Indigo Books Vs eReader Kobo

If you've been into any of the big box bookstores recently you've probably seen Indigo's new eReader "Kobo" which they are trying to jam down people's throats without making it any cheaper.

Now I've tried the Kobo out in the store and its ridiculous slow. You press the buttons and then you wait.

And you wait and you wait and you wait...

And eventually the next page loads.

Its ridiculously freaking slow and the price tag is way too expensive when you consider how slow and annoying the thing is. $149 for the piece of junk.

Now some people might say "Hey, I could have all my books on there and I wouldn't need all the space." But once you try the Kobo and realize how slow it is you should really think twice about that idea. Sure, you could have lots of books stored on it, but what would be the point when its so ridiculously slow?

#2. Of course you still have to BUY the digital books just to put on Kobo. Expect to pay at least $50 to get enough books to keep you busy for a year or two.

#3. Also there is the issue of what happens in two years when better and more quality products have made the Kobo obsolete? You've just wasted $200+ on a product you will never use again.

So the end result is a slooooooow product which will soon be obsolete and you've just wasted $200.

Plus there is competition. Amazon.com has the Kindle eReader and its only $139 (and also a hunk of junk from what I hear). But neither of them will be worthwhile. First a company needs to make one that actually works properly and quickly, and then they need to get the price down to the magic number of $99 (because then it will just fly off the shelves).

Meanwhile Indigo is really pushing itself in the toy and gift business. I admit I bought quite a few xmas gifts at Indigo this year. But they have a long way to go if they want to start selling digital books on eReaders.

Especially when you can usually download popular books online these days for free and stick them on any laptop or tablet device. Or even your SmartPhone. Sure, its a pirated copy, but you can't beat the price.

Just don't bother trying to give pirated e-books as a gift. It won't work. :)