Recently, Rakuten, the owner company behind the Kobo digital book device brand, has officially introduced a number of models in the Malaysian market. One such digital book reader is the Kobo Clara 2E, which is also Kobo's latest digital book reader.
We were given the opportunity to test this book reader, and as an avid reader who doesn't have a lot of closet and shelf space for new books, this is my experience with this device.
Specifications And Design
Kobo Clara 2E comes with a 6.0-inch E-Ink Carta 1200 display with touch capabilities and ComfortLight PRO that allows this display to come with built-in lighting that allows users to adjust the brightness of the display according to usage needs.
As said before, this digital book reader also comes with touch capabilities and most of the functions of this device can only be accessed through touch gestures on this device. It comes with a power button on the back, while for charging, it comes with a USB Type-C plug that can be used to charge the device quickly.
In terms of storage, the Kobo Clara 2E comes with a built-in storage of 16GB that can hold almost 700 digital books with a size of 24MB each without a problem.
In terms of other technology support, this digital reader also comes with support for WiFi networks and also Bluetooth, where users can connect accessories such as wireless headphones to this Kobo Clara 2E. This is because this device is also able to read audiobooks (audiobooks) directly through their offerings on the Kobo online store.
Even more interesting is that 85 percent of the Kobo Clara 2E frame is made from recycled plastic, of which 10 percent of the recycled material is ocean-bound plastic.
With the development of the Kobo Clara 2E device, in addition to providing users with a compact digital reading device that can hold hundreds of books, Rakuten, Kobo's parent company, also wants to reduce the waste that can be recycled within one year of the device's introduction.
In this one year, they want to reduce as many as 200 thousand plastic bottles from the world's oceans and also more than one million CDs and DVDs from landfill sites on earth.
A cover accessory was also provided to us to cover the screen of this digital reader, but we understand that it is sold separately from the Kobo E2 Clara device. This accessory can also be used as a base for this device if you don't want to hold it while reading.
User Experience
One advantage that I can see on this Kobo Clara 2E, compared to other digital book readers such as Kindle is that it comes with support for various types of digital books that can be found everywhere now.
Yes, Kobo has their own digital book format, but with the Kobo Clara 2E you're not limited to just one type. This digital reader supports 15 types of digital book and image formats, including PUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR.
For image file formats such as JPEG, BMP and so on, since the device's screen is black and white e-ink, it does not display any color when it is displayed.
For text reading, I found that the E-Ink Carta 1200's screen display was sharp enough when displaying text for reading. And with built-in backlighting capabilities, you can read your favorite novels and texts no matter where you are and at what time.
Another very interesting addition to the Kobo Clara 2E is the IP68 water and dust resistance support. In short, this means that you can take this reading device with you no matter where, whether in the forest, desert, beach or river.
In fact, I can say that if you are someone who likes to read while using the toilet or shower, it is not a problem to take it with you, although we recommend that you clean and dry the device as soon as possible after taking it to these locations.
Learning the keyboard shortcuts for this device isn't too difficult either, and as I said before, most of the Kobo Clara 2E's features and settings are only accessible through this touchscreen.
With connection to the internet, this Kobo Clara 2E also comes with a built-in web browser, but it is classified as a beta feature where it has the probability of encountering issues when used.
This web browser feature for me is quite important because it facilitates access to websites such as Wattpad and also some fiction writing websites that I like to browse in my free time without having to look at a computer screen, smart device or tablet.
The only issue here is that since it is a beta feature, this web browser often has the problem of closing itself and there is no way to open previously browsed websites.
It is hoped that Kobo will update the feature with a more stable version, because for me this device is the best way to read fiction content online other than e-books.
Speaking of content, one of the ways you can get electronic books into the Kobo Clara 2E device is to buy them from the Kobo digital book store directly from the device or by logging into your Kobo account from anywhere.
You might expect that scrolling through Kobo's digital warehouse screen would be easy enough, but in my experience, trying to buy a digital book using this device is quite annoying.
Browsing the selection of books and even the pages of this digital store is like scratching your face with your own fingernails. Aside from the time when browsing it, the store's interface is also a challenge that will definitely confuse users.
My recommendation is to buy this Kobo book through a computer or tablet, and download it on a Kobo device for a more pleasant experience.
Modification
If your reading experience is not so good with the default settings, you can also modify the font type and size of your e-book to what you prefer quickly and easily.
For me, the default setting displayed on these electronic books is not a problem because the E-Ink display is sharp enough regardless of whether I am reading text content or black and white comics.
Settings for the modification of the text of this electronic book, it can be accessed when you read any of the books by scrolling the settings menu at the top of the electronic book page.
Battery
One of the things I really like about the Kobo Clara 2E is that it has a really long battery life. I've been using this device for a few weeks, and after only charging it once to 100 percent capacity, I've never had to charge it once so far.
Even so, most of the time I only use this device to read a book with only the backlight set to 10-20 percent so the lifespan seems to last a long time.
If the backlight is increased to the maximum (this is not necessary) or if you listen to audiobooks a lot, we expect that the battery of this device will decrease at a faster rate.
Even so, charging this device is also not that long, and you only need to connect this Kobo Clara 2E to a charger with a USB Type-C cable to charge it.
Closing
If you are an avid reader and want a digital reading device that supports a variety of free and paid reading formats, the Kobo Clara 2E may be an e-ink digital reader to consider.
Advantages such as touch screen, background lighting, large storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, support of various types of electronic book files and even audio books make this Kobo Clara 2E a device that is definitely wanted by many.
But at the price tag of RM699, I would say that it is likely that this device will only be bought by die-hard readers who don't want piles of books scattered around their home, or those who often read when commuting between home and office.
As said, there are still some weaknesses present on this Kobo Clara 2E device, such as the web browser that still has a number of bug issues that cause it to close suddenly, issues navigating the book warehouse on this device and so on.
Pros:
Compact design and easy to carry anywhere
Easy to use
Supports various types of electronic books, including audiobooks
WiFi and Bluetooth support
Long lasting battery
Good background lighting system
Waterproof
Cons:
Price
A digital bookstore that is not user friendly
A number of features offered are not stable
No accessories are included with the device