One of the largest drawbacks about reading on a tablet is the sheer amount of distractions users are bombarded with. Reading immersion is often a battleground of Facebook and Twitter updates, instant messages and emails. This often can detract from really getting into a book and is often the number one complaint about reading on a dedicated tablet. Kobo is seeking to solve this with a new software initiative called Reading Mode.
Reading Mode is a new option that will see the light of day when the new Kobo Ara HD 10 and HD 7 are launched this October. It basically is a setting that you can turn on and will eliminate all notifications you would normally receive on your device. This really solves the problem of being distracted on your tablet while you are reading a magazine, eBook or graphic novel.
Reader Mode has patents being filed for it right now and Kobo is hoping to bring this functionality to their iOS and Android apps in the near future.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.