4 ms·

I have a Libra 2 for personal reading and an Elipsa 2E for journals. A couple of minor nits like you mentioned aside, I love them. They can read almost any form

I have a Libra 2 for personal reading and an Elipsa 2E for journals. A couple of minor nits like you mentioned aside, I love them. They can read almost any format I throw at them, I can fetch books directly from my library, and if I add an article to Pocket on my laptop then it shows up on my Kobo next time I pick it up. I also read way more now that I've gotten the Libra, largely because it's so light and ergonomic for laying in bed at night and flipping pages. I added a popsocket to the back for easier 1-hand holding. The Elipsa is better for reading large content like Communications of the ACM or similar, where the Libra was simply too small to be readable. I hardly use the pen for either highlighting or notes, but it's there if I want it. If/when either of those die, I'll look at the color versions as potential replacements. It highly depends on how much of an effect the lower resolution has on readability. If it's less pleasant to read at night, or if PDF journal articles are a little fuzzier, I'd rather stick with B/W. If the only downside is that the screen is a bit darker so I have to turn the backlight up, then only get 2 weeks between charging instead of 4, I might consider it.

ornornor 3y ago
FWIW, we bought an arm to hold the kobo up while we’re reading (one of those smartphone holder things, they’re a dime a dozen) and a little device that clips onto the kobo. It comes with a remote, and you can turn the pages with it by making the kobo think you’ve touched the display with your finger. Best 50$ I ever spent (arm + clicker). Now I can turn pages while in bed without holding the kobo and with both hands under the cover. It’s the little things :)
- kstrauser 3y ago
  That. Is. Amazing. I know what I’m ordering today!
- mrks_hy 3y ago
  Please link or provide a product name, I've been looking for something like that!
  - ornornor 3y ago
    I can’t remember :( the arm is a generic phone holder arm with a spring loaded clamp that pushes down the top and bottom of the device. The page turner was one of these keyboard smash brands. Searching for “ebook wireless page turner” yields quite a few results.
  - lasr_velocirptr 3y ago
    If you are up for a little diy, you can get the libra working with a bluetooth remote that you may already have https://github.com/tsowell/kobo-btpt https://github.com/tsowell/kobo-btpt
    - kstrauser 3y ago
      I know what I’m going with my Flipper Zero tonight.
fuzztester 3y ago
Wow, interesting. Which Kobo model would you recommend for both reading and creating notes that can be saved as text? I am considering getting one for my software development work, so that I can read on the go, while sitting, or in bed, and also jot down short and medium length notes about my project ideas, during my daily walk (in the rest break). Walking helps me to think better. A laptop is too heavy to carry around everywhere, and particularly when walking.
- kstrauser 3y ago
  Disclaimer: Not a Kobo employee; don't have deep knowledge of their product line; just own and happily use a couple. The Elipsa 2E is very nice for large format reading and note taking. I bought it recently and compared it to other options from Boox and reMarkable. I ended up with it because I already had and enjoyed my Libra 2, and "like the Libra 2 but bigger and with a stylus" was appealing. That said, if I wanted something for your use case, I'd probably start with the Sage. The short version is it's a Libra 2 with a stylus, and that seems like it'd be a good combo. Somewhat related, I tried some non-electronic options for such things before, like a Rocketbook. Clever idea but I didn't like the implementation at all. Its OCR couldn't deal with my handwriting at all. I now have 2 distinctly separate note taking systems: - My Elipsa 2E for writing down meeting notes (while avoiding the distractions of an iPad or laptop, which is important for me personally but other people might not care about at all). - A paper journal (Traveler's Notebook) I take everywhere and use for my personal thoughts. - I lied. Number 3: "hey Siri, remind me ..." for capturing ideas while I'm out and about, and then I follow up with them when I get home. That works so well with AirPods, too. If I have an idea while I'm out jogging, I can ask Siri to remind me about it without breaking stride. First time I did that it felt like Star Trek.
  - fuzztester 3y ago
    Thanks for the detailed answer. I'll check out the Sage. That last paragraph about Siri was cool :)
    - kstrauser 3y ago

ornornor 3y ago

FWIW, we bought an arm to hold the kobo up while we’re reading (one of those smartphone holder things, they’re a dime a dozen) and a little device that clips onto the kobo. It comes with a remote, and you can turn the pages with it by making the kobo think you’ve touched the display with your finger. Best 50$ I ever spent (arm + clicker). Now I can turn pages while in bed without holding the kobo and with both hands under the cover. It’s the little things :)

kstrauser 3y ago
That. Is. Amazing. I know what I’m ordering today!
mrks_hy 3y ago
Please link or provide a product name, I've been looking for something like that!
- ornornor 3y ago
  I can’t remember :( the arm is a generic phone holder arm with a spring loaded clamp that pushes down the top and bottom of the device. The page turner was one of these keyboard smash brands. Searching for “ebook wireless page turner” yields quite a few results.
- lasr_velocirptr 3y ago
  If you are up for a little diy, you can get the libra working with a bluetooth remote that you may already have https://github.com/tsowell/kobo-btpt https://github.com/tsowell/kobo-btpt
  - kstrauser 3y ago
    I know what I’m going with my Flipper Zero tonight.

fuzztester 3y ago

Wow, interesting. Which Kobo model would you recommend for both reading and creating notes that can be saved as text? I am considering getting one for my software development work, so that I can read on the go, while sitting, or in bed, and also jot down short and medium length notes about my project ideas, during my daily walk (in the rest break). Walking helps me to think better. A laptop is too heavy to carry around everywhere, and particularly when walking.

kstrauser 3y ago
Disclaimer: Not a Kobo employee; don't have deep knowledge of their product line; just own and happily use a couple. The Elipsa 2E is very nice for large format reading and note taking. I bought it recently and compared it to other options from Boox and reMarkable. I ended up with it because I already had and enjoyed my Libra 2, and "like the Libra 2 but bigger and with a stylus" was appealing. That said, if I wanted something for your use case, I'd probably start with the Sage. The short version is it's a Libra 2 with a stylus, and that seems like it'd be a good combo. Somewhat related, I tried some non-electronic options for such things before, like a Rocketbook. Clever idea but I didn't like the implementation at all. Its OCR couldn't deal with my handwriting at all. I now have 2 distinctly separate note taking systems: - My Elipsa 2E for writing down meeting notes (while avoiding the distractions of an iPad or laptop, which is important for me personally but other people might not care about at all). - A paper journal (Traveler's Notebook) I take everywhere and use for my personal thoughts. - I lied. Number 3: "hey Siri, remind me ..." for capturing ideas while I'm out and about, and then I follow up with them when I get home. That works so well with AirPods, too. If I have an idea while I'm out jogging, I can ask Siri to remind me about it without breaking stride. First time I did that it felt like Star Trek.
- fuzztester 3y ago
  Thanks for the detailed answer. I'll check out the Sage. That last paragraph about Siri was cool :)
  - kstrauser 3y ago