Why I Finally Bought My First eBook Reader

My mother fostered a reading habit early in my childhood; I remember getting excited choosing new books from the Scholastic book order fliers, often hiding in the school library reading encyclopaedias and visiting the local book shop on weekends.¹ Books have accompanied me throughout my life.

In 2007, I seriously considered the new Amazon Kindle, but have decided against it year after year, as I felt the technology hasn’t matured and the distribution of ebooks seemed limited at the time.

Being based in Hong Kong (a very humid area), it takes a lot of effort to maintain physical books in good condition. Not to mention the space it takes… Fast forward to Q3 2024 – while trying to downsize my belongings, including the many books I still have in my collection, despite giving away and donating, I decided to research the current state of ebook readers.

Topics To Be Covered

• How I chose a suitable ereader for my needs (which was available on the secondhand market)
• Side loading books managed by Calibre to KOReader
• My experience with reading on E Ink displays
• Troubleshooting Overdrive / Libby and borrowing from the library on Kobo devices

Features I Wanted

• Flush screen (despite slight reduction of text clarity)
• Minimum 300 dpi pixel density
• No need for buttons for page turning
• Larger than 6″ (I like reading journal articles / textbooks / pdfs)
• Backlight screen with temperature control
• DRM compatible

I would have asked for USB-C and bluetooth connectivity (to use a wireless page turner and for audio); but that’s asking a bit too much from old tech…

My Choice: Kobo Aura One Limited Edition from 2017

In the end, I got a second-hand 2017 Kobo Aura One Limited Edition (32GB) for about $500HKD (~$65USD / $60EUR) which I am extremely happy with! The price to performance ratio is great. I wouldn’t pay the current asking price for a modern equivalent (likely four to five times what I paid). There are some visible signs of use but functionally it is working well (with a few small scratches on the corner of the screen and a slightly damaged bezel near the charging port). Having a waterproof device is not necessary for me as I never read around water, but I would assume my copy of the Aura One is no longer waterproof as the battery has been replaced.

Transitioning From Physical to Digital Books

Having got my first tablet about a year ago (an iPad Mini 6), I’ve been reading a lot more ebooks, pdfs and journal articles with it. It’s better than reading on the phone; but even though I used a paper-like magnetic screen protector to give it a less glare-y look, it was uncomfortable and heavy to hold for long periods. Plus, I sometimes get distracted on the multifunctional tablet. Yes, it is another gadget to have, but I think it’s worth it for those who like reading digital content.

Calibre – Book Management Software

Since I have a collection of digital books and documents which was not managed (stored in a folder on my Mac), I decided to try Calibre, an ebook manager software which is FOSS (free, open source software) and can be self hosted. I already had a Raspberry Pi 4B home server running some services, so this was the perfect time to add Calibre to my homelab setup! Keep an eye out on my tech blog, BurgeonLab.com, as I plan to write a technical piece on how I got Calibre and Calibre-web running on my home server using Docker / Portainer. I will post a link here when that is available.

KOReader – feature packed document viewer

Out of the box, the Kobo Aura One UI doesn’t work with Calibre. But by side loading KOReader (a document reader/app that works on most ereaders, Android, and Linux), it makes for a perfect pairing; boosting the functionality of the Kobo significantly. I have been using KOReader on Android for a few years, but it was only recently that I learnt about Calibre (having a feature of wirelessly transferring books directly to KOReader). KOReader is a very dense piece of software and deserves its own post! The documentation is pretty good though and almost anything can be customised to your liking.

Advantages of Reading on an E Ink Screen

I’m still in the honeymoon phase of using e-ink technology for the first time. I’m amazed at how comfortable it is to read on an electronic paper display. With E Ink Carta HD technology on the Aura One – a 4th iteration from E Ink (a Taiwanese company), it is plenty for my needs. With a resolution of 1872 x 1404, I find the text crisp and book covers / diagrams sharp. The new developments since then include colour e-ink displays, faster refresh rates, increased contrast and perhaps slightly faster processors / response times. There are also tablet versions which allow for note-taking and more; but those are over my budget and I don’t have a use case for that.

Reading At Night

The backlight feature is such a boon on the Aura One. I can finally read without having a light on! It has a temperature setting which is perfect for reading before bed. There’s a light sensor near the top bezel to adjust the lighting and temperature automatically but I prefer to set it manually. Prior to this, I tend to listen to audiobooks at night; now I can enjoy the warm glow of the Kobo before sleeping. It’s also very thin and lightweight. I’ve tried using my flexible tablet clamp with it and it makes for a convenient hands-free experience (except for turning the page – which will require a clip on accessory).

Read It Your Way

Then there’s the endless appearance customisations when reading ebooks. I love tweaking the text to my own liking including spacing, margins and fonts. Can’t do that with a physical book! My current go-to fonts are: Bitter, ChareInk, Bookerly and Noto Sans Hong Kong.

Another clutch feature I enjoy using is the dictionary. By long pressing on a word, the definition appears within seconds and I can add it to my vocabulary list. This will be especially useful for me when I’m reading Chinese books as I find it way too troublesome to search for new characters on my phone while reading paper books. I still need to find a Chinese-Chinese or Chinese-English dictionary to sideload into KOReader for it to work, but I look forward to improving my Chinese and perhaps help you learn another language too!

First Time Borrowing Ebooks From the Library

Another useful feature I was not expecting on the Kobo Aura One is support for Overdrive (an online book borrowing platform), built into the Kobo UI (it was the first Kobo device to have Overdrive functionality). Hong Kong being one of the supported regions, I was thrilled at the prospect!

When I first got the Aura One, going to Settings didn’t show Overdrive… which made me worry if it was because the Kobo wasn’t originally from one of the regions that supported Overdrive (I got this second-hand ereader from Mainland China via TaoBao).

Assuming you’re in one of the regions that support Overdrive, plus you own one of the supported Kobo devices (compatible region and country list); follow the steps below to get the Overdrive function on your Kobo.

How To Fix Overdrive Missing in Kobo Settings

1. Create a Kobo account on www.kobo.com if you haven’t already. At the bottom of the page, select the correct country/region.
2. Go to My Account > Payment Information > Billing Address and select the country/region. Saving a payment method is not necessary.
3. Download the desktop Kobo software and login.
4. Ensure your firmware is up to date by doing a sync with your Kobo connected via USB to the desktop. Remember to eject before unplugging.
5. The Overdrive option should now appear in your Settings on the Kobo. Create an Overdrive account if you haven’t already on the computer, and login on the Kobo with your credentials to link the device to your Overdrive. Books borrowed on the Kobo are automatically returned at the due date and will show up in the My Books tab.
6. If Overdrive is still not showing on the Kobo, try to sign out of your Kobo account on the ereader, reboot (not sleep) and login once again. (More > Settings > Accounts > Kobo Account)

Other Considerations

Using my “new” Kobo Aura One for the past two weeks has been a great stimulus for my reading appetite . I don’t have any complaints other than the fact I want to get a sleeve to protect it from scratches or putting pressure on the display while transporting it around. I realised my ESR iPad Mini 6 magnetic cover (not the case) actually can double its duty and act as a makeshift cover in the meantime. The corners are slightly poking out, but the magnetic flap actually registers and can auto sleep the Kobo!

This is probably one of the few gadgets I don’t have a screen protector applied because it will negatively affect the display, hence I find myself babying it a bit more than my other gadgets. As for worrying about battery life in a seven year old device – I am not too fussed since the battery was replaced during refurbishment. I am keeping the charge roughly around 60-90%, topping it up on low power mode with my battery banks whenever I get the chance. Will try to keep the battery health as stable as possible.

Getting ebooks

I find that buying from kobo.com, ebooks.com, and Wiley Online Library usually has me covered. There’s also the ability to borrow (with the additional step of Adobe Digital Editions) or download free ebooks from the likes of Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, or OpenLibrary. But for some, Amazon might still be their go to store – for which a Kindle might be more suitable to stay within that ecosystem.

TLDR

If you’re someone who is on the look out for a budget, large screen (7.8″) monotone ereader and isn’t reliant on Amazon as their main ebook source; I highly recommend this old Kobo model – the Aura One. The larger 7.8″ screen will be beneficial if you read pdfs or textbooks. If you can find the 32GB Limited Edition version then go for it, but otherwise, the original 8GB is plenty. If you have the budget for current devices, I personally would get the new Kobo Clara BW 6″ which supports audiobook playback via bluetooth. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any recent 7.8″ equivalent I would get in the current generation of ereaders in 2024.

Let me know if you use an ereader and which model you got! I still feel ereaders are not a mainstream gadget like phones or tablets, but if you ever have the chance to test one out at the shops or from a friend, I wholeheartedly recommend you giving it a shot. It really makes it easier to read more on the go and is more comfortable on our eyes. This purchase has incentivised my love for reading; read on!

Tip For Kindle Users Considering Kobo

If you want to jump ship from Amazon Kindle to Kobo, there are tools called DeDRM you can use in Calibre to help convert ebooks purchased on Amazon (before January 2023) to work on your Kobo. It converts the proprietary formats and removes DRM so it can work on Kobo or other .epub readers you own.

Footnotes

1. Does anyone remember the Chapters in Richport Town Centre on Ackroyd? I miss that place… ↩︎