winter's night.

We liked

Being able to read EPUB files without conversion - as is needed on a Kindle - is a boon for prolific readers, while the highly customisable fonts are wonderfully exact, as is that soft and subtle ComfortLight.

We disliked

Not being able to email documents to the Kobo Glo, as is possible with a Kindle, takes a bit of the gloss from an otherwise highly versatile device.

Final verdict

The ComfortLight is perfectly executed at the first time of asking on the Kobo Glo, and makes a great option on an e-reader whose all-round quality and versatility comes at the price of occasionally needing a computer.

A top quality reading experience awaits; stuff it in a Christmas stocking and watch a loved one's face light up - literally... though they probably won't talk to you for the rest of the day.

Also consider

In terms of backlit e-readers, the Kobo Glo currently has two serious rivals - the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Barnes & Noble Nook SimpleTouch GlowLight.

Jamie Carter

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and space journalist based in the UK. He’s been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine as well as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Space and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites, TravGear.com and WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners (Springer, 2015),