With its large screen, waterproof construction, and a world’s first ability to ‘borrow and return’ books from and to the library, Kobo’s Forma is going in guns-a-blazing after Kindle’s market. As Amazon focuses on dominating the world of Voice AI, the Kindle for them has always been a success not worth talking about. Partnering with Walmart, Kobo hopes to provide an upgrade to the Kindle experience for die-hard e-book readers. The Forma comes with a nice, grippable design featuring a thick bezel on one end for gripping the e-reader. Controls on the bezel allow you to browse through your personal library as well as flip pages, and its 8-inch screen allows the Forma to be used in landscape too, a feature that helps enhance readability.
Featuring an e-ink Mobius display, the Forma can “withstand “more bends, twists, full handbags, and overloaded backpacks” than other e-readers.”, while the IPX8 rating allows it to be submerged up to two meters of water for up to 60 minutes (perfect for poolside or beachside reading if you ask me).
Lastly, the Kobo Forma partners with the Overdrive online library service, allowing you to search for, borrow, and download library books via Overdrive directly from the e-reader itself using your local library card. Your move, Kindle!
Designer: Kobo
