Indecision took a holiday this weekend and I finally picked up a Kobo eReader from Chapters today (that’s like Barnes & Noble here in Canada, eh). I still have mixed feelings about the damned thing.
First of all, let’s get this out of the way. No, it’s not a Kindle, but it’s smaller, has less buttons, and was in stock, which made it a much better choice on all three counts. Secondly, it’s not an iPad either, but it’s a fraction of the price, only supports eBooks, is smaller and lighter, and has a no-glare e-ink screen. Again, this was a better choice for me.
what is that thing on the left?
Once it was charged and I was able to play with it, the Kobo reminded me a lot of Star Trek.
There are two reasons for this. First, it looks a lot like something Captain Picard used to hold, doesn’t it? (Although in this picture it does look more like an iPad, certainly.)
The second reason is because it also reminds me of the technology we had available back in the olden days, when Star Trek TNG was originally airing in the late 80′s and early 90′s. Specifically, it looks and feels a lot like my old Nintendo Gameboy, which was pretty amazing back in 1990, but looks rather trite by today’s standards.
Yes, we have to keep in mind that the Kobo is just a basic eReader, designed only for displaying eBooks. Aside from the e-ink screen, it is completely alienated from anything we would consider cool today. Not a single aspect of this device makes you want to give it a second look, let alone start showing it off to friends and family. In fact, whenever I look at it, I have to wonder how long will it be before I start seeing these things at garage sales, or in the discount bin at the dollar store?
I’m not criticizing the device by any means. Truthfully, I really think it’s great, and its going to get a lot of use. I know I’ll soon get over the strangeness of it in my hand. I’ll appreciate being able to slip several hundred books in my coat pocket and take it anywhere. I’ll enjoy being able to read comfortably with only one hand. I also know I’ll sometimes prefer the texture of reading a paper book – particularly old books with thick pages that feel like silk to the fingers, because…
Because, this particular piece of technology adds very little to the reading experience.
With paper books, there is a huge difference between holding a cheap Signet paperback, a Penguin Classic, or a fifty-year-old hardcover in your hands. The words are the same, but the experience is different. It’s the same as watching a movie in a good theatre compared to a tiny cineplex, or eating a meal on wedgewood china compared to a styrofoam plate.
Having the opportunity to read a few pages of Tolstoy on an iPad several weeks ago was an experience I treasured. The coolness factor of the technology rubbed off on the book itself. Holding the new iPad in my hands made me want to keep holding it, and keep reading the book. With the Kobo, the physical aspects of reading has almost no appeal. The only thing to keep my interest are the words themselves.
And when I realized this, I thought… uh oh…
This concerns me for one reason. As a writer, I have to remember that my books are being read in all sorts of formats, and more and more they are going to be on Kindles and Kobo’s and the $20 versions we all know are going to be available within the next three years. If my words are going to appear on technologies that are not only less than cool, but actually mundane, that means one thing: to keep anyone’s attention for more than a chapter or two, the writing had better be damned good compared to anything else they could choose to read.
This doesn’t just apply to me. It applies to every writer wanting to put out a book from today forward. With the number of books available, and the number of really cool distractions competing for a reader’s attention, the only way the books are going to do well is if the words themselves are more entertaining, better written, and more captivating than they have ever been before.
I’m just glad I love a good challenge.
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{ 1 comment }
I don’t think there’s anything shallow in that at all. In fact, its probably the opposite. I generally drink beer out of the bottle, but know many who will only use a glass because they find its a better all around experience. I think its the person who doesn’t care how the content is presented that might, perhaps, be shallow. And I feel the same about my Mac too.
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