Ebook readers aren’t quite the hot item they used to be ever since the 7-inch tablet market dropped prices to the sub-$200 range, but they still have great advantages. Text you can read in direct sunlight, outrageous battery life, and at a significantly cheaper price than a more versatile, all-in-one device. Amazon’s most basic Kindle, though admittedly limited (no touchscreen or keyboard, so don’t expect to do much of your ebook shopping on the device) and burdened by “Special Offers,” is just $69. Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Simple Touch comes in at $79 ad-free and without any serious hardware compromises. But right now, there’s a solid competitor available for just $39.99. Meet the Kobo Mini.
Kobo is a lot less well known than its competition associated with large ebook retailers. Formerly associated with the now-defunct Borders, Kobo now has to stand on its own as an ebook-only store. Despite lacking a book store chain of its own, Kobo produces e-readers on par with any of its competitors and includes impressively innovative options to help the devices stand out. Normally $79.99, the e-readers pack similar features to the NOOK Simple Touch, but in a tiny package. Most people’s first reaction to seeing the tiny device is simply “That’s so cute!”, an impression in no way altered by the optional interchangeable backplates. However, the Kobo Mini is as powerful as anything in the same price range. At only five inches, the Mini isn’t any bigger than the many of today’s smartphones, but it carries month-long battery life, a great e-ink touchscreen, and storage capacity for about 1,000 books. It’s also thinner and lighter than the Kindle or NOOK.
Kobo is no slouch in the content department either. The Kobo ebook store can boast roughly the same number of books as Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can sync those books across multiple devices, including with Kobo’s Android, iOS, Mac, PC, and web apps. Also, you can side-load your own ebooks in a wide variety of formats, including PDF and EPUB.
Right now through July 18, Kobo is offering the Mini at an astonishing $40 off. That’s $39.99, cheaper than any of its competition by a fair margin, for an ebook reader without any serious limitations and designed to fit right in your pocket. The Mini is a deal too big to pass up.
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