The Forma (like Kobo’s other readers) does have Overdrive support, meaning that with a library card and account there you can easily request and read books from your local branch’s virtual stock. Pocket integration is solid and extremely useful. Kobo’s much-appreciated drag-and-drop book adding and support for over a dozen formats (epub, cbr, mobi, etc.) is here as well, with no changes. Text handling seems unchanged from Kobo’s other devices, which means it’s just fine - the typefaces are good and there are lots of options to adjust it to your taste, book by book. As it is, most books simply feel strange in this mode. Why can’t I have two pages displayed side by side, like a little pocket paperback? I’d love that! I’ve already asked Kobo about this and I assume that because I have done so, they will add it. I’m not sure why someone would want to read this way, though I’m sure a few will like it. The only one that doesn’t feel correct is the landscape mode. Neither side feels more “correct,” for instance because of the weight distribution or anything. This flipping process happens more or less instantaneously, with rare exceptions in my brief testing. But the grip of the Forma won’t let you forget it.Īlthough the power button is mushy and difficult to tell if you’ve pressed it right, the page-turn buttons are pleasantly clicky, and despite their appearance of being lever-like, they can easily be pressed anywhere along their length - which goes forward and which backward switches automatically if you flip the reader over to use the other hand. I am worried about the material the grip is made of: a satin-finish plastic that’s very nice to the touch but tends to attract fingerprints and oils. The USB port is just wide open, but obviously it’s been sealed off inside. Nothing to worry about, just wipe it off. The device is fully waterproof, like the Oasis, although liquid on the screen can disrupt touch functionality (this is just a physics thing). That said, the Clara will fit in my back pocket, and this one most definitely will not. Despite being larger than any of those, it’s no less portable. ![]() It’s still very light, only 30 grams more than the Clara, the same amount less than the Aura One, and nearly equal to the Oasis. That the Oasis sits at a tilt when you set it down on a table is something that bothers me. Is this better or worse than having a flush front? Aesthetically I prefer the flush screen, but practically speaking it is better to have a flat back so it lies flat when you put it down or prop it against something. The shape is similar, as anyone can see, but the Kobo team decided to go against having a flush front side and instead give the device a “chin,” as we used to call it on HTC phones, though being on the side it would perhaps more accurately be termed an “ear.” The screen, of course, is flat, but the grip on the side rises up from it at a 15 degree angle or so. The whole business model is unsavory to me.) Chin or ear? (You can opt out of the ads but it costs money. To me Kindles aren’t even an option any more because of the “special offers” and limited file support. It’s also worth saying that like all Kobo devices, there are no forced advertisements on this one, and you can load your own books as easy as that. (I didn’t have one to compare on hand, unfortunately.) The Forma is slightly larger, by about 20 millimeters (3/4″ or so) in height and width, and is ever so slightly but not noticeably thicker. Where it differs from the Kindle Oasis is in size and a couple important particulars of design. ![]() The screen will be very similar to that of the Aura One, Kobo’s previous high-end reader, but the Forma’s asymmetric design gives it slightly closer to square dimensions. (The color cast of the screens is adjustable.) The Clara HD, Kobo’s best entry-level device, left, and the Forma.
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