Kobo Forma 8GB

For four years I had a Kindle Paperwhite with a 6 inch screen. Initially I used it a lot, but the small screen, wide bezels and Amazon system started to annoy me. Coincidentally, this Kobo e-reader just came on the market when I wanted to buy a new one. I can tell you, it's a breath of fresh air. In terms of size, the screen now at least resembles a real book and is certainly not too large. Why don't more manufacturers make such an 8 inch screen? The design also deserves a big thumbs up. The soft, rubber-like plastic feels friendly and pleasant. The weight of the device is on the side where you hold it, which makes it very comfortable. I also really like that Kobo works with Pocket. I follow a number of blogs and websites, and the new articles automatically end up in my Pocket account (you can set this up using IFTTT). From now on I can read it every morning on my e-reader, without distractions from apps or other smartphone irritations. Very very nice! Finally, compliments to Coolblue. The wrong product was delivered in the morning, but after a phone call it was immediately ensured that the correct e-reader arrived on the same day.

I bought this e-reader mainly for reading comic books and manga, and that's one thing this e-reader is pretty good at. Kobo has done a lot with recent updates to improve CBR/CBZ file support, allowing you to browse the pages relatively quickly and smoothly. The 8" screen is large and sharp enough to keep everything readable. Japanese manga work particularly well with this format. The function to tilt your image is also very useful for manga that uses double pages that are shown as 1 whole. With the forma you tilt the screen and you can still view these types of pages in the wide landscape mode. Where the format fails, however, is the memory capacity. With only 8GB, of which about 7GB is usable, you can't put many volumes of comic books on your reader at once. You will mainly notice this if you would like to have many different series on your reader. Another stumbling block is that the file transfer via USB is quite slow. This is not as annoying with normal e-books, but noticeable with comic books as they take up more memory. The ease of reading the format is a big plus. The thick gripping edge still gives you a solid handle to hold your reader, while the other thin edges make the reader quite compact for the screen size. The use of softer materials also gives you a better grip on the device, in addition to the fact that it feels nicer. The leaf buds are nice to have, although I personally find them a bit too far apart. This can become unpleasant with very long reading. You can of course always browse with the touchscreen, if you prefer. I make less use of the kobo-specific functions, such as the kobo shop and pocket integration. They function properly, but do not get in the way if you want to use the reader purely for your own DRM-free books. The pocket integration is useful if you like to take articles from the internet with you, but please note that you must first synchronize your articles with WiFi to your reader. Personally, I recommend this e-reader for manga readers and people who would like a bigger, clearer screen. As a manga reader, be aware of the lack of memory. There would also be a 32GB version of the forma for manga readers, but I haven't come across this in the Netherlands yet.

The big screen is really great. I only used the Kobo glo on vacation because of the small screen. I use the Forma every day. I no longer buy paper books. And the eReader is very light in weight. Despite the high price if you compare it with other eReaders, I would definitely recommend the eReader.